Terrorist Attack A/N: I kinda had to write this. I know some people might find this inappropriate for what had happened, but I needed someway to vent. Disclaimer and more at bottom. To be read with with The Admirers or alone if you'd like.
Pondering Thoughts


Harry stared at the Daily Prophet. God... It seemed that all these disasters were happening at once. First Voldemort and now... this. He knew that it was America and all and they were muggles so it didn't really effect him that much, but... all those people... dead. Hmph. Who needs Voldemort? Osama Bin Laden was bad enough... those muggles were killing themselves off, and Voldemort didn't have to raise a finger. He sighed. Well, there was nothing he could do. It wasn't as if the whole wizarding world wasn't expecting him to take on Voldemort and save their lives. But still... Classes had been canceled due to the tragedy. He would not have much to take his mind off things. Harry got up and told Ron and Hermione he was going to go fly a bit on the Quidditch field. They said OK and returned to their discussion with the others about the same thing that was on Harry's troubled mind.
As Harry stood up he looked over the Great Hall and it's inhabitants. Some people were in heated discussions. Others were quiet, eating their breakfast in thoughtful silence, contemplating. Still others-the more sensitive or those people who had relatives that lived in or were visiting America- were crying. A lot of people weren't there; some people had gone home in mourning if they had lost a loved one who might have been visiting or had lived there; some people had just not showed up. Ginny was not here. Harry suspected she was in her room. Colin looked worried. He had been asking Ron about Ginny all morning. When Ron replied that he hadn't seen her and asked why, Colin had just brushed him off by saying it was for a club and it wasn't important. On any other day, Harry might have laughed. So Ron's predicted Harry Potter fan club had become true. He might just become the next Professor Trelawney. Harry might have said as much- any other day. Colin hadn't even tried to say hi to him today. It seemed as if he had completely ignored Harry. Harry knew he was just thinking about what had happened and that soon he would be back to normal. Harry, deciding that he might try and cheer him up, said "hi," to Colin. Colin replied "hello" but he seemed distracted. Harry didn't blame him.
The Slytherins had lost their usual cockiness. Pansy Parkinson and Mulicent Bulstrode were talking quietly. Another Slytherin in his fourth year looked furious-the Slytherin equivalent to tears in public from what Harry knew. Even Malfoy seemed to have realized what had happened. He sat at the head of the table, silent, a copy of the Daily Prophet sitting in one hand and a spoon for his cereal in the other. He stirred the cereal but he didn't seem to be eating it. He hadn't even touched his muffin. Crabbe and Goyle were just as quiet as Malfoy, though Harry doubted they were thinking about what had happened and it's effect on the world. They were probably just at a loss at what to do without Malfoy's regular orders. Harry noted that Capella Montefino, Hogwarts newest student, a Slytherin fifth year, and rated one of Hogwart's Hottest Girls (Harry thought Cho should be on that list. But oh..well)., was absent.No surprise there. She was from America. Harry wouldn't be surprised if she had gone home.
Malfoy looked up sharply and Harry's gaze met his. Harry expected some snide remark, but it seemed that Malfoy had actually realized how precious human lives can be. Malfoy and Harry just stared at each other. Finally, Malfoy just nodded. Harry nodded in reply and walked out of the Great Hall, making his way to the dorms to fetch his broom and then it was out to the Quidditch field. He had a couple of things he wanted to get off his mind. It seemed someone had made it there before him, though.
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Capella couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. All those people... dead. All American. When she had heard, she was devastated. And then the letter from her mother... "Dear Capella, As you have probably heard there was a recent tragedy in America. Your father is going back to see what he can do to help. In the meanwhile, you will remain in school.... Now, Capella I know how close you and your cousin Angela are," Capella's heart had twisted at this part. " and I want you to know that your father and I love you very much. Capella, dear, Angela and your Aunt Hyreta were walking near the Twin Towers when the first one was hit. When the towers were hit again, Hyreta had screamed to Angela to Disapparate. Angela panicked and instead, started running. Aunt Hyreta got away but Angela... I'm sorry, Capella." Capella had stopped right there, fighting the tears. She ran to her room and grabbed her broom and headed out at top speed to the Quidditch field. A day that will live in infamy... It was Pearl Harbor- only people said it was worse. Capella didn't want to live through a war. God, this was so scary. If she knew her family right, they would all move back with her father to the states and then she'd never see Colin again. She hated this. She hated all of this! It wasn't fair! Bloody terrorists! Why'd they have to go and ruin everything? Everything was fine until they had to go and kill her favorite cousin.And now they'd probably take Colin away from her, too, if her parents had their way!! Everything was perfectly fine. She just wanted everything back to normal. Unfortunately for her, things were not going to be normal for a very long time...
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Severus watched Potter walk out of the Great Hall. But his eyes fell on Draco again soon afterwards. That boy must have read the same news article about three times already. Poor boy. With his father being who he was he would never be allowed to show any sympathy for the Americans. And Severus had noticed the boy's subtle interest to the new Slytherin girl, Capella. Severus had to admit that Draco had good taste. Capella was quite good looking, and smart too- though she was a bit of a show off and she did often suck up. Draco wouldn't be allowed to talk to her. Actually, he wouldn't be able to anyway.His meddling father was already writing up wedding invitations for his marriage to Pansy Parkinson. Severus wouldn't be surprised if he'd already got the cake baked and the spot picked out for their wedding. Not that the boy knew this, of course. But Pansy was a pureblood, unlike Capella, and Lucius could only have the best blood running through his family line- not that it mattered who the person with the "best blood" was. Besides Capella didn't seem interested in Draco at all. Severus could have sworn she was attracted to Colin Creevey, that Gryffindor boy... Professor Snape sighed. If he didn't watch himself, he to would find himself caught up in the whole situation.He just wished there was something he could do...
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Draco Malfoy sat at the head of the Slytherin table in the spot the others reserved for him everyday. As he watched Capella walk out, his heart twisted in the way it had been doing over the past few weeks. It had started to do this to him ever since he first set eyes on the girl in that potions class. He supposed others would call it love but since it was the first time he'd ever felt the annoying thing for anyone he wasn't quite sure what it was.
He picked up the Daily Prophet again and read the article for the fifth time that morning. The shock was overwhelming. To think, America, supposedly the greatest nation in the world (Though horrible in Quidditch, thought Draco), and now it was down on it's knees because of something caused by one insane -muggle- terrorist. His friends were laughing about it. ("Those muggles are killing themselves off!" "Yeah! You know maybe we should send them a thank you card." "Why?" "For making our jobs easier!" Laughter.) Draco tried to laugh. Tried to fill in, but he couldn't. So, he, like many other Slytherins, sat in silence and watched the others in disgust. How could you laugh at death? Oh, of course. Death-Eaters could. They live on death. Thus, their name. Well, he thought, at least you know who you're friends are.
Draco felt another feeling that was very new and recent to him. Sympathy. Of course he mourned over the deaths of all the victims and their families. But he also felt sorrow for a group of people that most people had probably grown to hate over the past few years. The Muslims. The ones who lived in America. They would face such racial prejudice now. It wasn't as if it was probably bad before with what had been going on in Palestine. It wasn't their fault those idiots in the Middle East were ruining the reputation of Islam. But if Draco knew anything, it was prejudice. And the Muslims were going to get a lot of it.
The main reason for Draco's sympathy was that he knew the feeling. He knew how it felt everyday to walk into a room and feel that blinding hatred turned on you because of who you were. He was a Slytherin, proud and strong. You had to or else someone would trample you, be it your "friends"-fellow Slytherins- or enemies, the other houses. They all hated him. He knew it. He could tell in the way they acted towards him, the way they talked to him, they way they di everything while he was around. But mostly in the way they looked at him. Their eyes bored into him, their hatred blazing, searing him, suffocating him unless he fought to breathe. If you weren't strong, weren't arrogant, weren't rude, weren't whatever else people called him now-a-days behind his back, they would trample you. If you allowed yourself to feel it would kill you. You would go insane. And Draco, amond others, had faced it, day in, and day out, for the past sixteen years of his life. Just having his last name did it. Malfoy. People loathed the name. Draco had finally been getting along, then this stupid thing called love had to come and mess it all up. At first, Draco had tried to be nice, had tried to ignore the hatred, but when he got to school... It was somuch easier to hate, to loathe, to despise back. So much easier to be headstrong. And he did so for the last couple of years, Slowly turning his heart to ice. But then Capella had to come. And now he had the feeling that the ice- the ice that had taken him so long to form- was melting away, just like that. With just one glimpse of a girl, the ice broke away, after years and years of forming around a heart that Draco was sure had stopped beating for others ages ago.
Draco sighed. Stupid girl. Stupid terrorists. Stupid life...
He watched as a Ravenclaw boy, about a year older than Draco, walked over to a girl with dark brown skin and black hair. She had her head in her hands. He leaned down and said, quite loudly so that the rest of the hall heard, "You bloody terrorists! My sister was in that building! I don't know what you were thinking, Sarah, but we are not going to the dance together. I don't believe I almost danced with a terrorist!" He looked over at her brother, who had been trying to comfort her. "And you too, Ali! My best friend. Oh, if only I had known what kind of monster you were." The girl, Sarah, lowered her hands. Her face was tear-streaked. She watched as the boy started to walk back to his seat. Then, wiping her eyes, and standing up, she yelled, "Eric, please! Eric, come back! Please!" The boy ignored her and sat down talking to his friends. The girl stood up and ran out of the Great Hall, her brother following.
One of Draco's "friends" started to laugh. "Did you see that, Draco? Did you see that! Ha! Thta was hilarious! Ha! Draco?"
Draco looked at him in disgust before he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

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A/N: Wow, I feel better. I started this the day after the incident and didn't finish it until today, when my friends convinced me to post it. Things that happened here may or may not happen in the actual story but hey, I wrote it so there. Please review! Flames accepted. People have different ways to vent. Maybe yours is through flames. I don't know... I'm gonna do icky-sticky homework, now. Bye!

PS- Excuse typos. I can't worry about them with my evil English homework.

Disclaimer: HP& Company belong to JKR. I own nothing except for the Montefino family, Sarah and her bro, Ali, and Eric. Oh and my mindless ponderings and opinions and views that were sewn into this fic. I do not own Osama Bin Laden- Thank God- or the Muslim terrorists. Even if I did, which I don't, I would now fully disown them. But I don't! And never did! So there! The Muslim people own themselves.... nothing familiar pretty much, is mine!!!!! So there! Don't take it!

MY GREATEST SYMPATHY TO ALL THOSE OUT THERE WHO WERE VICTIMS- BE YOU THE FAMILIES OF THOSE THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY OF MUSLIMS OR BOTH OR ANYTHING ELSE!!!! STAND STRONG!!!!!! WE WILL PERSEVERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!