Broken Friends

"It is wise to remember that

the strong may weaken, and

the wise may falter" ~ Gandhi

Harry and Ginny stood on platform nine and three quarters. The Hogwarts express gleamed in the light streaming through the overhead windows. Their three sons' were finally going to Hogwarts. Unknown to Ginny, concealed in one trunk was a particular invisibility cloak and an aged piece of parchment. Their sons were going wild to get on the train. They had heard of Hogwarts since they were small and now it was their chance to go to one of the best school's of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the world. Down the platform, Harry JR, Sirius and James spotted their grandmother. She was talking to a tall gangly red haired boy of about their age. The remembered their father mentioning that one of his friends at school ~ Ron Weasley, their uncle ~ was tall and gangly. This had to be his son, he had their mother's hazel eyes and he looked like a picture of their Uncle Ron they had seen years before. Unnoticed to their parents they slipped down the platform. They wanted to talk to this boy before the train-ride.

***

Ron Weasley JR saw the three boys coming towards him. He knew them instantly. He knew they were his cousins, but they had never spoken. He also knew that their father was the famous Harry Potter, youngest Minister for Magic in two hundred years, celebrated Auror and the man who had defeated the Dark Lord. His parents had told him all about Harry ~ how he was raised by muggles, how he could speak to snakes and how he had evaded the Dark Lord on numerous occasions.

"Hi," said the nearest of the three boys, extending his hand, "my name's Sirius."

***

"Where are the boy's Harry?" Ginny asked, looking around.

Harry smiled and pointed down the platform. Ginny could see her three sons deep in conversation with a boy that looked like a younger version of Ron. She smiled. The boys were making better head way than they were. Harry and Ginny walked up to where their three sons stood chatting and laughing.

Ron JR saw who was coming and froze. Harry Potter SR was bound to get angry. After all, he had been friends with Ron SR, and Ron SR had left his side, all because his grandmother wanted him to. Would he take his anger out on him? Worse still, would he wait for his father to come and settle things in a very violent way?

But when Harry drew level with them he smiled. Ron just stared. This was the REAL Harry Potter. A person he had idolized since he was a young boy, a person whose fame was widely known. He was revered the world over. He had defeated Lord Voldemort at seventeen, and it was widely know that Voldemorts power had spread beyond the British Isles. In the United States, bands of Death Eaters had converged on the Muggle City of New York. This gathering was termed a 'Pure Blood Rally.' It was known that some of these wizards had taken some points from a muggle group called the 'Klu Klux Klan,' and planned to make the pure blood families of North America a white dominated society, like in England. It was a strain on the muggle NYPD, for murders were rampant, and the American Auror's were unable to do anything to curve the ever-increasing death rate. Unlike their British counterparts they were unskilled in handling Death Eaters, and their Ministry had acted to slow, and was unprepared for the violence which followed. The battles between the Auror's and the Death Eaters spilled over onto the streets of New York. In the end, the muggles were in a panic. They believed they were under attack, which made things a whole lot worse. British Auror's couldn't help, as they had in the past as they were trying to control Death Eaters in their own country. In the end, Dementors roomed the streets of New York at will and the city was abandoned to these floating specters. According to his muggle grandparents, it was scary to see this once Great City abandoned. Of course, the muggle governments of both Britain and America were informed. The American president was all for rounding up witches and wizards and getting rid of them, but the British Prime Minister had experience with the Wizarding world, so his views carried more weight. In the end, The New York academy for Magic, The Salem Institute and The Boston College for Magical Learning had to diverted their students to Hogwarts which was considered the safest place for the children ~ despite it's proximity to the epicenter of the trouble.

The same thing happened in France, Russia, Germany and Italy. True, things weren't too bad in France, but Moscow turned out as bad as New York. But no students were diverted away from any of their schools. Now, when things were quite, the danger from Voldemort gone, you could still meet a student of American extraction going to Hogwarts. Their parents (who had graduated with Harry, or the year before him), didn't want their children exposed to racial hatred. They saw how people like Dean Thomas and Angelina Johnson never seemed to injure racial hatred. Unlike the Salem Institute or The New York academy, there was no segregation between blacks and whites. This was a good thing in their eyes. There was very little racial division. The house division was good, healthy competition in their opinion, it built a 'good competitive spirit' as one student from Texas put it.

***

"You are obviously Ron's son aren't you?" inquired Harry.

Ron JR nodded in muted response. His lifelong idol was talking to him as if it were a long-standing arrangement.

"Now, where is that father and mother of yours, I want to apologies for been so pig-headed and not talking to them for so long?" Harry inquired; knowing full well that Ron and Hermione would only say it was their fault for not talking to Harry and for abandoning him. Ron JR mutely pointed down the platform. As Harry followed his finger, he saw a less than welcome sight. Draco Malfoy was standing on the platform with his son. Draco had married a cousin of Fleur Delacour's. His son bore little resemblance to his father, apart from his sneer. Malfoy had escaped prison, and it was widely believed that he bribed several members of the jury- though noting could be proven. Harry felt that his son's years at Hogwarts were going to be as eventful as his own.

***

FIVE YEARS LATER

If Robert Malfoy had been born into any other family it would have passed that he would have done his father proud. He was tall, athletic, highly intelligent and handsome. He had been a dutiful son in all respects ~ respectful to his parents, a good older brother and he upheld the family name. But, since his been sorted into Gryffindor had been seen as an insult to his father. But when his father found out he was a friend with Harry Potter's children, as well as Gerard and Luna Longbottom as well as a muggle born called Peter Barns he almost disowned him.

In the library he found his friends sitting alone. Luna was looking up a book called 'Time Travels; by Nicholas H. Flamel.' Robert shook his head smiling. Luna had a crazy idea of going back twenty years, to when their parents had been sixteen. She wanted to 'heal the rift' which had appeared in the Weasley family.

"Hey Bobby," piped up Peter. Robert smiled in response. He didn't feel like talking. He had just had another run in with Professor Snape. Snape loathed him almost as much as he loathed the Potters.

"Listen to this," piped up Luna. "If travelers go back to a time before they were born, time and space will change to accommodate them. It then doesn't matter if they whether or not they were born, as they already exist. And there is a time travelling spell strong enough for the seven of us."

Before he had even considered the coincidences Robert said, "Let's do it. Tonight- the Great Hall."

The group had talked about the possibility of doing something like this for so long that there was no objections- only a general agreement.

***

That night, in the Great Hall, the seven friends met up. Sirius was caring an invisibility cloak as well as a map of Hogwarts. All of them were nervous. What if this worked? Were they ready to face their parents that were the same age as themselves?

"OK," Luna said, "we need to charm an object which will act as the transporter."

Out of her pocket, she took out a brush. She preformed the spell over it, and it immediately turned a bright gold.

"OK everyone, one finger on the brush should be enough," said Luna.

Everyone put one finger on the brush and waited for Luna to finish the spell. When she had, they felt a sharp tug behind their navels and the Great Hall vanished.

With a slam, Sirius, James, Harry, Gerard, Luna, Robert and Luna landed hard in the Great Hall. Sunlight rained down on them, and sudden yells of surprise filled their ears!