August 7, 1979
"I say," a voice came from behind her. "As much as you've been avoiding me, I never expected to see you in such a public place. Alone."
Calandra took a deep breath and slowly turned. She looked her father in the eye and set her jaw. She looked up from the back room of the small bookstore. There was no one there except the two of them. Damn. She shouldn't have come here alone, but she didn't really expect him to show up at a muggle bookstore.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Is it too much of me to ask to see my only child?" he countered.
"It is when you've made it clear you don't care for me in any capacity other than the societal gain I could give you." Calandra raised her chin.
Johnathon White glared at her. She saw the fury simmering behind his eyes. His fists clenched and his mouth set into a thin line, before his face settled into cool indifference.
"I'll get right to my point." He said. "I've been extended an intriguing offer; quite lucrative if I can come through."
"Good for you." Calandra said. "I'd say I'm happy for you, but that would imply that I care."
Johnathon gave her a frosty smile.
"Oh, I'm sure you will." He said. "You play quite the role in it."
"Like hell I do." she spat. "You have no hold on me anymore."
Johnathon took a measured step up to her.
"We both know that's not true. How else could I find you here?"
Calandra swallowed.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Your cooperation." Johnathon quipped, tapping his wand against a bookshelf.
Calandra didn't speak.
"I know you've been off playing vigilante with that rag tag group of yours. Quite unbecoming of you, when you could've been at the right hand of one of the most powerful forces in the magical world."
Calandra scoffed. "Avery is hardly the most powerful force in the magical world. I'd go as far as saying he's borderline squib."
"Evan Avery is quite the wizard," her father contradicted. "But he isn't to whom I am referring."
Calandra's blood ran cold. No. Johnathon didn't choose sides. He sat on fences and paid off both parties. He wouldn't be caught up with You-Know-Who. He didn't like getting his hands dirty. Johnathon straightened his cuff link and glanced at Calandra, lazy and unhurried.
"The Dark Lord has expressed interest in expanding his ranks." Johnathon crossed his legs at the ankle. "He was extremely interested to hear of what you are."
She didn't move. She was frozen in place. She should run.
"He was most sympathetic to hear of how I, a pureblood wizard, was taken advantage of by a monster. He was quite impressed when I told him of her demise. It proved to him that I had the strength to overcome that sort of weakness. That magic truly is might."
Calandra's blood boiled. Her mother; a monster. What a lie. Her mother wasn't the monster, he was.
"The Dark Lord is being gracious enough to grant you a private audience."
Calandra mutely shook her head.
"He's very intrigued to see the depths of your magic."
"No!" she said, finally finding her voice.
"No!" she repeated. "I'll never. You'll have to kill me, because I'll never join them."
Johnathon placed a hand in his pocket and stared at his shoes for a moment. His fingers moved beneath the fabric and he looked up at her with an evil grin.
"That can be arranged." He practically purred.
She bolted for the door, but Johnathon jerked his wand through the air sealing the door shut. Calandra shot an arc of red light through the air and busted the window. She swung up on the ledge just as her father laughed and flipped something up into the air from the palm of his hand. His wand flicked forward and the small object flew through the air towards her.
Her mother's wedding ring landed on her collar bone but didn't fall to the ground. She reached a hand up and clawed at the ring, but it wouldn't budge. Her father moved closer to her.
"I took the liberty of placing a sticking charm on that little memento." He said. "I thought you'd like to keep it with you."
She clawed at the ring; shoved her wand up to it and cast loosening charms and releasing spells but they didn't work. She watched as it glowed faintly, and her eyes grew round. Her heart skipped a beat. Her father laughed and waved his wand toward her.
"Enjoy your trip." Johnathon said as a jolt of light sent an electric shock through her wand and up her arm. She felt a tug behind her navel.
Calandra whirled through the air, struggling to pull the ring off of her. She grasped her wand and tried to pry the ring off. The tugging behind her navel faded away and she found herself in the air, falling quickly.
She looked around her as she plummeted. Water, everywhere. He meant for her to drown. She tried to cast a floating charm on herself, but her wand wasn't working. She desperately looked around as the water rushed up toward her.
A lighthouse stood on a small outcrop of rocky island a few miles to her right. She knew exactly where she was. Her mother loved that lighthouse. She felt stinging pain as she plunged into the icy cold water, her nerves crying out at the freezing temperature. She kicked her legs and thrashed her arms about, trying to kick to the surface.
Her head broke through the waves and she took a deep breath. Almost immediately she was pulled back under the waves. She had to stay above the surface. Calandra kicked and kicked until her nose was above the water. She tried to cast a nonverbal floatation spell, but her wand felt dead and heavy in her hand.
Her teeth chattered and she choked. She should've learned to swim, should never have given him this power over her. She kicked and struggled but her arms were already growing weaker. The water was too cold. She'd never get out. She coughed and sputtered as she broke the surface again.
A large bird dipped down and dove into the water. The movement triggered another image in Calandra's mind, and she drew up all her strength and kicked as hard as she could. He raised her left hand out of the water and focused on her mother's smile.
"Expect-" her voice gurgled as she went under.
Calandra kicked and struggled to swim. A wave tossed her up and she broke the surface. She gulped in a breath and focused her mind. Happiest memory. Happiest memory. She shouldn't have thought of him, but she did. Sirius making Alice laugh flashed through her mind. She lifted her hand out of the waves.
"Expecto Patronum."
A silver wolf shot out of her palm and as she went under. No! She waved her arms and forced her legs to move. As soon as her mouth was above the crashing waves she choked.
"Lighthouse. Broom. James. Pleas-"
Then she was back under. She flung her arm to the side hoping that it would send the patronus away. Her limbs were getting heavier. The water was so cold. Her brain told her legs to kick, but they weren't cooperating. She flailed her arms about, trying to stay above the growing waves, but they sucked her under again and again.
Her nose burned and her throat ached from coughing up the freezing saltwater. She could feel her heartbeat in her head and tried to focus on moving her arms with every beat. She felt herself slipping under the waves again, her limbs too heavy to push her upwards now. She fought to lift her head, to try to keep her nose above the water, but it was no use. She was numb. She couldn't force herself to move. This was it. She'd never get out, never see Alice again.
Calandra sank below the water's surface. The waves crashed against her and spun her under the water. She opened her eyes once more, trying to see something, anything that would help her. But there was nothing there. She held her breath, but her lungs burned with the need for air. She felt her head go dizzy and opened her mouth, gulping for air. She choked as water filled her lungs. It hurt so much more than she thought it would. Her world started fading away. Blackness crept along the edges of her mind, as she drowned in grey water. The last thing she felt was a jerk to her arm.
...
August 7, 1979
"Come on, White." A voice spoke to her from somewhere far above.
A sharp ache in her chest set her mind ablaze with pain. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs were on fire and her head was numb.
"Come on." The voice rang through her head. It was familiar, the voice.
She tried to open her eyes, but her thoughts weren't connecting to her body. Was this a dream? Her chest ached and she felt another stab of pain. Her lungs burned. Something warm pressed against her frozen lips.
"Come on, Cals. You can't do this. It'll kill him." The voice was louder now.
Calandra felt like she was going to throw up. Something pressed down on her and water tore through her throat, stinging her nose. The burning in her lungs was replaced by a dull ache as they drew in fresh air. Something rolled her to her side, and she coughed up more water.
"Thank, Merlin." A voice washed over her.
She couldn't force her eyes open. Her arms were heavy, and she couldn't even feel her legs. Her head swam and she just wanted to go to sleep. The voice was talking to her, but the roaring in her head was too loud. She couldn't hear what the voice was saying. She felt something wrap around her arms and heard a popping sound. She felt herself being jostled, then laid back against a wall.
A wash of warmth ran over her, helping the ache in her throat but making her arms tingle in pain. The warmth faded away quickly and the voice said something else. Her arms tingled again as something warm settled over her, but the feeling soon left. Over and over she felt like someone was putting a blanket over her, then cruelly yanking it away.
Calandra felt herself being lifted and then set down on something hard. Soft drops of water fell on her, warm and soothing. Her head lolled to one side, landing on something very soft. Whatever it was, was pulled out from under her cheek and she rested her head against something smooth and cool. Rain poured down on her head. It felt hot against her cold skin. She just sat there and let the rain wash over her. She felt like she'd never truly get warm.
Pain cut through her mind when she felt something pulling and pushing on her legs. Something was kneading them, and it burned. She hissed in pain and fought to open her eyes. Her fingers tingled and burned. She begged it to stop, her mind pleading with the thing holding her to stop; please stop. The voice said something, but the pain didn't stop. The voice kept repeating the same words over and over as the pain grew and grew and grew until all she saw was white; blinding white. Calandra sat there and burned for what felt like an eternity.
Slowly; agonizingly slowly, the pain receded. She could finally form thoughts through the ache that settled over her whole body. Calandra focused on opening her eyes. On making her eyes listen to her brain. Her eyelids felt so heavy as she pushed them open. Everything was blurry and her eyes burned. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She could make out a figure in front of her when she opened them again, but it hurt to keep them that way. She clenched her eyes closed, trying to give them some relief. Open your eyes, her brain said. She blinked. The pain wasn't as bad. She blinked again and again. The figure in front of her cleared.
A man had one hand on her foot, rubbing in painful circles and the other hand clutched his wand as he pointed it to her knees and thighs, muttering something. Rain dripped down his face, weighing down his hair in a slick helmet against his skull.
James?
She almost didn't recognize him without his hair sticking up in every direction. Why was he hurting her? Why were they in the rain? Was he Imperiused? Calandra twitched, frightened, and James jerked his eyes up to her face. He wasn't wearing his glasses.
"You're ok!" he said dropping her foot and grabbing her shoulders. "You're going to be ok!"
Sharp jolts of pain ran up and down her legs. She lifted her arms and found that she could barely get her hands to her knees. Her head pounded, the pounding getting louder and louder with every second, like footsteps against her skull.
A door flung open somewhere with a loud bang and the sound of it felt like it split her skull open. Why did everything hurt? Where was she? She heard voices. James was talking to someone. Someone with a soft voice. A voice she knew. She opened her eyes to two new figures. A tall man and a shorter woman. The woman turned around and sat next to her. The woman was dry, but the rain was pouring over her head, soaking her hair. She had such a pretty face.
Calandra felt herself smiling as her eyes started to close again.
...
August 7, 1979
The sound of voices arguing woke her. Calandra opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her entire body felt like she'd been hit with a stinging hex. She was incredibly sore, and she felt something pull in her shoulder when she tried to sit up.
"No!" a voice came from behind the closed door. "Don't you dare. After what he did-"
"That isn't fair!" another voice protested.
Calandra slid off the bed and padded across the room. She pushed the door open and saw Alice standing toe to toe with James Potter. Frank was trying to push between them. All three looked up at Calandra, where she stood in the doorway.
"What are you doing up?" Alice demanded. "Get back in bed."
Calandra rolled her eyes and said, "I'm fine, mum."
Alice turned and came to Calandra. She grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
"What were you thinking? Going there alone, with no protection. With them out there! After what happened!"
Calandra couldn't say anything. She wasn't thinking when she went out. She'd just been trying to get through the days. She'd just been trying to survive. Trying to survive her loneliness and survive run ins with Death Eaters. She looked up and saw James looking at her anxiously. He'd come.
She looked back at Alice and said quietly. "You can scold me as much as you like later. I'll sit through it all and agree with everything. But I need to talk to him right now."
"No." Alice shook her head resolutely. "Absolutely not. You've finally started eating meals again, I'm not letting you run off-"
"No. I meant James." Calandra interrupted.
Alice stopped and Calandra could see the wheels turning in her mind. At last she nodded and walked back to where the two men were standing. She leant close to James and whispered something, then strode out of the room with Frank following her. James wouldn't look Calandra in the eye.
She just stood there; her throat felt thick with the thanks she couldn't choke out. He'd come. He'd gone out to the freezing ocean on a broom with nothing but a vague cry for help and he'd gotten her out of that deathly water that the blasted portkey had sent her to. Even after everything.
She looked down, suddenly, to her chest; expecting to find the portkey still attached to her skin. On her collarbone was a neat bandage. She started to peel it up when his voice stopped her.
"Don't."
She looked up to find him staring at a point over her shoulder.
"Not yet. It needs to heal more." He said.
"You got it off?" she asked.
"Slicing charm. I couldn't pry it off or anything. The dittany needs a little longer to properly heal it."
She nodded.
"It was the only way." He went on. "I'm sorry. It started to glow as soon as I got you out. I didn't know where it would take you."
She nodded again.
He finally looked at her. Looked into her eyes and scanned her face. His eyes seemed dead before, but now were almost shining. He took an unsteady breath and shoved his hands down in his pockets. They both started talking at the same time.
"Thank you."
"I didn't think you were going to make it." His voice carried across hers. Words kept spilling from him, as if he couldn't stop them.
"You were limp on that broom, practically dead when I pulled you out of the water. Then when I finally got you breathing, I still didn't think you were going to make it. You were ice cold." His shoulders slumped with the admission. "The warming charms weren't working, and the shower didn't seem to be helping and I…I just…I didn't think you were going to make it."
"Thank you." She said. "For coming."
His shoulders jumped up with a breath of laughter. He shook his head.
"You really think I wouldn't have?" He asked.
"I knew you'd try. But after everything that's happened, you didn't have to. You didn't even know if I was still on your side. It could've been a trap." She pointed out.
James crossed his arms.
"You'd die before you'd join the Death Eaters." He said.
"Yeah, I think I just proved that." Calandra quipped.
James ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes.
"I'd never let you just die out there. You're practically my sister, Cals. You saved my bloody life in that alley."
She nodded.
James looked at her like he wanted to say something else, but never spoke.
"Thank you." she said again. "I'll never be able to thank you enough."
James nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"Next time we go flying, let's do it somewhere other than a freezing ocean, yeah? Far away from the Russian border, maybe somewhere tropical."
Calandra rolled her eyes and laughed.
"I hear Australia's lovely this time of year."
James laughed and turned to leave.
"How did you know?" she asked. "How did you know which lighthouse?"
James turned back to her and gave her a long knowing look.
"I didn't know you knew." She whispered.
He paused with his hand on the knob.
"You know, Cals. If you ever need anything, I'm always here to help."
Calandra nodded, a bit confused at his sudden change of subject, and watched him turn the knob.
Alice came back in the room and marched through the other door to the bedroom. Calandra sighed and followed her friend, preparing for the lecture of the century. She rolled James' words around in her mind as Alice told her off for her for being so irresponsible.
"You can't do this. It'll kill him."
"If you need anything, I'm always here to help."