Sleep didn't come cleanly anymore.
It came in fragments.
In flashes of red hair and crooked smiles, of ink-stained fingers and whispered laughter over half-finished inventions. Fred, leaning too close. Fred, saying her name like it meant something simple. Like it wasn't complicated by bloodlines and lies and war creeping in at the edges.
Or worse.
Her father's voice cutting through it.
Lucius's eyes.
The Ministry.
Calli woke before dawn, breath tight, stomach turning like she'd swallowed something rotten.
Understanding didn't help.
Fred would understand. Of course he would.
That was the problem.
The next morning, Cantankerus Nott didn't bother with subtlety.
"Level Nine." He said over breakfast, as if discussing the weather. "You've seen the entrance."
Calli didn't touch her tea.
"Yes."
"I want you to take a closer look."
A pause.
"Scout it."
The word settled heavily between them.
Not observe.
Not report.
Scout.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the table.
"That department isn't accessible without clearance."
"Most things aren't..." Her father replied smoothly. "Until they are."
His gaze lifted to hers: expectant, cold.
"You've proven resourceful before."
Of course she had.
That was why he was asking.
Calli inclined her head.
"I'll see what I can do." It was the correct answer.
It still made something in her chest recoil.
Rumours filled the Ministry like dust, everywhere, impossible to fully grasp about the Department of Mysteries.
No one knew exactly what happened behind that door.
Unspeakables.
Time.
Death.
Even the people who worked in adjacent offices spoke about it in lowered tones, like saying too much might draw attention.
Calli listened.
She always listened.
And she waited but by the third day, waiting wasn't enough.
Calli stood in the lift, files stacked carefully in her arms, posture composed, expression neutral.
Level Two.
That was where she was meant to go.
That was where she should go.
Her finger pressed Level Nine, the gate slid shut.
Her pulse didn't change.
Outwardly.
The descent felt longer this time, heavier.
YOU ARE READING
Callidora ☆ Fred Weasley
FanfictionCallidora Nott has always known exactly what is expected of her. As the daughter of one of Britain's oldest pure-blood families, her future has already been carefully planned; alliances, power, and a life shaped by tradition she never chose. At home...
