A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Chapter Twenty

Cassandra's house sat in the same state as every other time Marlene had visited. Luckily the storm had not followed them, and a crisp wind without a single trace of snow christened the streets. Sirius seemed dazed, likely not expecting that Marlene was willing, or even capable for that matter, of apparating the both of them. She didn't even bother to account for all her body parts before running towards the uneven pathway.

"Marlene!" Sirius yelled after her, the sound of his voice caught in the wind and echoed. The wind whipped her hair behind her as she ran, breathless and determined, towards the glowing light that emitted from the first story window.

She smashed her hand against the door and she was rewarded with a loud crack of splintering wood. Sirius was beside her within seconds and his hand clasped around her shoulders to spin her around. She could tell that he was irritated.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on? I'd like to be prepared in case we are walking into something dangerous," he growled in a low undertone.

"Right," she said. She hadn't thought of that. She owed Sirius a minimal explanation so she breathed out very quickly, "I've been here before. This is what I've been doing for Dumbledore. There's no danger. At least, I don't think there is."

Without awaiting a reply, her body spun around to focus on the door. She brought her fist down against it again, even firmer this time indicating the urgency of her visit.

"Cassandra!" she yelled out, hopeful that the woman might hear her.

"It's important we get inside?" Sirius asked her. His irritation disintegrated as he quickly entered into Order business mode. He would expect answers later and she would deal with that when the night was over.

"Yes," she said hurriedly, though she couldn't explain to him, or even herself for that matter, why it was important to be inside the manor.

Sirius reached for the doorknob and Marlene warned him, "Alohormora won't work. Trust me, I've tried." He offered a peculiar sort of contemplation, then grabbed for the knob and twisted. Marlene didn't even care that they were preparing to break into the house without invitation. She needed to be inside, and it was nearing seven. To her surprise the door was unlocked and swung open effortlessly.

The dark hallway appeared foreboding and Sirius stepped in front of her as a shield. She scoffed at his chivalry and pushed him aside. "Lumos," she said, and the tip of her wand illuminated the pathway leading into the unpromising foyer. Quickly she entered and hurried towards the living room where a soft, subtle glow lit up the interior.

Her heart skipped a beat. The room with five odd walls bore no portraits, nor were the bookshelves filled with books and trinkets, even the chairs in the center of the room were no longer positioned to seat company. But even more disheartening was the peculiar cabinet, the sister to the cabinet nestled comfortably in Elphias Doge's study, and the fact that it was not there. The room was completely empty.

"No," she said with frustration. "No, no, no!"

"There's nothing here," Sirius said from behind her. He was scanning around the walls looking for something meaningful.

"Of course there's nothing here," she snapped. Sirius gave her a weary look but didn't seemed too irritated by her rude outburst. "There was a cabinet right there." She pointed a long, slender finger that shook anxiously towards the corner of the room where it had once stood.

"A cabinet?" he mused. "Was there something inside it?"

Marlene groaned. Sirius's presence did nothing to ease her frustration. She knew that it wasn't his fault because he was completely clueless to the significance of their visit. She wished in that moment that Dumbledore had allowed her to openly share her mission with others so that she wouldn't need to spend her time trying to explain now.

"Look I know this is frustrating for you too." She looked at him and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "I wish I could tell you more about why we are in this room specifically, why this cabinet is so important, but I'm not sure that I could explain it even if I wanted to."

"I wish I could help you Marlene," he sighed. Sirius moved across the room towards the empty space where the cabinet should be. "I just wish I knew how."

"All I know is that I was supposed to be here at seven. There was a large cabinet in that corner and I was positive that I needed to see it again." Her legs felt weak and she dropped to her knees on the dusty floor.

Sirius stood a foot away from where the cabinet had once rested. He stared into the empty space for well over a minute before he spun around to look at Marlene; a look of triumph plastered to his unfairly handsome face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Marlene asked wearily.

"I'm rather gifted when it comes to Charms," he said arrogantly while his smiled widened, causing Marlene to scowl.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she snapped.

"The brightest student to ever grace the hallways of Hogwarts," he continued.

"That's debateable. You do remember Lily, right?" She entertained him with a roll of her eyes.

Sirius laughed. "Your cabinet is still right here." He pointed his wand to the empty space and muttered an incantation. The space immediately revealed the same beat up, rusty cabinet she remembered.

"How –"

"Disillusionment charm," Sirius sounded smug. It was evident that his ego had followed them to Germany. Normally Marlene would have rolled her eyes or commented on his arrogance, but she pulled herself from the floor and flung her body across the room and right into his chest.

"Sirius, you're brilliant!"

"You're just realizing this now?" His chuckle vibrated in his ribcage. Marlene pulled away from his body and stepped around him to where the large wooden doors called out to her. Her fingertips reached for the handle and she hesitated.

What was she getting herself into? She brushed aside her reservations and grabbed hold of the metal knob. She pulled it open and...

Nothing. It was completely empty. One gigantic, empty space. Her chest deflated and all hope suddenly washed away.

"The passage to which you seek answers," she muttered under her breath. "The passage," she repeated again and she could sense Sirius beside her, peering inwards. All of a sudden it clicked. "The passage!"

"What are you going on about?"

"I need to go inside there." She pointed towards it and he let out a snort. She shot him a look and explained, "It's a passageway."

"This night keeps getting more interesting by the second," he laughed. "Alright then, let's go."

"You're not coming with me." Marlene put her hand to his chest to stop him from moving forward.

"Like hell I'm not." he frowned, the lines of his forehead deeply embedded into his skin made him look almost menacing. "If that is a passageway, then you have no idea where it leads. I'm coming with you."

"I'm not a weak thing you need to protect Sirius," she reprimanded him.

"I didn't think you were." There was a warning tone to his words. "You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself Marlene, I think you've made that perfectly clear. But I'm not letting you put yourself in danger while I wait here twiddling my thumbs. It's better for both of us to be there, just in case."

He was right and she scowled.

"Okay fine," she huffed before climbing inside. His wicked grin was the last thing she saw as he clambered in beside her, squeezing all remaining space from within the compartment. And then he pulled the door closed behind him and they were engulfed in darkness.

His body moved with laughter. "Here we go then."