ii. THEY'RE IN LOVE
( chapter two )

     The rest of the train ride was uneventful.

     After Cal retreated back to his compartment—his hands empty of any chocolate frogs, but his mind high on the knowledge that he had actually talked to Remus—he received a proper smack down from Carmen. She lectured him on why it was necessary that she get sustenance, that she needed food to survive and that he should be ashamed for letting the last of the chocolate frogs "escape from his grasp." When Evan cut in by saying that chocolate frogs could barely be considered food, Carmen turned the full brunt of her attack on him. It was fun to watch and not be on the receiving end of her chaotic-ness for once, but Cal turned his attention back to Remus Lupin.

     As per usual.

     It wasn't as if he could help it, though. That was the first real conversation they had ever had. And what a glorious conversation it was. Cal couldn't get over the feeling of having Remus' eyes on him, on just him. His heart raced, his muscles tensed, his eyes fluttered. It felt like an orgasm, but only the best way possible. His brain acted like it were on cloud nine during the whole event—because that's what it was, an event. The first of many milestones in their long and arduous love story.

     Cal wanted to scream, to shout, to tell the whole world that Remus was already basically his so they could all fuck off. He wanted to interrupt Carmen and Evan's spat ( he was only half-serious about that, they could get violent ) and tell them that they could be a part of the bridal party, but only if they agreed to shut up for once. He would even make some concessions for Remus' annoying group of friends, he was that happy.

     He was happy because of Remus.

     If that was what being in love felt like, the constant state of happiness and that higher-than-life feeling, then by Merlin's saggy balls was he in love.

     Cal spent the rest of the trip dreaming about his and Remus' wedding, and the hot sex they were going to have after the reception, and before he knew it, the train was arriving at Hogsmeade Station. Carmen pulled him up from his seat, saluted him and took off down the corridor, flying past the other students. Cal watched her disappear within the crowd. He wanted to follow her, but he didn't think he would be able to keep up.

     Evan—lovely, helpful Evan—stayed back with him, helping him put Pepper back into her cage and getting down their trunks to make it easier for the workers. Cal made sure he did it every year after hearing about the poor house elves that were made to transport every piece of luggage into the student dormitories. Carmen never stayed long enough to help, but Evan, for some reason, always insisted on it. Which was weird, because Cal knew that Evan believed himself to be above those type of things. Whatever the reason, it was nice of him, because Cal's height wouldn't allow him to reach the trunks very easily.

     Just as they were about to brave the mass of students outside their compartment, Evan spoke.

     "Hey," he said.

     "Hey?" Laughed Cal, confused. Evan laughed, too.

     "I noticed that you were looking pretty distracted before. When Carmen was trying to explain why chocolate was a viable food source. Anyway, I was wondering if there's anything you want to tell me, now that she's gone?" He asked, raising a thick, dark eyebrow at Cal.

     "Um, no, not really. Can't think of anything," said Cal, feigning obliviousness. But internally, he was freaking out. Despite his urge to tell both Evan and Carmen about his crush on Remus, he didn't actually want to tell them. He didn't know how they would react, and nor did he particularly want to.

     "Well, it's just that you looked pretty distracted before. And I want you to know that you can tell me anything. You can trust me," Evan told him, earnest.

     And Cal did want to trust him with that piece of knowledge. The fact that he could burned within him, just daring him to say it: I like Remus Lupin! But his fear outweighed any want he might have had.

     "Yeah, of course. I know that."

     "I'm glad," said Evan. "Now, we should probably catch up with Carmen before she leaves the station without us."

     Cal agreed and they left, sticking close together as they moved towards the train carriage exit. It was compact within the small, narrow corridor filled with students, but eventually, after much pushing and shoving, they made it outside, breathing in the harsh, cold Scottish air. In the distance, beyond the cover of trees surrounding the station, they spied Hogwarts castle in the distance. Sharing a look, they smiled.

     It felt good to be home.

     The two navigated Hogsmeade Station until they escaped the crowd and headed towards the carriages sitting on the outskirts. On the way there, where they were hoping to find Carmen, Cal noticed Regulus walking by himself. His head was down and his shoulders were hunched in on him. Cal, who had always thought Reg looked handsome, had to admit that he looked worn down, like a stone that had been polished too many times. His tanned skin was wan and waxy, his usually combed hair sat in a heap on his head.

     "Hey, Reg!" Called out Cal, raising his hand to get his attention. However, Reg didn't respond or even look up. He just kept on walking to the last carriage in the line and hopped on. It took off down the long, winding path to the castle, and soon, it was a speck in the darkness. Cal's face twisted in confusion. Hadn't he heard him?

     "Are you coming? We need to find Carmen. It's getting late."

     "Uh, yeah. Coming," said Cal distractedly. He didn't even realise that he had stopped.

     Shaking off Reg's weird behaviour, and chalking it up to his shout not being loud enough, Cal started walking again.

     The path they took was almost entirely devoid of other students. There were a few standing by a large pine tree, bundled up into a small group and chatting like they hadn't seen each other in a year. Which, considering how long the Summer holidays had felt to him, was partially true. Not including them, however, there was no one, and the forest at that time of night seemed even eerier. Cal thought he could hear the buzz of the station in the background, but he wasn't sure.

     When they located Carmen and the carriage she had secured them, they found her leaning over the side of it and chatting up Adonis Parkinson. She was playing with her long brown hair, her fingers intertwining with the dark locks, and her eyelashes fluttered every few seconds. Cal, who knew she only acted like that when she liked someone, was exceptionally confused.

     It seemed to be a reoccurring theme that night.

     "Oh, Carey! I didn't know we would be having company," said Evan, the sarcasm evident in his voice. Cal giggled quietly at his comment. When Carmen turned her glare, which had been set on Evan's face, to him, he brought up his hand to disguise it as a cough. Her eyes told him she didn't buy into his bullshit.

     He smiled.

     Carmen turned her eyes from him back to Evan, and impossibly, they sharpened even more. "Shut up, Evan. You're just jealous."

     He guffawed. "How could I be when I have the love of my life right next to me?" He asked.

     Cal barely noticed what Evan said. He was too busy trying to understand what had happened with Reg. But when Evan pulled him into his side, pressing obnoxious kisses into the side of his blond head, he snapped out of it.

     "What?"

     "Didn't you hear me, darling? I just called you the love of my life."

     "Shove off, Evan," said Carmen, frustrated. Cal was still reeling from everything that had happened within the span of a half hour. "Anyway, Adonis was just leaving. Weren't you?" She demanded, looking at Parkinson.

     "Yes, of course. Have a lovely night, Carmen. Rosier. Axton."

     Parkinson was off the next second, not sparing any of them another glance as he manoeuvred around the carriage and off to a group of seventh year Slytherin boys.

     "What was all that about?" Asked Cal, moving towards the carriage. He hopped on and settled into the seat opposite Carmen. Evan followed him up, sitting close enough to him that their thighs were plastered together, his arm draped around Cal's shoulders. "And why did you say I was the love of your life?"

     "He said that because he's an idiot, obviously. And what was what about?"

     "That little thing you were doing with Parkinson. Since when were you two close?"

     Cal couldn't recall any instance last year when Carmen and Parkinson had talked. Or at least, any instance where he had seen them talk.

     "We're not close," she said. "He was just asking me about something."

     "Asking you about what?" Said Evan. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously on Carmen. She was fidgeting with a loose thread from her school jumper.

     "Something. Can you drop it?"

     "Fine, fine," drawled Evan.

     In the mood to be an arse, or maybe just plain bored, he turned his head to look at Cal, his pink lips pulled up into a smirk. He leaned forward, and because he was taller than Cal, he had to tilt his head down slightly so that his eyes glinted in the streams of moonlight coming down through the trees. "And I said that you were the love of my life because it's true."

     There was a pause.

     Then, raucous laughter.

     The trio took their seats at the long Slytherin table in the Great Hall, laughing and whispering absurd insults under their breaths. Cal laughed particularly hard when Carmen said that "out of every bird in the world, Evan would be a rooster because he never shuts the fuck up." As the two sniped at one another, Cal grabbed a pitcher of water from the middle of the table. He didn't bother asking his friends if they wanted any and poured his glass as well as their own. They wouldn't even hear him, both too caught up in trying to one-up the other.

     Seeing as he was still holding the water, Cal asked the girl, Sarelle Middleton, next to him if she wanted any. She declined, polite as any Slytherin girl was expected to be in public. He popped the pitcher back on the table, sighing. Dumbledore wouldn't be beginning his speech for a while—students were still coming in through the Entrance Hall—his friends were too preoccupied by their argument to talk to him, and he didn't fancy making small talk with the people around him.

     So, with a defeated expression, Cal let his chin drop into his cupped hand, his gaze drifting lazily over the heads of random students. On instinct, his eyes flitted over to the Gryffindor table. Whenever he came into the Great Hall he made it his mission to find Remus among the sea of faces. They were some of the only moments when he got to look unabashedly at Remus without anyone noticing, or Merlin forbid, calling him out on it. It's not as if they could. To try and pinpoint exactly where he was looking would take a lot of effort, and he doubted anyone cared enough about where he was looking to bother. That was completely fine with Cal, because it meant that there was nothing stopping him from drinking in Remus' beauty.

     Too bad it didn't turn out that way.

      Cal was unable to find Remus by the time everyone except the first years—Cal wished he could be able to see his sister among them, for her sake—had taken their seats, even after dragging his eyes back and forth over the Gryffindor table for who knew how long. And before he knew it, Dumbledore was rising from his great, big chair with his stupid, ugly robes and walking up to the podium. The owl-embellished metal rose up to meet the Headmaster's fingertips.

     "I would like to offer a welcome to our new students on behalf of all of Hogwarts," began Dumbledore, "and to the students returning for another year, I say welcome back..."

     The speech, as it had every other year, droned on about new regulations on toys and pranks set by Filch, notices and clubs, and finally, an odd slew of words that wouldn't make sense to the most intelligent of the Department of Mysteries. Probably because it was all utter shit.

     Cal was aware, as was every other Slytherin, that Dumbledore didn't care for them much. He didn't know if it was because of their reputation or some old prejudice the old coot held onto from his time as a Hogwarts student, but it was there, slowly making life for Slytherins horrible. And that was what really pissed him off. Fine, let the other students be stupid and bigoted, but for their Headmaster—the man who was supposed to protect them from harm—to count himself among them? It made Cal roll his eyes hard enough that it almost hurt.

     Fuck Dumbledore and fuck Gryffindor. They could all go starve.

     Well, nearly all of them, thought Cal, his mind thinking back to his conversation with Remus. He's cool.

     "...and with that, let the feast begin!"

     "What?" Blurted out Cal, looking around wildly before resting his eyes on the mountain of food piled up in front of him. "Oh."

     "Yeah, 'oh,'" said Evan from his place beside him. "I swear that you've been spacing out more than usual. Are you sure that you're alright?"

     "I'm fine, don't worry," laughed Cal, picking up a form to stab one of the steaks to his left. When his fork pierced the meat and dropped it onto his plate, he could see the juices slowly leaking out and beginning to stain his plate. Cutting off a piece and stuffing into his mouth, he let out a moan without meaning to.

      He could die and have no regrets.

     "You look like you're going to start snogging your steak," he heard from the other side of the table. Looking up, he locked eyes with Carmen, her dark pools swirling with mirth.

      "You're not doing much better, are you, Carey?" He said, gesturing with his elbow to her half-demolished plate of food. There was a large, empty space stained with brown broth and the her mash potato pile had been polished off into to a small, meagre hill. It wasn't an odd sight to see Carmen finish her food that quickly, as she had always been the fastest of them, but it was still impressive.

     "Fair enough," she remarked, and they stopped talking so they could actually enjoy the food in front of them.

~

im legit so excited to get to the juicy parts already.

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that you're ready for some calmus interaction next chapter, lol