Through These Years

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

The flickers of ghostly memories flickered in and out of sight, and if you looked to closely they would fade away entirely, vanishing back into the past before you could even realize what you saw.

It had always been that way, memories, images, sounds. Imprinted on cold stone, echoed back in the darkness. Despair, happiness, loss, love, sadness. It was all recorded here. If you knew how to listen, if you knew how to see, it could show you a world you never knew. But few could see, few could listen. Few had the time, and some things were better left forgotten to time.

But for some, they could never forget, and for some, the memories would never leave them.

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

Laughter echoed down the halls and four boys went racing down the hall as their laughter echoed off the walls, books clutched tightly in their hands so they didn't' go flying, robes whipping around their legs, trying to trip them.

"I predict, McGonagall will remove 20 points," A dark haired boy said, holding out two Galleons.

"Not from her own house," Another boy said, trying to grab a piece of parchment that was slipping from under his arm.

"Yes, from her own house. Come on Moony, she'd do it in a heart beat, one point for every minute late."

"Not to us, after all, she adores us." A sandy haired boy said, pausing in his running long enough to un-wrap a sugar quill. "Hey! Wait up!"

"She loathes us, you mean." Another dark haired boy said, slowing enough to let the other boy catch up. He reached out and snagged the Sugar Quill, biting off the tip and handing it back. "After all, we did turn her fur green."

"A simple mistake anyone could have made," The first boy said, turning around and running backwards to look at his companions. "I do belive she almost smiled when we did it."

"Really? I rather thought it was a grimace." The one called "Moony" commented, finally securing the scroll.

"I swear, it was a smile. We're her favorites. Who, besides us could bring so much fun to her drab life of tests and Slytherins?"

The other three shook their heads, opening the door to the Transfiguration classroom. "Sorry we're late, Professor McGonagall, got rather tied up!"
one called as they disappeared though the doorway.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

"Fucking Mudbloods!" Tom hissed, throwing his books against the wall of his dormitory. He tore at his robes, ripping them as he finally got them off, kicking them into a corner. The slime that covered them (and the boy) dripped onto the floor, staining it.

He glanced at the mirror, taking in the blood still slipping from his mouth, the bruises covering his face, neck and arms. He absently rubbed his sore ribs and closed his eyes, fighting down his anger and pain. A tear slowly slipped down his cheek and he lashed out, shattering the mirror, blood staining his hand now.

He sunk slowly to his knees, more silent tears falling down his face, mixing with the blood, staining the floor. "I hate them," He whispered, his body trembling. "I. Hate. Them."

He knelt there for a long moment before a scream of rage, pain, every emotion you couldn't name tore from him. The scream echoed off the walls and returned to him, echoing in his head.

You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

"We can't allow this to continue!"

"Salazar..."

"Godric..." The blonde snapped before running his hands through his hair. "We can't continue this, Godric. Our students are DYING. They are being killed because we allow it to go on. How many more are we going to loose to this fear? How many more are we going to sacrifice just so you can feel you've done the right thing?"

"They have a right to be here, Sal. They have a right to know who they are, where they come from, what they can do."

"And while we shelter these students they go home and let out our secrets. They betray us!"

"There is no us and them! They are a part of our world!"

"No, Godric, they aren't. They are traitors who come here and then kills us. Just because they can do magic doesn't mean they are a part of us!"

"So you would turn them away just because they are born of Muggles?"

"I would turn them away because they killed my son. I would turn them away because they want to kill us! They would rather see our world destroyed then ever be a part of it."

"Not all of them..."

"But we can't risk it! No matter what face they wear they put all of us at risk. How can you even think of opening our doors to people who have done nothing but fear us?"

"Sal, you can't judge a whole race by a few.."

"Yes, I can. They judge us, they kill us, and you want to give them more power to do it?! Rowena was poisoned Godric, by our very own students, and you still look at me and tell me we're safe. I can't..." Salazar shook his head. "I can't keep doing this. One day I'm going to loose one of you, and what then? I had nothing when I came here, and now you're asking me to sacrifice everything for a few children. I would die if I lost you, or Helga, or Rowena. I'm sorry if I don't want to hand you the knife to kill me." He picked up his bag, heading for the Entrance Hall.

"Sal..." Godric whispered, reaching out to his best friend.

Salazar paused and looked back at Godric. "Tell the girls that I love them. Tell them anything you want to ease the pain. Hell, tell them I went evil if it help," he said,
giving a weak smile. "Helga might actually belive that." He swallowed hard and headed out into the night, tears flowing down his cheeks.

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

Albus Dumbledore stood on the balcony, over looking the large expanse of grounds that Hogwarts lay claim to. Many of his students were out on the grounds, studying, fighting, playing, resting. He watched over them all, taking note of who they were and what they were doing absently, Harry, laying on his back, listening to Ron and Hermione argue. Draco Malfoy, throwing rocks at the giant squid as he listened to Pansy Parkinson reading their History of Magic text. Young Neville Longbottom attempting to find his toad whom it seemed had run off again.

Yes, he knew what they all were doing, what they did when they were out of sight. His children. Never by blood, but always by his heart. He watched over them now, as he had done since they had entered this school, as he would do so once they left.

They were his children, and he loved them all, no matter what choices they made, what paths in life they took. He knew the pain of losing them, just as he knew the love of watching over them. And it was such a blessing to know each of them.

His eyes flickered down and he saw a toad hopping across a log, a small red ribbon around it's neck. He smiled and flicked his wand, sending the toad flying strait into Neville's hands. The young boy blinked then looked up, smiling and giving the Headmaster a wave before dashing over to Seamus and Dean who were waiting for him.

The Headmaster smiled as he watched before turning his attention to other groups, doing what he could to help them, doing what he could to let them be.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

Godric watched as Salazar disappeared into the night before turning away, heading slowly to Rowena's rooms where he knew he would find her and Helga, turning the situation over in his mind, trying to decide what to tell them, and what to keep to himself. He paused, touching one of the stones, closing his eyes as he silently prayed for his friend.

**

Tom stood slowly and pulled a fresh robe from his wardrobe, buttoning it slowly, calming himself. He pulled his wand from his pocket and repaired the mirror, watching as his image reformed itself. He wiped his cheeks and grabbed a hairbrush, setting himself to rights before picking up his scattered books and leaving his rooms, heading to lunch.

**

Dumbledore turned away as the bell rang for class, heading towards his desk. He wearily sat down and shuffled through pages of parchment, his mind drifting over what he saw during break, turning over the situations in his mind, mentally adding and subtracting notes from his students lives, re-organizing what he knew of them. He smiled fondly as he reviewed their lives and shook his head before turning his attention to what needed to be done.

**

James Potter sat down next to Sirius Black, leaning back in his chair long enough to snatch a quill that Peter held out for him, reaching over to Remus' desk to snatch the notes he had forgotten.

Remus smiled and got out a second copy of his notes, used to this behavior. He shared a look with Peter and reached out to flick the back of Sirius' head before looking innocently at McGonagall who was raising an eyebrow at the four boys.

"Thirty point from Gryffindor," She said, a smile fighting it's way to her lips. "For being tardy."

James groaned and fished around in his pocket, sliding two Galleons over to Sirius who smirked and pocketed it.