It was still early when the school emptied and the carriages filled with students heading home. The train ride was subdued as everyone tried to imagine what terrors would be facing them back home.
The third years found a large compartment but it was still a squeeze to fit in. It was weird how suddenly after the fighting of the prior year an unspoken agreement had somehow been worked this year. Yes there was still a tension between them but their arguments seemed small compared to the outside troubles.
The train pulled up at Kings Cross and everybody fought to get themselves off the train to find their families, fear had taken over most of the students wondering if their family were safe from all the attacks that had taken place.
The group of friends were among the last off the train and finding a trolley each they loaded their belongings onto it. Moving slowly the nine friends stopped just inside the barrier on the wizarding side. They were silent for a moment but after all the other students had left they knew they would have to join them.
Alice was the first to react and she reached for each of them hugging them gently and stepped forward towards the barrier but then stopped to look back at them all.
"Don't forget to write okay, I want to make sure you're alright over the summer."
"Don't worry Al we'll write to each other all summer won't we guys."
Everybody nodded at Branwen's words and as Alice was about to leave Lily called out stopping her in her tracks.
"We'll come with you Al; my dad will be worried if I don't get out there now. You coming Bran?"
The Welsh girl nodded her dark head and hugged each person in the same fashion that Alice and Lily had done. When she reached Peter she kissed him gently before turning with the other two girls and leaving through the barrier.
They got to the other side instantly and looked around. Branwen noticed that nobody was there for her and Alice was looking around as if lost.
"I wonder where Tad is?"
"My parents aren't here either."
Lily looked around and spotted her father.
"Look my dad's there let's go stand by him."
The three girls moved over to stand by Dudley Evans, as he saw them approach he smiled happily and grabbed Lily into a fierce hug. He smiled down into her hair as he kissed the top of her head.
"My you're getting tall; you're almost up to my shoulders."
"I'm growing up dad that's why."
"Well stop!"
"Hello Mr Evans."
"Branwen and Alice isn't it?"
Alice nodded and smiled at Lily's father, they looked so happy together it was good to see after the devastation their family had suffered in their first year.
"Mr Evans have you seen Tad he was suppose to be here?"
"Didn't your father tell you? There's been a bit of a change of plan you're coming to stay with us for the weekend."
"Oh no he didn't but it doesn't matter."
"Dad can we wait a little Alice's parents aren't here yet?"
"Sure honey."
They stood there for a few minutes when they saw two women running over to them, they looked out of breath as they stopped and Alice laughed, as they got closer.
"Alice thank Merlin you're here. Where's James?"
"Still on the other side of the barrier."
She looked up at her mother, her blonde hair was flying loose all over the place and James' mother Jacqueline looked very much similar. They both stopped next to Lily and Branwen and smiled at the two girls as they noticed Lily's dad.
"Oh good afternoon, thanks for staying with Alice."
"That's alright. I'm Dudley Evans Lily's father."
Alice's mother took his hand in hers.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Lora Scott Alice's mother, and this is Jacqueline Potter James' mother. And you must be Lily and Branwen it's nice to meet you both."
Both girls smiled up at Alice's mother as James' looked around.
"What is keeping my son?"
"Oh I think he's saying goodbye to the guys on that side. Sirius, Amanda and Peter can't be seen with us by their parents because we're not proper purebloods they always end up in big trouble."
The two witches looked nervously around them and Dudley noticed that and had to ask.
"What's this whole pureblood thing?"
Lily looked at her father and quickly explained.
"It's like racism. If you're from a family where both parents are magical and your family have been magical for several generations then you're a pureblood. If one parent is from a non-magical background or one of your grandparents was then you're a half blood and if you're like me and no on in the family has been magical then you're muggleborn. Well some purebloods think that if you're not a pureblood then you're inferior."
"Okay and these three people you mentioned they believe that?"
Branwen shook her head quickly
"No Mr Evans, they're families do. They don't think that at all. They're our friends and if they did care about purity then they wouldn't talk to Lily."
Lora looked around and back to Dudley.
"Not everyone thinks like that but there are enough out there that do. I think that maybe its time you were leaving I can see Aquilina Dixon over there and she's making faces, she'll know who her daughter is friends with so you'd better go before she decides to make a nice scene about how you have ruined her daughter."
The man nodded his head and indicated that they should leave. Lily, Branwen and Alice shared one more hug before the two girls disappeared back to Oxford and Lily's house. Alice stood with her mother and Jacqueline and prayed that James would be out soon, she didn't like the way Amanda's mother was watching her.
Okay so only two chapters left now and I shall post them probably the start of next week since it's my friends 20th this weekend and so I shall be out for most of it.
Britt yeah the summer has been sorted as you will just have seen and yes the death is important because it signals the start of the war with Voldemort, I wanted to kill somebody that meant something to the group because that way basically it is like the war started and ended with them.
Karen well another weekend to wait for more post is coming up, but after Saturday I have two weeks off work, but I start university again two weeks this Thursday but there will be post in between.
Firewalker yeah chapter 56 was fun, I wanted to make it so that it was a little awkward but it had to be a Sirius/Amanda moment so it had to be fun which is where the whole bantering came into it. Oh well the news will do a lot it will draw people together and split others up, you'll just have to wait and see.
Taylin okay so I'll explain. Ginny isn't mad with Joe she was made with the fact that he enjoyed the owl trying to bite her, I mean how can you be mad with someone who's dad has just been murdered, it's a hard thing to know that someone you care about is going through so much pain and you can't help them.
As for the Amanda and Adrian thing well, she was talking to Regulus trying to find out what is happening with the whole family and the war that is starting, but Adrian is evil, and he doesn't want Amanda around Regulus because he isn't all that bad and could easily be persuaded to go against Voldemort. As for the whole conversation that was just Adrian making sure nobody else would understand what they were saying.
Then the Peter thing, well basically Joe's dad was killed by Death Eaters and Lily thinks that Simon Pettigrew as the Minster of Magic is likely to be killed as well, and what Peter is saying is that his father isn't going to be killed by Death Eaters because he is a Death Eater, and then they tell the group who the main Death Eaters are, Dixon, Snape, Malfoy, the two Blacks and Pettigrew.
Okay so I shall try to post at the start of next week and then by the end of next week we should be on year 4.
Kris