Callidus heard a low laugh escape from Harry's lips at the breakfast table. Following Harry's line of sight, he saw that his friend was once again looking at Rowle, who was peeking at someone across the table. The corner of Callidus's lip quirked up and he shook his head. Harry certainly wasn't the most patient of wizards, but this prank (or should it be called a form of vengeance), was rather drawn out. What was Harry planning? He was sure his friend would tell him (or reveal it) when he was ready.
As for Draco, he was preoccupied with reading a letter he had received from his parents. He looked up at Callidus, bemused.
"Did you ever speak to my parents when I wasn't there?"
"No. Why are you asking?"
Draco pressed his lips together and looked back down at his letter. "Well, I'm accustomed to my parents asking about Harry, but lately they seem to have been asking about you."
A shiver run down Callidus's spine. "Oh?"
Draco shook his head. "I suppose I could just be imagining it. I mean -" he looked over towards Callidus, his nose wrinkled, "it's not like you ever do anything exciting. You're not the one who's famous."
"Indeed. I'm sure it's - nothing."
Draco nodded, seemingly content after hearing Callidus's agreement, but Callidus was unable to rest so easily, wondering what this new-found information could mean. What could the Malfoys intend? What could they possibly want from him? Because whatever they wanted surely had nothing to do with him - not if they thought that he was Severus Snape.
"Does anyone feel really uncomfortable ever since that half-blood girl died of the Orange Madness" he heard Greengrass say. It was difficult to ignore that high-pitched whinge. "I mean, our House is the only one that hasn't been infected, probably because our blood is cleaner than everyone else's. It just feels like everyone's looking at us with their ugly accusing eyes."
"Having pureblood doesn't mean having clean blood," Harry said, his voice tinged with irritation, and Rowle momentarily forgotten.
"Oh really? Then why are other people falling sick, but not Slytherins?"
"What of the people in St. Mungo's?" Callidus pointed out. "They may not be students, but some of them were former Slytherins."
"Well," Pansy cut in, "There's no denying that things have been a lot more depressing lately. I used to think that the school would be so much better if everyone from the other Houses acted with a little more decorum, but these days, it's quieter than it's ever been, and it makes my skin crawl. It's so eerie."
Blaise smiled darkly. "Proximity to death certainly does strange things to people's minds."
Greengrass visibly shuddered. "Blaise, please. I'm trying to eat."
"Can't let the death of little girl upset your appetite, now can we?" Callidus said low and scathing.
Greengrass blinked. "Why would I lose my appetite over something that happened over a week ago? It's not like I knew the family."
"Harry, Callidus," Draco cut in, "You two will be coming to the manor for the break, won't you? April is coming up -"
Callidus started. He had been so preoccupied with Longbottom's Brew and revising that he had completely forgotten about the Easter break. But before he or Harry could answer, a fluttering noise and then a series of chirps caught the attention of everyone in the Great Hall. It wasn't the owl post; the owls had already arrived and left, and besides, owls did not chirp. Mystified, the students craned their necks upwards, eyes growing large and mouths falling open as the sky-like ceiling of the Great Hall filled with a multitude of small birds in a rainbow of colours. The birds were plump and sparrow-like, flying in wild swooping patterns, and a few of the students began to giggle. Was this a prank? He turned towards the Gryffindor table, easily spotting the Weasley twins, but it was impossible to read their expressions. For a prank, it seemed rather tame. That was, until -
"It - it pooped on me!" Greengrass shrieked.
"My robes! Get away from me! Get away! Shoo!" That was the voice of Lockhart at the High Table. "These robes were specially commissioned to match my complexion and hair! They cost half my salary here at Hogwarts!"
Callidus snorted with amusement. Lockhart's robes were a garish magenta with silver accents - a monstrosity that even someone like Dumbledore would shy away from (or perhaps not - Dumbledore would probably wear them if the robes had a different cut). Lockhart had pulled out his wand, and was trying to spell away the multicolored birds, but that only served to cause them to double in number, until those birds were pooping on him as well. There were dismayed screams and laughs throughout the Great Hall, as the birds transformed the mood of the room from a grim one to one of disgust mingled with amused delight.
Callidus himself was covering his own head with his hands, and not far from him, he heard Draco wail. When he looked over at his friend, there was a huge glob of white on his head. Though he knew that he could end up being the next target, he burst out in laughter at the expression of unmitigated horror on Draco's face.
Harry was laughing as well, not even bothering to try to cover his own head, but Harry had more sympathy for Draco, and attempted to remove the white mess from his head.
"Do you smell that?" Harry asked, his voice raised over the cries all around them.
"I'm not smelling anything! It get it off me!" Draco moaned in misery. "My hair's ruined!"
"No, smell it!" Harry said, holding up the white glob towards Draco's nose. But Draco quickly backed away, and Harry held out his hand to Callidus. "Smell it! I don't think it's really bird poop. It's -" Harry sniffed his own hand, and the Slytherins watched with open shock as Harry brought the white material to his mouth and licked it. Out of the corner of his eye, Callidus could see Greengrass turning an alarming shade of green, while Pansy swayed on her feet as if near fainting.
"It's whipped cream!" Harry exclaimed. "It tastes good!" And he proceeded to lick all of the white material off of his fingers, grinning widely.
Harry wasn't the only one to make this discovery. At the other tables, Callidus could hear the words 'whipped cream' being repeated over and over. The shrieks had all but died down, and most students were laughing, grabbing up globs of the whipped cream, and playfully smearing it in each other's faces.
The professors were trying to contain the chaos (except Lockhart who had fled the Hall), however, Callidus couldn't help but notice the bright sparkle of Dumbledore's eyes. Despite all of the Headmaster's flaws, he did seemed to take pleasure in the students' happiness, and considering recent events, happiness was sorely needed. The students and teachers soon learned that both the birds and the whipped cream were immune to vanishing spells and cleaning spells. It seemed like the only way to get rid of the cream was to eat it.
As Callidus observed the continuing pandemonium, he realized that this could be the perfect opportunity to finally corner Caiside. The Gryffindor had been extremely determined to avoid him, steering clear from him with aggravating ease, likely because she was in a different year. He wove his way through the students and messes of whipped cream (though the majority of the whipped cream had fallen on people's heads and robes), but when he reached the Gryffindor table, neither Caiside nor Hermione were in sight.
He spotted Ginny, and when she saw him, she said: "'Moine left because she didn't want her books to get damaged, and Caiside went with her."
Callidus frowned and nodded, irritated that even in the midst of this prank, Caiside had managed to stay one step ahead of him. But Caiside's evasion served to do one thing that she may not have intended: Callidus started asking himself questions, trying to determine all the reasons that Caiside might be avoiding him. And the more he thought, the more he wondered if Madam Filodoxos might be involved. He had briefly considered Segnis as well, but he just couldn't see what a musician would have to do with the Orange Madness. But so long as Caiside was avoiding him, he would receive no confirmation for his suspicions.
But Caiside wasn't his only lead. With the combination of Longbottom's brew and the owl sight potion, Callidus knew that he had the opportunity to discover something about the Orange Madness that the researchers at St Mungo's might not be aware of. However, to learn anything, Callidus needed to have access to the patients who had already been infected, and all of the patients were in the infirmary, kept inaccessible by Madam Pomfrey.
Callidus wasn't one to give up without making an effort. One of the very first things he had tried was to claim to be suffering a headache and needing one of Madam Pomfrey potions to cure it. But while such a method had gotten him through the infirmary doors, the matron had quickly handed him the potion, watched him drink it, and then shooed him out. Unfortunately, his subsequent efforts proved to be just as futile and Callidus had the feeling that the only way he would be able to examine the stasis-bound students was if he was seriously injured enough to warrant an overnight stay. But with the nature of magical healing, it was no easy feat to hurt oneself enough that it was necessary to stay in the infirmary overnight. Even breaking his own bones wouldn't do (not that Callidus could bring himself to break bones).
And yet, Callidus prided himself on both his intelligence and his determination. He had conceived of the idea of using a potion which, while it wouldn't do him any serious harm, would result in dramatic and unpleasant symptoms. With a hideous reddish-purple rash that marred most of the skin on his body (though sparing his face), Callidus pushed the doors to the infirmary open scanning the room for Madam Pomfrey. He heard her before he saw her, but it sounded as though she wasn't alone. Moments later, he realized that she was taking a Floo call.
"Yes, I've been using the newest monitoring spells that you've shown me," the matron said into the fireplace.
"What have the results showed?" a tenor voice asked.
"It's just as you said," Madam Pomfrey answered. "The stasis spell is holding, but their condition is still deteriorating. Why is this happening? They shouldn't be getting worse with the stasis spell on them."
The words made Callidus feel as if all the breath had been stolen from his lungs. He had been trying to avoid thinking about the possibility of any of the students dying, instead, forcing himself to consider possible solutions. But what if no solutions were found in time? What then?
"Our researchers are still trying to determine the answers," the man in the fireplace said. "All we know for sure is that the younger the age, the more vulnerable they are. The students there at Hogwarts might be a bit older than the young girl that succumbed to the disease, but the risk is still high. Very high."
"And you don't think that they should be transferred to St Mungo's?"
"As I said, the hospital is overwhelmed right now," the man explained. "The care that the children would receive here wouldn't be much better than what you can provide at Hogwarts. Honestly, they receive more personalized care where they are now."
"It's just -" to Callidus's shock, Madam Pomfrey voice began to break. He had never heard the matron sound anything other than brisk and in complete control, "heartbreaking to witness the children like this, and knowing that there's nothing I can do."
"I understand. It's situations like these that make me question why I ever became a healer. But we're all doing the best that we can. If we learn anything, I'll let you know immediately. In the meantime, I need to get back to work."
The Floo call ended, and Madam Pomfrey straightened up, wiping her eyes. But suddenly, she noticed Callidus's presence and her demeanour immediately changed from vulnerable to professional. Callidus was too shocked by everything he had heard to do anything more then let Madam Pomfrey run her diagnostic spells and give him a potion that would take care of his rash. She sent him off with an admonition, telling him that he needed to take better care of himself, and numbly, Callidus nodded.
He stumbled back down to the dungeons, feeling like an inferius. He was barely aware of his surroundings as he entered the common room and sat down on the sofa next to Harry.
"Hey, Cal?" Harry said, his voice low enough so that only Callidus could hear, "it might be a good idea for you to not sleep tonight."
"What?"
"You know, that situation with the fifth years -"
"The fifth - Oh. You heard something?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
Callidus gave him a nod and a mumbled "all right," but despite the dread he felt at the prospect of getting no sleep, it did not shake him from the overwhelming sense of numbness from hearing Madam Pomfrey's words. He didn't want anyone to die. He didn't want anyone that he knew to die. Why did this have to happen? And why did he suddenly feel so powerless now, of all times, just when he had really started to make progress? Avoiding sleep came easily that night. After all, how was Callidus supposed to sleep when his thoughts revolved around and around, chasing every hint of drowsiness out of his mind.
-o-
"Ready to go?" Draco asked.
Callidus grimaced at the blond. He couldn't believe that he had completely lost track of time and now it was Easter break. Wasn't it just the other day that Draco was asking about Easter? And now it was upon them, and somehow Draco had decided that Harry and Callidus had agreed to go to Malfoy Manor. How could it possibly be considered a break to spend time at Malfoy Manor? He wouldn't have access to a potions lab. He wouldn't have an opportunity to try, yet again, to sneak into the infirmary see the infected students. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to sleep well, knowing that he was surrounded by Malfoys. And in Harry's and Draco's company, would he even be able to concentrate on revising? To make matters even more stressful, the three of them had to consider the subjects that they would choose for third year. At least Harry and Draco weren't as agitated about it as Hermione was.
But there was one other reason why Callidus was regretting going to Malfoy Manor: it meant that he wouldn't have a chance to speak to Caiside. After all, if Caiside was returning to her parents, he could have been there and she wouldn't have been able to avoid him. He would have finally discovered what she was hiding. And now that particular opportunity was lost.
"Is it just in my head or do you look even more miserable than usual?" Draco remarked, mouth twisted in slight disapproval as he scanned Callidus's face, but he didn't seem to care about the answer, too excited about the prospect of going home.
Callidus ended up sleeping during most of the train ride from Hogwarts to King's Cross Station. And yet, by the time the Malfoys came to pick them up, he felt more exhausted than ever. It was strange how sleeping after a period of sleep deprivation could make one feel even more tired than before. And Callidus was most certainly sleep deprived.
Nonetheless, he paid close attention to Lucius's and Narcissa's reactions as they greeted him. But the two elder Malfoys were too well-bred to wear their feelings upon their faces. They treated him as politely as ever, and left him wondering whether or not he had imagined the moment of recognition he had seen before.
Though it was true that Draco wanted to spend most of their break playing and having fun, Callidus ended up having more time to revise than he had expected. With the weather growing warmer, Draco was keen to spend his time flying with Harry (despite all the time that they spent flying for Quidditch practice). But when Callidus asked about it, Draco merely said, as if it was obvious: "There's a big difference between flying for practice, and flying for fun. And it's been ages since either of us could just fly for fun. I'm not going to waste this opportunity!" All the while, Harry nodded as if that made perfect sense.
But as the week progressed, Callidus noticed that there was indeed a difference between this visit and his other visits in the past. There were moments when he felt like Lucius Malfoy was observing him, though every time he turned his head to look, Draco's father acted as if he was preoccupied with something else. Beyond that, the elder Malfoys engaged him in far more conversation than usual. But even so, he couldn't help wondering if that too was merely a product of an overactive mind. Yes, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy might be speaking to him more, but perhaps that was because he was staying here for a week rather than for a single day, and more than that, Callidus acted more maturely than either Harry or Draco. Was it any wonder that the adults would prefer to speak to someone who was more mature?
And while Callidus might have lamented the fact that he couldn't make progress on his personal research into the Orange Madness, he still managed to gain some rather interesting insights. He had brought his magic sight combination of potions, and one afternoon, decided to use it in order to take a look at the magic that surrounded Draco's parents.
The sight that had greeted him was astounding. Narcissa Malfoy's magic had been rather beautiful, the arcing patterns graceful and sinuous. But it was Lucius Malfoy's magic that almost caused him to embarrass himself, due to the way he stared at the older man. Lucius's magic had been bursting with shades of dark purple and dark blue (among all the other colors such as white, yellow, green, and various metallic strands). The purples and blues were so deep that they were nearly black, so that Lucius appeared to be engulfed by wild streaks of inky shadows. Lucius's magic was far less patterned than Narcissa's, leaping around him chaotic curves and constant motion, like boiling water. Callidus wasn't sure of what to make of it. Between Narcissa and Lucius, he couldn't really gauge who might be the more powerful of the two. Their magic might contain fairly similar colors, and their outward demeanour might suggest similar personalities, but beneath the surface their magic showed that they were different people.
The only other event that captured Callidus's attention over the break occurred during one of their breakfasts. Because they didn't have to go to classes, Harry and Draco had fallen into the habit of sleeping in. But aside from the first couple of days when Callidus had to catch up on much-needed sleep, Callidus felt no inclination to be dragged into Harry and Draco undisciplined schedule.
Usually, Callidus was content to wait until Harry and Draco woke up, so that the three of them could head down and take their meals together. But he had been spending his week trying to cram facts and figures into his mind, and he found his concentration beginning to falter. He realized that he needed to eat if he was going to be able to keep up his pace. His lips pursed in irritation over Harry's and Draco's slothfulness, he decided to head down to the breakfast room alone.
Callidus hadn't been expecting to see anyone in the breakfast room. He knew that food would be available to them at any time thanks to the Malfoy house elves, and had thought that he would be eating on his own. Which was why, when he entered the breakfast room (with a book in hand, so that he would have something to entertain himself with), he was startled by the sight of Lucius Malfoy, with a half empty plate and a newspaper in front of him.
"Good morning, Callidus," Lucius greeted smoothly.
Callidus started, but quickly collected himself. "Good morning Mr Malfoy." It seemed to be too late to back out now, so he stepped forward and sat down at the table. Callidus had been hungry before, but with Lucius Malfoy as his only company, his appetite shrivelled away. Nonetheless, to avoid looking rude, he forced himself to eat the food that the house elf had placed in front of him. He had nothing to say to the older man, so he said nothing. In the end, it was Lucius Malfoy that broke the silence.
"I have heard from my son that you have an interest in potions."
Callidus tensed. Was this question a trap? After all, Severus Snape had been a Potions Master, and had taught Potions at Hogwarts. "I have an interest in many things," Callidus replied.
"It's good to see someone your age so academically motivated," Lucius answered smoothly. "Having a broad base of knowledge can take you far in life. Particularly if you're motivated."
"Yes. I don't intend to limit myself."
"Have you given a great deal of thought to your future?"
"I don't have definite plans," Callidus answered cautiously. He was feeling increasingly disquieted, speaking of himself. He felt the need to change the topic, and when his eyes fell upon the headlines of the Daily Prophet, he seized upon what he saw there. "Is there more news about the Orange Madness?"
Lucius arched a pale eyebrow. "Yes. We are fortunate to be so untouched by the disease. It appears to predominantly affected those with questionable blood."
Callidus bristled, and the words escaped his mouth before he could think to rein them in. "That isn't true. One of the students at Hogwarts that has been infected is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."
Lucius seemed to become very alert, like a large predatory cat catching wind of a vulnerable prey. "Who? Surely not a Slytherin."
Callidus narrowed his eyes. It seemed like a strange thing for Lucius Malfoy to say, but then again, Callidus didn't know how much Draco reported to his father. "Longbottom," He informed the other man.
Though the action was incredibly subtle, Lucius appeared to relax. "Ah. Yes. The Longbottoms. The family has always been traditionally -" he paused, "Gryffindor." Callidus couldn't help thinking that Lucius had meant to say something else. But what?
However, Callidus didn't have a chance to discover anything further. There was a sound in the corridor, and moments later, Harry and Draco entered the breakfast room, Harry calling out: " we didn't know where you went, Cal! Oh. Good morning, Mr Malfoy."
Callidus didn't end up having another moment alone with Lucius Malfoy during the rest of his Easter break.
A/N: I appreciate the reviews! I wrote the two sections of this chapter at slightly different times, and it felt like my writing style shifted (a little). It took a bit of editing to fix up the first half, which I still think sounds more stilted and awkward, but... oh well.