Disclaimer: The wonderful wizarding world and the characters (apart from those that are original) belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Dumbledore…he'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent." – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The months following the Second Wizarding War had been hard on them all. Even the air felt heavy, as if the world could feel the extraordinary losses that had occurred. Muggles and magic folk alike had suffered greatly, and now that Voldemort had been defeated, things were finally starting to recover.

Hermione sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, stirring her tea absentmindedly as she skimmed the headlines of the Daily Prophet. Harry had kindly opened the house to the surviving members of the Order, though many had since found other accommodation and the house, once full and bustling, soon became quiet. Her parents were recovering their memories with the help of the healers at St Mungo's, so she had decided to stay. The Weasley family had returned to the Burrow, though both Ron and Ginny were frequent visitors, making full use of the house's numerous bedrooms. Hermione found the silence peaceful, if not a bit lonely, Harry often slept till early noon, leaving her to her own thoughts and musings most of the time. They both, especially, had felt the after-effects of the war. She had, on more than one occasion, had to awaken Harry from his nightmares, she having been woken by her own.

But now, everything seemed to be on the road to recovery. The Daily Prophet, after months of publishing mainly obituaries and articles about loss and the victory of Harry Potter, now covered the restoration of Diagon Alley and advertised the new shops being set up where old ones had been destroyed. Things were returning back to normal, but she was certain that nothing would ever be the same.

Updates regarding the trials of the Death Eaters and Snatchers had a section of its own in the newspaper. Taking a sip of her tea, Hermione opened it to this page and noted with reluctant interest that Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had been exempted from this fate by the Wizengamot, Narcissa had been placed in Azkaban, and Draco put on probation but pardoned as he was underage. Without thinking, she shuddered as her fingers brushed over the faded white scar that his aunt had carved into her arm. The skirmish at Malfoy Manor was one memory that she knew would haunt her forever, not only because of the pain she had endured, but also because she never ceased to wonder why Draco had spared their lives. Hermione was certain that he had recognised Harry, and yet, he hadn't turned them in, and she wanted to know why.

A large brown owl tapped sharply on the window, breaking through the mire of her thoughts. She quickly rose from the table to let it in and carefully took the letters tied to its leg. Feeding it an owl treat from the jar that had been stationed on the nearby kitchen counter for that precise reason, Hermione gasped as she noticed the Hogwarts seal on two of the envelopes. She quickly returned to her seat at the table, and, finding the envelope address to Ms. H Granger, 2nd Bedroom on the 1st Landing, 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, Greater London, she tore it open eagerly. She unfolded the familiar heavy parchment, and quickly read its contents.

Dear Ms Granger,

Given the unfortunate events that occurred last year, we would like to invite all the students of the Class of 1998 to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for an eighth year. It was in the wishes of the late Albus Dumbledore that this be the case if school be interrupted by the war. This final year is not compulsory, but rather an option made available to those who wish to complete their education at this school.

Students who feel that they have the capability to and wish to sit their N.E.W.T.s without returning for classes may do so at the Ministry of Magic on 17 August.

For the students who do return to Hogwarts, the school year will be run as per usual, though some classes may be run together with students from the seventh year. Accommodation for all eighth year students will not be according to Houses, but will instead be in the Eastern Tower.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment, if you do wish to return to Hogwarts. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress

Hermione bristled with excitement as she reread the letter. This was it, their chance for a final year of normality, this was exactly what they needed. After the hectic year they had had, what better than a year of familiar routine and environment to help them heal? She put down the letter and called up the stairs, eager for Harry to hear the offer.

'Harry! Get down here, there's something you need to read!'

It would be easy enough for her to convince him and Ron to return with her, she thought resolutely. All three of them had already planned to sit for the theoretical section of the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T.s in August, the practical portion having already been waived for them by the ministry, but this would be the chance to get the other qualifications they needed to become Aurors. Though she suspected that the Ministry would be willing to waive those requirements as well if they asked, Harry, at least, had seemed determined to earn his way in like anyone else rather than asserting the status that came with his title of Saviour of the World.

Yes, they would be returning to Hogwarts.

Draco's hand trembled as he turned over the heavy parchment of the Hogwarts letter, considering his options. It seemed too good to be true, a second chance at life at the school he had grown to love over the course of the years. A return to normality, a place where he could pretend not to be bothered by the fate of his parents and the events of the past year.

Malfoy Manor had never felt so cold. The vast rooms and halls abandoned, only the quiet sound of his feet against the marble floors could be heard as he paced. Draco was staying there alone, as both of his parents had been sentenced and he freed, alone with the company of the memories that the walls held. Memories of The Dark Lord marred what had once been a safe place for Draco, not a single room left untouched. Happy memories of childhood and even brief moments of joy in the past year when spending time with Uncle Sev had all been tainted, as if a filter had been placed on them, blending them into the darkness. Now he was left alone to deal with unexplainable but incredibly vivid assaults of what he had seen and been forced to do both in his nightmares and even during the day, leaving him pale and shaky and with the painful feeling that he was about to explode.

It seemed ironic that the bracelet around his left ankle, issued as part of his 'punishment and probation' by the Wizengamot to track his movements and magic, was the only thing that grounded him and made him feel safe in what had been his own home. He had to get out of there.

Draco was infinitely grateful to the Wizengamot. Though they had sentenced his parents, understandably failing to see that the Malfoys had been reluctant participators in the Death Eater circle for some time leading up to the final battle and had merely been trying to survive the war, Draco knew that he owed them his life.

In fact, he owed many people his life.

And now, he had a second chance. An official at the Ministry, who insisted on remaining anonymous in order to avoid the hatred and discrimination that the ex-Death Eaters and their 'sympathisers' were now facing throughout the Wizarding World, had helped Draco by signing him up to take his Potions N.E.W.T. at the Ministry in August, as Uncle Sev had continued to help him to hone his skills throughout the previous year. Furthermore, he had the chance to return to Hogwarts for one final year.

There was, finally, at long last, a glimmer of hope.

A/N: The intense renewal of my enthusiasm for and obsession with Harry Potter could not have come at a worse time. Now, as it approaches my equivalent but much less interesting version of the N.E.W.T.s, I am struck by a plot bunny I found that I could not ignore, no matter how hard I tried. Please send help.