Home From Home [Calliope]

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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March 7th, 2028

There wasn't much time to do anything over the last few days aside from laying around and drying up her tear ducts. The tears were gone now, though the puffiness remained. The first day home she didn't even get out of bed, save for food when her stomach finally growled loud enough that she got scared thinking a troll had managed to find its way under her bed. After the shock started to wane and she realized she'd have to go back to school at some point, Shiloh decided to be show herself more. The main problem was that the mood was rightfully heavy, and every happy conversation seemed to have its energy sapped away instantly. Talking about magical creatures with Eli and Cal only went so far before they all remembered the reason for them being together. And now she felt so stupid for thinking that their mom had shown back up. That had been so cruel to ask Temp about.

Once her brain started going a mile a minute and everything about her future was being discussed (in regards to what her siblings had to do now that she was legally without a guardian), Shiloh needed an out. At at the very list for an afternoon. Asking Cal if she could visit her flat to see Beans the cat was the perfect excuse to escape. Her sister had been holding onto the feline for her because Hogwarts didn't allow multiple pets per students. With Squiggles the ferret, Baked Beans the cat had to stay elsewhere. Cal had taken up the offer since their dad would have never allowed it under his roof. She supposed that didn't matter now that he was dead. Now she was free to have as many pets as she wanted.

"Thanks again for letting me come over," Shiloh muttered for the third or fourth time since they'd apparated to Calliope's flat. She had only been a few times, but it always felt cozy. Far different from the constant bustle of Eli's shared living space, which was always hectic and had people running in and out of at every hour. Beans was curled up in her lap, thankfully not forgetting who she was since they'd last seen one another over Christmas. The soft vibrations of the purrs had relaxed her more than anything else the last few days.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

MARCH HAD BEEN AN INCREDIBLE rollercoaster and they were only seven days into it. Upon the third day of the month, while Cal was either working or spending time with Cara, Eli had discovered their dead fathers body. Since moving out and barely speaking to Temp aside from holidays and birthdays, Calliope never visited her family home. She hated being in her father's presence, for how he treated her since they were young and how he had worsened since her mother's disappearance. It was always awkward and tense. The two worst feelings for the metamorphmagus.

Following the news, Calliope's features remained dark. Eye colour was close to black while her hair took upon a deep shade of blue. She had experienced sadness before but nothing quite like this. Was she grieving? Potentially. But she didn't have a great relationship with her father. And truth be told, the guilt was eating away at her. For the last few years the Fleming wished it was him that disappeared versus their mother, that he would be the one to die first - that is if her mother was dead or alive. But upon Merlin's wishes it seemed everything she hoped for came true.

Hearing the news from Temp first, Calliope knew she had to be there and maintain a game-face. The one she would use to mask her everyday life as if things were normal. She had to do it for Eli, and especially for Shiloh. But with the funeral pending and everyone either on edge or grieving, Calliope spent most of her time at home. Her family home. She provided her reasons of absence for her apprenticeship and apologised for Cara for the lack of energy in not being able to see her. All she did in the last few days was wake up, visit the rest of her siblings and eventually find her way back to sleep after hours of doing nothing. Before slipping out in the middle of the night to apparate back to her own apartment.

Though, like any other day, today was a new one. The only difference was, she was putting in the effort to try and change how she felt by cuddling up with Beans and eventually Shiloh. Shiloh loved all kinds of pets, and the middle Fleming knew there was just a few years before the youngest Fleming would have a zoo of her own. But with Hogwarts' strict rules regarding multiple animals, Calliope took Beans in. He was quiet and always looked comfortable curled up on her couch, so the metamorphmagus never had a problem.

As Beans cuddled up to her sister, Calliope held her tea in her lap, smiling over at her sister. "You know, you've said that three times already?" She noted, trying to lighten some kind of mood, with a soft smile on her lips. "You're always welcome here..You never need to ask. Plus Beans misses you." She added, standing as she decided to make herself another cup of tea. "Tea? She offered.

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

sorry for the wait!

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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Repetition had frequently occurred these last couple of days. Her thoughts were scattered, hopping between memories and worries; from past, to present, to future. A runaway train of thoughts that led her to lose sense of the passing time. Shiloh knew it had been three days since she had been pulled from Hogwarts and told the news, but they all blended together from the moment she got home. Today was better overall though, despite apparently having told Cal she was happy to be here for the third time. Beans didn't seem to mind at all, a velcro cat that could finally be kept with her during the summer and breaks because her dad was dead and couldn't stop it from happening. She hated that such a premonition even crossed her mind to begin with, but it was true. Her pets meant everything to her, and Squiggles had managed to survive just as much trauma as she had somehow. She was pretty confident that it had been the house elves that had saved the pets of Hufflepuff and Slytherin though had never received proof of that. Either way, she was beyond grateful that he'd made it out too.

"I missed you too Beans," she said softly to the cat, just in time for it to chomp down on her index finger out of nowhere. Sucking air through her teeth as she recoiled from the sudden play bite, Shiloh inspected it to make sure there wasn't broken skin. She did not miss that though. "Please?" she responded to her sister's offer of tea, rotating her finger and still not finding any puncture wounds. "You're evil, you know that?" she teased the cat as it returned back to its 'sleep', the soft puts starting up once again. That was part of the game after all. Quick bouts of energy and sudden aggression. Beans treated her fingers like they were prey. Exposed toes were worse, and it only took one on target pounce for Shiloh to learn her lesson and wear socks around her cat. She supposed it was more a love bite than anything else, but it still hurt.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

SMILING BRIEFLY AS SHE ROSE from her seat, Calliope walked over to her small kitchen. Given that her home was a mid-size one bedroom apartment, the older Fleming enjoyed how close things were. Using magic to help her pull what she needed from the fridge and get the water boiling, Cal turned, her back pressed against the countertop as she watched Beans nip on Shy's finger. "He has a bad habit of doing that." Cal grinned, turning just in time to grab the two mugs that hovered beside her.

"Maybe its his way of saying he misses you, through bullying and tough love." She briefly turned to wink at her sister then, knowing that the tough love part was something they all once experienced from Temp. Their eldest sister had a way with words of course. Maybe it was from the joys of being the oldest. "So.." She began with a low hum, adding in milk and sugar to her own before lifting up both to shake in her sisters direction - questioning if she wants the same. "Aside from..everything of course..hows Hogwarts?.." Shy alongside Eli were the only two Fleming's who endured the true Hogwarts experience, and while Cal was genuinely curious, she didn't know what else to discuss. Maybe how their incredibly dead father died? No. Too much.

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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Biting was a habit now? Looking down at her kitten, it was hard to believe that he had a taste for human flesh. Hopefully something he'd grow out of, because she disliked having to use healing charms after every scratch and nibble. Even if it was a playful thing, it annoyed her. That could have just been the current circumstances talking though. He seemingly relaxed after the bite, and had no problem with getting pet now. Maybe it was just a reminder that she'd left him behind? Bringing a small cat to school wasn't exactly the smartest thing in the world. Plus she also couldn't really leave her ferret behind. Squiggles had severe separation anxiety if she was gone for more than a day or two. "He's tricky. Aren't you, Beans?" Shiloh cooed at him while scratching under his chin. If it wasn't for the biting, he was almost dog-like sometimes.

Keeping away from the reason she was even here in the first place was a good move on her sister's part. There would be a lot of discussing what happened now while she was home. Talking about school wasn't that much better, usually because she tended to give vague answers. Everything was almost always fine though. Her grades were good, never close to failing but also never at the top. And despite the weird back and forth between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts, Shiloh liked to think she had maintained healthy friendships over the last several years. Was it annoying to have every other year at different schools? Absolutely and she'd never recommend it to anyone. But it also wasn't her fault.

"Classes are fine. I've gotten used to the new campus already. It was sort of hectic in the fall with everyone trying to figure it out at the same time. But it's fine." She wished there was more important things to talk about, but not really much had changed since Christmas. Except one thing, which she had forgotten about until just now because of how recent it was. "Oh! I signed up to help tutor younger students. I don't know when that's supposed to start, or if I'll even be able to do it now...but yeah..."

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

CALLIOPE FLEMING WAS SURE THAT Beans' bites initially began because of her. She liked playing and teasing with him at times, when he was half awake or overly playful. The bites didn't particularly hurt, but it was a habit she knew she would eventually have to squash, especially when Shy would be old enough to keep him with her. "Tricky but cheeky. Just like most of us in this family." She grinned.

Knowing that keeping Shy's mind off of the real reason for the siblings to reunite was best, Cal felt a small smile creep up on her lips as Shy spoke about Hogwarts. She was the type to skip over most questions, keeping her answers fairly vague but given the circumstances, she was glad they could comfort and bond one another, even if it was over school. As the older Fleming sat across from the youngest, the metamorphmagus placed Shy's mug on the table in front of her, knowing that Beans would probably be annoyed with Shy's movements.

"That's good, it must of been a pain going from Ilvermorny to here, then back and now..back again.." Cal sighed then before sipping on her tea. She felt grateful that she had graduated already, but considering both Eli and Shy had to adapt to someplace new must of been equally terrifying and annoying. "Tutoring?" Cal repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Shiloh Fleming, you're actually willing to help someone?" Calliope asked, a hand raising to her chest as she feigned surprised.

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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Her sister’s comments on the cat being just another member of the family was scarily accurate. It definitely had to do with the way they took care of their animals, because Shiloh had noticed that her ferret was very similar at times. Occasionally playfully aggressive, most of the time chilled out but with an attitude that never seemed to go away. Squiggles was also a wiggly little creature, hence the name, so it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary she supposed.

Watching the steam pour off of the top of her mug of tea as Beans started to calm down in her lap, Shiloh listened to her sister talk. It was moments like this that made it seem like everything was back to normal. Like Eli hadn’t just found their dad dead on the ground a few days ago. ”It was. But it was also nice to be like, back to what feels normal, you know?” Explaining it was difficult because it had been a few years since she had actually been to Ilvermorny. After what happened to Hogwarts, it was a welcome change and felt nice to be able to re-explore her original school again.

”Well, I mean, I’m pretty decent with Potions so I figured the least I could do was help someone who wasn’t,” she said. It made a lot of sense in her head. ”Is it really that weird that I want to do that?” It felt like something she would do, so why not do it? And she had the time now that she was in LIFE. Less classes (and less difficult ones because she was taking what she wanted to now) meant she had the free time to actually sit down and tutor someone. Spending hours studying on her own was boring anyways. Giving assistance to those that needed it would also help reinforce the basics for her again as well. It was a win-win.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

MANY PET OWNERS AGREED THAT animals tend to fit the behaviours and attitudes of their owners. Thankfully but rather unfortunately for the Flemings, it was common for them all to have rather feisty animals.

Smiling small at her sisters reply, the older Fleming rose for a bit before getting herself comfortable on the chair. It was a habit for her to seemingly sit on her feet, an oddly comfortable position for her and the pets that loved to nap on her lap. "Mmm.." She hummed, taking a quick sip of her tea before she replied. "I guess but..don't you like Hogwarts?..Or is it just not the same?" Cal truly felt bad for all the kids that were roughly Shy's age or younger, they had a lot of hopping to do across countries simply because of matters that were way out of their hands.

Laughing quietly again, Calliope shook her head, the colours shifting between warmer tones. "No..You've always..wanted to help others even when you couldn't even talk as much." Reaching over, the metamorpmagus pinched at her sister's cheek then, sitting back with a wide grin. "I never took you for being a genius at Potions...But then again..we never discuss school...how is it then?"

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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”Hogwarts is fine,” Shiloh confirmed. ”I mean, at this point I’ve done more time here than at Ilvermorny. I could have stayed there too if I wanted. I just figured there was no point with all of you over here now.” Had most of the family stayed in California (or the US), then it would have been a completely different story. As far as she was concerned, this was home now. Shiloh couldn’t see herself ever going back to the US on her own, not with all of her siblings here. They had been uprooted once and she didn’t see any reason to reverse course again. Having one year back at Ilvermorny had sort of solidified that for her too. She did love it there, but Hogwarts was where most of her memories were now. For better or for worse. Not to mention all of the academic options it had now too. If she stayed at Ilvermorny, she was stuck to the normal seven years and that was that. At least here she could keep going further, which was definitely something she had been thinking about over the last few months.

Shiloh pulled her face away from her sister’s pinch, giving her a brief annoyed look that only another sibling could understand. ”I mean, I’m not a genius,” she waved off the compliment. ”Everyone at this level if pretty good at it.” But that didn’t keep her from thinking about potentially becoming a potioneer. It made sense to her in a way that some of her classmates didn’t seem to understand. She figured it was the same with no-maj that enjoyed math. Because realistically, who actually liked that? Since they were still on the topic of school, Shiloh continued, ”I might keep going for another year or two…it depends on what they offer. Probably do it while having a part-time job, you know? I just have to figure out what I want to keep studying first…”

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

STILL SIPPING AWAY AT SOME tea, Calliope watched her sisters expression carefully. Being a little different from her siblings, Calliope wore her emotions on her sleeve and her actual overall appearance. It took a long time for the middle Fleming to work on not showing her emotions very quickly, especially from the daily berating she received from their father.

As Shy spoke, Cal couldn't help but recall their memories from their time back home. Ilvermorny and the US overall. Of course, things were different back then, they were more of a happier family, and while settling into the UK was a struggle to begin with, the middle Fleming felt happy, knowing that her younger siblings were doing well in Hogwarts. Change and all.

Noticing the change in Shy's expression as Cal leaned forward to pinch at her cheeks, the metamorphmagus couldn't help but laugh happily, her eyes reflecting the change in emotion. "Still. Being good at it usually means..you're more..inclined to want a career in it." Calliope's brows rose as she lifted her mug, sipping at it once more. Calliope knew that all too well, especially since she loved all kinds of magical creatures, which of course resulted in her apprenticeship.

"You have time. No matter what anybody - especially Temp says. Don't rush your choices...You'll definitely regret it." Again, another thing Calliope knew all too well.

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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But being good at a particular subject didn’t mean she was absolutely, one hundred percent, committed to it, did it? Just because she had excellent Potions marks didn’t mean she was destined to enter a potion making apprenticeship straight out of school. What if she decided she hated magic and wanted to be an artist instead? Or to go into magizoology and use her artistic skills to do anatomical drawings? These were all what-ifs, ideas and dreams that seemed hopeful but never felt like they were real to her. Shiloh didn’t know what she wanted to do after graduating, thus the weird wishy-washy response of potentially continuing her education for a few more years. That at least bought her some time to really think about it. As it stood, she was thinking that going for an eighth, or even ninth, year for Potions sounded interesting. Or charms. Or enchanting. That was the real problem she was running into. Too many interests that she was good at. There had to be a way she could mix them all together and make a career out of it…

Shiloh frowned as Cal mentioned Temp pushing her into a career. Their older sister wasn’t like that with her. At least not yet. Yes, she’d seen the way the rest of her siblings interacted with one another. But Shiloh felt like she was omitted from that treatment. Things would inevitable change now though, so maybe there was still time to be subjected to it as well. ”I won’t,” she reassured Calliope. ”I’ll come up with a plan over the next few months and present it to her. Not that I think she needs it, but to show her that I’m looking at my different options seriously.” Again, she didn’t think Temperance would do that to her though.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

IN TRUE MIDDLE SIBLING FASHION, Calliope Fleming was the rational but..irrational thinker. For herself, most choices were set on her feelings and what lied within her gut. But for the sake and advice of others, Calliope thought it out more, and hoped she provided genuine advice. For her siblings, while she knew Temp would go through hell and back for them, Calliope's own kindness was different. Considering she had faced her own pain from her father and even Temp, she simply hoped she was seen as different compared to those two.

Noticing her sister's expression, Cal felt herself smile small. It was the same wave and notion of confusion she used to go through herself whenever her father would remind her of her skills and where she should put them into. Far from the interest and enjoyment of helping animals and instead doing something thats more practical. "You're still young Shy. You might even grow out of liking Potions." Noticing Shy frown, Calliope wondered what she had said to have garnered a response. Was it mentioning Temp?

"Next few months? You think Temp would bring it up so early?" Given their current situation though, with the passing of their father and all of these immediate changes, who knew when Temp was about to take charge, full steam and engines ahead? Finishing up her tea, the Fleming rose, before moving to the chair where Shy sat and squeezing down next to her, the same kind of comfort she would do when Shy was younger. "So tell me." She began, grinning ear to ear. "What else do you like aside from potions?" Shy probably knew what Cal was talking about, but the middle Fleming couldn't help but tease.

It was getting daunting, discussing the same thing over and over most days, discussing how they felt and moving past the awkwardness. So why not switch it up altogether? With her hair shifting colours to show off her mischievousness, Calliope laughed as Beans rose a little before settling himself again on Shy's lap, more comfortable this time. "Anyone special in your life?..That isn't Beans?"

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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Cal wasn’t wrong; there was always a chance that once she went through the extra years of study for Potions that she’d grow to dislike it. As of now, all she had was NEWT-level classes. There were tons of potions out there that she had never even contemplated making, if they were even useful at this point in time. From her understanding, as potionmaking and the general understanding of magical ingredients had grown over the centuries, so did the necessity for potions that targeted specific ailments. For something that was once a subpar catchall for illness, there were now dozens that zeroed in on ones like the common cold or the flu. Just like modern medicine did. Obviously a potion for a cold was going to work a lot faster than anything no-majs could make.

”I mean…I like drawing still. But there really isn’t much of a field for making that a stable career, right?” Shiloh knew where her talents were. If she wanted to have an actual job, it wasn’t going to be with drawing. She did occasionally get lost in sketching out ingredients she was supposed to be using for coursework and thought that she did a halfway decent job with those. Being an illustrator for Potions and Herbology textbooks had definitely crossed her mind before. Helping identify what was the correct leaf to throw in was absolutely necessary, as some were poisonous and others weren’t, yet they looked identical to one another. ”And I don’t know if she will,” she added about their older sister. ”Temp tends to bring things up when it benefits her the most to know. I don’t think that’s a bad thing…but it does feel like I’m put on the spot occasionally.”

And then Cal went and asked the question of whether or not she had anyone else important in her life. Where would she even find the time for that? ”My schoolbooks occupy up all of my life. You know that,” she sighed. ”I don’t know. I feel like its better to just wait and let it happen naturally. Isn’t that you did?” she asked.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ iif you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

HEARING THAT HER SISTER WAS still interested in the one hobby she was entirely intrigued in as a child, Calliope couldn't help but smile rather wide. "Who said that?" The older Fleming questioned, cocking her head in Shy's direction. "Drawing is a great escape sure, and there's been plenty of successful artists, even when they started from no where." But alas, she wasn't her sister, nor was her sister her.

Humming quietly about their older sister, Calliope sat up rather rigid. "You're..not wrong." She muttered in agreement, before she rose, making her way over to her sister. As she squeezed her way in next to her, the metamorphmagus squeezed at her sisters' arm before patting at her hair.

"No, I know. I just felt like annoying you a bit." She grinned, looking at her sister with a softened expression on her face, especially as Cara was brought up. "Yeah..we met a while ago now..and have been dating for a long while but only made it official recently I suppose.."

| shiloh elspeth fleming |

[shiloh elspeth fleming]

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”No one did, it just doesn’t seem realistic.” Shiloh didn’t want to say that it was their father who had made the disparaging comment once upon a time. She made sure to never mention it again, outside of when asking for new supplies. Positing that they helped with her notes, specifically Potions and Herbology, was absolutely key. Deep down, she was sure that he knew he screwed up when he said that. To be a professional Quidditch player, a rarity amongst the cumulative number of players and a dream to many small children, and turn around and put down your youngest’s own aspirations? That had been earth shattering. Shiloh hadn’t even dared to tell Temp about what she actually wanted to do, because she feared the response would be the same. Which again, would be ironic considering her sister worked for a literal television station that produced media and art. Maybe she was wrong in her assumptions though. She really wasn’t up to testing those waters right now.

Seeing the way Cal’s expression changed whenever her girlfriend was brought up was a stark contrast to how her own friends were with their significant others. Clearly, that was a maturity thing. In the realm of romance, she was hopeless. She was completely oblivious to all of the signs, and always assuming friendship was the end goal. Somewhere along the line, it must have gotten around that she was impossible, and things stopped. ”See? Natural,” Shiloh said, as if her point had been made with a singular example. ”It’s fine not to be in a relationship, right? Because sometimes I feel like that’s all my friends talk about and I have no way to join the conversation.” Which begged the question: did she even want to be in those? They always overshared on things that were one hundred percent not meant to be heard by anyone else. It was all so exhausting.

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