Prologue
Two girls ran down the otherwise empty corridors, one in pursuit of the other. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange light over everything. There was the faintest whisper in the halls, and echo of the raucous celebrations taking place across the grounds as the general population of Hogwarts celebrated the end of exams. The two solitary souls remaining in the halls had other things occupying their thoughts.
The first girl, a tall blonde, had better stamina than the second, and was quickly outstripping the small brunette. The second girl was panting and slowing, but would not give up the chase, and managed to remain relatively close to her quarry. Finally the blonde girl halted in a large, unused classroom in a part of the castle that was unfamiliar to the brunette.
"I-Ivy," panted the second girl, leaning against the desk nearest to the door, "you're barking. This is insane, and I can't let you do it."
Ivy, who was not nearly as short of breath as her companion, grinned mischievously. "Aria, don't you see? I didn't find these by accident, it was meant to be! I was meant to find them, and use them. Life and magic give us the tools to help ourselves, and that's all it would be, don't you understand? This was meant to happen."
Aria shook her head, still struggling to catch her breath and barely able to hold herself up. Her exhausted muscles threatened to give way beneath her at any second, so she paused before speaking again, taking long, slow breaths. As she contemplated how best to talk her deranged friend out of her plans, she looked carefully at the two glittering objects that she had not noticed before, sitting on the professor's desk at the front of the class. The objects were more or less identical, each seeming to be a rather useless necklace, with a chain so long and thin that it would hardly be practical to wear. The pendants were ornate hourglasses enclosed in golden circles, and the only discernable difference between the two was the size; the first hourglass was tiny, while the second was rather absurdly larger.
"Ivy," Aria said slowly as her friend eyed the hourglasses hungrily. "You can't do this. You know what happens to wizards and witches that mess with time. And Ivy, you aren't just going to be messing with time, you'll be cheating! I've helped you through a lot of your work and given you answers a lot of times I shouldn't have and watched you charm answers out of others, but, Ivy, I cannot let you abuse magic as rare and volatile as time travel just to get better marks!"
Ivy's grin became less mischievous and more manic. "Aria, you don't understand. You've always been brilliant at school; you can do anything! All I've ever wanted was to be a Healer, you know that! It's all I've ever talked about since First Year! I just want to live up to my mother, and I can't do that if I can't continue on to N.E.W.T. Potions, and I'm positive I've failed my Potions O.W.L.! If I could just have another go, now that I know what I did wrong, if I could just go back to this morning and retake the exam, I'll be able to continue on and I'll be able to achieve my dream! Aria, I need to do this! It's my only hope!"
Aria shook her head. "Ivy, you can't, okay? I don't care what you think, okay, you're being insane. If you touch one of those Time Turners I'll– I'll– I'll tell McGonagall!"
Ivy rolled her eyes, a knowing smirk gracing her face. "Don't be absurd, Aria. I know you too well. Even if you don't approve, you aren't a sneak like that. You're too loyal. And I'm going to do what I have to do." She grabbed the closer Time Turner, the smaller one, and draped it around her neck. "I'll see you on the other side, Aria. Wish me luck!" And with a wink, before Aria could stop her, Ivy flicked her wand to turn the little hourglass twenty-four times. She took a deep breath, her eyes wide with crazed determination, and then slowly faded from sight as she disappeared a full day into the past.
Aria fumed for a moment, pacing angrily around the room. Ivy was right, of course; she wouldn't go to the Headmistress. But she was determined, nonetheless, to stop her closest friend from making a terrible mistake and ruining her life. She looked towards the desk at the remaining Time Turner and knew what she had to do. Quickly, before she could think it through and realize how stupid she was being, she grabbed the second, much larger Time Turner, pulled the chain around her neck, and turned the hourglass twenty-four times. The world dissolved around her as she slipped back in time.