A Twist In Time

Back To 1916

"Are you okay?" I asked Merope as she threw up as we stopped turning back in time.

"What happened?" she asked weakly leaning into me as she tried to catch her breath. She was shaking slightly and her hand was resting on her stomach. Was that something pregnant women did?

"Umm, I think we might have gone back in time," I told her as I glanced around the room and took in the outdated furniture and the missing items that once belonged to Tom Riddle.

"What?"

"When you touched the necklace, I think you sent us back in time," I muttered, helping her into the chair beside the bed and looking around the room. "I'm not sure how far we went back. Are you okay to come downstairs? We can find out the date and get something to eat."

Merry nodded and took my hand as I bent down and grabbed her bag. I quickly slid it in the little cotton bag hanging around me and led her out the door. We managed to make it to the bottom floor and I sent her to a table as I went to the barman.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have a newspaper I could borrow? I was also wondering if I could order some food for myself and my sister," I said sweetly smiling up at the man. He frowned at me before grunting the price of the food. I quickly handed him the right amount, happy that wizarding money hadn't changed over the years. "Thank you," I muttered as I glanced down at the paper feeling myself get sick at the date that flashed at the top.

"Are you okay, Romy?" Merry asked as I stumbled into my seat and handed her the paper with shaky hands. "I'm so sorry." She was trying to keep her tears in but I could see how hard it was for her to hold them in. She flinched away as if she was afraid I'd hit her and I remembered what Papa had said. She was abused by her father and brother throughout her life.

"It's not your fault, Merry," I told her, resting my hand over hers and I bit my lip. There wasn't anything we could do about it now. The time turner wouldn't work until I completed my mission, it was a charm Hermione had cast to prevent me from moving through time. She must have forgotten to add a charm to prevent me from going further back.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, fiddling with the paper as she avoided my eyes.

"We need a plan." I nodded slowly as I started thinking of something in my head. "I told the barkeep that we were sisters. I think it's best we go with that story, it's more believable why we'd be travelling together. We're in the middle of a muggle war, too," I told her, running my hands through my hair as I nodded along with my thoughts. I was doing that a lot lately. "We can say you married a muggle and he was sent home due to an injury. Not long after his return home, you fell pregnant but when he found out he kicked us out. It gives us a reason to be wandering."

"No one would believe we're sisters," she muttered softly looking over my face and then turning hers away in shame.

"What does that mean, Merry?" I asked, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

"Well you're this beautiful red-head and I'm, well .. I'm me," she whispered, pulling her hand from me.

"I'm part Veela and a metamorphmagus, Merry. My beauty isn't natural," I told her, feeling disgusted at how self-conscious I had made her feel. "Do you want me to change my hair colour? I can go to your brown?" I gave her a soft smile and showed her my abilities by changing my hair from the Weasley Red to my natural strawberry blonde, which had more of a ginger tint to it.

"No, don't change it!" she exclaimed, her hand clamping down on my wrist. "Your hair is beautiful."

"This is my natural colour, I'll leave it like this," I promised, twisting one of the tight curls around my fingers as my hair fell down my shoulders.