If you're wondering yes there will be Luna and Theo, however I plan to be a very slow burn, so please have patience. Once again english is not my mother language, so I'd love some reviews on gramatics if needed. This is also my first fictional writing, I've only done poetry and academic before so please be kind and let me know how I'm doing, let me know if the chapter should be larger of if this size is good too. Now back to this bitch that I was writing the other day, what's good?

Chapter 2: New Perspectives

Hermione had spent the last few months in Hogwarts, Macgonaggalwas the one that asked her to stay and help her reorganize the curriculum and basically the entire school. What Hermione wanted was to spend as much time as she could with her parents, since she got their memories back she has the impression they will forget her again anytime, she has nightmares about that. Now what Hermione knew was that nightmares were the most common part of the post traumatic effects of war, she also knew it was important for her to help. Post-war Hogwarts was not going to be the same, nothing ever would be the same,and they should be ready to act accordingly. That's why she had accepted to stay with Mcgonagall, she knew it was important for people to be educated about war, trauma, loss, this way Hogwarts was not a getaway, it was a place for people to express themselves, to build.

She and Mcgonagall did a lot of work, and she was amazed at how the Headmistress had accepted her suggestions, most of all the changes in Muggle Studies. Hermione had suggested they picked readings on philosophy and sociology that could most of all be related to their post-war scenario, instead of teaching about their usual radio, plumbing system stuff. Mcgonagall said yes, so now they had Hannah Arendt, Martin Luther King and even Angela Davis in the official Hogwarts curriculum. It was worth the effort she thought, so when Mcgonagall asked her to do a welcome speech for the first day of school, she told herself maybe that would be worth it too.

Now that the great hall was getting full she was not so sure that was a good idea, she was trying to find any familiar face she could hold on to but so far she wasn't finding any, Hermione knew Ron and Harry weren't coming back to finish school, so going solo was a triggering enough idea, in post-war Hogwarts of all places. She had tried to convince them to come back, but both argued they needed time for themselves, she didn't wanna fight them on it.

She finally finds comfort in the Ravenclaw table, Luna Lovegood sits with a copy of The Quibbler. Hermione squeezes her eyes a little so she could see what's in the cover, "What Changed After We Won the War?".

Luna smiles at her and they exchange looks. Hermione had grown fond of the girl, she didn't make sense to her sometimes, but she wasn't illogical, in fact she had a lot to add most of the time, just from a different perspective. Hermione had a feeling she would need lots of different perspectives for the next year.

Hermione sees a few other faces too, Neville sits in Gryffindor table looking a little puzzled, most people who were from traditional, pureblooded families had come back, which meant the Slytherin table was the most full, that didn't call her in the list. Hermione decides to stop looking and starts staring at the ground, in a corner besides the teacher's table.

She is in her Slytherin Robes, trying to look composed and waiting for her time to say what she had to say and put an end to this. Minutes go by, she isn't sure, but the walking and talking still really loud and she keeps her head down, remembering herself why she should do this in the first place. After a few more minutes there's just talking, more walking and Mcgonagall stands from the middle of the professors table making everyone instantly silent. She speaks in a loud tone:

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to a new year in Hogwarts, As always I would like to make it clear how much your presence is valued, this school exists for that. This is my first year as headmistress, in the years before it was tradition for the director of this school to give a speech, but if there ever was a year to break tradition, this is the one. That said, I'd like to invite seventh year student, headgirl and war hero, Hermione Granger."

Hermione keeps trying to avoid looking at anyone, she fixes her eyes in Mcgonagall and goes in her direction, to the pulpit, with eyes fixed only on her. As she walks she can hear other students clapping.

"great! expectation"

She thinks ironically

She positions herself holding tight to the sides of the pulpit and trying to focus her mind in doing what she needs to do.

"A great muggle once said "When you educate one person you change a lie, when you educate many you can change the world", that said,I'd like to welcome first years, it was not long ago I was in your place, I recommend you enjoy this experience as much as you can, it's a once in a lifetime thing, I'd like to thank every 7th year who came back to finish school, I'd like to thank you all who are standing here today, may we be means to make positive change into this world. To the ones who couldn't find in them to be here one again, you have my solidarity, and to the ones who got lost in the way my love and respect.

Hermione finally looks to the people before her, Slytherin really was the fullest table, she's almost getting back to her speech as she unexpectedly locks eyes with someone she didn't imagine she would see so soon, Draco Malfoy. Her mind goes blank instantly, she remembers the last three times she saw Malfoy, the last one was in his trial, we has even more skinny than he already is now, looking like a ghost of himself, the one before that was quite literally in the war, Voldemort gave him that weird creepy looking hug, she gets goosebumps of disgust from that memory. However the time before that is the worst memory of all, that one seemed to be the strongest memory, could be because of the trauma or just because that was the only time he really was looking back too, like he is right now. Eyes that looked like eyes that looked like pits staring at her, absorbing her focus like a black hole. He shows no expression, being as transparent as ever, like a lake of black ink.

Hermione runs her eyes through the great hall, trying to recompose herself, her speech was now completely blurry in her head. She stops at Luna once again. Although she seems to be paying attention to Hermione's speech, the magazine still is in her hands, she reads the title once again

"What changed after we won the war?"

Oh, she didn't mean to speak it out loud

Now she had to go with it

"Nothing can be won from war, from war there will only be loss, what changed is we lost a lot, we lost friends, we lost so much we were attached to, we changed and changed so we could adapt and survive, we lost to the war and we survived it, now we must once again find ways to continue. Nothing could fill my heart more than knowing we can learn how to do this together, once again, we start this year in spirit of change, and each one of us know what changes war brought into our lives, now we must figure out what changes we should choose to bring into the world. Through the education, the Gryffindor's courage, Ravenclaw's wisdom, Hufflepuff's dedication and Slytherin's resourcefulness, we come together to support each other, to forge new ways, new perspectives..."

Her gaze falls on the Slytherin table

The pits of black ink are actually grey, she never noticed he had grey eyes

"Thank you, have a good evening,"

A round of applause echos through the Great Hall.