Contrary to her expectation, Christmas the year of the defeat of Voldemort was not much different to Hermione's first Christmas with Harry and Ron. The radio had blasted bad seasonal music that everyone sung along to and Mrs Weasley's tremendous cooking had filled the Burrow with warm aromas. Quidditch balls broke many a window and knocked out unsuspecting gnomes trying to slink back into the overgrown hedge. But although everything seemed normal, all the family were treading carefully around George.
Fred's death and the deaths of close friends in the final battle had been the memories that the Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys had been trying to forget. Maybe forget wasn't the best word. Push to the back of their minds was closer to the truth. All residents of the Burrow were tired mentally and even the children were now wise beyond their years. The emotional repercussions of the war left scars not visible but not easily spelled away either. However, they didn't openly grieve. They held it all together. For George, and also for themselves.
The wizarding world was not in chaos. It was not in turmoil. It was at a standstill. It was as if no one knew what to do anymore. There were many celebrating, of course, and many mourning. People went to work as part of their routine, but nothing really happened. The Minister of Magic seemed still in shock and therefore the Ministry made no sudden new laws as a government is to prone do after a crisis. It follows that Hogwarts, too, was at a standstill. Ginny Weasley was due to start her seventh year at school, but she had missed out on the entirety of her sixth. No seventh year could complete their seventh year exams without having learned the sixth year curriculum. Minerva McGonagall was not impressed. And so Minerva McGonagall set to work.
Six weeks had passed since the Headmistress of Hogwarts' patience had worn thin and she had used them wisely. Arthur Weasley discovered this when filling up the kettle one morning and seeing a brown school owl flying straight towards him. It soared through the window, talons millimetres away from the man's face, knocking off a few small feathers on the window frame and landed neatly on the kitchen table none the worse for the wear. "Molly! Quickly! It's – It's a school owl!" Mr Weasley cried in amazement. "Whatever could it be doing here? Surely they're not asking students to come back this early?" His wife hurried in. Her brown eyes widened and she tilted her head to peer at the letters it was holding. "There are four, Arthur. Four. Why would there be four?" She reached out a callused hand and gently plucked the letters from the bird. It snapped it's beak at her and fixed her with an intelligent eye before flying back out the open window. Both adults' eyes were trained on the pieces of paper. Each had the school emblem and they were labelled. Ginerva Weasley. Ronald Weasley. Hermione Granger. Harry Potter. Hogwarts was back.
A/N: Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I got two reviews and a few alerts (so far)! I didn't expect any! Thanks so much! Sorry I haven't been updating – I didn't even know anyone was reading this, and I've got exams and all that shiz
I'll def work on the next chapter more now. AHHHHHH so excited! Soooo… do you maybe think it's too short? I kinda want it to get to the good stuff and it's annoying trying to set the scene. Oh well, good enough. Lurve ya xox