Harry Potter and the Sorceress of the Stars

Daphne stifled a yawn as she settled into her seat next to Oleandra for breakfast. She looked around; no one seemed to notice the complex sigil shining on her sister's forehead. Daphne sighed inwardly; her little sister had once again caught up to her.

At any rate, Daphne had other things to worry about today; Monday was a big day for her, as it was jam-packed with classes. Each one of her days was crammed to bursting with classes, but Monday was the worst offender. She glanced at her schedule.

"Say, Sister," Daphne said. "Are you looking forward to our first class of Study of Ancient Runes?"

"Why would I be?" Oleandra said arrogantly. "I bet I know more about runes than our teacher. Anyway, don't wait up on me for lunch, I'll be up in the North Tower again."

Oleandra and Tracey had recently taken to visiting Professor Trelawney's room during lunchtime to be taught the art of Runestone Divination. Oleandra had claimed she had had enough of blundering through life without knowing why things kept happening to her. Apparently, Professor Trelawney had told her she had the Gift, which she liked rubbing in Daphne's face. 

"Yes, yes, have fun," Daphne said dismissively. She loved her sister, but sometimes Oleandra just got on her nerves. Maybe Granger had been right about Professor Trelawney after all.

When they had finished their breakfast, the girls stood up to head to class.

Plink!

"What's this?" said Oleandra, bending over to pick up something. "Who would throw something like this away? Such a waste."

"Come on, we'll be late for Divination," said Tracey, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Coming!" called Oleandra, pocketing the object.

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Daphne held up her hand to cover her mouth as she let out a sleepy yawn as she exited the North Tower. The warm air and thick incense smoke in the Divination classroom always made her want to sleep. Apparently, she didn't have any talent in Divination in the slightest, which Professor Trelawney hadn't hesitated to let her know.

"Daphne, you simply have to see this thing!" Tracey exclaimed behind her. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

Daphne turned around to see what all the fuss was about. Oleandra handed her an exquisitely decorated silvery box. Upon closer inspection, Daphne could see that the box was covered with gilded silver film, filigree musical notes and musical stave decorations, as well as reliefs of dancing figures.

"Very pretty," said Daphne. "It's certainly very well made. What is it?"

"I think it might be a music box," said Oleandra. "Because of the decorations, see?"

"You mean you haven't opened it yet?" Daphne said, frowning. "Come to think of it, it might be a cursed item. You found it at breakfast under our table, yes?"

Before Oleandra could answer, an irate Granger brushed past her and took Daphne by the arm.

"I've been looking for you!" she hissed. "Come on, we have places to be, and I'm tired of waiting after you!"

"Hey, my box!" cried Oleandra after Daphne, who was being dragged away.

"I'll give it back to you in a second!" Daphne called back. "Granger just needs to tell me something quickly!"

Oleandra and Tracey weren't supposed to know about the Time-Turner, and Daphne had no doubt that Granger would report her if she felt that the secret was out.

"I'll thank you to let go of my arm," Daphne told Granger sharply once they were out of sight. "What's got into you, lately?"

"I'm sorry," said Granger, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I'm having trouble adapting to a thirty-six-hour day. I just need some sleep, that's all."

"If you'd like, after Arithmancy, we could go back an extra hour to get you some more sleep," Daphne suggested.

"You wouldn't mind?" Granger asked curiously. "You'll have to wait two hours, and your lifespan —" 

"You let me worry about my lifespan, Granger," Daphne smiled slightly. "Now, shall we?"

"Thank you," said Granger gratefully. "And please, you and your sister can call me Hermione. Don't be a stranger. After all, we're stuck together this year, aren't we?"

Daphne lowered her head, and Hermione pulled a chain around both of their necks in one practised movement. At the end of the chain hung the Time-Turner, a mysterious device made out of an hourglass filled with the sands of time at the centre of a gyroscope. Whoever was wearing the Time-Turner when it was wound up would be transported one hour for each time the hourglass had been upturned, up to a maximum of five hours. Hermione flipped the hourglass once.

It never ceased to amaze Daphne how magic could allow one to travel through time. All around her, her surroundings turned hazy, silhouettes of people blurring past her in reverse at a breakneck pace. And then, they had arrived. They were still in the exact same place, but one hour in the past.

As they sat at their seats in the Muggle Studies classroom, Daphne couldn't help but ask Hermione about her curious choice of classes.

"If you don't mind my asking," Daphne said falteringly, "Why take Muggle Studies at all? I know you're a Muggle-Born."

"Isn't it interesting learning about how Wizards see Muggles?" Hermione responded. "How about you? You seem to have a good grasp on Muggle society, and I know you didn't learn about it from books."

Hermione was referring to the fact that even Professor Burbage, the teacher for this class, didn't seem to have a very firm grasp on what it is Muggles actually did. As for the course books, they were even worse! Even self-professed Muggle-Lovers unconsciously put themselves and Muggles on different levels. Muggles were like an endangered species, to ooh and ahh at, and to keep safe from those who would do them harm.

"I learned from my sister," Daphne admitted. "She went to school with them, and she has a Muggle friend as well."

"Really now?" asked Hermione, astonished. "I was under the impression that, no offence, Pure-Blood families like yours didn't like Muggles, or anything that had to do with them. Why did she go to school with them?"

"You'd have to ask Oleandra yourself," said Daphne evasively. She had got carried away chatting. Oleandra's past as a suspected Squib was part of her sister's darkest history, and Daphne had no right revealing it without her permission. "It's not for me to say why she does certain things. But you should know that our family has never discriminated against Muggles, or Muggle-Borns."