Hello! This is my NaNoWriMo project for 2016. I hope you enjoy it. It's my first full-length fanfiction so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Chapter Two will be up tomorrow!

Disclaimer: The characters and world of this story belong to JK Rowling. I am but playing with them.

Chapter One - Hermione

It was strange to be back here, after everything that had happened. It seemed impossible to be having a first day of school again, with all the usual rituals that entailed, after everything that had happened in the last year. It seemed that things like this just shouldn't happen anymore. Things shouldn't be normal here after the battle, or without Harry and Ron.

Hermione unpacked her trunk slowly, marvelling at how this felt so familiar, so ordinary. She didn't feel like the same girl at all, yet here she was back in her old dorm room, setting out her pyjamas on her old bed. It didn't feel right for all of this to look the same. It didn't feel right to be here. It should have been a joyful moment – she was back where she was back where she belonged, in Hogwarts, her favourite place in the world. Even better, she was Head Girl now. This moment had been something her younger self had dreamed of. The prized golden badge gleamed on her robes, but she just felt tired.

Ginny lay on the bed next to Hermione's. She had refused to repeat her sixth year. She had sat and passed the exams, and was now in seventh year along with Hermione. She had said she would have happily skipped her final year and gone straight into professional Quidditch (several teams had already expressed interest) but she thought for her mother's sake, it would be best that she finished off her education first. She seemed to be in no rush to unpack. Her trunk sat, unopened, at the end of her bed and she hadn't even taken off her robes or shoes before flopping down onto the bed with a loud sigh. Hermione, however, found the tidying calmed her whirring brain. She liked things to be in order, it set her mind at ease. She arranged all her things the Muggle way, it was slower, but it was relaxing. Doing it with magic would take all the pleasure out of it. She had to keep herself busy, try to push away all the thoughts that were crowding in on her.

Coming back to Hogwarts was definitely the right choice. She had no doubt in her mind about making this decision. She hadn't wanted to leave her education unfinished, even though she knew she would easily have gotten a job. There were some perks of being one of the saviours of the wizarding world, it seemed. Still, she wanted to earn her way into her profession through her grades and her hard work. Being Muggle-born, she always felt there was still so much for her to learn about magic. Besides, she had been working towards her NEWTs for years now, and she wanted to take them. Not to sit the exams would be a failure in itself. She loved learning and knowledge, and she thought that coming back here would help her to get past the trauma of the battle and the hunt for the Horcruxes.

Hogwarts had always felt like home to her, but now it had been tainted by all that had passed. The numbers were down this year again, there was a lingering fear following Voldemort's return, and the memories of the battle still clung to the castle. Neville Longbottom was back, Hermione had been so glad to see him this morning on their return to the castle. She desperately needed some familiar faces around. Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were back (Ernie had been made Head Boy). Parvati and Padma Patil had also returned, Parvati was in the same dorm as Ginny and Hermione. Like Neville, the Patil twins had decided they wanted to do their final year properly and achieve the best NEWTs they could. Hermione suspected they were seeking comfort here too, just as she was. They had all banded together, survivors, scarred by their experiences and trying to move on. This, more than anything that had happened today, gave Hermione some small amount of hope.

'Your speech was good, 'Mione.' Ginny's eyes were closed, and her fiery red hair fanned out around her. Her voice sounded sleepy. The usually boisterous opening feast had been a sombre and difficult affair.

'Yes' Parvati chimed in 'It was very moving. I'm proud.'

The speech had taken her a long time to write. How to put into words what they had all been through? How to express the grief, the loss, the hope that something could be rebuilt here? It had been, without a doubt, the most difficult assignment she had ever undertaken for school. Headmistress McGonagall had told her many times that the speech wasn't necessary, that if it was too difficult or too emotional she should leave it be. She appreciated that, but if there was one thing Hermione Granger refused to be, it was a quitter. She had started this speech, and she would finish it. The speech was important to her – not just as it was the duty of the Head Boy or Girl to welcome the students back, but because she had things she wanted to say about the battle. She wanted to honour those who had lost their lives. Professor McGonagall had of course been correct about how tough the speech would be to make, so she had kept it short. The kind words from her friends meant a lot.

'Thank you. It wasn't an easy thing to do.'

Ginny opened her eyes now, and turned to look at Hermione. 'It was perfect, honestly. Thank you for what you said about Fred.'

'And for your lovely words about Lavender. It was a powerful speech. You're very brave.'

Lavender Brown…Colin Creevy…Vincent Crabbe…Remus Lupin…Severus Snape…Fred Weasley…

All students and teachers, all fallen in the battle. Their faces haunted her. Their names were on a loop in her head. She worried about her words. What do you say? What can you say?

Both girls were looking at her with tears in their eyes. Hermione felt anything but brave. Being back here had her deeply shaken in a way she hadn't expected. She had known giving the speech would be emotional and heart wrenching. Up on the podium her eyes had been brimming with tears, her hands had been trembling. Even now, as she arranged her things on the dresser, her hands shook and she dropped her perfume. She didn't know what she could say to them. Ginny had lost her brother, Parvati was missing her best friend. Her pain was nothing compared to theirs. Besides, she was one of the Golden Trio, she owed it to people to be strong, no matter what the cost was. She picked the perfume bottle up off the floor. She clenched it tightly, so that the pointy edges dug into her palm. The pain was grounding, helping her focus on the present, on Ginny and Parvati. They needed her now.

'Thank you. I hope I did them justice.'

Ginny came over and hugged her. 'Fred would have loved that you mentioned the Puking Pastilles and the Nosebleed Nougats.'

She hugged Ginny back, trying to put all the unspoken words into her actions. She knew Ginny had been hiding how she felt, she knew the younger girl had been trying to be strong. She wished Ginny would let her help…but at the same time she didn't know how. She didn't know what she was doing herself, and she hated this lack of control. The girls all went to bed early that night, drained from the journey and the emotion of the day.

The next morning, Hermione woke early. The room was flooded with morning light, and for a few moments it was easy to believe that everything was as it had been before, that she was back at Hogwarts and all was well. Then reality set in. She remembered everything. She turned her head and saw the scar on her arm, that constant, ugly reminder.

Ginny was rushing about the room, getting ready for an early morning Quidditch practice. She was Gryffindor Captain this year. Hermione didn't envy the team. Ginny Weasley was not to be messed with. Her determination to have the best and strongest team was Oliver Wood-like in its intensity. Hermione knew that any players who were late or slacked off could well receive one of Ginny's infamous bat bogey hexes. Ginny was a powerful witch, and hexes and curses were her speciality. She was going professional next year, and she was here as much to train as to study this year. She'd told Hermione that Quidditch was the one thing that cleared her head, that made her forget about all the awful things that had happened, and she had thrown herself into the sport with a ferocity that was formidable.

When Ginny had vacated the dorm cursing under her breath (she was not a morning person) Hermione got out of bed, and headed down to the library before class. She felt a sense of calm there. It always had been her favourite part of Hogwarts. The hush, the smell of the old books, the rustle of pages and the scratching of quills…it was her idea of perfection. She was so pleased to discover that it was still a tranquil place for her. She found her favourite desk, and sat down with an Ancient Runes book. Setting out her notebook, her quills and ink, the routine was satisfying and calming. The library was so still and quiet, the morning light clear and bright. She felt an ease she hadn't felt in months. She closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly, feeling some of the tension inside her loosen at last. Maybe things could be okay again. She immersed herself in the translation of the runes. It was a tricky business, and required her full concentration. This must be what Quidditch was like for Ginny, this sense of absorption, of forgetting (however, briefly) that you were broken. Here she felt whole, here she felt the strength people expected of her.

Classes were good, a distraction from the loneliness and despair that set in when she wasn't busy. But still, her focus wasn't what it was before. She had to force herself to take notes, to not drift off. This wasn't the Hermione Granger she knew. Her mind wasn't fully on her work and it worried her. She hoped she was able for this year, she hoped she could get the results she knew she could achieve in her NEWTs. She had been called the brightest witch of her age, and she didn't want to fail now. She had to commit herself, she had to work hard. This lack of concentration simply wasn't good enough.

That night, back in the Common Room, she considered writing to Ron. She wanted to let him know how weird it felt to be back here. She wanted to know how he was feeling about starting Auror training. Most of all, she wanted to tell him how much she missed him. How she wanted to cuddle into him. How she would love a kiss. Even something as simple as how much she would like him sitting beside her in class, or walking with her through the grounds. She even missed doing his homework.

She took a quill and parchment from her bag. Her quill hovered above the parchment, ink dripping…but something stopped her from writing.