The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter 16: Platform 9 3/4

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The Kind Hufflepuff - First Year
Chapter Sixteen: Platform 9 3/4
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Cali had promised Regulus the weekend before that she would see him at the station, so she had decided to find Sirius on the train, holding his hand as he took in incredibly shaky breaths. He had been incredibly pale though he tried to mask his fear through happy smiles and lazy jokes, talking to his group of friends like he was not terrified about what was going to happen when the train came to a stop. At first, Bertie wanted her to sit with his group of friends, believing that their family might view positively that they left the train together but when he recognized the underlying fear of the small first year Gryffindor, he backed off.

The red train had rolled to a stop, Cali picking up Bas as she dragged Sirius off the train as fell into a silence. They scanned the groups of family as they left, watching as small children craned their necks in an attempt to lock eyes with their older siblings, as mothers smiled brightly at the prospect of being with their children once more, and of fathers who stood silently. Surprisingly, it was not her own family that Cali had recognized first but rather the boy that looked remarkably like her friend that was clutching her hand in a death drip. She knew he had caught sight of his family as well, based off how his entire body tensed and his grip on the girl somehow tightened.

"Are you ready?" Cali asked, her eyes soft as she glanced at the boy and hoped that the Black family would not notice them before he was ready as he steadied himself and she watched as his grey eyes steeled themselves, trying to become prepared for whatever was about to happen.

"I've never understood how you could do that," he finally mumbled.

"Do what?"

"Understand, be compassionate. Your family love each other even if it can be rough around the edges."

Cali nodded, her eyes scanning the area to see if she could catch sight of her father. "I understand the pureblood expectations, the beliefs that one is better than the other. I do not understand the abuse, but I do understand the attempt to condition somebody into believing the same thing as them." Cali explained, her smile widening as she caught the excited gaze of Regulus. "I hope you're ready," Cali sang, dragging the boy behind her as she rushed towards the younger boy.

"REGULUS!" Cali squealed once she was closer, slowly letting go of the Gryffindor's grip, hugging the boy that was still taller than her despite being younger. "I'm so happy to see you," Cali whispered into the boy's ear.

"We saw each other every week through the fireplace," Regulus laughed as she sighed.

"Yes, but it wasn't the same."

Finally, the pair let go of each other, Cali looking behind the boy to see Walburga and Orion Black, watching the pair's reunion with a judging gaze though surprisingly made no move to stop the pair from greeting each other.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Black, I hope you've had a good year," Cali greeted, smoothing out her skirt as she straightened her back.

"Hello Miss. Higgs," Walburga smiled.

"How are your studies?" Orion asked curiously as the young girl shrugged.

"I've been doing alright."

"Only alright?" Regulus exclaimed. "Cali here managed to transfigure a desk into a pig!" Regulus replied, boasting about his friend, causing the girl to smile shyly as she nodded in agreement. She almost smiled excitedly when she noticed his lip twitch, an impressed look crossing his features.

"Oh yeah, Squealer was following her around everywhere. Say Cal, where is he? I was under the impression that the creature was coming off the train with you," Regulus muttered, his excited demeanor dimming when he watched the light in her eyes extinguish at the mention of his name.

"A fellow student chose to reverse the spell," Cali muttered quietly causing the boy to pull her into another hug.

"I know you really loved him, I'm sorry," Regulus offered. She offered him a kind smile, her eyes darting towards Sirius who was standing behind her, completely silent as he kept his eyes trained on the ground.

"Sirius has been really impressive. He's been telling me that he's excelling in History of Magic, Defense, and even Transfiguration," Cali attempted to fix the situation though immediately regretted the choice when she watched the eldest Black family tense up at the reference, glancing towards their son like it had been the first time they had seen their eldest son.

"Too bad he's not keeping in touch with his family," Orion practically growled. "Walburga has been devastated by your lack of communication and Regulus here hoped for months that you would send an owl. You even ignored our owls that were sent on your birthday," Orion commented, his voice angry and clipped. Cali's eyebrows furrowed with this revelation, turning towards Regulus with a questioning gaze who simply shrugged noncommittally and frowned.

From then on, there was an air of intensity as nobody dared to say another word. Regulus held onto her hand tightly, worried about what was going to happen the second she disappeared as the young girl searched for her family silently. It was not long before Bertie Higgs walked up to the small family, his confused gaze trained on his younger sister. "Have you seen them?" He asked the younger girl curiously once he had reached the group as she frowned, shaking her head.

"Did your family not inform you?" Walburga Black interrupted the pair, confusing them as they shared a look. Her lips were pursed, her gaze bored as she stared at the pair with a clear lack of interest with the situation going on and appeared to simply be trying to make sure that they all look elegant, like they were better than everybody around them.

"Inform us of what?" Bertie answered for the pair.

"Ethel and I have been discussing the winter arrangements and figured that the pair of you coming to stay for the summer would be beneficial, especially considering Calista's relationship with both of our sons and your favorable sorting."

"Calista's spending the winter break with us?" Regulus asked, his eyes hopeful as his grip loosened on the girl and watched as his parents smiled adoringly at their son.

"Calista and Bertie are both spending the break here along with their family."

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A/N: Honestly, originally I was going to have Winter break just be one chapter but then I realized if I did that, I would be glossing over everything that happened and what happens during this break decides what happens later. If I gloss over this break, her relationship with the Black family will feel weird. Additionally, I want this break to give you guys an insight about Cali's future.