Aria Alena Aeron breezed into the shop like a cat on the prowl, her pale green eyes darting back and forth intelligently as she took in her surroundings. Her flowing black gown swept across the old floor, brushing gently against shelving as the young woman made her way to the back of the shop.

An old man sat behind a glass counter marked with scratches. "Can I help you, young lady?"

Aria regarded him haughtily. "Just browsing, thanks." She smirked and turned away, examining the goods with a scrutinizing eye.

The young beauty was vacationing in England with her parents the summer of her fifteenth birthday. She had some distant relatives in London, but either way the trip had not been a very interesting one for her. England was boring and empty, and Aria was restless, yet her family did not seem to care. Thus, the woman had decided to do some exploring of her own; perhaps she could make this place fun just by being herself.

She hadn't gone far when she'd encountered this little place, a so-called "magic" shop, set away in a deserted side street. At first her eyes had slid away from the squat little building, but the word "magic" had darted out at her, and she had stood in the middle of the street and concentrated with all her might until the store had popped into focus. That fact alone had been enough to entice her to enter, her fingers itching to touch some real magic for once.

Aria Alena had always had an affinity for magic, going as far back as she could remember. Her parents had attempted to beat this interest out of her many times, and yet she still persisted, being drawn to the arts like a moth to flame. At first, she had struggled to find her own sort of magic, to hone the odd power she sometimes felt tingling within her fingers. However, her youth, combined with the negative aura of her family, meant that this path of self-discovery had gone nowhere. So she'd looked elsewhere, outside of herself.

She'd found a fringe group of Wiccans at school, several confused young girls, all desperately searching for something different, not unlike Aria herself. But Wicca was not the sort of magic Aria needed. She attended their meetings, took part in their rituals, but she never felt like a true part of the group. She was an outsider, even amongst outsiders.

But here, oh, here, here in this little shop in some old area of a boring city, here Aria felt the magic she had been searching for her entire life. The very walls glowed with the power, and each of the artifacts lying within the shelves called out to the young brunette.

One such piece called to her most loudly. She couldn't put it into words, but there was something about it that drew her attention. Moving quickly, she came up to the glass and gently placed a hand on it, staring into the case and examining the round piece of architecture. It was a golden hourglass, encased in a globe of sorts, covered in odd markings and hanging suspended from a thick golden chain. Aria was dying to try it on.

"I don't think so," the old man said sharply, speaking before Aria could even ask the question. Somehow this didn't surprise her; she simply fixed the man with a disappointed scowl. "You're much too young for that sort of thing, young lady. Why, you can't have even had your O.W.L.s yet, am I right?"

"I don't have any owls, and I don't know why I would," Aria said coldly. "I was just going to ask what sort of a necklace this was."

The old man grinned and practically leapt up from his post behind the counter, waddling over to the lady with a sudden excitement. "Ah, you're American," he said, as though that explained everything. "You've never seen a Time-turner before."

"No, I haven't," Aria replied, her green eyes narrowing. "What is it?"

"Why, it's just what it sounds like, dear, it turns time," the old man replied. He patted the glass tenderly and then turned away. "No, it's much too dangerous for a young'un like yourself. You shouldn't even be in a place like this; where are your parents?"

"That's none of your business," Aria snapped. She moved slightly, so that her body was covering the case holding the time-turner. She could still feel the hum, that faint tingling that meant magic was near. This time turning device was meant for her; she could feel it.

"That's no way to speak to your elders," the old man said sternly. "I suggest you go back to your American school; it'll be the Salem Witches' Institute, am I right? Maybe they tolerate such behavior over there, but not here, oh, no."

That was it for Aria; she placed her hand over the lock of the case and prepared to smash the glass in. Surprisingly, however, she didn't have to, as the very lock seemed to melt in her hands. Her eyes wide with shock, Aria reached it and snatched the time-turner, stuffing it in her pocket and quickly hurrying away. "I'm sorry to bother you," she called out stiffly as she left, her insides whirring with magic and triumph.

Back out on the street, Aria gleefully examined her new treasure; the gold shined beautifully in the light. Carefully, she pulled the chain around her neck and fastened it shut; it was a bit large for a necklace, but it would do. She wasn't so sure she wanted to try out the time-turning just yet; better to wait for a more opportune moment. If this thing really did work, she would be sure to use it to the very best of its ability.

Strolling down the street and heading back in the direction of the hotel, Aria felt happier than she had in weeks. The very presence of the golden hourglass around her neck made her feel strong and powerful in a way she never had before, and she relished the feeling. It wasn't until she hit the main roads that she noticed something odd.

Someone was giving her an incredulous look. Aria whirled about sharply to face a short girl with crazy, frizzy brown hair, possibly Aria's own age, giving her a look of shock. "Pardon me, but where did you get that?" The girl asked shrilly, pointing wildly to the time-turner.

"That's none of your business," Aria snapped.

"But it took me weeks of special correspondence to get one!" The girl cried, her brow furrowed up in annoyance. "They don't just give Time-turners to students! What's your name; what house are you in? I've never seen you before."

"What's wrong with you?" Aria asked angrily, stepping backwards to avoid the furious arm-wheeling of this stranger. "I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. I'm staying in a hotel; I don't have a house. I live in New York; you know, NYC?"

The girl stopped and frowned. "I didn't think they gave out Time-turners in America, either. What school do you go to?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Aria said, still backing up as she spoke. "Now if you'll just excuse me, I have a normal --- shit!" She'd stumbled upon something in her backwards movement, and was tumbling to the ground.

Aria had only a brief snapshot of the frizzy-haired girl, her mouth wide open and her arms thrust out in a poor attempt to stop Aria from falling. And then the colors all blurred and things began spinning very fast and Aria had never fallen like this before and it seemed to go on forever and suddenly, as quickly as it had started, it stopped.

And she was no longer in present day London at all.