ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟʟ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇʀᴀ

v. prelude

Pulling on her hair, Callie dug deep within her head, searching for possible passwords to enter the office.

"Acid pops." Again, a failed attempt.

"Are you hungry?" asked Peter.

"No. Those are possible passwords so we can get in. But I think they’re changing passwords. But it’s all just sweets here in your world. So, help me?" 

After exchanging wary looks, the four boys started suggesting sweets sold at Honeydukes. They had memorised all the sweets in the store since they were always there whenever they went to Hogsmeade.

"Shok-o-choc," Remus tried but failed.

"Jelly slugs," was Sirius' attempt that failed.

Peter tried "Choco-loco?" but failed.

"Exploding Bonbons!" Just like the rest, James failed.

But they must not give up. So they kept trying.

"Cauldron Cakes."

"Fudge Flies."

"Pumpkin pasties?"

"Toffee eclairs."

"Fizzing Whizzbees?"

"Pixie puffs."

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans." After another attempt by James, the gargoyle finally moved, making the four take a step back cautiously. 
It began to ascend, showing a circular staircase just as Callie predicted it would have. She leapt towards it even with her body covered with the cloak. 

"Come on!" she told the boys who couldn't see her, but hopped on one of the steps one by one.

Their mouths hung open in amazement. Their heads turned around as the stairs ascended. For a moment, they looked like owls.

"Nice one, James," Sirius complemented which made Callie look back at their grinning faces as they high-fived. 

For a moment, déjà vu flashed in front of her, twice. The first was Sirius with Harry in the Order of the Phoenix and the second was Sirius with James in the Half-Blood Prince. As if those were memories of what she would lose if she didn’t get in this world. But she shook her head. Their deaths were the reason why Callie was fighting, so she must keep herself together. Don’t break down now, Callie! she kept scolding herself in her head.

Finally, they arrived at the floor of his office, snapping Callie out of her reminiscence. A door welcomed them and they entered. Inside, it looked exactly just like in the movies. Callie hoped there would be the old man they needed, sitting behind his desk in the middle and scribbling down.

But the Headmaster of Hogwarts was nowhere to be found.

"He's not at Hogwarts," Remus explained to her a day before back in the shack. "The Ministry asked for his presence. I don't think he will be back soon. According to Professor McGonagall, he was doing a lot of work." Hence why the fate of the Wizarding World and their lives were on their hands.

It was a big responsibility, yes. But one must do it or else... Callie wouldn't like to think of the consequences even if the scenes were playing in her head. She shakes herself to ward it off. It’s not the time to think negatively. If only Dumbledore was not too busy, they could have sent him an owl explaining everything. Then he could do all the work. But they couldn't as Remus said. Besides, Callie didn’t trust the old man. Just what would he do if he found out about her world or their future?

"What do we do now?" asked Peter as they all looked around the place.

Callie took off the cloak around her but kept it in her hand. The office was vastly more than she expected it to be. Fawkes was there too (Callie waved hello at him) but he couldn't care less about them.

"Find the Sorting Hat," she said and started wandering around.

The four did as they were told. All of them separate ways in search of the magical, ragged, old-looking hat.

"What exactly do we need the Sorting Hat for?" asked Sirius, browsing through tables.

"The sword of Gryffindor," Callie answered as she searched through Dumbledore’s desk. She might not see it but she knew they were having confused looks painted all over their faces. "It will present itself in the hat to those who are in great need of it," she explained.

"We are going to use it to kill Voldemort?" asked James as a confirmation. 

"Yes and no." Their brows furrowed. "We are not going to use it to kill him directly but just help us kill him for good." They were still unsure what exactly she meant by that albeit they had a slight idea from what she explained yesterday. 

Their search continued. The room was vast but the sun wouldn't be down soon. They could find the hat before the day ends.

Callie had no luck in his desk but she found a parchment and a quill beside a small pot of ink. They might not be able to send Dumbledore a letter, but that didn't mean they couldn't ask for help. 

After contemplating shortly, Callie sat on his chair, grabbed the quill and scribbled down. 

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

You do not know me and it's hard to explain who I am and where I'm from. I don't know either when you will read this letter, but I'll take my chances. I know how to defeat Voldemort for good. The Marauders and I are on the move attempting to do so. 

I'm telling this to you so you can help us the moment you read this. This is a dangerous mission but I am willing to risk my life just so the others could live. I hope you do the same.

Caledonia Sinclair 

Callie put down the quill and folded the parchment. To make sure it wouldn't be seen by anyone, she hid it under his desk, in between the small gap her fingers found.

The moment she took her hand back, James exclaimed. 

"Found it!"

°°°

Originally posted: 02.05.22

A/N: Being in uni feels like being burned to dust and then being returned again just to be burned into ash once more (constantly asking myself why I chose a pre-med program)