Struggling Through New Beginnings

Chapter 2

1) As always, many thanks to J.K. Rowling for her wonderful literary works. They are hers and hers alone. I have only borrowed her characters for a while and built my own little fantasy around them. There is no pay involved for me in doing it.

2) I have not stayed true to the later books in many cases. There will be SPOILERS from the last books, but I have changed some events to suit the story and my own sense of depression. Yes, I miss Dumbledore terribly, don’t think Snape should have died, and hate that after all he did, Percy lived and not Fred. I have fixed those things. And, if I just ruined things for you, I am very, very sorry.

3) I thank all of you who give this story a chance.

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The noise level was deafening in the next two separate cars. They were made up of mostly second, third and fourth year students who were excited to get back to school. Most had been kept far away from the war and its tragedies, but were relieved all the same to finally be free. They immediately shook off the past and set about trying to make new friends from the other houses.

The Slytherins started relaxing slowly as they were the most uncomfortable with the new changes. But, with no one to tell them to do otherwise, they were soon drawn into the frivolity and found themselves having uninhibited fun with people they had never thought to speak to before. The Ravenclaws among them assumed the reason for the changes and everyone simply accepted their views as fact. Peter Summers, a fourth year Hufflepuff in the third car, finally counted his house and mentioned that he thought there should be ten of each house per car, but no one counted the rest to see if their car was full, as they became too engrossed in getting to know one another.

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Just about that time two former adversaries boarded the train at the same time, but from opposite ends. Neither realized or cared that they were among the last to board, and neither expected the scenes that met their eyes from the cars they passed. Had they tried any of the doors they would have known that they were barred from most of the cars. But, they continued past them, uncaring, as they sought out their friends.

Ginny Weasley’s hand was firmly in Harry Potter’s as they strolled down the corridor. Neither spoke; they had done too much of that over the past few months. The quiet hum of the train and the people around them, added to the fact that they could finally be together, free from fear, was enough to make them smile softly at each other every once in a while, as they looked for Ron and Hermione. Ginny noted the lines of apprehension form around his striking green eyes, and when he wasn’t looking at her a slight frown on his taut face. He was almost a foot taller than her and used his strong, lean body to shield and protect her as they walked along. She felt the sudden tension radiating from him and wondered at its source.

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Draco walked along the train alone; eyes darting, but back straight, chin high, and his face impassive. He made no eye contact with those around him as he didn’t want to see the looks of fear, hatred, or worse, pity from his fellow students. He was painfully aware that they all knew the truth of his failed attempt on Dumbledore, his very last minute switch of loyalties during the war, his admissions of fear on the stand, the death of his father, and the house imprisonment of his mother and himself. The story of the fall of the Malfoys had been front page news for months before, during and after their trials. The Daily Prophet had found great enjoyment in its boost of sales as it detailed each moment of their misery, from their initial arrest all the way to the loss of most of their possessions, the Manor and finally Lucius’ life. Rita Skeeter, once his ally, became his and his mother’s own personal torturer as she spied on them and reported her findings back to the paper with glee.