Calla Potter

by LeFoxxx

AU. Calla Potter has always been hiding. From bullies, from the Dursleys, from the teachers who only ever noticed when she didn't pay them rapt attention. But she is also the twin sister of Harry Potter, the so-called Boy Who Lived, and when they begin at Hogwarts, she must come out of the shadows and face the world, no matter what it means for her.

42. Dementors on the Train

The morning was absolute chaos. The twins had been woken by Tom, entering with tea for them. They drank it quickly, while at the same time trying to control their pets; Moony had arrived back just in the early morning with a note from Isobel confirming they'd meet at half ten, and that she was excited to see everyone again. Calla was trying to get her back into her cage when Ron barged in, still in the process of pulling his jumper over his head.

"The sooner we're on that train, the better," he said, looking irritable. Moony squawked and Calla tried to keep him back in his cage, locking it. "Percy's having a go at me, he's doing my head in, just accused me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater! You know," he said, in a tone of disgust, "his girlfriend. She's hidden under the frame now because her nose has gone all blotchy."

Fred and George came in a second later, wringing Ron's hand. "Jolly good show, old chap," said George, earning himself a mighty glare from Ron. "Percy's furious, we're ever so proud."

"Shut up," Ron muttered, and the twins cackled. "C'mon, you two, let's go down for breakfast."

She went to sit by Hermione and Ginny, who were giggling in conversation with Mrs Weasley about love potions. "Morning, Calla" said Hermione chirpily. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Calla said. "You?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm excited to be going back to Hogwarts this morning! I can't wait to try all of my new subjects, Ancient Runes sounds fascinating, don't you think?"

"Oh, I can't wait!" Calla said, grinning. "Did you ever do Ancient Runes at school, Mrs Weasley?"

"Oh, no, no," Mrs Weasley laughed, shaking her head. "No, I did Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies; that's how I became friends with Arthur, you know. He was always passionate about Muggle things, even when we were just third years."

Just then, Percy stormed in, muttering furiously about his missing Head Boy badge. "Knock it off, Perce!" Fred said, earning himself a sharp look from his mother as he tucked into toast. They barely had time for proper conversation the rest of the meal, and once it was done they had a time of it trying to get all their luggage and pets down the stairs and out of the pub.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione yelled, as her cat darted about the room frantically. "Crookshanks, come here!"

They piled up their luggage by the door, with the three owl cages of Hedwig, Moony and Percy's owl Hermes. Crookshanks was hissing in a basket, and Fred's trunk kept rocking like there was something fighting to get out of it. "What's in there?" Calla asked Ginny, who shrugged.

"Probably something that'll explode."

Calla didn't want to ask much further. Ron and Hermione had taken to arguing with one another again, and so she went with Harry out to the cars, led by Mr Weasley. They only had small bags with them, since the adults were taking care of charming the luggage to be smaller.

Both the twins crushed into the back of the car, with Ron and Hermione crushed in after them. Fred and George sat upfront, followed by a very disgruntled looking Percy. Mr and Mrs Weasley were both in the car behind them, with all of their luggage. Calla had her little bag with her wand, her money, some chocolate and her copy of 'Little Women' on her lap, with Matilda crawling over it. They hit a sharp turn at one point and she flicked her tail up, where it hit Harry in the chin.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," Calla said, trying not to giggle at his affronted expression.

Because of the Ministry's help and the charms on their cars, they managed to reach King's Cross Station at twenty five to, and Calla spotted Isobel and her mother standing by the barrier between the gates. "Isobel!" she called.

Her friend turned, face lighting up. "Calla!"

When they reached each other, Calla hugged her tightly. "Hello," she said to Isobel's mum, who was a tall woman with a pale, freckled face and very curly brown hair. "I haven't met you yet I don't think, I'm Calla Potter."

"Of course," said Ms McDougal, smiling, "I've heard so much about you."

"Calla!" Harry shouted over to her. She turned, seeing him standing with Uncle Remus, who was having his hand shaken by Mr Weasley. "Hi, Isobel! We have to go!"

"Sorry, Mum," Isobel said, hugging her mum tightly. "It is almost twenty to, and we need to get seats. I'll write as soon as I get in, Okay?"

"Alright, darling," said Ms McDougal. She lent down and Isobel flushed as her mother kissed her on both cheeks. "You behave, I don't want any reports of bad behaviour or any detentions."

"You never do!"

"And you shouldn't be starting ow," Ms McDougal said, with a twinkle in her eyes. "And stay safe, dear. That goes for you, too, Calla."

"Ah, you must be Ms McDougal!" Remus and Mr Weasley had come over, accompanied by Harry and Ron. "Lovely to meet you, I'm Arthur Weasley, Ron's Father."

"And I'm Remus Lupin," said Remus, smiling. He looked pale, and tired, but he looked better when he smiled. "Calla's godfather, and this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Oh, fantastic!" Ms McDougal said. "Isobel's told me about the last two, quite the interesting lot."

"Well, I hope to be interesting," Remus said, "but hopefully a little more competent than my predecessors."

"Anyone's more competent than Lockhart," Izzy whispered to Calla, who laughed.

"We'd best go through two or three at a time," said Mr Weasley. "Since there's so many of us. Harry, I'll go through with you."

"And I'll go through with Calla and Isobel," said Remus, which Ms McDougal seemed quite pleased with. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her, Ms McDougal."

"Thank you," Ms McDougal replied. "I just didn't want her going through on her own."

"Quite understandable," Mr Weasley told her warmly. "I think we're all being cautious; but I'm sure all will be well soon. Harry?"

Harry nodded, taking Mr Weasley's arm. They went through the wall at a run, and disappeared smoothly, unlike last year.

"Us next," said Remus. Izzy gave her mum another tight hug and grabbed her luggage.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

The three of them went through, Calla making sure Matilda - who was perched atop her trunk, next to Moony's cage - was stable and not about to fall over in the middle of the barrier, and Calla found that familiar delight as she arrived in Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. "Right," Remus said as they shuffled away from the barrier, letting Ron and Hermione through. "Well, I'll get myself a compartment and then you five can sort yourselves."

"We don't mind sharing-"

Remus waved his hands. "No, I think I had better get some sleep."

"Alright," Calla said quietly, turning to Isobel. "Come on, then, let's see if we can find Daphne and Padma, too."

"Hang on!" Ginny's voice came as she and Peru burst through the barrier. "I'll come with you, I want to find Astoria."

Ron rolled his eyes, but Ginny accompanied them anyway, as they made their way over to the scarlet steam train.

Remus found a compartment next to the one where Daphne, Padma and Astoria were already sitting. He ducked inside and said he'd come to see them later on in the afternoon, and their group half-wrestled their way through the door to the compartment. "We really ought to start finding bigger compartments," said Daphne, as Ron just avoided dropping his trunk on her foot.

"Morning, Calla," Padma said, offering her a one-armed hug before they tried to stow Calla's trunk on the shelf. "Parvati and Lavender found a rather large compartment, further down the train, but I don't think there's any of them left." She shrugged. "At least we won't get cold."

"As long as I don't boil to death," Daphne muttered.

"We have to talk to you guys," Harry said, lookin between Daphne and Padma. He gave Calla a frownin look, and nodded towards Isobel. "In private, it's important."

"Go and find some other friends, Astoria," Daphne said to her sister, at the same time Ron said, "Go away, Ginny."

Both girls huffed. "How nice." Ginny scowled as she strode off, followed by a flouncing Astoria.

"Um, do you want me to stay, or?"

The twins glanced at Isobel. "No," Calla said, "no, you can stay."

Harry frowned, but didn't challenge her on it. Isobel squeezed in the door after them, and they all sat down. Harry closed the door tight behind them. "Remus told us about Sirius Black," he said, and Daphne went pale.

"What did he say? You said everything-"

"He's after us," Harry said bluntly. Calla shuddered as she glared at him. "Remus told us that - that Sirius Black was the one who gave our parents over to Voldemort."

Padma, Daphne and Ron all flinched. Isobel gasped a little. "He what?" Padma said, aghast. "Oh, Calla..."

"He was our parents' secret keeper, when they were in hiding when You-Know-Who was after us. Uncle Remus said... They were all friends at Hogwarts. Our parents, Remus, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew."

"The wizard he killed with all the Muggles," Daphne said. "I - I didn't know that. I just thought - because I know he was in with the Dark Lord, everyone knows I suppose, but I didn't know he was friends with them. Mum and Dad, well, they obviously didn't know everything, they weren't in his circle, and they never supported him, but they'd heard things. That he'd gone mad after the Dark Lord was killed, and he'd gone after anyone he could who he thought was on the light side or- or who might know were the two of you were."

Calla shook her head. "Maybe he did, in part. But he never got that far." She tilted her chin in attempted defiance but she didn't really feel too defiant. If Sirius Black has come onto the train right then, she probably would have gone down in an instant, and she knew it.

"He's after us now, though," said Harry. He looked at Ron and Hermione. "He wants revenge." She knew the lingering part of that sentence; and she supposed that if it was only him, Ron and Hermione he would have said it. That he wanted revenge, too.

"Well, he won't get it," Daphne said.

"Yeah," Isobel agreed. "I mean, you two are basically impossible to kill anyway."

That didn't ease Calla very much, but she nodded quietly. "Well, I just hope that you two don't go looking for trouble," Hermione said.

"I don't go looking for trouble," Harry grumbled, "trouble just finds me."

"And drags me along in the mud," Calla muttered. Daphne gave her a half hearted smile.

"How thick would they have to be, anyway?" Ron said. "To go looking for some nutter who wants to kill them."

"A nutter who sold our parents out to Voldemort."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, including Calla. "They will catch him, though," Hermione said. "Won't they? They've got all the Muggles looking for him, too."

Daphne snorted. "Like Sirius Black is going to be found by a group of Muggles. But they will find him," she said hastily, at the look on Hermione and Calla's faces. "I'm sure they will."

There was a long moment of quiet. Then there was a weird, faint whistling noise coming from the corner of the luggage rack above them. Matilda hissed up at it. "Sounds like it's coming from your trunk, mate," Ron said to Harry. He exchanged a nervous glance with Calla, and she nodded at him. Surely it wasn't something dangerous that'd gotten in?

Ron clambered up to stand on his seat - Daphne scolded him for almost treading on her hand - and rifles in Harry's trunk until he managed to get what he was looking for. He turned, holding out the pocket sneakoscope to them. It was spinning furiously in his palm, and glowing. "What is that?" Isobel asked, frowning at him.

"Pocket sneakoscope," said Harry. "Ron got me it."

"It went haywire when I was putting it in, as well, just as I was tying it to Errol's leg."

"And did you happen to be doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"No!" Ron said indignantly, then tilted his head in consideration. "Well, mind you, I wasn't really supposed to be using Errol."

Daphne laughed. "Nice one, Ron."

"Well, how else was I supposed to get the card and present to them?"

Matilda mewed loudly, pawing at Calla. "Put it away, or get it to be quiet," Calla told Ron. "It's scaring Matilda."

Ron stuffed the sneakoscope back inside a thick, woolly pair of socks and shut the trunk, smothering the sound. "We should get it checked when we're in Hogsmeade," said Daphne. "I'm sure there are plenty of places that will see to it."

"Yeah, Zonko's might do," Padma said. "Joke shop," she added to Isobel, who nodded.

"They sell this sort of stuff in Dervish and Bangs, too," Ron said. "Magical instruments and stuff like that; Fred and George told me."

"Do any of you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked the assembled group keenly. "I've heard there's all sorts of fascinating historical sites there." Calla sighed and propped her feet up on the tiny wedge of space between Ron and the window. "It's the only entire magical settlements in Britain."

"That's not quite true," Daphne said. "There are others, too. Godric's Hollow has a large wizarding population, and Babbitt's Creek is nearly entirely wizard populated. So's Merlingrove in Caerphilly, near our house. There's a wizard school there too - it's a day school, and way smaller than Hogwarts, but there's a few nice students I know there."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm only really fussed about going to Honeydukes Sweet Shop." He shrugged. "But each their own, I suppose, Hermione."

"Honeydukes has everything," Padma said, eyes wide with wonder. "Pepper imps, sugar quills - oh, have either of you ever had Chocoballs?"

"They're so good!" Ron exclaimed. "They're massive," he told the rest of them, "and filled with strawberry mousse and clotted cream."

"But Hogsmeade is a very interesting place," Hermione said in earnest, "a book I read said that the inn was the site of the headquarters of the Goblin Rebellion Of 1612, and the Shrieking Shack's meant to be the most haunted place in Britain."

"Honeydukes has these massive sherbet balls, too," Daphne put in, ignoring Hermione.

"The ones that make you levitate off the ground when you put them in your mouth?"

Daphne nodded furiously.

"Won't it be lovely to get out of school and explore for a bit?" Hermione said. "I can't wait to see more of Magical Britain."

"Suspect it'll be great," Harry said flatly. "Let us know when you find out, won't you?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, snapping back to attention. "You'll be coming too, won't you?"

"We can't go," Calla explained. "The Dursleys wouldn't sign, and since Uncle Remus isn't my legal guardian or Harry's-" she left out who their real legal guardian was "-he can't sign for us."

"That's ridiculous," Daphne scoffed, tossing her hair. "You should have told me, I would have gotten Mother and Father to try and sort it out."

"Fudge wouldn't sign either," Harry said gloomily. "So it looks like you'll all have to go without us."

"Or what about your map, Calla?" Ron asked quickly, eyes lighting up like they always did when he got a new idea. "It must have passages in and out of Hogwarts, Fred and George know all of them and they gave it to your

"I haven't looked at the passages out of the castle," Calla said honestly. "But I doubt it'll work. Remus said they're putting loads of extra protections around the castle; and I doubt he'll let us sneak out, what with Sirius Black and everyone."

"And he shouldn't let you, either!" Hermione cried. "It's far too dangerous!"

"Not if there's a load of us out there," Daphne pointed out, and Isobel nodded enthusiastically. "Safety in numbers."

Hermione looked at her flatly. "It's dangerous."

"But if we're with them, maybe," Padma said.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "Black wouldn't dare attack them if we're there."

"He took out a whole street of Muggles to get Peter Pettigrew," Calla said quietly. "I doubt he'd let you stop him, if he really wanted to kill us."

Ron yelled suddenly, "Don't let that thing out!" just as Crookshanks spring from his basket. He padded on the floor for a second, yawning before he leapt up onto Ron's lap. And then before anyone could stop him, he was aiming for the lump in Ron's pocket. "Get out!" he yelled, shoving him away.

"Ron, don't!"

The two of them descended into argument again and Calla huffed, leaning against Daphne's shoulder. "I'm so tired of this already," she muttered, and Daphne laughed.

"I haven't shown you the ball photos yet, have I?" She withdrew from her pocket a pile of moving photographs, bound with some sort of twig or vine.

Padma leaned towards them over the aisle, and Isobel crept over Harry's legs to look. "This is the one from the start of the night," Daphne said, showing them herself and Astoria in front of a white staircase. She was dressed in a high-necked, deep midnight blue dress, hairs in curls, with delicate silver chains around her left arm, and Astoria was dressed simpler but still prettily, in a mint green chiffon, and with a glittering diamond comb in her dark hair.

"I love your dress," Calla said, and Padma nodded.

"You look gorgeous."

"Thanks," said Daphne, cheeks going pink. "Er, this is me and Theo." Theo was dressed rather boringly, in black and grey, and they both looked a little awkward in the pose. "There's loads, but some of them are a bit rubbish; oh, that's me and Pansy and Draco." She giggled. "Pansy took ages to do her hair, and then they tripped while dancing and it got caught and all ended up falling out." The Pansy Parkinson in the photo stuck her tongue out.

She went through all the photos, until Isobel lost interest and disappeared to talk to Sue and Anthony in another carriage, and Padma started reading a book instead. At one point, Ron and Hermione had stopped arguing and turned to chatting with Harry, and Daphne finally finished up with her photos. "I still don't like the arrangements Mother's made," she said, "but it was an alright night, all things considered."

"I'd love a dress like that," Calla told her wistfully. "And the bracelets; what are they for?"

"Pureblood tradition," Daphne scoffed, tossing her hair. "Pureblooded young women, when they reach the age of thirteen, are meant to wear light bracelets or chains around their left arms. It's a sign of - Well, I don't know what, but it's a tradition."

"Purebloods are dead weird," said Ron unexpectedly.

"You Weasleys are purebloods too, don't you know?"

"Blood traitors, we are."

"Still on the Sacred Twenty-Eight, though," Daphne pointed out.

Calla hasn't the faintest idea what that meant, so she looked at Harry, who looked at Hermione, who shrugged and looked at Padma, who said, "It's a list of the old pureblood families. Twenty eight of them: Malfoy's there, I think Parkinson, too. Daphne could recite them all, probably."

"Mother all but forced the list into my head," Daphne sighed. "Abbott, Avery, Black, Bulstrode-"

"Like Sirius Black?"

"-Burke, Carrow, Crouch, Fawley, Flint, Gaunt, Greengrass, of course, Lestrange, Longbottom, Malfoy, Nott, Ollivander, Parkinson, Prewett, Rosier, Rowle, Selwyn, Shacklebolt, Shafiq, Slughorn, Travers, Weasley-" she put great emphasis on this, shooting Ron a look "-and Yaxley." Daphne smiled and sat up, as if proud. It was strange, to be honest. "There."

"Sorry we're not all fanatics," Ron muttered.

"I'm just saying you're on the list."

"Dad hates it. Says we have no place on it and we should never want to, either."

"Doesn't change the fact that you are," Daphne said with a shrug. "I don't really care - the Zabinis aren't on it, and Blaise is one of my best friends. Mum and Dad don't care, and most of those who are actually fanatics are locked up in Azkaban anyway." She made a disgruntled sort of sound.

Calla saw Hermione shift uncomfortably, and Daphne's expression fell a little, into uncomfortableness and uncertainty. "I don't much see the point in having a list, personally. There's no one who actually doesn't have Muggle blood. People just like to think they're better than each other."

There was a moment of quiet, and then Daphne said, "I'm meant to go see Theo, and I think I should check in on Astoria, too. Calla, do you mind coming with me? The looks I'd get wandering the train on my own."

"Sure," Calla said quietly. She scooped up Matilda, but she scratched her in indignation, so she handed her to Harry. "We'll be back soon. If the trolley witch comes round, get me three chocolate frogs."

Harry nodded, and she and Daphne slipped into the corridor, closing the door behind them. "I said something wrong there, didn't I?" Daphne asked. "I saw the way Hermione looked at me."

Calla fidgeted uncomfortably, walking slowly by her friend. "I think it was the stuff about the - the Sacred Twenty Eight. I mean, I didn't know anything about it, but the fact you can just, you know, rhyme off all those name..."

"Because I'm a pureblood," Daphne said. "I don't - it's not that I think people should know it, but I've never thought not to know it? I guess it's a bit weird."

"Your parents taught you it," Calla said. "I get why it is a bit, well, odd, but I suppose it's like... Well, I was going to say it's like me being able to rhyme off all the members of the royal family. Aunt Petunia is a big monarchist," she added as an explanation. "There's the Queen, Elizabeth, and Queen Mother Elizabeth, and Princess Royal Margaret, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Prince Of Wales, Duke Of Cornwall, Lady Diana - Princess Diana, really, but Aunt Petunia doesn't like her - she was Princess of Wales, and Prince William and Prince Harry, and Princess Anne and her children, Peter and Zara, but they don't have titles, Prince Andrew who's the Duke Of York, his wife Sarah, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenia, Prince Edward, that's all the queen's children and grandchildren, and I think there's some other cousins with titles but I don't really know them as well."

"See, That is weird."

Calla shrugged. "It's a bit weird for Muggles, too," she said, blushing. "But I don't like to think Aunt Petunia's really the standard for muggles."

Daphne smiled. "Well, anyway. I do have to speak to Theo, if you're alright with joining me."

Honestly, she didn't really know. Theo - Theodore Nott - had never given her bother, but Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson had, and she wasn't sure she'd want to sit with them. But still she didn't want to leave Daphne when she said she'd join her, so she went long the train until they came across a compartment with Astoria, Ginny, Luna Lovegood and two other girls Calla didn't recognise.

"That's Amelie Selwyn," Daphne said, pointing to the pale girl nearest the door, "and the other's Marie Flint. Her mother's a halfblood, grandfather a full-blown Muggle, apparently their marriage caused an awful fuss."

"Wow," Calla said blankly, as Daphne strode inside the compartment.

"Just checking up on you," she said. Calla's eyes caught on Lune Lovegood, who sat cross-legged at the far end of the compartment wearing bright orange glasses and reading an upside down magazine, with a giant purple beetle resting in her white-blonde hair. "Hello, Selwyn, Flint."

"You don't need to check up on me," Astoria said frustratedly. "And we're fine, thank you."

Luna Lovegood looked up then with an expression at once startled and serene. "Oh, hello, Calla Potter. Are the wrackspurts bothering?"

Calla stared at her. "Er, not really, Luna. I feel quite alright; but I don't know what a wrackspurt is." Even as far as Ravenclaws went, Luna was a bit out of the ordinary. Calla was better at following her words than most but she still hadn't heard of half of the creatures she spoke about.

"Oh, they're these little creatures that get in through your ears. I see them in your head when you're in the common room."

Amélie Selwyn and Marie Flint were both staring at Luna Lovegood like she had grown two heads. Though for witches Calla supposed that wasn't that unlikely.

"Are they dangerous?" Calla asked Lune.

"Not particularly. They can be a nuisance though; watch out for them."

"We're going to sit with Theo," Daphne said to Astoria, who was pink in the cheeks. "If you'd like to join us."

"No," Astoria said shortly. She scribbled something on a bit of parchment and handed it to Daphne, who scoffed.

"I don't care. See you at Hogwarts, and don't eat too many pumpkin pasties, I don't want you being too full before the feast."

"You sound like Mother," Astoria muttered, as Daphne set the parchment on fire, burning it to ash, and closed to door.

"You haven't actually heard of wrackspurts, have you?"

"No."

"Good. I haven't either but I didn't know if you were just playing along. Amélie Selwyn doesn't like Lovegood, I can tell."

"Well, I think she's nice," Calla said. "If a bit confusing."

"Confusing's not quite the word I'd use, but yes. Ah, there they are!"

Daphne rapped on a door and waved through the little window. Calla hung back nervously as someone opened the door, but Daphne tutted and gestured for her to come on. "You'll be grand," she whispered, clasping Calla's hand. "Promise. And if anyone tries to say any crap, I'll hex them. But I think you'll find everyone but Draco to be more or less reasonable about other people."

"More or less," Calla muttered, as Daphne pulled her inside with her. Crowded in the compartment was Theodore Nott, along with Malfoy, Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini.

Parkinson raised her eyebrows at Calla's entrance, and Malfoy scowled. "Hope you don't mind," Daphne said, smiling in a thin way that said if anyone did mind, they would be met with her utmost displeasure. "I brought a friend."

"Potter," said Theodore politely, nodding at her with a bare smile. "How are you?"

She blinked. "I-I'm alright, yeah." Everyone was looking at her, as though expecting something; she begin to feel rather hot. "Um, and you? How was your holidays?"

"Were," Parkinson said snidely. Not sure what she meant, Calla just stared at her, feeling her cheeks flush and burn. "The sentence ought to be 'how were your holidays'."

"Oh." Calla glanced at Daphne, who gave Parkinson a sharp glare. "Sorry. How were your holidays, then, Nott?"

"Rather lovely, actually," Theodore said breezily. "We had a wonderful time at the ball, as I'm sure Daphne will have told you." Daphne pursed her lips. "Anyway, sit down, the two of you. You know Blaise, don't you?"

"Yeah," Calla said quietly. Daphne gestured for Parkinson to budge up on the seats, and she groaned as she did so, shuffling closer to the window. Daphne sat by her, tugging Calla down to sit on her other side, opposite Theodore. "Um, it's nice to meet you all."

Malfoy snorted derisively, looking out of the window. She could have sworn Blaise rolled his eyes. "So, what electives are you doing this year, Potter? Are you in Arithmancy, too?"

"Oh, no," Calla laughed. "No, I did maths at primary school and that was awful. I'm doing Ancient Runes, Care Of Magical Creatures, and Divination."

Parkinson laughed. "What'd you want to do Divination for?"

"Well, it's... It's interesting."

"My mother says it's a fool's subject," Parkinson said airily. "But I suppose if you find it interesting."

"I think it would be interesting, too," Daphne said defensively. "And it's a perfectly valid subject."

Parkinson laughed. "Alright, Daphne. If you say so. Personally I don't see the point in any of the electives other than Ancient Runes or Arithmancy; Father thinks they ought to be integrated into the core curriculum from First Year. But Divination and Muggle Studies are useless."

"I'm doing Muggle Studies," Daphne said.

"Yeah, so's Tracey Davis," Theodore Nott laughed. "And we all know you're only taking it to aggravate your parents."

"That's not the only-"

"Anything from the trolley, dears?"

The trolley witch appeared at the door. "Calla?" Daphne asked, getting up.

"I'm alright," she said, shaking her head. "Harry said he'd save me some chocolate frogs."

Malfoy made a rude sound, and Daphne glared at him as she asked the trolley witch for, "Two licorice wands, a pumpkin pasty and some Bertie Bott's."

"I'll have a chocolate frog," Parkinson added, and Daphne rolled her eyes in a fond way as she got one. She chucked it over to Parkinson, and Malfoy reached out to catch it, fumbling and dropping it.

Hiding her laugh, Calla turned to Zabini and Theodore. "Are either of you doing Care of Magical Creatures? It sounds really exciting, I don't know much about Magical creatures other than dragons and unicorns and things."

Everyone else looked between each other and she felt a sudden feeling of having misstepped. Then Zabini said quietly, "It sounds really interesting to me. I'm quite excited, though apparently Slytherin typically shares that class with Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw with Hufflepuff. I think salamanders would be fascinating to learn about."

"Oh, me too!" Calla said, relieved. "They sound very interesting."

"If you're willing to get your eyebrows singed off, I suppose," Parkinson said, tossing her hair. "I'd rather not discuss school any more; it's the last hours of Summer, after all."

As the conversation turned, Calla edged into the corner and pulled 'Little Women' from her bag - she was about halfway through, and thought she might be able to finish it by the time she arrived at Hogwarts. Malfoy gave her a strange look, but she ignored them except from when Daphne addressed her every five or so minutes in an attempt to include her.

She was almost finished when Parkinson said loudly, "Is it just me, or is the train stopping now?"

"We can't be there yet," said Malfoy, frowning. Daphne glanced at Calla.

"This doesn't sound good," she whispered, and Calla nodded, closing her book. She clasped her hand around her wand.

"No," she whispered back, as the train came to a stop and the lights flickered, "it doesn't, does it?"

The wind howled louder outside, and the rain was pelting the window. The train shuddered Against it. Malfoy has gone very pale indeed. "I'm going to see Crabbe and Goyle," he said quickly, but just as he got up they heard someone coming aboard the train and with what sounded like a whimper, he sat back down. Cold rushed into the train and Calla shuddered.

Calla was torn between going back to her friends and Remus, and her fear of venturing outside where she was sure there was someone dangerous. Her mind went immediately to Sirius Black and she shivered against Daphne. "What's going on?" Theodore said, frowning. He stood up, poking his head out of the door. "It's all dark. All the lights have gone out. But we can't be there yet..."

The cold crept over Calla. "Shut the door," she whispered. "It's freezing."

Theodore looked at her curiously, but pulled the door gingerly shut. It caught with just an inch left between the pane and the frame. "Come on," he muttered, trying to jostle it shut again, but the wind seemed to be pushing it open.

"I think someone just came on," Calla whispered to Daphne.

"Wonder if it's Sirius Black," Malfoy drawled, And Parkinson cackled.

"Shut up, Draco," Daphne snapped.

Someone stumbled into the compartment. "You know what's going on?" asked Millicent Bulstrode's voice, as someone knocked into Calla's knees.

"Well, I'm sure the train is just stopping in the middle of nowhere because the driver wants a bit of an adventure."

"Is anyone else really cold?" asked another girl's voice. Someone kicked Calla sharply in the shins. "Oh, sorry," the same voice said. "Who was that?"

"Calla," she replied. "Who's this?"

"Tracey. Can you see-"

The train jolted and everyone froze. "Inside," Zabini whispered, and bodies pressed tightly into the compartment.

Then there was a strange sound, like rattling breath, not quite the wind anymore. A dark, hooded shadow fell across the windowpane and Theodore startled, stumbling back. Long grey claws crept around the side of the door, pushing it back open

There was a scream and a burst of green light, and Calla saw a million things at once; a shadow falling away from the full moon, a snow-covered cemetery, a silver deer, a ring of gold between two spells, a boiling cauldron. Her heart sped up and she could feel herself draining of energy, fear gripping her arms, crawling across her skin. Someone screamed - she didn't know if it was her or not - and she felt her stomach plummet as the compartment blurred into view and back out again.

She felt weak, like she had in the chamber. That memory gripped her suddenly, ice-like fear holding her still. Then everything disappeared.

Xx

Harry blinked up from where he lay on the floor. He remembered the darkness and the cold and the fear, and a woman's voice, her high-pitched scream, a high, cold laugh and a flash of green light.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice said, as her face came blurrily into sight. "Harry, are you alright?"

"What happened?" Harry asked weakly, struggling to sit up.

Remus looked at him warmly. "That was a dementor, Harry."

"They're what guards Azkaban," Padma said.

"They feed on fear, and suck the joy out of anyone near them." He shuddered. "It's alright now, they're gone. Here," Remus said, offering Harry some chocolate. "Eat. You'll feel better."

"Where's Calla?" Harry asked suddenly, realising she hadn't come back at any point since he fainted. "Have you seen her, is she alright? And where's Matilda?"

In response, there was a mew from the corner, where Hermione was holding the little kitten.

"Astoria's gone to find her and Daphne," Ginny said from the corner, looking pale as she gnawed on her own piece of chocolate. "She'll be back in a minute."

"I'll go," Harry said quickly, but Remus stopped him getting up.

"No," he said firmly. "Rest, and have some chocolate."

"But-"

"Found them!" Astoria's voice called, and a moment later a very pale Calla appeared in the doorway, leaning on Daphne. She was shaking.

"Calla!" Harry said, at the same time as Remus. Remus got up, smiling gently.

"How do you feel? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Calla mumbled, though she certainly didn't look it.

"She fainted," Daphne said bluntly. "She's not fine."

"Daphne!"

"Have a seat, Calla," Remus told her. "You look ready to collapse."

Even her legs were trembling, Harry realised as Calla went to sit down. Her hands shook as Hermione handed Matilda to her. At least he wasn't the only person to faint, he thought for a moment, and then felt intensely guilty at the look on his sister's face. "Have some chocolate," Remus told her. "It'll help."

She took a very hesitant bite. Then she smiled a little and took another. "Thanks," she said quietly. She was very quiet, Harry noted as he went to sit next to her. "How are you? Did you-"

"I fainted too," Harry told her, and she nodded.

"Malfoy thought it was hilarious," she muttered, and anger flared in Harry. Of course Malfoy would; and of course he'd make sure that Calla know it, too.

"Malfoy's a git," Ron muttered, clearly having overheard.

"Now," Remus said sternly, though he looked to Harry like he agreed with Ron's sentiments. "I'm going to have a word with the driver. I'll see you when you get to Hogwarts; and make sure they have some chocolate," he added, looking mainly at Hermione and Padma.

"What happened?" Hermione asked sharply once Remus had left. "Why did you faint?"

"I don't know," Harry said. And he didn't; but he didn't really want to think about why. "Did none of you?"

Hermione shook her head slowly. "Dementors are horrible creatures," Daphne said. "My - people who go to Azkaban never come out the same; they're made by intensely dark magic. Most grown wizards go mad from prolonged exposure to them. Their purpose is to terrify people, to suck the happiness out of their souls. I guess... Some people have more to be scared of than others. They show you your worst memories, or replicate the feelings from them anyway." She shook her head. "Point is, fainting from them isn't that uncommon at all. Especially for people our age, or people who've... You know. Been through a lot."

Harry nodded numbly. Even if he and Calla had been through a lot, they'd still reacted far worse than anyone else, except maybe Ginny, who was still very pale. "Right."

"You two look like you should sleep," Padma said gently. "At least a little, before the train gets to school."

Harry though, didn't think he would be able to sleep, while he remembered that scream, that cold laugh, that awful green light. He felt cold just thinking about it.

"But I don't get what happened," Harry said hoarsely. "And who screamed?"

The rest all looked at one another. "No one screamed, Harry," said Hermione slowly.

"I heard someone scream," Calla said quietly, frowning. He could tell she was already thinking, trying to come to some explanation. "Didn't any of ou?"

"No," Daphne said. "There was no one screaming down our end, either."

"But then... I don't understand." Harry looked at his sister; he didn't understand, either.

"What happened?"

"I don't - I don't really know, Harry," said Hermione nervously. "It - it got really cold, and dark, and it felt like, well, like there was something there, something terrifying. I don't-"

"I thought you were having a fit," Ron told Harry. "You went sort of rigid and stiff, and your eyes sort of rolled back in your head, and then you fell onto the floor and started sort of twitching. And then Remus came through to see what was happening, and then we realised Calla and Daphne hadn't come back and we didn't know where they were, but then he said 'None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go' and shot some silvery sort of spell at them, it looked like some kind of animal, and then they left."

"I wish we'd never gone through to sit with Theo and the rest," Daphne said, scowling. "Draco was so rude about it, even though you could tell he was about to wet his pants himself." Harry chuckled weakly. "The dementors there wouldn't go away for what felt like ages. Cause, Calla, you'd gone all pale and I could feel you grabbing my arm really tight, and then you sort of started shaking and fell off the seat, and I didn't know what to do but I didn't want to get you any closer to those things so me and Blaise were sort of standing in front of you trying to make sure you didn't, you know, choke or anything. And then they left and the lights came back on."

"And then Malfoy was laughing about it," Calla muttered. "He thought it was hilarious." She shivered, pulling her knees up to her chest. "He didn't hear what I did, then." She rested her head on Harry's shoulder, and though he didn't look he thought she might have been crying. "It was terrifying."

They all nodded grimly in silence.

Remus came back in then. "We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," he told them. "I suggest the two of you - and you, Ginny - make sure you're wearing something warm to go out in. And eat," he said, nodding at the chocolate, "please."

He paused a moment and then put his hand on both their shoulders. "You're alright now," he told them. "We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

Calla nodded. "Yeah," Harry said, squeezing her hand. "We'll be fine."

As everyone else went about getting their robes on and Remus went through to his other compartment, Calla whispered to Harry, "Did you hear the woman screaming, too?" He nodded. "And we're the only ones." She paused, breath shaking before she asked, "Do you think... Do you think it could have been Mum?"

The question surprised him but he supposed... It must have been. That green light had persisted in all of his dreams all his life, and that high laugh. "I think it might have."

Calla nodded, and got up shakily. "Come on, we need to get our robes on." She went over to her trunk and then turned around, eyes wide. "Daphne, did you bring my book back?"

Daphne stared at her a moment and then shook her head. "We'll get it from Theo after the feast."

"Daphne-"

"I'll get it if you don't want to speak to them," Daphne offered. "He'll have picked it up."

"It's a Muggle book."

"He'll still have picked it up," Daphne said confidently.

"Nott?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Theodore," Daphne said. "And I know what that tone means, but he's actually decent, Ron."

"Sure he is," Ron muttered, rolling his eyes. Harry was sure Ron had mentioned before that Nott's father had been a Death Eater. Malfoy's has been too, and Parkinson's - he didn't know about Zabini's - but it was strange to imagine Calla crowded amongst them.

At last, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. "I'm going to find Neville," said Ginny. "Come on, Astoria."

The two of them left quickly, and Daphne muttered something to Padma that Harry couldn't hear. Calla picked up Matilda in her arms, and smiled gently at her as the rest of them trailed off of the train.

Xx

What little warmth Calla had felt on the train she lost immediately as they left it, stepping into the night. Matilda's claws were sharp on her arm, holding her tightly, but it was oddly reassuring. "Let's try and get a carriage with all of us," Padma said, bumping her left shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked in a whisper, with a look forward to where Daphne was talking to Hermione.

"Sort of," Calla whispered back. "I'm feeling better, but..." She couldn't get those images out of her head. They were sort of visions - they felt mostly the same - but far shorter and less clear. Already they were slipping away; she wished she'd brought her notebook with her so she could have scribbled what she'd seen down, but then again it was still far from the main thing on her mind.

The way she'd felt had been the worst thing; she wasn't even just scared, she felt weak. She hadn't been sure she'd even be able to stand up when she came to, and she'd had to lean on Daphne just to get back to Harry and the others. It had felt like being back in the chamber, except there was no threat to fight except her own weakness.

"You ought to speak to Flitwick when we get to Hogwarts," Padma told her. "Or Madam Pomfrey, just to make sure you will be alright."

"Yeah," Calla said quietly. "I will."

"Hagrid!" Hermione called, and Calla looked up to spot him grinning as he held up a lantern, guiding the way for the first years. They all looked so small; Calla was sure she'd never been so tiny.

He waved over to them and Calla stood on her tiptoes to wave back, but they rounded a corner towards where the carriages were waiting and he disappeared. "This one's free," said Ron, and they all climbed in together, Calla squashed between Daphne and Padma. The rain seemed to have gotten heavier, pelting onto Calla's cheeks, and she held up the hood of her robes to try and keep it off her glasses.

"I'm freezing," Daphne said, rubbing her hands together. "The sooner we get to the castle, the better."

Calla nodded her agreement. There wasn't much time for chatting, and either way she wasn't really feeling up to it. She kept thinking of the dementors, of that cold feeling in her chest, the fear that she might fall apart as irrational as that was. And she'd fainted - she'd actually fainted. She told herself she ought to be stronger than that, she couldn't just faint in the presence of a dementor even if it was terrifying. She shuddered and stroked Matilda thoughtfully.

As they passed closer to the castle, she caught sight of dementors standing guard along the path and by the gate, towering figures with massive hoods. She shivered into Daphne's side, wishing that if she just squeezed her eyes shut then they would disappear; but all that did was make the cold seem colder and make her fear stronger.

The carriage finally swayed to a halt outside the castle, and Daphne linked arms with Calla as they clambered out, Matilda clinging to her shoulder with an unusually tight grip. "Think there'll be any decent new Ravenclaws this year?" Daphne asked. "Hyacinth - that's our cousin, Hyacinth - is starting this year but I don't know where he'll be sorted. Probably Slytherin, if he goes with what his mother wants, but I think he could make Hufflepuff."

"You fainted, too, Potter?" said Malfoy's drawling voice to Harry. Calla snapped around. "I mean, both of you, really, you both fainted?" He laughed, as did Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

Zabini stood off to the side, muttering something to Theodore. "Shut up, Draco," Daphne told him. "You're making an arse out of yourself."

"Come now, Daphne," Malfoy chuckled. "All just a bit of fun."

Daphne gave Parkinson a hard look, and she just giggled. "Imagine actually fainting," she whispered to Draco. "I couldn't believe it. Famous Calla Potter, collapses on the floor all because of one little Dementor."

"Your family would know all about Dementors, wouldn't they, Parkinson?" Padma said, glaring.

Parkinson went pale, and hissed, "Shut your mouth, Patil, or I'll shut it for you."

"Is there a problem here?" asked Remus mildly, climbing out of another carriage.

Calla smiled at him gratefully. She could see Malfoy and Parkinson looking him over scornfully, taking in his clothing and his battered suitcase. "Oh, no, Er... Professor," he said, laughing. They slouched off before Remus could say anything in response.

"Was that the Malfoy boy?" he asked, and Calla and Harry nodded.

"He's a jerk," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "If he says anything else, I'll hex him."

"Thanks Daphne," Calla said.

"As a professor, I'm not entirely sure I can condone that, Daphne," Remus said, and Daphne just laughed.

"I'll just have to make sure you're not a witness, then," she told him cheerfully. "Oh, Theo."

Zabini and Theodore had materialised next to them.

Ron and Remus both eyed them suspiciously, but didn't say anything. Zabini held out Calla's book. "We thought this was yours," he said. She took it with a small smile.

"Thanks, Zabini."

"Sorry about Draco and Pansy," Theodore said. "Are you Alright?"

"Yeah," she said quietly - and quite unconvincingly. "Thanks for asking."

"We'll get up to the castle before the others wonder where we've fallen behind. See you later, Daphne."

The guys disappeared and Ron made a rude sound as he joined Calla's side. "They were just returning my book," she told him before he could start saying anything.

"Little Women," Ron read aloud as he looked at it. "Sounds boring. Suppose Hermione likes it."

"It's not boring," Calla said defensively. "And yes, I'm sure she does."

"Oh, I do!" Hermione told her. "I love Meg."

"Let's get out the rain," Remus said, and the followed him to join the crowd going up to the castle.

But Calla and Harry barely reached the Great Hall when McGonagall came to find them. "Potter! Yes, both of you! Thank you, Remus, I'll take them from here." She smiled at Remus, shaking his hand. "Lovely to see you again. And Miss Granger, I'd like to see you, too."

"We'll save you a seat," Padma whispered to Calla, going on ahead with Daphne and Ron. Frowning, Calla and Harry and Hermione shuffled out the crowd.

"No need to look so worried, you're not in any trouble," McGonagall said crisply. "I just want a quick word in my office."

Calla thought that if there had been any trouble they were in, Ron would be the one with them rather than Hermione. She soothed Matilda in her arms and followed McGonagall across the entrance hall, up a marble staircase and down a corridor that Calla thought was fairly near Gryffindor Tower but that she'd only been down once before after the battle in the Chamber, and she couldn't remember what happened after very well anyway. McGonagall ushered them in, to a cozy room with a warm flickering fire.

They'd just sat down when Madam Pomfrey bustled in, accompanied by Professor Flitwick. "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say the two of you had taken ill on the train, Potters."

Calla felt her cheeks heat up. He didn't have to tell McGonagall! "We're fine," Harry said quickly. "We don't need anything-"

""Oh, it's you two, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, looking at them with suspicion. "What have you been doing this time, running off to put yourselves in danger?"

"It was Dementors, Poppy," said McGonagall disapprovingly.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head and clucked disapprovingly. "Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing Harry's hair back to feel his forehead. Pomfrey pressed a hand to Calla's forehead and she winced slightly at the twinge of pain. "Does that hurt, Miss Potter?" she asked, frowning.

"Just my scar," Calla told her. "It does that sometimes." Usually after she'd had a vision, or just before. Matilda crawled across her lap and lay down, much to Pomfrey's disapproval.

"Hm," Pomfrey said. "You ought to tell me if it does, I could find out why. Curse scars can be tricky." She smiled at her crisply and stepped back. "Well, you won't be the only ones to collapse, I'm sure of that. They're both all clammy, Minerva, Filius. Terrible things those dementors are, and the effect on people who are already delicate-"

"I'm not delicate!" Harry protested. Calla said nothing.

"Of course you're not," said Pomfrey, taking Harry's pulse and then Calla's.

"What do they need?" McGonagall asked crisply. "Bed rest? Perhaps they ought to spend some time in the hospital wing?"

Calla didn't want to think what Malfoy would say if she had to go to the Hospital Wing. And she didn't want to stay in the Hospital Wing either; first nights back were always fun in the dormitory, and she was too excited for the new classes she had in the morning to go to the hospital wing and risk Pomfrey wanting to keep her in for longer.

"We don't need the Hospital Wing!" Harry whined.

"Well, they ought to have some chocolate at least. Filius?"

"We've already had some chocolate," Calla said. "Re-Professor Lupin gave us all some."

"Did he now?" Madam Pomfrey asked with an approving nod and smile. "Well, it seems we've at last got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies."

"Are you sure you feel alright, Potters?" McGonagall asked crisply.

"Yes," Calla said, and Harry nodded with her.

McGonagall and Flitwick both looked at them for long moments. "Well, Filius, If you have nothing to discuss with Miss Potter then I suppose the two of you," she said, looking at them, "ought to wait outside a moment while I speak with Miss Granger, and then we can all go down to the feast together."

Calla nodded, and Harry left the room as quickly as he could. "Come on, Matilda," Calla said, and Matilda leapt off Calla's lap, trotting after her when she left the room.

"Can you imagine Malfoy if we had to go to the Hospital Wing?" Harry muttered, shutting the door behind them. "He'd be insufferable."

"He's already insufferable," Calla said and Matilda gave a mew of what Calla decided was agreement. "The only good thing that happened in the compartment with the Slytherins was him hardly speaking."

"Really?"

She nodded. "S'ppose he didn't have anything to say that Daphne wouldn't tell him off for." She paused a moment before she asked a question that had been weighing on her a bit, "What did you see when the dementors came?"

"I didn't really ... Hear anything," Harry said, frowning. "I suppose I more just heard the screaming."

"Oh." That was that, then. It was just her; so probably they were visions. She tried to bring them back to her now. The moon and an axe and a cemetery and a cauldron.

"Did you see something?" Harry frowned. "Wait, a vision or was it, you know, because of the dementors?"

"Both, I think it might have been," Calla told him. Her scar twitched a little and she glared in response. "But they were weird, they weren't as clear. So I don't know. And I... I saw that green light. You know, how we always used to dream about that flash of green light, both of us."

"I didn't see that," Harry said lowly. "Do you think-"

The door clicked open and they jumped up, smiling politely at McGonagall and Hermione. She looked between them as though expecting them to say something, but they didn't, and so McGonagall said, "Come on then, the two of you. No doubt a feast and decent night of sleep will do you both the world of good."

She took them back down to the Great Hall, Matilda following quickly despite her little legs. "What did McGonagall want to speak to you about?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Oh, we just had to discuss my timetable for the year," Hermione said breezily. "I'm very excited to get started, though the only elective class Gryffindor and Ravenclaw share is Divination, which is a shame. I'd have liked to work with you in Ancient Runes."

"We can still do homework and things together," Calla said with a shrug. "No doubt we'll need each other's help; apparently it's really tough."

"Good," Hermione said, with a small smile. "I like a challenge in my learning."

Harry looked at her like she was mad as they reached the Great Hall. "See you later," Calla said to the other two as they split up to go to their separate tables.

"What'd McGonagall want?" Daphne asked as Calla took a seat between her and Padma.

"Just to make sure Harry and I were alright after the train. Uncle Remus owled her." She peered along the table. "Guess I've missed the Sorting, then?"

"Yeah. Hyacinth got Hufflepuff." Daphne heaped some chicken and potatoes onto Calla's plate for her. "Good on him, I say. Astoria's furious, I think she'd have liked to have him in the same house as her."

"I'm sure they'll cope," Calla said, as she took her plate from Daphne. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling, Calla?" Terry asked across the table. He lowered his voice as he said, "We heard you fainted."

"Terry!" Isobel hissed, nudging him. "You don't need to yell it."

"I hardly yelled," Terry muttered. "But anyway, Calla."

"I'm feeling better," she told them, smiling. "Don't know what happened, really, but I'm sure I'll be alright."

"I heard old Dumbledore's furious about it," Lisa told her. "But they're not allowed in the grounds at all, so I'm sure you want have another fainting episode."

Calla wasn't sure if that was meant to be snide or not. "Good," she said. "They're creepy as anything."

"What happened, though?" Michael asked, leaning over Lisa, who glared at him as his elbow almost landed in her gravy.

"I'm not really sure," she said honestly. "It was like everything just went cold and dark, you know, and then it was just scary. And I - I don't really know what happened, but the next thing I know I'm on the floor."

"I'm not surprised," Mandy said. "I thought I was going to pass out too, it was terrifying. Sue was about to be sick, weren't you, Sue?"

Sue nodded grimly. "It just felt horrible. Like you'd never be happy."

Calla nodded. She knew exactly what Sue meant. She could still feel that cold creeping over her. "Eat," Padma said in a stern voice, holding out a fork to her. She took it with a sheepish smile. "Professor Lupin got a great reception, by the way," she told her. "Everyone applauded, even most of the Slytherins."

"Good," Calla said proudly, eyes flicking to where her godfather sat at the High Table. "He deserves it."

"Hagrid's been made Care of Magical Creatures Professor, too," Daphne added, and Calla couldn't keep from beaming.

"That's fantastic!" she said. "Oh, he'll be so happy! I'm excited for that now!"

"Izzy said she knows how to calm the book down, too," Padma added. "You have to stroke the spine."

"Oh, of course!" Calla said. "That makes so much sense."

"Don't know how none of the rest of us thought of it," Daphne said.

"Speaking Of," Calla said, "Mattie, meet Ravenclaw table." She lifted Matilda from where she had curled by her feet, and she mewed lightly, raising a paw.

"Bloody hell, she's got another animal," Lisa muttered. "Is one mad owl not enough?"

"Do you just hate animals, Lisa?"

"Yes," Lisa replied sharply, glaring. "And your taste in them is terrible."

"How do you have a taste in animals?"

"Well, you always go for the crazy ones."

"Matilda's only my second pet! And you just met her!"

"And I bet she's half crazy already."

Matilda was looking very confused. Calla sat her down with a sigh. "You should meet Hermione's cat, then," she told Lisa. "He's attacked Scabbers four times now."

"Isn't Scabbers Ron Weasley's rat?" Calla nodded. "Well, that's not that surprising, then, is it?"

Daphne made a snorting sound of laughter and Padma glared along the table at her. "She has a point."

Calla rolled her eyes. "Well, anyway, Matilda is much better behaved. Aren't you, dearie?" Matilda nodded, purring.

"You're going to be one of those weird cat witches when you grow up, aren't you?" Lisa said.

"I can dream," Calla replied, grinning. She could have sworn Lisa was about to laugh, too, but settled for eating chicken and talking to Michael instead.

The feast seemed to fly by, and by the end Calla found herself having eaten no less than four spectacular desserts, and was quite full. "I'm surprised you're not sick by this point," Padma said, tutting as they got up, having been dismissed to their houses.

"You've got to make the most of dessert," Calla told her, and Daphne nodded.

"Plus, Calla's meant to have chocolate right now. It's Pomfrey's orders."

Padma grinned, linking her arm through with Calla's, while Daphne took Calla's other arm. "I've missed the two of you," she said, and Daphne giggled.

"We've missed you, too, dearest," she told her, laughing as she batted her eyelashes. Calla laughed, tipping back her head so she could see the night sky through the enchanted ceiling. They all paused for a moment, staring up at it together. "It is pretty, isn't it?" Daphne said.

"I wish I could work enchantments as nice as that," Calla told them, surprising herself though it was true.

"We'll get there," Padma said, looking back down. "Come on, we should catch up with the others."

Calla smiled between her friends. Sirius Black might be out there in wait, and there may have been Dementors around the grounds, but she was still determined to make this a good year with her best friends. "Come on, Matilda," she said, and they set off for Ravenclaw Tower with her kitten in tow, trotting behind them.

The door was already open when they arrived at the common room, due to the fact that almost a hundred students would be coming in at the same time and making every straggling group answer a riddle would just be too annoying. The common room was already crowded with people taking up and fighting over bookshelf space and organisation - Penelope Clearwater was very particular about using Muggle alphabetical organisation, while apparently Wizarding library organisation went by a topic's assigned magical number, the numerical 'weight' or usefulness of a text which Calla thought must be very subjective, and the zodiac sign of its first listed author.

"I've missed this place," Izzy said, joining them. Terry leaned his elbow on her shoulder.

"Me and the boys aren't tired enough for bed yet," he said, "so you guys can come up if you want once you're settled."

Izzy laughed. "You and the boys?" Terry stared at her. "Yeah, alright. I'll come up. Girls?"

"Suppose," Calla said, smiling. "Come on, I want to settle Matilda in first."

When they got into the dormitory, Lisa was already changed into pyjamas and precisely folding up her clothes into drawers, with all her books organised on her deceptively slender bookcase. She liked to organise hers by subject, length and ease of reading and comprehension. Calla just put books wherever she had space for them and hoped none fell over or off. She supposed she was a bit like Harry in that respect, though she was more organised in other areas.

"Are you guys heading up to the boys' dorm once you're ready?" Mandy asked as they entered.

"Think so," Izzy said, going over to her bed. She sank down onto the bed. "God, I've missed how comfy these mattresses are."

Calla took Matilda over to the little pink cat bed that had miraculously appeared next to her own. "This is your home for the year, too," Calla whispered to her. "Do you like it?" Matilda gave an affirmative nod and Calla giggled. "Good, I'm glad."

As Matilda curled up, Calla went about getting out her cat food and making up a bowl for her, much to Lisa's chagrin. "The house elves will take care of her," she told Calla.

"Well, it can't hurt to feed her, can it?"

Matilda mewed in agreement and then yawned, which was absolutely adorable.

Once they'd all gotten changed, Calla shut up her trunk - she'd deal with unpacking the next day or at the weekend - set 'Little Women' down on her bedside table, and put on a pair of slippers to head up to the boys' dorm. "What are you reading?" Sue asked, standing by her as they waited for Daphne and Izzy, who were always the last ones ready.

"Little Women," Calla replied. "It's a Muggle book, it's fantastic."

"I think one of my cousins likes that," Sue said. "Emily."

"You can borrow it at some point if you want," Calla told her, grinning.

"This rate you're starting a bloody book club," Lisa said.

"You're really going in for it tonight, aren't you, Turpin?" Daphne said, laughing from where she sat before her mirror, brushing her hair.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Something's got you in a nippy mood," Isobel laughed.

"Shut up, Isobel," Lisa asked, going pink. "Are you all ready yet?"

"Fine, fine," Daphne said, setting down her hairbrush. "Let's go, then."

They crept to the boys' dorm in their dressing gowns, huddling into the doorway. "Hey!" Anthony said, looking up and grinning. "You lot took your time."

"Greengrass and McDougal always take their time," Lisa huffed, going to sit by Michael. "By the way, has anyone done the reading for Ancient Runes? I'm desperate to discuss it."

"This really is the party house, isn't it?" Isobel said drily.

Daphne giggled, and took Calla's hand to drag her over to sit by Terry. "I haven't seen you all Summer, Boot," she said, crossing her legs. "How have you been?"

"Eh, you know. Muggling."

Calla snorted. "Muggling?"

"Acting like a Muggle. Great fun until you realise you can't use magic and you have to get up to turn the lights on and off."

"The horrors," Calla muttered, and they both laughed.

"It's so good to be back, though," he said, smiling at her.

She looked around the room where her friends were huddled in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, squashed in together and laughing. "Yeah. Yeah, it is pretty good to be back."

Author's Note: And we're back! (And with the longest chapter yet.) The new year will start next chapter, and there's a lot I'm really looking forward to exploring in this next part of Calla's story!

Also, thank you to the reviewers for last chapter! It means a lot, and I'm so glad people are looking forward to seeing more of Calla and her story, so a massive thank you to everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day/evening and I will probably be back with a new chapter in January, so happy new year in that case!