White Houses
Author's Note- Hey there! First off, the title of this story is also the name of a Vanessa Carlton song, so all rights to her on that(you should check it out, it's a pretty good song, but mind you, my story's ending is slightly happier). All other rights (characters, spells, most settings, etc.) go to J.K. Rowling. Because sadly, I am not her. This story is told from 5 POVs, maybe six if this goes where I want it too. Well anyway, enough talking done on my part. Let's start this thing.
Chapter 1-Carriage Rides
~O~
Hermione sighed as she got off of the Hogwarts Express for the seventh time since she found out she was a wizard. The wind played with her now tame-able hair as she walked towards the carriages. She was warmed by the feeling of familiarity as she heard Hagrid's deep, booming voice say yet again, "Firs' years over here!". The half-giant was soon tuned out by the bright witch, for she suddenly took notice to the many white little bungalows spread out over the vast Hogwarts grounds. Hermione almost made a mental note to investigate it with Harry and Ron when she remembered.
Just a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry decided to just join the aurors, seeing as he didn't technically need to complete his years at Hogwarts. Of course, Ron followed suit. So Hermione was short of her two best friends for the whole year. But then again, could she really count Ron as her friend?
You see, unlike Harry, Ron waited until the last minute(well into August) to tell Hermione that he was going to go into auror training and that he wasn't going to Hogwarts. The two got into a horrid, massive fight, that every muggle in the town near the Borrow must have heard. Tears threatened to spill from the bookworms deep, brown eyes as she remembered how it all ended.
He broke up with me, Hermione thought for the umpteenth time since it happened, I can't believe we're over.
By now Hermione had reached the carriages. She forlornly patted the thestral's dark, wispy mane before stepping into the carriage it was pulling. She lurched forward a bit, and was finally off on her way to the castle for the last time.
~O~
Shuddering horribly at the sight of the thestrals, Draco recalled the first time he could see them. Less than two years ago, after he had failed to kill Dumbledore, he was walking briskly toward the entrance of Hogwarts to apparate home. He was associated with the Death Eaters at that point and couldn't just step onto the train as though all was well. He looked slight longingly towards the carriages, knowing that never again would he be able to ride in them, when lo and behold, there were suddenly hundreds of black horse-like creatures pulling them. At first Draco was very surprised, then an unsettling feeling filled the pit of his stomach. He remembered the oaf, Hagrid, talking about some creatures, thestrals. You could only see them if you witnessed death. He saw Dumbledore die.
The Malfoy heir pulled himself out of his thoughts, stepped aboard the ornate carriage, and watched as the grounds flew by, thinking about the upcoming year. Aside from the thestrals, Draco was rather excited to be back at Hogwarts. Over the summer, his name and his mother's name have been cleared. This showed him a slightly better year. Sure, people were still going to send him glares, but he'd get over it and stand tall with Malfoy pride and whatnot-right? Just as long as no one mentioned his father.
While Draco and his mother gained clear names, his father hadn't been as lucky. Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to five years in Azkaban. Frankly, Draco didn't care. He now loathed his father and what the older Malfoy man had brought him into. Yes, Draco could change, in fact, he had-a little bit anyway. But he could never get rid of the mark on his arm, reminding him every day of the darkest and bleakest part of his life.
~O~
Hannah Abbot knew that things have changed for the better since the death of Lord Voldemort. But she somehow just couldn't forget the past that was now behind her. People died during the Final Battle. And she had to just stand there, helplessly. The reoccurring nightmares about the battle were worse than the actual memories though, for they held the death of her mother in them, even though she died during Hannah's sixth year.
Drowned in her thoughts, Hannah almost forgot that she was in a thestral-drawn carriage(although she wished she couldn't see the animals, it comforted her finally knowing they were actually there) and on her way to Hogwarts. Taking a deep breath, she looked out the window, preparing to see the worst possible damage to the grounds.
...What?, Hannah thought, What on EARTH are all of those white little houses doing all around the lake? ...wow, the professors really restored almost everything.
Finding solace in the latter part of that thought, Hannah grinned. It would be just a smidge easier to walk the halls without rubble and such serving as a reminder of a past months. She refused to let the battle get in the way of her final year as a Hufflepuff.
Hannah's carriage bumped and a frog croaked somewhere in the deep, tangled, forbidden forest. The frog reminded her of toads, which reminded her of Trevor, which reminded her of Neville. A blush quickly covered the Hufflepuff's face as she remembered how brave Neville was in the Final Battle.
He really has become quite handsome. Hannah laughed as she recalled the bungling little first year he once was. She was almost certain the boy would be in Hufflepuff, but then he ended up Gryffindor, not allowing her much time to become his friend. But then when they both had become part of the D.A., they became quick friends. And now the pair was going back for their final year at Hogwarts. This year was looking to be not that bad, not that bad at all.
~O~
His head bumped into the side of the carriage yet again. He only felt an echo of pain. Not making much of an effort, he picked up his head and stared out of the window and into the forbidden forest. It was a rather bright day, making the forest look sort of inviting. However, he saw it as a downright dreary day. Nothing at all would make it better.
George couldn't believe his mother when she told him he was going back to complete his final year of Hogwarts. He monotonously told her that he was fine working at the shop and simply didn't need the NEWTs, as he was already an accomplished businessman, and would be at least a whole year older than everyone else in seventh year, seeing as no one else ditched Umbridge before the exams.
But, his mother started to insist and told her-still with a monotone voice, mind you- that ok, he'd try another year at Hogwarts. Molly was quite shocked to see her son give in that quickly, but it was apparently just more proof that he needed to attend Hogwarts once again.
Just wait until Fred finds out, George thought at first, before slowly coming again to the conclusion that his twin never would. Fred was dead.
Fred. Was. Dead. The thought echoed in George's head until the wall of numbness broke and he started to sob bitterly. He apologized to Fred, sorry that his one and only twin wasn't with him to stumble through the year, sorry that he had let him die. He was sorry for everything and nothing at all.
The forest grew thinner and George noted that he was probably close the the main entrance of Hogwarts. He knew Ginny would be sitting with him at the feast and spending most of her time with him in the common room for the rest of the year. He didn't really care about what everyone else thought, but he needed to be strong about everything for his little sister. Just until night, he thought.
~O~
Luna curiously eyed the quaint white huts that were scattered throughout the grounds. Nice little huts, all white and clean, something new, something that wouldn't remind people of the battle, she thought. This was exactly the type of thing that Luna believed the students needed. For how could something so frightening and bloody have happened here just months ago when now there were many clean, white houses all over what was the battlefield.
This was how Luna planned to think, but she learned that sometimes the unexpected happens, and you can't stop your thoughts, words, or actions. Sometimes something happens to you that will somehow drastically change your life forever. Like getting kidnapped on the Hogwarts train home and being locked in a cellar in the Malfoy manor.
It seems that since then, Luna's eyes had hardened a bit, and have gotten more depth. They were no longer just dreamy and always staring off in the distance. Luna would always stay calm in face of a crisis, now just the sound of her father dropping a dish made her shake in fright. Well, I guess that's one of the reasons that I'm in Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor, she thought as the castle's front became clearer.
A smile crept onto Luna's face. It was time for a new year to start. She was finally almost ready to go out into the real wizarding world as an educated witch. All Luna had to do was get through some new changes.