"I really wish I could tour you around," said Callie when they stepped out of their porch. Bria finally let her go. "But we'll do that once Voldy's out of the way." Again, another unsure statement from her.
"A tour in your home sounds nice," said Regulus, holding her hand as they walk by the sidewalk, looking for a bus.
Home. This was her home. This was where Callie would stay despite her relationship with Regulus. That was decided even before their relationship began. But if they found a way to go back and forth, of course, there would be no hesitation, Callie would also go back and forth to their and from her world.
And for her to do that, she had to make contact. Callie dialled a number she had memorised for years. The person on the other line picked the call up.
"Yes, Bria? Anything you need?"
Callie couldn't muster the voice in her throat. Her eyes watered hearing her best friend's voice after more than a month.
"Bria? Something wrong, love?"
Callie shook her head. "H-Hey." God, why did she sound so awkward? That was her best friend! "Hey, Sam."
"Oh my, lord." Samanta gasped on the other line. "Callie? Callie, is that really you?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Callie! Good lord! Where have you been?! Everyone was worried sick about you! Are you home? Are you safe? I'm coming there."
"No. No, Sam, you don't have to. Look, I've got no time to explain. I need to know where you brought that Marauders' map you gave to me."
"No time to explain? Caledonia, I don't need to remind you that you were gone for more than a month. And that's what you're giving me?"
"I know this is unfair. Even for Bria. But I really can't explain right now. I will when everything's over, I promise."
"Everything's over? Callie, what are you talking about?"
"It's complicated. I have no time to spare. So please, where did you get the map?"
She heard Sam sigh on the other end of the call. "I've already told you to a shady old man, didn't I?"
"I know. But I need to know exactly where he is."
"I think he lives a few blocks away from home. Why are you asking?"
"I need another like that."
"Another map?"
"Er... sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Sam, look, why don't you meet us so you'll understand," Callie hesitated, "somehow, what's happening?"
"'Us'? Callie, who are you with?"
"If I answer you, you'll ask me more questions."
"Okay. I won't. Just answer that question."
"I'm with the Marauders, all right? And Regulus." She looked at them as she said that.
"Lesson learned: I shouldn't have asked you that."
"Yup. We'll meet you at your place?"
"Sure. I'll wait for you outside."
"We're on our way. Do you mind me borrowing your wand?"
"Sure? Whatever use of it to you."
Right at that moment, a bus stopped in front of them. They entered as Callie ended the call.
As she sat, she heaved a sigh. She never thought she'd have to leave her world again after returning just a few minutes ago. But she knew that every second counts. Especially since Voldemort never saw any dead body. He must be on a hunt for them right that very time.
She missed this place. The smell of the air, the chatters of the old folks inside the bus, her sister, her best friend, and most especially, her parents. Speaking of them, Callie made a promise to her sister.
Her fingers hovered above the numbers tempting her to tap them and dial her mother's number. But she was scared. She was scared that she wouldn't dare go elsewhere once she heard their voices. That she wouldn't be able to handle hearing their voices when she was about to go away again without assurance she'd be able to come back.
But on the flip side, she was yearning for the comfort of their voices. For them to tell her it would all be over.
"Do it," Regulus pushed her with his low voice. "Call them."
Somehow he knew who she was about to call.
Well, it was a bit obvious. Her thumbs were shaking, she kept swallowing, and the promise she made with her sister earlier.
"Should I?"
"You should."
"But I...." She couldn't tell him her reasons. Somehow she couldn't put them into words even though her mind knew exactly why. "Reg, I don't know."
"I'm telling you, you should. I'm sure they miss their brilliant daughter. They should at least know you're safe even if they couldn't see it."
He had a point. A whole lot of points. They deserved to know that their daughter was safe after a long time of not seeing her.
So she nodded. "Okay. Okay, I will." She looked back at the phone again and heaved a heavy sigh audible to the nearby seats beside her. She dropped every thought and called her mother.
It rang.
It kept ringing forever even though it had only rang for a few seconds.
And with every ring, her heart beat faster.
"Yes, dear?"
Her heart sank like a boat made up of the lightest material. The voice of her mum melted every bone in her body. She couldn't find her voice anywhere in her core. The wind blowing to her face must have taken her voice with it.
"Bria? Is something wrong?"
"Who's that, honey?" Callie heard her father on the other line making her swallow again and forcing water out of her eyes.
"Bria; she called. But she's not speaking. Bria? We're on our way back."
"M-mum?"
Silence. A few seconds of silence between them.
"Callie? Callie is that you?"
"Callie? Callie's calling?"
"Yes," her voice strained so she cleared her throat. "Yes, Mum, Dad, it's me."
"Oh, god. Hi! Hi sweety, hi."
Guilty was not enough to define the weight pulling Callie's heart down.
"My Callie," her dad cried on the other line. "Oh, my Callie."
"Baby, where are you? Mum and Dad are going to pick you up."
"No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm safe. You don't have to pick me up anywhere. But I'm safe."
"Are you home, Callie?" her dad asked.
She hesitated. "N-no. No, not yet."
"It's okay. Mum and Dad are not mad. We just want to know where you are," her mum said as if she thought Callie was scared to get yelled at.
That made her tear up even more. "I know. But I'm not gone, okay? I-I wasn't gone. I didn't run away. I wasn't kidnapped or anything. I've been safe, okay? But I," she swallowed, "I need you to go back home, to Bria. Get rest. I'm coming home soon."
"Okay, okay. Mum will cook your favourite," said her dad as if he was talking to a little girl again.
But Callie shook her head. "I... it's... I... I may not be able to come home that soon."
"Wh-wh-" her mother seemed she wanted to chuckle, but her voice was just straining, "Why- why not?"
"Mum, Dad, I have friends that I need to help. And-and those days that I was gone? I was helping them. Because they need it and-and they deserve it. And you taught me to help people who need it. They need my help."
"Oh, Callie," she heard the disappointment of her father. He wasn't disappointed in her. If anything he was more than proud. He was disappointed in himself for teaching his daughter the very reason she disappeared for weeks.
"Please, don't worry about me. My friend will keep me safe." She looked over the boys. They nodded as they heard what she said. And just as though they made a promise to her parents.
Regulus certainly would. He would do anything in his power, may it be twisted or not, to keep Callie safe. He would never let the same torture she underwent befall her again. Not anymore. He rubbed circles on her hand and stared at her bandaged forearm.
"Who are these friends you're talking about, sweety?" her dad asked. For all they knew it wasn't Sam or her friends in school. They were all helping the Sinclair Family look for her.
"They're... uh...." She looked over the Marauders. "It's really hard to explain especially in just a call like this. But I promise, I promise I'll be back again. I'll come back again." It was an unsure promise. She knew it. Going back to the Wizarding World was already an uncertainty. And if they got back there, she wouldn't know if she could go back again to her world. But she couldn't bring herself to tell her parents "I love you so much, mum and dad." She choked on tears.
"Sweety, Callie-"
"Just, please. Tell me you love me too." So that if she couldn't see them again, at least for the last time, she had told them that.
"We love you, we love you so much, sweetheart." Her dad choked in tears too on the other line.
"Please, please be safe wherever you are, whatever you're doing. We love you more than we can tell you."
Callie nodded, feeling some sort of a block lifted off her chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
She spotted their stop. She knew she had to end their call. And she knew the three of them didn't want to end the call. But they had to.
"I have to go now."
"Okay. Okay, sweetheart. We love you."
"Go back home. Go to Bria. I'll be home soon." Hopefully. "I love you." And she tapped the end call without thinking about it. She had to or else she wouldn't be able to let go.
Regulus wanted to say something. But there was no word for a pain scrunching her heart. Instead, he kept their intertwined fingers together firmer to tell her he was there and he'd never leave her. That he'd keep her safe and he promised that to her parents, to her sister, and to Bubbles.
The bus stopped. She stood so the boys followed and off they went.
Just across the road, Callie saw Sam looking around. She was probably looking for her. Wiping away the tears and sniffing, she led them to cross the road.
Sam must've noticed her that her eyes immediately lit up and her mouth opened agape seeing her friend halfway to her. When Callie was off the road and towards her, Sam couldn't contain it anymore. She jumped to her friend and enveloped her with a tight hug, the tightest Callie had in her life.
"Oh, my lord!"
Callie chuckled and Sam broke the hug but kept her best friend not a foot away.
"You're here. You're really here!"
"Yes, I'm here," she answered in between laughter, forgetting she cried just a moment ago.
"I can't believe it. I mean, I know you'll be back and you called! But I," Sam gave up and hugged her again. "Callie, I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Only when Sam looked back at the people on her friend's back did she realise what Callie meant by their conversation earlier. She said she was with the Marauders. And she sure was.
"Oh, my lord," she breathed.
Callie broke the hug and saw her friend wide-eyed awestruck at the boys behind her.
"They're..." Her voice shook as she stepped back.
"The Marauders. Yep," Callie popped the p.
"The fan casts."
"Yep."
"Oh, my lord. I think I'm fainting. How are you not... Why aren't you fainting?"
Callie laughed at her friend's reaction. Sam didn't look like she was about to faint though.
"Marauders?"
"Mhm."
"The one and only," said James.
"Oh, my lord, James Potter."
"She knows us!"
Callie nodded. "Sam is also a fan of the Harry Potter series, like me. So, Sam, the Marauders, James, Remus, Sirius, and Regulus. Boys, Sam, my best friend."
She might have met Sam just online, but it seemed like the universe said they deserve each other and put their friendship in years long relationship.
"Wait, where's Peter?" Sam asked.
The five looked at each other. Mixed faces showed her they were angry and disappointed, and it was awkward. So she pursed her lips and looked at Callie for help.
"It's a long story but, Peter betrayed us." Callie swallowed. She did everything she could, until the last moment. But Peter might not have what it takes to be saved.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine." No, it wasn't. What Peter did was not fine. "We need to get back to their world, Sam. Where is that shady old man now?"
"Okay. It's this way. Here's my wand by the way. What do you need it for?" Sam led the way.
"Well, my wand could somehow do magic while I was in their world. But right now, we're all wandless. Yours is an official too, so I think it'll work the same way."
"My wand has magical properties?"
"Hopefully." They need at least something to defend them.
They passed building away from her apartment building. She turned left to an alley and they followed. Right around the corner, there was a door smaller than regular size and an old man wearing a shirt and trousers was opening it with dangling keys.
"That's him," said Sam, pointing at the man.
Callie nodded and walked towards him. The boys followed so Sam did too. While she was walking beside James, her knees wouldn't stop shaking in disbelief that these boys were acting as her bodyguards.
"Excuse me, sir," Callie called when they were a few metres away.
"Yes?" The old man turned around.
Their eyes widened in realization.
°°°
A/N: OH MY GOD 60K+ READS?! THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL SO SOO MUCH!AHH I CAN'T BELIEVE WE REACHED THIS MILESTONE! THANK YOU EVERYONE!
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