'Minerva! How lovely to see you! How are you?'

Ginny and Hermione hugged McGonagall while Harry and Ron looked around. Hogwarts was restored to its former glory. Besides the huge monument on the school grounds, there was no trace of any battle at all. For Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny the walls seemed to have absorbed all the memories and feelings. Happiness and sadness were all combined in that single moment. No pen or tongue could describe how they relived every single moment. It still felt like home, even though old wounds were opened yet again.

'I'm well, thank you! I've missed you all. We tried to restore Hogwarts, but it truly isn't the same without you lot. But take a look around, what do you think?'

'It is truly remarkable, Minerva. If I wouldn't know any better, I'd say nothing happened here at all.'

They all immediately thought of the darker experiences in their past the moment Hermione uttered those words.

'Some people suggested leaving Hogwarts and starting a new school, but I couldn't leave. It is my home and I can't forget the wonderful times I've had here. I will not let Voldemort take that away from us. '

Minerva's eyes were filled with tears, but she still smiled. She told Ginny and Hermione about the new monument in honour of the fallen heroes. It was a large statue that showed several witches and wizards with wands and Hogwarts robes. The names of lost loved ones engraved all over the statue. There was also a beautiful crystal commemorative plaque that read: In honour of those who gave their life to give life to future generations. We will never forget – May 2, 1998

'I thought we needed something to remember our past, especially for future students. They should never forget who fought for their freedom. Neville places flowers around the monument every month.'

'It's beautiful, Minerva. Ron and I just saw it. I can't believe you managed to rebuild Hogwarts. It feels like home.', Harry smiled lovingly.

'Feel free to look around and stay for a few days. I would love to talk a bit longer, but I have to welcome the new students. I will see you at the dinner table.'

Minerva ran off lead large groups of students to the Great Hall. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny walked through the corridors. Ron was very sweaty. Minerva thought proposing to Hermione was a wonderful idea and she arranged everything for Ron, but that didn't calm his nerves.

'If you sweat even more, she'll know something's up. Calm down!', Ginny gave her brother a loving pat on his back.

'I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!', Ron yelled while running off.

'Something is wrong with him. I think he's ill. He's been complaining about the heat all day and he's constantly moving around. He avoids eye contact and don't even get me started about showing affection. I hope he feels better tomorrow..', Hermione sighed.

Ginny laughed quietly. Ron was behaving the way she thought he would. He was a bit frightened that Hermione would not accept his proposal, but Ginny knew she would. She squeezed Harry's hand.

'I'm sure he'll feel better tomorrow, you'll see.'

The Great Hall was filled with students. Some looked in awe as Harry walked towards the large dining table in the back of the hall. They greeted every teacher, including Neville Longbottom, and sat down before Minerva started her speech.

'Welcome everyone. It is lovely to see you all. Tonight's ceremony will determine in which
House you will be sorted. There are four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The Sorting Hat will sort you into your House, but before we start I'd like to take a moment to address our old students. It is lovely to see you again and just know that Hogwarts is and will always be your home. Ronald, would you like to say something?'

Minerva smiled while Ron hesitantly walked around the table. Hermione looked confused and Harry and Ginny exchanged amused glances.

'Well,… first of all…. I'd like to…. I can't breathe… Can I have some….. Thanks,…. Yes, water will do… Well... I wanted to do.. I wanted to do something…. special. Hermione… I love you…. and… well… You know… this is harder than I thought… I need another sip…', Ron nervously drank water given to him by Neville. Hermione became more confused and started to turn red.

'O for crying out loud, will you say what you mean!', an older student yelled.

' SILENT MISTER MCCORMACK!', Minerva yelled angrily. Ron looked around nervously and seemed to lose control.

'Oh what the hell! Will you marry me, Hermione?'

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. Her brother's clumsy, yet sweet proposal had his name written all over it. Hermione's eyes seemed to pop out of her head. She was really surprised. She jumped of her chair and ran towards Ron. She kissed him and said yes at the same time. All the girls and older boys applauded them, but the younger boys yelled 'GROSS' in unison. All the teacher were laughing and cheering.

'What a wonderful surprise, Ronald.'

'I can be romantic, you know. It was just kind of difficult to express.. well, you know.'

'I love you too, Ron!'

When everyone was seated once again, the Sorting Ceremony began. Ron and Hermione didn't seem to care. They were too busy hugging and kissing each other. After the ceremony, lots of delicious food appeared on every table. It brought back many memories and soon everyone at the large dining table started reminiscing about their time as student at Hogwarts.

'So Neville, what's it like being a Herbology teacher?', Ginny asked Neville while eating a Pumpkin pie.

'It took some time to get used to, to be honest. I was afraid students wouldn't take me seriously, but Minerva says I'm a natural. I really enjoy it and it's nice to see that a lot of students enjoy Herbology.'

'That's good to hear. How's Luna?'

Neville and Luna had started a relationship after the battle of Hogwarts and were married six months later. Luna was currently working as a Divination teacher at Hogwarts, but she could not attend tonight's ceremony. Her father needed some help at home, so Luna would arrive the next day to start a new year at Hogwarts.

'She's fine, thanks for asking. You'll be able to ask her yourself tomorrow. Xenophilius missed her a lot, but he's currently seeing someone, so Luna hopes he will find love with her. She doesn't want him to be lonely. She seems to enjoy teaching as much as I do. Trelawney needed some time off, so this job is just temporary, but she'll continue writing children's stories, so she'll be busy all year long.'

Neville smiled. Ginny loved seeing him this happy. She remembered feeling sorry for him a lot of times. He was always the unlucky boy at school, but he seemed genuinely content here at Hogwarts. The students seemed to love his classes. Some even admired him. He was the one who sliced Nagini's head off and played a major part in Voldemort's defeat.

A short boy walked up to the table. His huge blue eyes stared straight at Harry.

'Can I …', the boy asked quietly.

'I'm sorry, I can't hear what you are saying. Could you say it again? Don't be shy.', Harry smiled and walked towards the boy.

'Can I have your autograph, mister Potter?' The boy looked down, too shy to look Harry in the eyes. Harry smiled and nodded.

'Here you go! Now go eat your pudding before the other boys eat it!'

The boy's face lit up. He had a big smile on his face and nodded excitedly. He ran to the Gryffindor table and quickly ate his dessert.

'Children are very cute, aren't they?', Harry asked Ginny with a grin on his face.

'Yes… What are you trying to tell me, Harry Potter?', Ginny asked with a smile.

'Nothing! I'm just saying, maybe we could… you know… start our family.'

Ginny was quite surprised by this. She knew Harry loved children, she had seen how he looked at Teddy, but she didn't think he would want to start their own family so soon after their wedding.

'I think we should enjoy our time at Hogwarts for now. I want children, but maybe we should wait.'

Harry didn't look disappointed, but accepted her answer. He knew he would be the one to start talking about kids. He would wait until she was ready. He kissed her hand and took another bite of the chocolate cake.

'Maybe we can attend one of Neville's classes. That would be fun!'

Ginny was happy that Harry changed topics so easily. Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look. Hermione had heard the entire conversation and just winked at Ginny. She smiled and Ginny felt at ease. They would talk about this later. She took another bite of her Pumpkin pie and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

I know Luna and Neville aren't supposed to end up together, but I just love the idea of these two as a couple. Sorry for changing the original story, but this felt right. I hope you enjoy it either way :)