"That which has been is what will be,
that which is done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun."

- Ecclesiastes 1:9

June, 1996: Voldemort and his Death Eaters enter the Ministry of Magic; most of the Death Eaters are sent to Azkaban. Dementors revolt and leave the fortress. Death Eaters follow shortly after.

August, 1996: Death Eaters begin a series of guerrilla attacks on Muggle-born witches. Voldemort steps up his recruitment campaign.

September, 1996: A new school year starts. Many Muggle-born students do not return to the magical community for fear of attacks. Dumbledore's Army swells in numbers.

November, 1996: Convinced by an envoy of Death Eaters, vampires join Voldemort. Together with a group of giants led by Golgomath, they cut a swath through Eastern Europe as they head towards Britain. Villages are pillaged and burnt; survivors flee westward.

December, 1996: Durmstrang declares its support for Voldemort. Death Eaters make Durmstrang their eastern stronghold. France's Ministry of Magic officially declares its neutrality, but clearly sympathises with Britain.

Late 1996, Early 1997: Skirmishes in Britain continue with no major wins on either side. Death Eater attacks extend to the Muggle community.

April, 1997: France falls to the Death Eaters.

May, 1997: Public outrage against Cornelius Fudge's inactivity results in his resignation. Amelia Bones takes up the position. Voldemort takes advantage of this changeover to attack the Ministry. The Ministry is prepared for a defense, however, and the Death Eaters are repelled.

July, 1997: Championed by Dumbledore, House Elves join the side of the Light.

August, 1997: With its new allies, the Light side drives the Death Eaters from Britain in the Battle of Gold, but Dumbledore falls in battle. Heavy casualties are sustained on both sides.

September, 1997: Students return to a new year at Hogwarts. Goblins declare their support for Voldemort. The economy takes a beating.

October, 1997: Death Eaters regroup in France. War fully breaks out.

December, 1997: Goblins renounce Voldemort and join Britain for an undisclosed sum.

Early, 1998: Despite the best efforts of Britain and unofficial reinforcements from Spain and Portugal, the combined dark forces push up onto the British Isles. Dover puts up a good fight, but eventually falls.

April, 1998: The Ministry, expecting another attack on headquarters itself, shores up its defences. Voldemort takes advantage of this to swoop down on Hogsmeade instead. Hogsmeade's residents flee to Hogwarts, where senior members of Dumbledore's Army, along with the castle's defences, hold off long enough for help to arrive. The Battle of Hogsmeade quickly becomes a battle of attrition. It's brutal and ugly, and children as well as adults are mowed down indiscriminately until the Centaurs realise that the Forbidden Forest would be invaded if the Death Eaters were to win. They join the fight to beat off the intruders. Harry Potter kills Voldemort in a duel witnessed only by Ginny Weasley, who dies in the battle as well. Without their leader, the dark forces are thrown into disarray and retreat.

June, 1998: The Order of the Phoenix leads the Ministry's forces in liberating France and driving back the dark forces. Most Death Eaters in England are arrested and their possessions liquidated to pay off the goblins. Dementors are put back to work and Azkaban returns to operation. Although it is widely acknowledged as a less than desired solution, it is also recognised that the ministry's resources, which were greatly depleted in the war, are in no shape to build a new prison.

Present --- Sept, 1998: The Second War ends. The Order of the Phoenix has disbanded. Battle-weary people are picking up the pieces of their lives. Hogwart's defenses are being rebuilt. The International Confederation of Wizards is gathered in Limoges in hopes of preventing another war from occurring. In the shadows, the dark forces are regaining their strength as a new lord rises.

September 20, 1998: Ron Weasley moves into 12 Grimmauld Place, joining Hermione Granger and Remus Lupin; Harry Potter returns to London from a three month absence.

September 22, 1998: Blaise Zabini starts work at the Apparation Testing Centre with Lavender Brown as his partner.

September 23, 1998: Hannah Abbott moves to Hogsmeade.

September 27, 1998: Draco Malfoy goes to Severus Snape for help in finding a place to stay; Snape suggests 12 Grimmauld Place.

September 28, 1998: The Ministry of Magic holds a ball to celebrate the end of the war; Minister of Magic Amelia Bones announces the formation of a permanent Dumbledore's Army, a group of wizards dedicated to keeping towns safe.

September 29, 1998: Neville Longbottom is named leader of the new Dumbledore's Army.

October 6, 1998: Michael Corner returns to England after a two year absence; Severus Snape and Hannah Abbott make progress on the cure for Cruciatus victims, only to have their funding cut.

October 8, 1998: An experimental monster bred by Voldemort escapes the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures lab and attacks Blaise Zabini, who kills it. Severus Snape takes the wounded Zabini back to his flat, and finds out the next day that Special Internal Security Subversion Inspector Cassius Chase seeks to press charges against Zabini for killing a creature in the care of the Ministry.

October 9, 1998: Draco Malfoy leaves for a business trip to Damascus.

October 11, 1998: Blaise Zabini discovers how far some people's prejudices lie.

October 12, 1998: Parvati Patil is evicted from her shop in Diagon Alley.

October 18, 1998: Michael Corner is recruited into Dumbledore's Army.

October 21, 1998: Lavender Brown invites Parvati Patil to share a flat.

October 26, 1998: Blaise Zabini is recruited into Dumbledore's Army; the DA gets a new House Elf. Enmity between Michael Corner and Blaise Zabini forms.

October 31, 1998: Merchants at Diagon Alley hold a Street Fête to celebrate Hallowe'en.

November 21, 1998: Ron Weasley and Harry Potter concoct an ill-conceived plot to break into the Ministry of Magic.

November 23, 1998: Draco Malfoy returns from his trip and finds something from his past.

November 25, 1998: Draco Malfoy goes back to Grimmauld Place, and finds out that his portrait has been stolen. Immediately suspecting Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, he goes to confront them. This results in Harry Potter returning to the Ministry, this time with Draco Malfoy, to retrieve the portrait.

November 26, 1998: Ron Weasley and Remus Lupin discuss joining Dumbledore's Army.

November 26, 1998: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger meet for dinner, and come to an understanding.

November 27, 1998: Fleur Delacour discovers that her son's inheritance is threatened by his father's relatives.

December 6, 1998: Drinks between old friends Bill Weasley and Remus Lupin turn into something more.

December 7, 1998: Draco Malfoy offers Pansy Parkinson a job in his company.

December 9, 1998: Dudley Dursley enters the Wizarding World with the intent to kill Harry Potter.

December 13, 1998: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy strike a deal for Harry to invest in Draco's company.

December 14, 1998: Draco Malfoy arranges to write anonymously for The Quibbler.

December 15, 1998: Hestia Jones discovers that intruders are breaking into Alastor Moody's estate.

December 15, 1998: Anthony Goldstein visits Lucius Malfoy in Azkaban, and a plot is hatched.

December 18, 1998: Severus Snape allows a financially-burdened Hannah Abbott to temporarily stay at Snape Manor.

December 25, 1998: The Weasleys have their first Christmas since Ginny's death.

December 26, 1998: Remus Lupin nearly dies due to a dose of silver slipped into his Wolfsbane Potion. Over the next few days he awakes in St. Mungo's and speaks first with Bill Weasley, then Severus Snape, about his condition. Realizing he will die on the full moon, he says good-bye to Bill, while Hannah Abbot and Snape prepare to give him a dose of the Draught of Living Death during his transformation. He then recovers.

January 1, 1999: Death Eaters break out of Azkaban.

January 3, 1999: Fleur discovers she is under investigation for the break-in at Moody End.

January 4, 1999: Parvati Patil starts her first day of work at Dragon Enterprises, only to discover that not everyone at the company is pleased to have her there.

January 6, 1999: Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks meet up again.

Janurary 8, 1999: Led to Harry Potter by an unsuspecting Luna Lovegood, Dudley Dursley attempts to shoot Harry and ends up hurting Luna instead.

January 9, 1999: Fleur Delacour and Blaise Zabini forge an unlikely alliance against Cassius Chase; Severus Snape is asked to be the new leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

January 10, 1999: The new Order meets to discuss the breakout.

January 13, 1999: Neville Longbottom and Severus Snape come to an understanding.

January 19, 1999: Urged by Severus Snape, Remus Lupin goes to seek advice on how to control the wolf within.

January 21, 1999: The sleeping draught placed on Luna to allow her bullet wound to heal wears off, leaving Luna to explain the Dudley incident.

January 22, 1999: Daphne Greengrass meets with Bellatrix Lestrange for the first time since the breakout.

January 31, 1999: Harry Potter returns to Privet Drive and discovers the motive behind Dudley's attack on him; Draco Malfoy finds out about the changed relationship between Remus Lupin and Severus Snape; Severus Snape's health takes a turn for the worse.

February 2, 1999: Remus Lupin updates Neville Longbottom on the current situation and makes provisional plans in the even of Severus Snape's death.

February 4, 1999: Harry Potter tries to find out why no one told him of his aunt's death, and instead finds out that Remus Lupin may die if Snape does.

February 7, 1999: In a risky procedure, Harry Potter transfers some of his remaining energy to a dying Severus Snape to buy more time.

February 9, 1999: Bellatrix Lestrange informs Lucius Malfoy she intends to return to England; Katie Bell misses Blaise Zabini, who disappeared abruptly.

February 10, 1999: Hermione Granger finds Katie Bell in bad shape following Blaise's disappearance.

February 12, 1999: Cho Chang brings Bellatrix Lestrange back to Diagon Alley.

February 14, 1999: Severus gives Remus a very special gift for Valentine's Day.

February 18, 1999: Severus Snape has a very strange and disturbing dream.

February 20, 1999: Work on the Cruciatus cure is interrupted by snarking among Draco, Hannah, and Remus.

February 25, 1999: Severus Snape falls into a coma.

February 27, 1999: Harry Potter and Katie Bell discuss life at Grimmauld Place; Dudley Dursley discovers that Luna Lovegood is still alive.

March 3, 1999: Bellatrix Lestrange plots polyjuice-assisted mischief.

March 7, 1999: Draco finds out about Harry's illness.

March 13, 1999: Terry Boot and Katie Bell meet up in Diagon Alley.

March 18 - 19, 1999: Hannah Abbott has a dream which reveals the missing ingredient for the Cruciatus cure; the first phase of the cure is completed, and Severus Snape is revived.

March 20, 1999: Remus Lupin delivers the Cruciatus cure to Harry Potter.