54. Before the Storm

"Tell me something no one knows about you," she prompted Neville as they drifted over the lake in one of Hagrid's little boats. They were lying side-by-side, Bela flying about and occasionally coming to rest on one of their bellies.

"Okay," he replied, pausing to think up a hidden fact. "I ran away from home when I was seven."

Smirking, she teased, "You naughty boy." Then in a more serious tone, "Please tell me somebody noticed you were gone."

"Oh, they did," he assured her. "That's not the part no one knows about. It's what I got myself into while I was away."

"Hookers and cocaine?" she joked.

"Not exactly." Bela flew down to him, and he gave the animal a pet as he said, "I crashed a double-decker bus."

She did a double-take, blinking over at him in bewilderment. "Wh- What?"

The corner of his mouth turned up into a grin as he explained, "I'd been wandering the streets, no idea where I was going, and I saw this little girl - three or four - kicking a ball down the pavement. The ball rolled into the road and she chased after it. I looked over and the bus was coming right at her. I tried to shout for her to get out of the way, but she just looked up and gawked at me. I wasn't going to be able to make it in time to push her out of the way, so I was panicking. I looked over at the bus and watched it coming. I guess the driver didn't see her - he didn't slow down or stop. So I was just staring at it, frozen, thinking, She's going to be hit."

He paused, before continuing, "Then all of a sudden - bam! The bus just..." he shook his head, looking unsure of how to explain it. "It was as though it had hit a wall, it just stopped. And the front of it crumped inwards."

Callie furrowed her brow. "But... what did it hit?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "Not the girl, not a wall, not anything. I was stunned, I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. The cops showed up, ambulances. They questioned everyone who'd been on the bus, but nobody had any idea what had happened. There was no explanation for it. I just sat off to the side and watched, going over it all in my head. And after a while, I thought, did I do that?"

He was quiet for a moment, and Callie prodded, "Did you?"

"I don't know how else it could've happened," he said. "I was so afraid the girl was going to get hit, I was desperate. But there was nothing I could do, so I just thought, Stop!" Again, he paused. "And it did."

"Bloody hell," Callie exclaimed. "I thought you said you didn't show any signs of magic when you were a kid?"

"I didn't," he replied, shrugging. "I never had before, I didn't after. Not until I came here."

She gaped at him, then asked, "Was anybody hurt?"

"No. Thank Merlin."

"What happened to the girl?"

"One of the cops caught her wandering around. Her mum eventually showed up. I guess she'd lost her for a while, but everything turned out all right."

A wide smile slowly spread across Callie's face as she stared at him in awe. "You saved a little girl from getting hit by a bus?" And yet he'd never thought of himself as heroic?

"Well," he said, "I hadn't really put such a positive spin on it. I was just terrified about the damage I'd caused, that somebody was going to find out it was my fault."

She scoffed, chuckling and shaking her head to herself. "Christ, that's so typical of you," she said. "But nobody ever found out?"

"I wasn't going to tell anyone I destroyed a city bus," he replied. "All the passengers came off looking horror-struck. Some of them looked pissed. There were police officers all around." Looking bashful, he said, "I spent a good year afterwards thinking I was going to be arrested."

Again, she laughed. Merlin's beard, if anything could put a smile on her face it was his adorable, innocent nature. Shifting herself to gaze down at him, she mused, "My baby's a hero," and planted a kiss on his lips.

After a moment, he said, "All right - now it's your turn. Tell me something no one knows about you."

She searched her mind for something he didn't already know. "Hmm..." she muttered, before it came to her. "You know that willow tree in my backyard?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when I was a kid, I could do magic," she said. "But I wasn't allowed to. Muggle Town, ya know?"

"Hm."

"I couldn't always control it, and I really had to watch myself in public, or in front of my friends - everyone who wasn't in the know. It was maddening, constantly having to make sure I didn't slip." Suddenly she was reminded of the double agent, but forced the thought away and continued on. "Anyway, the willow. I'd often go outside and sit under it, the branches kept me hidden. And while I was under there, I'd practice magic." She smiled with nostalgia at her childhood mischief. "I liked to collect caterpillars and transfigure them into butterflies."

"Hmph," he smirked. "Patience has never been one of your strong suits."

"Nope," she replied, grinning. And then her smile faded, her brow furrowed, as a memory came to her. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, sitting up.

Alarmed, Neville did the same and asked, "What?"

"I just remembered something," she said, a pensive expression on her face. "The garden, the God damn garden!"

"What garden?"

Her smile returned, and she shook her head to herself in amusement. "My mum and I always had some special hobby that was just our thing. I think she always felt a little left out since Dad and I were magical and she wasn't. So this one summer, we tried our hand at gardening."

Neville cocked a brow. "You, gardening?"

"Just wait," she said, grinning. "She was in charge, I was her helper. But she was terrible at it. Nothing ever grew more than a couple of inches, if that. We both got pretty fed up after a while, and she was ready to give up on it. So I was standing there one day looking down at these pathetic, floppy nothings..." She paused, trying to remember the species. "Zinnias, I think they were. And I ripped them all up out of the soil and took them under the tree, and I magicked them. They grew about two feel tall and flowered. All different colors - pink, purple, red, yellow, orange..."

She looked over and found him smiling softly at her, his eyes full of a sort of quiet affection - despite the fact that she had dared to desecrate a plant that way.

"My stupid arse put 'em back in the dirt," she went on, "as if she was going to believe that they'd grown overnight."

He chuckled, then took her face in his hand and simply gazed at her a moment. "I guess I know now why you hate Herbology," he said.

"'Cause it's one of the only things I've ever failed at." She pondered the thought, and said, "I don't like feeling so..." But she trailed off.

"Incompetent?" he offered.

"Helpless," she corrected. Then, after a pause, "You have no idea how much it was killing me, not being there at the Ministry last year."

"Why?" he asked. "Why does that bother you so much?"

She sighed, thinking it over. "Well, for one thing, my boyfriend was in danger and I couldn't do anything about it."

"I made out all right."

"Yes, I know." She paused. "For another..." It was so hard to explain, but if ever there was a battle going on - Light Side versus Dark, the D.A. and the Order against the Death Eaters - she wanted to be there. She wanted to stand up against the opponent and fight alongside everyone else.

"I guess I just hate being left out," she finally said. "And besides, I'd really love to have the chance to Cruciate the Lestranges."

He studied her in silence, and there was a hint of unease in his eyes. "Do you think you could do that?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes," she replied resolutely. "I think I could kill them if I had the chance... but why not have a bit of fun beforehand?"

Now he was more than a little disconcerted, but after a moment he breathed out a shaky laugh. "Bloody hell," he said, "you are a bit mad."

She shot him a devilish grin. "I keep things interesting though, don't I?"

"Definitely." He took her hand in his and said, "If the time ever comes, you let me handle the Lestranges. I've earned it."

"There are three of them," she replied. "We'll each take one and share the last. It'll be romantic."

Leaning in for a kiss, he muttered, "Wicked lass."

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She was making her way to the dungeons from the Owlery, when she turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks, feeling like she had just seen a ghost. "Professor Lupin?" she called out.

The man turned to her and a great smile spread across his face. "Callie Warbeck!" he exclaimed, coming towards her. "How wonderful to see you again, love!"

Wonderful indeed. After three years, perhaps it was a bit much, but she threw her arms around him in a friendly embrace. He didn't seem to mind. "Good to see you too, sir," she said, beaming up at him as they broke apart. Checking him over, she added, "You look well." Last she had heard, he'd been living amongst a pack of his more "uncivilized" fellows.

"As do you," he replied with a nod. Touching her cheek briefly, he remarked, "Striking, as always."

So damn charming, she thought, unable to suppress the huge grin that spread across her face. After a moment, she asked, "So, what are you doing back at Hogwarts? Going to be teaching again any time soon?" She had only been joking, but her mind briefly flashed to Snape, and she thought, We'll be due another one soon.

"No, actually, I'm on-" He paused, as though catching himself from saying something he shouldn't. "Er... I'm here on Professor Dumbledore's... orders."

She got the feeling that was a test; he didn't know whether or not she was aware of the headmaster's secret organization. "Ah, yes, Professor Dumbledore," she said thoughtfully. "Interesting bloke, he is. Did you know that he has a pet bird?" Very deliberately, she specified, "A phoenix?"

The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smirk, and he replied, "I am aware of that. I wasn't sure if you were."

She returned the smirk, but then her face fell serious. "Is everything all right, sir?" she asked. "Any particular reason he's asked you to be here tonight?"

Looking around to see if anybody was in earshot, he replied, "Professor Dumbledore informed a few of us that he's going to be away from the castle for a couple of hours. He's asked that we patrol the corridors while he's gone, as a security measure."

"I see." That wasn't terribly alarming, as Tonks often patrolled the castle in addition to the village. "Who else is here?" she asked. "Is Tonks here?"

"Yes, she is. Have you met her?"

"I have, sir. Lovely girl, she is."

A very faint blush colored his cheeks, though she noted a hint of despair in his eyes. "Yes," he agreed with a short, rather forced smile, "lovely."

She studied him a moment; he suddenly seemed a bit uncomfortable, not quite able to meet her eye. "Pity, though," she mused. "From what I've been told, she's usually much more of a joy to be around than what I've seen."

Lupin furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," she shrugged, "she seems to be a rather melancholy individual. Not quite the spirit I'd expect from someone who used to sport pink hair."

"Ah," he breathed. His face took on a regretful, sort of guilty expression.

"I don't mean to gossip," she went on, "but I get the feeling - women's intuition, ya know - that it might have something to do with a bloke."

He raised a brow at her and said, "Really?"

"Mm," she muttered. "Haven't we all been there? I remember when I was completely head over heels for someone. We were close friends, but he didn't seem to think that he was good enough for me." She remembered Tonks' words during their chat in the Three Broomsticks - He thinks he's too old for me and too dangerous and that he has nothing to offer. Shaking her head to herself, Callie said, "Oh, how wrong about that he was. As I said - head over heels."

Lupin smiled kindly at her, before she continued, "Quite unhappy, though. All I wanted was for him to tell me he felt the same way, but he was rather stubborn about it." Just like you are with Tonks, she thought, keeping her eyes set on his.

He was an intelligent man; surely he had recognized that Callie knew about his and Tonks' situation, and that her own story had been meant to parallel theirs. After a moment, he asked, "And how did that all work out?"

"Well," she replied, "he finally quit being so stubborn and admitted he was mad for me." After a pause, she concluded, "We've been together a little over a year now, and I'm completely in love with him."

He bowed his head in thought, then said, "I'm very happy for you, Callie. You and your special someone seem to have figured it out quite well." He paused. "Unfortunately - for some - there are obstacles that simply can't be overcome."

Stubborn. Merlin's beard. "Perhaps," she said after a moment. "Though I don't believe that's the case here, sir. Wasn't I proof enough that some girls have a soft spot for werewolves?"

In spite of his despondency, the corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smirk, which Callie met with her signature wink. "Think of it this way," she went on teasingly. "Once a month, she'd have the house to herself for the night."

That got him to chuckle, and he shook his head to himself as Callie made her way off down the corridor. "She is a Metamorphmagus," she said. "Perhaps she could even transform with you. It'd be romantic."

"You're a card, Miss Warbeck," he remarked good-naturedly.

"Good talking to you, sir," she called out over her shoulder. "If you'd ever like to chat again, just give me a howl."

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I would date a werewolf, she thought to herself as she crossed the entrance hall. Could Tonks transform into an animal? Was it similar to being an Animagus? If she could make herself into a wolf, and Lupin was a werewolf, then hypothetically... could they mate while they were in such forms?

That was the asinine thought going through her mind when she felt a warming sensation on the bottom of her foot, and came to a halt. Oh, bloody hell. Running to have a seat at the bottom of the grand staircase, she took off her left shoe and sock and retrieved the D.A. galleon that she always kept hidden there. There hadn't been one meeting since they'd been caught by Umbridge the previous year, but Callie figured it'd be best to have the coin on her at all times, just in case.

Now she was glad she hadn't tossed it in her trunk and forgotten about it. Apparently, there was a meeting going on right now. Christ, something's happened, she thought, realizing that it was the end of the year, and it was about time that Harry got himself into yet another crisis. She pulled her sock and shoe back on and sprinted up to the seventh floor, assuming that the Room of Requirement was still the place to meet, and even if it wasn't, then Gryffindor Tower would be her next stop.

"What's going on?" she asked, joining Neville, Hermione, Ginny, and Red outside the secret room.

"Harry's gone somewhere with Dumbledore," Hermione explained. "He asked us to stand guard outside the Room of Requirement because he thinks Malfoy is up to something in there."

Callie furrowed her brow. "Where have they gone?" she asked.

Hermione hesitated. "It's kind of a secret. A need-to-know thing."

The Slytherin let it go at that, but continued, "What does he think Malfoy's doing in there?"

"I don't know, but Harry's been suspicious of him all year. He thinks it was Malfoy behind the poisoned mead and the curse on Katie Bell."

It was Malfoy, Callie wanted to say. But perhaps it was best to keep that information to herself until she knew what the hell her housemate was up to. "So," she said, "we're just... standing here waiting for something to happen?"

Hermione sighed. "For the time being."

"He wants someone standing guard outside Snape's office too," Red informed.

Callie furrowed her brow. "Why?"

The redhead shrugged and explained, "Whatever Malfoy's planning - if anything - Harry thinks that Snape's helping him."

Her shoulders sunk. "Snape is not helping Malfoy do anything," she said.

"How do you know?" Ginny asked.

As though it should've been obvious, Callie replied, "Because he's on the Light Side."

"Harry doesn't seem to think so," Red said.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, Harry hates Snape. Everybody else knows he's all right. Dumbledore trusts him."

At that moment, Luna came running up the corridor towards them. "Hi, everyone!" she greeted cheerfully, showing off her D.A. coin. "We're having a meeting? Oh, I've really missed our meetings. They were so much fun last year." Looking around at the five of them, she asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Yeah, where is everyone else?" Red echoed.

"Maybe they don't have their coins on them anymore," Hermione suggested.

"Or maybe getting caught last year turned them off to the D.A.," Neville said. He looked a bit bitter about no one showing up.

"Well," Callie cut in, "it's six of us against Malfoy. Think we've got a slight advantage."

But Red argued, "You don't think he'll have Grabbe and Goyle with him?"

"Grabbe and Goyle are like mountain trolls," she argued. "They're big but they're dumb. We're not going to beat their arse, we're going to hex them."

"What about Snape?" Ginny piped up. To Callie, she said, "I know you think we don't have to worry about him, but Harry wants us watching him."

Over to the side, Red was holding out a large sheet of parchment. "He's in his office," he said.

"What is that?" Callie asked, coming to stand beside him and checking out the parchment.

"It's a map," he explained. "It shows the whole school, and where everybody is."

She looked closer. Sure enough, the words "Severus Snape" hovered about on the spot where his office was located. "Bloody hell," she exclaimed. "Where did you get this thing?"

"It belonged to Harry's dad and Lupin and Sirius when they went to school here. We got it in third year."

"Wicked."

"We're going to have to split up," Hermione said. "Three of us will stay here, three can head down to the dungeons."

"I'm staying here," Red declared. "If Malfoy is up to something, I wanna catch the ruddy git."

"I'm staying too," Callie said. "I really don't think Snape's going to be a problem. If Malfoy tries something, we'll need as many people up here as we can spare."

It was Neville who asked, "Don't you think if anyone should go down there, it ought to be you?"

"Why?"

"Because you're the one that lives down there. If any of the rest of us were seen in the dungeons, it might raise some flags."

He had a good point, but still... "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, no, no, if anything's going to happen, it's going to happen here. And I'm not hiding down in the dungeons, not after missing out last time."

"I'll look out for Snape," Hermione said. "I don't care if anybody sees me. I could always just say that I'm looking for you." She gestured to Callie.

"You shouldn't go alone," Red piped up. "Just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Callie asked, sounding defensive.

"Anything," he replied. "None of us ought to go off on our own. We should at least stay in pairs."

"All right, then," Hermione said. Looking over the group, she ordered, "Ginny, Luna, come with me."

But Ginny replied, "No, I'm staying too."

"Ugh!" Red groaned. "Ginny, go!"

"No, she should stay," Callie argued. "Two'll be enough to handle Snape. Believe me, he's not a threat."

Everyone considered that, and then Hemione sighed and said, "We'll meet up back here when Harry returns." To Red, "Send for us as soon as he shows up."

"Right," he replied with a nod.

She and Luna took off, and the remaining four paced around outside the Room, their wands at the ready. However, a good half an hour went by, forty minutes, an hour, and still there was no sign of Malfoy, or anything else suspicious. "You're sure he's in there?" Callie asked.

"His name's not on the map," Red replied, checking it over. "When somebody's in there, their name doesn't show up."

The Slytherin sighed, taking a seat on the floor. Neville joined her. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yes. It's just that patience has never been on of my strong suits," she reminded, and he smirked, before his face fell serious again.

"I really do wish you had gone to the dungeons," he said, his head bowed.

"Why?"

"Because..." he replied hesitantly "...if there is going to be a fight tonight, I just..." He trailed off, shaking his head to himself.

"Yes?" Callie prodded.

With a sigh, he admitted, "I'd feel better if you were somewhere safe."

She stared at him, inclining her head in a curious sort of way. "You-" she began, "You want me to run and hide, is that it?"

He kept his eyes averted, a blush creeping across his face. He knew she would never do something so cowardly, and he seemed rather anxious about how she'd react to his implication that she ought to stay behind - again. "If I asked you not to fight," he said in a soft voice, "I don't suppose there's any chance you'd agree to it?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What is this?" she asked, a little bit offended. "You fight, I fight, remember?"

"Yes, but... after last year..." He paused, turning to finally meet her eye. "Somebody died at the Ministry, Cal. If anything happened to you... I couldn't live with that."

My knight in shining armor, she thought, a slight smile curling her lip. But as much as she loved how protective he was of her, now was not the time for that. "I'm not a damsel in distress, Neville," she said. "If Ginny and Hermione and Luna can fight, then so can I. Don't try and treat me like I'm helpless because I'm a girl."

"It's not because you're a girl," he argued. After a pause, he explained, "It's 'cause you're my girl."

She held his gaze a moment, then burst into laughter. "That is the corniest thing you've ever said!" she remarked.

Huffing, he said, "You know what I mean." Then he took her face in his hand, gazing into her eyes with a pleading expression. "Look, I know you hated not being at the Ministry with us, but... the whole time, all I could think was, Thank God Callie isn't here. Because I could've taken a hundred Torture Curses, but seeing them hurt you would've killed me."

She knew he wasn't just being dramatic; he absolutely would let Bellatrix Lestrange Cruciate him before he would stand to let any harm come to her. Hell, he'd probably give up his life for her, if need be. Not me, she thought. I would kill the bitch and save us both. She was not going to wait for him again. She was going to stay by his side and fight along with him.

"Cal," he went on in that pleading tone, "I love you."

She took his hand in both of hers and gave it a kiss. "I love you, too," she said. "And I would never ask you to stand aside. So please, don't ask me to." He bowed his head in defeat, looking rather miserable, but he knew better than to argue with her. She lifted his chin to make him look at her, and said, "Comrade?"

He stared at her sadly for a moment, then pressed his lips to hers. When they broke apart, he replied, "Comrade."

She rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly overcome with the feeling that she never wanted to be apart from him. Something was coming - Snape had confirmed it - and she had a sense that it was going to be something bigger than anything they'd experienced thus far. But having Neville at her side gave her a feeling of comfort. Like Tonks had said, I hate not knowing how he is. Or where he is. She would rather face whatever Malfoy, or anybody else, had planned than to ever spend another night wondering if the boy she loved was coming back to her.

She smiled to herself as the words "Mrs. Callie Longbottom" flashed in her head. It does have a nice ring to it, she thought. I'm sure Daddy wouldn't mind.

It was a nice, calming idea to occupy her mind with - until they all heard a door open, and Malfoy stepped out of the Room. Callie and Neville rose to their feet, and the former saw him look up and jump back the second he spotted Ginny. "Eh!" he shouted in surprise.

He reached into his robes, and simultaneously they all aimed their wands on him. But before anybody could make a move, he threw what looked like some sort of black powder into the air, and suddenly they were all shrouded in complete darkness.