The Fifth Marauder - r.a.b

CHAPTER 47

"16 seconds." A voice called out from the shadow, "16 measly seconds and he would have lived."

Astrid turned, wiping her tears, "Who-who is there?"

The voice began to glow; it was the figure of a girl, seemingly warped in time.

Her face was ever-changing blending between old and young, but her hair stayed the same gold spun blond even as she did so.

Astrid back up as the girl came closer, "Please let me just take his body and leave."

The girl tutted, using a veiny hand to stroke Regulus' face, as she did so his eyes began to flutter.

"What is going on? What are you?"

The girl moved away her hand "I'm what warlocks and witches call a tempus pythonissam, a time witch. My kind once populated the world until your kind hunted us down and grounded our bones in order to manipulate time."

"What like time turners?" Astrid said looking at the girl confused, "What does that have to do with 16 seconds?"

"Everything and nothing. I want to find my family and you want those 16 seconds back." The girl said going back to her corner "So let's swap, I give you back your 16 seconds and you give me back time."

"Can you bring him back?" Astrid asked Regulus' hand cold in her own, "I'll do anything."

The girl smiled, "Good. In return for your lover's life, I will take 16 years from both of your lives. You will remain here while I explore the world for my family, preserved in time until your release. I'll give you one minute before I put you to sleep. Do you accept?"

Astrid was one to think things through properly, but even she couldn't help but question the deal in front of her.

What if the girl was lying, what if she wasn't- what if nothing was the same after 16 years.

Her friends- she couldn't leave them, but she couldn't leave Regulus.

She had promised him that everything wouldn't be fine, she couldn't let someone die because of her.

Regulus had gotten the dark mark to protect her.

So she had to protect him- the same way Gia protected her all those years ago.

"Deal, just please bring him back," Astrid said looking down at Regulus face; the old had settled into his blue lips, around his eyes were pale and red, his two eyes cold and lifeless.

The girl smiled even wider, "Deal accepted."

She once again waved her hands over Regulus; the colour began to return to his cheeks, the blue colour drained from his lips leaving them a rosy pink.

He's eyes, both blue and black sparked with light.

Regulus gaped as he bolted upright, "Astrid, what the tick is going on?", he spotted the girl in the corner of the cave, "Who is that?"

"Remember one minute." The girl taunted, eyes wide with glee, "Time is ticking."

"I kept my promise, Reggie." Astrid said kissing him gently, "Everything is going to be fine, we are just going to go to sleep for a while."

"How long is a while?" Regulus asked worriedly, "Astrid you're not making sense."

"You died, I made a deal with her to bring you back, we are going to be here for 16 years, and when we wake up everything is going to be fine. It's going to be fine."

"Astrid I told you to leave if anything goes wrong."

"I couldn't leave you, the one promise I could never break." Astrid said ignoring the feeling of her legs becoming numb, "Do you think the others will be alright?"