epiphanies - sirius black

chapter 17

She had killed them.

All of them.

She stared at their cold pale faces.

Peter. Dead.

James. Dead.

Remus. Dead.

Lily. Dead.

Sirius.

Dead.

Their eyes were empty and their souls lost.

And, she had done it. She had killed them.

She looked at her wand. The wand that had brutally cursed all five of them.

A rage grew inside her, regret, guilt, and she tried to break the wand, but it wouldn't give.

All she wanted, all she needed in that moment was too hear the sound of the wood break, to feel it splintering her skin. She needed it. She deserved it.

But still. Nothing.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder.

The hand was firm, and rough.

Then came a cool, gravely voice beside her left ear.

"I knew you would do the right thing, I knew you would."

Maggie knew that voice. Her father.

He began to turn her around, twisting her stiff, still frame, but her eyes remained fixed on the row of bodies. Dead, lifeless bodies.

As she turned, she was met with a crowd of people, all dressed in dark, black cloaks.

Positioned at the front of the crowd were two familiar faces.

It was her mother, and bedside her, Elizabeth.

Suddenly, the entirety of the group lifted up their cloak sleeves, each and every one of them revealing a dark, deathly mark on their forearm.

What was it? Maggie wasn't sure.

"Join us." They all cooed, in an eerie, monotone like echo.

Maggie began to shake.

"Join us" they bellowed again, but this time it was louder.

The group began inching closer and closer.

Maggie sharply turned around, ready to run, but gone were the lifeless bodies of her friends, and in their place stood her father, his wand pointed at her, and in his hand, the pale blue ribbon.

As in the ribbon.

The one Maggie had stolen all of those years ago.

And then he did it.

The unspeakable.

Just like he had, all those years ago.

Her knees gave way, and she was anchored to the floor, body trembling helplessly.

The pain rippled through her body like a river. The water edging into every corner of her soul.