I've actually always thought of and written fanfiction of Harry Potter with my original character, but found it kind of embarrassing to post online, because it isn't canon and people might (and will) judge me for it. But I figured that everyone has their own preferred version of the stories, and if they decide that they don't like mine, they can move on to something else. There are 506,000+ pieces of fanfiction on on Harry Potter alone. They should be able to find their cup of tea somewhere, right?

Anyway, this is mine. My fanfiction, that is. I don't own Harry Potter and any of the other characters or magical items and terms (unless I specifically mention it later on). I do, however own my Original Character-duh.

I've also never written in chapters though. Actually, this first chapter just came to me a couple of hours ago while I was reading a DxHr piece. :") In any case, I hope you enjoy. Please rate and review as well! Thanks! : )

P.S. I don't have an appropriate title for this just yet. So just bear with me on this one. For now, this is going under the thoroughly uncreative title of "Harry Potter Repeats His 7th Year."

Chapter One

"Had you, or anyone for that matter, told me six months ago—no, a year ago, that I'd be sitting my arse back here waiting for Double Potions with the Slytherins, I'd say you were barking mad," Ron said, annoyed. He took a menacing bite out of his apple.

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Hermione retorted, rolling her eyes and taking a sip off her orange juice. "Remember that you willingly came back here as well."

Ron snorted, "Only because the pair of you thought it was the best idea. I came to see if I can manage to talk you out of it."

"Well you aren't trying that hard, are you? It's only been a day," Hermione sneered, holding back a small laugh.

Harry sighed, but gave a little smile. "It's good to see that some things haven't changed."

Everything else, however, had.

Hermione had spoken the truth. It was their first day back at Hogwarts clad in their school uniforms, waiting for their first class of the day: Double Potions. And even Harry could admit that he almost believed himself to be dreaming when he woke up in his four-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower that morning, with a full load of classes to look forward to.

Like Ron, if anyone had told Harry months ago that he would find himself in this place at this point in time, he probably wouldn't have believed him. The last time he had simply woken up to face schoolwork seemed ages ago. It had already been more than a year ago. And the last time that he sat in any classroom discussing lessons was perhaps on the day before Dumbledore had asked him to come to the Cave with him to destroy the horcrux which neither of them had known yet to be only a replica.

Since then Harry's life had been chaotic and to be honest, with prophecy that Harry had known a year prior to that point, he was probably asking too much to even be alive at this point in his life.

And yet he was here, sitting at in the Great Hall, eating breakfast with Ron and Hermione, looking forward to class (at least Hermione was). It seemed almost too mundane, not to have anything else worrying them. What seemed even more surreal were the changes that have already happened since that day that they last stood in the Great Hall before this morning.

When Harry closed his eyes, he could still hear a great struggle. He could hear wizards and witches, elves and other creatures waging war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters right here in this very hall. As if in slow motion, he could still feel vividly his emotions when they stood in silence, with only the voice of Voldemort echoing from the Forbidden Forest, challenging Harry to face him once and for all, giving him only an hour's time before he attacked Hogwarts. Harry could remember the battle he himself had to face, that moment when he knew he was stronger and that Voldemort was moments away from perishing. He replayed over and over the memory of Voldemort finally falling and everyone coming to a halt, awestruck at the end of the war. And he could remember the ruins that once used to be Hogwarts as everyone, war-torn and tired gathered in the Great Hall in shock and perhaps in slight disbelief that at least, everything was over.

In the weeks that followed the end of the Battle at Hogwarts, there was a mix of difference happenings and emotions. Those of the general wizarding population rejoiced for finally their time of fear and hiding was over. People danced in the streets and performed magic even in the presence of unsuspecting Muggles. People were elated and for once, even the Ministry paid little or no attention to wizards doing magic in public—people were too happy to care.

The Ministry itself was in shambles. There was hardly any form of Wizarding Government left as the Death Eaters had taken over it for months. New management had to be dealt with and order had to be replaced immediately.

As for those that were at the battle, some families grieved albeit their pride for their family defeating dark wizards. The Creeveys came to fetch Colin that night, right after the battle. It took them a while to understand exactly why Colin left them, what exactly their son had done for the Wizarding Community. They were Muggles and their cries filled the Hall. Even the Weasleys mourned that night. Mrs. Weasley cried for weeks on end following her son's death. And while the Weasley men and even Ginny eventually stopped crying themselves, talking about Fred still made them misty-eyed, even if they've come to terms with his death.

They also grieved the loss of Tonks and Lupin, whom they've all become very close to. No one spoke right away about who would take care of Teddy, who for now lived with Bill and Fleur.

After everyone had cleared the grounds of Hogwarts, they all retreated to their own homes to take care of the holes that their families now had. Meanwhile, Hogwarts itself was closed, owing to the damages that the war had inflicted on the castle.

Three months after the battle, owl post arrived announcing the re-opening of Hogwarts come fall. Everyone was surprised about how instantly the school was once again "opening its doors for magical learning, starting anew and birthing a new era for the Wizarding Society." With the announcement came an invitation for those students who were unable to properly finish their schooling due to the war period to return to school and finish their studies. That was true for most of Harry's friends and schoolmates, most especially for him, Ron and Hermione.

Without hesitation, Hermione promptly replied to the letter, filling out the re-application form that came with it, indicating her request to return to school. Harry followed suit, thinking that while the current Aurors at the Minstry already regarded him capable of starting his training as an Auror, that he would return to properly earn the credits he would need for his Auror training. Ron, who to no one's surprise, chucked the letter in the rubbish bin only to discover it on his bedside the next day, thanks to Hermione. On the excuse that he would try to talk Harry and Hermione out of it, he sent off his re-application as well, telling them that they no longer needed to go back to school.

"With all the things that we've dealt with over the past year, we don't need to come back," Ron told Hermione over and over again—back in the Burrow, on the Platform, in the Hogwarts Express, all the way until this breakfast conversation they were currently having.

It had been five months since the Battle, since the Wizarding World was finally rid of Voldemort. But Harry had not been to school for far longer than that. Logically speaking, Harry and his friends should be out of Hogwarts by this time. But now, he was going to be able to rewind time, living out his seventh year at Hogwarts in a completely different and more peaceful way—the way that it should have been from the very beginning.

Thanks for reading this chapter! I do hope you read on! Please review so I can learn how to make it better. : )