The wind blew soft and steady on the cool snow coated Hogwarts grounds. The students and staff were feasting in the Great Hall but there was little merriment. The only people who seemed to be enjoying it were the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself, talking jovially amongst themselves. Professor McGonagall gazed sadly outside the window and saw the Whomping Willow, stripped bare of its leaves and covered in a gleaming beautiful, yet harshly cold, frost. It matched her heart and of the hopeless ones around her.
~
A woman walked alone in Hogsmeade on the cold wintery night of Christmas Day. The normally cheerful warm little village now had the sad appearance of desolation with the sadly lightened widows and wanted posters everywhere. The posters varied from adults to children. Her face was solemn as she read the names.
Ron Weasley, Hermione Weasley, Hugo Weasley, Rose Weasley, Bill Weasley, Victiore Weasley, Fleur Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Lucy Weasley, Audrey Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Ginny Potter, Neville Longbottom, Luna Longbottom, Ginny Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Albus Potter, Lily Potter, George Weasley, Angelina Weasley, Fred Weasley, Roxanne Weasley, Teddy Lupin, Draco Malfoy, Astoria Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy... The list went on endlessly.
~
"Mum! Dad!" A girl yelled, running through the house, looking for those whom she had called. She found the adults all talking together in one of the meeting rooms. She saw the Merry Christmas banner draped high on the wall as a measly attempt of renewing the usual cheerfulness of the holiday.
"What is it, Rose?" her father asked, sounding a bit impatient.
"Look at what Frank, Fred, Lucy, Roxanne, and I have found!" she exclaimed. She had a very large stack of papers in her arms. She slammed them on to the table in the center. George was the first to see them. He picked one up, gave one look at it, and shooed Rose from the room.
"That's no fair!" she whined, "We're the ones who found them."
"It's none of your concern!"
"Our faces are on wanted posters! Of course it's my concern!" Rose retorted indignantly.
George pushed her out of the room without another word. Ron peered at the stack of papers and began to mumble a few words, "Wanted... Treachery... Longbottom... Weasley... Potter... Death..."
"Let me see those," Hermione demanded. He handed some to her.
"We're all wanted for 'treachery and attempt of anarchy.'" Hermione stated, "And some other things too, such as... 'Being a defiant Mudblood.'"
"'They are armed and dangerous,'" Arthur read off the paper.
"Zey want zee children too!" Fleur cried, "'Albuz Potter: Known rebel.'"
"Rebel!" Molly shrieked indignantly, "Rebel! He's just a child!"
"'Hugo Weasley,'" Percy read aloud, "'Forfeiting the Games."
"'Luna Longbottom,'" Neville said, "'Wanted for treachery.'"
"And they've got Rose and Fred and the others on here too!" Cho exclaimed, "All because we snuck them out of Hogwarts! 'Fraternizing with the enemy' they called it!"
Rose heard every word with the her ear next to the crack at the bottom of the door.
~
"You've been so brave," someone, a woman, said.
James turned and saw a woman with vibrant red hair standing next to a man who looked identical to his father, but with hazel eyes.
"We're so proud of you," James's namesake said.
He ran into their arms and sobbed.
~
Albus and Lily were upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms. Lily lie flat on her back on the ground and started at the ceiling. Albus sat on the bed and fiddled with a flask, the one James had given them.
Take them to the Pensieve, James had told them.
"Merry Christmas, James," Albus and Lily whispered ever so quietly.
YOU ARE READING
The Hogwarts Games: In Ruins
Fanfiction"The Order's finished. You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is killing themselves." -Aberforth Dumbledore He had tried so hard. But it wasn't enough. Voldemort had won. And surprisingly, he had allowed Harry and the others to live. But it w...
