August 1, 1988
The evening of the raid came quickly. A thick layer of mist engulfed the grounds of the Riddle House, the last known location of Voldemort's headquarters. Callie and Sirius crouched behind an overgrown bush facing the West side of the mansion, waiting for a signal.
"Think we can pull this off?" Callie whispered, gripping her wand.
"Stick to the plan," Sirius reminded her. "As long as we do that, we'll be fine."
Callie's eye scanned the fog-drenched horizon. "And if Voldemort comes back?"
"He won't." Sirius paused. "If he does… get out."
Red sparks shot up in the distance. They counted fifteen seconds before leaving their cover and running toward the house. Sirius shattered the nearest window open and they leapt through. Three Death Eaters jumped from their seats around a table, their tea abandoned. They collapsed under a volley of Stunning Spells.
Shouts rose up from the bowels of the house. Callie and Sirius took off toward them. A Death Eater tried to stop them; Callie blasted them aside. Running footsteps careened around corners and down stairs. Jets of multi-colored light cast strange shadows on the walls. The thick, unnatural scent of decay mingled with heat filled their nostrils. Some metallic quality in the air gave the illusion of blood on their tongues. It combined to create an assault on the senses, making it difficult to think straight in. The very house itself seemed to swallow them.
Shacklebolt and Wilde joined them in the hall. "No one is upstairs!" Shacklebolt said over the din.
"Check the cellar!" Sirius shouted.
They ran for the kitchen, Sirius in the lead. The hallway narrowed, forcing them to go single-file. Sirius skid to a halt, Callie nearly running into his back. A menacing growl met them at the door. An immense Greyhound, chained to the floor, stood in front of the cellar door. It barred its teeth and barked.
"Great," Callie heard Wilde mutter behind her.
Sirius smirked. "I've got this."
"Are you kidding me, Black? That thing is huge!" Wilde argued.
The beast lunged, and the four of them pulled back instinctively. The chain pulled taut, throwing the beast back.
"Get ready!" Sirius ordered, raising his wand to the brute. "Relashio!" The chains fell off the monster. It checked itself. Wilde seemed ready to murder Sirius on the spot. The dog stood, shook itself as if drying off, and raised its great head to look at them again.
Callie reached around Sirius and shouted, "Reducto!" The dog yelped as the far wall gave way, leaving a gaping hole to the grounds outside.
Sirius stepped forward and gave the others a pointed glance. "Get in the cellar." Callie, Wilde, and Shacklebolt crept around the dog. Its eyes snapped to her. Sirius shot a stinging spell at it. "Hey! Eyes on me!" Its attention snapped back to Sirius, hackles raised and teeth bared.
Callie opened the cellar door. Shacklebolt grabbed Wilde's arm and pulled her after them. They closed the door softly. Something huge slammed against it a moment later. They heard two monsters growling and barking, and then a sharp whimper.
"Don't tell me that idiot duplicated it," Wilde muttered.
"Sometimes it's best not to ask," Callie answered.
They stood on a small, dark landing. Wilde lit the tip of her wand, casting light on the wooden steps leading down into the earth. The temperature dropped steadily as they descended. Something dripped from the ceiling. The air was dank and musty. At the bottom of the flight rose another doorway. Shaklebolt turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open.
The space inside was illuminated by candles. Four bodies lay on the dirt floor, only one of the conscious. Marlene McKinnon sat with arms and legs bound. Lines of dried blood caked her face from cuts in her nose, cheek, and forehead. Tear stains streaked both cheeks. One of her eyes was black and swollen. A dark, wet patch showed through her ragged dress over her thigh.
A man stood in the middle of the room, wand pointed at her. "One step," he said, "and the girl dies."
His skin was sallow and his eyes sunken. Lank, black hair fell over his face and brushed his shoulders. His mask was nowhere to be seen, but the Dark Mark showed plainly on his forearm.
"Snape," Callie muttered. She remembered him now from her brother's time at Hogwarts.
"Quite!" He spat the word like a curse. Shacklebolt and Wilde pointed their wands at his chest. "Any moment now Black will come through that door. And when he does… I want him to see her die."
Callie's wand stayed by her side. There was something wild in his eyes, a look like a cornered animal, that told her the best option was staying still. She settled for a warning. "He'll kill you. You know he will."
"Then let him end this. But before he does, I will have bested him."
Before their duel two nights ago, Callie had seen Snape face-to-face exactly twice, both times at school. They'd literally run into each other in the hall her first year, and he'd called her a very ugly name. Her second year she'd helped him pick up his books, and he'd again called her an ugly name. Everything else she knew of him came from James and Sirius' stories. And although he bore the Dark Mark on his arm, he didn't seem the ruthless killer most Death Eaters boasted to be.
"You'd kill someone and yourself to get back at him? That's childish," Callie argued. What on earth had Sirius done to warrant a response of this caliber?
"Black and his friends took everything!" Snape shouted. "It's what he deserves!" The sound of someone running down the steps drew a cruel smile on his face. "And there he is. The hero."
Sirius arrived, wiping blood off his chin. His eyes landed on Snape and Marlene and he slowed to a stop. Callie felt him push past her. "Shacklebolt, Wilde, Potter, it's getting ugly up there. You three should go help; I'll handle this." Shacklebolt and Wilde hesitated a moment before running back upstairs. Callie didn't budge. Sirius glanced at her. "Potter, that's an order."
"Hang your orders," Callie argued, eyes fixed on Snape. "You can reprimand me later."
Sirius took a breath and let it out, but didn't reply. He looked at Marlene for a brief moment. Her eyes were wide with fear and desperation. He gave her a reassuring look before turning his attention to Snape and smirking. "Well, didn't think you'd be here, Snape. Frankly, I expected someone… better to be guarding the prisoners. Put the wand down and come quietly."
Snape's lips pulled back in a sarcastic simper. "Of course. But before I do that, Black, there's something I want you to see. Crucio."
Marlene let out a blood-curdling scream, the sound barely muffled by the gag. The smirk died on Sirius' face. He raised his wand in a flash, stepping forward. Snape stopped the curse. "Careful, Black; If you so much as blink, I'll kill her." Marlene fell silent, still as stone.
"Her life for a childhood rivalry?" Sirius snapped. "How petty are you?"
"Not quite." Snape's voice slowly rose. "You're always talking about how you'd like to take the punishment for your friends! Well, now's your chance. Potter took the only person I've ever loved, and now, I'll do the same to you."
With Snape's concentration on Sirius, Callie moved behind him and checked the other prisoners. She kept an eye on the pair.
Sirius scoffed. There was a twinge of fear in his eyes, but his wand hand was steady. "James didn't take Lily! She chose him! Move on!"
Snape smirked wickedly. "When you do."
"I swear to Godric, if you touch her-"
"You'll kill me?" Snape laughed. "Perfect. I'll take someone you love and make you a murderer all in one blow!"
The man was deranged, that much was obvious. From her place crouched by the last body she could see that his non-wand hand was clenched into a fist at his side, trembling. There was fear behind the madness in his eyes. "Snape," Callie said, "this is insane. Put the wand down."
Snape's eyes brightened. He sized her up without taking his attention off Sirius. "Think I can kill them both before you can react, Black? You always were slower when you were grief-stricken. That way, Potter will mourn, too."
Callie straightened and raised her wand. "Try it. You can't take us both."
She saw the moment Snape steeled himself to do it. His mouth closed and she could practically hear him speaking the curse in his mind.
Something rumbled overhead. The candles quivered. Snape glanced up, distracted. Sirius leveled a stunning spell at him. Before it hit, Snape has vanished.
The ceiling cracked. Callie and Sirius glanced at each other. They both dove for the prisoners, rushing to get everyone out. Callie made sure Sirius was out with Marlene and another prisoner before she took the others. They met at the same bush they'd hid behind before the raid. They rearranged the bodies, trying to conceal them better. The house rumbled and shook. Sections of the roof slid off. All at once, with a deafening crash, the entire structure caved in.
The force of the implosion sent a wave of dust through the clearing, washing through the mist. Callie stared at the ruins in horror. After a long moment, she shook herself. She looked at Sirius. His arms cradled Marlene, but his eyes were fixed on the wreckage of the Riddle House, scanning the rubble for signs of life.
"Get these people to St. Mungo's," Callie instructed. "I'm going to see who made it out."
"Flip you for it?" Sirius offered, the words thin and tired.
Callie noticed a gash in his left shoulder, leaking blood. His face was pale. "Sirius, go." She paused when he didn't leave. "Marlene and the others need medical attention immediately."
Sirius hesitated. He stared down at Marlene for a long moment. "Right," he said at last. He flashed her an earnest glance. "Be careful." He took hold of all four people and disapparated.
Callie stood and ran toward the structure. A wave of hopelessness threatened to wash over her, but she forced it down. Nothing moved. At a loss for what else to do, she began levitating pieces of rubble. Suddenly, she was bathed in a green light. Her stomach turned. She knew that emerald shade.
She looked up. A vast, green skull and snake floated in midair. A solitary figure stood opposite her, his wand pointed up at the sky. In the dim light, she could see the mask underneath his hood. It was the same she had removed during the battle at the Minister's home.
She stared at Snape. She could feel him staring back. He disappeared.
A team arrived moments later to help with the excavation. They swiftly took over once Callie had briefed them, and ordered her to go to St. Mungo's. She complied with minimal resistance.
During wartime, everyone was required to check their wands at the desk. Callie bypassed this by showing her Auror badge and answering a security question. She was swiftly taken into an examination room after that.
With nothing worse than a few bruises and scrapes, she was told that she was very lucky indeed. A Healer promised to patch her up as soon as he had a free moment, as she had no serious injuries. She asked about the other Aurors. He informed her that two were likely past saving. The other two, McKinnon and Forester, would have to be kept for at least a week. Black was, as usual, refusing medical attention, but everyone thought he wasn't bad off.
James came in half an hour after the healer left. He took one look at her and whistled. "Merlin's pants, you look awful," he said.
She chuckled. "You should see the other guy."
James sat next to her on the table. He looked at her for a moment, studying her expression. "I heard about the house collapsing. They still haven't found anyone underneath it. Thought you'd like to know." He paused, watching her digest this information. "Am I a horrible person for just being happy my little sister got out alive?"
She smiled a little. "No, James. You're a lot of things, but a horrible person isn't one of them."
He wrapped an arm around her. "Worrying about you will put me in an early grave."
"Probably, if you keep violating Dumbledore's rules and leaving the house."
James merely pressed a kiss into the top of her head and pulled away. "Harry loves his birthday present. He sent you a picture." He unfolded sheet of paper and handed it to her. It bore a very colorful drawing of a stick-figure Harry flying in the middle of a Quidditch Pitch.
Callie smiled and took it. "Tell him I appreciate the drawing. You know how I love good art." She folded it and placed it in her robes. "Have you seen Sirius yet?"
"Not yet, but Remus tagged along with me. He should be with him now." He paused. "Do you think he's okay?"
"Yeah, I think so, but McKinnon being captured to save him really did a number on him. And Snape certainly didn't help."
James stiffened. "Snape? What's he got to do with this?"
"He was at the house, guarding the prisoners." She explained how he had tortured Marlene in an attempt to take revenge, and then vanished before the house collapsed.
James looked thoughtful. "He's always been a horrid, greasy little bugger. I'm not surprised he did that. You know, in school-"
The Healer returned. "We can begin fixing you up now, Miss Potter," he said.
James pushed himself off the table. "Well, that's my cue. I'll be outside." He turned back around at the door. "Take care of her," he said sternly. "That's my little sister."
The Healer merely nodded. In fifteen minutes he was done, and Callie was allowed to leave. She asked where the other Aurors were being kept. She found them in a special ward two floors up.
Remus, James, and Sirius sat by Marlene's bed. She was awake and carrying on conversation. Callie stopped at the door. They all seemed very close. She had forgotten until that moment that Marlene was in their year at Hogwarts. Marlene must have said something funny, because they all laughed. Sirius smiled at her before leaning down and kissing her.
Callie stopped. Of all of the startling things of the evening, this surprised her most. She wasn't sure why. He clearly liked her. He was nearly panicking when she'd gone missing. She suddenly felt very hot and uncomfortable.
Remus glanced up and caught her eye. The smile faded from his face as recognition bloomed in his eyes. He stood as Callie turned around and walked out of the ward.
"Callie!" he called from behind her. He caught up to her in the lobby, grabbing her arm gently. "Hey, it's been a long time," he said.
Callie smiled a little forcefully. "Yeah, it has. Listen, can we catch up later? It's been a really long night."
Remus gave her a knowing, slightly sorrowful look, and let her go. "Sure. Butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron sometime?"
She nodded. "Let's."
Remus shoved his hands in his pockets. "Alright. I'll be in touch. Try to get some rest, alright? You look frightful."
Callie nodded. Remus smiled swiftly and a little tightly, and let her leave. Callie went straight back to the Ministry, thoughts swirling and stomach in knots.