A Twist In Time

The First Birthday Of Many

"You're blood lucky you didn't get yourself killed!" Polly shouted as I appeared in the kitchen with Finn, a popping sound announcing our presence.

I wasn't sure who she was talking to but she sure made the both of us feel guilty.

"Sorry, Aunt Pol," Finn said, the tears he'd shed at the hospital still running down his face.

"You're lucky Romy was were to get you, Finn, it was bloody stupid of you to go off like that when there's a man, a wizard no less, trying to hurt Romy. Don't you think he'd go after you to get to her?" It was clear that Polly was angry, but she didn't know what Finn had witnessed and I felt bad for the boy.

"It's alright, Polly, he understands," I told her, resting my hand on her shoulder and giving her a warning look. She must have sensed that something happened as she gave a firm nod and stepped away. "Finn, why don't you head on upstairs, run yourself a bath and I'll be up to talk to you when you get out."

Finn followed my instructions and once he left the kitchen I cast a silencing charm on the room, knowing that she'd overreact to what I was about to tell her.

"You weren't gone for long but Newt disappeared to get Phineas as soon as you left. Something happened. Finn was crying and you look shaken," Polly said, placing her hands on the back of the chair as she looked at me.

"You were right," I said, pulling a chair out and dropping down into it with a heavy sigh. "Sebastian was going to use Finn to get to me."

"He was there!" Ada shouted, covering her mouth before realising I'd cast a silencing charm.

"He turned up just after I arrived. He was going to hurt Finn to get to me. He didn't even spare me a second before he threw a curse at Finn, I'm damn lucky I have fast reflexes. You know he tried to kill me," I said finally letting the duel sink in. I was so close to possibly dying. To leave Thomas-J without a mother and breaking Tommy's heart by leaving him too, would destroy me. "If Louis hadn't thrown one of his knives it would have been me dead instead of Sebastian."

"So he's dead then?" Polly asked, the relief in her voice clear. At my nod, she gave a small smile before moving away from the table and over to the door. "I'm going to have a word with Finn. Thank you for saving him."

"You don't have to thank me, Polly. Finn is my family too. I'd do anything to protect him."

I had a hard choice to make - did I want to stay here in nineteen-seventeen with Thomas-J and the hopes that Tommy would make it back from the war or did I want to return to twenty-forty-seven where my family was?

In the life I had now, I had a son and a man that was sweet and loved me even through my flaws - I had hope it would last and wasn't based on a hope that he'd make it out of the war alive. There was a family that needed me and I needed them just as much. I had Newt in my life and while I had older brothers in my original timeline, there was something in the relationship I had with Newt that I never really had with my other siblings.

Against the odds, I hadn't really suffered while in this timeline - besides losing Merry - I'd actually gained things I'd never be able to have in the future. I would have no Thomas-J and I would have no Tommy and I wasn't sure I wanted that.

The time turner Sebastian had didn't have the spell Aunt Hermione cast. I was able to travel to whenever I wanted, past or future.

I was tempted to travel back to the future but a year or so further along my timeline to see how my family would cope without me, but the temptation of speaking to them again was too tempting.

Instead, I placed the time turner into a small wooden jewellery box and cast some charms on it to prevent anyone but me from opening it. I didn't want it falling into the wrong hands, not if it could cause damage as it had with Sebastian.