𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 [𝐑. 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧]

𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐄

Song:
Good old fashioned lover (Queen)

Dear Callisto,

I hope you are doing fine in your new school. We didn't use to talk that much outside school, but I feel like after what you did for me, I can call you my friend. Truth is, I'm not doing well. All my old friends have abandoned me, people I don't even know call me a slut and even the professors give me these dirty looks whenever I pass by. The only person standing with me right now is Nicholas, yet I can't help but feel that he's only doing this out of obligation. Either way, he's been good to me; better than anyone in this hellhole. Your potion has really been helping me. You didn't ask for your usual payment, but I hope that I'll be able to thank you properly some day. After all, it's my fault that you got expelled in the first place. Anyway, I can finally sleep with no trouble at all and I've been talking to a muggle therapist about it twice a week after school. She says that it's going to get better with time as long as I try to be positive and surround myself with people that don't bring me down. It's hard, but I'm going to figure it out. I owe this much to you and to myself.

Love,
Antonia.

Callisto folded the paper, placing it back in its white folder and looked up to the board. Emilia Collins, the new DADA professor had already began explaining a detailed outline of this year's syllabus and even though the blonde had tried to keep up with the ridiculous amount of information the short woman was throwing, her mind was already struggling to connect names to images. If she was being honest, choosing DADA for her N.E.W.T.s was a poor decision and she didn't even understand how she got accepted in the advanced lesson, but it was too late now. Besides, DADA was a core subject and almost every job in the Wizarding world demanded a standard knowledge on it. It was like Math, only that DADA was even more nonsensical.

"We will also be revising different topics you've studied before throughout the previous years to refresh your memory. More specifically, we will cover werewolves, vampires, boggarts, defensive spells, counter curses and the three unforgivable curses. Taking into consideration the possibility of a war, the ministry has instructed that all of you learn how to resist the imperious curse. Of course, since this is a very sensitive topic for many wizards and witches, if anyone objects to this particular section of the course they will not be forced to participate. Nonetheless, I encourage you to think of it as a good opportunity to become stronger."

"Are you going to do it?" Narcissa whispered, not averting her gaze from Collins.

"No." Callisto simply replied, feeling an uncomfortable feeling spreading in her stomach as images of what had happened last time someone mentioned practicing how to resist the imperious curse flowed in her mind. No, there was no way this curse was ever going to touch her again.

"I have no reason to do it, but it sounds an awful lot like extra credit to me." Narcissa drawled, dipping her quill in the crystal blue ink pot. "What can I say? I'm a whore for good grades."