Pastel pink

Time Turner

Chapter 16: Time turner

7th January, 1976

---------------

Abellina sat in the hospital bed, supported by pillows as she held the small, wooden box in both her hands. She'd been moved to the Hospital wing at Hogwarts after recovering most of her physical injuries but she still hadn't spoken to anyone about the events that had occurred over the past fortnight. The only things they knew where the things that they were able to understand from her physical injuries. She'd refused to speak to the aurors that came, saying only that she didn't want to press charges before ignoring all their questions. Some part of her wanted to fight a legal battle but she knew it would be fruitless- it would be less of a well-constructed legal fight than it would be a contest of money, power and contacts. It would only prolong her mental suffering and the publicity it would attract was undesirable to say the least. Even Lily had eventually admitted that forming a court case would hinder any progress that Abellina could be making.

The wooden box she held contained a time turner. McGonnagall had given it to her so that she could take care of magical creatures as well as ancient runes and arithmancy. Obviously, she was not supposed to use it for any other purposes aside from her lessons but the thought was tempting. She had the power to go back and prevent her uncle from locking her away. It would change everything.

With a small sigh she closed the box, placing it back on the bedside table with a slender, pale arm. The bruises still hadn't healed as the healers were reluctant to use too much magic on her and every time she caught a glimpse of his handprints wrapped around her arms her stomach twisted in knots and she felt as if an icy bucket of water had been poured over her. She closed her eyes as she picked up the pastel pink diary that her counsellor had given her. She was supposed to write down her thoughts and feelings surrounding what had happened and eventually, when she was ready she had to draft a letter to everyone who had hurt her. Her counsellor, Shannon Marks, said it was supposed to allow her to come to terms with it. Abellina said she'd already come to terms with it. She was raped. There. As far as she was concerned that was all there was to it. She was raped and it was her fault because she got herself locked up and she didn't scream loud enough or run away when Lucius forced himself on her. Given all that had happened then Abellina felt that she was dealing with it quite well. Admittedly, she still couldn't look anyone in the eye and was jumpy around loud noises, footsteps, men, people touching her and, well... men but that was only to be expected. At least now she didn't run away and hide when she heard people coming.

Speaking of, she heard footsteps approaching the hospital wing. She could tell just from the sound and the space in between that it was a teenage boy, not quite a man yet as his footsteps weren't loud enough showing that he would still grow a little. From the gait she was able to estimate that it was James Potter. Not to her surprise he walked in only moments later, a lopsided grin stretching across his face as he shoved his glasses up his nose and swaggered over to her, a laughing glint evident in his soft eyes.

"Hey Avery, how you doing?" His voice had lost the edge of hesitancy that it had held in the first few days of her recovery and he wasn't as tense or on edge as he had been, slumping in the wooden chair and idly scratching a pimple on his chin.

"I'd be doing better if you weren't here." James could tell from the tone of her voice that despite her toothy grin then she still wasn't quite there. Her words were hollow and the ever-present laugh gurgling at the back of her throat was gone. He could also tell that she was trying which was why he chose not to mention how her eyes fell at his feet or the new scratches on her hands and instead clutched at his chest, gasping over dramatically as he did so.