"Hitler rejected the French Prime Minister's suggestion that there should be direct negotiations between Germany and Poland and emphasized that he could no longer tolerate the existing situation in Poland." Jack was reading from his bunk, the newspaper folded over as he read aloud to the rest of the boys in the room while Tom double-checked his trunk, making sure everything was packed gently. He was only half paying attention to what the boy was saying, tuning out some as Jack stumbled over some of the larger words, like "communiqué" and "terrorization."

"In Warsaw, the city is already preparing itself for war. Trenches are being dug, power stations sandbagged and people have started to carry gas masks around with them-"

"This is complete shite," Billy complained from his bed, his rabbit curled happily on his stomach as he stroked it. "They already did this war nonsense and they lost, why would they try something like it again?"

"Because adults are stupid?" Jack grumbled from his top bunk above Billy. "Hold on, it's almost done, let me finish- Danzig remains the flashpoint of Polish-Nazi conflict; four more Polish officials have been arrested and last night bands of Nazis attacked Polish shops in the city and smashed their windows. Growing international tension was reflected in Whitehall today with Ambassadors and Dominion High Commissioners arriving for talks at the Foreign Office. While in Downing Street the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, had talks with the acting Leader of the Opposition, Arthur Greenwood and Sir Archibald Sinclair, leader of the Liberal party. At about 5.30 pm, Mr. Chamberlain drove to Buckingham Palace where he stayed for an hour and a half and brought the King up to date on the latest international developments."

"Do you think there will be a war, Jack?" one of the other boys, George Hobbs, asked. He was sitting on the floor by the open window, trying to catch the feel of a breeze. Tom perked his ears, curious how the older boy would respond, but it was quiet for a few moments.

"Maybe," he finally said shortly, folding the paper over. "People have wars all the time though, it doesn't mean it'll be like the great war. Besides, that's all the way over in Germany, you don't need to worry about it." He paused and chucked the folded up newspaper in George's direction, but it unfolded halfway down from the bunk and fluttered to the ground in an undignified manner. "Right you lot, lights off, Tom has a train to catch and I have work in the morning."

There was grumbling from the rest of the boys and Tom triple-checked his trunk before he crawled into bed. Sleep didn't come easy for Tom. it was still hot, for one, and he had to lay on top of his blanket to get anywhere close to comfortable. He was also excited for the train the next day and getting back to Hogwarts. Mrs. Chadwick was going to pick him up on the way and bring him to King's Cross with her son and see them off. It was so vastly different from the year before, when he'd stared longingly at the parents dropping their own children off, waving goodbye. Or how he'd been so anxious, uncertain about what everything would be like and now he knew exactly what it would be like and he couldn't wait to get back to his own real home. It helped too to know people getting there. He couldn't wait to see Mia and Tammy again and was already planning to try and grab the same cabin that they'd been in the year prior. Chadwick had explained that he and Lyall and a couple of other first-years had shared one, so he anticipated that they might be roped in as well.

There was a soft thump on the wood floor and Tom turned his head slowly in time to see Jack climbing from his bed and headed to the open window. He blinked and waited until he watched the older boy climb outside to roll out of bed and follow him. They weren't supposed to be out on the roof, and once Denton had been given a good beating for playing around on the shingles just outside. Tom was thin but strong and while there was a split second of worry as he hoisted himself out the window and onto the roof, it was gone when Jack grabbed his upper arm and pulled him up beside him.

"Couldn't sleep either?" The older boy asked, settling down slowly onto the shingles, reclining back on his elbows. He didn't seem very surprised and Tom shook his head. "Worried about the paper, or just excited for tomorrow?"

To be honest, he hadn't put much thought into anything Jack had read from the paper. It felt too surreal to be acknowledged, not when Tom was heading back to Hogwarts. He remembered the pictures that their teachers had shown them in school of the Great War and Tom couldn't imagine anything like that, not again. "Mostly excited," Tom said truthfully.

Jack let out a deep breath and gave a lazy smile, looking up at the sky. Tom felt his cheeks flush but ignored it and followed his gaze. It was a clear night and he could see stars, not as many as he'd be able to see when he was at Hogwarts, but it was still a pretty sight.

Beside him, Jack inhaled like he was going to say something and Tom started and looked at the other boy, but he was still looking at the sky. "What?" Tom asked, stretching his legs out in front of himself.

"Hm…" Jack shrugged and then finally said, "Do you ever miss this? When you're at school, I mean."

"Wool's?" Tom said incredulously. He wondered if Jack had gone mad. "Not a second."

"Ain't you said it's way out in the country yeah?" Jack said, still staring up at the sky, "I lived with my aunt for a bit when I was younger before she died too- I hated the country, it was so quiet, the only good part was the stars, but there were no big buildings, no alleyways or cars even, just sheep and horses and cows forever and ever."

"I think I like the quiet of the country more than London," Tom said easily, picking at his nails. He didn't know how to easily explain it, but sometimes it felt like London was squeezing him tight, too many people watching him, too close together. Hogwarts didn't have any sheep or cows, but he had a feeling he'd prefer their company any day over the overcrowded streets of London.

"It's boring there," Jack said quietly, laying back and putting his hands under his head. "Have you ever thought about leaving England?"

Tom furrowed his brows and frowned at the older boy. "I mean, my school is in Scotland," he teased lightly, earning him a nudge in the side.

"No, I mean like- Paris or New York. I could get a job on a ship and never have to be here ever again." Jack sounded wistful and Tom shrugged. "I could travel back and forth an' not stay anywhere if I didn't want."

"I don't think Paris or New York would truly be any different from London," Tom said honestly, folding his arms and leaning forward to rest his arms and chin on his knees. "People are the same everywhere."

"Even at your school?" Jack asked, looking away from the sky and back to Tom.

"Yeah- don't get me wrong it's nice to have friends, but there's still plenty of people just like Denton and McBride," Tom explained. He knew people had friends, but it had never been something he thought he'd have for himself, not until Tammy and Mia grabbed onto him and didn't let go. Tom liked to think he was a fairly objective person, but now that he knew what it was like to have friends, it felt even more balanced. There were bad people and good people. You just had to spot them.

"Maybe I'll join the army too," Jack said quietly. "Blokes in the army get to travel."

Tom frowned and looked over to the older boy. "You could get killed. Especially if we go to war with Germany."

"Would that really be so bad?" Jack asked, earning another disapproving look from Tom. "Yeah you're right, I gotta find that pretty girl to have pretty kids with, right?" He winked and Tom flushed again. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, slowly pushing himself to his feet as Jack laughed at him.

"I'm headed back to bed," Tom said shortly, climbing slowly back to the window. He may have been a wizard but he had no doubt he still had the ability to fall to his death, or at the very least break several bones in the process.

"Hey," Jack said and whistled. Tom paused and looked back at him. "If I don't see you tomorrow, have a good year, yeah?"

Tom nodded, "Yeah, you too, Jack." He slipped back in through the windows and laid down, trying to ignore the knot he felt in his stomach. He hadn't been worried about the war before, but for some reason, the idea that Jack might try and run towards one didn't bring him any comfort.


The next morning went smoothly Chadwick and his mother came by and gathered him and his belongings up and took a bus to King's Cross, much to Cook's relief as she was busy with other errands. Mrs. Chadwick used a spell when Mrs. Cole wasn't looking and made his trunk lighter and Tom was able to load it just fine by himself onto the bus.

There was a commotion by the newsstand when they headed into King's Cross, but Mrs. Chadwick was straightening their collars and hurrying them along to the barrier. Like he had been thinking about the night before, so much was different this year compared to the year before. He hadn't woken up at the crack of dawn, instead, he'd been woken up by Mrs. Cole yelling at him that breakfast was ready and if he stayed in bed he wouldn't get any. Instead of Cook dropping him off obscenely early, he arrived with the Chadwicks at half till. Unlike last year when he'd been the very first on the platform and had watched every other student arrive, this year they came through the barrier to a wall of bodies and a line of students and their parents getting their luggage loaded before climbing aboard. Instead of sitting nervously by himself, within five minutes of arriving Mia was screaming loudly, having already arrived and grabbed them a cabin- the same cabin they'd taken last year from the looks of it.

Tom raised a hand and waved back and Chadwick smirked and stuck his tongue out at the girls.

"Be nice to your friends, dear," Mrs. Chadwick said, as they neared the front of the line to get their luggage loaded on. "Now, you behave yourself, if Professor Dumbledore owls me to tell me you've toppled all the shelves in the library again-"

"It's not my fault my wand doesn't listen to me," Chadwick grumbled as his mother folded his collar again, plucking some lint from his shirt before turning to give Tom the same treatment.

"Keep an eye on him, Tom," Mrs. Chadwick said, still fidgeting with his hair, combing it out of Tom's eyes.

"I will ma'am," Tom promised, smirking at Chadwick who rolled his eyes.

The warning whistle went off just as one of the men grabbed up their luggage and loaded it on the train and Mrs. Chadwick grabbed both the boys in a tight hug before pushing them gently towards the train. "Be safe, do your homework, have fun!" Mrs. Chadwick called, waving at the pair as they climbed on and Tom waved back as Chadwick blushed when his mother blew him a kiss.

"C'mon," the Gryffindor grumbled, holding his smaller bag close as they slid past some of the older students to head towards the compartment they'd seen the girls in earlier. He slid the door open and saw several people he hadn't expected already inside.

Mia and Tammy were there, and so was Lyall, but Marla and Carter Bates from Ravenclaw were also there, as well as Roswell Pratt, the other first-year boy who'd been at Hogwarts during winter break. Marla was sitting on the floor in front of Mia as the Hufflepuff braided her auburn hair and Tammy was shuffling her exploding snap as Roswell and Carter looked at Tom and Chadwick a bit nervously.

"Bit crowded yeah?" Chadwick grumbled, shoving Lyall over so he could sit with the rest of the boys around the unfolded table. "Good thing the rest of the girls aren't here."

"Who are the rest of the girls?" Marla asked curiously, but before anyone could answer her eyes brightened, "Oh yeah, those two Slytherin girls you study with, right? Delany and- I can't remember the other one's name."

"Sable," Tom said, sliding his backpack into the overhead and sitting down in one of the remaining seats by Mia and Marla.

"Oh right, Sable," Marla said, smiling and turning her head only slightly as Mia's hands were still holding her in place by her hair, "They're okay, I had a couple classes that I did homework with them," Marla said, and then raised a hand to feel her braids as Mia finish her work. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Mia said happily.

"Oye Mia," Tammy said, dealing the cards out on the table, "Chadwick needs his hair braided too."

Chadwick glared and shoved the other girl slightly but Tammy was snickering and just shook her head. Kelly yowled loudly as she climbed into Tom's lap, butting his head repeatedly against Tom's hands until he relented. Tom was content to pet the white cat while Mia rambled on about what she and Tammy had been up to that summer and the rest of the boys and Tammy began playing cards. Marla had dug a book out of her bag at some point and was paying more attention to it than anyone else in the compartment, but Tom could understand that.

The train had already departed from the station and the movement in the hall outside had slowed down when the compartment door slammed open. A tall, older boy with dark brown hair and ice-blue eyes was standing in the doorway with a rolled-up newspaper in his hands.

"Have you seen this?" He demanded hotly, and Tom stared in confusion because he had no clue who the older boy was, but then he chucked the newspaper at Lyall, who began unrolling it. It wasn't the Prophet, but a muggle newspaper, surprisingly, and Tom could make out the large words scrolled across the top; "GERMAN OFFENSIVE IN POLAND - WARSAW BOMBED: MANY REPORTED KILLED".

"Is that a muggle paper?" Chadwick asked, raising an eyebrow at it as Lyall and Tom began reading the paper's contents.

"Yeah," the older boy said, sounding- well, not quite annoyed but more confused, upset like he was angry about the paper but not sure why. "One of the other prefects grabbed it at King's- the Prophet has a small piece about it, but nothing else- one of the seventh years said her father said that we're likely going to send a group of veterans from the Great War over to try and help the wizarding communities evacuate."

There was a beat of silence and Tom let Tammy rip the paper from his hands so the girls could pour over it and Lyall was staring in confusion at the older boy- "But- does that mean that Dad will have to..?" He trailed off, and Tom realized the older boy did look quite a bit like Lyall, so he was likely family- either a brother or a cousin.

"I don't know- I'll owl them tonight when we get to the castle and see what's going on- I wonder if they'll say anything at the Welcoming Feast?" He leaned against the frame of the door, arms folded and there was movement out in the hall- other students running about spreading the news to the rest of the train.

"Randolf!" A girl- already in uniform sporting Ravenclaw colors- bumped into the older boy, "Do you still have my paper?" She looked a bit nervous as well, and two other girls hovered behind her.

"Yeah- just letting my brother and his friends take a look," Randolf said, gesturing his head toward Mia, Tammy, and Marla, all still reading through the article.

As they finished, Mia rolled the newspaper back up and held it out to the older Ravenclaw, "Sorry-"

"No, no, you're fine, I just didn't want to lose track of it- I don't know if anyone else managed to grab one before they sold out at the station," The older girl explained, taking back the paper, "Also because it was a muggle one-"

"I'm popping back over to Lloyd, yeah?" Randolf said, giving Lyall a pat on the shoulder before stepping back out of the cabin, "It'll be alright."

The door slid shut and the carriage was quiet, the game of exploding snap forgotten. They only started talking when Carter and Chadwick both prompted them to explain what the article said, and even then it was more subdued, with a gloom hanging over them. It stayed that way through the rest of the ride.


A/N: Obviously I didn't post the last few months so I feel like I owe you an explanation because I don't want you to think I'm beginning to pay less attention to the story or about to abandon it. I have clinical depression and anxiety, which I normally manage fine (as fine as you can at least), however, over the summer my family found out my dad has been cheating on my mom. I don't live at home but my little sister, who had just started high school at the time, does, so a lot of my time has been helping my mom carpool her to school and softball, and checking on my mom in my downtime and on my lunches. My brother, the middle child, is also struggling with college and living at home while this is going on and it's just a lot. It didn't become as big of a thing again until November, because to make a very long story short, my mom had forgiven my dad and they were going to therapy and trying to work it out and over a couple of weeks+ it blew up and yeah. My birthday was also in this time, which is the same birthday of my grandfather who recently passed a couple of years ago, plus then Christmas but with my dad moving out and in with his mistress who is harassing me and my mom and trying to pretend she's my little sister's new mom is just- ughhhh.

I only say this to explain that in addition to the normal struggle of my clinical depression and anxiety, my emotional and mental resources are depleted. I plan to still post as I'm able, but it won't be on a weekly basis, since I am more focused on keeping my actual original content over on Strongwind Academy updated weekly, and while I love this and want to finish it and eventually circle back to Empathetic- fanfiction will almost always take a back burner to my original work.

To make it all up to you, I actually combined two shorter chapters together since they flowed pretty well anyways.

I have the links to the articles that I quote from but because FF is shit at linking- search up my AO3 account, you'll find them in the notes on this chapter.

And, IF YOU THOUGHT YOU LYALL WAS THE ONLY ONE GETTING THE WOLF MCWEREWOLFSON NAME, YOU THOUGHT WRONG.