Tongue Tied by queenspuppet

Chapter Three

In Harmony with Melody

“Are you hungry? Because I’m starving and I noticed that we both skipped dinner.”

I stare dumbly at the girl willing the motors in my mouth to work. My jaw loosens then drops. Good, Calliope. Now make a noise. Any will do. But the girl keeps going.

“I know dinner’s over but I dated Sirius Black for about a week last year, you know how he is…”

I do?

“Anyways, he taught me how to sneak into the kitchens, so I thought I might as well take advantage of the knowledge. Come on, let’s go.”

She takes my hand and pulls me off my bed. Melody Chandler is an angel of mercy, I decide. She does not expect me to talk. She expects me to listen. Perfect.

“I was really sorry to hear about your friend. I mean, I never really talked to either of you, but you both seemed so nice. It’s sad.”

Yes! It’s sad. Not a ‘horrible tragedy’. I remember what I had heard people say about my dorm mate Melody, that she was ‘rather simple’. Perfect.

“Have you eaten yet today?” Melody gives me a motherly look. I know how to respond, I shake my head. Anna was motherly too.

“I thought not. My grandpa died last year and I couldn’t eat for awhile either. It’s not a conscious refusal of food, just a sort of…unexplainable lack of appetite.”

I nod. She smiles. A little weight lifts off of me. I never knew that it was okay to be silent around someone who talks.

“Well, the elves will make anything you want, cookies are pretty popular. Does that sound good?”

I shrug.

“You’re probably hungry enough to eat a horse.”

“I’m a vegetarian.” Oh Merlin! I talked!

“Oh…then…a very large carrot?”

I smile, just a little. It feels so foreign. I don’t think of myself as an unhappy person. I smile a lot when I watch my parents, running and dancing around the house. They’re a lot like Melody. They talk so that I can listen, not to make me respond.

“I have a little sister who doesn’t like to talk,” Melody remarks. “I know what people think of her, that she’s dumb. But she’s really not, she’s incredibly smart. She just doesn’t like to talk.”

That’s me. I sigh in relief, although not audibly.

“She sounds like me.” I force myself to give Melody a response. She deserves it, she’s being so kind.

She gives me a huge smile and we stop in front of a large painting of a fruit bowl. Melody moves and tickles a pear and the painting swings forward. Melody and I both stop short before entering. There stand the Marauders ordering about a few house elves. I shake my head at Melody, and she smiles.

“Be brave. We’ll be quick.”

I take a deep breath and we enter just as the Marauders notice us.

“Melody, love! To what do we owe the pleasure?” Sirius asks. He holds his arms open wide. The other Marauders stare at me strangely and I look away before meeting Remus Lupin’s eye.

“We were hungry.”

“Who’s your lovely friend?” Sirius asks and I blush. Not because he complimented me, although I’m sure that’s what he thinks. He has forgotten me already.

Remus Lupin elbows Sirius sharply in the ribs, “We sat with her on the train!”

At least he remembers.

“Ohh, right. Kellie, isn’t it?”

“Calliope,” Melody, Remus Lupin and I all say at the same time.

A house elf comes over and squeaks, “What may I serve you misses?”

“I’ll have a chocolate chip cookie and she’ll have a nice big salad, no meat.”

I love Melody, already.

“Dieting?” Sirius asks me knowingly.

“She’s a vegetarian, Sirius. Boy you’re daft.” I love Melody even more.

“You don’t talk anymore?” Peter asks me suddenly.

I blink. Melody blushes and looks irritated. Even Sirius manages to look a little embarrassed by his friend.

“My oral capabilities are perfectly adequate,” I answer. I try not to look impressed with myself. I add, “I just don’t like to talk.” I suddenly feel exhausted, it’s the most I’ve spoken in days.

“You’re my kind of girl,” Sirius smirks.

“You can’t remember my name,” I reply without expecting to. Everyone laughs and I feel strange.

Sirius struggles, “Clementine?”

“Calliope!” The others shout at him. I’m busy noticing the smile that’s growing on my face. I am so incredibly tired but I feel better than I have since I lost…Anna. My smile instantly drops.

The Marauders turn back to their snacks as the elves bring over Melody’s cookie and my salad. She takes the food and looks at me.

“You look tired,” she whispers.

I nod. I’ve lost my will to talk again. Melody takes me gently by the elbow and we leave.

“Going so soon?” Sirius calls out.

Melody ignores him. Melody is not ‘rather simple’. She is magnificent.

***

Someone is trying to wake me up. Oh. Hello, Melody.

“Are you coming to breakfast?”

I shake my head.

“How about class? Defense Against the Dark Arts is in the morning.” How can she be so cheerful about such a horrible class? I shake my head again.

“We have Double Potions with the Ravenclaws in the afternoon,” Melody says mournfully.

I give her a thumbs up.

“You’re crazy.”

I smile. She smiles.

“I’ll come get you for lunch.”

I hesitate but then nod. She leaves and I turn over to fall back asleep.

***

“You’ll never guess what happened in Defense!”

I look to her while I brush my hair. My bangs are angled funny and I spell them back into their usually straight position.

“We’re going to duel each other!”

Oh no!

“Don’t look so scared! It’s going to be choreographed. We’re partnered off based on skill. The weak students work with the strong students. We have the class with the Gryffindors. I got paired with Sirius Black.” Melody rolls her eyes and then smacks my arm when I smirk. We make our way up to the Great Hall. “It’s only because I’m the worst at Defense, even though it’s fun. It is! Don’t give me that look. Anyways, you weren’t there so Professor Blane paired you with Remus since he has the best grade. What? What’s wrong?”

I shake my head.

“I know he’s a Marauder, but he’s the nicest of them, trust me.”

This is too much. I cannot work with Remus Lupin. I will not.

I have to. And I actually want to. I shrug to Melody.

“He asked me how you were.”

I try not to look to eager. What did you say?

“What did you say?”

Melody looks surprised at my voice and then hesitates to answer. Oh dear, if it’s something Melody won’t say…

“I said I was worried about you…I’m sorry.”

I look to her. She’s worried? Does she need to be? I’m not entirely sure myself.

“Don’t be.” I don’t know if I’m telling her not to be sorry or not to be worried. Possibly both. I choke on my own voice, “Did he say anything after that?”

“You do realize that your asking questions of your own volition?” Melody looks sneaky and she’s smiling and I wonder if she can tell that I am in love with my recently appointed Defense partner. I shrug.

“No, he did not. He just looked all serious and nodded and then walked away. You like him.”

“Stop,” I say. It came out stronger than I wanted but Melody doesn’t look offended. She smiles and stops teasing.

We enter the Great Hall and I move to the Hufflepuff table with more directivity in my actions than I’ve had in ages. I keep my eyes directed on our table and no others.

“They’re not here. They usually eat lunch with the game keeper Hagrid.”

I don’t respond to this, she’s teasing again.

“I could set you up, you know. I still have a bit of an in with Sirius. We could have a double date.”

“Stop.” I don’t care how stern I sound.

“Careful. You’re going to break your word quotta.”

I smile. I’ve started to like smiling again. I like that when I smile, Melody smiles. We sit and eat, I wonder if Melody realizes that she’s reminiscing over her class period with Sirius Black.

“I mean, I know Remus has the best grade but I think that’s just because he’s better at all the written bits. Everyone knows Sirius Black is one of the best duelists in the school. Well, it’s probably a toss up between him and James I guess, but I would assume it’s Sirius. He’s really funny, kept teasing Lily Evans and James. They got paired together, isn’t that hilarious? I would have thought that Lily was better at Defense. We had to do a few example spells that way Professor Blane could see our practical skills. I think she must have been nervous. I know I was. How are you at Defense? I know you don’t like the class.”

I shrug. She keeps going. I’m not good and not bad at Defense. Practically, I’m not very good, but I couldn’t have been the worst. With our essays and tests however, I’ve always done really well. I’m good with words, even though most people think I don’t use them. Melody carries the conversation without my help. I wonder at my silence, I used to talk more than this, never a lot, but certainly more. I think it has something to do with feeling solitary. Up until this year I belonged to a pair, now my other half is gone.

Melody is here. She has suddenly adopted me it seems. I like not having to be alone. I like that Melody doesn’t act like she’s doing me any favors by talking to me. But sometimes something feels off. I don’t think it’s Melody’s fault. I think it’s mine.

“What’s wrong Calliope?”

I realize that I’m frowning and my head has drooped. I pick my head back up and give Melody a little smile. I shrug.

“Alright then. We should get to class. You’ll sit with me won’t you? I’m horrible at Potions.”

I smile and nod.

***

It’s Saturday. I missed Astronomy for the week while I was at the funeral. That’s disappointing for me, I love Astronomy. But Melody said we have that class with the Gryffindors, so maybe I’m not so much disappointed as relieved. Melody dragged me up into a tree today. We’re sitting in it right now. I have the distinct expression that Melody is up to something. I think it’s because she’s being so silent.

“What’s going on, Melody?” I surprise myself by asking.

Melody turns sharply to look at me, struck dumb by surprise.

“What do you mean? Why should anything be going on?”

Because you’re acting strange. Like you’re waiting for something to happen. Because you aren’t talking to me. You’re as quiet as I am. I sigh, as much as I want to accuse her of all these things I still won’t talk. Even for this. So I shrug instead. And she grins as if she’s gotten away with something. Color me paranoid but there’s definitely something large and suspicious up her sleeve.

Oh. Oh dear. It’s not up her sleeve, it’s walking out of the quidditch pitch and headed our way. And it’s not a something but several someones. Melody! What are you doing?

“Hey look who it is, Calliope! Hey Sirius!” Melody leans over and waves to the Marauders walking towards us.

“What are you two doing in our tree?” James shouts.

“Who says it’s yours?” Melody shouts back.

“It’s not, but the area underneath is,” Sirius explains. The Marauders stand underneath the tree and I cross my legs. I wouldn’t put it past Sirius Black to use his viewing angle to an unwarranted advantage.

“Well we won’t be bothering you then.”

“You’ll distract us,” Remus Lupin protests, but he’s smiling.

“Nonsense. Calliope and I are quiet as field mouse.”

“Well it certainly applies to one of you,” James mutters.

“Hi, Calliope,” Remus waves to me, “Excited about the Defense project?”

“Not particularly.” Oh no! Did I really just say that? I am an idiot.

Remus Lupin looks fairly embarrassed. I think it’s high time I drop the last name. He never uses mine. Not that he knows I use his.

“She doesn’t like Defense class,” Melody explains, giving me significant looks.

Remus nods and sits on the grass with a defeated air. Ugh, Calliope you are pure Dumb.

“Say something nice to him,” Melody whispers in my ear.

I glare at her. This is not what I want. First off, she’s asking me to speak and she ought to know me better. Secondly, I told her from the very beginning…well, I implied with my silence that I wanted no part in any romantic machinations she might invent. I look down on the ground where the Marauders are in a fierce whispered discussion with the occasional glance up towards us.

“Go on, Calliope,” Melody whispers with a slight nudge.

“Stop.” Apparently this is the only directive word I know. I seem to have mastered it because Melody looks chastised and the Marauders are looking up at us with curiosity.

“I’m leaving,” I say quietly. I move delicately through the tree branches and avoid the Marauder’s outreached hands offering help. I swing down from a low branch and walk back to the castle.

“Calliope, wait!”

I ignore Melody for a few steps before a change of heart. I don’t really want to be alone. I’m not quite ready for it yet. I turn and wait for her as she jumps out of the tree and runs over to me. The Marauders are watching us as if we are very fascinating subjects.

“I’m sorry,” Melody says quietly and hugs me. “I promise not to bother you about him again.”

I sigh and smile and we walk together, back to the castle.

AN: Thanks for reading! Enjoy and review. More soon!