A/N: Hello everyone! :) This was something I was just messing around with in my head. Not sure where this is headed, I'm just kind of winging it ;) Please review! I would really love feedback and IDEAS! Those are always appreciated :D but please be nice haha so yeah... :) love hearing from you guys

also, I do not own Harry Potter, but I wish I did :(

"Thank you!" Hermione said to the trolley lady. She had bought 3 boxes of chocolate frogs and was opening one when Harry cried, "WAIT! I'll have two more chocolate frogs, please!" The lady smiled and handed them over. He paid for them with a, "Thank you" and plopped down onto his seat. Ron was already plowing through his snacks.

They were back on the Hogwarts Express. Because the war had so rudely interrupted their education, Professor McGonagall had "invited" (aka: demanded nicely) them to return in order to complete their education. Of course some people (Hermione) were more excited than others (everyone else), but everyone was still glad to be able to enjoy something with a certain level of normalcy without the threat of war or Voldemort breathing down their necks.

Hermione watched with amusement as Ron shoved chocolate frogs into his mouth. (He was at number 5 right now, at ONCE.) Harry sat next to him, deep in thought.

"Harry, what's on your mind?" she asked.

"Nothing…just wondering…how can anything be normal? After all we've had to endure? When will life feel normal again?" he said, somewhat frustrated.

Hermione unconsciously gripped her left arm. The scars had faded but there was still a faint white outline of the word. She had stopped thinking about it, but that didn't stop the nightmares from coming. And she still had her moments, when she happened to glance at it as she was doing something, when she would suddenly freeze and the tears would start. To be honest she didn't have the answers to Harry's question. She had asked herself the same thing over and over again. Everyone had lost so much…

"Maybe…"she said pensively, "this is where we start…we've got to start somewhere, right? And maybe…maybe it'll be better to begin our healing at the place where the emotions run rawest. Grab the bull by the horns, if you will," she said with a tentative smile. She knew her friend had suffered during the winter. The gloomy weather hadn't helped much, either. But she also knew he was slowly recovering (having lived at the Burrow), and Ginny was probably the biggest catalyst. She smiled faintly, knowing they would all be reunited soon. (She hadn't seen Ginny yet, because she was Head Girl now and had duties to perform.)

The trio chatted for a bit before dozing off.

The Great Hall felt different. It had been restored to it's former glory, but the atmosphere was wrong. Even though it was warm, everyone felt a shiver go down their spines. As if a ghost had just walked through them. It looked the same, but something was missing. Even the teachers' smiles seemed forced, as if they were going through the same emotions as all the students. The Sorting Hat was on its usual stool, in front of the teachers' podium. Before the mood could get any darker, it burst into song.

A thousand or more years ago,

When Hogwarts barely started

The founders sowed me up and imbibed me with a magic

To seal the magic, they farted

Just last year the war has ended

Hopefully for once and for all.

Be not surprised, my fair students,

If we celebrate with a ball.

Houses divided led to our fall.

So heed my words, leave animosities behind!

Let us not make the same mistakes,

Let us not be blind!

Be prepared to see new things,

Forget why you all fight.

Instead, prepare yourselves and your minds

For now you will see in new light.

A couple of seconds passed before everyone started clapping. There were some murmurs, all wondering if the Hat had lost its mind during the Final Battle. Others were interested about the ball it had mentioned. The others were silent.

"Hermione, what do you think about the song this year?" Harry asked. He knew it would be pointless to even mention Ron because the formerly mentioned was already dozing off, with a slight spittle of drool oozing out of his mouth.

"Mmmm…I guess the Hat's right. We need to forget our differences and unite…if we don't want another Voldemort repeat. Slytherins need to let go of their bigoted blood supremacy ideas and we all need to forgive the Slytherins for their former actions." She said thoughtfully.

But the two friends were more than skeptical. How were they supposed to forget what the Slytherins had done? How could they forget how they had chose to run and save themselves, rather than stay and fight (not only for their school but) for the whole Wizarding world? If they had fought, maybe not as many lives would've been lost.

After the sorting ended the feast began, and chatter filled the air once again. A couple of seats away Lavender and Parvati were excitedly discussing the Sorting Hat's song. However, their focus was on the ball. They wondered if there would actually be a ball, when it would be, what they would wear, who they would want to be invited by, etc. Hermione rolled her eyes at them. They were her friends, and she loved them, but sometimes they were really too girly for her tastes.

After the food was cleared everyone got up and headed to their common rooms. The eighth years were to live in their old dormitories until everything was settled. McGonagall had mentioned they might move (which had caused another flurry of chatter to spread)

Harry, Ron and Hermione greeted the Fat Lady enthusiastically. It pained them to see her because her painting had not yet been fully restored. Some of the spells that hit her had been fairly dark, causing the restoration process to move slowly. She let them in with a smile. They were immediately greeted by the warmth of the fireplace.

Hermione smiled brightly. The trio headed off to their corner of the common room and plopped down in the armchairs. Ginny came to join them a while later and the four chatted away.

She was home.