December 30, 1989
All in all, not how Callie thought her Saturday night would go.
In her hand she clutched the borrowed Sword of Gryffindor. At her feet lay Tom Riddle's diary. At her back pressed the North wall of Malfoy Manor. In front of her, three wands were pointed at her heart and a pair of demonic red eyes stared into her soul.
It was surprising, now that she thought about it. She'd been destroying pieces of his soul for over a year, and this was the first time she'd come face-to-face with Voldemort. With all the time she'd had to think about the villain, she thought he'd be scarier. It wasn't that he wasn't frightening up close, but it helped ease her imagination now that she was actually looking at the real thing. Aside from the massive snake curling around his feet, and the bone-white wand in his hand, and the gleaming red eyes and pale skin, he wasn't terribly horrifying compared to her imagination.
"Give me the diary," he hissed, "and I shall make your death painless."
Callie knew all she had to do was drop the sword. Even if she didn't outright stab it, it would cause irreparable damage to the piece of soul inside. Voldemort knew it, too, or she'd be dead by now.
"Tell me where Sirius Black is," she bargained, "and I'll consider it."
Sirius had been missing one week. In the middle of a war, that probably meant he was dead. Except he was one of the best Aurors in the business and also Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, who was Secret Keeper to Harry Potter. And there was nothing Voldemort wanted more than Harry Potter's whereabouts. If he was at all intelligent, he'd keep Sirius alive and use him either as a bargaining chip, or torture him for information.
Callie dearly hoped it was the former.
The book at her feet whispered. Pages turned, but there was no breeze. It was alive. If Dumbledore was right, that book held half of Voldemort's soul, which was far more than his actual body currently possessed.
She knew there was no way out of this. As soon as she dropped the sword, she was a dead woman. And with three more Horcruxes to find, one of which they had yet to identify, she wasn't ready to die just yet.
"Regulus," Voldemort hissed.
Callie's eyes snapped to the person on Voldemort's left. Clearly, Regulus understood whatever his master meant. He lowered his wand and strode out of the room. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. His face was a perfect mask of indifference. Callie knew when he got back, it might be all over. Regulus had to protect his identity as a spy at all cost.
Hoping they'd comply with her terms was foolish at best. There were any number of things they could do to her. They could blow up the wall behind her, forcing the sword out of her hand. They could summon the sword and kill her as it left her hands. But Voldemort wouldn't risk it. He'd already lost three pieces of his soul. He wouldn't risk another.
"Why not save yourself pain?" Voldemort coaxed. "Stop being the hero. Hand it over!"
She knew without a doubt that they wouldn't be merciful. They'd still torture her.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how stupid this plan was. Why hadn't she thought it through? Why hadn't she taken even ten minutes to come up with something better than walking in the front door with a Horcrux and demanding Sirius' release?
"Bring Sirius Black to me, or I'll do it," Callie promised. Her voice didn't quiver. She was pretty proud of herself for that.
Voldemort's cruel eyes narrowed. Movement toward the back of the room drew Callie's attention. Regulus emerged from the shadows. He was dragging a figure that kept fighting him. Sirius.
His clothes were torn, and nearly every inch of exposed fresh was marred and bloody. Whatever they'd done to him, it had been brutal. He was in the middle of telling Regulus to go to hell when he looked forward and his eyes met Callie's. The curse died on his lips. The color drained from his face as his eyes widened in horror.
He broke away from Regulus and staggered forward. "Potter, just what in-" The sentenced broke off in a scream. He fell to his knees, twitching.
Callie turned to Voldemort in a terror-filled rage. "Let him go!" she shouted.
Bellatrix stepped out and knelt beside Sirius' thrashing form. She released the curse with a wicked smile. "I told you, my lord," she simpered. She took a handful of his hair and forced his head up. The tip of her wand grazed his neck.
Sirius coughed, spraying blood. He glared at her, snarling. "Do you worst."
She laughed. "See? He does have his uses." Bellatrix stood and struck out with her foot. It connected with Sirius' ribs as he tried to stand, forcing him to double over. She turned to Callie. "Give us the book."
Callie watched Sirius as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. He coughed again, spilling more blood onto the floor. Hardly able to breathe, she turned to Voldemort. "Let him go," she demanded. "Let him go, and I'll give you the book."
"Don't be an idiot!" Sirius snarled. "Get out of-" He grunted in pain, knocked onto his side by another kick.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix cried again.
Sirius clenched his teeth, but he refused to scream this time. If he showed too much pain, Callie would give in, and they'd both be done for.
"Riddle!" Callie screamed. All eyes turned to her in surprise. Bellatrix stopped the curse. Voldemort's eyes gleamed with bloodlust as the sound of his old name. Callie scooped up the book and pressed the tip of the sword into the pages, holding the weapon by the blade to balance it. "I swear to Merlin-"
"Leave us," Voldemort commanded. "All but Bellatrix."
The Death Eaters hesitated. One by one, the masked men on his right retreated. Regulus looked at Callie and for a moment she was sure he was going to come to her aid. But he didn't. He made to drag Sirius away, but stopped at Voldemort's command to "leave the blood traitor." After a second's hesitation, he obeyed.
Callie never thought the presence of more Death Eaters would be comforting, but now that she was left with the Dark Lord and his satanic witch, her blood ran cold. Bellatrix stood by Sirius, now brandishing a curved knife, waiting for orders. Voldemort studied her. She felt him reaching into her mind, rummaging through her thoughts. She pushed against him, trying to block him out. The enormous snake coiled around his feet, always moving, looping through itself in a hypnotic dance.
"Ah," he whispered slowly. "I see. The youngest Potter." He began to pace in front of her, all the while staring into her eyes. His bare feet made no noise on the wooden floor. "Sorted into Slytherin, the House of the Proud."
The snake hissed softly, gilding along the floor by his feet.
"Always fighting," he continued. "Always sacrificing. And all the while, the voice of Slytherin pulls you to the darkness."
"Callie, he's trying to get in your head!" Sirius warned. "Don't listen to him!"
Bellatrix yanked his head up and pressed the blade of the knife to his throat to shut him up. A thin stream of blood trickled from the point of contact.
Voldemort continued. "Your love for your family weakens you. It cripples you. Look where it's brought you. You must know there is no escape from this house." The book in her hands echoed his words, whispering in a language she couldn't understand. "And if I did let you go, what then? You will die. My followers will hunt you like an animal. You will never be safe. You will never have security."
Callie knew he was right. There was no escape. They knew who she was now. They would watch her closely. She could never have anything like a normal life.
He stopped pacing and stared at her. "But, if you join me, I will give you power. I will give you status and respect and safety. I will allow you to live your life in peace." His eyes flicked to Sirius. "And I will let him go."
Callie's eyes drifted to Sirius. Despite the knife digging into his neck, Sirius glared at her in silent warning. The message was clear: His life wasn't worth that price.
"Callie, don't even think-" Sirius was cut off as Bellatrix's knife plunged into his shoulder. Blood splattered the floor, adding to the growing puddle beneath him.
No sooner had Callie loosened her hold on the weapon and the Horcrux than a cold, bony hand grabbed her neck. Voldemort's face was mere inches from hers. His red eyes penetrated straight into her soul. His hand constricted. She couldn't breathe. The scent of death surrounding him made her head throb. Somewhere in the background she heard Sirius scream her name. The tight muscles of the snake circled around her legs, weaving between her and Voldemort. The snake whispered things too strange to understand. The diary picked up the language and the two spoke as one.
The snake.
It hit her like a bolt of lightning.
The snake was the final Horcrux.
Callie tightened her grip on the sword's blade and drove it into the notebook.
Voldemort reeled back in pain. The snake writhed around her, flinging itself against the floor. Ink gushed from the book like blood. She threw it to the side and drew her wand. Voldemort, blinded by ink and rage, lunged for her. She dove to the side. The snake twisted and thrashed, splashing ink over the walls, the floor, and her master. Voldemort missed. Callie stood and ran at Bellatrix.
The snake righted itself and made a wild attack. It looped its tail around her leg and dragged her to the ground. She struck the ground hard, wand rolling out of her hand. Voldemort drew his wand and pulled his arm back for a fatal attack. Callie reached desperately for her wand inches away. She clawed at the ground, pulling against the snake. Ink bathed the floor in black.
Callie's fingers grasped her wand. She twisted onto her back and pointed her wand at the snake. She screamed the most idiotic and distracting curse that came into her head.
"Fiendfyre!"
A white-hot jet of flame burst from her wand. It swirled around the snake and Voldemort. The grip around her leg released. Callie didn't stay to see what became of Voldemort or the Horcrux. She scrambled up as the fire whipped around the room. The North wall was already crumbling. She saw Sirius stand and stagger toward her. She didn't see what happened to Bellatrix, nor did she care. The moment she reached Sirius, she clutched his robes and disapparated.
They landed in the middle of a familiar forest, alarming a herd of Thestrals as they appeared out of thin air. Sirius lost his balance and fell back against the snow-covered ground with Callie on top of him.
Callie felt the blood seeping through his shirt. She rolled off of him and lay on her back, trying to catch her breath. The sounds of the Forbidden Forest rose around them. The night air was bitterly cold.
After several moments, she heard Sirius laugh. Confused and a bit worried for his sanity, she looked over at him. He howled with a real, deep, genuine laughter. Callie couldn't help but smile and chuckle with him.
"What in the name of Merlin just happened!?" Sirius asked. He laughed again.
Callie chuckled and covered her eyes with her arm. "How are we even alive?"
Sirius wiped a wet hand down his face and sighed. "That… was insane." He turned his head and looked at her. "You okay?"
Callie laughed again and checked herself. She didn't seem to be hurt badly. She nodded and looked at him. "Yeah. You?"
"I'm alive, so I'm significantly better than I thought I'd be." With the laughter and adrenaline both used up, he was suddenly exhausted. Every inch of his body ached. "We should probably get moving," he sighed regretfully. "They'll be after us."
Callie nodded. "Yeah." She forced herself to sit up. She looked down at him. He really didn't look good. His face was a concerning greenish color, and the snow around his body was quickly turning red. "Can you move?" she asked gently.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah." Sirius took another moment to pull himself together before sitting up. He hissed in pain.
"Take it easy," Callie said. "You don't look good."
He smirked a bit weakly. "Nice to see you, too."
Callie stood and offered him her hand. He took it, and she pulled him up. He swayed a little, and she wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. "We're about a twenty minute walk to Hogwarts," she said. "Think you can make it?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he assured her.
She wasn't reassured.
They trekked through the Forbidden Forest. Animals howled, and unknown eyes stared at them from the foliage. For the most part, they ignored the strange beasts lurking around them. Then, quite suddenly, as if the forest had been cut by a knife, they were out. The brightly-lit windows of Hogwarts shone on the hill before them, welcoming them. Callie handed Sirius her wand and kept her free hand tightened around the Sword of Gryffindor. Until they got through the protective barrier around the school, they could still be attacked.
Thankfully, no such enemies challenged them. The walk up the hill was exhausting, and Sirius nearly fell a few times, but they eventually made it through the doors.
"Potter." The oily voice of the caretaker greeted them in the hall. "And Mr. Black. Not here to break more school rules, I hope."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Filch, I've been so bored lately I thought I'd come back for a romp."
Callie sighed in impatience. "Just take us to Dumbledore, please."
"The Headmaster's in his office," Filch said. "You know where it is."
They climbed the moving staircases up two flights without meeting anyone. Sirius gripped the guardrail so hard his knuckles were white. Callie kept an arm firmly around his waist.
"Black!" a sharp, Scottish voice cut through the silence. "Potter. What on earth-"
They turned to see Professor McGonagall striding toward them, mouth a thin line, brow furrowed in concern. Sirius' eyes lit up when he saw her. He gave her a cocky grin.
"Sirius, we heard you were missing," she said.
Sirius shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, Professor."
She gave him a stern look. "Miss Potter, I will escort Mr. Black to the Hospital Wing. He needs medical attention. You report to the Headmaster and join him when you're finished."
She still treated them like students, but neither of them had the heart to protest. She took Callie's place beside Sirius and practically carried him to the Hospital Wing herself. Callie watched them and laughed when Sirius shot her a pleading look behind McGonagall's shoulder.
Callie ascended the stairs until she got to the Headmaster's office. She gave the password, and rode the steps to the top. The door was open, and Dumbledore was waiting for her.
"Another Horcrux has been destroyed, Sir," she reported immediately. "Tom Riddle's diary. And I've discovered the identity of the final Horcrux." She held out the sword. "And… I'm sorry for taking this."
Dumbledore smiled. "I don't think I have to tell you that stealing the Sword and the diary and going straight to Voldemort were very foolish actions, Callie."
"No, sir, you don't," Callie agreed. "I know it was stupid, but Sirius was in danger and-"
Dumbledore held up a hand to stop her. "Say no more. I'm very impressed you managed it, Callie. And how is Sirius?"
She smiled a little in relief. "He's alive. McGonagall actually just took him to the Hospital Wing."
The Headmaster's smile grew. "I'm very pleased to hear that. You can give your report and share your findings later. For now, I believe you need medical attention." He winked. "I'm sure Sirius could use your company after so long with his extended family."
Callie hesitated, but nodded. "Thank you, Sir." She made her way back down the stairs and through the halls of Hogwarts. The Christmas decorations were being removed in preparation of a new term. It was warm, welcoming, familiar. She remembered her days there, running through the halls, getting scolded, attending lessons. It seemed so long ago. A different lifetime, almost.
She arrived at the doors of the Hospital Wing. There, she hesitated. A voice crept up in her mind. "My followers will hunt you like an animal. You will never be safe. You will never have security." She shivered and pushed the door open. Madam Pomfrey, in her too-familiar nurse's uniform, was bustling around the room, tending to the three patients she had at the moment. Sirius was sitting in farthest bed. Callie walked over to him.
He smiled when he saw her. "Apparently, I'm perfectly fine."
"No, you are not, Mr. Black!" Madam Pomfrey shouted from across the room. "You've sustained severe internal damage! If you don't stay put for once in your life, I shall have to put a full body-bind on you!"
"For heaven's sake, woman, I'm an adult!" Sirius shouted back. He rolled his eyes. "I swear these people never change."
The nurse walked back and fairly shoved a steaming potion in his face. "Adult or not, Sirius Black, you are my patient! Honestly, the number of times I had to tell you and Mr. Potter to be careful…" She looked at Callie and assessed her in a moment. "You've bruises on your neck, Miss Potter. I'll have to treat that." She turned back to Sirius. "Why couldn't you have been like Miss Potter? Model student in her day. Never in here for anything but head colds."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Somehow I doubt that."
"It's true!" Pomfrey spun back to Callie. "Miss Potter, I've-"
"Students out of bed!" Filch shrieked from door. "Two of 'em! Fell down the stairs!"
Madam Pomfrey rushed to meet him. "For goodness sake, Mr. Filch, bring them here! Miss Potter, see to Mr. Black, won't you!?" She tore out of the room, presumably to see to the unfortunate students.
Callie and Sirius looked at each other for a moment before laughing. "I can't believe she hasn't had a heart attack by now, the way she worries," Sirius said.
"It's thanks to her worrying that you, James, Remus, and Peter survived school," Callie reminded him. "You owe her a debt. So what's she done to you so far?"
"Stopped the bleeding, given me something for pain that makes me a bit lightheaded, threatened to give me something to cry about, and left you in charge," Sirius reported. "Unfortunately for us, there are students present, so we'll have to keep this PG." He winked.
Callie slapped his shoulder. Sirius winced as she hit the knife wound. She grinned. "Oh, sorry, did that hurt?"
"You know, I think I'd prefer Bellatrix."
"No, you wouldn't." Callie looked at the little table Pomfrey had set up and identified the mixture to close Sirius' cuts. She dabbed a cloth into it and turned back to him. "Be still."
"No promises."
Callie rolled her eyes. She gently pressed the cloth to the wound in his shoulder. She purposefully avoided looking at his face.
"Are you going to tell me what you were doing at that Manor?" he asked, his voice quieter than before. "Because it sounded like you were looking for me."
She shrugged. "James asked me to."
"Liar," he accused.
"He did."
"You were worried about me. Admit it."
She rolled her eyes again. "Maybe I was a little worried about you. But only because you're Harry's godfather and he would be distraught if he didn't get to thank you for his Christmas present."
Sirius smiled. She felt him touch the edge of her collar where a delicate, silver chain hung around her neck. "Speaking of Christmas presents… I see you got yours. Do you like it?"
She pushed his hand away. "Yes, I do like it. It's beautiful." She felt him stare at her. It made her face heat up.
"Look… maybe it's just that I thought I would die there, but I swear I've never seen anyone look as lovely as you did stabbing that Horcrux." Sirius grinned.
Callie laughed. "Yep, I was afraid of that. I was afraid they'd torture you to insanity."
Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. "We're all a little bit mad, love." His hand grazed her cheek, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She froze, gaze fixed on his shoulder. "Look at me," he asked. She hesitantly raised her eyes to his. He smiled softly. "You're trembling again," he whispered.
"And you have a girlfriend," she reminded him.
Sirius shrugged. "Depends on how you define the word." The truth was, they were taking an unofficial break. He and Marlene hadn't exactly been thriving together for a while. "I'm also just a little bit high, I think. Adrenaline and whatever Pomfrey gave me must've done that." He grinned lopsidedly.
She sighed and pulled away. "Sirius, look, we can't. Okay? We can't. We're both too busy and there are things bigger than us that need our attention. We can't afford distractions. Harry's counting on us. The whole bloody world is counting on us."
"The whole world, huh? That's a lot to shoulder. When did you become such a bloody hero, Potter?"
"When you pulled me into this stupid scheme."
Sirius frowned. "So this is my fault?"
"A little, yes."
Sirius sighed and looked down. After a moment, he smiled and gazed at her again. "Then let me make it up to you. What can I do?"
"You can leave me alone."
"You don't mean that. If you did, you'd have let me die."
"Believe me, I'm starting to wish I had," she snapped. She pressed the cloth to Sirius' shoulder again, harder than necessary.
He watched her for a moment. "At least let me thank you for saving me."
"You don't have to. Like I said, I did it for James."
"I don't believe that for a second." She didn't respond. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you still angry at me?"
"For what?"
"For kissing you."
Callie sighed and pulled back again. She looked at him tiredly. "I'm not angry at you for that. It just wasn't a good idea. This isn't a good idea."
Even drugged, Sirius could see the battle was lost. He sighed and sat back. "Okay." He paused, watching her. It didn't take a seer to tell that Callie was under a lot of strain. And she had a point about the timing. "You're probably right," he continued. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you." He let out a chuckle. "I guess I just don't know how to act around you when one of us narrowly escapes death."
"You're forgiven. Just no more talk like that, okay?"
"Okay." She was still avoiding his eye. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up to look at him. "Friends again?"
She smiled slightly and nodded. "Friends again."
"Padfoot!" a voice shouted from across the room. Sirius let her go and looked over in time to see James skid to a halt by the bed. He panted hard, clearly having just run up several flights of moving stairs. "First of all, get your hands off my sister. Secondly, we thought you were dead!"
Sirius held his hands up, grinning. "Hands off. Not dead. Happy?"
James glared, then grinned, then embraced his best friend roughly. Remus and Peter materialized on the other side of the bed, having crept up almost silently compared to James' obtrusive entrance.
Remus laughed when he saw him. "You look high as a kite. What happened?" The question was directed at Callie.
Sirius pushed James away after squeezing him tightly and shook Remus' hand. He interrupted before Callie got the chance to speak. "Wait, Prongs, what are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore sent an owl and said you were back! Like I wasn't going to come and make sure! What if you'd been a Death Eater in disguise?" He turned to his sister. "Is he a Death Eater in disguise?"
Callie shook her head, standing and backing up to give the newcomers room. "I don't think so, James."
"What happened?" Peter asked again.
"They set a trap for me," Sirius admitted. "They tried to find out information like where you lot are, where Harry is, and all that rubbish. But here's the cool part. Prongs, your little sister just faced down Voldemort and won!"
All three stared at Callie in amazement. Feeling a bit sheepish under so much attention, Callie took a step back. "It wasn't that big a deal," she said.
"Wasn't that big a deal?" Sirius repeated. "Listen to her. Ridiculous. It was awesome! Here's how it happened."
"Wait, Padfoot," James interrupted. "You're admitting you were saved a girl?"
"No, you prat, I was aided by an Auror who I trained. Get it right. So I'm sitting in this stupid basement room, right, surrounded by rat skeletons and thinking about the good old days when Regulus comes to collect me-"
Sirius went on and on, adding far too many details and making it sound much more exciting than it actually was. Remus and Peter both looked at Callie subtly and smiled knowingly. She realized after a while that, really, this was their moment. They were a close knit group, the Marauders. They deserved some space.
McGonagall would have a heart attack when saw them all there.
Callie smiled to herself and left quietly. She made her way slowly back to Dumbledore's office to give him a short briefing.
Peter's words whispered in her mind, unbidden.
"Everyone dies sometime. If Sirius died tomorrow, would you have any regrets?"