A/N: Hey, guys :) I'm terribly sorry for the delay, but college started and I had some business with my fellow-students. Anyway, here we are again. We know Callie loves Oliver, buuuut...love always needs two, right? Also, a big thank you to Nushka, who helped me choose the song Calliope sings in this chapter

Bellamort500- Thanks a lot, I'm glad you liked it :D

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx- Thank you so much :) Good guess, my friend :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I also don't own the song of the chapter, which is called "Pretending"

Oliver looked at the witch who was sleeping peacefully in his hug, a white blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her breath was rhythmic and she was smiling softly. This smile only helped him to relax from the Dementor attack and the horrible situation that was surrounding him.

Sometimes, Oliver felt weak and useless. Despite fighting and exchanging news with the other members of the Order, there were moments he wanted to yell and cry in despair. Nights and nights he had spent sleepless or having nightmares that were haunting him afterwards and he only wished that he could swish his wand and make the world the safe place it was before all this. When these feelings were overwhelming him, the only one who could mend the wounds was Calliope.

She was so important to him. Brave and determined, but sweet and innocent at the same time. For one moment she was giving the impression that she couldn't hurt a fly and the other one she was willing to fight. So strong, that she made him feel stronger and even optimistic that the nightmare would end. He looked at her sleeping form and smiled as well, happy because of this small, yet precious moment, with just the two of them.

He remembered the first time he produced a corporeal Patronus, the elegant lioness running in a silver mist around the small room. It had surprised him slightly, but, when he thought about it and remembered Remus's words when they had started to practice, not only wasn't he surprised, but he considered it the most natural thing.

" 'It is extremely difficult to produce a corporeal Patronus' Lupin warned him. 'But, when you manage it, you'll see that the Patronus reflects something from you'

'From me?' the young man asked. 'What do you mean, Remus?'

'I'll give you some examples' Lupin smiled. 'James Potter, Harry's father, was an Animagus and could transform himself into a stag and his Patronus was a stag. Lily, Harry's mother, produced a Patronus in the form of a doe'

'The female resemblance to the stag' Oliver nodded. 'I get it'

'You told me that Calliope's Patronus is a dolphin' Lupin continued. 'And dolphins are known to be smart and very loyal creatures that do everything to protect their loved ones'

'But that…that's exactly Callie's character!' Oliver exclaimed.

'Exactly. So, as you see, the form of the Patronus is unique, a part of yourself. It may be your favorite animal, or something that matches with your personality, or maybe resembling something very important to you' "

Feelings came back to him, feelings he had for far too long and had tried to hide them as best he could.

The key word here is "tried", he thought, reminiscing the Yule Ball and how Calliope had pulled back when he wanted to kiss her, although he had sensed that she had done that because she was afraid and not because she didn't want to.

I'm scared too. Scared that she will get hurt in this war, scared that I will pressure her…

She likes you, another voice spoke in his mind. And she likes you very much…

I don't want to hurt her…

You have to risk, the voice insisted, but Oliver ignored it.

'Oh, my little lioness' he whispered, to not wake her up, resting his head on hers, her light brown hair tickling him. 'I'll never harm you. I swear'


Calliope opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings. First, she couldn't figure out what had happened and why she was lying on the couch and not in her bed, but then she remembered the Dementors' attack. She could feel two warm arms wrapped around her and she smiled.

'Morning, Calliope' Oliver's voice was close to her and she quickly rose up, blushing. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Pretty well, thanks. And you?'

'Not so well' Oliver said, but couldn't suppress a teasing smile. 'I had your heavy head on me for the whole night. I'm just kidding' he quickly added, seeing her guilty expression.

'What time is it?' was her next question and she rubbed her eyes. 'Won't you be late for practice?'

'It's fine' Oliver reassured her. 'When will you go to work?'

She looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. Healer Foster would come at the hospital in about an hour, but she wanted to go there as soon as possible. She needed to think about everything and for that she needed to be alone, or, at least, away from him.

'I'll escort you to the hospital'

'Oliver, seriously, it's okay'

'No objections!' he commanded, his eyes narrowed. 'I want to make sure that nothing will happen to you'

'You and your Gryffindor chivalry' she hissed, although, deep down, she liked his concern.

They walked the way to the abandoned shop, which was hiding the entrance to St. Mungo's, again without speaking. Last night, the silence was comfortable (before the attack, of course), but right now, Calliope was feeling more awkward and she was certain that her cheeks were red.

'Thanks' she told him when they reached the shop. 'It really wasn't necessary'

'Believe me, Calliope, it was more than necessary' Oliver assured her. 'You know that I won't endure it if anything happens to you'

His voice was so low and sweet, that Calliope felt shudders that had nothing to do with the ones of last night. Last night she was afraid and only wanted to defend herself from the Dementors, now she was feeling a pleasant comfort. He smiled and put a curl of her hair behind her ear, his movement deepening the red shade on her cheeks and making her smile. Oliver hesitated for a second, then gave her a very soft kiss.

It was simple and lasted only a few more seconds than the peck she had given him. But it was enough for her to feel happier than she had ever felt.

NO! It is wrong! We're at a war and we're vulnerable! And you're Muggle-born, Bowden! If they find out about you two, they're gonna kill him!

Oliver pulled away slowly, still standing close to her, just like in her dream. His smile faded and was replaced by an expression of worry, as he kissed her forehead.

'Be careful' were the last words Calliope heard from him before he left.


'Yes! YES!' Lexi threw her fist in the air after hearing the news. The two young women were given a break and now they were talking, each with a cup of tea.

'Will you shut it?' Calliope snapped, still trying to figure out what she should do.

'No, Callie, I surely won't shut it!' Lexi laughed. 'Yes, yes, yes, it finally happened! And he said that he doesn't endure the thought of losing you, plus, he kissed you and it wasn't a simple peck, meaning that…'

'…meaning that it was just an act of despair because of the war' Calliope interrupted her friend, in an attempt to convince the both of them. 'People do desperate things at extreme situations, things they never meant to do'

Lexi looked at her as if she had announced that she would marry Voldemort. Calliope, despite her own uncertainty, tried to look her boldly in the eyes.

'Who are you fooling, Bowden, me or yourself?' Lexi asked, using Calliope's last name, just like always when she was furious. 'You don't believe these words!'

'I HAVE to believe them!'

'Rubbish!' Lexi pointed a finger towards her, to mark her words. 'And what did he do then?'

'He kissed my forehead' Calliope couldn't help but smile at the tenderness of the memory 'told me to be careful and then left'

'Then why the hell didn't you run after him?' Lexi raised her voice. 'Why didn't you say that you love him?'

'Because he didn't say it either' Calliope replied, also angry. 'And I'll never run after a guy, Lex! If he loves me, then he'll come and tell me, won't he?'

Lexi shook her head. Sometimes she couldn't understand her best friend. If she was in Calliope's position...

'Callie, you are his best friend, but sometimes you act as if you don't know him at all. He's also very shy and maybe he doesn't know if it was even right to kiss you. If you ask me…'

'Lexi, please' Calliope cut her off. 'All this is just too confusing for me'

'No, it's not!' Lexi disagreed. 'It would be very simple if you wouldn't set up obstacles every now and then! First the distance, then your friendship, now the bloody war!'

'Am I irrational?' Calliope slammed her cup down. 'Lexi, I'm already terrified that I'll lose everyone I love. If Oliver and I end up together and one of us gets hurt…how will the other one deal with it?'

'And is it better now?' Lexi wanted to know. 'Now you're both afraid to express your feelings, you try to continue your everyday life, you fight in the Order, but you're scared that you'll lose the war, and you're alone. At least, if you're together, everything will be easier for you'

'Since when are you an expert in such matters, Lexi?' Calliope smirked, wanting to ease the tension.

'Since my best friend and her best friend are in the "We-are-in-love-but-too-shy-to-admit-it" phase and don't want to make that damn step that will bring them together!'

'LEXI!'


The same night, Calliope returned home and collapsed on her bed, groaning loudly. Work was exhausting at the hospital and a headache had started torturing her. As if this wasn't enough, she had to get rid off Lexi, who kept saying "Go and tell him about your feelings" for ten minutes after they were dismissed.

She would lie to herself if she would say that she didn't want to follow Lexi's advice. It was true, she wanted to go to him and have the courage to ask him whether his feelings for her were something stronger than the feelings of a best friend. After all, everyone was telling her how brave she was, but the situation with Oliver was scaring the hell out of her. She was not certain about herself, she was thinking that she wasn't good enough for him.

'What will I do?' she cried out loud.

She closed her eyes and her mind returned to her first year and how happy she was, playing with Oliver and the Weasley twins, laughing at the Slytherins, teasing Lexi. Everything was simple and carefree.

If only I had appreciated this when I should. These were the best years of our life. But then we grew up and now we only have dilemmas, lies, fears and the war and I'm trying to hold on…

She started singing by instinct, maybe because she was thinking about Oliver. She chose the song with the speed of light, realizing that it suited perfectly to her right now.

Face to face and heart to heart, we're so close yet so far apart
I close my eyes, I look away, that's just because I'm not okay
But I hold on, I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls?
Will we ever have our happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending?

Will we ah-ah, ah-always, ah-ah, ah-always
Ah-ah, ah-always be pretending?

How long do I fantasize, make believe that it's still alive?
Imagine that I am good enough, and we can choose the ones we love
But I hold on, I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls?
Will we ever have our happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending?

Will we ah-ah, ah-always, ah-ah, ah-always
Ah-ah, always be

Keeping secrets safe, every move we make
Seems like no one's letting go
And it's such a shame 'cause if you feel the same
How am I supposed to know?

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls?
Will we ever have our happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending?

Will we ah-ah, ah-always, ah-ah, ah-always
Ah-ah, ah-always be
Will we ah-ah, ah-always, ah-ah, ah-always
Ah-ah, ah-always be

Will we ah-ah, ah-always, ah-ah, ah-always
Ah-ah, ah-always be pretending?


The next morning, Calliope went to work in a miserable situation. Despite Healer Foster's kind attempts to find out what was wrong, Calliope insisted that everything was okay. Sometime during noon, the trainee healer noticed that the elder woman seemed nervous and worried about something.

'Healer Foster? Did anything happen?'

'I was just told…a Hogwarts student came here only an hour ago. She's in the…in the Artefacts Accidents…cursed'

'WHAT?' Calliope yelled, making a patient scream. She couldn't believe it. They had started to attack Hogwarts, her beloved school, and its students.

'It is a girl in seventh year' Healer Foster explained. 'Her name is…wait a minute…I think her name is Bell'

'Bell?' Calliope repeated, tears forming in her eyes. 'Katie Bell?'

'Yes, that's her name'

As soon as Calliope got her break, she rushed down to the first floor, not paying attention to anyone. Katie was a good friend of hers and they were hanging out at Hogwarts. She was so kind, so innocent…why would anyone want to curse her?

Calliope spotted Lexi coming out of a room and she ran to her. Lexi understood at once why she had come and hugged her.

'Sorry I didn't come earlier' Calliope apologized. 'How is she?'

'She will survive' Lexi comforted her. 'Snape managed to prevent the curse to spread, thank God. But I'm afraid that months will pass until she'll wake up'

'What happened to her?' Calliope asked angrily, grabbing her wand. 'Katie never harmed anyone! She can't have enemies, can she?'

'They told me that it happened when she was at Hogsmeade. She was acting odd and everyone is sure that she was under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Apparently, she was ordered to take a package in the castle, a package that contained a cursed necklace. While she was walking, the package was ripped and the necklace touched her'

Calliope sat down on a bench, feeling dizzy. If Lexi was right, then Katie wasn't the intended victim. She was cursed because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Calliope rubbed her forehead and stared at Lexi, urging her to continue.

'You know, Katie is very lucky. The necklace barely brushed her skin, because of a hole in her glove, otherwise she would die, maybe instantly'

'I want to see her!' Calliope declared and jumped on her feet.

'I will lead you to her room' Lexi nodded in sympathy.

'Stone!' a male voice echoed and a Healer approached them. 'You know very well that no one is allowed in Miss Bell's room, unless they are family!'

'Come on!' Lexi said, also angry. 'Healer Bowden is a friend of hers and she's a Healer'

'And how do I know that it is her and not a Death Eater who drank Polyjuice Potion?'

'Believe me, I would notice' Lexi scoffed. 'I guarantee for her, okay? She only wants to see her, it won't take long'

The Healer glared at Calliope, as if he wanted to read her thoughts. In the end, he nodded unwillingly, although he would rather forbid her to enter.

'Five minutes. Not a single second more'

Katie was lying on a bed, her arms hanging limp on her sides, her eyes closed and her strawberry blonde hair falling on the pillow. She was much paler than she should be and, when Calliope checked her pulse, she realized that it was very weak.

'Katie?' Calliope whispered, while sitting down. 'It will be alright, I promise. Everything will be alright'

Suddenly, Katie's head started spinning around and her hands shaking. Her face became a mask of terror and she started screaming. Terrified, Calliope grabbed her hands.

'Katie! Katie, calm down!' she yelled. 'Please, calm down! You can fight this, trust me!'

The door swung open and the Healer ran inside, followed by Lexi. They quickly gave her a potion and, after a few minutes, Katie stopped moving and fell back into coma. Lexi helped Calliope to sit down and, noticing that she was crying hysterically, still in a state of shock, quickly went and gave her a Calming Draught.

'Callie, it's not your fault' she tried to console her. 'Don't forget that she was attacked only today, which means that she's still fighting against the curse'

'It's not fair' Calliope stuttered between her sobs. 'It's not fair for her'

'I know, Calliope' Lexi blinked, to stop her own tears to run down. 'I know'


'Wood? Everything alright with you?' asked Benjy Williams, Seeker for the Puddlemere United team.

Oliver nodded, not wanting to trouble his teammate. As the years passed, the two of them had become good friends and were trusting each other, just like Calliope and Lexi. Benjy seemed calm, but he wasn't fooled easily and could explode at any minute, like a volcano.

'Are you sure?' he insisted now. 'You seem very distracted and nothing distracts you from Quidditch usually'

'It's nothing' Oliver smiled. 'I'm just influenced by everything that's happening…and Christian left, as he had told me'

'Yeah, that made me sad too' Benjy agreed. 'But I don't blame him. It's a miracle that he was still able to stand on his feet after his sister's death…He loved her so much and she was young…sixteen years old. Thank God that he took his parents and went into hiding'

'That was the best. Has he communicated with you ever since?'

'No, neither with me nor with anyone. I guess he think he'll put us in danger'

Oliver looked at the pitch, where only three players were flying, while the others were resting on the grass. Somehow, he was happy that he could still come here and practice. Quidditch was helping him forgetting everything.

'Wood!' Williams exclaimed. 'My, my, you ARE distracted today. Spit it out, man. What troubles you?'

'Nothing' Oliver lied, but his red face betrayed him.

'And this "nothing" makes you blush like a Quaffle?' laughed Benjy. 'Or should I replace "nothing" with the word "girl"'

Seriously, dude, you and Lexi would be best friends, Oliver thought, hating how his friend could red so easily between the lines. It was impossible to lie to him, because he would figure it out anyway. The best was to tell him the truth.

'Alright, yes' he admitted. 'It's a girl. And specifically it's…my best friend'

'Oh, that girl you've talked to me about? Calliope?'

'Yes' Oliver responded, smiling only at the mere mentioning of her name.

'Well, Wood' Benjy was serious 'she must be really important for you if you can't even concentrate at Quidditch. And, from what you've said about her, she must be really worth it'

Oliver couldn't answer, because, in a sudden, the sky became grey and was covered by thick clouds. He was afraid that Dementors were attacking again, but he soon realized that it was something else. The shape of a skull appeared at the sky, with a snake coming out of its mouth like a tongue.

The Dark Mark!

'Cover me for a second, Benjy!' he shouted, before running to a corner. Thinking about a happy memory, he conjured his Patronus. The lioness emerged from his wand and looked at him. Thank God Lupin had taught him how to send messages with Patronuses, like the Order used to do.

'Death Eaters attack the Puddlemere United stadium!' he said. 'Alert members of the Order! Please!'

A/N: Okay, guys, that was it. Sooo, Oliver also loves Callie, but the war hasn't stopped yet. And what will Callie do when she learns about the attack at the stadium? Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. xx