NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Sixty-Three

Darkness.

      It was the only thing Calypso could recall experiencing during the time she was away. She felt as though she had been trapped in a never-ending abyss of darkness without any clue of what to do or where she was. Everything had felt so dark and so cold and Calypso wasn't entirely sure what had happened. There was a large hole in her memories and she couldn't offer Ted and Andromeda any answers as they allowed her to sit on the floor by the fireplace, silently sobbing with a blanket wrapped around her and a discarded cup of tea at her side.

       What did they do to her? And why would they just bring her back?

        Calypso could hear Ted and Andromeda whispering behind her about how they needed to write to Sirius and Dumbledore about Calypso's unexpected return, but the girl felt fear stab at her heart at the thought of having to face Sirius when she wasn't sure if she could even trust herself. So, when Ted and Andromeda turned their backs, Calypso took off running through the woods that she came through, barefoot and still sobbing.

        Calypso could feel that something was different inside of her, something stirring in the pits of her stomach, that caused her to have to lean against a nearby tree for support as rain drops slid down the side of her face. She looked up and stared directly into the pale face of Voldemort. Calypso let out a scream loud enough to alert Ted and Andromeda of her presence as she fell to the ground and brought her shaky hands over her face, preparing herself to be taken again.

        "Calypso, are you all right? What's wrong?" Andromeda's voice called out as she ran to crouch down next to the crying girl. Calypso peaked through her fingers and realized that there was no one standing in front of her. Voldemort hadn't actually been there at all and for some reason that made her sob even harder.

        She slept for what felt like days in the Tonks's guest bedroom until she heard a crack come from outside followed by a frantic banging on the door that let Calypso know Sirius and Dumbledore had arrived. She curled herself into a ball on the bed and brought her hands up to her ears to quiet the whispers in her head. She could hear these voices quietly calling out to her and begging her to pay attention to them, but she refused. She couldn't do it anymore. She was done.

        The door opened and a relieved Sirius appeared in the doorway.

           "You're okay," Sirius breathed out before rushing to her and wrapping his arms around her. Normally a hug from Sirius would make her feel a bit better, but, instead, it made her feel ten times worse. She wasn't the same girl she had been when she left. They had done something to her, but what? "I'm so glad you're okay. We were all so worried, we tried everything."

         Calypso wondered if that was true.

         Dumbledore entered the room, a grim look on his face as he stared at Calypso and she knew that he could tell something was different about her.

         "Sirius, would you mind giving Miss Krane and I a moment alone?" Dumbledore asked politely. Sirius agreed, though he didn't look particularly happy to oblige, and gave Calypso a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. Dumbledore shut and locked the door behind him, casting a charm so that Sirius wouldn't be able to press his ear against the door to listen in before he turned back to the girl. "What do you remember?"

          "Darkness." Calypso said quietly. "It was . . . it was cold and dark, but there were. . . things, dark creatures of all sorts that spoke to me. They told me such horrible things, Professor."

        "What did they say?" Dumbledore asked. Calypso's face contorted painfully, more tears welling in her eyes.

        "They told me that everyone I love is going to die." She whimpered. "James, Lily, Sirius, Dorcas, Marlene . . . they're all going to die because of Voldemort."