A/N: All numbers and data were based on information i found on line, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Happy reading! *

Beta: Grammarly, bitches.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

THE BATTLE WE LOST

Prologue

September 1st, 1998

122 days.

17 weeks and three days

Three months and 30 days.

That's how long it had been since we lost 69 wizards in the Battle of Hogwarts. Fifty-one had been Hogwarts students, and who cared about the rest. One hundred twenty-two days ago, the Second Wizarding War had ended with the death of the Dark Lord after lasting nearly three years.

The Wizarding World has managed to pick up the pieces after the war, but the healing would take time, much longer than four months. Everything had started to go back to normal, or at least as normal as it could have been after the events that took place on May 2nd, 1998.

Voldemort's reign of terror that caused two wars, lasted nearly 20 years, and caused over 7,500 deaths, muggle and wizard alike, had finally ended that day. Normalcy was something people hadn't felt in a long time.

The Department of Magical Education had required the graduating class to make up their 7th year of schooling, although the Ministry felt as if "they had suffered enough" and needed more "normalcy" in their lives.

The concept made Hermione snort. She was beginning to think they didn't know what that word meant in the first place.

Hermione made her way to Platform 9 and ¾ for the last time as a student (well, she hoped to Godric it was the last time), as her classmates referred to as "8th years". She had undoubtedly been named Head Girl this year, although she felt it wasn't fair to the 7th years not to have a chance. However, they did have the title of 'High Prefects', meaning they were definingly in the running for Heads before Voldemort went on his genocidal rampage. She felt the whole thing was absurd. She had already received a job offer from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement preceding her graduation, and she felt like waiting any longer was prolonging the inevitable.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of old sneakers hitting the pavement, preceded by a loud "' Mione!"

The two boys nearly knocked her to the ground as they both tackled her in a bear hug.

"You two nearly scared me half to death!" She laughed.

She looked at both of their smiling faces. Harry had seemed to have aged ten years since the battle. His face seemed older and wiser, more experienced with life, a look that Dumbledore often had when he knew something you didn't.

Ron, however, hadn't changed much. His hair was still very red, and his face was still covered in freckles. The death of his brother had taken a toll on the Weasley's, George most of all, but he had done an excellent job of hiding it and putting on a brave face for the world.

Following the battle, she and Ron had tried to date during the summer but found that it hadn't quite worked out as well as they initially hoped it would. Or at least, that's what Hermione felt. Ron still was under the impression that they could overcome their differences and make it work sometime after graduation. He was still as stubborn as he was when they first met.

"How is our favorite Head Girl?" Harry asked in a slightly teasing tone

Hermione rolled her eyes, "the same as usual."

"Is that good or bad?" Ron asked

"I will let you know when I find out," she replied, "by the way, where is Ginny?"

Ron waved his hand dismissively "she was somewhere behind us, don't know where she bloody ended up."

Before she could reply, the Hogwarts Express pulled in with a mechanical groan as the engine hissed.

"I suppose we should get on, eh? "Harry said, "before all the seats get taken by first years."

"Agreed," she said.

They all wordlessly followed Harry onto the train looking for a seat somewhere on the crowded and noisy bus. They made their way through each section of the train, carefully trying not to get whacked in the head with careless students' trunks as they tried to fit them in the overhead compartments. They finally reached the train's end to find all of the "8th years occupied it". They all nodded in our general direction, acknowledging that they weren't currently in the mood for celebrating, although we had won. We found seats and settled into them silently, not quite knowing what to say. The last time they had been on this train was two years ago, their 6th year. The year Dumbledore had died in the Astronomy Tower, and the year they had found out about all of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes. None of the Golden Trio thought that they'd ever see the Hogwarts Express again, whether it be they died in battle or if Hogwarts had been destroyed.

After Hogwarts was left in shambles, the Ministry, staff, and even a few students went to work repairing it with magic. From the news and other stories that had been floating around, it looks as if nothing ever happened to it. As if it was completely untouched by the horrors it had seen.

They spent most of the ride chatting about various things when a few Slytherins approached us.

Standing before us was Gregory Goyle.

"Potter," Gregory said, nodding politely.

"Goyle," Harry said with equal formality.

You could feel the tension in the air as the four of them were silent after a few seconds.

Then Goyle did something unexpected. He held out his hand.

"It's time I apologize for the things I did when we were younger. Malfoy wasn't exactly the best influence. Especially when it came to blood purity views," he said, acknowledging me in the last part.

Harry took his hand and shook it. "I appreciate it, Goyle."

Goyle nodded and sat back down without another word.

Ron leaned forward, "speaking of Malfoy, where is he?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "dunno, heard the Ministry gave him the option of taking 'at home classes' this year after his trial. Like some probationary period."

Draco Malfoy had been put on trial for treason and various other war crimes after the Second Wizarding War. Draco pleaded 'not guilty,' stating he was blackmailed with his and his mothers' lives by the Dark Lord if he didn't comply. This sent the Wizarding World into a complete and total uproar. Most of the wizarding population found his statement to be ludicrous and full of lies, demanding that he be stripped of his magic and his wand be snapped. The streets were practically rioting, but that small 2% (mostly his friends who knew the truth behind his motives and his mother) testified in his favor.

After almost two months of arguing, the Wizengamot found Draco Lucius Malfoy and his mother Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) 'not guilty,' saying that they were 'not to be held responsible for Lucius Malfoy's actions and their crimes were committed in the act of self-preservation.'

Draco was put on a short probationary period that only allowed him to practice certain spells and only visit specific places in the Wizarding World that were approved by the Ministry for the first month after the trial. After the first month, he would face the Wizengamot once again to be re-evaluated on whether or not he was seen as a 'danger to the public' and if he would be able to return to Hogwarts to continue his studies.

We hadn't heard anything after that, and by the lack of his presence on the train, it was clear that the Council had not let him return to the school.

A large part of Hermione was relieved that he would be unable to return to Hogwarts and have to finish his schooling elsewhere. After the war, he hadn't changed much. He was still the same old rich and entitled prat that she had met her first year. Although he had discontinued using the word Mudblood, there was still a faint trace of prejudice in him.

Surprisingly enough, that prejudice still existed even after the war. There just wasn't any violence behind it, only cruel words and unapproving looks.

But alas, Malfoy wasn't on the train, and Malfoy was not coming back to Hogwarts.

Unless, of course, he walked.

Hermione slightly giggled at the idea of the rich Pureblood, heir to the Malfoy fortune and estates walking anywhere. That and it's impossible to walk to Hogwarts.

Harry and Ron shot her a look like she was off her rocker, but before she could explain, the conductor's voice filled the train.

"Would the Head Boy and Head Girl please find their way to the Head compartment in 45 minutes."

Hermione got up with a sigh and grabbed her bags. She said her goodbyes to both of the boys, ignoring their protests of it being 45 minutes from the deadline, before walking to the front of the train. It took her about 5 minutes to drag her trunk halfway to the front of the train before he realized that she was a witch and didn't need to haul a ridiculously large trunk 1,000 miles.

She took out her wand and pointed it at her trunk, "Reducio," she whispered.

The trunk folded and shrunk down to the size of a matchbox, and she pocketed the newly sized trunk and her wand, tucking them both back into her robes as she made it the rest of the way to the front of the train.

She tried to locate the Head compartment door while wondering who this year's Head Boy would be.

"Probably Dean or Seamus; they always kept good marks," she thought to herself.

She finally found the door and opened it. She took one step in and looked around. The unmistakable trademark silver-blonde hair flashed in the corner of her eyes as a voice spoke.

"Fancy seeing you here, Granger."

*A/N: Thanks for reading. Please favorite and review!*

~Jessinger