Calypso Starling

"This is our compartment," James Potter's voice entered the Hogwarts Express train compartment. Calypso glanced at him, seeing his tousled black hair with his rounded glasses. Flushed cheeks, meaning that he nearly missed the train and had to run to the 9 ¼ Platform. Behind him was the rest of his menagerie; Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. She knew them since they were in the same year as her, all Gryffindors.

And all troublemakers.

"Hello to you too, James," Cerise Lavoie replied, tossing her brunette hair over her shoulder. She was seated to Calypso's right, sitting next to Corvinne Elmwood. And in the seat closest to the door was Amelia Harlow, the mute girl that Calypso heard of. "This year, Hogwarts is flooded with students. The rest of the compartments are filled, so sorry that your boys' club is ruined by a bunch of girls."

"Very funny," Sirius said, stowing his trunks above the seats before sitting. Boys on one side, the girls on the other. As his friends shuffled into the seats, the train jerked forward, leaving the station.

Calypso Starling stared out at the window, legs crossed and hands in her lap. It was going to be an hours-long journey to their school, so she was in no rush to socialize. Well, Corvinne was already talking her ear off.

Calypso didn't really know any of the people in the compartment, except for Cerise since she was in Ravenclaw, though they never talked much. Glancing around, she looked at the people she would be stuck with in this tiny compartment. Tap into their emotions, her father's voice entered her mind. What do you see? No, don't just look, but pretend you're their reflection in the mirror or window. Take in all of their emotions, every detail counts.

She started with Sirus back since she sat opposed to him. He was pale-skinned and had messy black hair, not accidently, but rather on purpose. Perhaps poor Sirius wished to be more like James. No, that's not the case, Calypso thought. The Black family were one of the oldest and most wealthy purebloods, so that meant expectations. Except, Calypso had a hunch that Sirus wanted to rebel from that, he wanted to be nothing like the prior Blacks.

Still, he was a Black through and through. Calypso saw how his eyes twinkled in the shadows, it looked as if Sirius had little stars in his eyes.

"Alright, I think I've got enough coins for one pack of Bertie's Bott's Jellybeans, or maybe some Honeydukes. Oh, wait, we can have a Chocolate Frog each," James Potter said, counting the money in his hands.

He was all chaos, Calypso noted, from head-to-toe. She leaned forward a bit, hoping it didn't look awkward, and saw the redness in his tear line. It looked as if he had spent all summer crying over his breakup with Lily Evans. The last day of Fourth Year, Lily had stormed up to James in the hallway, asking him if he had been pranking Severus Snape lately. James, believing Lily too would find it funny, had answered honestly and listed every uncanny trick he had pulled on the Slytherin boy. Lily slapped James across the face—a rather pathetic and weak hit, Calypso would say personally. I'm not going to date an arse-snogger, or a bully for that matter.

Brutal. Behind those lenses, Calypso truly did see the heartbreaking sadness in James Potter's eyes.

Calypso eyed Remus Lupin, the worrywart of the group from what she gathered. His eyes were concentrated on the pages of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, his brows furrowed. Calypso didn't see much sadness in him, but she spotted something odd. Dog hair on his sweater, which was strange since she wouldn't have pegged him for someone who was a dog owner. He was too stressed, a pup would only worry him more. Hmm...

"Pete, I just found out that there's a new Herbology professor," Cerise exclaimed, twirling a lock of hand with her pointer finger. Calypso stared at the nervous, clumsy Peter Pettigrew. He was biting his fingernails, so he was quite anxious, and he had a lopsided smile. Loneliness, anxiety, irritability, or all of the above? Papa's voice was steady in Calypso's voice. Remember these aren't just people; they're lives, Stars. You can't get it wrong, then their life can go upside down. Then he would proceed to grab her and flip her upside in his office, making her scream and giggle. She missed her dad.

"Ugh, I'm going to fail all my classes this year!" Corvinne Elmwood cried out. Her black hair was splayed out on her shoulders, a pouty expression plastered on her face. She was a bit melodramatic, but she hosted the best parties from what Calypso heard. Corvinne spread out her arms, widening her eyes in an exaggerated act. "Perhaps I'd run away to America to perform on Broadway if I fail another class!"

"You'd be mugged on your first day there," James snorted.

"Shush, Potter. I'll never let them take me!" Corvinne swooned dramatically onto Cerise's lap, the back of her hand pressed on her chest. "I'll die first before surrendering !" she said as Cerise crackled.

"Oh, for Merlin's Beard, you're more crazy by the second," Cerise chided. Calypso focused on Cerise's body language, exploring every expression on her face; cherry red lips, a tiny smirk, longing eyes only on Sirius. A sense of entitlement, Calypso thought, or a one-sided crush? Love was so fiddle, it was the greatest cause of tragedy in Calypso's opinion. Cerise was less than kind sometimes, but she could be observant, catching Calypso's stares. "Do you need something?"

Calypso didn't reply, merely shaking her head. The last person left was Amelia Harlow, the mute Hufflepuff. She was quiet, arms crossed and seemingly tired. Her dark under eyes suggested that she didn't get much sleep, or ever actually. The growing loudness in the train compartment—thanks to the boys and Corvinne's acting—was irritating her, Calypso noted. As her chest rose and fell unevenly, the anger was building up. But you don't want to speak up, she realized. Because you are too scared to utter a single word. Amelia just turned away and shut her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

Calypso closed her eyes off, briefly processing all of that absorbed information. Seven people. Seven lives. You can draw a lot from just a mere observation, Papa told her. And something is telling me that you didn't take a bath yet; muddy socks, bedridden hair, and grime under your fingernails. Go draw a bath, Cal, before your mum comes home.

Mum rarely comes home anymore, she had protested.

Papa gave her a thin smile. But there's always the chance.

Not a chance, but the chance.

She sighed, leaning against the window, ready to observe the next person when she realized she was only staring at her reflection. Dark hair, light downturned eyes, and a blank gaze in her pupils.

It was easy to see tragedy in everyone else when it was all you ever knew.

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Regulus Black

After getting off the Hogwarts Expression, Regulus kept himself and kept trekking forward until he reached the school. It was chilly tonight, the breeze was stronger. He shivered and rubbed his hands, but felt the relief of warmth when coming inside of Hogwarts. Where is Sirius? He hadn't seen his older brother come on or off the train, but it was typical of him. Sirius was always too busy playing with James and the two other boys to say hi to Regulus or let him tag along.

It was not jealousy that gripped Regulus' heart—it was resentment.

And abandonment, his mind added, but he pushed those thoughts away. Arriving in the Great Hall, Regulus was prepared for the Start-of-Term Feast, heading towards the Slytherin Table. Waiting for him was Severus Snape, reserving a spot for him. "I only did it because you were mad at me for not saving you one last year," Snape stated once Regulus took his seat. They weren't exactly friends, at least that's what Snape said, but they were each other's close comfort.

"Thank you anyways, Snape."

"Have you seen Lily?" he asked nervously, sneaking a glance towards the Gryffindor Table. Already there was Sirius and his asshole friends, laughing and chatting their ears off. Thanks a lot, brother, Regulus thought stubbornly, turning away.

"No, I have not seen her, but I bet that you've seen Lily Evans a lot this summer," Regulus said, laughing a little at Snape's impossibly red face. Deciding to lend Snape some mercy, he instead said, "Have you heard anything from—"

Snape stomped on Regulus' foot under the table, making him wince. "We mustn't speak of the Dark Lord nor the Death Eaters in the open," he hissed, though Regulus doubted that was the reason why. Has Snape gone soft? Too soft that he forgot he too was a Death Eater, apparently.

"It's just me, Snape. What's gotten into you lately?"

"I've had some time to... reconsider my choices, I'm still thinking. Mild thinking, that's all." Snape pursued his lips, jabbing at a piece of meat on his plate. Regulus was stunned, blinking blankly. Is he truly thinking of leaving Voldemort? Regulus thought as he mindlessly prodded his bowl of food with a fork. No, that's not how it works. The Dark Lord would not be pleased.

Follow the Dark Lord's commands, he will not lead you astray, his parents had always said. Absently, he straightened up and tilted his chin up slightly. Muscle memory. The Black family taught him that purebloods were the only pure wizard race, the others being filthy.

He remembered that particular night when Sirus locked himself in his bedroom after another argument with their parents a few days ago. "I don't want to be like you, I don't want to be a filthy Death Eater!" he shouted, slamming the door.

Later that night, his mother had come into Regulus' bedroom, a comb in her pale hands. Walburga Black had her favourites, Regulus was the better Black son despite Sirius being the oldest and heir. "Your hair is so long, so unrefined," she scolded while brushing his hair. Mother still treated him like her baby boy, a child who didn't know better. Do you really take me for a fool, Mother? I know. I know everything, Regulus had thought. "Just like your brother." There was venom on her tongue.

Resentment twisted into knots in Regulus' chest. "I'm nothing like Sirius and I never want to be," he bit out.

A smile formed on Mother's face. She placed her frail hand on Regulus' shoulder, kissing his forehead. "Good." Their parents had always pitted the Black boys against each other like a game. Regulus always won, he was the better son.

Expectations upon expectations, pressure above pressure, excuses on top of excuses... A sense of dread had pooled in Regulus' stomach, consuming him. These are the Black family's traditions, he tried to convince himself. You are born to be a Death Eater, you are born to be the better son.

"Is Sirius okay?" Regulus asked at last. "He hasn't left his room."

"Don't worry about your brother, my dear son. I will send Kreacher to tend to him." Mother closed her eyes briefly, her grasp on Regulus' shoulder tightening. Almost suffocating. "Soon enough, the Dark Lord will come for you. He will see your potential, you will be a Death Eater."

"And if..."

"If what? You are nothing more than what we've worked towards."

"Regulus!" Serena Torres' voice brought him back to reality. She was seated in the seat next to him, munching on a turkey leg. The little girl was Estelle's younger sister, the Ravenclaw one. "You missed the Sorting Hat's song."

"Oh, right." Normally, Regulus would have laughed with her and tousled her blond hair, but he refrained from interacting with Serena since last year. Serena had voiced not believing in pureblood extremist ideals, objecting against Regulus' family beliefs. You pegged me for Sirius, Regulus thought unhappily. He didn't know how to deal with Serena, so he avoided her often. It truly did break his heart sometimes, Regulus thought of Serena like a baby sister. But the difference—the gap—between them was too great.

Regulus got up from his seat, deciding to change his day's pace. He was exhausted, not just from the journey to Hogwarts, but from everything lately. He desperately needed an escape to numb his mind.

"Where are you going?" Serena asked, hope in her eyes.

Sorry, Sere. "I'm not very hungry, I'm going back to the Common Room." Without saying goodbye to either Serena or Snape, he started to walk out of the Great Hall. He felt Sirius' stare as he passed by the Gryffindor Table. How could you be such a traitor to your own family? And that went both ways for the Black brothers.

Closing the door to the Great Hall, Regulus continued to walk down the corridor. Where, exactly? He didn't know, but he needed a breather to get away from it all. This year, Regulus found himself lonelier than ever. Sirius was too caught up with his own friends; Snape's friendship with Lily still prevailed, and he had to avoid Serena.

As the comb went through Regulus' hair, Mother told him, "It's not an easy path."

"A path to where?" To the Dark Lord? Back in Sirius' good graces? Where, Mother?

The corners of her lips tugged upwards. "Anywhere, really."

"Even to the stars and above?" It was a joke that his mother and Regulus shared often.

"Even to the stars and above."

Suddenly, Regulus bumped into someone. "Sorry!" he apologized, stumbling back. He helped the girl he had collided with, feeling rather embarrassed that he had been zoning out. The student was a Ravenclaw, the intelligent Hogwarts house, apparently. Apparently. The girl's light brown eyes focused on him.

The girl cocked her head at him. "You're Sirius' brother."

Regulus clenched his teeth. "Yes, yes, I get it, I'm just his younger brother."

"You also have stars in your eyes," she said out of the blue.

"Pardon?"

The girl, embarrassed from what she had said, breezed past Regulus and back towards the Great Hall. Stars in my eyes? Regulus was puzzled by that encounter with the Ravenclaw girl. What was her name again? Ah, yes, a Calypso Starling.

Starling.

Hadn't he heard that name somewhere else before?