ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟʟ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇʀᴀ

xxxi. the ring

The floor creaked under their weight. Small lights glowed at the tip of their wands. Even though they didn't need sneaking, they walked on their toes, looking around.

"Where is it hidden?" Remus asked.

They all just recovered from the boggart attack. Though it didn't really attack them, it still did them damage.

James really thought the one who lay there, lifeless, was Lily. He was as paralyzed as he was before. He couldn't shake off the image of Lily dead with their child. It may sound like a stretch but a boggart shows anyone's greatest fears. And apparently, his greatest fear was losing Lily and their child, the child Callie told him.

He was not the only one who couldn't concentrate after what happened. Sirius never took his eyes off his brother. He didn't care about looking for the Horcrux; the others could look for it instead.

Peter was more jumpy and anxious. He kept looking around, not to find the ring but to make sure there wasn't anyone to attack him.

Regulus and Callie held each other's hands. Whether unconsciously or not, they kept it that way. Regulus had to remind himself that the real Callie had always believed in him. And Callie had to remind herself that she wouldn't fail. No, she couldn't. She wouldn't lose them the second time.

Remus seemed like the least affected. But he knew he had to keep his head after the damage his friends got from that boggart.

When they entered the shack, nothing welcomed them. It was quiet. They were hoping that that was the last defence Voldemort had against anyone. They couldn't afford any more psychological torture.

"I'm not entirely sure," Callie replied to Remus' question. "But the ring's hidden in, like a drawer. I'm not sure where that drawer was but it's probably on like a table. Study table."

They searched for any possible drawer. The shack wasn't that big so they didn't have to cover much space. And to be sure, they never split up.

Until Remus found a table. Cobweb covered it and the stack of books and a candleholder acted as though towers and a fortress. He searched for a drawer below the surface. There were four, one alone, another smaller beside it and two more below the small one.

He opened the alone one first; nothing but old writing wares. He tried the one beside it. There it sat, above a stack of thin notebooks.

"Callie," he called.

His tone already told them they got something. The five hurried to look at what he was staring at.

"Is this it?"

"Definitely."

"I should add it to my ring collection."

Callie whipped her head to Sirius when he said that. "That is a Horcrux, in case you forgot." She gently but with shaking hands reached for the ring, holding it just on the tip. "When Dumbledore tried to wear the ring, his hand died. Unless you want that on you, then sure."

"I was just joking."

"Wait, is that...?" James took a closer look at the stone sitting on top of the ring.

"What is it?" Peter asked, holding his wand tighter.

"The Resurrection Stone?"

Callie nodded.

All their eyes widened.

"What?" Sirius now wanted to touch it.

"The stone was passed on to the Gaunt Family, Tom Riddle or Voldemort's—as you know him—family. He had no idea that this ring has that stone when he decided to make this a Horcrux."