Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 141

The fourth time the same events repeated, and Isabella slumped to the floor in defeat. 

Why couldn't she do it? What was so lacking in her that she couldn't remove a simple barrier? 

It was a familiar hopelessness that took over her. And she despised it.

She couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't go to the same place at the same time anymore without being noticed by her past selves and that was forbidden and can have catastrophic results.

Isabella could feel her hands trembling. She was not good enough. If she couldn't do even this much, how was she supposed to—

"Ah!" the pain that shot through her head wasn't the usual one. But it wasn't unfamiliar either. 

. . .Was she forgetting something again? 

Oh! Her classes! She still had classes. 

She should go forward in time and continue on with her day. She'd also have to be careful, since the Marauders have their map. But if she made sure that there was only one of her past or future selves, she could make an excuse and say that it was someone with the same name.

Since there would be one person in the hospital wing, and the other attending her classes. 

Oh, no! Her bag was in the hospital wing. 

UGH! What a disaster! 

Now she had to find a way to sneak her bag out...Or she could go back in time, steal her bag from one of her past selves and then return it before she noticed anything?...Or she could stay back and try to find a way out of the stupid barrier. 

Nah, not the second one. It would only frustrate her to the point of no return. If she lost herself right now, then she would never be able to solve it. 

She would take it calmly. The answer would always be there before her. All she had to do was look carefully.

She can take only one step at a time. That's the way to move forward. 

............................................................................

Sirius waited long in the Room of Requirements, waiting for Regulus to arrive so that he can tell him about all that had happened. 

But Regulus didn't come that night.

"He wasn't there?" James said confused.

"Nope," Sirius sighed, slumping into an armchair in front of the dying fire in the common room. 

It was still early in the morning and the sun hadn't risen yet. But they couldn't sleep. 

It was just lucky that Isabella had managed to get out of whatever happened unscathed. They had no idea how Riddle or Voldemort could have entered the castle, and they reached the conclusion that the Horcrux had a curse on it, and that was what caused it. 

"Like a chain reaction," Sirius had said. "Us getting it just triggered it off,"

"Why wasn't Regulus there?" Lily said. 

"Exactly," James said, almost indignant. "We even started the investigation officially, so he is obligated to come to the Room every day,"

"He doesn't know what he's missing out on," Sirius muttered crossly. "Maybe he just got caught up in homework and stuff. He'll probably be there tomorrow,"

"So do we put off the investigation until Regulus joins?" Peter asked.

"No," Remus said firmly. "It is getting more dangerous. We thought it was just a monster all this time, but if there is a wizard involved, it changes things,"