Calliope Managos was ready to start Hogwarts. Today was August 30th, two measly days before that magical day of September 1st where she would get on the Hogwarts Express and the magical scarlet steam engine would take her to begin the rest of her life!
She had been bugging Kostas, her older brother who would be going into 4th year this year, all summer to tell her all the things to expect but he would just laugh at her, shaking his long black hair out of his light blue eyes, identical to hers, and tell her that he wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for her. Her parents, annoyingly were on board with this plan and also refused to answer any questions. Her older half-sister Persis, who had graduated Hogwarts 2 years ago, also avoided her questions whenever she came to visit.
She sat in the backyard, enjoying the warm muggy evening, swinging on her swing set that her Daddy and her Papou had spent an afternoon putting up when she was seven, she contemplated what the next seven years of her life would be like.
She didn't really have a house preference, her parents had been in Gryffindor (Daddy) and Hufflepuff (Mama) and her grandparents had all gone to school back in Greece, so they didn't really care. Kostas was in Gryffindor, but Persis had been a Ravenclaw. She supposed that either of those two would be nice, Gryffindor sounded like loads of fun but she did like to read and learn, she really enjoyed going to the Muggle school she had gone to for the past 6 years.
She did rather hope that she didn't get put into Slytherin, from the stories she had heard they didn't sound like the nicest lot, and while Hufflepuff wouldn't be terrible, Kostas thought they were all rather boring and she didn't want her big brother to think she was boring!
Calliope was brought out of her thoughts when she heard something crash in the house. Jumping off at the top of the arc her swing made, she floated gracefully down, just like she always did. Mama always warned her she wasn't allowed to do that at school, with all the Muggle children around, least she get taken away by the Ministry.
Daddy would always laugh at that, and kiss Mama on the cheek and say in his big booming voice that he doubted that the Ministry would bother with one floating 10 year old! And Daddy would know, he did after all work as the Assistant Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!
They lived on estate just outside of town, in the country along the coast. The entire family did, her parents, her Ya-Ya and Papou and her Aunt Cassie. They had placed her swing set as far from the water as they could, which meant it was quite a ways away from the house. Which made her worry because she had heard that crash, so she picked up her pace a bit.
Finally, the big white house, with glass windows all along the back facing the water came into view. Calliope could hear dreadful noises coming from inside, wailing and screaming and sobbing.
She slowly crept into the house, following the noises. She found the source in the parlour, and was shocked to discover it was her mother.
Her normally completely controlled mother, was wailing in her grandfather's arm. Her Papou looked like he was holding back tears, while her Ya-Ya was sitting in an armchair looking at nothing, her face completely void of emotions. There was a hole in one of the windows, which explained the crash she had heard.
"Mama?" She said quietly, coming further into the room. Now that she was there, she could see two official looking men that she thought she recognized from when her father had taken her with him to work. "Mama, what's wrong? What's happened?"
Her mother looked at her from her Papou's arms and seemed to gather herself together. She came and grabbed Calliope into her arms, nearly crushing her. She picked her up, something she hadn't done since Calliope was about 5, though it wasn't hard to do Calliope was small and skinny for her age, and carried her over to the soft couch.
Her mother sat with her, rocking her. Calliope just sat there, still confused at what was going on. She heard the two men tell her Papou that they were deeply sorry, that he was a good man and that they would be in touch. They then showed themselves out, which confused her more because her mother thought that guests having to show themselves out was just a bad reflection on the host.
"Mama? What happened! Why are you crying?" she asked again, looking into her mother's face that was just like hers, the same wide set eyes, the same nose, the same lips, the same brown/blonde hair.
"Calliope, baby, there was an attack. Your father… Your father was killed." Calinda managed to choke out, bringing out another storm of sobs. She clenched Calliope tighter, weeping into her hair.
Calliope went numb the second those words left her mama's lips.
Her father was dead? Her Daddy? It didn't seem possible. Julian Managos was an older, but completely fit man. He was tall and muscular, working out twice a day in order to stay in shape for his job as an Auror. He had a big booming voice, dark olive skin, black curly hair and green eyes that always had a smile to match the one on his mouth. All his co-workers liked to joke that while they wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley with a wand, he was just a giant teddy bear in real life.
He loved to throw her around, play games with her, and he was the only one allowed to call her Callie.
He was her best friend.
So how could he be dead?
She just couldn't understand.
On September 1st, 1971 at 11 o'clock, instead of getting on the train like all the other 11 year olds in her world, Calliope Elektra Managos stood in her room getting ready for her father's funeral. Her mother, with the help of her twin sister Cassiopeia, had managed to get everything ready for it in two days. The Managos' didn't really want a big funeral anyway.
She stood staring at herself in her floor length mirror that was attached to one of the sliding doors of her wardrobe.
She wanted to look perfect for her Daddy.
Calliope was a pretty girl. She had pretty olive tone skin, which was darker due to running around Greece with all of her cousins for the month of July. She had dark blonde hair, also blonder due to the sun. She had wide set, pretty almond shaped eyes, which were a nice shade of blue.
Nothing remarkable, nothing incredibly special.
She was however, still eleven. She didn't know what she would look like in the future, though she hoped she was one day as pretty as Persis or her mother.
She had her hair brushed and straight, instead of the usual tangle that it usually was in the summer, due to flying and bathing in the sea and running. It was lying flat and smooth, with a hairband that had a large black bow on it holding it in place. She had on a plain black dress, which Persis had gone out to get for her yesterday, when it was discovered that Calliope had no dark colours in her wardrobe.
She had never needed them before.
"Cal?" her brother appeared in the doorway. He looked tired, worn out and sad. Her entire house seemed to be enveloped in sad, even though the entire family was here from Greece, which usually meant lots of noise, lots of talking and laughter and music and dancing and happiness.
"It's time to go."
Time to go say goodbye to her Daddy forever.
Calliope started Hogwarts a month late. She came on October the first, a much different girl than she had been last year. Kostas had left them in the Entrance Hall, grabbing his trunk and heading into the Great Hall where she could hear a lot of voices talking, the sounds of happy children.
She and her mother were lead to another room, one just to the side, where an old man with a very long white beard and bright canary yellow robes and matching hat was waiting. Next to the man was an old ugly wizarding hat.
"Hello, Mrs. Managos. I am sorry for your loss. I was greatly upset when I heard of Julian's passing, he was a great man and a wonderful friend." The old man, who Calliope realized must be Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster, said, taking both of Calinda's hands in his.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I take comfort in the fact that he at least died fighting for a cause he believed in." Dumbledore nodded and smiled at her, giving her hand a pat, before turning his electric blue gaze on Calliope.
"And this must be young Calliope. I am so pleased you will be joining us." He said, smiling at her kindly. "Now, we must attend to your sorting and then Professor McGonagall," He gestured to the witch with a black bun and emerald robes who had shown them in," will escort you to your house table. All you need to do is put on this hat."
Looking at her mother, who gave an encouraging nod, Calliope approached the stool. Picking up the hat and turning around, she sat down and with one last glance at her mother, set it on her head.
Ah, yes. A new Managos. A small voice send into her ear. She jumped, before realizing it must be the hat talking to her. She was intrigued, however, by the magic it would take to make a hat have its own mind.
Ah, such curiosity. You would do well in Ravenclaw, wouldn't you? Definitely not Slytherin, you are too blunt and honest for that. But, not yet a Hufflepuff either. Either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, definitely. You have much intelligence, but also much courage. You will do great things, I am sure of that, and those great things will be best done in GRYFFINDOR!
The last word was said to the room at large. She took off the hat and looked that the rest of the occupants, who were all smiling. Calliope smiled to herself as well, she hadn't realized until the hat started talking about other houses, that she wanted to be a Gryffindor, like her father.
Dumbledore clapped his hand together once, gently, smiling pleasantly at his pupil. "Excellent, excellent! Professor McGonagall is your new head of house then, she will help you get all settled in. Calinda, if you would like, you would be welcome to Floo home from my office."
Her mother smilingly agreed, and came to hug and kiss Calliope goodbye.
"Good Luck, sweet girl, your father would be so proud of you." She whispered in her ear, right before she walked away, disappearing out of the room.
Calliope stared at the Professor who was left with her, McGonagall. She smiled kindly at her, and in a thick Scottish accent said "Let me take you to your house table, and I will introduce you to some other first years who will help you get set up."
She followed after the Professor into the Great Hall, though she almost forgot to as she stared in awe at the ceiling, which was currently looking like the gorgeous sunset that was happening outside.
They walked to the table where she could just spot Kostas, sitting in a crowd of people his age, eating dinner. He looked up when she walked in and smiled and waved at her as he realized that she had joined his house.
They walked a little ways down the table until they reached two girls who were sitting a little ways apart from everyone else, sending disgusted glances at the group of 4 boys who were sitting down from them.
"Ms. Evans and Ms. Bones. This is Calliope Managos, she will be joining you in your dormitory. I trust you can help her find everything she needs, as well as helping her to get caught up in classes. Ms. Managos, this is Lily Evans and Raven Bones. They are two of the best students in first year, and I am sure you will all get along swimmingly." With that, McGonagall gave another, small smile and swept off to the Heads table, stopping along the way to speak to the group of boys who were throwing dumplings at each other.
Calliope sat hesitantly next to one of the girls, who had the reddest hair and the greenest eyes she had ever seen in her life. She was pretty sure this was Lily, and the other one, with shoulder length blonde curly hair and pretty blue eyes who was also the skinniest person she had ever seen, was Raven.
"Hi, I am Raven, call me Rae though. That's Lily. There's 3 others in our dorm, Emmeline Vance, Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon. They had dinner earlier, Lily and I were studying in the library." Rae explained all of this very quickly, all in one breath, giving Calliope the impression that she had just made friends with a chatterbox. "They're really super nice, though, everyone here is super nice, well except the stupid boys but they are boys and they are eleven and what did we expect really? Why are you starting so late?"
Blinking, Calliope stared at her trying to process all the information she was given in such a short and abrupt manner. She answered softly, staring at the golden plate that was in front of her. "My father was murdered two days before the start of term. Mama only decided Monday that it would be a good time for my brother and me to come back."
The two girls sitting with her, looked at each other before looking at her in sympathy.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." Lily said, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine. It was a shock, but we are coping." Which is the answer her mother, grandmother and Persis always gave when the same thing was said to them.
"Still, I am sorry to have brought it up." Rae said, looking apologetic. "Mum always says that one day running my mouth will get me into trouble."
"Don't worry about it." Calliope said with a smile, reaching out to dish some of the delicious looking beef stew with dumplings onto her plate. She hadn't eaten at lunch, she had been too nervous. Now that she seemed to have made friends, she found herself hungry.
The other girls returned to eating as well, discussing something that they had been studying before, which Calliope listened to interestedly. Their civil discussion was rudely, interrupted however, but a loud voice above them, and a body squishing in between Lily and herself.
"Hey Evans!" Calliope looked at the intruder, surprised to see that she knew him. James Potter, a scrawny boy with wild black hair and thick rimmed square glasses. Her father and his, Charlus, had worked together for years and the families had sometimes gotten together. She looked across the table too, and saw Rae squished in between to other boys, one with sandy blonde hair and kind brown eyes that look far too tired and the other was far too pretty for an 11 year old boy, with long, silky black hair, aristocratic features and piercing grey eyes.
Those eyes held hers and he grinned and turned to Lily. "Hey Evans, who's your friend?"
James whipped around, taking his attention off of Lily and smiling when he recognized her. "Calliope! I was wondering when you would get here." Then he looked slightly awkward, as if remembering the reason why she wasn't there before, "I mean, I get why you weren't and all, I just… I meant… I'm sorry!"
Calliope took pity on him, smiling and telling him it's alright.
"But who are you, still remains the question I am asking!" the pretty boy interjected into the conversation again.
"Oh right, Calliope, these are my friends, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Our other friend Peter, left already, he had some homework to finish." James said, doing the introductions before Lily or Rae could open their mouths. Though they looked quite surprised to see that James and Calliope knew each other already. "Siri, Rem, this is Calliope Managos, her family is friends with mine."
Sirius smirked, staring at Calliope "Mango? Your name is Calliope Mango?"
Calliope glared at the boy. She had met him for all of two minutes and she already didn't like him.
"Managos. MAN-a-GOUS. It's Greek." She replied snottily. "And it's at least not a constellation and a colour."
"No just a Muse and a fruit!" He replied, returning her glare. She managed to hide some of her surprise. She had been named after the Greek muse of epic poetry (One of her mother's favorite things to read.) something most people did not pick up on. She was definitely not expecting this idiot to do so.
"C'mon Calliope, let's go to the dormitory." Lily said standing up, glaring at both Sirius and James.
Calliope stood up as well, following Rae and Lily out of the Great Hall, though behind her she could hear calls of "See ya later, Mango!" following her.
She already disliked Sirius Black and she had a feeling that wasn't going to change in the course of the next 7 years.
Looking for a BETA. Any takers?