NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Twelve

       Calypso was fascinated by California and America the moment she entered the country. It was the first time she had ever been out of the country and she made sure to tell Remus all about it because he had some sort of fascination with America.

        The first thing they did when they arrived in America was introduce Calypso, Ophelia, Rania, and Astrea to Alex's family. He had four sisters and his parents were a nice old couple that stuffed Calypso's belly full with snickerdoodles. She was fascinated with Muggle life and they even introduced her to a talking picture box called a television! There were also moments where her mother would take it upon herself to randomly try to enter Calypso's mind because she wanted her daughter to 'always be prepared'. She was becoming a lot better at Occlumency at an extremely fast rate and Calypso was thrilled by how naturally it came to her.

        "I think it's down this street." Rania said, looking up at the names of the different shops as she and her daughters walked through the strip. They had taken this thing called a "taxi" further into the city because Rania wanted to find the store that her old friend from Hogwarts, Phoebe, owned. "Oh, here it is!"

         Rania pushed open the door of the clothing shop and the bell dinged over their heads. Calypso peered around her mum and saw a few people trying on various different dresses. The shop was decorated with bright colors and funky pictures on the wall. Rania's face brightened when she caught sight of a woman with dark hair who was wearing some sort of funky hat and had measuring tape thrown over the back of her neck. Her fingers made quick work of a needle and thread as she helped a customer pick out some clothes.

       "I'll be there in a second!" The woman called before she glanced up. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell into an 'o' shape before she let out an excited scream, tossing her things down. "Rania Krane, I can't believe it!"

        "Phoebe!" Rania rushed to her friend and wrapped her up into a hug. When they broke apart, the pair of them were buzzing with excitement causing Ophelia and Calypso to exchange an amused look with one another. "And it's soon-to-be Rania Hawthorne now."

         "Oh, I read your letter. You're going to have to tell me all about Alex and congratulations on the baby," Phoebe poked Rania's belly teasingly. "Speaking of kids, are you going to introduce me?"

           Phoebe's bright eyes landed on Ophelia and Calypso. Rania let out an 'oh' sound as though she had completely forgotten the girls were there.

          "Phoebe, these are my two daughters, Ophelia and Calypso. Girls, this is Phoebe Catriona. She and I were best friends during school. Your dad actually introduced her to her long-term boyfriend, Pallas. How is Pallas these days?" Phoebe's brightness seemed to dim a little.

           "Oh, Rania, I guess we really haven't had the chance to catch up since I left England." Phoebe frowned. Rania stared at her with a confused expression. "I thought Icarus would've told you, but Pallas passed away about a year and a half ago."

          "What?" Rania gasped, covering her mouth. "What happened?"

        "Dragonpox. No one was expecting it, least of all us . . ." Phoebe frowned deeply before her eyes began to dart around the room. "My daughter should be around here somewhere. I'd love for you to meet her. She reminds me a bit of him. I think she's going to be the same year as Calypso when she goes to Hogwarts."

        "Hogwarts?" Rania questioned, the shock from finding out one of her old friends was dead still on her face. "I thought she was going to Illvermony."

       "Oh, she was." Phoebe said with a tight smile. "But, we're moving at the end of the month to get a fresh start. There she is . . . Karma, come here!"