SOLSTICE

001

Year: 1976

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood against the backdrop of a brooding sky, its towering turrets and enchanted windows echoing with the whispers of a looming storm. The air was thick with tension, an unspoken understanding that the days of innocence were fading, giving way to a growing darkness. The ambiance was hostile, mirroring the turmoil brewing outside the castle walls.

As the wizarding world teetered on the precipice of war, Hogwarts bore the weight of divided opinions and vehement prejudices. Inside the castle, students formed two distinct factions, each believing they held the key to a better future. The lines between light and dark were blurred, and the once-united school felt like a battleground.

The Great Hall buzzed with a palpable energy, divided down the middle by invisible lines of loyalty. Whispers of allegiances and secret meetings floated through the air, fueled by fervent discussions in hushed tones. The atmosphere was charged with the conviction that everyone was right, and the other side was wrong.

At this point in time, a troubling trend had taken root within the school grounds. Instances of malevolent and harsh conduct among the students were on the rise, much to the concern of those who valued a harmonious learning environment. What was even more disconcerting was the apparent lack of intervention from the teaching staff.

In the shadowed corridors, few older Gryffindors bullying a small, terrified first-year Slytherin, their laughter echoing off the stone walls, hushed sobs falling from the young Slytherin's lips and no one intervening, was something common at this point. The divide was too deep, too entrenched for anyone to dare challenge the status quo.

Further down the same hallways, few Slytherin with a sneer on their lips addressing a group of girls with a condescending tone, their extreme beliefs on full display, words dripping with disdain as they belittled them, harassed them, was also something common.

These were normal occurances, where both sides harbored their own brand of cruelty. The Gryffindors had their nobility tainted by indifference, while the Slytherins embraced their malice with arrogance. The war that loomed outside the castle was being waged within its walls, shaping the students into soldiers of their respective ideologies.

Equally troubling was the inaction of the teachers in the face of these incidents, there appeared to be a growing tolerance for misconduct. This lack of intervention was perceived by many as a failure on the part of the school's authority figures to uphold their responsibility in maintaining discipline and ensuring the well-being of their students.

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