The Next Generation of Wizards

Chapter 18-The Train

Albus's POV:

Trains. I love trains. I love looking out the window and being able to admire the landscape before me. I love the fact that no matter how fast you're going, you never get sick. It's as if I'm trapped on a magical ride, one that will allow me to isolate myself from the world around me. It's as if the mountains outside kept an eye out for traveler. You see, train journeys aren't exactly ordinary. They're some sort of safety net, some kind of trance. One can be comfortable on a train, one may appreciate all the elements that make up what we often call life from a moving capsule. Sure, trains won't take you somewhere exotic, but, just because something simple doesn't look like much, it does not mean it isn't special. Trains are the beginning of every adventure, the start of the endless journey to happiness.

Maybe we're all trains. We all have a final destination. We all live in the same world, and yet we manage to escape into our little privet shelter. There are bumps along the road, problems we are forced to face, but we somehow manage to keep moving forward. It is true that, sometimes, we stop, we take a few moments to rest. We stop at different points, at different stations, we grow up. People get on and off our train at different stages. People come and leave your life during the journey, but there's always a group that stays behind, one that never leaves your side. These people are always there for you, hold you up when you're feeling low. No matter what happens, they've found a permanent sit on this train, they'll never let go. Often, they must get off at their own final destination, one that is not the same as yours. Though they're not physically there, they're still standing there, holding your hand. Distance means absolutely nothing when someone means everything, and so, no matter who you are, who you were, who you'll become, they'll always be there like parallel lines, always close, never together. 

As I look out of the window, I can't help but let a silent smile creep across my face. Many things have happened since I first got on this train, but I'm not nervous anymore. Something tells me the people I met this year aren't getting off my train any time soon. I then look around, smiling at the bright future ahead of us. Scorpious, the brave, tormented young man who would never leave his side. Rose, the beautiful, smart lady who always knew what to do. The Marauders, the weirdest of them all, a group of broken souls trying to fit in this world. Through their brokenness, they understood and protected each other, slowly solving the puzzle, slowly finding a permanent sit in each other's train. They'd never care to admit it, but a strong bond held them together, one that will never be easily broken. And then there's Leire. She's the missing notes to my tune, the harmony to my melody, the strength I need to keep me going.  

You see, everything's changing, doesn't fell quite the same, but, just because everything's changing, doesn't mean it's never been this way before.

A/N: Hi there! Hoped you enjoyed the last chapter!!! I wrote the last three on a train (ironic :)), hence my train metaphor. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone reading this story, especially to my friends Padfoot, Dundy and Bernie and my best friend Leire for encouraging me to keep writing.

Though there are many chapters dedicated to certain people, the book itself is for my Mom. Mom, thank you for creating me, for encouraging me to write, for showing me how special reading is. I love you Mom, and I will be eternally grateful for the best gift of them all: life.

(A sequel may be published, but I'd love it if you guys could give me some FEEDBACK)