A/N - This is a short chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise! Oh, the Harry Potter Universe belongs to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros., for those of you who don't know. I own Katrina Shanks (the witch), Ria Goldenlake (the Dragon's Mage), Bytenix Marague (the fighting mage), Zanthia Pyrades (the absent-minded pyromancer, and necromancer), Kieran Janaal (the Maker), Khazoi Illinait (the Song-Mage), and Thomas Kramer (the Fire Magician and Gladrags model). If you want to use any of these people in a story, or just a name, email me and we'll work it out. Please R/R!!

Inside the Hourglass

by

satrios

Prologue

"In Which a Terrible Event Occurs"

It was graduation day for the class of 1998, and the excitement in the air was nearly palatable. Most of the students were eager to escape the perimeters of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, simply for the fact that all of wizard England knew that the Scottish boarding school was where Lord Voldemort planned to attack next.

Instead of the regular House tables and benches in the Great Hall that day, there were pews and a podium at the very front of the large room. Professor Dumbledore, who was looking more harried by the day, called the roll.

The people in the first pew were not quite paying attention. There were nine of them to be exact. Five girls and four boys. Surprisingly, this one piece of furniture held the very people who were least eager to leave Hogwarts for good.

Seated next to the aisle lined with red carpet was Neville Longbottom. If one knew Neville personally, he or she would feel sorry for him. Neville, who was, until the end of fifth year at the bottom of his class, would miss the variety of plants that were particular to the area around the Dark Forest. Also, he liked school. After his powers peaked at age 16, he realized that he was not a Squib, in fact, he was quite a powerful wizard. As Dumbledore had told him, the later a wizards' powers peaked, the stronger the powers were likely to be. It was a pleasure to beat Malfoy at exam time, one that was too short-lived for Neville.

On Neville's right side was seated Hermione Granger. After Harry's close shave with Voldemort at the end of fourth year, she had thrown herself into her schoolwork. Averaging 420% on every exam, she had become rather obsessed with outdoing everyone. She would also miss access to a library such as the one housed within the stone walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Looking around the hall and all the familiar faces surrounding her, Hermione thought vaguely that the school had become more of a home to her than her own house.

Slytherins Katrina Shanks, Ria Goldenlake, Bytenix Valkeyrie, Zanthia Pyrades, Kieran Janaal, Thomas Kramer, and Khazoi Illinait were crammed onto the same bench as the two Gryffindors.

After the end-of-year-exam scores had been announced, they all had to go back up and get their certificates. Draco Malfoy, Professor Snape's school service student, handed them out. When Dumbledore called out, "Pyrades, Zanthia!" she went up to get her certificate, beaming.

Zanthia heard a voice whisper an odd word, and she tripped over an invisible cord. There was some laughter, but it died out as a cloud of luminous dust sprinked over the first pew--and Zanthia. My time-turner, Zanthia thought dimly. It must've broken.

Suddenly the colors of the Hall shifted, swirled, and died out.