NB: I did not create any of the characters that you will read about here, etc.

Well hello all of you kind people who are taking time out of your day to read my little story. Please any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but please try not to send flames unless it's absolutely necessary.

I owe many ideas concerning Hermione & Severus that I have had to such writers as Riley and McAmy, whom I adore, and if I accidentally say something in my story that seems quite similar to their stories, accept my apology in advance.

I also would like to say that as the story continues it may start to sound strangely familiar to some (who have read the book I am thinking of of course! And no, I don't mean Harry Potter, I mean that is painfully obvious) so don't get all pissy on me when you discover the sub-plot. If you happen to discover it, and want to confirm your hypothesis, by all means e-mail me at: [email protected]



The Hourglass

By Olivia

Chapter one: The Journey to Hogwarts



Sunlight streamed in through a white painted window. A large ginger cat curled up in the sunspot on the hard wood floor; occasionally stretching it's furry legs and opening its large mouth to reveal two rows of perfectly sharp pointy teeth. The room in which the cat was contained was immaculate - except for a couple trunks lying packed and ready on the floor. A few books and papers had been made into neat little piles beside a small wooden twin bed. On top of the bed a motionless body was buried beneath bundles of blankets. The body moved every so slightly, possibly stretching. A distinct yawn could now be heard from it.

The next sound to follow the yawn was a quiet little hum heard from outside the door. A knock followed close by. A woman in her mid-forties walked in. She was a brunette with a few hints of gray. Her face was cheerful and glowing, a few wrinkles creased her eyes. She was at one time very beautiful, the girl all of the boys chased around three decades ago. Those days had passed, and now she was a housewife, and a mother of an only child. She walked up to the bed and pulled back the covers. The body was revealed to be a fairly pretty sleeping female dressed in flannel pajamas.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," said the woman, "it's nearly 9 o'clock! And we still have to drive to London so you can catch your train."

The sleeping girl awoke with a start at the mention of "train". She quickly jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. The mother of the girl chuckled to herself and left the room, closing the door behind her. The bathroom door closed, the girl turned on the shower and turned to the mirror to gaze at her sleepy reflection. She looked up close to her reflection, almost brushing noses with herself, and squinted. In the mirror was a girl of 16 staring back at the other. Her long chestnut brown hair flowed over her shoulders, and her cheeks were pink after having just woken up. The girl stopped looking at herself and disappeared into the steamy shower, letting the water dampen her long hair.

After about 15 minutes the girl reappeared in her bedroom nice and clean and dressed in a plaid skirt, mary-janes, white knee socks, and a red cardigan. She went to her pile of books by the bed and placed them neatly into one of her trunks. Satisfied with her neat packing job she left her room and knocked on a door down the hall from her own.

"Come in," said a male voice.

The young girl walked inside and said, "morning dad, my trunks are all ready if you want to bring them to the car."

The man turned around to face her. He was also in his forties, but unlike the mother with only a hint of gray hair, his was almost entirely.

"I can't believe you're going away for another year, my how the summer does fly by. It seems as if it were only yesterday we were picking you up from the train station."

"Yes well, we've all been so busy this summer that it certainly did seem to fly by," said the girl, a small smile on her face.

"I'll go get your things," said her father.

~***~

The family of three arrived at the train station at about 10:30, just in time to park the car and head over to the platform. At 10:45 they were standing in front of a wall between platforms nine and ten, and were hugging eachother goodbye.

"Do have fun while you're at school Hermione," said the mother, "and send us an owl when you get there."

"I will mum," said the glowing brunette as she gave her mother a hug.

"Try not to work too hard, eh girl?" said the father coming down to hug his daughter.

"Well don't get angry if I do." replied the girl.

She glanced at her watch, 10:53 it read.

"I better be going, I don't want to miss the train you know." and with that her parents gave her one last hug and she ran straight towards the wall between platforms nine and ten.

~***~

After Hermione had gone through the wall and entered platform 9¾ she gave her luggage to a short man who piled it into the luggage carrier of the train. She looked around her trying to find someone she knew from her previous years at Hogwarts, to bask in the happiness of returning. She didn't find a one.

"Strange." she thought, "I should at least know one face here, after all, it is my sixth year, and I've had plenty of time to look at other students' faces."

She didn't let it bother her too much, and climbed aboard the train.

Hermione Granger settled herself into an empty cabin. If it were empty she could easily catch up on some sleep, the sleep she had lost in all of her excitement of returning to Hogwarts. She hadn't fallen asleep until 3 am; too excited to sleep she had stayed up reading various magic books that the school had requested she buy for her various classes. She was excited to see everyone again, her teachers, her House, her friends, she even missed the horrible Filch who lurked around the school grounds at night giving detention to whomever he caught sneaking about.

She was hoping Harry and Ron would have enough sense to come looking for her, so that she wouldn't have to spend the whole trip by herself.

Her thoughts left her as she heard a familiar clinking coming down the train, and reached into her purse as the food cart came up to her cabin. This year the woman was fairly young, instead of the usual much older witch Hermione was used to seeing.

"Anything off the cart, dear?" The same phrase the old witch used to use, nearly the same intonation as well.

She gave the witch a couple of sickles and bought Pumpkin Pasties, a Chocolate Frog, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Satisfied with her choices for snacks, Hermione settled against her seat and popped a Bean into her mouth. She wrinkled her nose, as she tasted candle wax.

Hermione sat there reading one of her books, but too worried to concentrate on the interesting pages before her.

"Where are Harry and Ron? Or Ginny for that matter, or even Draco!" she thought to herself, "I received an owl from Ron only two days ago, and he most certainly did not say he wouldn't be here." Hermione ran these thoughts through her head, and then decided to leave the coziness of her cabin and walk about the train to find her friends.

She peered through each of the cabins, but didn't recognize any of the passengers.

"How strange." she thought, "that no one I know should be on this train.perhaps they all found magical flying cars and flew their way to Hogwarts."

She then came to a cabin where a boy around her age was sitting alone. He had dark brown mussed up hair, and wore round glasses. He was fast asleep.

"Harry!" thought Hermione, happy with herself that she had found someone she knew, and not only that, but her best friend. Then the thought popped in her head, "why didn't he come and find me?"

Angrily she opened the cabin door. The boy awoke with a start and looked dazedly at the pretty pink-cheeked brunette in the doorway.

"Here you are Harry, keeping yourself in seclusion I see." Then she realized she wasn't angry at all, just happy to see someone she knew. A small smile made it's way onto her face, brightening it up. "Where's Ron? I haven't been able to find a single person I know on this bloody train." she trailed off as she saw the confused expression on the boy's face.

"Whatever is the matter with you Harry? Don't say you don't you remember me."

"Frankly I don't. I don't believe I've ever seen you before in my life."

Hermione's jaw dropped, and her heart sank. "That's a terrible thing to say Harry! Did Ron put you up to this? Is this a prank?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are, or this Ron character. And where on earth do you get off calling me Harry? My name is definitely not Harry."

Hermione looked utterly angry and confused at this point. She walked over to the boy and sat herself across from him. This was Harry - it just had to be. There was no doubt in her mind that it wasn't. Afterall, she should know what her best friend looks like, even if she hadn't seen him for three months.

"Okay, enough with the pranks, this isn't funny anymore," said Hermione coldly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the boy starting to get a little agitated with his female interrogator. "This is not a prank. I don't know who you are, I don't know who this Ron is, and my name is not Harry." The boy brushed a hand through his messy hair exposing his forehead.

Hermione noticed immediately. There was no scar on this boy's forehead.