CHAPTER SEVEN
' what year is it? '

AURORA shot up from her spot laying down, vision fading before it cleared. She blinked, eyes darting around the hospital wing in Hogwarts. The side of her stomach burned and her body ached as she moved.

Had they won? Why was she here instead of the Great Hall? Where was everyone?

As she sat up on her elbows, she noted that the hospital wing was empty aside from her. Glancing down, she was still in her clothes from the battle, torn and bloody.

Lifting her fingers, she brushed them against the fabric of her jumper, blinking down at Ginny's clothing that stared back at her.

Ginny.

   Ginny was dead.

   She could feel her heart thumping as she swung her legs over the side of her bed, attempting to stand but wincing when her feet touched the ground, her body screaming in protest.

   "Oh, dear! What're you doing out of bed? The Headmaster will be here shortly!"

   Aurora's curls whipped against her face as she twisted to face Madam Pomfrey. The mediwitch was shaking her head, levitating potions behind her as she walked towards Aurora.

   The first thing she noticed was that Madam Pomfrey's hair was browner than it was grey. And her face was void of the worrying line she gained after so many years at Hogwarts.

   "Come on, dear. Let's get you back into bed." Madam Pomfrey reached her, grabbing her arms and guiding her back into the hospital bed. "Now, I did what I could given the state you arrived in. Nasty traces of dark magic."

   Aurora struggled in her grasp, eyes wide as Madam Pomfrey began handing her potions, mumbling the purpose under her breath.

   "I'll wait for the Headmaster before going over the extent of your injuries. He advised that your wand not be given to you until you're cleared but I put it at the bedside table should you need it. A witch should never be without her wand."

   Headmaster?

   The last she remembered, Hogwarts didn't have a Headmaster. Dumbledore was dead. Snape was dead.

   "Alright then," Madam Pomfrey gathered the empty potion bottles, "I'll be back in a few. I'm going to get you something you can stomach. After running multiple tests, it is clear you're malnourished. We will start with something light."

   Aurora blinked as Madam Pomfrey began walking towards the large doors, not glancing behind her once.

   Madam Pomfrey knew her. Why didn't she mention the battle? Who won? Harry? Ron? Hermione?

   What the fuck was going on?

When the hospital doors swung open, Aurora's eyes shot to the doorway, her eyes growing in size as she recognized the man entering the wing.

Professor Dumbledore.

No, no, no. He was dead. He is dead.

His face, like Madam Pomfrey, seemed younger in the way that he didn't carry as many lines across his skin, and his hair had a small bit of color to it aside from the white and grey she was used to.

No, this isn't Professor Dumbledore.

Something was wrong.

Her hand shot out, grabbing her wand from the bedside table and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She wobbled slightly as she lifted her wand at Dumbledore, "You're supposed to be dead. And forgive me for being blunt, but I was rather content with those arrangements."

Dumbledore clapped his hands in front of him, "I'm awfully embarrassed but it seems you know my name and I do not know yours."

Aurora swayed slightly as her brows furrowed. "What the fuck are you on about?"

Dumbledore eyed her wand that was trained on him before striding to take a seat near her bed. "Miss, you appeared on the grounds here days ago, covered in blood. We have been trying to identify you but have had no luck. So please, your name?"

None of this made sense.

"Aurora," she lowered her wand but kept it at her side as she went to sit on the bed, "my name is Aurora."

"I would introduce myself but it seems you already know who I am." Dumbledore smiled slightly, "Now, how did you manage to break through the wards?"

"I don't know." Aurora blinked, eyes darting around. "Where is everyone? Why am I not in the Great Hall with the other people recovering? How did you come back?"

"Recovering?"

Aurora stared at her former Headmaster as she nodded, lips pursed. They sat in silence for a few seconds before she spoke up once more, "Sir, what is the date today?"

"September 5th."

"And the year?"

"1976."

Aurora felt her eyes widen as she gripped her wand in her hands. All time turners had been destroyed in the Department of Mysteries her fourth year, there was nothing on her that could've caused her to go back in time.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Given your reaction, I am going to assume this was not intentional?"

"Actually, I wanted to jump almost 20 years back in time after watching everyone around me die," Aurora narrowed her eyes, fingers twitching as Dumbledore smiled. "Of course this wasn't intentional."

   "We must go about this carefully. Time travel is still a new subject of our time and your appearance here could have many seeking out their futures." Dumbledore stood from his seat, robes swaying at his feet, "You mustn't share any details of what the future entails. Should anyone try to change their destiny,"

   Aurora cut him off, recalling the long speech Hermione have her about time travel and the sensitivity surrounding it, "Yes, bad things happen to those who meddle with the past and time."

   Dumbledore nodded with a hum, "If you'll excuse me, I believe I should call in a professional to deal with your situation."

   Aurora kept her eyes trained on his back as he exited the hospital wing. Just before he was gone from her view, she called out to him, "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"When I arrived, was there a body with me?"

"A body?"

"Yes, a boy. Brown hair. He was dead before I arrived."

"I am afraid not. You were found alone."

"Oh," she worked her lip between her teeth, "thank you."

Her fingers remained around her wand, but not as tightly as when he sat beside her. When she was alone— she allowed herself a minute to breathe.

   She was in 1976.

   Everyone she knew— was dead in her own time and most didn't exist in this time.

   Her breath quickened and her skin felt too hot. Her fingers grasped the end of her jumper, pulling it from her body and curling her fingers around the fabric— grasping it close to her chest. Her hands trembled as she pulled her legs up flush against her chest. Tears clouded her vision, racing down her cheeks as she fought to get a deep breath of air.

   Finally, a sob racked through her body, her body caving in on itself as she balled around the jumper that once belonged to Ginny.

   Ginny. Ginny and her red hair and sharp personality. Ginny and her Quidditch skills. Ginny and the spell that caused her to crumble to the ground— a scream of vengeance dying on her lips as she lost her vibrance.

   Her hands sought out the locket that sat against her skin, circling the metal and holding it tight.

   She choked on the sob that followed, heaving as she desperately tried to gain back control of her body. But, she knew it was useless. After all, there was nothing left for her to fight for.

   Her body shook as she dove under the covers, pretending that the thin pieces of cotton could provide her with protection from the world around her and the thoughts that loomed her mind.

Her brain felt foggy as her vision began to fade in and out, her sobs drowning out into the background.

Her thoughts of death and what she had lost would not be saved by sleep. No, they would follow her into her slumber and taunt her throughout the night.

   AURORA woke from her rest, skin coated in sweat and her chest rising up and down frantically. She pressed her hand flat against her chest, trying to calm herself from the nightmare she had.

   The worst thing about it was that it had happened.

   Almost everyone she knew was dead. And there were many that she didn't know about. George, McGonagall, her father, and so many more.

   Her throat tightened as she grasped at Ginny's jumper, paying no mind to the dried blood that tainted the previously spotless fabric.

"Oh, wonderful! You're awake," Madam Pomfrey busted into the room from her office, a frown covering her face. "Just a moment, let me get you a Calming Draught."

Aurora's fingers gingerly toyed with the locket around her neck, eyes following Madam Pomfrey as she grabbed a potion and walked towards her. Aurora remained silent, taking the potion and sighing in relief.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Don't thank me, dear," Madam Pomfrey's smile was warm and familiar. But it just wasn't right.

Aurora attempted to smile—something she imagined looked more like a grimace than anything. But Madam Pomfrey didn't comment on the matter, only bustling around the Hospital Wing, gathering various items, and returning to her bedside.

"Lift your shirt up for me, will you?" Madam Pomfrey grabbed a paste in her hands, "I need to look over the bruises and injuries I was unable to heal."

Aurora gripped the ends of her cotton shirt, pulling it up with a contortion in her face at the pain that shot through her torso and abdomen. When her eyes finally landed on her stomach, she tried to conceal her gasp.

Her stomach was painted in various shades of purple, blue, and yellow. Bruises all in different phases of healing. There was a slash on her side, right above her hip— no doubt the hex Nott Senior had hit her with. Her body was littered with evidence of slicing hexes, dark curses, and other signs of war.

   Madam Pomfrey bit her lip as she began applying the paste to Aurora's skin, "I took care of most of the injuries. But the ones that had traces of Dark Magic will not heal completely, I am sorry dear. Also, you have another old scar I am unable to tend to."

   She was referencing the scar that wrapped around her arm and shoulder— seeing as it was the only large scar she had.

   Aurora nodded, "I've had the scar on my shoulder since I was a fourth-year, don't worry."

   Madam Pomfrey eyed her sympathetically as she continued to cover up her bruises with the paste, stepping back once she was finished and casting a cleaning spell on her hands. Aurora dropped the end of her shirt, moving it back into place and concealing a vast amount of her injuries.

The doors to the hospital wing opened, a flurry of robes moving into the room as Dumbledore advanced, someone following closely behind him.

"Ah, how wonderful to see that you are awake!" Dumbledore grinned, clasping his hands in front of him as he stepped aside at the foot of her bed.

A tall man stood behind him. He was wearing all black robes that contrasted against his pale skin. He was older than herself— that was clear by the hint of grey hair mixed into the brown curls at the top of his head. His dark blue eyes ranked over her, narrowing as he zeroed in on the cuts and bruises he could see.

He nodded at her as he pulled a notebook from his robes, "Good evening, Miss?"

"Is it wise to disclose my last name?" Aurora sat up on the bed, still holding her jumper close to her. Once she received a nod, she cleared her throat. "Aurora Deveraux."

"Miss. Deveraux," the man tipped his head in greeting, "I am Unspeakable Pierce. I have been assigned to your," he paused briefly, seeming to be searching for the correct word to refer to her circumstances, "situation. I will be asking you a few questions if you'll allow me."

Aurora nodded, gesturing to the seat beside her bed. She eyed Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore. "Should they be here while you question me?"

Once he was seated, he followed her eye, pursing his lips as he thought, "Madam Pomfrey, may we have a moment?"

"Of course," Madam Pomfrey moved her wand, walking towards her office with her things floating behind her. "Just call or knock on my door should you need me."

"Thank you," Unspeakable Pierce waited until the click of the office door was heard before he turned his attention back to Aurora. "Alright, I am going to be asking you a few questions. If you cannot recall something, tell me of that and I will make a note."

"Okay."

"What year was it before you arrived at Hogwarts?"

"1998."

Unspeakable Pierce sucked in a deep breath as he scribbled on his parchment. "Can you recall the exact date?"

Aurora paused briefly, thinking about his question before she nodded. "It was May 2, 1998."

"Were you in possession of a time turner in the time of your departure from 1998?"

"No, all the time turners in my time have been destroyed due to a certain," she paused as the memories of the Department of Mysteries flashed through her mind, "incident."

"Did you perform any spells before you left?"

"I was," she cleared her throat, trying not to reveal too much about the future, "in the middle of a battle. I cast a lot of spells but when I traveled back in time, I hadn't even touched my wand."

Unspeakable Pierce nodded, jotting things down on his parchment. "What do you remember from the time before you traveled?"

   Aurora began to absentmindedly pick at the thread to the cotton sheet covering her legs, "Like I said before, I was in a battle, here at Hogwarts. My side was losing and I retreated to find one of my friends. I promised him I would gather his body, give him a proper burial. When I found him, I just sat on the ground with him, fired curses at anyone who tried to advance on us. That is it."

   "That is all you remember?"

   "Well, yes. But, it is all that happened. I have no memory gaps."

   He made a noise of acknowledgment before Dumbledore spoke, his voice rough, "There was a battle here, at Hogwarts."

   Aurora met the Unspeakables eye and when he nodded, she turned back to Professor Dumbledore, "Yes."

   "What was the purpose of this battle?"

   Unspeakable Pierce stood up quickly, eyes narrowing at Dumbledore before flicking to Aurora, "Do not answer that."

   "I wasn't going to."

   As if I would ever give that man what he wanted.

   "Good," Unspeakable Pierce glanced over his notes before nodding to himself, "it appears those are all of the questions I have for you today. I advise you do not tell anyone where you are truly from, or I suppose when. Keep any and all details of the future to yourself, no matter how much you wish to change them."

"I understand."

   "I will be in touch when I have done some research and have dug into the specifics regarding your situation more. Until then, it is important that you try your best to blend into this time and do not give anyone any reason to question your sudden appearance."

   "Alright." Aurora nodded, eyeing Dumbledore at her side who was smiling, eyes twinkling as he gave Unspeakable Pierce a firm handshake.

   "Thank you for your time, Unspeakable Pierce."

   Unspeakable Pierce nodded, tucking his notebook under his robes and making his way to Aurora. As he grasped her hand for a handshake to bid farewell, he pulled her close so he could bend down to her ear. His breath brushed against her skin as he whispered in a hushed tone, "Do not trust him."

   Don't worry, I am already ahead of you.

not my best chapter but it is
very crucial to the plot !

copyright © -loonylupins