There was never a more lonely feeling than being completely bombarded with people who spoke right through you. Of that, Callie was certain.
She was amongst her friends in one of the many hallways of her school, Hogwarts. They were walking down a moving staircase when it decided to completely alter their path, causing the Latina to groan in the middle of her friend's sentence.
"Ugh, are you serious?! We're going to be late!"
Mark and Addison glanced at each other with bemused expressions as they trailed behind their frantic friend at a leisurely pace.
"Um, Cal? Who cares?" Mark asked. He gave a side smile to his friend as he let his robes swipe the marble floor, his swagger radiating off of every inch of him. Carrying his book and wand to his side, he winked at a fourth year Hufflepuff across campus who blushed furiously, dropping her things all over the courtyard. Addison snickered at his side and shoved him lightly.
"Oh, Mark, don't be such a jerk! That poor girl didn't stand a chance." The two older Slytherins chuckled to themselves as Callie practically skipped down the castle's steps, booking it to her second class of the day.
"I swear to God if I get detention because that STUPID staircase moved I will write a dissertation about the idiotic happenings of this school and deliver it to Professor Webber myself!"
"Amoveo fimus!" The dirt appearing on Addison's shoes immediately darted off, hitting Mark in the shin.
"Ow! Hey!"
The red head giggled next to him, flipping her hair behind her shoulder and smiling. "Sorry, Mark! Guess I need to work on my follow through. And, Cal, honestly? A dissertation?"
Callie stumbled over seemingly nothing, turning around quickly to throw out an angry, "YES!" Mark and Addison's eyes bulged out at their friends antics.
"You know," Mark whispered to Addison, "she sort of scares me sometimes."
"I heard that!"
Finally arriving at the edge of the forbidden forest, Callie was thankful to see that they weren't the last ones to arrive. When she expertly swished her wand in the air with a quiet charm the time showed she arrived with exactly two minutes to spare. She sighed happily as she breathed in the fresh air. She had a feeling that Advanced Care of Magical Creatures was going to be her favourite class. She had such a way with animals that she had convinced the Headmaster to allow her to take a 6th year class, even though she was only in year 5 at Hogwarts.
Setting her books in her usual spot underneath the small fence near the gatekeeper's hut, Callie let out a low whistle with a slight lilt at the end. She scanned the area, but didn't see what she was looking for. Sighing, she shook her head to rid her of her disappointment. Behind her she could hear a couple of girls she didn't recognize.
"I'm telling you, Teds, one of these days you are going to get beaten to death by one of those things!"
There was a light laugh following a groan of pain.
"I'm not going to be beaten to death! I just dropped the club because your stupid brother made me sneeze! Some dumb jinx he set up."
"He would."
Callie watched the girls come from behind her and continue towards the rest of the class. She used to be so good at huddling into herself, but two years ago she hit a massive growth spurt that was still causing her to trip over her own two feet. She had always been taller than most of the girls in her grade, but now she saw herself as massive, being only 15 and standing at 5'9". Sure, her friend Addison was an inch taller than her, but she didn't have the Latina's curves, and where everyone else started staring at Callie in a good way because of it, she thought the opposite. Now she was forced to stand out in a world that demanded her every opinion before she was ready to give it. She missed the days where she could sit back and watch things unfold, patiently waiting before she made her own deductions about them.
"Mark! I'd say it's good to see you, but..." Derek Shepherd rounded the hut, a confident spring in his step. Mark laughed and brought him in to a masculine hug that Callie always thought looked ridiculous.
"Yeah, must be hard knowing I got all the looks in the family." Derek shook his head and put his arm around his friend, leading them both closer to where the lesson of the day would be.
Mark and Derek were like brothers. When Mark's parents died a few years back, the Shepherds took Mark in as their own. Not that it really made much of a difference to Mark. To him, they were always his true family.
"Settle down, class! Settle down!" Professor Leonel, an African man with silver dread locks spoke up as he apparated just on time. Wearing a traditional deep blue African gown that swept the forest floor, he gazed upon his first class with a smile. Waving his wand quickly, a few rows of mahogany benches lined themselves up directly in front of him. Callie hurried toward the front, making sure she got a seat directly in front of the man. He winked when he saw her and she smiled broadly in return.
"Good morning, Miss Torres." He whispered to her as the other students took their seats.
"Good morning, Professor. I haven't had a chance to see Glitter this morning. How's he doing?" The man nodded with a smile.
"He's quite fine, quite fine! That would explain why he was stomping in circles for no reason and stretching his wings too wide for his cage. I suggest you ride him at some point today, he's a bit restless."
Just at that moment, a whinnying noise could be heard from the sky. Looking up, Professor Leonel's eyes grew wide.
"Oh dear...too late."
Callie knew that sound anywhere. Torn between wanting to apparate or mount her horse, she slowly turned her head to face what she knew was coming.
"Is that an Abraxan?"
"It's beautiful!"
"Oh my God, it's going to kill us!"
Callie leapt up as her flying horse grew closer.
"It's not-Whoa!" Callie exclaimed, getting up and raising her arms to flag down her horse. The beautiful tan horse swooped down, his blue wings causing the class to duck and cover when they went to fold in on themselves. Everyone had leapt up from their seats and were as far away as respectably possible from the scene. The horse's black eyes seemed to sparkle upon seeing his owner and he pranced gleefully in place, flapping his wings and whinnying for good measure. Callie crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. Ignoring his owner's response, he nudged her lovingly and nuzzled her crossed arms, chomping lightly at her robes in hopes that there would be food for him underneath. She smiled despite herself and rested her forehead on the space between his eyes.
"You know it's my first day of classes with 6th years and I guess it was just too much to ask that I fit in, right? You just want to see me miserable, don't you?" The horse whinnied again in response and stomped in place, still incredibly excited that his owner was so close to him. She laughed and placed a smooth hand on his neck, rubbing back and forth.
"Is she yours?" A girl with mango orange eyes slowly approached her. Callie gasped a little when she caught sight of her iris's, but decided it best not to say anything. After all, her horse literally just crashed into their class. Who was she to be judging?
The Abraxan stomped his feet and snorted, flapping it's wings in mock fury. Callie rolled her eyes at him and whispered soothingly into his neck. She smiled back at the girl, whose eyes were now a misty shade of white.
"Glitter, stop! Um, yes, HE is mine. He gets a little riled up when someone thinks he's a girl just because of the way he looks." She turned her head to face her Professor, who was trying to get the class to settle back into their seats. Some seemed excited, others were more wary. The girl with the changing eyes approached cautiously. Callie recognized her from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She was their beater, but she couldn't quite recall her name.
"Hey, I've heard of you! You're Callie Torres! Aren't you an Equling?!" A Gryffindor boy called from the back of one of the aisles of benches. She blushed furiously. An Equling was someone who could communicate with horses in the wizarding world. They were extremely rare, and since Callie didn't like showcasing herself to the world or standing out, she was mortified by the interruption.
"Will he...I mean, I'm sorry. Can you let him know I'm sorry?" The Gryffindor girl asked her. Callie nodded and did her best to smile, but was too embarrassed. The girl came closer to her steadily, wary of the horse that was between them protecting his owner. Her eyes changed to a light lavender. She smiled sweetly at Callie.
"Hey, it's alright. That's just Tobias being a loud mouthed idiot. See my eyes?" the girl asked, pointing to her face for emphasis. Callie nodded and smiled shyly. "It's called 'occulus fateor'. My friend Owen and I were playing in an enchanted cave when we were younger, and I ran straight into a hex. My eyes have been obnoxious mood rings ever since. I'm Teddy Altman." Callie smiled at her and realized the other girl had stuck out her hand. She thought this girl was quite brave to do something so bold around her horse, who snorted menacingly at the stranger's close distance. Callie shushed him and shook her hand, smiling back.
"I'm Callie Torres. Nice to meet you." The two smiled at each other. From the opposite end of the area, Professor Leonel finally got the class's attention.
"Well, we were going to have a lesson on Thestrals today, but since Callie's Abraxan has shown up, perhaps we could take a little detour? Callie? Would that be alright with you?" Callie froze at first, worried about being put on the spot, but eventually nodded. She absolutely hated being the center of attention. Addison stalked up to the front of the class. Muttering another charm under her breath, a whiskey flavored candy appeared in the palm of her hand.
"Hey Glitter! I got you something!" Glitter whinnied happily in response to his owner's friend and took the candy right out of her palm. Addison leaned over the two girls, her eyes roaming over the Gryffindor girl with a bit of a smirk. Teddy's eyes flushed a bubble gum pink as her face blushed. She looked away quickly.
"Hey Cal, I know enough about him. Why don't you go sit down and I'll answer all their annoying questions, yeah?"
Callie hugged her friend tightly, whispering, "Thank you Addie!" She gave Glitter a kiss on the muzzle and told him to stay with Addison, to which he eagerly did, seeing as how she was the one handing out all of his favorite treats.
"Alright, people, go ahead. Fire away!"
"No, but I mean, how red was Teddy's face?"
"Beat red. Blood red. The reddest shade you could ever possibly imagine red being."
"So was it red?"
"Shut UP!"
Teddy sat with a pillow covering her face, groaning into it as her friends joked around her. She, Owen, Tim, and Arizona were all sitting in their sunken ship's dining room that they had transformed into a makeshift hang out area. The beautiful furnished wood and brass decorations were gleaming ((Arizona cast a spell everyday that polished it all)), and the red carpeting and cushions of all shades stacked high all over the place. It had the feel of the Gryffindor common room, but this space was all their own. Arizona had discovered it her first year at Hogwarts, much to Tim's displeasure (('Why didn't I think of looking for buried treasure in the Black Lake?!')).
"It's interesting, Teds, because every year we hear you moaning and groaning about some new boy you're pining over not loving or wanting you. This year we get to hear about a girl. Thought that was Arizona's department!"
Arizona threw a pillow at her older brother. "Can it, you!"
Owen chuckled alongside his best friend. "I think your sister's upset that she has some competition." Arizona scoffed as she sat up from her bean bag.
"Oh, please. Red heads aren't my thing. I'm more into the exotic look, you guys know that." She plucked the pillow out of Teddy's grasp and smiled lasciviously at her.
"She's all yours, girl!" Teddy's eyes glowed a dangerous red as she threw herself back down on the floor over dramatically.
"Why? Just WHY did I have to go talk to that 5th year? Always the nice one! Always the friendly one!" Tim shook his head as he zipped his miniature broomstick with his wand throughout the room, following it playfully with his eyes.
"Yeah, isn't that usually Zoe's department?" Arizona rolled her eyes and caught her brother's broomstick, throwing it into the other room.
"Hey!"
"I don't prey on innocent young women, Tim! Jeez!" The siblings made faces at one another while Owen was drumming with his wand in the corner, not really paying attention to the conversation.
"Owen if you don't stop that drumming I swear to God I won't be getting that 3rd year to fix it for you again!" Immediately he stopped.
"What's this I hear about her being an Equling? I didn't really think those people existed." Tim asked, waving his wand and retrieving his broomstick with a broad smile on his face.
"Oh, you mean like how Aquatongue's don't exist?" Arizona shot playfully. Her brother scowled at her and zoomed the broom right into her forehead. She rubbed at it furiously and threw another pillow at him as hard as she could.
"Speaking of that, Arizona, can you talk to frogs? Because Aria Torres was complaining this morning about how some 4th year boy's Harlequin toad went missing and now the entire Slytherin girl's dormitories are vacant." Owen said. Arizona chuckled at the mental image it pulled up and shook her head.
"No, can't say that I can. It's weird. From what I understand, I can pretty much speak to anything that dwells specifically in water. Toads can live on land. Speaking of which, we have to leave earlier than usual today, Xia told me they're having some sort of meeting tonight and we need to get lost for it."
Everyone in the room nodded. At first, when the Robbins family found out about magic when Tim got his acceptance letter to Hogwarts at the age of eleven, they were completely confused. They thought it was a joke. That is, until Professor Webber had visited them and told them otherwise. He asked Arizona if there was anything she could do as well, and she told him point blank that she didn't know anyone else who could talk to the fish in her fish tank. Her parent's looked mortified, but Professor Webber asked her to show him. When she did, he was astounded. When Tim felt discouraged, Professor Webber had told him how astonishingly rare Aquatongues were and not to worry in the least. He wasn't very jealous of her gift anymore, just cautious. He felt helpless at times when she insisted on communicating with the Merpeople, knowing that he couldn't really help her much if she got into a bind.
"Is Xia the one with the colourful ropes on her wrist?" Tim asked curiously. Owen shook his head.
"No, that's Oda, her younger sister. Xia's the one with the pink shells around her waist and neck." Tim nodded thoughtfully. Owen was fascinated with the Merpeople of the Black Lake and often traveled with Arizona whenever she gave him the go ahead. For the first two years Arizona had been trying to befriend the creatures, they insisted that they were not interested in getting to know her. But since she was so persistent, the younger ones eventually came around, bringing their parents into it until finally the entire clan had allowed her to swim alongside them. Bringing along friends wasn't something that Arizona did until her 5th year, when Owen had asked her enough times to finally let him tag along. At first the Merpeople were furious, but when Arizona told them repeatedly that he meant them no harm, they allowed him a small cut off section of the lake to wander in. They would never show themselves to him unless Arizona was nearby. For this, he was incredibly grateful. There were plenty of dangerous things in that lake.
"You guys...do you think maybe we can figure out a way to like...blind me?" Teddy's whine sounded from underneath yet another pillow cushion. The group laughed in unison and rolled their eyes at their friend. Every year it was the same. Some new guy, or apparently girl now, would show face in Teddy's life and everything was to be put on hold until she humiliated herself into isolation. Most of the time it was humorous, but sometimes it was just down right pathetic.
"You have literally said two words to her. 'Nice hair'. That's it, Teddy! Nice! Hair!"
"Yeah!" Said Tim. "It was only embarrassing because when you smiled at her you missed your step on the moving stairs and fell onto Filch's cat. Madam Pomfrey sure is ancient, but she knows how to get rid of nasty scratches, I'll give her that."
"Honestly, what kind of potion is she drinking? She's been here for ages!" Teddy exclaimed. She groaned yet again. "I think maybe I'll just wear sunglasses everywhere." The group all laughed at Teddy's suggestion.
"You tried that your second year here, remember? Professor Dubson made you remove them every day for three weeks. You had detention for, like, a month!" Owen exclaimed. Teddy muttered under her breath. She hated making a fool of herself every year in front of whichever person her stupid heart decided to beat faster for.
"How many injuries are you aiming for, Teds? Because that's already two trips to the infirmary today." Tim sniggered as Teddy attempted to send a tickling curse his way, but he blocked it at the last minute and sent it flying off to his younger sister instead.
"That was YOUR stupid mistake, Timothy Robbins! You and your stupid sneezing jinx!" A rapping on the ships window caused all of their heads to turn. The silver face of Xia, the mermaid Arizona was closest too, appeared in the small round glass. Arizona went closer. The mermaid motioned for them to leave immediately. Arizona nodded, and began to get their stuff together.
"Alright guys, you saw her. Let's go!"
"I'm thinking of a number between 'this' and 'sucks'." Cristina mumbled. Meredith smiled next to her, nodding her head in agreement.
"Those aren't numbers." A boy across from her muttered back as he scratched his quill across his parchment. Cristina glared at him, closing her hand on her wand and sending a silent spell at the Hufflepuff, causing the tips of his fingers to itch. He glared at her and began awkwardly rubbing his fingertips against the grainy wood of the table.
"Ugh, Cristina! Take it back!"
"Ugh, George! Learn the counter curse!" She mockingly replied.
"Averto..." A blonde next to him whispered. Immediately he stopped scratching and sighed, sending an angry look at Cristina.
"Thanks, Izzie." She waved a hand flippantly in response, listening closely to their Herbology teacher. Cristina sighed and sunk further in her chair, pouting at her boredom. Meredith leaned over, her dark and light blue tie shining in the light seeping in from the greenhouse.
"How do you do that? The spells without saying anything." Cristina waved her wand in front of her. It was a very light shade of brown with a ribbed handle.
"Pheonix core, pine wood, 12 and 3/4 inches, rigid. My pride and joy, right here!" she announced. Lexi leaned over in excitement to get a closer look.
"Wow! Pine wood is known for it's ability to deliver excellent silent spells!" She whispered ecstatically. Cristina yanked her arm back and stared wide eyed at the other Grey, her Ravenclaw robes a little bit baggy on her that morning.
"That was the point, infant. Why, what have you got then?" Cristina smugly crossed her arms. Lexi smiled shyly.
"Unicorn core, beech wood, 9 inches, surprisingly swishy." Cristina's smug look faded. Meredith nodded in approval, smiling at Lexi.
"Wow, beech wood? That's pretty impressive. Makes sense that it would be given to you, since you're so young and all." Lexi shrugged. She really did love her wand. It was light brown with a roped handle. She knew as soon as Mr. Ollivander had given it to her that it was the perfect fit. She took pride in knowing that the only witch or wizard that could use it would need to be wise beyond their years.
"Mine's unicorn too! And willow wood. It's only 9 and three quarter inches though, and quite flexible..." George stumbled through the end of his sentence.
"My favorite part of that whole conversation, George, was when it ended." Cristina commented. George just ignored her and went back to listening. Cristina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hufflepuffs..."
"Hey, Alex!" Meredith whispered. A boy with hunched shoulders and a disinterested look on his face raised his eyes to meet his friend's.
"Cristina said all the Slytherin girls were evacuating their dorms because you lost Spike." Cristina sniggered next to Meredith, recalling all the girly screams that erupted after the yellow and black toad let out a giant croak next to Aria Torres' bed. Alex scowled at first, then pointedly glared at Cristina.
"Wait, you saw him? And you didn't get him back for me? What the hell, Cristina?!" Cristina chuckled and waved her wand slightly, sending a silencing charm over the 6 of their heads in the back.
"Ok, first of all, I'm not touching him. I know you and the frog-"
"Harlequin Toad-"
"FROG, Alexandra! I know you and the frog are like, best friends and all, but come on. I wasn't about to go over near Aria Torres' bed and rescue it. She'd probably hex me!" Izzie nodded, finally deciding to join at least a piece of the conversation. "That girl is the muggle definition of a witch."
Cristina shrugged before she spoke again. "Her sister's not bad though. I heard she's an Equling."
"Yeah," said Meredith, "her flying horse crashed the middle of Derek's Care of Magical Creatures class this morning." The group laughed to themselves at the thought.
"Yang!" All of their heads snapped to the front of the classroom. Professor Magnotti stared at the Asian girl.
"Um..." Cristina tried to stare back, but finally gave a heaving sigh, slumping onto the table.
"Alright, alright. What time is detention tonight?"
Callie sat in an empty studying room with her hair pulled back out of her face. A copper cauldron was set up as well as many ingredients around her. She had been attempting a poison antidote that she had failed to perfect the year before. She sat back as she waited for her timer to go off. Delicately, she took a unicorn horn out of her sack. She knew the potion called for it, and that eventually she would have to place it in, but she was hesitant to do so. It was so beautiful. Callie spent a lot of her free time with Glitter, and sometimes when they weren't flying, they trotted through the Forbidden Forest. She had come across a few unicorns before and watched them for as long as Glitter would allow her to. Every time she attempted communication, she found herself at a loss. For what do you say to such a beautiful creature?
Everyone thought that being an Equling was the same as being a parselmouth, but it wasn't. When you talk to snakes you actually make sounds. With horses, it's much more of a sense of intuition and telepathy. The communication she used felt like it went directly through her soul. It was an enchanting feeling every time she met a new horse, and she cherished her gift very much.
"Doesn't it ever bug you that a bezoar comes from the stomach of a goat?" Callie turned and saw a blonde girl that she recognized from her Care of Magical Creatures class leaning against the entry way. The girl smiled, dimples popping in her cheeks as her blue eyes sparkled in Callie's direction.
Callie shook her head. "Not so much, actually. My family eats goat. The thing that bothers me is..." she trails off, pricking her finger lightly on the tip of the unicorn horn.
"Oh, yeah. You're fond of horses, how could I forget?" Arizona smiled in good nature, but Callie just blushed and looked away. She glanced at the timer. 5 more minutes. Arizona sensed that she must have upset the younger girl and came closer, pulling up a stool to sit next to her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." Callie shook her head with a small 'it's fine' rolling off her tongue. Arizona fingered the small sack of standard ingredient, rubbing the green texture between her thumb and forefinger.
"Do you get embarrassed a lot, or are you just shy?" Arizona asked curiously. She took in Callie for the first time up close. She was absolutely beautiful. It seemed like she was only just coming into herself. Her skin glowed with a healthy tan, her eyes held a small bit of make up, and her ebony hair was pulled back in a pony tail with waves and curls spilling out the back of her head in a messy, beautiful way. How had Teddy seen that red headed girl when this beautiful creature was right in front of her face?
"I guess I just...I don't like public speaking. I think it's because...it's...expected of me. My family is kind of prestigious." She quickly looked towards Arizona, raising her eyebrows and holding up her hands apologetically, "Not to be rude, I'm just saying! I'm sure your family is lovely. I,"
"Hey, it's ok! Torres, right?" Callie sighed. She was hoping this girl didn't know her last name, but then she remembered it being shouted in class by Tobias Horoschak, a loud mouthed Gryffindor that seemed to never think before he spoke. She nodded and looked back at her timer. 3 minutes.
Arizona could sense it was a sensitive subject. "I'm Arizona. Can I ask you something?" Callie turned her head and Arizona's breath caught in her throat. Although Arizona had never had a preference in eye colour, she now knew she could never fall for a girl with anything but brown eyes, especially this wondrous shape and shade that Callie had.
"Are you...I mean, I know this is the new era and everything, but I know that some Slytherins still...well, some things don't change and I was just..." Callie was losing her cool. This girl made her excited and nervous; made her feel put on the spot. Although her beautiful blonde hair was just screaming for Callie to touch it, she refrained and did her best to stay in the moment, however much she wanted to avoid any and all conversation about her family.
"Are you one of those Slytherins that cares about blood status?" Arizona finally asked.
Immediately Callie's eyes revealed her hurt. That's what everyone thought. They met her and liked her alright, until they found out she was a Torres, and then suddenly it was as if they felt inferior, or thought she was a snob. She had only her family to blame for that. It was one of the many reasons she did not introduce herself typically with her last name attached. Arizona saw the look and didn't know what to make of it, so she waited for a response.
"I am a member of my family because of circumstance, not necessarily choice." she responded. At that moment her timer went off. Immediately she set to work, knowing that if she waited too long her antidote would be ruined. Arizona watched her curiously. She took off her long black robe and set it on the side of Callie's things.
"No no no, wait! You stir it the OTHER way, like this." Arizona grasped Callie's hand around her own and stirred the mixture in the pot counter-clockwise. Backing up, she allowed Callie to wave her wand over her final product. The perfect murky shade of green appeared and the Latina couldn't help but cheer for herself.
"Yes! That must have been what I did wrong so often over the years! Thank you, Arizona!" The blonde smiled widely and took Callie's quill in her fingers. Dipping it in ink, she made a note in Callie's book reminding her which way to stir the potion. Callie poured the potion into a glass vial carefully and swished her wand, successfully cleaning up her mess and sending her ingredients back into the many shelves of the potions study room.
"I don't care what your blood is, Arizona."
Arizona turned her head sharply to meet Callie's gaze. She saw something swirling in those deep brown eyes. Something inviting, but also incredibly hesitant. The two stood staring at each other for a while until a fallen hair from Callie's pony tail fell into her face. Before she could think about it, Arizona was brushing it back behind her ear with the slightest of smiles.
"You know, for a Slytherin, you're incredibly kind." she nervously chuckled.
"You Gryffindors sure do know how to give a back handed compliment."
Arizona blushed and pulled her hand back, causing Callie to grin at her.
"Yeah, we're not always well spoken..." she muttered under her breath. Callie laughed at her regardless. She leaned against the table and sat on top of it, giving she and Arizona some much needed room to breathe.
"So, what brings you in here, anyway? I'm usually alone during this time." Arizona smiled and walked around Callie. She took the familiar steps towards the potion cabinet and opened the door. Climbing up the sliding ladder, she pushed herself as far as she could before grabbing hold of one of the wooden shelves. Callie stepped closer to where the blonde was, watching her curiously. Arizona took a mason jar out from behind some boomslang skin and with an audible pop, the jar opened. She reached her hand in and made a face, pulling out a slimy green mass that Callie recoiled at.
"Do I even want to know what that's for?" the Slythering asked. Arizona laughed at her and twisted the top back on the jar. Sliding expertly down the ladder she landed with a thud on the floor. She smirked as she held it out in front of Callie.
"Gillyweed! It's my own personal stash." Callie's face shrunk up as she took in the heady scent of the ocean.
"Smells like muddy water." She commented. Arizona chuckled as she placed it in a bag of her own, tucking it in a pocket in her robes.
"Tastes even worse." replied the blonde. Callie shook her head and came up to stand behind Arizona.
"I'm sorry, did you say 'tastes'? Yuck!"
Arizona laughed at the younger girl again. With a swish of her wand a book came hurtling towards the two of them. She caught it just before it hit Callie in the head, who had jumped back, startled at the oncoming object. Arizona smiled at the younger girl and flipped through the pages of her herbology book. She pointed to a section all about the substance in her hand.
"See? There it is. It allows the eater to breathe underwater as well as giving them webbed hands and finned feet." Callie eyed her warily.
"Sounds thrilling. And why would you be trying out this Mediterranean delicacy?" Arizona smirked. So Callie did know what it was...
"I'm an aquatongue, so I do a lot of under water exploring. Professor Webber allows me free access to the gillyweed in the cupboard over there. Sometimes I do a simple bubble charm, but I prefer this the most." Callie's eyebrows rose, slightly impressed at the blonde standing across from her.
"But..." she took in it's green, slimy appearance, "it looks positively revolting!"
Arizona chuckled, blushing slightly under the watchful eye of the beauty in front of her. "Yeah, it's an acquired taste. I'm immune to it by now. 6 years of chewing it makes your taste buds burn out."
Callie went to poke at it through the bag. It was squishy and seemed even more slippery to the touch. "Weird..." She quietly whispered. Arizona smiled at her.
"So! You can speak to horses, and I can speak to fish." she said. Callie nodded as she smiled back at the shorter girl.
"We make quite the pair, I guess," she added. Arizona blushed slightly at the implications, but realized that Callie didn't catch on. Just then, the door burst open and a blonde girl with steel grey eyes entered the room.
"Callie you- Oh." She stopped and looked Arizona up and down, a small snarl formed on her face.
"Robbins."
Arizona instantly deflated. She recognized the younger Slytherin and knew immediately that she and Callie's conversation was over.
"Hahn." She spat back, just as spiteful. Callie looked between the two of them, very confused at how they seemed to know each other. She and Erica had been friends for the past year. At first, neither of them were the type of students who talked much. In their 4th year they decided that since they were both sort of social outcasts in a way, they would team up together. Erica had different morals and values then Callie did, but over all the two of them got along well.
"Callie why are you spending your time with such-"
"Merlin, Erica, don't finish that sentence!" the brunette interrupted. Erica's mouth shut, but her eyes still glinted with distaste. Callie noticed Arizona wasn't exactly hiding her dislike either.
"Well..." Callie turned back to Arizona and lowered her voice, "Thank you for helping me with my potion, Arizona. I'll see you in class?" Callie gathered her things together with a smile as Arizona looked back in her eyes and returned it.
"No problem, Callie. I'll see you."
Arizona watched the two Slytherin 5th years exit the room. She sighed heavily as she sat back down.
"Guess Teddy's not the only one with an embarrassing crush on a Slytherin this year."
"Calliope, honestly, would it absolutely kill you to comb your hair?" Aria Torres, a 7th year at Hogwarts, threw over her shoulder as she watched her younger sister enter the Slytherin common room. Her two friends, Serena and Carmella, laughed from the couch across from her. Callie rolled her eyes as she sat down with a huff in a chair across from her sister. Erica set her things down on the floor and pulled out her assignments.
"I do comb my hair, Aria. It's just not straight like yours is. Besides, I was in the spare potions room working on an antidote for common poisons. I had to pull my hair back."
Aria hummed noncommittally as she flipped through her TeenWitch catalog. Suddenly she stopped with a gasp, her eyes lighting up.
"I could put a charm on it! Serena," she looked to her Indian friend excitedly, "were you not just saying you wanted to practice more of your cosmetic magic?" As Serena's happiness grew, Callie's dwindled quickly.
"Oh no! No no no no! Definitely NOT happening never in a million years! Nope!"
Erica giggled on the floor as she watched the two sisters. She always found their arguments compelling. Plus, she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the tinge of pink Callie's cheeks became when she was frustrated. But then again, she enjoyed just about everything about Callie. Aria groaned and threw her magazine across the table at her sister, hitting her right on the head. Callie ripped it off her face and threw it to the ground.
"You are so dramatic, Aria! Just because I don't want you and your friends poking and prodding at me, you throw a glossy newspaper at me? You're such a brat!" She quickly looked back at Serena. "No offense, Serena, I'm sure you're splendid." Serena shrugged and went back to her homework. Aria crossed her arms, the green fire casting her face into a twisted shadow full of malice.
"You know, Calliope, Mother sent me an owl today concerning my marital affairs."
Callie clammed up immediately. She loathed this topic more than just about anything. Aria pressed on anyway.
"You see, I'm to marry Leopold a month after I graduate from Hogwarts in the spring. And then do you know who she'll be after once that's all said and done?" Callie pretended to continue her reading. Aria slowly rose from the opposite end of the table. If there was anything she hated in life, it was being ignored. She was a Torres, for God's sake! And no one ever ignored a Torres. Except, perhaps, another Torres.
She yanked Callie's book right out of her hands, earning an eye roll from her younger sibling.
"You, Calliope!" Her face came within inches of Callie's as she hunched over her, grabbing the armrests of the green leather chair with ornate black wood carvings. Callie shrunk lower into it, doing her best to avoid her sister. "Mother says she's considering the Kibbe boy for you."
Callie scowled upon hearing that. Aria laughed and rose, giving her sister some room. She turned toward the fire, her eyes wide as she took in the emerald flames.
"I don't understand you, Calliope. We have some of the purest blood in the entire wizarding world and you want to piss it all away for no good reason."
Callie leapt up from behind her angrily. "Love isn't a good reason?"
"Ha!" Aria laughed mirthlessly. "Don't be an idiot, little sister! There is no love involved in marriage. Just look at our parents."
Callie bit her lower lip as her sister rounded on her again. The entire common room was silent while they watched the two girls argue.
"Calliope we cannot let our ancestors down. We are the last remaining Torres'! There are only so many eligible men that can say the same with their bloodlines as we can."
"Yes," she whispered, "and the incest of it all is just so appealing!"
A loud smack sounded throughout the room. Callie grabbed at her cheek, her right eye watering where her sister had just laid her hand upon her. Aria's palm was still in the air as her eyes grew wide, her breathing heavier then normal. Her finger poked straight into Callie's face accusingly.
"You don't belong here." She whispered breathily, her eyes tearing up with anger. "Not in this school, not in this house, and not in this family!"
Before she could do any more damage, she exited the common room and went up the stair case on the left to her dorm quarters, quickly followed by her two friends. Callie fell to the floor in a heap as silent sobs wracked her body, allowing Erica to hold her comfortingly next to the roaring fire.
A few quick things that you can completely overlook if you so choose:
While I did take creative liberty on certain aspects, most of the things I mention are taken from the books, movies, or internet ((pottermore and such)). Please don't throw a fit if I get something wrong. I don't own anything of importance.
ALSO!.. hi (: