Author's note: Finally back after a long hiatus! If you're still following this story, thank you so much for bearing with me. I do intend on seeing it through to the end, and my plan is that there won't be any more months-long breaks between updates. Enjoy!
7. To Tell the Truth
The trainee healers had just gotten through a particularly trying midterm exam, and were recovering with a couple of drinks at a pub near the hospital. "That was God-awful!" Manda exclaimed, a distraught look on her face. "I'm telling you, this class is gonna be my downfall. There's no way I'm passing the final."
"Don't be so dramatic," Callie said. "You know that finals are always less torturous than midterms. You've got more time to prepare and a better idea of what to expect."
"Couldn't have been as bad as you think," Sheff added. "Elsa Turner was damn near in tears an hour in. Heard her mumbling something afterwards about quitting the program."
With a roll of her eyes, Callie said, "Oh, hell! I hope somebody set her straight."
"Do you think third and fourth years will be easier than this?" Manda asked. These were the start of the clinical years of the program, while the first two years were lecture-based. "I mean, I'm starting to feel like I may not even get there, and if I do, I'm not gonna know what the hell I'm doing."
"Well," Sheff said, "nobody expects anything out of a third-year anyway. It's not until sixth that you have any real responsibility."
The girl didn't seem particularly settled by that. "Ya know, statistically one in four students either drop out or fail in the first year. And there are four of us." She, Callie, Sheff, and Connor had formed their own clique over the last six months.
"That doesn't mean anything," Callie said. "The people who drop out only do so because their hearts aren't totally in it. They think being a healer is cool or prestigious, but they underestimate the effort it takes and decide it's not worth it. Is it worth it to you?"
"Of course it is. Doesn't mean one of us won't fail, though." Looking entirely downtrodden, she added, "And if it's going to be any of us, it'll be me."
"The hell it will! I was your teacher for three years, I know you're not the type to fail. Have a little more confidence, why don't you?" Based on the younger woman's expression, this was going to be a tough mountain to climb. Reaching out to give her former student a pat on the back, Callie said, "Chin up, darling. You know I'm not gonna let you fall behind."
The other gave her a small but appreciative smile and replied, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now-" glancing across the pub "-where is that little imp with my butterbeer?"
They'd sent Connor off to get another round of drinks, but as the others looked over to see what the holdup was, they found him chatting happily with some girl at the bar. "Spotted something shiny and got distracted, he did," Sheff remarked. "Think he's forgotten about us."
The three of them watched as the blonde at the bar batted eyes and ran a hand along their friend's upper arm. Clearly he was enjoying the attention, which he didn't often get from the opposite sex. He was a good-looking bloke, but rather shy and awkward when it came to interacting with females.
In a tone of amusement, Callie remarked, "Eh, good for him! Maybe this'll be the lucky lass who finally makes him a man."
"Hmph," Sheff smirked.
Meanwhile, Manda was staring at the flirtatious pair with a slightly open mouth and wide eyes. Noticing this, Callie furrowed her brow and asked, "What's the matter?"
The girl was silent for a moment, before shaking her head to herself as if to clear it. "Nothing," she said. "Just... happy to see he's gotten over his little crush on me."
Several months prior, Connor had declared that he fancied Manda, and unfortunately for him, she hadn't exactly been receptive to his advances. Following that, there'd been a lot of tension between the two of them, and even after all this time, they avoided being alone together if they could help it.
Presently, Callie bit her bottom lip and said in a delicate tone, "You don't look all that happy."
"No, I am," Manda replied a bit too quickly. "Maybe now we can get on like normal people and not have this... weirdness hanging over us." However, there was weirdness in the air right now, as she continued to stare, appearing unsettled, and Callie and Sheff exchanged a glance.
"Bloody inconsiderate he is, though," Manda went on, checking her watch. "How long's he gonna leave us waiting here, Merlin's sake! I haven't got all night." With that, she stood up to go retrieve their drinks.
Watching her walk away, Sheff grinned to himself and said, "The lady doth protest too much." Turning to Callie, "Ten galleons says they'll be shagging by the end of the term."
The other replied, "Twenty says the end of the month."
Half an hour later, the two girls were back at the hospital for shadow work. "You're telling me you're not even a little bit jealous that he had his eye on someone else?" Callie asked in disbelief.
"Why would I be jealous? It's not like I want him for myself."
As they came upon the nurses' station, Callie cocked a brow and asked, "Are you sure about that?" This was met with a "don't be stupid" look from Manda. The older girl went on, "You sort of liked being the object of his affection. Am I wrong?"
"Totally."
"Oh, come off it! Somebody calls you 'the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on,' your heart melts a little. I would fall for that, too. I have, actually." The other looked away in irritation, and with a nudge, Callie said, "Be honest now. You're not completely uninterested." Getting no response to this, she declared, "I've seen you looking at him when he doesn't know it."
For just a second, Manda appeared as though she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I-" she stammered. "I don't know what you're on about." Clearly, her friend didn't buy this, cocking a brow as if to say, I don't believe you. The younger girl was silent for a moment, before sighing and conceding, "All right!" In a tone of embarrassment, "Maybe just a little bit jealous."
A triumphant smile spread across Callie's face. "I say go for it, then. After all, what woman couldn't use a few nights a week with an eager young stud?"
To that, Manda chuckled and exclaimed, "Merlin's beard!"
"Think about it," the other said mischievously, "the boy is pure. You could teach him things."
From behind them, a chilly voice called out, "Like how to distinguish between Cicuta virosa and Cicuta maculata, for instance?" The trainees turned to find Healer Crane staring down at them with his ever-present look of disdain. "That was supposed to be one of the easier questions on Wednesday's exam, Whittenburg. But I suppose the subject of Herbaceous Toxicology isn't nearly as concerning to you as your romantic life."
By this point, Callie was very much unfazed by the man's unabashed contempt for most everyone, but Manda was clearly both embarrassed by what he'd overheard, and quite intimidated by Crane in general. With reddened cheeks, she stammered, "No, sir, it... it is concerning. More so-"
Ignoring her completely, Crane summoned a thick stack of files and ordered, "Take these down to the records depository," handing them over to her. "Don't come back until you can sufficiently describe the four species within the Cicuta genus."
"Yes, sir," she said, practically sprinting down the corridor.
When she was out of sight, Callie spoke up, "You never taught us the difference between Cicuta virosa and Cicuta maculata. That was a rubbish question."
Looking over a patient chart, Crane replied, "I didn't think I had to. The Cicuta genus is a common topic on the Herbology N.E.W.T. I'd have assumed your instructor at Hogwarts would've covered it."
For the life of her, Callie couldn't recall ever having gone over Cicuta with Sprout, or having seen it on the N.E.W.T. "Manda's a good student," she declared. "She puts her all into her classwork."
"And yet she's at the bottom of the barrel in my subject. It seems as though the poor lass is in over her head."
"She's doing fine in all the others."
With a sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest and faced her. "'Fine' is not acceptable in the field of healing magic. We're looking for brilliance. Innovation. Those described as 'fine' don't make it very far in this program, Warbeck. Don't be surprised if you one day find Miss Whittenburg working in the visitors' tearoom."
The trainee scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're so encouraging, sir." With that, she grabbed up her sky blue robes and headed off down the corridor. Poor Manda, she thought. I've got Winslow tonight, and she's stuck with this git.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Liam was by far her favorite healer to work with. For one thing, they'd been friendly with each other for years, and for another, he wasn't the type to treat shadows as if they were nuisances. He would actually make it a point to explain what he was doing and answer any questions Callie had.
"How in the hell do you get a wand stuck up... there?"
Running a tired hand over his face, the healer replied, "The standard explanation is 'I fell on it.'"
"Oh yeah, sure," Callie said. "At what angle?"
Looking back at the patient room he'd just come out of, Liam said, "Sorry I had to ask you to leave. Rather embarrassed about the whole incident, he was."
"Oh, trust me - I didn't need to see that one."
Despite the fact that it was against hospital policy, he would even let her assist in small tasks, such as bandaging minor injuries or palpating a patient's ribs to check for fractures. Callie wondered if this was a rule he bent for all the underclassmen, or if he only allowed it because they were friends.
Next was a patient with a prosthetic hand, which seemed to have taken on a mind of its own. The fingers would bend and wiggle of their own volition, and refuse to work with its owner. Inspecting the hand, Liam explained, "You're underutilizing it. I know it's easier to favor the right-" the real one "-but consistent exercise is key. It's like a dog, you've gotta train it to respond to your commands, otherwise it'll do as it pleases."
Callie got a feel for the fake appendage, which appeared to be made out of silver, yet as movable as a human hand. "Is this real metal?" she asked.
"It is."
Tinkering with the index finger, she followed up with, "How is it so bendy?"
"They're alchemically treated to be flexible at the joints. There's a slight softness in the knuckle. Do you feel it?"
She checked the area and replied, "Aye."
To the patient, Liam said, "Don't get discouraged. Your grip may take a while to improve, but with practice you'll get the hang of it." Bidding the man goodbye, he offered his hand for a shake. "Other one," he ordered. The silver fingers continued to wiggle against the healer's grasp.
Once they'd left the room, Callie inquired, "So he's actually got to tell it to move when he wants it to?"
"No, not exactly. It's sort of the way a wand bends to the will of its owner. Once it gets to 'know their voice,' so to speak, it's almost automatic. They just have to get used to one another."
Contemplating that, the trainee remarked, "What a difference from the way it works for muggles."
"Speaking of which," Liam said, looking over a chart as they walked, "how's the good doctor these days?"
He was referring to her mum. With a shrug, she replied, "I haven't seen her in a while, but as far as I know she's all right." The other met her eye, and appeared to be trying to suppress a smirk. "What's that look?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing," he said casually. "Just wondering whether I ought to pretend I don't know." Callie furrowed her brow, not knowing what he was talking about. "Jonathan kisses and tells."
The woman's mouth fell open, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, damn it to hell!" she exclaimed. "He told you? My mum'll be happy to hear that her personal life is a topic of gossip around here, I'm sure."
"Nah, he's not shouting about it to all who'll listen. He knows you and I are friends and he thought he could use that to his advantage. My mission was to find out how she feels about the sorry sod, but I told him to man up and ask her directly."
They were quiet for a moment before curiosity got the better of Callie. "Well... I appreciate your discretion." A pause. "But as long as we're on the subject, how does he feel about her?"
Biting his cheek in amusement, he said, "The man is hopeless. Forty-some years old and she's got him behaving like a schoolboy going through his first-ever crush. I suppose all you Warbeck lasses have that effect on the opposite sex."
"Aye. No one can resist our siren song."
Following Callie's shift, they headed in to the Alchemy Room, as Healer Amaranth had put her in charge of tending to student samples of anti-swelling solution. Being that there were about thirty little cauldrons to get to, Liam offered to help her out. "Seven counterclockwise stirs," she instructed.
As the two of them worked, he inquired about how her exams had gone. "I'm pretty positive Crane wants us all to fail," she said. "Alchemy wasn't nearly as bad as the others thought, however."
"Says the professional potioneer."
"Breaks, Bleeds, and Bruises was a walk in the park." This was a course in the Artefact Accidents Department - Liam's specialty. He'd been happy to give Callie as many tips as possible for the midterm.
Smirking to himself, he replied, "You're welcome."
The woman waved a hand and teased, "Nah, it's a soft subject. I was only massaging your ego when I asked for your help."
"Of course."
A moment of silence passed, before Callie spoke again. "So what about this 'death chair' you mentioned earlier?"
"Oh, that. My latest research endeavor. For years, a supposedly haunted chair has been hanging in a muggle museum in North Yorkshire. The original owner is said to have cursed it so anyone who sits on it would be met with an untimely death. A museum curator with magical connections requested that the chair be investigated, and as it turns out, the legend was true. Now I'm attempting to work out a counter-curse in order to prevent any potential fatalities."
"Wicked," Callie remarked. "Where is the chair now?"
"Locked away some place where nobody can get to it."
"You've gotta let me see this thing."
He turned to glance at her, raising a brow as he said, "I'm not entirely sure I trust you not to try and have a seat."
"Bloody hell, I'm not suicidal!"
"In any event, I've yet to determine the properties of this particular curse. For all I know, merely being in the presence of the object could result in adverse effects."
Disappointed, she said, "Well... as soon as you have it curse-free, I'm sitting in it."
"Don't hold your breath, this is a tricky one. See? There is more to Artefact Accidents than mending bones and pulling wands out of people."
As they went to store the potion samples in a walk-in icebox, Callie asked, "Still trying to sway me to the Dark Side?" Trainees were to choose a specialty by the end of their fourth year, and of course, Liam was a big advocate for his own.
"There's next to no patient interaction in Alchemy," he said. "You'll spend the bulk of your time brewing."
"And coming up with potentially life-saving cures," she argued. "But anyway, I'm still shopping around. I don't know for certain it's gonna be Alchemy."
"Anything off the table yet?"
She gave it a moment of thought and replied, "I really would hate to be on the same floor as Crane." Who was the senior head of Potion and Plant Poisonings. "Then again, plants have never been my thing anyway. If not for Neville, I'd probably be failing Herbaceous Toxicology. Half the time we see each other nowadays, the whole visit somehow turns into a tutoring session."
They stepped out of the icebox, Liam pulling the door shut as he said, "Crane doesn't lecture ordinarily. Only stepped in as a favor to Healer Monroe - she's on mother's leave. So as long as you pass, you won't have to deal with him anymore. Not for lecture, at least."
"That's a relief," Callie said, checking to make sure all the burners were off. "You going home now?"
"Actually my second shift begins in half an hour. I'm covering for Adamson; his kids have all got fevers."
The other gave him a disapproving look and remarked, "You're going to drive yourself to an early grave one of these days." He was the type that was married to his work, pulling frequent double shifts and sleeping on the sofa in his office half the time. "Oughta get out of this hospital once in a while. I don't even know what you look like out of lime green robes."
Cocking a brow, he asked, "Oh, would you like to see me out of my robes, Miss Warbeck?"
"Don't tease me, Healer Winslow, you know I'm a sucker for a man out of uniform."
"Hmph," he smirked. "In all honesty, it might be nice to enjoy a meal not prepared by the cafeteria elves, for a change."
"And see the sunlight?" Callie suggested. "You're looking as pale as I am lately."
"Perhaps we both could use a night off, in that case." He paused, before asking, "Would you like to have dinner with me?"
Smiling widely, she replied in a joking tone, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
He was quiet for a moment, looking contemplative, and then, "What if I am?"
They held each other's gaze as the question sunk in, and slowly, Callie's smile began to fade. She wanted to ask if he was serious, but the look in his eyes rendered that unnecessary. After several seconds, she muttered, "Oh..."
Suddenly a heavy tension filled the room. Whether it was her expression or her lack of a response, Liam seemed to guess that this wasn't going to go how he had hoped. Looking away from her, he said in a low voice, "You don't have to say anything. It was just an idea."
Still gaping at him, she stammered, "I... You... fancy me?"
Attempting to sound casual, he explained, "We get along well, I thought perhaps there might be... potential."
The trainee's heart was pounding in her chest. She had not been expecting anything like this from him. They'd known each other for years and he'd never once shown any romantic interest in her. "But you fancy me?" she repeated. "You would date me?"
He appeared to regret asking her out, his cheeks reddening as he kept his eyes averted from hers. "I wouldn't be opposed to it," he said. "But we don't have to make this a whole big thing. If you're not interested, I understand. I'm not going to try and pursue you."
"Wait a minute," she spoke, holding her fingers to her temples. "You wouldn't go out with Katie Bell because she was too young for you, and I'm a year younger than she is." Liam was currently thirty-eight.
"She was nineteen at the time," he argued. "Not even out of her teenage years."
"So? It's not like there's a world of difference between nineteen and twenty-one!"
"Why are you shouting?"
"Because I... I don't know!" In a somewhat calmer tone, "I'm a little caught off guard, is all." The both of them fell quiet, and Callie brought her hand up to her mouth, chewing on her thumbnail. After a moment, she asked, "How long have you fancied me?"
He didn't answer right away, but leaned back against a work table and folded his arms across his chest. Finally, he explained quietly, "I've always been attracted to you. I wasn't going to act on that attraction; you were barely of age. I was disgusted with myself. I tried not to let myself entertain the idea of you and I together, but..." He shook his head to himself, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Every time we met would be the highlight of my day. Still, I told myself that I was too old to go after a woman of twenty." He paused, before going on, "But ever since you came here... all the time we've spent together, I..."
He trailed off, and Callie prodded, "Yes?"
Standing up straight and facing her, he sighed and said, "I find myself... falling completely in love with you."
Her pounding heart now seemed to have stopped beating entirely. All she could do was gape at him, open-mouthed, all coherent thought suddenly lost to her. What felt like an eternity of silence passed, before she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I... um..." she mumbled, bringing a shaky hand up to her head.
When she didn't go on, he said, in little more than a whisper, "I know you don't feel about me the way I feel about you. But if there's a possibility you ever could..."
Tears were beginning to form in her eyes when she spoke again. "I wish you would've told me this a long time ago." She was dying inside, having to break his heart. She really did like him, always had, and if he'd have confessed his feelings for her at a more opportune time, she was certain she would've been receptive to his advances.
"What would've been different then?" he asked.
I would've been single, she thought. But what with Snape's God damn gag order regarding their relationship, she'd been telling everyone who asked that she was unattached.
"Look, if it's because I'm your superior-"
"No, that's not it," she cut in. "I just..." But she didn't know what else to say, and threw her hands up to her face in exasperation. "Ugh! Christ, Liam, you really had to say all that?"
"I said I'd understand if you didn't want to get involved, and we could've ended it right there. But you kept on prodding me and I..." Again, he paused, shaking his head to himself. "I know I'm too old for you. And I know I've probably just destroyed our friendship. But I didn't want to go on wondering if I could've been with you if only I had let it be known that I wanted to."
A teardrop fell from Callie's eye, and as she wiped it away, Liam asked, "Are you crying?"
"Yes, I'm crying!" she snapped.
"Why?"
"Because you just told me you love me and that being with me is the highlight of your day, and I'm not in a position to hear that! All this time you've been attracted to me and you waited three years to let me know?"
"So what difference does it make that I'm telling you now? Are you involved with someone? Because I asked if you were seeing anyone and you said no. That was only a month ago."
She kept quiet for a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. "I lied," she finally said. "I am seeing someone."
To that, Liam scoffed. "You don't have to make up excuses, Callie. If you don't want me-"
"It's not an excuse! If I wasn't already involved, then..." Then she would've been thrilled to hear the words he'd just spoken. He had a great personality, he was a brilliant healer, they had fun together, and he was, admittedly, a very good-looking man. She could've fallen for him, quite easily, if her heart didn't already belong to someone else. "I really, really wish you would've said something sooner." Dropping her eyes to the ground, she concluded quietly, "But you missed your chance."
Another silence fell, and she waited for him to walk out. But instead he asked, "Have I?" She looked up at him, and he went on, "Who is this bloke? How long have you been with him?"
Apparently he thought he could compete with her mystery lover, but she told him, "It isn't a casual thing, Liam. You can't steal me away from him, if that's what you're thinking."
The healer wore a defeated expression on his face. "Does he know what he has? Does he truly appreciate you?" Coming closer to her, he elaborated, "Your brilliance, your heart, your fire?"
There was an intensity in his words that took her back. She wasn't completely unmoved by his praise for her - "I would fall for that, too," she'd told Manda - but even so, she replied, "Yes, he does."
They held each other's gaze, and the sorrow in his eyes was devastating. After a good twenty seconds, he bowed his head and muttered, "Good to know."
Following that, neither seemed to know what to say. The awkward silence was horrific for her. "Lee, I'm sorry..."
He ran a hand through his hair and said, "You don't have to be sorry. I shouldn't have put you in this position." Backing away and reaching into his robes for his pocket watch, "I've got to get back on the ward." And finally, "I... apologize, Miss Warbeck."
The formality with which he'd addressed her said it all - there was no way they'd be able to go on as normal after this. As he made his way out, she had the urge to halt him, but what else was there to say? Once he was gone, she let the tears fall freely, and exclaimed, "God damn it!"
Rejecting her friend had been painful enough. Now she had to go home to her boyfriend and pretend that another man hadn't just told her he loved her.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
She wasn't ready to return to Hogsmeade and face Snape. It had taken a while for her to calm her shaking limbs, and now she was sure there was guilt written all over her. What she needed was to talk to somebody about what the hell had just happened, and the one person she always ran to for support was the only one she couldn't go to now.
But her second choice of emotional support people wasn't far away, and she apparated right to the door of his flat. "'Hey!" Neville greeted with a happy smile.
"Hey." She took in his appearance - he was donned in a dress shirt and sport coat - and remarked, "Look at you, all spiffy."
With a note of self-consciousness, he explained, "Im and I are going out tonight. Special occasion, it is. An anniversary."
"For what?" Callie asked.
The man had developed a habit of scratching at the nape of his neck when he was feeling bashful. Doing that now, he said, "First time we said 'I love you.'"
In spite of her current state of mind, she failed to suppress a grin. "Oh, you are so much the cutest," she teased.
He stepped aside to let her in, and asked, "What's going on? I thought you were going to come down on Sunday."
"Well, I... needed some last-minute best-mate time." Shaking her head dismissively, "But never mind that. I didn't know you had a special, lovey thing going on."
Just then, Imogen came out of the bedroom, dressed in a short, sparkly red number. "Oh, hey, Callie!" she greeted.
"Hey, there, doll," Callie replied with a nod. "You look hot."
"Thanks." The woman came to stand beside Neville, hooking her arm through his. "We're going to this posh little French restaurant in Mayfair. Thought I would glamour it up for the evening."
"Right," the other said. Backing up towards the door, "I'll... let you to it, then."
"No, wait!" Neville called out. "You said you needed a talk. Is anything off?"
Attempting to sound casual, she replied, "It's really no big thing. Please, I don't want to keep you from your celebrations."
But he argued, "You're not keeping us, we've got all night." Turning to Imogen, he asked, "Do you mind if we have a couple minutes?"
Quite honestly, she did look slightly disappointed, and Callie bit her bottom lip, feeling a bit like an unwelcome intruder. "No, it's fine," Imogen said, unhooking her arm from his. "Far be it from me to get in the way of two best mates."
She wandered off to wait in the sitting room, and Neville set his attention on Callie. "So," he said, "what's going on?"
Glancing towards the other woman, she whispered, "Can we... go somewhere to be alone?" He threw on a coat and the two of them headed out for a walk along the block.
"All right, now, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me what's up."
Her mind was so frazzled, she didn't know how to begin or what information to leave out. After a moment, she said, "Liam Winslow fancies me."
Neville took that in, looking somewhat surprised but otherwise unbothered. "The healer?" he asked. She uttered a small noise in acknowledgement. Pondering the news, he asked, "How do you know? Did he tell you?"
With a sigh, she replied, "He told me he loves me." Based on her best friend's expression, this was considerably more shocking.
He was quiet for a moment before he exclaimed, "He said he loves you? Bloody hell, Cal, that's a little bit more than a fancy!" After a pause, "Are... are you and he...?"
"No," Callie said, as if that should've been obvious. "I had no idea he felt that way about me. Never made a single pass at me in all this time, then all of a sudden he's making this big declaration of love!" Shaking her head to herself, "Merlin's sake, I wanted to disappear. It was awful!"
Furrowing his brow, Neville asked, "What was so awful about it? A little old for you, he is, but-" he shrugged "-seems like a decent enough bloke, from what you've told me."
"He is decent," she agreed. "He's charming, intelligent... easy on the eyes."
Neville waited for her to go on, but she didn't. "What's the problem then? Good-looking healers declaring their love for you isn't your thing?" His teasing smirk was met with an eyeroll.
"Yeah, that is sort of every girl's dream," she conceded, before her face fell. "But it's not that simple."
When she didn't explain, he guessed, "Is it the age difference?"
She shook her head. "That wouldn't bother me."
Trying again, he asked, "Is there a rule against students and healers getting involved with each other?"
"Actually yes, but I don't care about that either."
"Well, what's so complicated?"
The fact that she had a relationship going with somebody else, and not the dreamiest of eligible healers could sway her from the brooding, misanthropic, stubborn jackarse that was the man she loved.
Coming to a halt and taking a seat upon a stone wall, she sighed and said, "I wanna tell you something, but... I need to know that I can trust you to keep it between us. You absolutely can't tell anyone. Not Hermione or Harry or Imogen - nobody."
He joined her on the wall, setting a comforting hand on her thigh. "Merlin's beard, Cal, you know me better than that. You really have to ask if you can trust me?"
Keeping her eyes on the ground, she replied, "Just wanted to emphasize the point. I'm not ready for everyone to know about this."
She didn't go on, and Neville studied her with a pensive expression. After a moment, he asked in a tone of complete sincerity, "Are you about to come out to me?"
She looked up and gaped at him, exclaiming, "What? No!"
"All right, I'm sorry," he said, holding his hands up defensively. With a shrug, "It would've made sense in the context of the conversation."
Grinning despite herself, she rolled her eyes and reminded, "You know I only have eyes for the guys."
"Then what's this secret you want me to take to the grave?"
For a moment she merely chewed her lip and debated whether breaking the code of silence was really in her best interest. But she was starting to grow very tired of hiding one of the most significant aspects of her life from the people she was closest to.
Sighing once again, she finally admitted, "I'm seeing someone."
Neville did a double take, appearing more surprised by this than by Liam's confession. "Wha-?" he stammered. "Why am I just finding out about this now?"
"Well, he's a private person and he didn't wanna shout about us."
"But you couldn't tell me? I'm not just anyone, Cal, I'm you're best friend!"
"Yes and I wanted to tell you right from the beginning, but-" She cut herself off and took a breath. "Like I said, it's not so simple."
He took that in and asked, "Do I know him?"
Hesitantly, and avoiding his eye, she replied, "Yeah, you know him." He used to be your Boggart, she thought.
As she wondered who he might've had in mind, he went on, "Who is it?"
Here it is now. No going back. She met his gaze, and a beat of silence passed before she said, "It's Snape."
For a moment he simply sat there with a blank expression, but as he processed the words, his eyes widened a bit and his mouth fell open. "Sn-Snape," he echoed flatly.
Her only response was a quick little lift of her brows as if to say, Yep - believe it or not.
Still gaping at her with a look of unadulterated bewilderment, he repeated, "Snape?"
Callie was torn between worry and amusement regarding his reaction. "Aye," she muttered.
He looked away from her, still open-mouthed, then looked back and asked, "Severus Snape?"
All she did was nod her head.
He got quiet and thoughtful a moment, and then, quite surprisingly, began to chuckle. "Oh, bloody hell!" he exclaimed with a shake of his head. "You're putting me on. Who is it, really?"
"I'm not playing around, it's Snape. Seriously, now."
The amusement in his face fell away, and once again they were both silent. Neither her current boyfriend nor her ex had ever been shy about their mutual dislike for one another, and a wave of anxiety flooded the woman as she wondered how accepting the latter would be of her relationship with the man who'd once made his life miserable.
Before she could say anything, he rose to his feet and practically shouted, "Merlin's mother-loving beard, you're dating Snape?!"
"Shh!" she warned, glancing around at the passers-by. "Christ, don't announce it to the whole of Britain!"
In a somewhat lower voice, he asked, "When did this happen?"
"Last spring," she replied, guilt coming over her for keeping it from him for so long.
Looking incredulous, he said, "You've been carrying on with him for... what, a whole year, and you're only now telling me about it?"
"Nine months, actually," she corrected, as if that made any real difference. "And I haven't told anyone. Except for my mum." After a pause, "And McGonagall knows too, but that's it."
"McGonagall knew about this before I did?"
"That wasn't my fault, it was Snape that told McGonagall."
He raised his eyes skyward and sighed to himself.
Callie continued, "I've wanted to tell you for so long, believe me. But he's got this weird thing about people knowing personal stuff about him. And I know you don't like him and he treated you horrendously in the past, but..." But I love him. And I love you, too, so please be okay with this.
For several seconds he stood with his eyes locked on hers, and she couldn't decipher what exactly was going through his head. To her relief, however, he rejoined her on the wall, though he was shaking his head to himself as he said, "I knew he fancied you. Didn't I tell you in seventh year?"
Oh, damn - she'd forgotten all about that. "He didn't fancy me then. Trust me, it took a lot of time and effort to get to where we are now."
Neville pondered all he'd just been told, then shut his eyes and furrowed his brow as if in pain. "Christ," he muttered, "I've shared a woman with Severus Snape."
To that, a chuckle burst from her lips. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but..." Stifling herself, she finished, "Sort of look as though you wanna kill yourself right now." She was happy to see that he had a slight smile himself. "So... aside from the fact that I've kept you in the dark about all this..." Rather nervous to hear his potentially unfavorable answer, she concluded, "...what do you think?"
She gave him time to mull it over, and eventually he looked up at her and asked, "Is he good to you?"
Without hesitation, she replied, "Yes. Very."
It was probably a strain for him to imagine Snape being good to anyone, but he accepted her response and moved on. "Are you happy with him?"
"I am."
They held each other's gaze, and she guessed that he was searching her eyes for any hint that that was untrue. If anybody felt that she deserved nothing less than a man who would go to the ends of the world to give her all she desired, it was him.
"Nine months, you said it's been." With that in mind, he finally asked, "Do you love him?"
She felt a little bit shy about expressing this to the only other person she had ever been in love with, but replied, "I do."
He took that in, bowing his head in thought, then said, "He knows I'll kill him if he ever hurts you, right?"
A wide smile spread across her face. "I'll let him know."
He, too, was grinning. "Severus Snape, of all people." It seemed that he still couldn't quite believe it. "You never cease to amaze me, lass."
They stood up to head back to his building, and Callie asked, "So we're all right, then? You forgive me for being so tight-lipped?"
With a shrug, he said, "Don't worry about it." Then, repressing a smirk, "Suppose if I was boffing Severus Snape, I wouldn't want that to get out either."
Such a dig at her beloved was met with a playful shove. "You wanker!"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Author's note: As always, comments/reviews/feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to know what you think of this story so far. Thanks for reading! :)