Sirius held Calisto, who was sobbing, while Snape and Dumbledore spoke quickly, before Dumbledore spoke with Sirius. "You'll have to take her with you until Remus is able to come back. The first place he will look is Hogwarts, and if he tries to take her from there I will have no power to stop him, especially if he decides to go the ministry. I have no doubt he recognized Remus, and he knows about Remus' condition."
"Yes, and see if you can't get her to repeat what she said earlier," Snape added. "It is obvious she knows something."
Sirius nodded, more to Dumbledore then to Snape (whom he hated), and shifting Calisto in his arms slightly, he took off into the shadows.
The cave where Sirius was hiding was not such a bad place, Calisto realized, especially after discovering that there were a lot of interesting things deep within, especially a cavern that seemed to be made of crystals. Sirius would transform into his animagis form, a black dog, and bring back food. She loved to watch him change into the animal, but it was clear from her lack of words to him, that she'd rather be in the company of Remus.
"He'll be back soon," Sirius promised.
"Why'd he go?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"He...had certain reasons for having to leave," Sirius replied uncomfortably. "But he'll be back. He's never failed to return yet." Calisto sighed and nodded, getting up to walk back to the crystal cavern. But this time Sirius follwed her. "You like this little room?"
"It allows me to talk to them."
"To who?" he inquired gently.
"To the others." He noted that her tone had changed...like the way it had been down in the cellar of the Three Broomsticks, and decided to see if she would continue without being interrupted. "They're in there...somewhere." But she stopped at that, becoming her normal self again. He tried to ask her about it, but she didn't remember anything.
That night, Calisto lay awake, near the edge of the cave. Sirius lay against the wall, snoring softly as he slept, his gaunt face lit up by the moonlight. The full moon would be waning soon. 'I need to find Remus,' she thought to herself. 'Sirius is only going to be able to keep me here for so long without getting himself killed...and my father has probably dropped Lupin's trail in search of mine.' With her mind set, she snuck out of the cave, careful not to make any noise as she gently stepped on the dead pine needles that littered the ground. Once away from the cave she broke into a run, searching with her mind for wherever Lupin was, knowing full well the possibilities of what it could, and most likely would, do to her.
A harsh growl stopped her run, and Calisto found herself gazing into the blazing eyes of a full grown, snarling, werewolf. With a squeak she fell backwards, trying to scramble away, ending up against the trunk of a very large tree. The werewolf, a growling mass of fur, muscle, and teeth howled with glee as it moved closer to her. She could smell its breath, awful with the stench of dead animals from past meals. Cowering she began to cry silent tears, wishing she'd stayed back at the cave. She waited, waited for the daggar like teeth to clamp down on her, but nothing happened.
Instead, with a streak of fur, the first werewolf was now howling in pain as a second clamped his teeth into its fur! Calisto couldn't believe her luck! This gave her a chance to run, and she made use of it...but halfway up the trail something nagging in the back of her head changed her mind, turning back the way she came. "I must be crazy!" she breathed to herself. Peering around the tree she saw the second wolf growling at the first, who had its tail tucked between it legs. With a weak yip it took off. Turning his large head, the new werewolf peered at Calisto, his wolfish mouth breaking into an almost human grin...and not one of friendly nature.
Calisto, however, was one step ahead this time, jumping into the branches of the tree, climbing as high as her tiny body would allow her...which was just out of the werewolve's reach. Close enough, however, that he didn't leave. Rather, he paced the bottom of the tree, growling and howling, trying to knock her out of the branches. 'Thank god tonight is the last night of the full moon. Please, let the sun rise soon.'
Sometime during these prayers, Calisto fell asleep. It had to have been just as the sun had come up, because she hadn't noticed the wolf shape fade back to human, nor had she noticed as it moved away...only to return clothed and very weary looking. "Calisto? Calisto, wake up?"
"What? The wolf!" She cried, sitting up. "Wait...its morning..."
Remus chuckled softly, but then his look turned stern. "You should have stayed with Sirius. What were you thinking coming out here?"
"I was looking for you," she stated, sliding down out of the tree. "You were the werewolf weren't you? The second one that came. You faught away the other one which attacked me."
"And so you know my secret," he sighed.
"I knew a long time ago." Her answered seemed to stun him, an expression which was almost unreadable on his weary face, but very apparent in his eyes. "This surprises you?" He nodded curtly.
"I would have thought with your father-"
"Being the way he is that I would shun all creatures too?" Calisto finished. Lupin nodded. "No. My father has very...poor ways of thinking. I'm nothing like him. And if I was he wouldn't have-" She topped short.
"Wouldn't have what?" Lupin prodded softly.
"He wouldn't have killed all those people simply to increase his power," Calisto began. "And he wouldn't have used me for a test dummy. And he wouldn't have put me through this torture of hearing, or feeling, or seeing THEM."
"Its alright," Lupin said soothingly, pulling Calisto into a hug. 'The poor thing,' he thought to himself. 'That would explain the cuts she had the night she had that nightmare. If only we could get her to reveal to us what these projects were, and where they were taken place at.'
"I can show you," Calisto stated, pulling away. "But not here. Its too dangerous here...too close. We have to move somewhere else before I can show you what happened...and preferably somehwhere near a muggle hospital...that way no one will recognize us."
"Why a hospital?" Lupin inquired.
"Because I'm going to need one."
"Yes, and see if you can't get her to repeat what she said earlier," Snape added. "It is obvious she knows something."
Sirius nodded, more to Dumbledore then to Snape (whom he hated), and shifting Calisto in his arms slightly, he took off into the shadows.
The cave where Sirius was hiding was not such a bad place, Calisto realized, especially after discovering that there were a lot of interesting things deep within, especially a cavern that seemed to be made of crystals. Sirius would transform into his animagis form, a black dog, and bring back food. She loved to watch him change into the animal, but it was clear from her lack of words to him, that she'd rather be in the company of Remus.
"He'll be back soon," Sirius promised.
"Why'd he go?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"He...had certain reasons for having to leave," Sirius replied uncomfortably. "But he'll be back. He's never failed to return yet." Calisto sighed and nodded, getting up to walk back to the crystal cavern. But this time Sirius follwed her. "You like this little room?"
"It allows me to talk to them."
"To who?" he inquired gently.
"To the others." He noted that her tone had changed...like the way it had been down in the cellar of the Three Broomsticks, and decided to see if she would continue without being interrupted. "They're in there...somewhere." But she stopped at that, becoming her normal self again. He tried to ask her about it, but she didn't remember anything.
That night, Calisto lay awake, near the edge of the cave. Sirius lay against the wall, snoring softly as he slept, his gaunt face lit up by the moonlight. The full moon would be waning soon. 'I need to find Remus,' she thought to herself. 'Sirius is only going to be able to keep me here for so long without getting himself killed...and my father has probably dropped Lupin's trail in search of mine.' With her mind set, she snuck out of the cave, careful not to make any noise as she gently stepped on the dead pine needles that littered the ground. Once away from the cave she broke into a run, searching with her mind for wherever Lupin was, knowing full well the possibilities of what it could, and most likely would, do to her.
A harsh growl stopped her run, and Calisto found herself gazing into the blazing eyes of a full grown, snarling, werewolf. With a squeak she fell backwards, trying to scramble away, ending up against the trunk of a very large tree. The werewolf, a growling mass of fur, muscle, and teeth howled with glee as it moved closer to her. She could smell its breath, awful with the stench of dead animals from past meals. Cowering she began to cry silent tears, wishing she'd stayed back at the cave. She waited, waited for the daggar like teeth to clamp down on her, but nothing happened.
Instead, with a streak of fur, the first werewolf was now howling in pain as a second clamped his teeth into its fur! Calisto couldn't believe her luck! This gave her a chance to run, and she made use of it...but halfway up the trail something nagging in the back of her head changed her mind, turning back the way she came. "I must be crazy!" she breathed to herself. Peering around the tree she saw the second wolf growling at the first, who had its tail tucked between it legs. With a weak yip it took off. Turning his large head, the new werewolf peered at Calisto, his wolfish mouth breaking into an almost human grin...and not one of friendly nature.
Calisto, however, was one step ahead this time, jumping into the branches of the tree, climbing as high as her tiny body would allow her...which was just out of the werewolve's reach. Close enough, however, that he didn't leave. Rather, he paced the bottom of the tree, growling and howling, trying to knock her out of the branches. 'Thank god tonight is the last night of the full moon. Please, let the sun rise soon.'
Sometime during these prayers, Calisto fell asleep. It had to have been just as the sun had come up, because she hadn't noticed the wolf shape fade back to human, nor had she noticed as it moved away...only to return clothed and very weary looking. "Calisto? Calisto, wake up?"
"What? The wolf!" She cried, sitting up. "Wait...its morning..."
Remus chuckled softly, but then his look turned stern. "You should have stayed with Sirius. What were you thinking coming out here?"
"I was looking for you," she stated, sliding down out of the tree. "You were the werewolf weren't you? The second one that came. You faught away the other one which attacked me."
"And so you know my secret," he sighed.
"I knew a long time ago." Her answered seemed to stun him, an expression which was almost unreadable on his weary face, but very apparent in his eyes. "This surprises you?" He nodded curtly.
"I would have thought with your father-"
"Being the way he is that I would shun all creatures too?" Calisto finished. Lupin nodded. "No. My father has very...poor ways of thinking. I'm nothing like him. And if I was he wouldn't have-" She topped short.
"Wouldn't have what?" Lupin prodded softly.
"He wouldn't have killed all those people simply to increase his power," Calisto began. "And he wouldn't have used me for a test dummy. And he wouldn't have put me through this torture of hearing, or feeling, or seeing THEM."
"Its alright," Lupin said soothingly, pulling Calisto into a hug. 'The poor thing,' he thought to himself. 'That would explain the cuts she had the night she had that nightmare. If only we could get her to reveal to us what these projects were, and where they were taken place at.'
"I can show you," Calisto stated, pulling away. "But not here. Its too dangerous here...too close. We have to move somewhere else before I can show you what happened...and preferably somehwhere near a muggle hospital...that way no one will recognize us."
"Why a hospital?" Lupin inquired.
"Because I'm going to need one."