June 25, 1992

The school year had ended, coming and going without much to mark it. Harry loved his time at Hogwarts. It became like his second home. He missed his parents and sister dearly, but his new friends helped him to adjust. He and Ron got into almost as much trouble as James and Sirius had in their first years, aided by Ron's older brothers, Fred and George.

It just reinforced the idea that Callie needed to keep an eye on him.

Throughout the school year, Callie found as many excuses as she could to take some time off. Meeting Remus at the Three Broomsticks every month became one of the most looked-forward-to things on her calendar. Remus had gone back to work for the Order, but he took time to come and see her. Sirius did what he could to sneak into every one of Harry's Quidditch games (he was the youngest Seeker in a century, after all). He'd stay late and the three of them, plus Ron and Hermione, would have a picnic by the lake if the weather was nice enough. A couple of times he'd stay even later, and he and Callie would skip down to Hogsmead for a drink. Callie didn't ask why he attended the other Quidditch matches, such as Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff, but she had her suspicions.

To her surprise, she was hired at the end of the school year as the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Six years since she'd begun her carrier as an Auror, and she'd only spent two of those as an actual Auror. It seemed a bit pointless to her, when she thought about it.

She sent her resignation letter to the Auror Office at the beginning of May. Exactly three hours later, Sirius turned up. The Minister of Magic herself had sent him to see if Callie would be willing to change her mind. She wasn't. Sirius was not pleased, but he said he understood.

She'd been all but given the Room of Requirement when she began her search for Horcruxes in Hogwarts. It had taken a few months, but eventually she and the Room agreed on what her living quarters would look like. It was all one room, of course, and she wasn't allowed a kitchen. But she had her own bathroom tucked away in a corner, and a cozy fireplace with a couch, chairs, throw pillows, and blankets all gathered around it. She had a wardrobe for her clothes, and the warmest, softest bed she'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. Overall, she loved the place. And all she had to do was walk outside, pace three time, open the door again, and there was the room that held the Diadem. Practicality and comfort in one; it didn't get better than that. She was still happy the Diadem was gone, though; it had taken her ages to find it.

Late June found Callie all settled in. A fire burned in the hearth despite the warm weather, but as it gave off no heat, it was more for ambiance than anything else. All of the staff except Filch and Hagrid had left the school, either for vacation or Order of the Phoenix work. They trusted the powerful spells around the place to protect it. No one with the Dark Mark was getting in.

Callie sat with a book in her lap, back against the couch by the fire, enjoying a relaxing evening to herself. She'd just checked in with James and Lily, and as they were safe, all seemed right with the world.

Until someone knocked on her door.

With an audible groan, she stood and set the book down. She opened the door with an annoyed glare. Sirius Black stood there, two bottles of Firewhiskey in one hand, a handful of papers in the other.

"Surprise!" he said with a grin before pushing past her into the room.

"Sirius!" Callie exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Sirius set the bottles on the coffee table. "Officially, I'm here to give you this." He held up the papers. "Unofficially, I thought you might be lonely, and I was bored."

Callie rolled her eyes but the effect was ruined by a smile. "Can't you entertain yourself?" Despite her front of annoyance, she was very pleased to see.

"Why would I when I could visit you?" He grinned. "You're not happy to see me?" He sat on the couch and made himself at home, propping his feet up and stretching out like a cat. He caught sight of her book and picked it up. "The Count of Monte Cristo," he read. "Is it good?"

Callie closed the door and walked over to him. She knew it was no use sending Sirius Black out into the cold. If he wanted to visit her, that's exactly what he was going to do. She sat next to him and took the book from his hands. "It's brilliant."

Sirius opened the bottles and handed her one. He threw an arm over the back of the couch that just happened to fall across her shoulders, too. "So, got your classes in order yet?"

"Sort of," she replied. She took a drink and let herself relax. It had been like this between them since the beginning of the school year. Comfortable. They were more than friends and they both knew it, but beyond that, neither one of them were sure what they were. "I'm focusing on dark relics."

"Not defensive spells?" She detected a note of judgement in his tone.

"I'm also heading up a dueling club to meet every other night. I'll teach spells then."

"Two birds with one professor." He flashed her a grin. "Brilliant."

She returned the smile. She let a little more of her weight fall on his arm as she leaned back and propped her feet up next to his. The leather from his jacket felt cool and comfortable against her shoulders and neck. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the rest of her body's tension slipping away.

"Merlin, what I'd've gotten up to if I'd had a professor that looked like you," he mused. "One of us would've been arrested."

She laughed. "I'm glad you just had McGonagall, then. Azkaban wouldn't look too good on you."

Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "I'm insulted! Everything looks good on me!"

Callie chuckled. "Right, Black. Keep dreaming."

They stared into the hearth for a while in comfortable silence. The fire crackled, giving off mild waves of warmth.

"You know," Sirius mused, "it's a shame you weren't in our year. Things could've been so different."

She smiled. "That would make me James' twin."

He hummed in contemplation. "Yeah, it would. Which might be more of a shame." She felt his fingers comb through her hair absently, and shivered a little at the feeling. "I do like your hair. Being James' twin might mean you'd have a rat's nest, too."

She laughed. "Thanks for that."

"Maybe it's for the best. I doubt you'd have liked fifteen-year-old me. I was a bit of an idiot."

Callie gasped dramatically. "Is that humility I hear? From the great Sirius Black!? I think the apocalypse is coming."

He laughed and shoved her playfully. "You're more like your brother than I gave you credit for, Potter."

She laughed. "Well, I don't think you would have liked fifteen-year-old me, either."

"Nonsense! I heard you were quite the prankster yourself." He grinned. "There are some wild rumors floating around that you found a certain map and snuck down a certain passage into a certain sweet shop."

"It was on a dare!" she argued.

"But, Potter, you were fifteen! Far too old to be engaging in foolhardy things of that sort."

Callie scoffed. "You're one to talk; McGonagall said you and James once bewitched the entire Great Hall to chant the Gryffindor anthem after Slytherin won the House Cup in your fifth year."

He grinned. "Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about that one." He laughed. "They were so angry!"

She propped herself against the back of her couch with her elbow and regarded him for a moment. "While we're talking about foolhardiness, I heard a rumor from Lily that a certain group of marauding idiots became animagi illegally."

He didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "She told you that years ago. Why's it taken you so long to ask me?"

"So it's true?"

He shrugged. "It might be. Would it help if I told you it was for a good cause?"

"Not really. Who knows?"

"Just the family. James, Lily, Harry, Remus, Peter, Marlene, and I. And now you."

"How on earth did you keep that a secret?"

"Honestly, I've no idea. I've a feeling McGonagall had her suspicions. It was a lot of luck." He chuckled. "I guess someone up there was watching out for us."

"Which animal can you turn into?"

Sirius grinned uncharacteristically slowly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Think about it, love. Do you seriously not know yet?"

Callie thought about it. She thought about his laugh, his gait, his mannerisms. But she hadn't really known him before he'd become an animagus, so she had no way of knowing what was him and what had changed because of the animal.

"Callie," he reprimanded. "I taught you better than this."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's so much fun to watch you try and figure it out."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back again. "You're satanic."

He laughed and rested his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Callie slid down a little and leaned against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled softly and let his arm close around her. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. There was something about the smell of his cologne and that stupid, worn out leather jacket that made her whole body relax. She felt safe. Like nothing in the world could touch either of them as long as they were together.

A sharp, blood-curdling sound echoed through the halls. Sirius stiffened. Callie sat up. They both stayed perfectly quiet, listening for it.

It came again, this time closer.

Sirius cursed and jumped up, pulling his wand from his back pocket. "Every time! How in Merlin's name are we to get a second of quiet if people keep getting attacked?"

Something pounded against the door. Callie knew that knock well enough and hurried to open it, Sirius on her heels. Filch stood outside.

"There's a werewolf loose in the castle!" he shouted, spit flying. "Do your bloody job!"

"A werewolf?" Callie asked, shocked. "Where-"

She trailed off, seeing a pair of menacing eyes staring at her from the opposite end of the corridor. Her blood froze. The creature tilted its head and let out a terrible howl. Its long, lopsided legs loped toward them.

Callie grabbed Filch and yanked him inside. Sirius pushed the door closed and pressed his weight against it. The creature crashed against it.

Filch let out a colorful string of curses. Callie quickly cast a silencing charm on him. The beast tore at the wall with its claws, barking and howling. After a few minutes, the noise stopped. They heard it sniff at the bottom of the wall, then walk away.

Sirius looked at Callie. "I've got this. You stay here."

Callie scoffed and gripped her wand. "Not bloody likely. I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not. Werewolves go after humans; I'm much better qualified to handle this alone."

"Sirius, you are not going to face a werewolf by yourself!"

A howl pierced the stillness on the other side of the door. He hesitated. She could see the argument going on in his head. Finally, he sighed. "Alright. But stay close to me."

Callie nodded. "Filch, stay here."

The usually comforting halls of Hogwarts had turned unsettling. The torches on the walls cast bizarre shadows, tricking them into thinking they saw the werewolf. Not a sound came through the passages. Callie had only book knowledge of the monster to go on, but Sirius… Sirius knew how dangerous the creatures could really be. He knew their bloodlust, their ferocity. And he didn't want Callie anywhere near that. But he also knew that if he'd left her in the Room of Requirement with Filch, she'd probably just follow him anyway.

They moved through the corridors, quiet as ghosts, their senses on high alert. The shadows shifted before them. A long snout came into view, followed by a skeletal head and shoulders and forelegs. The yellow eyes spotted them. As the monster gave a low growl, he shoved Callie in the opposite direction.

"Run!"

Callie didn't need to be told twice. She took off. The portraits flashed past her. She tore down a staircase and up another one, desperate to lose the beast. She could hear it snapping and snarling behind her.

She lost all sense of direction, taking every sharp turn that presented itself. A familiar tapestry rose up before her. She pushed it aside and dove through and onto a hidden staircase. Sirius nearly crashed behind her. Callie raced along, no longer hearing the monster, but still determined to get as much room as possible between them and the werewolf. There was something about its eyes that made her blood run cold. She'd never been terribly comfortable with magical beasts.

Her foot sank through the floor. With a shout of surprise and pain, she crashed onto the steps in front of her. Her momentum carried her body forward, twisting her leg painfully. She heard something snap. A sharp, burning pain shot up from her foot. Her wand tumbled out of her hand and down the stairs into the darkness.

Sirius skid to a stop beside her. He cursed. "The trick step. Are you okay?"

She was pale, and swiftly turning green, but she nodded. She knew they had to keep moving. She tried yanking her leg free, but it didn't budge.

Sirius frantically looked for a way out. The way her leg was twisted, she couldn't get free without an incredible amount of pain. The broken wood would splinter and cut her.

"Listen," he said, as calmly as he could. "It's Remus. The wolf is Remus."

Callie stared at him. "What? How do you know?"

"Because I spent every full moon for years with him, and I just know." He paused. "He knows me. Moony knows me. I can distract him, keep him calm. He just can't see you."

Callie's eye widened in fear. "You're not going to face him alone!"

"There's no choice!" Sirius snapped. "Stay here. Don't move. Keep as quiet as you can." He turned to run.

"Sirius!"

Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was pain, affecting her head. Maybe it was buildup of months' worth of tension. She didn't know. But something in her snapped when she saw Sirius turn away.

Callie grabbed his jacket, turned him back to her, and jerked him into a kiss.

Sirius' body went rigid in shock, and it took him a full second to register what was happening. But when he did, he cupped her face between his hands and kissed her fiercely. It was probably a good thing the circumstances were so grim. If they weren't, he didn't think he'd ever be able to let her go.

He pulled away and looked at her for a moment. She smiled a little, face red under a heated blush. Somewhere nearby, the werewolf howled again. Sirius smirked and gave her a wink. He turned and ran in the direction of a howl.

Callie noticed his body begin to change as he rounded a corner. Or maybe it was the shadows.

She tried again to pull her leg free, but it resulted only in causing her blinding pain. She bit back a curse. Her vision clouded.

A hand shook her. Two arms, suspended in mid-air, gripped her shoulders. She screamed and frantically tried to scoot away.

"Callie!" a voice hissed. "Calm down. It's just me; look." James threw back the invisibility cloak and revealed his tangled mop of hair, light glinting off his glasses.

"James? What are you doing here!?" she demanded.

James motioned for her to keep quiet. He handed her wand to her and told her to cover her face. His wand arm came back out from under the cloak. A spell shot out, blowing the stair to bits. He gripped her arms and pulled her up. After a great deal of hushed arguing and adjusting of the cloak, James succeeded in picking Callie up and making sure they were both mostly covered.

He ran back to the Room of Requirement, taking more secret passages and short cuts than Callie knew existed. In less than five minutes, she spotted the wall at the opposite end of the corridor. James dashed for it.

Something long and immensely powerful flew out of the shadows and swatted James in the chest. It knocked him off his feet and sent both of them sprawling across the floor, the cloak fluttering uselessly between them.

Callie hit the floor hard, her head connecting with a protrusion of stone from the wall. She blinked blood out of her eyes. Pain flared white-hot in her head and her foot gave a throb as if in answer. She frantically tried to find James.

He was pushing himself up from the floor several feet away. A monstrous, bony animal bore down on him. It raised a clawed forepaw to strike him.

"James!" Callie screamed.

The wolf's head snapped up to look at her. Before it could move, a huge, bear-like dog sprang from behind it and locked its jaws around the beast's neck. The momentum carried both of them to the floor. The wolf screamed in anger and swiped at the dog.

James staggered to his feet. His body shifted in less than a second. His torso and neck thickened and elongated, his arms reached forward and touched the ground. His legs thinned, and out of his head sprouted two sharply-pointed antlers.

The wolf spotted Callie again. It reached for her, using its claws to dig into the stone floor and pull itself toward her. James – or the stag – raced forward and planted himself between the wolf and his sister. He bent his head forward, antlers pointed at the beast.

The dog jumped onto the werewolf's back and tore. The wolf howled in rage and came up on his hind legs. The stag charged. Callie's heart jumped in fear. If he struck the creature in the chest, he could kill him. But James didn't strike the wolf, instead using his antlers like a cage to block its path.

Callie called to mind every passage on werewolves she'd ever read. They craved human blood. Her blood. If she got out of there, the wolf might calm down. She wiped blood out of her eyes and dragged herself for the nearest door. The battle raged behind her, and more than once she felt something sharp graze her pants leg. She glanced over her shoulder once she reached the door.

The wolf was doing everything in its power to get at her. The stag had a few cuts in his neck and back, and the dog was bleeding freely from a wound in his side. It was a horrible sight. Fur flew in clumps, and blood dripped onto the floor, making it slick. But the noise was the most terrifying. It was like nothing she'd ever heard.

She pushed the door open and pulled herself inside. She sealed the door with a powerful charm and leaned against it. Her stomach was in knots. She listened to the cacophony of animalistic sounds slowly die away. She heard something massive being dragged across the floor, then nothing but silence.

How long she sat there, she didn't know. It seemed an eternity. The pain in her foot was severe, and she didn't dare try to run on it. She knew a handful of healing spells, though. She picked up her wand and pointed it at her injured foot. The foot was twisted at an odd angle. She muttered a quick healing spell and reset the joint with a sharp snap. She rolled her foot, testing the mobility before putting weight on it. The joint was still red and swollen, but it did not object overtly when she stood.

Someone knocked on the door at her back and she released the spell and moved aside so they could open it. James peeked inside, looking a little worse for wear. He sported numerous relatively minor injuries. "You alright?" he asked.

Callie nodded. "You? You look rough."

"Nah, I'm alright. Sirius and I just took Remus to the Shrieking Shack. They're both okay."

Callie was quiet for a moment, studying her brother. "James… Remus is why you all became animagi, isn't he? So you could help him."

James nodded. "Yeah. Took us three years, but we achieved it our Fifth."

Three years? They'd been twelve years old and decided to do a highly advanced, highly dangerous piece of magic just to help their friend? Callie smiled proudly. It was just like James to do something like that.

"So if you're a stag and Sirius is a dog… what was Peter?"

James smiled fondly. "A rat." He glanced out the window. "The sun'll be rising soon. I should run back and help Sirius get Remus to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey's around, right?"

"No. The only staff here now are Filch, Hagrid, and myself."

James cursed softly. "Well, I guess we'll have to do a bit of marauding. Can you get your hands on some potions? Like Blood Replenishing and Pain-Away?"

Callie nodded. "Sure. I'll have them ready by the time you get back."

James smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It's a damn shame you weren't in our year. You'd have made a good Marauder."

She laughed at that and told him to get a move on. It took her a little while to find everything she needed in the Potion Master's storage and the medicine cabinet in the Hospital Wing. But eventually, she did. She set them all out neatly as the doors opened. James and Sirius stepped him, carrying a mostly unconscious Remus between them. They set him on the nearest bed.

Sirius was covered with blood, but he insisted they care for Remus first. James took over quickly, being the most knowledgeable of the three of them. Their mother had been a wonderful healer and he picked up her talent. While he worked on Remus, Sirius reluctantly let Callie patch up some of his cuts.

"James, care to explain this?" he called from the next bed over. "You're supposed to be at home in hiding! We're not working our butts off so you can pull stupid Third-year crap like this!"

James sighed guiltily. "I know, Sirius! Trust me, I know. But Remus came over last night and the bloke was really depressed. You know how he gets, mate! And I thought maybe a full moon in the Shrieking Shack with us would do him some good. I knew you were coming here to give Callie that report anyway, so I thought I'd surprise you."

Sirius glared at him. "I told you I'd be there at our usual spot, but a little late."

"It's not the same and you know it! Anyway, Minerva started throwing up before we left and we left too late. We were almost at the Willow before he turned."

"How did he get in the school?" Callie asked, attention split between the healing spell she was working on Sirius' side and listening to James' story.

"He saw Filch entering and made a b-line for him. By the time I caught up with him, he was gone."

"Why didn't you send an owl and let me know what you were planning?" Sirius growled peevishly. "I could have met you and saved us all this mess. He almost killed Callie! He'll be beside himself when he learned what happened."

James looked over, eyes gleaming in determination. "That's why we're going to cover it up."

Callie gave him a look. "You can't be serious."

James grinned. "'Course not. He is."

She rolled her eyes.

Sirius sighed deeply. "Alright. We'll cover it up." He pulled his shirt over his chest, healed of the deep wounds. "Callie, come with me. James… just make sure he's okay?"

James nodded. "Always."

Sirius patted his friend's shoulder on the way out, Callie trailing behind him. They made their way back down the werewolf's path, scourging the blood from the floor and straightening crooked paintings. Eventually, they returned to the wall behind which dwelt the Room or Requirement.

Sirius shoved his wand back in his pocket.

"Sirius?" Callie asked. "Is something-"

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her gently against the wall behind her, pressing his lips to hers. Callie tensed in surprised. One hand let go and his forearm leaned against the wall above her head, caging her in. After a moment, she relaxed and leaned into the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers threading through his hair. He moaned somewhere deep in his throat, and moved a hand to her neck.

The kiss was soft and passionate all at once, fueled by years of want. It left no reason for words. They poured their souls into that kiss, communicating their fears, their relief, their pain, and their love. Everything neither of them seemed able to say out loud.

When he eventually pulled away, they were both breathless. Pink colored their cheeks and their hair was messy. Sirius leaned his forehead against hers as they caught their breath.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said at last, grinning like an idiot.

Callie laughed breathlessly. "You, too."

His hand cupped her cheek and he looked into her eyes, amazed to see at least some of what he felt for her reflected back at him. "I guess we should talk about this."

"Probably."

Sirius smiled and kissed her again. After a moment, he felt her laugh. He pulled away, looking at her quizzically. "Am I really that bad?"

Callie leaned her head back against the stone wall, laughing deeply. "No, sorry, it's not that," she replied between chuckles. "It's just… a bloody dog?"

Sirius grinned. "What, too obvious?"

"Yes, actually! So many things make so much sense now."

He let out a bark of a laugh. "Like what?"

"Like that! Your laugh sounds like a bark. And your diet. And how you go right to the door when someone knocks. And how still and silent you get when you see something suspicious. And… oh my god, Padfoot! Of course!" She smacked his arm. "How could you not tell me this?"

Sirius smirked wolfishly. "A better question is why didn't you realize before?"

"I guess I was overthinking it. How on earth have you managed to keep a thing like this secret from the Ministry?"

"Like I said, a lot of luck. And I don't really use Padfoot that much, not as much as I could. Best kept secrets, you know. I'd probably be arrested and thrown in Azkaban if the Ministry ever found out."

"Well…" Callie's arms circled his neck again and pulled him closer. "Your secret is safe with me."

Sirius' nose brushed against hers and his smile softened. "For the record, when I said we should talk about this, I meant us, not Padfoot."

She laughed again. "I know." She closed the space between them, kissing him softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and back, pulling her even closer.

Merlin's beard, he could get used to this.