Prologue: A new day.

The sun raised her puissant head over the dark landscape, chasing away the shadows of the night with her refulgent light. It reached into every corner, warming the land and declaring with her visual voice that today was a new day. A different day. A day to be celebrated.

Her herald was accompanied by the noise of awakening wildlife; birds began to sing with more than their usual exuberance, and woodland mammals welcomed each other by rubbing noses and grooming themselves along the banks of the great lake.

But, amidst the wonders that accompany the rising of the sun, there could also be seen something more sinister; evidence that something was not quite right with the world.

A cloud passed across the sky, sending the world into unexpected shadow and causing the fauna to hesitate with their joyful welcoming of the new day.

On the hill that overlooked the great lake, a large and ancient castle stood with past splendour. Green ivy covered the rough brickwork of the tall towers that sent a shiver through any creature that looked upon it's fierce solidity. But the building wasn't without fault, not without suffering. It bore the marks of recent battle, and great scars ran along it's stone walls. Windows were broken and in many places the structure was no longer sound. With the increasing warmth of the early summer morning there came the sound of expanding timbers and crumbling brick. In some places it seemed the walls only remained standing as if assisted by some unseen force.

The sun once again fought her way from behind the cloud that was blocking this view and continued to flood the world with her luminary presence. The land continued to brim with life once again, and although every living creature was aware of the destruction that surrounded it they continued their day-to-day ablutions and habitual routines. For today was a new day. A different day. And each day was to be celebrated.

From inside the castle, the witches and wizards that had taken shelter since the battle that had so grievously injured the great building began to stir. One by one they began to wake, stretching their muscles and greeting their surviving friends. Their moods were dampened, as if they were afraid that celebrating their achievements might somehow offend the spirits of those who didn't survive.

Slowly, they made their way to the windows and to the doors to see what devastation had been brought to the school. But instead of flinching at the scene they began to smile through their tears at the beauty that lay before them, outshining the scars that littered the land between the school building and the lake.

Much like the great sun that was dawning before them, great ideas were forming in their minds; idea's that would ensure that future mistakes would not happen, and never again would the world have to be subject to the destruction that had been witnessed at Hogwarts in recent days. There was no denying that recovery would be a long, hard struggle and some wounds would never heal but as long as the lost were never forgotten, the future looked bright. The shadows of those who had died hung over those that survived, but instead of engulfing them in a gloomy despair they instead lit every living thing from the inside with the hope and chance for new life.

For today was a new day. A different day. And each day was to be celebrated