No Place Like Home

Telephone Boxes

Seamus

"The most difficult part is going to be finding the wizarding world. Because we aren't going to figure this out anytime soon without their help. A wand maker would be best, but realistically, it's highly unlikely that we'll find anyone at all."

"Seamus, I appreciate your help, but I am trying to teach a class at the moment." Ashlynn and Seamus had spent Sunday talking and getting to know each other, Seamus pressing Ashlynn for information about the Pixar universe, and Ashlynn pressing Seamus for ideas about how to get her home. Ashlynn seemed to have resumed her battle against the two universes with a new hope and ferocity that Seamus hadn't seen before. He knew how important getting home was to her, but he couldn't help but wish it wasn't. Seamus had been slowly falling head over heels in love with this girl for nearly a year, and now that he was finally getting to know her, she was set on running away from him. To another universe. Seamus quite honestly didn't know how to feel about that. But it was important to Ashlynn, and he had made her a promise, after all.

"The problem is that we're muggles." Seamus continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "I'm not sure if we physically can get into the Leaky Cauldron, but I know we can't see the entrance. We physically can't get to platform 9 3/4, and I really have no idea how we might get our hands on floo powder. Most wizards just apartate anyway, and we definitely can't do that."

"Not now, Seamus," sighed Ashlynn, who was critiquing a student's charcoal self portrait. "Don't think of it as a person or a face or even a shape. Focus on each individual line, and how they fit together. Only then will you be able to draw the lines as they are." Seamus supposed he should probably stop. It was generous enough for Ashlynn to have let him sit in. He really shouldn't distract her from her job.

"What about the ministry of magic?" Came a voice from behind. "They have an elevator, don't they? Disguised as a telephone box?"

"Focus on your work, Safi." But Seamus had already turned to face her.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that? We'll find the street level entrance to the ministry of magic and get in that way."

"It could work... But Seamus, there are over 15,000 red telephone boxes in London. How do you propose we find the right one? And even if we did, how do we know they wont just obliviate the us and send us home?" While Ashlynn had certainly recommitted herself to the problem, she clearly didn't want to get her hopes up, and Seamus could understand why. She had been stuck here for almost a year. Seamus knew he would have given up entirely long before.

"Why are you trying to get into the wizarding world anyway?"

"Just an idea for a video I'm planning. I'm a YouTuber." Seamus covered quickly.

"I know. Seamus, right?"

"You watch my videos?

"No, I recognized you from Ashlynn's drawing on Friday. I told her to send it to you. I guess you did end up seeing it."

"Actually, I saw it before she -" Ashlynn stepped on his foot. No reason to tell the whole class how he'd practically stalked her for the past year. "Thanks for the help. That's a great idea, and I'll definitely look into it."

"Get back to your work, Safi." Ashlynn repeated. But she said it with a smile this time, and Seamus didn't miss the thumbs up Safi gave her. Suddenly blushing again, Seamus made some awkward excuse about researching a video or something, and fled the scene, though not before he saw Safi mouth "He's so adorably awkward" to Ashlynn.

"The ministry of magic is located under Whitehall. I did some research, and it turns out that there is a telephone box outside that responds to the code 62442. No has ever actually been down it though, as it seems to be able to tell if you're a muggle. Most people honk it was just put there as a joke, and surprisingly few people have ever tried it. Actually, it was really hard to find. Too hard to find. It should be common knowledge, really, but it's as if someone is trying to keep it quiet."

"Well you did your research. You don't even need me here." Ashlynn rolled her eyes. They were in Ashlynn's apartment after she had finished the afternoon classes, and Seamus was sitting on the bed, flipping through Ashlynn's sketchbooks. #200 had been lost in the fire, but she had the last 65 crammed into her small bookshelf. "Hey, how come there are no pictures me in here?"

"Are you seriously complaining about your portrait? Not everyone gets a magic one, you know. Especially here."

"I'm joking, sorry. I know how much energy that took. You spent more than 5 hours on it, and then slept for another 3. Anyway, how are we going to get through the telephone box if it doesn't let muggles in."

"I've been thinking about that. A muggle is someone who is unable to channel magic because it isn't in their DNA. I'm not a muggle. I may not be a witch, but I'll bet that they don't know about people like me. They don't exactly watch muggle movies. They probably only set the telephone box against muggles."

"So you can get in, but I can't? I'm coming with you, Ashlynn. You can't tell me how to get into the ministry of magic and then say I cant come."

"I wasn't going to. I don't know it if will work, but we have to try. I know I wouldn't survive 10 minutes in there without you."