The day Callum had waited patiently for the whole of his life had finally come and the red-head was entirely torn about how to feel. On the one hand, he was incredibly excited at the prospect of going off to learn new magical things and, most importantly, play proper quidditch on a proper pitch with proper refs and rules and the like. On the other hand, he’d never been so far away from home all on his own and for so long. He already dreadfully missed Charlie and his sisters, knowing it would be a long term before he would see them again, but he supposed he could write to them. (Not that his mother had elected to get him a useful pet, he thought grouchily, giving a serious side-eye to his new cat Fergus.) But… with that thought in mind, Callum also supposed he wasn’t entirely alone in this either. He already knew Professor Lissington, and after the brief history his mother had given him of their two families, and the experience he’d had at Ollivanders, Callum felt confident that he knew the man and could trust him. Also, he already knew Mirren Greyback, a girl in his year. Much like him she too was an avid quidditch fan, so even if nobody else in the whole school was keen on him, Callum figured he and Mirren could be friends. If she wanted to be. Turning to his mother as she fussed over him one last time, he nodded gravely at her warnings and suggestions. There was a worried knot in his stomach making Callum quiet, and his mother clicked her tongue at him knowingly before pulling him into a close embrace. Callum didn’t fight it. He’d miss her too, and Papa. The feel of her dress against his cheek and the familiar scent of wood and irises was a small comfort even as he tried his best to pretend he didn’t need it. Then, strengthening his resolve, Callum pulled away and said goodbye. His Papa gave him one last pat on the back before they went about settling his trunk and things, and then, with Fergus in tow (tucked like a quaffle under his arm) Callum made his way onto the train.
The halls were crowded as the slightly towering first year looked around miserably. He didn’t know how in this mess he was supposed to find anyone he recognized, much less teeny tiny Mirren. Luckily, he didn’t have to fret long as the girl suddenly appeared by his side almost as if by magic. (Well that was certainly convenient.) As she grabbed him by the sleeve and chittered her hellos, Callum felt himself relax and follow along with purpose in life. He must have dropped Fergus at some point without realizing it because the next thing he knew the fluffy orange feline was being scooped up and held under one of Mirren’s two arms and dangling like Toast, her charred looking rat cat. Oh good. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry about loosing it for the time being. (Callum wasn’t sure he was particularly eager about having to take care of a cat all by himself; it sounded like an awful lot of responsibility.)
As their chitchat devolved into squabbling over quidditch teams, Scottish versus Irish, Callum felt himself relax enough to follow Mirren blindly. He scoffed at her comment playfully and rolled big caramel colored eyeballs. “Right, and all of the Ballycastle Bats quidditch cup wins are simply poppycock are they?” he hummed. “You just don’t want to admit that the Irish teams simply have better players and that any decent seeker to come from Scotland wants to play for us,” he sniggered a little bit. The Ballycastle Bats new seeker was Scottish and, though Callum was always one to give credit where it was due, his team was still superior. “Besides,” he added. “The Kesterals have just as many cups as the Magpies, so they void one another,” he dismissed. So invested was Callum in his point that he was surprised when Mirren stopped in front of a somewhat occupied car and decided to burst in.
Instantly, a shyness crept back up over the tall red-head’s features and Callum ducked into the car behind her. There was only one seat available beside the friendly boy who had greeted them and Callum slid into it wordlessly. He was glad Mirren took it upon herself to introduce them and he waited quietly for whatever came next. Sometimes Callum wished he could just fade into invisibility; maybe that was something they could learn this year in school.