Part One

Chapter One

The steam was a ghost in the night ethereally rising over the station. The splattered rain on the train window glimmered like tiny lights. The noise of the engine hardly quieted the noises of the passengers bustling and talking, distant firecrackers of ongoing games.

When arriving at the destination, Hermione was slightly jostled getting off the train as everyone was anxious to see Hogwarts, rebuilt from the war of last year. She had exasperatedly told her two oldest friends, "it is in Hogwarts, A History, Hogwarts can rebuild itself." They had laughed, if only for the joy of all of them being alive, eating ham sandwiches in Dumbledore's office for peace.

Some were seeing it for the first time, and only a few for the first time since May 2nd, 1998. All the reactions were the same, though, the sense of awe, the warm and comforting sense of home.

It felt odd to be going to school without Harry and Ron. They chose to begin their careers and Hermione chose to finish her education. She didn't reprimand them but she did feel strangely alone. On the train she sat with Neville and talked of the past, the future, and what they would expect upon seeing the castle again. She always found Neville to be good company. He was one of the only close friends she had that returned.

Luna decided to begin her research of unknown species and Ginny couldn't pass up the opportunity to play for the Holyhead Harpies. It left Hermione feeling strangely desolate. She was friendly with Dean and Seamus, who surprisingly came, but it wasn't the same without Harry and Ron. She suspected it would be the loneliest year yet.

High over the First Year's heads Hagrid waved to Hermione. She waved back and made her way to the carriages that would carry them up to the castle. She gasped when they came to them, stopping in her tracks.

Neville, at her elbow, took a second to realize what her reaction was about. "Yeah, the Thestrals."

It was years ago when she told Harry how she wished she could see them. She rode one to the Ministry once. It was the most frightful thing she had gone through, simply for the reason that there was nothing that she could do. While she often fought for her life she could see what she was fighting, but flying on something she couldn't, that was a surprising new fear for her that almost took place over her failing.

They were oddly beautiful creatures, with long slender necks, their bodies mostly bones and stretches of dead skin. They indeed did look like death itself. Their wings like bats were tucked close to their bodies.

Neville held open the carriage door for her and she stepped in, him climbing in after her. The ride to the school was bumpy as it always had been, the lights in the castle's windows growing larger as they grew closer. It was beautiful, how it stretched up and against the night sky, like it was protected by more than just enchantments. As though it had never seen the face of war.

Neville kept near to her as they traveled into Hogwarts, as they took their seats at their house tables. Professor McGonagall, a strict professor that was more white-haired than when Hermione saw her last, sat a stool in front of the teacher's table and on the stool she sat the Sorting Hat, no more worse for wear when she saw Neville pull the Gryffindor sword out of it.

Shaky First Years lined up, and the brimming of the hat tore, and out of it came a song never before heard.

Place me on your head

I'll look in with ease.

For the Sorting Hat it's a breeze

And I'll announce what I see.

Ravenclaw revered for her mind

For Slytherin ambition he inclined.

And Gryffindor declares bravery not be confined

But dear Hufflepuff loved traits combined.

Come and be kind

Have a welcoming mind.

One by one First Years were sorted into their houses, each time the Sorting Hat heralding its decision to all in the Great Hall, and the students each happily – albeit nervously - joined a cheering table. When the line ended, the stool and hat was taken away and Headmaster Vector (a wizard who was her Arthimacy professor years ago) stood to make his speech. Hermione felt nostalgic for Dumbledore and she stared at her hands in her lap.

"All should be reminded that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden for good reason. If you venture there you may never return. I implore you now to enjoy our feast." He waved his hands the tables were filled with delicious food, their goblets to the brim with drink.

Hermione peered over the ham, roast potatoes and lamb, red-currant jelly, beef, gravy, pork, pease pudding and plenty of vegetables. Her mouth watered in anticipation as she tucked in and right as Hermione cleared her plate ice cream, puddings, treacle tarts, and chocolate eclairs appeared in the vanished picked-over dinner. At the end of the meal, she was very full and quite sleepy, as she tended to always be at the end of a start of the term feast. She couldn't wait to climb into the four-poster bed that awaited her in the common room. Despite it being a year, her feet still had the way to the seventh floor memorized.

However, Neville forgot the missing step in a staircase and it took longer than she liked to pull him out of it. It was never more appreciated when they met up with the others, gave the Fat Lady the password (bubble-squeak) and stepped through into their warm and comfy common room. Straight ahead she went up the staircase to the girls dormitory and right away, finding her suitcase by her bed which Crookshanks was snoozing on.

She had a vague memory in the morning of the satisfying knowledge that she was finally home again before she fell on to her pillow and was fast asleep.