Siriusly, Time is of the Essence III

Chapter 15

I felt like an overcooked noodle. With a few forceful attempts to open my eyes I was blinded by the bleached white walls with sea-foam green trim. A healer bundled in and started checking me over, all the while asking me questions like "Do you know where you are Miss?"

"st. St. Mungo's?" I forced my vocal chords to crack. The orderly nodded and wrote down on a clip board.

"Do you know your name?" He soft voice called over me like a blanket of feathers. It forced me to calmly think, as though I was worried about frightening the poor girl off because I would be alone again. Was I lynn Marked.... Or Black? Or Pennington? I tried to focus. Focus on my training with the Gryffins. Of course! I must've replaced my younger self in her own time zone to avoid a time paradox! Time doesn't like loops it doesn't creat itself. History can't repeat itself if it's already repeating itself can it? Time does not like to be controlled.

"Miss? Miss?!" I felt hands on my skin, urgently checking for a pulse, and I was knocked out of my self induced daze.

"wh-what?!"

"Don't do that!" She cried sharply, making me flinch. "I just started working here! I thought you were having a fit!"

"Well, here's a bit of advice." I snapped. "Leave sleeping Gryffins lie." I ripped off my IV's and restraints as the healer squeaked and ran to get help. If I was in the time I missed, I needed to get to the gryffins or Hogwarts. I needed safety. Now.

The door barged open, causing my head to fly up, only to see someone I did not want to see... A masked man. In seconds, my wand was in my hand and I flung the first thing that came to mind. "Petrificus Totalus!" With a bang, I disapparated to the first place I could think of. 

I went home.

The Dark Mark was still high in the sky above, the soulless black eyes watched over the grounds while the snake slithered among the clouds. Some of the grass was still burning, the fire bright and hot. Tears slipped down my face as I looked at the giant hole where the living room used to be. How long had they lain there? Were they still there? I wondered as I stepped through the window Voldemort had thrown me out of.  One foot remained outside as I looked at the destruction left in their wake. How long had my family laid in their blood and tears before someone managed to call the someone?

I felt eyes on me as I lifted my other foot to step over the low wall. Within seconds someone's hands were tugging at me roughly. Without sparing a glance I blasted a spell, my mind to focused on my mother's glasses, broken and flecked with dried blood. I walked in, reluctant but unable to command my own body anymore. It was as though I had to see this, to know just what happened. What had really happened that night? There were still holes that I could not explain. There had been blood all over me that night. Where did that come from? Was Jacoby really dead? Where my parents? I'd only seen my father fall at the hands of that evil monster. 

I stepped forward once more, allowing a full view of the shattered room. Their bodies were there still. Broken and unmoving. "Mommy?" I whispered, looking at her frozen face. My eyes widened when I met her dark gaze. There was no spark of life, no mischeif nor pain. Just fear. The fear in the way her eyebrows arched, her mouth was slung open as though she was trying to scream even though she was dead, like the horros she faced were still after her where ever she was.

Father wasn't to far from her. He looked just as broken as Mom... "Daddy..." I whimpered as glass under my feet stressed and cracked. There were feathers everywhere and wood and the furniture was tossed about like it belonged in the doll house of raging three year old. I feared going upstairs. I did not want to go, I wanted to dig my heels into the soft carpet, turn, leave, do something before I walked upstairs. Pictures were crying, flowers were wilted and strewn everywhere, my home was utterly destroyed.

"No...No... Please." I begged whatever force was leading me up the stairs.I wanted to grab the railing and fling myself off, start a fire with my wand. Disapparate. DO SOMETHING!!! ANYTHING BUT GO UPSTAIRS!!! "Stop!" I tried to fight, I clenched my left hand into a fist as I stifly made my way though the hall. It was deathly silent as I stepped over broken toys and shattered glass. Mom's prized vase, that had survived generations of Penningtons, was now in pieces, just like everything else in this house. 

The house itself creaked and groaned in the darkness, like it to was in pain, or crying out in grief of what's happened. Like it knew that it would never again be a home to a wholesome and loving family. It would see no more little brothers begging to be alowed in older sister's room when a bad storm threatens his safety. No more happy memories of birthdays. No more sadness or pain of loosing a family pet, a loose tooth.No more parents giving birth to little ones. No more of those parents watching their loved ones grow. No more embarrassing moments of said parents trying to show boyfriends old baby pictures. No more.... anything. It was just empty, empty and hollow as a black hole. It felt like one, sucking in all the light, trapping me in darkness as I stood infront of Jacoby's room.

Before I had a chance to comprehend where I was, the door swung open, and the darkness washed over me like a wave. It was as though someone had spilled ink over my eyes. "JA-A-A-A-A-ACO-O-O-O-O-O-BY-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y!!!!!!!" I wailed."I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I clutched against the door frame, unwilling to be pushed any further. Tears blurred my vision as I finally sank to the floor. "I'm so sorry!! Mommy!!! Daddy!"I sobbed and whimpered, calling their names over and over again because I so desperately needed them to be with me.

A coldness enveloped me, my breath turned foggy and my hair raised to cause goosebumps to dot my flesh. "Oh Honey." I wailed even harder as the sigh slipped over me. 

"N-NO-O-O!!!" I gasped in broken breaths." Ple-Please - n-no." I don't know how much more I could take. 

Within seconds, the feeling was gone, but a note was crinkled into my curled fingers. With the feeling came an emptiness that enveloped my very soul. I howled like a banshee, disregarding the crupmled paper in my grasp and just howled. I cried for the family I would never have again. I cried for the family that I left behind. I cried for the family that I once had would never know the family that I was forced to leave. I cried and I cried and I cried until all the tears that could be shed were. 

When I regained what little composure I could muster, I looked at the note. I hoped I could read it still. With shaking hands I carefully unfolded the note, ripping it on a few corners and having to pause to wipe my face on my sleeve. When I finally saw the words written in a ragged scawl, like a child had written it down, I whispered three words in responce. "Be at peace." I clutched the note to my heart as it beat within my chest. I closed my eyes and thought the words as they rang in my mind.

The ones who love us never truely leave us.