"I am going to lock you in. It is --" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck." 

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

 But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.

"Oh, hell no!" shouted Amelia.

 "Harry, Amelia, come here," she said urgently. "Quick!" 

Harry moved toward her, completely bewildered. She was holding the chain out. He saw a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it. Hermione yanked Amelia closer to her.

 "Here --"

 She had thrown the chain around their necks too.

 "Ready?" she said breathlessly. 

"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost. 

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times. 

The dark ward dissolved. Harry had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding, he tried to yell but couldn't hear his own voice -- 

And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again -- 

He was standing next to Hermione and Amelia in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. He looked wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the hourglass cutting into his neck. 

"Hermione, what --?" 

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's and Amelia's arms and dragged them across the hall