The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter 37: Howler

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The Kind Hufflepuff - Year Two

Chapter Thirty- Seven: Howler

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The last week at Hogwarts since the big exile had caused more things to happen than Cali had been prepared for. She knew to expect her father to reach out relatively quickly after the incident, but for some reason she hadn't considered the other ramifications that would result in the status of Blood Traitor. Her brother, thankfully, hadn't received the same title had been gaining sympathy for having such a filthy younger sister but she had been hounded almost on a 24/7 basis. The status of Blood Traitor had apparently created open season for the Slytherins, and the only thing that they seemed to be hunting was her.

She had tried to talk to Regulus a handful of times, but they had always been intercepted by another Slytherin forcefully dragging the boy away. She never heard what the Slytherins were telling him, simply hearing the hissing lectures that they spewed as they escorted the first year from the Hufflepuff. She truthfully hadn't expected such an exile from the Slytherins simply due to the conviction of Lucius Malfoy, failing to understand his influence on the house.

"Quit moping," Greta demanded, rolling her eyes as she stood over Cali's bed who had refused to attend the last two lessons of the day.

"Father is livid at me, Bertie is avoiding me, Regulus isn't allowed to speak to me," Cali cried into her pillow. Cali had been correct in the conclusion that her father would be livid that his youngest child had been labeled a blood traitor, the howler that she had received earlier in the morning proof enough of this. She had recognized the owl that had dropped it immediately, having searched the owls for days in preparation for the moment and had taken the letter so quickly and without thinking that she forgot to even give the owl a treat.

The letter hadn't given her a chance to open it willingly before it tore itself open and began to scream. "CALISTA HIGGS, YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY. LUCIUS MALFOY HAD BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO PROVIDE CLASSES TO MAKE YOU A RESPECTABLE MEMBER OF THIS FAMILY AND YOU HAVE SQUANDERED THE OPPORTUNITY. EXPECT CONSEQUENCES WHEN YOU RETURN FROM CHRISTMAS," before the letter ripped into small pieces and covered the Great Hall table, silence overwhelming the Great Hall who had all stopped to listen to the angry letter. Cali Higgs did not say a word as she calmly stood from her seat and left, not even glancing over at the Slytherin table to see how Bertie had reacted to such a letter.

"What if he uses an unforgivable?" Cali whispered so quietly that Greta had barely heard her.

"Do you think that's what he was referring to?" Greta asked, confused. "It's illegal. He would never do such a thing on a child," she assured the girl, though Cali didn't really believe her.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Cali whispered to her, before thinking back to last Christmas break and standing up. "I need to find Sirius," she declared.

"I'll come with you!" Greta beamed, but Cali immediately shook her head.

"Don't..." Cali mumbled. "I need to talk to him about something personal."

"I know everything about you," Greta dismissed.

Cali nodded in agreement, "You do. But you don't know everything about him."

With that, Greta allowed the girl to leave, and Cali headed towards the Great Hall where lunch was being served and immediately headed over to the Gryffindor table to the group of boys that sat in the middle of the table as they laughed and hunched over to the middle of the table. She always thought they looked like they were planning some huge secretive thing, like they wanted people to be envious of their relationship. "Hi," Cali mumbled, trying to catch the attention of the four boys.