Ten 'til midnight.

The first years were exhausted from their trip and the excitement of it all, and the upper years hadn't gotten any homework yet that they'd have put off 'til the wee hours of the morning. Everyone in Gryffindor Tower was asleep.

Hermione had cleared a large space in the center of the common room, pushing all the furniture to the walls. She'd had the choice of doing the ritual naked or dressed in white, naked giving more strength to her casting. But even though everyone was supposedly asleep, she didn't want to run the risk of walking around naked should anyone develop insomnia.

Keeping the hood of her white cloak up around her face, she picked up a jar from the floor that held red sand. She unscrewed the lid, depositing it on the couch, and began to walk a clockwise circle trailing a steady stream of sand behind her. Just short of completing the circle she stopped and stepped inside of it. With slow precision she drew out a seven pointed star, each tip ending at the circle's boundary.

A black pillar candle she set at each point, and three smaller white ones in between points. She lit them each with the same clockwise motion as she'd drawn the circle, careful not to disturb the sand lines.

"Seven are the planets known to the Ancients

Seven are the colors of the rainbow

Seven are the stars in the Great Bear

Seven are the nights in each quarter of the moon

Seven are the directions of the circle"

She recited. She turned to a smaller jar this time, and grabbed from within a handful of salt. Starting where she began she walked the same path along each candle throwing salt into each wavering flame.

"Seven are the power centers of the body

Seven are the planes of the Universe

Seven are the notes of the musical scale

Seven are those that dwell in the light."

Holding the Tempus Infractus Scrolls in one hand, she grabbed one last handful of red sand in her hand and stepped into the center of the star. Flinging her hand out towards the hole in the circle, the remaining sand rained down and closed the boundaries. The candle flames shot upwards in heightened intensity and an unearthly wind swept the hem of her cloak.

"The Circle is closed."

She set the book down at her feet and threw her arms out to the sides. Her cloak parted, revealing a thin-strapped, simple, white dress. Back straight, she threw her head back and recited the words of the ancient text. With each word the flames brightened and the wind picked up, sending her cloak billowing out around her.

When she was finished with the incantation. She added her own prayer to the Gods, to strengthen her work.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace."

She poured everything she had into each word – willing the spell to work. Passion filled her voice and her power built inside.

"Time in its cyclic continuance cannot stop the power of light.

Health and prosperity become war and famine,

Beauty fades and minds cloud,

But goodness and purity never outgrow time.

They become stronger with each cycle;

Building upon the old, and creating new.

Flesh to bones, and bones to dust

Light feels not these affects of time

Past to Present, Present to Future –

I break these boundaries,

Cast out my soul, and pray to the Gods.

Help me shatter the cycle, and bring the seven together;

Warriors of good, missionaries of peace.

Help me to save the people I love.

Time! Begone from this place!"

She screamed the last, heart thundering in her chest and the thrum of magick all around her. The wind continued to roar, and the flames danced in high arcing patterns, but nothing happened.

Her heart fell to the bottom of her feet.

"Hermione!"

She glanced up; Harry and Ron were standing on the boys' stairs.

"It's not working," she called dishearteningly, still holding her arms out for some semblance of hope.

"I told you this was too dangerous!" Harry shouted over the wind. No one seemed to care that they were probably waking up everyone in Gryffindor Tower.

"I had to try," She yelled back. "I was hoping it would call the Founders, but I'm just not strong enough..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stood buffeted by the winds. She had wanted so badly for this to work. She'd divested so much time and energy, that every hope she'd had for this war had sunk into the pages of the weathered tome. The spell had done nothing, but create a showy fog & mirrors effect.

Hermione let the bitter saline droplets roll over the curve of her lips. She didn't know if she had any hope left for the future...

"Hermione!"

The voices were closer now and her eyes snapped open to find Harry and Ron running towards her. "NO!" She shouted, but it was too late. They'd crossed the circle and grabbed a hold of her hands.

The minute the three touched the circle exploded upwards in screaming pillar of white light. Harry and Ron's magick pumped into her and like a human conduit all their power siphoned into her body and joined into one great force. As if it had a mind of its own it pushed against her flesh, demanding to be set free.

Her body was rejecting the amount of power being shoved into it all at once and she spasmed violently against her friends. They might have said her name, but all she could hear was the shriek of the wind. Her arms flung outwards and Harry and Ron were both sent rocketing to opposite sides of the circle. They landed on their feet behind the white candles, in the empty space between two points and were held there by an invisible force.

Hermione's arms were out at her sides again, palms facing up. The wind was near painful now, biting against her skin and forcing the cowl of her cloak back off her head. Her untamable curls spilled free and twisted into disjointed patterns above her in a cinnamon halo. Her bare feet left the ground; the power of her and her friends levitating her straight off the carpet.

"SEVEN ARE THOSE THAT DWELL IN THE LIGHT!" As she shouted the words she shoved all the gathered magic into her words and into the spell.

Hermione closed her eyes and let every bit of magick seep out of her – she would take nothing to chance. When she opened her eyes again four pillars of red light had filled the remaining empty spaces between the star's points.

"Time – let go your grip!"

The red light disappeared, and what the trio saw shook them with disbelief. It was not the Four Founders that had been brought through time, as Hermione had anticipated.

Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Lily Evans completed the star.