Nearly two months later, Calliope stood on the outskirts of the estate. She leaned against a tree with folded arms, eyes closed, and senses tuned in to the world around her. Calliope knew it would be a small party of their Hogwarts friends as Neville confessed he wanted something intimate. Still, naturally, Harry The-Boy-Who-Can't-Say-No Potter had to go and invite Sirius, who invited Remus, Andromeda, and some chick he met in Hogsmeade. Calliope could feel the magic pouring from the estate, some old and some new. One strand of magic was closer than the others, but Calliope remained still and smiled. She was in no danger.
"Taking the scenic route, my dear?"
Calliope chuckled and opened her eyes, a smile still in place.
"Hello, Xeno," she said.
"I was sent out here to check on you by the woman of the house," he joked.
"I'm okay. Needed a moment to myself is all."
Xeno chuckled and held out his arm. "Well, my dear, if you would like an escort, I offer my services," he said.
Calliope pushed off the tree. Xeno smirked and led her slowly through the grass toward the gate.
"I like what you've done with your hair."
"Yes, well, I refused to go back to that lion's mane," she huffed. "I came across a style that I wanted to emulate and worked all morning to get it right."
"Were you going for a honey brown?" he asked carefully.
"Yes," she said wryly.
"Then it came out perfectly," he said, patting her hand.
Calliope laughed and laid her head on Xeno's arm as they walked. She enjoyed his company. He tended to make her feel calm and wild at the same time, like his daughter. The duo made their way up the stairs, but before they could open the door, it swung open, revealing an out-of-breath Neville.
"Oh, thank Merlin, you're here," he panted softly.
"Why? What's happened?" she asked, switching to Hermione mode.
"Harry and Ron keep fighting, Ginny and the Twins won't stop glaring at one another, and no matter what I do, the fights get worse," he said.
"And what do you expect me to do about it?" she asked.
Neville shot her a look and said, "You're Hermione. You fix these things."
"I am surrounded by children," she muttered.
Neville opened the door wider, and Calliope rolled her eyes as she and Xeno followed Neville into the home. Xeno ducked off into the kitchen while Neville led her to the drawing-room. As soon as she opened the door, she automatically wished she could blast the idiots to pieces. Ron and Harry were separated by Dean and Seamus. Ginny and the Twins were kept apart by Luna, Hannah, and Susan. Everyone turned to look at her, and she bristled. She really couldn't understand how a group of people were so dysfunctional in her absence. Luna, the Twins, and even Neville could handle a group of Death Eaters better than the Order of the singed chickens.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Ron was an arse," Harry blurted.
"How is that any different than normal?" she sighed.
"Well, Ron said you weren't coming since you'd been dodging our letters for the last two months," Harry snapped.
Ron turned red. "I'm just saying ever since her parents died, she's been acting like we don't exist," he argued.
"Her parents are dead!" Harry shouted. "You have no idea what that feels like!"
Ron was about to respond when Calliope cleared her throat.
"She is standing right here," she said curtly. "And she does not appreciate being talked about in the third person when surrounded by people who are old enough to have a conversation without screaming at one another."
Ron and Harry blushed at the scolding. Calliope took a deep breath.
"Though, I am confused on how you two have been sending me letters when you do not know where I live," she said.
The two grimaced, and Calliope narrowed her eyes. She waited for one of them to break.
"We've been sending them to your flat in London," Ron said slowly.
Calliope swallowed the flash of anger before she asked, "And how did you know that is where I live?"
"Um, well-
"We followed you when you left Diagon Alley several weeks ago," Harry said quickly.
Calliope knew that, of course, and let them follow her. She did own a flat in London, but it was a safe house, of sorts. Albus would wonder where she lived once the school year started, so she bought the place and made it look lived in should she have any visitors. Calliope stopped by not too long ago and cringed at the amount of mail piled on her table. She was grateful the elves were skilled with getting owls to deliver the letters without too much fuss.
There were thirty letters. By the time she got to Ron's ninth and Harry's tenth, she burned the rest. They were desperate and depressing, and Calliope could live three lifetimes without hearing Harry tell her how much he understood her loss.
"You two are unbelievable," she seethed. "Instead of giving me time to grieve, you tracked me down and bombarded me with letters. Of course, I got your letters. All thirty of them! After the fifth one, did it not occur to you that I did not want to be bothered?"
"Why didn't you just say that?" Ron asked.
"I thought the lack of response would have gotten the point across," she said angrily. "And for the record, the only reason I came is that Neville asked me to."
Harry's face fell. Calliope grew angrier at his wounded puppy act.
"And you, Harry. For someone who understood what I was going through, why would you keep sending me letters, reminding me repeatedly I have someone to talk to. I know that! But I did not want to talk to anyone!"
"But you answered Neville's letter but not ours?" Ron accused.
Calliope could see the inside of her head with how hard she rolled her eyes. Neville, thankfully, took over.
"I ran into Hermione at Flourish and Blotts," he said. "I told her in advance I would be sending her a letter. Just one."
"But-
"Please, Ron, shut up," Dean sighed. "For everyone's sake, let it go."
Ron clamped his mouth shut, but it was obvious he was still angry. Calliope smiled thankfully at Dean before she looked at the other problematic Weasley.
"And Ginny, you are fighting with your brothers. Why?" she asked.
"That's between them and me," Ginny scowled.
"Because she saw us hanging with Luna the other day and demanded we tell her about our burgeoning friendship with the blonde fairy," George said.
Luna grinned at the nickname, and Calliope scrunched her nose.
"Why does it matter if you are friends with Luna?" she asked him.
"Because she's my friend!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Is she now?" Calliope drawled. "Prove it."
"How?" Ginny asked, confused.
"What's her favorite color?" George asked.
"Blue," Ginny said smugly.
"Lilac," Fred corrected. "Because it reminds her-
"-of her mother," George finished.
Ginny's face fell. Luna pretended to be hurt by the idea that Ginny didn't know, but Calliope knew damn well the blonde didn't care. The awkwardness became unbearable before Augusta came into the room.
"Food is ready, and I- oh, hello, Hermione, how long have you been here?" Augusta asked sweetly.
"I only just arrived, Dowager Longbottom," she said.
"Just in time then."
The statement held so much weight to it that Calliope could only nod. Augusta smiled and gestured toward the kitchen. Dean and Seamus were the first to go, followed by Ron and Hannah. Susan placed her hand on Luna's shoulder briefly before she ran after Hannah. The twins glared at their sister until she stomped off, dragging a solemn Harry with her. Neville squeezed Calliope's shoulder before he took off as well. The twins winked as they passed, and Calliope grabbed Luna's hand before the girl could leave.
"You okay?"
"I'm okay," Luna said softly. "You were outside so long I was afraid you'd changed your mind."
"Needed a moment to set myself," Calliope murmured, staring out of the window.
Luna grinned and moved her head, going to kiss her on the cheek. Calliope turned her head to do the same. Their lips met in a quick kiss. Unfortunately, as it happened, the door to the kitchen swung shut.
On the other side, Ginny was both shocked and furious. She walked over to Ron and told him what she saw. Ron told Harry but was overheard by Dean and Seamus, who told Susan and Hannah, who told Neville. The Twins overheard Hannah and snickered under their breath. Neville's lips twitched, but he kept his face free of anything specific. Ron and Ginny were the most upset while Harry was confused.
In the other room, Luna and Calliope burst into giggles and wiped their lips.
"I can scratch that off my bucket list," Luna snorted.
"You have soft lips," Calliope said.
"Funny, your brother said the exact same thing," Luna murmured.
"Gross."
Luna chuckled, and the two walked into the kitchen, where they were met with some glares and amused smiles.
"What?" they said simultaneously.
"N-nothing," Susan stammered.
"Okay?" Calliope said.
Augusta swept back into the room with the adults, and everyone gathered around the large table of food. After a quick prayer from Andy, people began to pile their plates. With hamburgers and hot dogs on one side, roasted chicken and potatoes on the other, Calliope's stomach seized at the combination. She bypassed the hot dogs after remembering Dan's exploding hot dog prank and took a burger. George came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head just enough for him to know he had her attention.
"How long you and Luna been a couple?" he asked nonchalantly.
Calliope nearly dropped her plate in shock. "What on Earth are you talking about?" she exclaimed.
"Apparently, when my darling sister went to tell you two to hurry up, she caught you two sharing a brief, loving kiss," he said.
"Oh, for the love of-" she sighed. "Is that why they keep glaring at me?"
"My brother believes you were made for him."
"A headless chicken would have a better chance."
George cackled and went back to making his plate. The conversation was kept light as everyone got their plates together, and they made their way outside to the patio. Calliope sat next to Luna and placed her hand on her knee. Luna paused with a forkful of lettuce on her lips and glanced at her.
"Ginny thinks we are in a relationship," she whispered in her ear.
Luna's head snapped to hers.
"Are you joking?" she blurted.
Calli laid her chin on her shoulder.
"Want to play along?" she asked, smirking.
"At the risk of pissing off your brother and your future wife?" Luna paused and shrugged. "Sure."
Luna ate her salad, and Calliope took that for what it was. She felt eyes boring into the side of her head but paid it no mind.
Two hours later, Luna could feel three sets of eyes boring into the side of her head. A shadow fell over her, and she smiled up at Neville.
"Enjoying your party, birthday boy?" she said, patting the seat next to her.
Neville, soaking wet from his time in the pool, brushed his hair from his face and said, "I wish it weren't so many people here, but yeah, it's fine."
"If you could have a do over-
"Smaller," he stopped and added, "Or better company."
Luna nodded and leaned back on her hands. "Maybe I can arrange something for next week," she said conversationally.
"Is that so?" he asked.
Luna hummed. Neville glanced around and then looked back at her.
"Your relationship with Hermione is overshadowing my party," he said.
"Shame how an accidental kiss could cause so much drama."
"And the hand-holding, the whispering, and what not?"
"Why, Neville, I never took you for gossip," she teased.
"Right," he said. "Well, don't be shy. You either get in the pool willingly, or I have the twins toss you."
"You wouldn't do it yourself?" she asked, cocking her head.
"I'm afraid of dragons," he deadpanned.
Luna laughed genuinely. Neville turned, and then he froze.
"Holy shit," he whispered.
Luna twisted around, and her jaw dropped. She wasn't blind. Calliope was attractive, but she was struck dumb at the sight of the other girl in a bikini. It was deep red, and it covered enough to be decent. But those muscles and that tan. Luna wished she and Draco had taken Calliope and Bellatrix up on their offer to go to Spain to visit Dan and Jean. Calliope sat down on the chair and searched through her bag. She looked up with triumph as she found the sunscreen she'd been searching for in her bag. She then noticed everyone staring at her and frowned.
"What?" she asked.
That got everyone moving again. Calliope cocked an eyebrow at Luna.
"No one has ever seen you in a bikini. Plus, your hair is catching in the fading sunlight."
Calli glanced down and back up, confused.
"Have you seen yourself?" Luna asked dryly.
"Why, Miss Lovegood, are you saying I'm attractive?" she purred.
"Get over yourself," Luna muttered.
Calliope broke and laughed as she pulled her hair into a messy bun. Luna picked up the bottle and dumped some in her hand.
"Turn around," she ordered.
Calliope followed instructions and bowed her head as Luna rubbed the sunscreen into her shoulders. Once she was finished, she handed the bottle to Calliope, who motioned for Luna to turn around.
"I cannot believe the entire party stopped simply because I have on a damn bikini," she said.
"Just wait until you massage lotion onto your girlfriend's back," Luna teased.
"You do know my actual girlfriend would kill you, right?" Calliope joked quietly.
"I'd die a happy girl."
Across the pool, Harry, Ron, and Ginny watched Calliope and Luna laugh and put lotion on one another.
"This is bullshit!" Ron shouted.
Harry shushed him and rubbed his forehead.
"I don't see what the big deal is," he said tiredly. "They look happy."
Ron turned an ugly shade of red and sputtered, "You- she- Hermione can't be gay."
"Why?" he asked, already dreading the answer.
"Because!" Ron argued.
Harry sighed. Ginny groaned when she realized Luna and Calliope were on their way over. She elbowed Ron in the side, and when the two girls stopped in front of them, Ginny smiled at them politely.
"What's up, Hermione? And Loon-, uh, Luna," she corrected.
"I wanted to apologize for what I said," Calliope said. "I did not mean to hurt your feelings, Harry. I was angry."
Harry smiled sadly. "It's fine. I guess I was so busy trying to let you know you weren't alone that I missed the warning signs," he said.
"And Ron," Calliope started, "you push too much. I know you two are my best friends, but sometimes you can be overwhelming."
Ron huffed and said nothing. Calliope glared at him.
"What is your problem now?" she asked.
"Since when are you and Loony all buddy-buddy?" he grumbled.
"How long have you been in charge of who I can be friends with?"
"Friends? Really? You're going to seriously stand there and lie to our faces?" Ginny said accusingly.
"Not that it is any of your business, but that kiss you saw earlier was nothing more than an accident.
Had you asked instead of spreading it around, I would have told you it was a mistake. Luna and I are just friends."
"Yeah, but why?" Ron asked. To Luna, he added, "No offense, but you're not exactly the kind of person Hermione hangs around."
"As opposed to the great thinker that you are?" Luna asked, her head cocked.
"Least I don't walk around seeing things that don't exist," he snapped.
"Because you're missing what's already in front of you," she replied, her voice no louder than a whisper.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You truly are a fool, Ronald Weasley, if you can't see the damage you've already done."
"Don't sit there and lecture my brother on friendship," Ginny spat. "Especially since you've forgotten all about me and decided to hang with my brothers instead."
"I haven't forgotten about you," Luna said, pretending to be sad. "You stopped hanging out with me once we got to Hogwarts. Apparently, being friends with Loony Lovegood is almost as bad as being a Slytherin to some people."
"That's bullshit! I hang out with you all the time!"
"Oh? When was the last time we had lunch together?" Luna asked. "Or sat by the lake?"
While Ginny thought of an answer, Calliope stared at Harry. She decided at that moment her next year at Hogwarts would be different. She was no longer going to play meek and nice with the Fool's Golden Trio. Snorting inwardly at her joke, Calliope grabbed Luna around the waist. She lifted her off the ground and threw her into the pool, laughing when the blonde yelped in surprise. As Luna came up for air, Calliope turned to the three and shook her head.
"Get your shit together," she sighed. "Because I am not picking up after you anymore."
Harry frowned, but before he could say anything, Neville tackled Calliope into the water. Luna broke the surface first and cackled when she saw Calliope coming up for air. The twins called for a chicken fight. Calliope climbed on Fred while Luna climbed on Neville. George was the mediator.
"I want a good, clean fight," he called out. "First person to knock the other off wins!"
"What do we win?" Luna asked.
"First dibs on the cake?" Neville suggested.
"We accept!" Fred shouted.
George whistled. Calliope laughed as she and Luna wrestled for control while Fred and Neville traded good-natured insults. George splashed water to distract them. Calliope allowed herself to forget about the others and focus on the people she was close with. Her mental guards remained up, but she let herself relax and have a good time.
Across the way, the adults smiled at the scene while Molly seemed annoyed with Andy. Sirius was trying to find someone to bet with while avoiding the scathing looks coming from his date. Remus was bored but had his eyes on Calliope at all times to make sure she stayed safe. The other Hogwarts students got stuck on who to root for while Dean was too focused on refilling his plate. Augusta chuckled with Xeno from inside of the kitchen, clinking her glass of Firewhiskey against his.
"To change," she said softly.
"To change," he cheered.
The only people not having fun?
The Fool's Golden Trio.
Once everyone dried off, the group stood in the drawing-room as Neville and Harry opened their gifts. Luna sat in Calliope's lap while Fred and George sat beside them.
"Okay, this next gift is from," Neville paused and said excitedly, "the brightest witch of our age."
Calliope smiled as Neville picked up a bottle-shaped gift. He ripped off the paper, revealing a very old bottle of wine. Neville was speechless. Calliope mistook his silence for something else and cleared her throat.
"You mentioned that you loved to collect old wine, so I-
"I love it," Neville interrupted softly, a teary smile on his face.
Calliope breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been having a hard time coming up with a gift when Draco suggested old wine, saying that Neville was always looking for old bottles to try. Calliope asked Lucius to look in his cellar. The man had far too many and picked one at random. It was old and had pretty writing on the front, so she figured it was a good enough choice.
She had no idea Neville would react like that.
Her heart jumped in her chest when she noticed Augusta openly staring at her. The older woman cocked her head toward the kitchen. Calliope moved Luna to George's lap and excused herself. Once in the kitchen, Augusta pointed at a cabinet. Calliope opened the cabinet and gasped. The only thing on the shelf was a half-empty bottle of wine, the same wine she'd just given Neville. There was dust on it and around it. It hadn't been moved in years.
"Frank was a wine man. He loved to try different wines from different countries. That bottle was his favorite. It went out of stock a year after they were attacked. Neville refuses to touch that one, as it belongs to his father, but I know he's been searching for it, trying to get his hands on one. Up until now, he hadn't had any luck."
"I had no idea," she whispered.
"Why would you, child?" Augusta came close and added in a whisper, "The joy you have brought my grandson is worth more than my neutrality. When the day comes, I shall be with you completely, young one."
Augusta patted her arm and vanished back into the room. Calliope closed the cabinet and leaned on the counter. She had just gifted Neville, a piece of his father without even realizing it and gained an important ally in the process. Smiling, Calliope pushed off the counter and went back into the room.
