Lupin bolted out of his rocking chair onto his feet and with extremely fast moevements he was at his front door, wand in hand. But he could see nothing but the snow falling. Suddenly something moved. At first the red and brown hair looked like a fox, but it was calerly human once it stumbled closer. Hot blood dripped from her shoulder, melting the snow where it fell. He ran out into the flurry, scopping the child up, running her back into the house.
"H-h-he shot me," she stuttered. "He shot me!"
"Easy, calm down," Lupin instructed, using his wand to mend the wound with magic. She had tears streaming down her pale face as she bit her lip to keep from screaming from the pain that was now starting to subside. Within a few minutes she had calmed down enough so that she could answer a few questions. "Do you have a name?"
"Calisto Wesom."
'Wesom' he noted to himself. 'I remember her father...I knew him for at least two years at Hogwarts...strange fellow.'
"Do you have a name?" Her question snapped him out of his thoughts. "Yes...its Remus Lupin."
"How do you know that?" Lupin asked softly.
She smiled. "I saw it." He looked confused for a moment and Calisto gently touched his forhead. "In here," she explained.
"You can read minds?" Lupin questioned, a bit more nervously then he would have liked. But she was a child of magic, and therefore she'd know what a werewolf was. And if she was the daughter of Talon Wesom, then she wouldn't like him very much.
"No. Only what I'm allowed to see...and names are one of the few things. Are...are you going to take care of me?"
"Shouldn't I return you to your dad? He'll be worried-"
"No!" Calisto shouted. "No," she added, this time in a softer tone. "I can't go back...they'd expect that. It wouldn't be safe for me...or for you."
"I can't keep you here," Remus said sadly. "It wouldn't be safe for you here either."
"Why?" Remus hesitated at the answer. "Is it because of the Dark Lord and his follwers?"
"Er...yes, something like that." It was partially true, so he didn't feel quite as bad, lying to her. "Um, Calisto, do you know what Hogwarts is?"
"Its a...school? I think my parents went there."
"You're right. I knew your father for two years while I went. In any case, that's the safest place for you right now, and the headmaster would be willing to take you in, I'm sure of it. Would you like that?"
"I...guess so." Remus nodded, and moved into the kitchen where he wrote a quick letter, tying it to the leg of a smally tawny owl which took off out the window. When came back into the room, Calisto was lying by the fire, nearly asleep. Remus gently lifted her extremely light body off the floor and carried her into the bedroom, covering her up with a patched quilt. With a sigh, he walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door open in case she needed anything. It had been a while since he'd been in charge of a child, and even then, this was different from teaching. But something about the little girl and the look in her eyes made him want to protect her even more.
"H-h-he shot me," she stuttered. "He shot me!"
"Easy, calm down," Lupin instructed, using his wand to mend the wound with magic. She had tears streaming down her pale face as she bit her lip to keep from screaming from the pain that was now starting to subside. Within a few minutes she had calmed down enough so that she could answer a few questions. "Do you have a name?"
"Calisto Wesom."
'Wesom' he noted to himself. 'I remember her father...I knew him for at least two years at Hogwarts...strange fellow.'
"Do you have a name?" Her question snapped him out of his thoughts. "Yes...its Remus Lupin."
"How do you know that?" Lupin asked softly.
She smiled. "I saw it." He looked confused for a moment and Calisto gently touched his forhead. "In here," she explained.
"You can read minds?" Lupin questioned, a bit more nervously then he would have liked. But she was a child of magic, and therefore she'd know what a werewolf was. And if she was the daughter of Talon Wesom, then she wouldn't like him very much.
"No. Only what I'm allowed to see...and names are one of the few things. Are...are you going to take care of me?"
"Shouldn't I return you to your dad? He'll be worried-"
"No!" Calisto shouted. "No," she added, this time in a softer tone. "I can't go back...they'd expect that. It wouldn't be safe for me...or for you."
"I can't keep you here," Remus said sadly. "It wouldn't be safe for you here either."
"Why?" Remus hesitated at the answer. "Is it because of the Dark Lord and his follwers?"
"Er...yes, something like that." It was partially true, so he didn't feel quite as bad, lying to her. "Um, Calisto, do you know what Hogwarts is?"
"Its a...school? I think my parents went there."
"You're right. I knew your father for two years while I went. In any case, that's the safest place for you right now, and the headmaster would be willing to take you in, I'm sure of it. Would you like that?"
"I...guess so." Remus nodded, and moved into the kitchen where he wrote a quick letter, tying it to the leg of a smally tawny owl which took off out the window. When came back into the room, Calisto was lying by the fire, nearly asleep. Remus gently lifted her extremely light body off the floor and carried her into the bedroom, covering her up with a patched quilt. With a sigh, he walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door open in case she needed anything. It had been a while since he'd been in charge of a child, and even then, this was different from teaching. But something about the little girl and the look in her eyes made him want to protect her even more.