Hi Again!

This chapter marks the end of 1989. The story will be jumping ahead in the next chapter.

(Just a note: Translation for the bits of French at the end of chapter)

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own the HP universe. I am not God. Or JK Rowling.

BTW: Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 11: Unraveled

Kali Disapparated, leaving Olivier and Lucius Malfoy standing in the alley behind the run – down muggle shops in Marseilles. Confused and angry, she was in no mood for feigned civilities with the likes of Malfoy, and feeling exposed and vulnerable, she longed to be alone. She Apparated without splinching, despite her state of mind, to the edge of the lake at the foot of the hill that housed Beauxbatons. Olivier Apparated a moment later with a pop just steps away from her.

"What 'appened?" he demanded, reaching out for her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped, moving away.

"You don't 'ave to tell me," he said softly.

The guilt she'd been feeling found a new direction.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down.

He closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. It was oddly comforting to be in his arms, to feel the safety of a familiar embrace. She pushed the last hour out of her mind and settled into him, not wanting the moment to end. A small part of her, the part she feared, longed to spill out all her secrets, though she was certain it would be a mistake.

I can't tell him.

Tears threatened to spill once more but she fought them back as she struggled with the words.

He'll never understand.

She shut her eyes tightly, like an impetuous child, willing the doubt to go away.

He'll hate me.

He grabbed her face gently with both hands, lifting her head to meet his gaze, warm, compassionate and questioning.

He'll never speak to me again.

She saw the reflection of her own eyes, churning a storm of black, brown, grey in his clear somber expression. The intensity of her own reflection in the azure pools rattled her. Instinct took over and she pulled away from him, intent on flight.

Olivier dropped his hands as if to let her go but instead wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. "Don't leave," he whispered, his breath on her forehead.

"Let me go," she protested half – heartedly, too drained to fight.

Despite her protest, he pulled her closer. Bending slightly over her, he brushed his lips against hers, tentatively at first, then bolder, closing his mouth over hers. She shuddered involuntarily as she responded to the gesture, returning the growing intensity of the kiss. The buzzing in her head, like static, faded away and the world seemed to pause and mute as her body responded to his touch. She felt herself being lifted from the ground and a moment later, rough bark supported her back as Olivier leaned into her, his lips moving away from hers, allowing a breathe to pass between them.

Don't stop.

He trailed kisses along the side of her face, shifting his arms lower before his lips returned to hers, his tongue slipping into her welcoming mouth. She struggled to hold a clear thought as tongues clashed wildly and his hands moved lower, grabbing her thighs. He moved his hips as she circled his waist with her legs, pressing against her and awakening every nerve in her body. She let out a strangled moan, the sound of her own voice pulling her out of the fog in her head.

We can't.

She wanted to say the words but couldn't find her voice. She needed to stop before they went further but her body refused to listen. She became aware of her arms, hooked around his neck in desperation, her lips bruising his as one hand moved to the small of her back, fingers slipping beneath the waist of her jeans. She needed to pull away from him, but the intensity between them was too hard to struggle against. As she withdrew from his kiss, she felt the other hand slip between under the hem of her blouse.

"Stop."

She broke away suddenly, the word uttered on his lips. Eyes darting open, she felt ground beneath her feet once more. The sound of the rustling leaves and the chirping birds overhead swelled like a song in crescendo around them. Breathing heavily, she moved her hands to his chest and firmly pushed him away.

"Why?" he whispered hoarsely, a hurt expression on his face.

Kali had gathered her senses once more and she quickly searched for the right words. There had been so much she wanted to tell him, but now it seemed impossible to explain. The moment to tell him the truth had come and gone, chased away by their own libidos; how could she explain why she stopped him now? How could she tell him she needed him -- so much so, that she didn't want to ruin the bond between them? How could she admit how much he meant to her when she only just realized it herself?

"Lover's quarrel?"

Kali was startled out of her thoughts by the gruff voice. She jerked her head to the side and was met by the sight of Professor McShane, looking at them with cruel amusement. Olivier's hands were still loosely cradling her intimately and she was suddenly aware of their disheveled appearance. Olivier moved away, pulling his hands from underneath her clothes, a contemptuous look on his brow. Realizing it was dangerous to let Olivier respond (as he loathed McShane), she instinctively jumped in, eager to take the punishment.

"Can we help you with something, professor?"

The professor looked at her shrewdly, his eyes alight with an unfathomable twinkle that instantly set her ill at ease. It reminded her of the look in the eyes of a Death Eater fresh from a kill.

"The headmistress wants to see 'ya," he said, ignoring her question. "Move it."

The two friends walked through the clearing and up the path to the palace escorted by the professor, a heavy silence hanging between them. There were so many thoughts in her head that Kali couldn't focus, so instead she settled comfortably into numbness, barely noticing her surroundings. She was surprised, then, when they stopped abruptly at the headmistress' office door. McShane knocked briefly then entered, ushering them inside.

The group that greeted them threw her. She had expected the headmistress, who sat behind her desk, elongated to accommodate the others, but was hadn't anticipated the resident Healer, Mlle Colbert and Professor Lupin, much less a stranger, to be seated alongside of her. She was further perturbed by the sight of Sebastian, looking grim, seated opposite them, with Celine Rocher by his side, an arm around his shoulders as if in comfort.

"C'est elle?" asked an older, stately – looking man in royal – blue robes.

"I found them by the lake," McShane boomed behind them in rough, disjointed French", up to no good."

"Merci, professeur," Madame Maxime responded, ignoring his last comment. "Excusez – nous."

McShane blanched, but obeyed, turning to the door.

"Perhaps the others should wait outside as well," Professor Lupin interjected politely, gesturing towards Sebastien, Celine and Olivier.

She nodded. "Professeur," Madame Maxime said, addressing McShane, "si vous plait."

McShane led the others out. Olivier prodded Kali in the side and whispered, "Look," as he reluctantly left.

Kali looked over to the desk and felt an anxious jolt. An array of tiny bottles lay scattered on the desk beside her mother's jewelry box, which sat open, revealing the few pieces of jewelry she hadn't pawned in London. Suddenly Sebastien's presence made sense. Only he and Olivier knew where she kept the salves and potions she would occasionally administer to desperate students. A single thought encompassed her mind as the headmistress began to speak.

He betrayed me. The bastard betrayed me.

"Assayez – vous, si vous plait."

Kali obeyed, sitting before the sober faces that stared at her with varied expressions. She was asked to explain why she was in possession of the items on the desk. She sat silently, unsure what to say. To admit the truth would mean expulsion and lying her way out of the situation (which she was usually quite good at) was not an option -- not with the evidence laid out before them.

"Alors la?" the stranger demanded impatiently.

Her eyes traveled over the faces in front of her with steely determination, catching tiny glimpses into the mind of each.

"I have nothing to say."

From what she had seen, she knew half the jury (for she felt like she was on trial) had already made up their minds. The other half were hovering between outrage and disappointment – the latter directed at those beside them, the former, directed at her.

Her heart sank at the realization.

Madame Maxime had always been fair and kind to Kali and she had betrayed the woman's trust over and over without a second thought. Though she didn't feel what she did was wrong, she knew it wasn't right. Professor Lupin, on the other hand, was less like a teacher and more like a friend. He had introduced her to books and ideas that challenged her notions of the world, and lately, when he looked at her, it wasn't with fear, but with respect and curiousity.

As she looked at him, she couldn't get past the solemnity in his eyes. Despite this, Professor Lupin spoke up.

"A student came to Mlle Colbert, concerned for the safety of the student body," he explained. "It seems a friend of theirs came to you and you gave them a potion that did more harm than good."

"What student?" she asked casually, hiding her growing anger. She hadn't treated anyone for over a month.

"I don't think it's wise to tell her," Mlle Colbert interrupted, "who knows what she is capable of?"

Kali, unable to keep it in, scoffed loudly.

"It seems they have good reason." The older man picked up a ring from the box set with a large blood – red stone.

"You realize this is illegal, don't you?" he asked, addressing her directly for the first time. He had a cold look to him that was oddly familiar and wholly disconcerting.

"It was my mother's," she stated matter – of – fact.

"I don't think that is the issue," Mlle Colbert said, ignoring Kali and addressing the stranger.

"Je suis d'accord," the headmistress piped in, then addressing Kali once more, asked, "C'est vrai?" The gravity of her lilting tone betrayed her unreadable mien.

"Does it really matter what the truth is?" she asked.

"Of course," Madame Maxime answered earnestly. The look on Lupin's face said differently.

"So if I told you I would never jeopardize someone's life, you would believe me?"

The ensuing silence emboldened her.

"If I told you I knew what I was doing, would you believe me then?"

"What you are doing is irresponsible!" the Healer shouted as the stranger grimaced menacingly.

"Not if I know what I'm doing," she stated.

"Vous – etes un enfant," the older man said, a cruel edge to his voice. "You don't have training, no license, nothing! Just a questionable bloodline and a bad reputation."

"Monseiur Laporte! Si vous plait!"

The headmistress called the man by his last name, a name that was all too familiar to Kali. A name he shared with his son, Sebastien.

As Kali reeled inwardly at this information, the headmistress addressed her once more.

"Je regrette," she began, but Kali didn't stay to listen. She stood up abruptly and walked out of the office. The headmistress called her name as she shut the door swiftly behind her.

Olivier, who stood waiting, rushed to her, an anxious expression making him look older than he was.

"What 'appened?" he asked for the second time that day.

She didn't answer, pushing past him as she locked eyes with Sebastien, who was waiting a little further down the hall, Celine and Professor McShane waiting anxiously beside him.

"Why?" she asked as she stopped in front of him.

"I'm sorry," he answered shakily, "I did not 'ave a choice."

"Did she put you up to this?" she asked, nodding towards Celine. Before he could answer Celine interrupted.

"Don't blame thees' on heem," she slurred in a thick accent. "Eet's all you – are fault."

Kali stared at her venomously, which did little to wipe the smug look off the girl's face. Incensed, Kali resorted to the one thing Celine would not expect. She balled up her fist and, pulling her arm back with a snap, she swung at Celine's face, making contact with her nose and causing the girl to soar back in mid – air and land on her bottom a few feet down the corridor. Blood gushed from both nostrils as she shrieked with abandon and Sebastien and the professor rushed to her aid. Without a word, she turned on her heel towards Olivier and came face - to - face with the headmistress and the others.

"Now that was my fault," she said, jerking back her thumb at the shrieking girl behind her.

"Vous - etes expulse!" Sebastien's father exclaimed hotly, his eyes ablaze with righteous fervour.

Kali looked at Madame Maxime, who was saddened. "Go back to your dorm and pack. You will be leaving first thing in the morning. I will contact you grandmother and let her know."

She nodded silently as she walked past the headmistress, past Olivier, who stood gaping at her and past Professor Lupin, who had a look of sadness and what she thought for a second was pride.

Kali made her way back to her room, which was (thankfully) empty. The contents of her trunk lay here and there about the room. She didn't care. Her time at Beauxbatons was over. Though she had never cared for it, she felt safe there. For her, it was preferable to living in Paris with Celestia and after learning what she had in Marseilles, she dreaded Paris even more.

Oh, Merlin, what am I going to do?

She lay on her bed, letting every detail swim in and out of her mind until, exhausted by the day's events, she finally fell asleep.

Her mother came to her in her dreams that night. She held her close, wrapping her arms around her in a warm embrace. She cried the tears she had been holding back for years as Dahlia rocked her gently like a child. They didn't speak, exchange a word, but Kali knew her mother believed in her.

When Kali awoke the next morning, for the briefest moment, as she hovered on the cusp of consciousness and dreams, she was in London; she was in her room, in her bed, her mother asleep in the room across the corridor. She felt content, safe. But as the haze of sleep receded, she remembered what had happened the day before, she remembered where she was, and yet, all this paled in comparison to the realization (the one she had struggled with many mornings since she was eleven) that her mother was dead. It was the worst feeling she could imagine a person could feel -- the feeling of losing someone they loved once again, for the first time, over and over.

After forcing herself out of bed, Kali tiptoed through the dorm, gathering her belongings with a few flicks of her little – used wand, and set her trunk by the door. Her robe no longer necessary, she quickly dressed in jeans and a tee shirt and headed down to the common room, her trunk hovering just in front of her.

The common room was empty, the only sound the faint crackling of logs in the fireplace as the last embers died away. Her heart sank. She had hoped Olivier would be there to say goodbye. Disappointed, she walked through the room that had been part of a place she considered home for the last five years and made her way down the corridor, where Madame Maxime was waiting.

After a brief goodbye (which included a sincere "bonne chance" and a bone – crushing hug), the headmistress led her to the front entrance, where Celestia was waiting impatiently. Kali didn't say a word and her grandmother, looking put out, didn't acknowledge her as she exchanged a few words with Madame Maxime.

As Kali took one last look around, hoping to see Olivier one last time (for she had the feeling it would be the last), she spotted Professor Lupin walking towards them.

"Madame Maxime," he said, handing the headmistress a slip of parchment, "there is an urgent message for you."

The headmistress looked at it briefly and then excused herself, bidding Kali a final goodbye as she did. As she walked past, Kali noticed the parchment was blank.

Professor Lupin introduced himself to Celestia , shaking her hand formally, then offered to see them to the carriage. Eyeing Lupin suspiciously, her grandmother accepted.

The trio walked in silence to the waiting carriage at the end of the walk. When they reached it, Lupin helped load the trunk and offered Celestia a hand as she stepped into the coach. She immediately busied herself with directions for the driver (as they were traveling by portkey one town over) while Professor Lupin pulled a book out of his robe pocket.

"I believe you left this in my classroom," he said casually as he handed it to Kali.

The book wasn't hers and she was about to protest when, catching his eye, she understood.

"Thank you," she murmured as she took it from him.

He took her free hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You will be just fine," he said to her, answering the question that had been running through her mind since she awoke.

What am I going to do now?

She nodded, feeling at once as if she was losing another friend. He helped her into the coach and shut the door with finality. As they pulled away from the palace, Kali felt emboldened to say, "Stay well," to which he looked shocked for a second but recovered enough to give her a smile.

As the carriage soared into the air, Kali looked at the book he had given her. It was a hardcover copy of Pride and Prejudice, the novel they had spent so many hours arguing passionately about. The cover was faded and the spine well – worn. She opened the front cover and read the inscription: "For my darling boy, with love, mum." Underneath, in skinny slanted cursive, were the words 'Property of Remus J. Lupin' and tucked into the pages was a slip of parchment. She slipped it from between the pages and read it.

Kali,

I am sorry to see you go under these circumstances. You are a fine student and a pleasure to teach. Please don't let your studies go, to do so would be to let them win. Take care and be safe.

Regards,

Remus J. Lupin, Professor.

The first name caught her eye.

She vaguely recalled reading the name somewhere among her mother's belongings. She immediately forgot her troubles as she combed her memory.

By the time they reached the portkey, Kali was anxious to get back to Paris, as it was closer to London and closer to her mother's things.

She was now determined to know exactly just who Remus J. Lupin was.

I didn't know how to end the chapter (hope it's not too obvious).

Here's the translations (the grammar is probably off - sorry)

C'est elle? - Is that her?

Merci...excusez - nous - thanks,...excuse us

Assayez - vous, si vous plait - sit down, please

Alors la? - Well?

Vous - etes une enfant - You're (just) a child

Je regrette - I'm sorry

Vous -etes expulse - you're expelled

Coming Soon: Chapter 12: untitled - in which we find a weary werewolf, a shocking headline and tough decisions...