❧ ᴏғ ʜᴏɴᴇʏ & ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ

Miles seemed entirely too relaxed as he approached the source of the sound. Calliope on the other hand still had her wand held at the ready. These woods were far too unsettling to not be prepared for the worst. Then her partner pulled back the foliage of a bush and revealed the fattest ferret Calliope had ever seen.

“Barmy old codger!” She jumped at the sudden sound. Or perhaps the shock had been from the vulgar language the animal was throwing at them. Even after years in the wizarding world, Calliope found that she still had the capacity to be surprised every now and then.

“Barely made it out with my life, there,” Miles deadpanned. She glared at him.

Perhaps she had overreacted a bit. But in her defense, they were in what closely resembled the Forbidden Forest—which had always given her the creeps—while on the most dangerous mission of their lives. She was bound to be a bit jumpy.

“You can’t blame me for being overly cautious,” she grumbled, reluctantly putting her wand away.

“A Jarvey,” Miles explained. “I’m guessing the Windscar’s had one or two to defend the home from gnomes.” He had picked the creature up by the scruff of its neck while he spoke and examined it before settling the thing back into the dirt.

The animal looked vaguely familiar, but care of magical creatures hadn’t been Calliope’s favorite class by far. She’d done well enough, but hadn't spent much time thinking about it once exams were over.

“Thank you for the lesson, Professor.” Calliope mimicked his monotonous tone.

“Harmless, unless you have a shit ego. They can only speak in insults.”

“You better take cover then,” she muttered under her breath, though the forest was quiet enough that the surely heard her.

Her partner began to walk again only to be trailed by the creature. The Jarvey had seemingly taken an interest in the boy. Miles looked less than thrilled by his new entourage.

“Aw, it must think you’re its mum.” Calliope joked, eyeing the little thing. “I can see the family resemblance.”

It was marginally reassuring to have seen another living thing in these woods, as there was something incredibly eerie about walking and not hearing or seeing a thing. Then she had an even more chilling thought. Perhaps that had been intentional. Perhaps the creatures of the forest learned to be silent for a reason.

Calliope rubbed her arms, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the bite of the air. “Not to rush your special ferret time, but I’d like to get out of this forest tonight if at all possible.” She gave Miles and his new companion a wide berth as she walked past.

The two resumed their trek, only it seemed they had grown into a party of three as the Jarvey stuck close to Miles’ heels, harping insults all the way. Calliope was surprised it stuck with them the whole way, but she didn’t mind—she was actually growing fond of the little creature. If only because it said what she was thinking any time it hurled one of its quips at Miles. It was rather therapeutic. Though she had to admit, she was growing more and more nervous that it’s incessant chatter would draw the attention of something a little less harmless. The last thing they needed was an Acromantula crawling out of the shadows. She might have been a Gryffindor, but her bravery went out the windows where spiders were involved.

It was also bloody freezing. Calliope had lost count of the number of warming charms she’d cast on herself over the last few hours, and yet she was still keeping her jaw locked in an attempt to keep her teeth from chattering. So when Miles suggested they stop for the night, while hesitant about spending it within the confines of this damned forest, she’d nearly sagged with relief.

Her back ached as she shrugged her backpack off. Though she wouldn’t dare say as much. She didn’t need Miles thinking her any more of a liability than he already did. And Calliope knew she’d get used to the weight. Get used to the walking and the cold. Would hopefully get used to her partner’s morose presence.

She pulled her tent out of the pack and cast an erecto charm. In a matter of moments the canvas lifted into the air, constructed itself into the correct shape, and pinned itself down with a handful of stakes. Calliope popped her head inside. She’d managed a minor undetectable extension charm, with the Order’s permission, on the object before setting out to meet Miles. Though the interior of the tent was modest—nothing resembling some of the luxury camping tents she’d seen advertised—it was cozy. It was reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room, which was to say, it reminded her of home.

Upon entering, there was a small sitting area with a couple of chairs, a heaping of pillows and a maroon and gold rug. The sight of it made Calliope’s heart squeeze within her chest. She wished she hadn’t taken for granted all of those nights with her friends in the common room. There was also a set of canvas curtains that revealed a cot behind them, and a wood-fired stove against the side wall. On the stove top, sat a kettle. Calliope grabbed it, two mugs and bags of tea, before emerging back into the cold.

Miles had set his tent up in the time she’d slipped into hers, and she found herself curious as to what it looked like on the inside. Wondered if, like hers, it was cozy and warm or if it would remind her of what she’d heard the Slytherin common room was like. Cold. Dark.

“Aguamenti,” Calliope murmured, a stream of clean water pouring from the tip of her wand into the kettle. She then tapped the metal object—having gotten rather good at wordlessly casting the water heating charm—and poured the boiling water over her tea leaves. She didn’t pour one for Miles, merely left the empty mug next to the kettle—he could take it or not, but it couldn’t be said that she wasn’t at least trying to be friendly.

She sat and pawed through the options for dinner as her tea steeped. Which were few. And she knew they needed to ration as there was no telling how long this journey would take them, or how often they’d manage to find a town safe enough to restock. So Calliope settled on a granola bar and her tea—though she did toss a few pieces of jerky toward the Jarvey who was now sniffing around their makeshift campsite. She didn’t have the stomach for a proper meal anyways. The forest set her on edge. As had leaving Nox and her family behind. The uncertainty of the path before her was enough to throw Calliope into a panic. She’d never been a spur-of-the-moment type, and this mission was already taking her out of her comfort zone.

Her hands wrapped around the warmth of her mug as she leaned against her backpack. It wasn’t how she normally took her tea, with milk and a heaping of sugar, but it was warm and soothing—a comfort she would not take for granted.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a care of magical creatures type. You scream defense against the dark arts.” She’d said it with a hint of levity, though it was true. Their care of magical creatures professor had been kind and empathetic and warm—none of which were words she would use to describe Miles Hawthorne.

“Scurvy Braggart!” The Jarvey yelled. Though Calliope wasn’t sure at who its insult had been hurled.

“My thoughts exactly,” she quipped, taking a sip of her tea.