May 2nd was a day like no other, a day of celebration for the wizarding world of Britain. The end of the nightmares and horror. A day to show the victory of the light. By the time it rolled around again, it would be declared a holiday for all magical kind.

The Muggles also noted it in their record books, for it was the day that set the world record for shooting stars and owl flights. Their numbers literally filled the skies at certain points, outnumbering the clouds. The day easily crushed the previous record from November 1, 1981 and the circumstances were just as inexplicable.

However, within two weeks, the jubilant zeal had begun to die down and the survivors realized that it would take more than elation to pull them through the next few months and perhaps years. It would take resilience.

And resilience they had. It was seen everywhere, with the little girl who had to attend her father’s funeral, with the 3rd year muggleborn who received her 2nd letter from Hogwarts, with the wife who watched her child’s father carted off to Azkaban with an ornate tattoo on his left arm. It was seen in homes, in the Ministry and it was most especially seen on Diagon Alley.  

Here are the stories of New Beginning for the residents of Diagon Alley. All of them picking up the pieces. All of them given a second chance, but new beginnings means very different things to different people. Read on to see what this opportunity means to each of them and how they decide to use it.

For the The Great Collaboration: New Beginnings Challenge.