Author's Note: A tribute for the 19th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Now, this is my first ever story for the Harry Potter fandom, I'm still relatively new to writing fanfiction, and I don't have a beta, so please keep that in mind. Also, I know it's a day late, but I had some trouble getting this to come out the way I wanted it to. Reviews and constructive criticism are are welcome and appreciated.
Shadows of the Past
Some say history is written in blood. It is what the author dips his or her quill in to write on the pages of history. The blood sinks in and lets people know what happened. However, some people forget. But, how can one forget when the shadows of the past remain, for better or for worse.
They come as first years, wide eyed and excited. Bouncing on the heels of their feet, waiting to be sorted. On that first night they don't notice anything odd. If they do they don't think much of it, afterall it is a magic school. But, as they grow older they notice little oddities. Afterall, they do spend seven years there and call it their home.
A first year walks the halls, confused. Are they in the wrong hall, or are they in the right one? The sound of laughter catches their attention. They perk up and try to find the source. The student chases after the sound, hoping to be able to ask for directions. They chase the sound, seeing no one but finding their destination. They pause a minute, but brush it off.
The professors call a name, but choke. Suddenly, they have to blink away tears but they can't fight the small sad smile that flits across their lips. Their eyes glisten with memories, as if remembering someone else.
A trio of students walk down to Care of Magical Creatures, pushing and shoving each other. Smiles adorn their faces and their laughter fills the air. Something catches the eye of one of the students and they look to the side. A set of footprints walks alongside them, but their is no owner. The trio soon stops and watch as the steps pass them up and walk ahead.
A countless number of cats wander the school and sleep in abandoned classrooms. Some students take notice that some prefer one area over another. A desk, a bench, or a window and they stay there, rarely leaving. And at times they freeze, look up, and cry out. Some students try to comfort them, but it almost never works. They don't stop until their throats go hoarse. Others, well, they never let anyone come near them. They hiss and puff up until the student gives up and goes away.
A number of owls fly about the school or the owlery. They don't care notes, or letters, or packages. They simply fly about, as if looking for someone. Occasionally, a student approaches and try to send a letter. The owls very rarely accept.
A quartet of students, a fourth year Gryffindor, a fifth year Hufflepuff, a fifth year Slytherin, and a sixth year Ravenclaw to be exact, sit on a picnic blanket on the ground just a few meters from the lake. Books and parchment are spread about and a picnic basket is set off to the side. They're suppose to be studying, and they are, honestly, they are, but there are jokes and playful banter being thrown about, not caring about house boundaries. The Gryffindor suddenly leans forward and asks for old assignments the others have done, knowing the Ravenclaw kept their old assignments. The Ravenclaw rolls their eyes as they take a swig of their drink. But, something catches their eye. The Ravenclaw shifts their head, her hair falling in her face, and sees four people up the hill. Each has a tie from one of the four house. Their bodies are covered in cuts and scratches and blood stains their skin. She straightens up in alarm and the others look at her before following her line of sight. They freeze. The injured four look down at their counterparts before nodding and slowly disappear from sight. The original four sit, swallow, and slowly go back to their previous conversation, unaware they just got silent approval.
A young female Ravenclaw crouches close to the ground with her camera in hand. She angled the camera as she tried to capture the perfect shot. The sun was shining down on one side and grey clouds were on other sides. A tree stood out against the dark clouds, the reflection caught in the water, and the sun shone on the lake. It was beautiful. Quickly, she snapped the picture. As she looked back on it later she noticed a young boy in Gryffindor robes with an old fashioned camera in his hands located dead center in the photo. He looks a bit translucent, but she brushes it off. She purses her lips, confused as she did not notice him earlier, but she decides she likes it. The light and dark contrast well against him. She turns the photo over and writes the date down. A while later a professor sees the photo and pales. They ask where she got. She responds she took it and they ask when. She shows the date and they pale further. The Ravenclaw asks the problem, but the professor shakes it off. They ask if they can borrow it for a day. The girl bites her lips but nods and gives the photo over. The professor shows it to the rest of the staff in the staff room later that the day. Not a single one has a dry eye. The professor gives the photo back to the Ravenclaw girl the next day and thanks her. She looks at them confused, but puts the photo away. The next day the professor finds a copy on their desk. They smile.
Students walking the corridors in the waning hours of the day will take notice of shadows dancing at the edges of the halls. They watch curiously as the paintings lining the halls tip their hats in salute.
At times students will see the house elves talking and waving at thin air. They watch on curiously as the house elves carry on a seemingly one sided conversation. Sometimes, a student will watch as a house elf walks down a hall while talking, and a shadowy outline will appear and a muffled voice fills the air.
A third year scours the library in the morning. The sun is climbing higher in the sky and filters through the library windows. She weaves her way through the rows and comes across a little hide-out type area towards the back. Laying spread out on the table is a few still open books, a few sheets of paper, and a quill. Walking closer they take notice of a bag hanging from the chair. Examining closer, they see the inches of dust piled on top the items. Stopping inches away from the edge of the table they take notice of the topics. Ancient Runes and, surprisingly, Enchanting. The beginnings of an essay are barely visible through the dust. The student watches in fascination as a breeze gently caresses a page to turn over to reveal a note-covered book page. They smile as they read through the almost battle like notes. The student lets the grin become softer as they see the Hufflepuff colors on the bag, their own house.
A couple escapes to the attic for some time alone. They walk across the catwalks, arms around the other. They laughter and talk and smile. They give a fluttering kiss and as they pull away they see another couple in front of one of the windows. The woman has spiky pink hair and the man wore well loved clothes. The young couple watch as the older couple grab each other hands and fade away. The couple glance at each other and walk just a tad bit slower down the catwalk.
A student wakes up to the sound of a violin. Groggily, they push themselves out of bed. Slowly, they pull on their robe and carefully move out of the dorm as to not disturb their roommates. Walking down the female dorms hall they wince each time their feet hit the cold dungeon floor. As they come closer to the entrance the music gets louder. When they reach the opening they are surprised as the music has faded away and no one is in the common room. The high backed chairs and low seated sofas are empty and the only light source is coming from the low lit lanterns that reflects off the lake water. They shake their head and go back to the dorm, but they pause when the music starts up when they reach their dorm door.
An older student sits outside in the courtyard in the middle of the day. It's quiet and peaceful. However, as he glances upwards at the sky he takes notice of something peculiar. A female silhouette is standing in front of the full length window of one of the towers. Nothing entirely unusual, but the student is fairly sure that tower hasn't been in use since...He pales slightly. He watches as she seems to turn her gaze towards him. The silhouette's head tilts to the side before disappearing. The student shakes his head and takes a breath before he shakes his head and goes back to his work.
However, not every encounter is always so peaceful or non-threatening. It's rare that an encounter such as that happens, but one always does occur eventually. Especially near Samhain or if not then, the second day of the fifth month.
Today is Samhain. The castle is in a flurry as the staff prepares for the feast in the evening. Walking down the halls of the dungeon is a young Gryffindor girl. A messenger bag rests on her shoulder as she puts a book away. She was glad she stayed behind to get some questions answered about the reading. Her attention was captured away from her bag when she heard the sound of running. Looking upwards, she let out a hoarse scream. A mean in a black ensemble and a silver mask was charging towards her from the beginning of the stairs. As he whipped out his wand she tried to take a step back. Suddenly, a red spell came hurtling out of his wand. But, before could strike her a person stepped out in front of her.
The new figure whipped at their wand and blocked the spell. With a swift flick a silver colored spell shot off from their wand. The young Gryffindor watched in fascination, shock, and confusion as the spell went straight through the man as he faded away. Eyes wide, the student watched as the newest figure turned towards her. The figure, no, person was a female about seventeen years old wearing a long sleeved shirt and pajama pants with a Slytherin robe thrown over it. The Gryffindor tilted her head in confusion, why was she in her pajamas? The older girl gave a slight smile and gestured for her to continue walking.
The younger nodded and followed after her, still in shock after what had happened. As she reached the stairs and began to walk up them she took notice that the Slytherin girl was no longer beside her. Glancing back, she saw the Slytherin standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Are you coming?"
The Slytherin shook her head. The Gryffindor girl watched mystified as the Slytherin faded away into nothing. She gulped. Had...had she just seen two of the ghost from the battle? That could be the only explanation, right? However, she couldn't help but be confused. She was always told Slytherins never fought in the battle and that they weren't to be trusted. Maybe, maybe the others were wrong.
The day was a brisk one. Outside, a collection of students were milling around in the main courtyard. Laughs and shout and whispers were carried on the wind. However, in one moment everything changed. A dark cloud seemed to settle on the courtyard. The occupants fell silent and the mood became somber. The students all glanced around at each and the unease was felt throughout. A soft curse and exclamation fell from someone's lips. They looked out towards the area in front of the courtyard and shock rippled through them.
Standing meters away was a collection of dark robed figures. Each was a different height, a different age, but they all were transparent. They stood in a single line and the dark mood seemed to emanate from them. Many students began to take steps backwards and reach for their wands. Before they could do anything the darkness was pushed back and a new set of figures appeared.
They were a diverse buch. One was a man with familiar red hair, beside him was a couple, the woman had pink hair and her husband seemed to radiate kindness. Then, there was a younger boy. He had a vintage camera in his hands and beside him was a girl with pale blonde hair with a rose ribbon woven into it. A girl who seemed to be in her seventh year was towards the edge wearing nothing but her pajamas and her house robe stood next to another young girl in a Hufflepuff robe. The calm, light, relaxing feeling came off of them in waves.
Standing in between the two groups was a man in black robes. Neither a sense of light or dark came off of him. He glanced between the two factions. A handful of moments passed and with a swift turn he walked over to the light and took a place next to the couple. The couple gave a nod and the Slytherin girl gave him a smile. The students in the courtyard watched amazed at the sight infront of them, not a feeling of fear among them
A spell fired off from the dark towards the students was meet with a protective barrier. Each member of the light had their wands held up. This would not happen. Not here. Not at the place so many called home.
May 2nd, 1998 is a day forever etched in history. The scars it left run deep into the earth and magic itself. The Battle of Hogwarts was a bloodied one, its stains still evident. However, let it be known that Hogwarts now had its own protectors. No one else would be harmed here. Not at Hogwarts. Not at home. Not again. Never again.
Author's Note: Not perfect, I know. It definitely needs some work. A few parts were very rough to write. They would just not come out right. However, I think I did a decent job for a first attempt. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.