Prologue

Disclaimer: Characters are the property of J.K. Rowling, et al. This was created for fun, not for profit.

Author's Note: Historical AU. The main part of the story is set in medieval England, France and Spain during the reign of King Edward III, just before the outbreak of the Black Death (about ten years into the Hundred Years' War) that cost the lives of at least a quarter of, but possibly up to half the population in Britain – close to four million people at the top end of estimates. Other parts are set in 'present time' and will thus contain canon pairings before the end.

A million thanks to my beta, Candamira, for running this marathon with me. Her comments, suggestions and insights were invaluable, and she's done a stellar job in general; all remaining faults are mine.

)x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x(

... I'm falling under your spell

And if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell

Of an age the world has long forgotten

Of an age that weaves a silent magic ...

"Granada", Spanish original written 1932 by Agustin Lara; English lyrics by Dorothy Dodd

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Prologue

20 March, 1345

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Now, students – be careful! First to third years gather over here, fourth and fifth there, and remember, only sixth and seventh years are allowed near the parapet!"

Dominus Jacobus Prewett's voice, amplified by a mild Sonorus, boomed over the students assembled on top of the Astronomy Tower. They'd have to share, five or six to a compass or astrolabe, and he and the whole teaching staff would be kept more than busy trying to maintain order and to make sure that everyone would have their turn at the instruments. But it'd be worth the effort; to observe a triple planetary conjunction after an unprecedented several days of lunar eclipses earlier during the month was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of them, teachers and students alike. Magister Helios Sinistro, of course, was manning Hogwarts' main equatorium himself, as was his prerogative as the school's Astronomy professor – though he had promised to make his memories and notes available to the interested later so that his colleagues might have a closer look; for now, most of the assembled staff would have to make do with watching the event unaided. It was simply too dangerous to leave this large a group of students unsupervised in such cramped quarters, regardless that the school's staff had worked hard for the past week to expand and safeguard the observation platform as much as possible.

The sun had set, and in the rapidly-falling darkness the children shuffled into their preassigned groups, vying for room to work their equipment. Already Jupiter was becoming visible if one knew where to look, and Saturn wouldn't be far behind for once. Most were quite understandably excited, but a fair few of them were frightened despite the professors' best efforts and all the proof the Astronomy teacher's records could provide that such conjunctions were recurring phenomena and not a portent of doom. Unfortunately, it was a sad fact that superstition often ran as rampant among witches and wizards as it did among the Muggles. Certainly they were about to witness an unusual event, but not a sign of bad things to come – no matter what the centaurs or Muggles believed!

As if on cue, someone behind the Headmaster whispered anxiously, "But Magnus, what if it is an omen ..."

"Shush, Isobel. Dominus Prewett said it's not, and he has yet to lead us astray!"

Headmaster Prewett snorted to himself even as he cancelled his Sonorus. He'd recognized the voices, hushed though they were, of Slytherin students Magnus Gaunt and Isobel LeStrange. Dismissing them from his mind for now, Prewett turned his own eyes towards the planets rising in the southeast. Even to the naked eye, it was a magnificent sight in the clear springtime air. This far north, they were fortunate to be able to view any number of celestial events, like the last eclipse of the moon just two days ago.

This rare alignment of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the eleventh house, though ... Despite himself, the Headmaster shivered. He did not believe in Divination – he just didn't!

Well, and even in the unlikely event that I'm wrong after all, and it is a portent of some kind, Prewett thought defiantly, the country's already at war with France, and has been these past eight years. Surely, any omen will only presage another great battle, not something more sinister! Determinedly, he banished the traitorous and unwelcome thought, silently invoked Merlin and Morgana's help and crossed himself for good measure before concentrating once more on his charges.

The first students were already muttering in awe over their instruments as the two biggest planets slowly climbed above the horizon, one after the other. And at long last, close to midnight, the much smaller reddish pinpoint of Mars rose into view from behind the looming silhouette of the Forbidden Forest.

"I see them, professors!" exclaimed Guillaume Abbott, the seventh-year Ravenclaw Prefect as he looked up from the second-biggest equatorium and pointed. "Domine Prewett, I can see all three planets!"

There was a chorus of delighted "ooohs" and "aaahs" as the students and teachers of Hogwarts observed the rare phenomenon with the help of a few vision-sharpening spells carefully cast by the school's Mediwizard and a couple of teachers; a few especially enthusiastic ones crouched down and lit their wands with low-powered Lumos spells to scribble notes on scraps of parchment and small slates. Above them, the sky formed a canopy of stars, twinkling like diamonds on velvet, with the majestic orbs of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars glowing as jewels in the celestial crown.

Crowding around their Astronomy teacher, the young witches and wizards were taking care not to jostle the dozen or so astrolabes or those students already working on a compass; after all, they might accidentally shove someone against – or, all saints forbid, over the parapets! In due time, all the students were able to look and marvel, and could switch places so that each and every one might have their turn, while Helios Sinistro also measured and calculated, dictating his observations to his eagerly scribbling senior apprentice in a low voice.

It took a while, but eventually most of the students had looked their fill and were slowly herded down the stairs back to their sleeping chambers by the Prefects. Only those especially interested in Astronomy, namely most teachers and one last group of students, were left, and the youngsters stepped up eagerly to the great equatorium. Among them was a quiet, plain-looking witch from Cornwall – Meliora Warne, fifth-year Hufflepuff and a gifted Arithmancer. Professor Sinistro kindly cast a temporary vision-sharpening spell on her and gestured for her to begin. The spell was unstable and would fade out soon, but in the absence of other means would do for now. With a timid smile, the girl bent over the instrument already adjusted towards the sign of Aquarius. She fumbled a little with the controls to fine-tune them to her requirements and scribbled down her observations, frequently shifting her attention from the device to her parchment and back. Once she was done taking notes, she straightened slowly and gazed wide-eyed at the firmament where Mars, Saturn and Jupiter formed a true triple conjunction of superior planets – almost like pearls on a string. Suddenly, her whole body seized up as if someone had cast Petrificus Totalis at her. Someone gasped in shock; whether teacher or student, nobody could tell afterwards.

Then Meliora Warne started to speak in a deep, guttural voice not her own.

)x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x( )x(

A/N: "Magister" and "Dominus" are Latin words for "teacher/master"; "Domine" is the vocative, the way how you'd address someone with this title.

Helios Sinistro = female version of Aurora Sinistra

Astrolabe, compass and equatorium are medieval instruments used in Astronomy; while glasses and other lenses to enlarge things at close range already existed, far-seeing lenses (like in telescopes) hadn't been invented yet in the mid-fourteenth century.

There really were several eclipses and a conjunction of Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in the early 1340s. On 24 March, 1345, French physician Guy de Chauliac claimed the one on March 20 that year heralded the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe of 1346/7.