Okay, so I wrote this way back in 2002, and at the time, this was my idea of what life might be like for a muggle-born during the war post-book 4. This is wildly AU now, but I still like it, and while I originally meant for the POV to be Hermione's, it's really open to interpretation. Also, incase you were wondering, I most definately don't own Harry Potter :D
Kaleidoscope
I didn't think it would be like this. I don't think anyone did. At Hogwarts it was as if there was a spell that kept us all from realizing what the big wide world was like. I don't think anyone expected the war would last this long either. We heard about the deaths at school, but it seemed so unreal. Everyone was happy. Was there really this crazy evil wizard trying to kill everybody?
Once we left school however, it hit us. You-Know-Who was out there. Some of us were muggle-born. Should we run and hide? Should we try to fight him? What should we do?
I saw what happened to those who tried to help fight You-Know-Who. If you tried to fight him, it drew his attention to you and made it easier for his Death Eaters to attack you. None of those who tried to fight survived. I'm not sure what happened to those that ran. They might be alive, they might be dead. No one's really sure.
I try to tread the middle ground. Don't fight him, but don't run from him either. I've gotten used to the paranoia, the constant looking over your shoulder. You're constantly wondering if that guy you passed on the street was a Death Eater. Will he turn around and try to kill you? What will happen when the people around you realize you're muggle-born and draw away from you, hoping they won't be hurt when the Death Eaters come for you? I saw that happen once. A guy turned in someone he had known his whole life, hoping that the Death Eaters would give him some kind of reward.
They killed him too.