Chapter 1 - The Battle
Battle of Hogwarts - 2nd May 1998
"Stupefy!"
Flashes of red and green lit the dark hallway of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or at least, what was left of it. The ancient walls were crumbling and it was no longer the safe haven it had once been to many of the students. It had been home but now it was a war zone.
"Protego!" She lifted her wand at the last second, blocking the spell that would have most likely caused her imminent death.
The Battle of Hogwarts was fully underway, and she knew that they were losing. Voldemort's forces were winning, he was too strong and he'd been planning this for far, far too long. They never even had a chance. Her parents knew that when they forced her to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas; it was too dangerous to stay at home. They were right, of course, they were Ravenclaws after all. The letter that demanded her remainder within the school walls was the last she'd ever receive from them.
"Petrificus totalus!"
They were surrounding her. This part of the castle was abandoned and all students and teachers and anyone fighting for the Light side had congregated within the Great Hall. Not Amelia. She was in the hallway that led to the Ravenclaw tower, which had already been raided. She was conscious of every sound and shape around, her wand at the ready. A Death Eater's body lay at her feet, his piercing eyes following her moves; the only he thing could do with the full body binding spell that had been cast on him. Her ragged breaths echoed in the high ceilings, her panic growing stronger as she realised no one was coming to get her and there was no way to the Great Hall without being caught. The pounding in her temple grew with each second but she ignored it, along with the blood that caked her hair and leaked from the dozens of lacerations covering her body.
Amelia jumped at a high-pitched cackle sounded, not too far away. Lestrange. Amelia knew at her best, she could have a chance but she was tired. Her survival instincts were the only thing that kept her going. The voices were growing closer and Amelia whirled around, scanning the area for a hiding spot. Running was a no-go, they'd hear her footfalls and kill her before she could even scream. Finding an alcove, she hid on her hands and knees, quickly casting a shielding spell. Her body binding spell was wearing off on the Death Eater who was sluggishly regaining his movements, moaning out to his comrades. He'd seen her hide, he knew where she was and he'd tell them. This was it, her last few minutes before she'd be ripped from this world.
Her hand brushed against a cold object, making Amelia jolt but her fingers curled around the chain as she brought the object closer to her face. Her vision was blurred, blood loss taking its effect, as she inspected it but despite her ailment, she knew what the object was straight away.
A Time Turner.
In her hands was the object that could change everything, if she dared to use it. Such a small thing that had such unpredictable consequences. Would it change anything, could she save anyone? Or would she kill just as many people as she could save? Its golden shimmer drew her in, her eyes never leaving it as she read the inscription.
"I mark the hours, every one, Nor have I yet outrun the Sun. My use and value, unto you, Are gauged by what you have to do."
What you have to do.
She was a Ravenclaw, she was more intelligent than this. Could she be this selfish? To leave Hogwarts with one less witch to help fight the Death Eaters, with their already rapidly decreasing numbers. Amelia had nothing left to lose. She was young, turning 16 in only 11 days, if she made it that long. Her parents were dead, her only friends had fled, abandoning the orphaned Amelia, or were among the dead already. What could she possibly do? With nothing left to lose.
Fight or flight?
Life or death?
Past or present?
Her survival instinct kicked in as she heard the Death Eaters' murmurs and chuckles and Amelia's thumb knocked back the dial and she was ripped from the world in a much different way than she'd expected.
She felt herself falling through nothing and everything. She couldn't inhale, exhale, breathe. Yet she didn't feel herself suffocating. Was she dead, alive or something in between? Amelia kept her eyes screwed shut, the whispers of time passing comforting her. She was too used to the silence, the sound of her own breath. For the first time in forever, she felt peace. It didn't last long as she was abruptly spat out onto the hallway floor.
Amelia looked through her droopy eyelids and found that the walls had repaired themselves and the floor was free from bodies and bloodstains. She realised she had no clue when she was. The Time Turner seemed to spin endlessly and Amelia was slightly afraid to find out where it had delivered her. A panic swelled up in her stomach as she began to regret the decision. Maybe she should have just sacrificed herself, who knows what could happen now. Amelia attempted to pull back the dial once more on the Time Turner but it refused to budge. Sucking in a sharp breath of air, Amelia knew there was no going back.
She stumbled as her vision grew hazy and various colours flashed before her.
"Excuse me? But it is past curfew, you should be in bed." An agitated voice sounded. Amelia turned on the spot, the blurred image of a dark haired boy in Slytherin robes stalking towards her.
"I-I…" Amelia tried to speak but her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her wand slipping from her hand. The last thing she heard was the sickening crack as her head hit the icy stone floor and the rustling of the boy's robes as he darted forward.
Hey all! So this is a story I've been working on for nearly a year now and has the longest word count I've ever written so far so it's one I don't think I'll ever give up, I'm so invested in these characters. I've finally got a plot I'm happy with so I decided to post whilst it's still summer. Anyway I hope you all enjoy!
