Hermione
Despite Harry and Rons disdain at the idea of having to go back to Hogwarts Hermione was actually quite pleased. She had always loved school and she couldnt think of a better way to spend this year than to finally get to have a normal schoolyear. Of course she was pretty worried about why it was obligatory for the seventh- and eight years to finish their last year of school since the Ministry and the governors of Hogwarts should be more sensitive of the students traumas and how little time has passed since the end of the war and the final battle. Since people fought for their lives just to defeat a wizard who could never know love because of what one of his parents did. The images of the battle is still fresh in Hermiones mind and she cant imagine that is different for the others. She doesent only have the memories of the war and the battle as reminders though. First of all, people died and that is wounds that will never be healed. How they lost Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Merlin even Lavender and of course many others. It wasnt that she hated Lavender Brown, Hermione had just never really gotten along with the girl as they didnt share any interests, but they had still been housemates and lived in the same dorm, the same room for six entire years. Now she was not one of three Gryffindor girls in her year, she was the only one. The girls who had been the ones to force her to sleep during third year when she took so many classes, the girls who helped her with her hair and makeup in fourth, and the ones who was always there to comfort her after a stressful day of classes, were now gone. They would never come back. One day especially that Hermione thought of when she thought about Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown was the day in sixth year when Harry came back all bloody. She didnt know why but for a minute it felt as if her soul left her body, like she was just a shell. She had never felt like that before. She had had occasional pains that werent hers since she was about six years old but it was always like being tortured, like a milder version of the cruciatus or like being hit, never as if she just died. The girls were there, they didnt have any answers for her, and she didnt ask, but they were there, held her when she cried, rubbed her back as she gasped when she felt as if part of her soul just healed. They were never her best friends, no, not like Harry and Ron had been and Harry and Ginny was now, but they were still like sisters. Hermione knew them inside and out, just like they knew her.
Other reminders were of course the nightmares, the insomnia, the panic attacks, the gloominess, but the biggest reminder was the scars. The permanent etching into your skin that Hermione and all others would have to see every day for the rest of their lives. She obviously knew that she was lucky for surviving but living still hurt. Every day she had to see the Mudblood written on her arm since no glamours could cover it because of the cursed blade of the knife.
Still she wanted this, to finish her education, to finally get to take her N.E.W.T.s, Merlin she even wanted to meet her peers and be able to socialise for real with them just this one time. Because yes, she had realized now that she got older that the younger Hermione Granger had been a swot and an incredible pain in the ass. Though she knew that the Hermione Jean Granger who would step into the Great Hall for her eight year was not even remotely the same as the little girl who had stepped through the passage in first year.
But even though Hermione really did want this she had to be the sympaticer, the one who cheered Harry, Ron and even Ginny and Neville at times up. Because even though both Neville and Ginny was happy to be able to go back to Hogwarts, the both of them had had plans for the year just as Harry and Ron. Neville was going to start being Pomona Sprouts understudy to one day be able to take over the position as the Herbology proffesor which Hermione was pretty sure was the perfect career for Neville based on his aptitude for it and generall gentelness with all living things, if you dont count Nagini as a living thing which Hermione wasnt so sure that you did if it had been a horcrux for so long, but then would Harry be counted as a living thing. She came to the conclusion that Nagini and Harry were both living things and Nagini was just an exeption from Nevilles sweetness after hours of thinking and contemplating to the point of wondering why she even needed a definite answer at all. Ginny on the other hand was going to take up a position as the reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Hermione being the good friend she was to Ginny knew that Ginny would guilt trap her into going to every single one of Ginnys games but Hermione still felt that the job was perfect for Ginny as she really was an amazing Chaser.
August 28th
-"Harry James Potter, Ronald Bilius Weasley and Ginevra Molly Weasley, for Godrics sake you have prolonged this long enough. Get your sorry arses right down here" Hermione yelled at the three. Her friends, especially Harry and Ron had been coming up with excuses to not go to Diagon and get their supplies to prolong it as much as possible. Hermione had had enough with their antics as she had had to rescedule with Neville and Luna dozens of times.
When the trio finally came down the stairs and met the very much enraged Hermione they literally wanted to disappear, well Harry and Ginny did as the both of them at least were able to own up to their own actions. As for the third counterpart though, no, he didnt even think of feeling ashamed for not wanting to get their supplies and make this even more real. That was a problem that Hermione had a solution for though, getting Molly Weasley nee Prewett and lecture him together certainly did the trick as Ron quite literally wobbled after them for the entirety of their trip.
It wouldnt have been as funny if it wasnt for the fact that when they met Luna she immediatly started airily berating the very same guy for bringing the wrackspurts on such a glorious day for shopping before skipping of before them and leading the way. That of course brought Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Neville to laughter.
After getting their supplies the only thing left to do was to wait and Hermione couldnt help the exitement from building but also the terror at having to come face to face with the Slytherins. Her childhood bullies with parents who for the most part fought on the other side of the war and the very ones who seemingly switched sides or did they really or were they on the right side the whole time but just had to pretend. She didnt know, she just knew that even if she hadnt been Head Girl and was forced to, she had to give them a chance, she just had to. Maybe not friend, maybe not even acquaintances, she only had to be civil if thats all they could manage but she still had to pull her weight and try to forgive, not necessarily forget but at least try to.
Hermione just hoped her friends would come to the same conclusion and this coming year would go swimmingly, though knowing Ron he probably would not and she would have to help him on the way, but she was pretty certain Harry and Ginny would which was at least some comfort.