Hidden in Plain Sight
A/N – This was written for BraverStrongerSmarter's Black Family Tree Challenge on the HPFC forum. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review as I'm new to fanfiction and would love some feedback :)
November 1927
"The point is, Harfang, he shouldn't even be here. It doesn't matter how good he is at magic, mudbloods-"
"Don't call him that", Harfang interjected but Callidora ignored him and continued her rant.
"-are just the same as muggles and they shouldn't be at Hogwarts. He's never going to fit into the magical world and I don't know why they let people like that in here in the first place."
"He fits in fine with me and my friends", Harfang argued back weakly. Deep down he knew Callidora was right. His new friend Richard Brown might be considered friendly and intelligent in the Gryffindor common room but out in the real world he would be treated like dirt. The pure blood families held power, wealth and influence and they weren't willing to share. It would be a long time before that changed.
"That's because you and your friends are Gryffindors and you all want to be little heroes and save people who are beyond saving", Callidora replied with a smirk. Harfang smiled back. If it had been anyone else saying that about his friends he would have cursed them, but he could never be mad at Callidora.
The two second-years sat around a bubbling cauldron at the back of their potions class, the only class Gryffindor had with Slytherin this year. Shy Harfang had known Callidora Black almost his whole life – all the pureblood families saw each other regularly at weddings and christenings - but had been shocked that the pretty Slytherin girl had chosen him as a partner at the beginning of the year when she'd never seemed particularly interested in him before.
"No, not yet!" he exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Callidora's wrist to stop her adding the powdered unicorn horn before their potion had cooled. Come to think of it, perhaps she had chosen him because no one else would work with her. Callidora was so bad at potions she was a liability.
April 1932
Callidora swept elegantly through the magically expanded drawing room of her uncle's house, her long dark hair cascading down the back of her pale green silk bridesmaid's dress. She scanned the crowd surrounding the happy couple, her cousin Pollux and his new bride Irma, but not finding whom she was looking for, continued further into the room, greeting those she passed with an artificial smile.
"Callidora!" cried her good friend Harfang Longbottom with a wide smile as she passed. "You look amazing! I haven't seen you all Easter. How was your trip to France?"
"Fine. Um... have you seen Spurius?" she asked looking over his shoulder distractedly, not noticing as Harfang's face fell.
"Who?" he asked, disappointed that the girl evidently did not want to talk to him even though they had not seen each other for a month.
"Spurius Malfoy", she replied with a small, dreamy smile.
"I think he just left"
"What?" Callidora exclaimed, shocked.
Harfang was confused. Spurius Malfoy was about ten years older than the two sixth-years and had looked bored and eager to leave throughout the entire ceremony. What could Callidora possibly want with him?
"I suppose he had to get back to the ministry. I'm sure he has a very busy schedule. Yes. That'll be it," she said, more to herself than her friend, composing herself and trying not to let the disappointment show on her face.
"Um... do you... like him?" Harfang asked cautiously. Callidora blushed.
"It's not..." she began, sounding a little flustered. "Well he doesn't really know Pollux and Irma so mother said maybe the reason he was coming today was because... well... because he wanted to marry into the family."
"You think he wants to marry you?" Harfang asked incredulously, before realising how it sounded.
"Of course! I'm the eldest unmarried daughter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. My blood is pure for countless generations and it would be an honour for anyone to marry into our family."
"I didn't mean he wouldn't want to marry you," said Harfang hurriedly, "I just thought he was a bit too old for you."
"And for the record, you're much more than just a Black."
June 1934
The note arrived just as Harfang was about to leave work.
Harfang,
I need to talk to you. I'm in the café opposite.
Callidora
He hurried to go and meet her, as he would always have hurried to Callidora when she needed him, even if the parchment had not been stained with tears. The office block he worked in dissolved into air as he reached the street and got past its security charms. What could possibly have happened that would make Callidora venture into a muggle café in order to talk to him?
The girl sat haughtily at a table in the back corner, looking every inch the way a Black should; cold collected and utterly superior in every way to the muggles dotted about the room, but as Harfang approached he saw that the rims of her eyes were red, though there was not a tear in sight. A Black would never cry in public. Ever since Callidora had become engaged to Spurius Malfoy three months ago it was as if she thought showing even a hint of emotion was sinful; as if she was turning into her mother.
"What's the matter?" he asked, seating himself opposite her.
Callidora hesitated for a few seconds, but when she spoke her voice was crystal clear and devoid of emotion. "My sister Cedrella has announced that she is going to marry the blood traitor Septimus Weasley. She has abandoned our family for him", she continued, though her voice was beginning to rise slightly, "with no though whatsoever about what it will do to our reputation. I mean his mother's a mudblood for Merlin's-"
She stopped, catching herself and regaining that cold, impassive facade.
"I'm sorry", Harfang replied, shocked at her news. Most purebloods shunned the Weasleys and whilst he knew his own parents didn't have too much of a problem with them, he couldn't imagine they would be too happy if they married one. He could barely imagine how a family like the Blacks would react. Callidora would never be allowed to see her sister again.
"She has made her choice and she is no longer worthy to be a part of our family." Her attitude was beginning to get on Harfang's nerves. He hated the way she spouted her parent's views and never told him how she really felt and he hated talking to this mask instead of her.
"Callie, you're obviously upset or you wouldn't have come to see me. I wish you'd say what you really think."
"It does not upset me as she is no longer my family", Callidora replied, her mask still in place though hints of anger were evident in her tone.
"We've been friends for seven years, you can talk to me", Harfang said, more gently this time and was shocked when she stood and swept out of the café.
"Callie, wait!" he cried, dashing after her as the door swung shut. He jogged to catch up with her and grabbed her wrist and was stunned to see that her mask had cracked and tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She turned away from him and pulled herself out of his grip but did not try to leave.
"You want to know what I really think?" she spat bitterly. "I don't know what to think. I'm not clever like you or Cedrella. I don't have big dreams or ambitions. I just wanted to get married and have a family and be happy. Is that really too much to ask?"
Harfang stared at her for a moment, stunned. In all the time he had known her, he had never seen Callidora like this. He struggled to find words to reassure her.
"You can still get married; I'm sure Malfoy isn't going to care about your sister."
Callidora smirked humourlessly and Harfang realised with a jolt that she wasn't wearing her heavy engagement ring.
"He broke the engagement a week ago. Apparently he has found someone 'more suitable'", she muttered, catching him looking at her left hand and stretching it out in front of her, gazing bitterly at where the ring should be.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"That's because I haven't told anyone. My parents are upset enough at the moment; I don't know how I'm going to tell them."
She burst into new floods of tears and Harfang, at a loss for what to say, gently pulled her towards him and she wept against his shoulder as they shared a long embrace.
"We'll work something out."
It had taken another five years from that moment for Harfang to propose, Callidora remembered with a laugh. But now as she thought about the long, happy years they had shared together, she wondered how it had taken so long for her to realise how he felt. She reflected on all the times he had helped her, all the times he had been there when others had not; he was all she had ever wanted, hidden in plain sight.