( chapter x. CAT AND MOUSE )

— 🌙 —

          When school returned, and Calypso had more time to reflect, she thought it best to put everything to rest with Birdie. The girl was her best friend, one she called her anchor and would share every secret with in a heartbeat if they girl asked, and she couldn't handle the divide between them. Especially since she was the one to place it there in the first place.

         Truly, she loved Birdie more than anyone and couldn't bear the thought of not being her friend anymore. It hurt, more than when she thought of losing anyone else. Her and Lee weren't exactly besties so it was easy to think of not having him there, although she found her life was much duller and lacked the laughter he brought to the table. And Angelina and Cho? Well, that hurt, a lot, but it had to be done. She wouldn't allow herself to be thrown around and used when they felt like it. She had more self-worth than that.

         So, when Calypso got on the train, she sought out her friend, hoping that she wasn't sitting with Angelina and Cho. Those wounds were still so fresh and, if she was being honest, she didn't really see herself being friends with them again. Maybe in a few months, but not at the current moment. They hurt her and she couldn't welcome them back.

         She got on with Maia, who turned to her cousin. "Are you sure you don't want to sit with me and my friends? We wouldn't mind, Cal," she offered.

         Calypso smiled at the younger girl, "No, really. I need to find Birdie and patch things up with her."

         Maia gave an apprehensive look before sighing, "You know where I'll be." Calypso didn't, not really, but she still nodded and the two parted. If she needed, she'd go looking for Maia later. She just hoped it didn't come to that.

         Starting to look, Calypso peered through the different windows of the compartments. Walking down the train hallway for a long time, she began to lose hope but then she found Birdie, being her natural self and completing the homework she was supposed to have done over her break. Smiling softly to herself, Calypso opened the compartment door, seeing Birdie's head snap up.

         "Calypso...um, hi," Birdie breathed, blinking as if to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

         She sat down opposite to the girl and smiled, "Hi, can I sit here?" It was always nice to ask.

         Birdie nodded rapidly before blushing, "I mean, of course you can. I just – I wasn't expecting company or anything. Thought you'd be off with others or on your own."

         "I kinda thought you'd be with Angelina and Cho," Calypso admitted back.

         "No," Birdie shook her head, "Angelina's sitting with others on the Gryffindor team to talk plays and Cho's sitting with Cedric Diggory. She wrote about it, making a huge fuss. So, well, I'm alone."

         "Well not anymore," Calypso said decisively, "And, well, I actually wanted to apologize."

         "Really? What for?"

         Calypso sighed, "I was overreacting before. I mean, of course you were still talking to them, they're your friends. I was just upset and that my own feelings get in the way. I shouldn't have done anything I did, especially afterwards. You didn't deserve any of it."

         "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too," Birdie said back earnestly, "I should've told you upfront instead of letting it become almost a secret. I just, Calypso...you're my best friend and I never wanted to lose you. Even more than them because you've always been there for me and I just wanted to do the same for you."

         The Black girl nodded, glad that her apology had been accepted and they could move past it. "So, how was your Christmas?"

         Birdie broke out into a bright smile, "It was amazing! So, my grandparents came to visit and got me this amazing necklace, only thing is it's super expensive and everything so I can't just wear it every day in case I lose it or someone steals it. But it's so beautiful, Cal! And when I say expensive, I mean so much so that my parents didn't even let me bring it to school!"

         "You have to show it to me when I come over to your house this summer," Calypso made her promise.

         "Um, of course!" Birdie agreed easily, "And we went and saw the Nutcracker a few days before Christmas and everyone was so beautiful and elegant. Like, I was getting so jealous of all the performers but they were absolutely amazing. I helped out at the shop, too. That was pretty boring but my dad let me go to the joke shop during my break sometimes and paid for me to get something."

         "Sounds like you had a great time," Calypso concluded when Birdie finished speaking.

         The girl nodded quickly, "I really did. How was your Christmas?"

         "Oh, great. My dad came over on Christmas Eve and we had dinner together. It was so great to see my parents together and having an actual conversation, not just like 'hey, here she is' before handing me over. And my cousins came over for Christmas and we watched so many different Christmas movies – of course my aunt brought a Disney one," they both giggled, "And I went bowling again with my cousins, even got my other one to actually come along. I spent a whole day with my dad near the end of the break which was nice, I haven't been by his house in what feels like forever."

         Birdie didn't know much about her family. Cousins and her aunt were left nameless because she didn't like dragging Nadia and Maia into everything, even if it was only with one person – and one who would never tell another living soul. Leo was mostly left out of it since the two were likely to never meet unless she got married, which was unlikely. Calypso never really liked the thought of marriage. Well, more like it never appealed to her, much like relationships. And Birdie was happy to just leave them nameless.

         Bridie rolled her eyes, "You said you spent a whole week there during summer."

         "Two, actually," Calypso corrected, "But that was only because Uncle Pads had just escaped and the media were ruthless when it came to surrounding our house."

         "Oh, my bad," Birdie mocked and the two girls started with their giggles again. "And how was bowling? Strike out again?"

         Calypso rolled her eyes, "Okay, first off, that was a baseball reference and bowling is nothing like that. And second, I actually beat my cousin, the one who took me the first time. We were all shocked, but his sister completely failed even though she had been bowling more than me."

         "Great job, we'll have to do something like that this summer," Birdie said, "I mean, not bowling, I don't really like it, but something like that. We don't really hang out together during the summer unless we're having a sleepover. That definitely needs to change."

         "Obviously," Calypso agreed without hesitation, "How about the Quidditch World Cup? It's during summer and I so wanna go see it."

         "Aren't tickets going to cost a lot of money? I mean, I'm not rich and neither are you," Birdie pointed out, "But, like, if that wasn't a thing, I'd totally say yes."

         Calypso slumped down in her seat, "I guess you're right. But it would be so cool. I'll see if I can pull any strings."

         Birdie nodded, opening her mouth to say something else when they heard laughing outside of the compartment and saw Angelina and Cho walking together. The Bishop girl looked back at her friend to see the sad expression on her face which she quickly went to hide. "Are you ever gonna talk to them?" she asked softly.

         Calypso bit her lip, thinking. "No," she confessed, "At least, not now. We were so close and everything, but you all alienated me with this huge secret. At least you still talked to me. Angelina completely ignored me, like the thought of being around me repulsed her. And it, well, it really hurt when she told me to leave her alone. And Cho didn't even try to reason with Angelina when it happened, she just nodded along.

         "They left me. Like, they really left me and stopped being my friend way before I actually pulled the plug," Calypso took a moment, "I mean, I still miss them. A lot. We were friends for years so of course it still hurts, but I lost them and I don't even know why. I think I'd be easier to let them go if I knew why, but I'm still in the dark. And-And I can't be friends with someone who treats me so poorly. I deserve more than that...right?"

         "Of course you do," Birdie was quick to agree, anger flashing through her eyes at the thought of Calypso believing otherwise. She was quick to defend her actions, loyal like always, "You are worth more than that. Cal, you are my best friend and I will buy you the world if I could because that's what you deserve. I had – I had no idea how far they were going to alienate you or anything, and you shouldn't just let them treat you like that."

         Calypso cracked a small, pitiful, and weak smile. "Thanks, Birdie."

         "Anytime. I mean, I can't go around letting my friend belief she's worth any less than that," Birdie smiled, placing Calypso at ease.

         It was true; Birdie was her anchor. And Calypso wouldn't have it any other way.

― 🌙 ―

         CALYPSO SAT WITH her Uncle Regulus in her dorm room, making sure that her roommates were gone and wouldn't be coming back for a long while before letting him in. The man crossed his arms, but Calypso didn't notice as she focused on her textbook.

         "Merry late Christmas, by the way," Calypso said in passing, "I just realized I never told you before I went home."

         The man clicked his tongue, wanting to say something else but played along for a minute. "Merry late Christmas, Calypso. Now, want to tell me why you've been talking to Sirius?"

         If she had a pen in her hand, it would've dropped, just like how her heart plummeted. Calypso looked up at her uncle gaping, speechless as she just looked at him. "Um, uh, y-you know?"

         Regulus nodded, "I caught him a little before you went home for Christmas. How come you never said anything?"

         "It's not my secret to tell," he opened himself to argue so she continued, "Just like how I didn't tell mum that you're here."

         "Damn, using my own wish against me," Regulus muttered, "No bother, but why haven't you gone to see him? He's informed me that you've stopped coming to see him and he's very upset by it."

         Calypso frowned, "Well, he shouldn't be. Not like he cares anyways."

         "What are you on about, Cal? Of course he cares," Regulus furrowed his brows in confusion.

         The teenager only scoffed, "Yeah, right. When I went to see him he only asked me about Harry. If he was safe and why I haven't bothered to become best friends with him. Like, I get that he and Uncle James were close, but that doesn't we are. And anyways, he doesn't know about the Marauders' true identities. It'd look wrong if I tried to befriend him, like I was leading him to his death and everything."        

         Regulus sighed, sitting down next to her, "He cares about you too, Calypso, not just Harry. You're his niece before anything."

         "And Harry's his godson, which somehow trumps niece," Calypso rolled her eyes, "Believe me when I say that every conversation landed back to him in some way. It feels like I'm the goddaughter and Harry the nephew. Which is totally unfair because I'm the one who got him food and informed him about everything happening around the school. And I'm the one who has been trying, very unsuccessfully but still trying, to get that damn rat to him so that he can kill him...in private. I don't wanna see any murder, I'm too young. But like, I'm the one doing all of this while Harry still thinks he's a killer, yet Uncle Pads seems to care about him more."

         "Have you ever considered that maybe he's doing this as a way to repay James and Lily? Because he couldn't say them?" Regulus remained calm throughout her whole monologue, offering another insight.

         "Yes, of course I did, but that doesn't change anything," Calypso sighed, "We share blood and I'm the one who hasn't alerted any professor about where he's currently residing here. I'm the only student here who doesn't hate him. Harry does. Harry hates me and thinks that Uncle Pads wants to murder him yet he still gets all the attention."

         "I think you just need to talk to him," Regulus offered.

         Calypso gave him an almost murderous glare, "I don't want to talk to him. I just wanna leave him in November. I'm turning over a new leaf this semester where I don't actively engage with anyone I might want to kill or makes me feel bad about myself, which means bye-bye Uncle Pads."

         Regulus still insisted on it. "He doesn't mean to, and he's your uncle. He does care and if you talked to him about it instead of just bottling it all up inside, he'd change. He'd make you feel cared for instead of ignored or second because you aren't. Come on, don't you wanna have a relationship with your uncle?"

         "I already have a relationship with my uncle," Calypso disagreed, "I have a great relationship with you and besides, I've gone all my life without Pads. I don't need him now."

         He closed his eyes and sighed, "But what if he needs you?"

         "Well tough luck, Try with Harry, not like he'd be opposed to that," Calypso bit back. She knew he was being dramatic, but her family choosing others before her hurt more than her friends. Valuing something more than their relationship hurt more when it came to her own blood.

         "Come on, please?" Regulus continued to beg, "I'll be there the whole time to regulate it."

         Calypso gave a stone cold like that resembled her mother's greatly. "No."

― 🌙 ―

         BUT CALYPSO WAS known to crumble under peer pressure, so, sure enough, she found herself back in the Room of Requirement that very same night, looking rather uncomfortable. Regulus stood behind her to ensure she wouldn't leave while Sirius was in front of her, shocked to see the girl.

         "Um, Calypso...hi," Sirius stumbled, blinking unexpectedly before glancing at his brother. Regulus didn't do anything.

         Calypso rubbed her arm as she avoided eye contact with him. "Regulus got me to come and see you."

         "That's, well that's nice," Sirius nodded, as if trying to assure himself, "Look, I'm sorry for what happened. It was – all of it was a train wreck and I. Well, you were right. I wasn't thinking about anything else."

         "Sorry I yelled," Calypso apologized kicking at the ground softly as she felt so out of place. She didn't like being there.

         "No, no. I needed someone to yell at me. Actually, multiple people to yell at me. Get my head out of my ass," the young girl cracked a smile at his last words. "Really, Calypso, you don't have to apologize."

         She looked at him. He still looked worn out, the effects of Azkaban still apparent in his physical state. Still too thin and the bags under his eyes, Calypso didn't think he had been sleeping much, there were probably nightmares plaguing him. She remembered when she was five, after what happened at her grandparents' house...the curse, the death, the pleading. She didn't want to think about it.

         "I know," she said finally after a tense silence, "I still feel bad, though. You didn't need that – not then. I was just, I was mad about a lot of other things in my life and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

         Sirius nodded, "I understand."

         Regulus smiled and stood forward to give Calypso a side-hug. "See? Now was that so hard? I swear everyone in this family are just too stubborn to do any of this."

         Calypso rolled her eyes, "It wasn't stubbornness that kept me away from here. It was...other reasons."

         "Oh? You mean the reasons that you promised me you'd tell Sirius when we got here?" Regulus innocently questioned, knowing full well what can of worms he was opening. Calypso wanted to punch him in the gut, but refrained. She didn't exactly want to hurt him or anyone else, even if the option did sound appealing.

         Sirius looked at the pair confused, "What are you two talking about? What do you need to tell me?"

         Calypso shook it off, subsequently taking Regulus' arm away from around her shoulders, "It's nothing, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Really, Uncle Pads, don't worry about it."

         "You are not getting out of this so easily, young lady. You promised me you'd tell him and we are not leaving until you do just that," Regulus sternly said.

         "I have classes tomorrow – I need to sleep sometime," Calypso disagreed.

         "Sleep is for the weak, Cal," the younger brother waved the excuse off, "Now talk."

         She gave him a glare, pouting slightly as she let out the childish, "I hate you."

         Regulus cracked a smile at that. It was nice to be reminded that innocence did exist in the world – in their family. "I love you, too." Neither would admit how nice it was to hear and admit it. That phrase wasn't one commonly used in the Black family. Never has.

         "Come on, Cal, what do you have to tell me?" Sirius returned them to the original topic, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

         She gave a small nod of acknowledge at that, but doubted she would ever put it into practice at a later date. For some reason, telling her uncle all her problems seemed too weird.

         "Do we really have to do this tonight? I'm feeling kinda tired and I still need to finish up some Transfiguration," Calypso tried to push it off only to receive a less than pleased look from Regulus.

         "Nope, now start talking," Regulus reiterated.

         Calypso sighed, admitting defeat, "I just, I don't know. It's just, Uncle Pads, it's felt like you favor Harry over me. Like, you always ask me about him and make me feel bad for not trying to be his friend even though I don't want to."

         "I never meant to make you feel that way," Sirius quickly said, "I was just – I was just, I don't know, a way to see the Marauders in the next generation."

         "Well, I'm not a Marauder. I'm not known for pranking people like the Weasleys and I'm definitely not known for landing myself in detention all the time. I've only been in detention twice – twice. And Harry isn't just James, he's more than that and he has his own friends. We aren't you guys. If you want to see the Marauders now just look at the twins – they're more like you and Uncle James than the two of us could ever be," Calypso said earnestly.

         Sirius nodded and she really hoped that he was actually listening to her words, not just trying to get another word in. But he seemed to reflect on it for a moment and that was enough of a sign for Calypso to know he was giving her his full attention. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little out of touch with the world."

         "And that isn't your fault," Calypso told him, "But I just, I felt ignored. I'm the one who was helping you before yet all your efforts seemed to be about him. Everything revolved around Harry and I was just, I was forgotten which hurt because I'm your niece. And – And I heard so many great stories about you and you just seemed so different. You always seemed so unfocused...not, like, well, you've always been focused but never on just one person. You highlighted everyone in your life but now, in person, it seemed like Harry was the only one who existed."

         Sirius looked at her with such regret, "I'm so sorry." They had already apologized for so much, but that wasn't even half of it. "I didn't – I just, I'm supposed to care for him and I couldn't do that, I couldn't raise him like I was supposed to and I guess I was just trying to make up for that."

         She nodded. She expected that answer because of course that would be the answer, and it was one she couldn't bash or truly be hurt over. He didn't feel like he had failed Remelda or Calypso when she was younger, but felt that way about Harry – about James and Lily; his friends. It made sense as to why he would place so much priority on them, but it still didn't lighten the blow.

         "Okay, are we good now?" Regulus broke in, "This was getting too intense for me and I really thought one of you were about to start crying and I cannot handle tears. Like, at all."

         Sirius and Calypso cracked similar smiles and began to laugh. Soon enough, Regulus joined them. It was nice; it was Calypso with her family, everything light around them. It was a nice mix between the darkness.

         Their laughter soon came to an end and Regulus asked, "What are we gonna do about Peter? We only have this semester left and I don't think Sirius can just camp here over summer. Plus, ever attempt of us getting him over the first semester have failed."

         "Count me out of that," Calypso grimaced, "I can't. I know he needs to die, but I don't want to be an accessory in that."

         "Of course," Sirius comforted her, "You don't have to help with any of this, all I want is for you continue visiting me again."

         Calypso smiled, "I can do that, and I'll start bringing you food again. So you don't have to sneak around and get caught. Uncle Regulus told me how he originally found you and we don't need a repeat of that with someone who'll actually report you."

         Sirius nodded and Regulus said, "I'll help you with that rat. They call it a cat and mouse game for a reason."

         She stifled a laugh at the joke. It was nice to have this weight lifted from her shoulders.