Okay, here's the first chapter of the sequel! Both stories are also posted at Harry Potter FanFiction . com, same penname and titles. I tend to update there first, but will try to even it out if I get enough support.

The Passage of Time

Time passes in all places. In one time and place, the Order of the Phoenix is idle once more; Voldemort has been gone for ten peaceful years. However, in another, it is in full effect, as the need for it still exists as Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore search for a way to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all. What separates these places is a veil of seventeen years.

After the 'incident' at the Ministry, Fudge was unable to deny any longer the fact that Lord Voldemort was not only alive and well, but was pulling together more power with each passing day. After the Department of Mysteries, the first casualties were several families who lived on the outskirts of a fishing village in Ireland off the North Channel. June passed into July, July into August. September was on the world's doorstep and things were going from ad to worse. Death Eaters struck at random and Voldemort was accompanying more and more raids. Every time, the Order arrived just in time to see that Dark Mark thrown into the sky and hear that last of Voldemort's sadistic army apparating away. Sometimes it was muggle families who were attacked. Sometimes it was wizarding families. More often than not, it was families that had children at Hogwarts, but not the children themselves. Not yet at least. The children whose families were slaughtered were found the next morning outside St. Mungos, asleep. They were given safe house in a converted ward of the hospital as their numbers grew. Plans for an orphanage were even being spoken of. When the school year began, the children would return to Hogwarts, but when it ended, those who were not of age, would need someplace to go.
This year there were only three Weasley's on Platform 9 ¾. The youngest Weasley was in her last year at Hogwarts.

"Now be careful this year," Molly Weasley told her daughter, smiling.

"But have some fun too," Arthur said, hugging her. Worry tugged at their hearts. With this Second War, as everyone was calling it, going on, there was a constant shadow over everything in life.

"See you at Christmas," Ginny replied, hugging each of her parents before boarding the Hogwarts Express. Finding an empty compartment she sat down and like in the years before, waved to her parents as the train rolled out of the station.

It was a few minutes into the train ride before the door opened, a dark blonde girl with brown eyes walking in and sitting across from Ginny. She was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with a dark blue zip-up jacket over it.

"Hey Ginny," the girl said happily. "Sorry I couldn't meet up with you in Diagon Alley. Mum and Dad hate that place. I'm surprised they've let me come back to Hogwarts year after year." Chloe's parents where avid Protestants and weren't exactly comfortable with their daughter being a witch.

"After this year we won't have to deal with things like that. We'll be on our own. Scary thought, isn't it," Ginny said, smiling. "What ever will we do with ourselves, Chloe?"

"Oh many a thing Ginny, many a thing," Chloe giggled. "So how was your summer?"

"Pretty dull. Everyone coming and going at all hours of the day. And cleaning. Oh, I will be so happy if I never have to see another dust rag in my life. What about you? How was your trip to Hawaii?"

"Lots of sun. Lots and lots. I can still feel the sunburn on my shoulders."

"Mmm, was it worth it," Ginny asked, grinning.

Chloe laughed, "Hmm… Half-naked surfers with sun-bleached hair and incredible eyes. I think it was."

Ginny laughed and once more, the compartment door slid open.

"Colin," Chloe exclaimed, taking her tall friend into a hug.

"Hello to you too Chloe. And Ginny. Hey Chloe, how was your summer?"

"It was pretty good. What about yours? I sent you and Gin a few postcards, did you get them," Chloe asked.

"Yeah, the morning they came my brothers had a few of their muggle friends over and they found the owl a bit too fascinating," Colin told her. "Oh that reminds me," he said, taking a seat next to Ginny. "I heard a few Slytherins talking on my way to see you two, and you'll never guess what they were talking about."

"Uh oh, this doesn't sound like it'll be good," Ginny said, looking at Colin.

He nodded his head continuing, "The Slytherins were happy about it, but for us Gryffindors it's not so good."

"Well, are you going to keep us in suspense," Chloe asked impatiently.

Colin smiled at Chloe's expected outburst. "Snape's taken on a Potions Assistant this year. And you'll never guess who it is."

"Oh great. I told you he must have been off his rocker when I saw him this summer," Ginny told Colin. "How many times did I tell you he was unnaturally happy? And this is Snape we're talking about, the one who's never had a kind thought in his life!"

"Colin, come on. You've got to be joking. There's no way that the greasy bat would take on an assistant," Chloe insisted.

"Well that's not the worst of it. Malfoy's gonna be his assistant."

"That's not fair! We were supposed to be getting rid of him when he graduated," Chloe sulked.

"That prick just had to come back for another round. We'll just have to make sure his year is as interesting as ours," Ginny said, in a tone that could easily be labeled as malevolent.

"Finally," Andrea Malfoy said to herself. She had arrived at King's Cross hoping to find an empty compartment where she could wait in peace for her friends.

It had been one long summer. School had ended in June. She had gone to Malfoy Manor for two weeks before leaving for the States. The three of them, her and her parents, flew to New York for a small two-week vacation. They returned to England, but Lia met up with her friend Loretta. The two of them spent another week in New York before heading to Boston and spending two weeks there. She returned with two weeks left before the start of a new term at Hogwarts. A week of that was spent with her grandparents and uncles at the Burrow. She did her school shopping just a few days before the start of the term. Before she knew it, Lia found herself back on the Hogwarts Express, waiting to meet up with her two best friends, Jackie and Kevin.

She was leaning back against the seat with her eyes closed when she heard the compartment door slid open. Opening one eye, she saw Daren Marsden leaning haughtily against the small doorway.

The term hasn't even started, what the heck could he want, Lia thought to herself, sitting up.

Marsden looked like he was about to say something, but before he could someone down train called out to him. Without even looking to who had called out to him, he stood straight and slip the compartment door shut a little less than gently.

"Nice to see you too," Lia said, befuddled by what had just transpired. Marsden had actually passed on a chance to torment her? Had hell frozen over?

Before she could contemplate the idea too much the door opened again. This time, two of her fellow Ravenclaws bound in.

"Lia! How've you been? Did you have fun without us this summer," Jackie asked, hugging her friend and taking a seat beside her. Kevin sat down across form Lia in his usual quite manner and rolled his eyes to Lia at Jackie's over-enthusiasm, making her chuckle as Jackie continued to interrogate her about the past two months.

"What about you two, what did you do this summer," Lia asked after all of Jackie's questions had stopped.

Jackie answered first. "Mum dragged me off to Belize in the middle of summer, insisting we needed 'a break' from Da. So instead, I had to watch my mother flirt on the beach. I'm scarred for life, I swear."

Kevin replied, "Well it seems to me that the only thing you suffered from on that trip was bruised ego you dork."

"I can't help it if I love being the center of attention," Jackie pouted, batting her long eyelashes. A few seconds later she burst out laughing. Lia and Kevin couldn't help but smile with her.

"What about you, Kevin," Lia asked.

"Same old, same old. Went to my grandfather's and spent most of the summer there. Fishing was better than it was last year so we had some good days."

"And now school."

"School…"

"Again…"

"For the last time," Lia pointed out. Jackie sighed next to her.

Kevin smiled at the two drama queens across from him. "Well if we are done with such depressing thoughts, I believe that you two should change into your robes while I go find mine. If I find James messing with them again I swear I'll turn him into a rabbit," he said as he left the two girls.

"So did you get my postcard," Jackie asked as they began changing into their robes.

"Yup. So are you going to spill the beans to Kevin, tell him that you like him?"

"I actually had a different plan of action thought out, a little less direct."

"Less direct?" Lia doubted her friend was capable of that.

"A little."