"Hermione! Breakfast!"

The voice easily carried from the kitchen to where Hermione had lain asleep a moment ago. However, it was not easy not to jolt upright when Ginevra Molly Weasley chose to wake someone up.

"Don't shout, Ginny," Hermione said groggily, rubbing her eyes. Then she looked at the clock and shrieked. 

"Oh, Merlin! It's half past eleven!"

She freshened up at top speed, quickly had a bath, and dressed up in plain muggle clothes, all the while muttering things like, "Why they didn't wake me up sooner, Merlin knows," and "What Mrs. Weasley must be thinking of me." Then she wrenched open the bedroom door and tore down the stairs and into the Weasleys' kitchen. 

Yes, Hermione Granger was at the Burrow. She had attended Fred Weasley's funeral, which had taken place shortly after the end of the Second Wizarding War, and had then left for her parents' home. However, though she'd said she'd stay there, an owl soon delivered a letter from Hermione to Ron, asking whether she could come over. Harry and Ginny both said it struck as strange, but of course, they were all more than happy at her decision, and Mrs. Weasley said she too would be glad to have her, so Ron immediately sent off Pigwidgeon to Hermione's with a note, telling her to arrive as soon as she could. Hermione complied. So, currently, the Burrow was housing Harry, Hermione, and the whole Weasley clan minus Bill and Fleur, who were back at Shell Cottage.

Hermione almost knocked over a chair as she dashed through, making Ginny roll her eyes. She went over to Molly, who was already preparing for lunch, and began apologizing for waking up so late.

"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I don't know how I overslept so much. I usually wake up early, goodness knows what happened to me today."

"It's quite all right, my dear," Molly turned to face her, smiling warmly. "We all need a lie-in here and there. In fact, I had told Ginny to let you sleep in longer, but she adamantly woke you up. Now, sit down for breakfast. We've all already had ours."

"Where's everyone else?" Hermione asked, as Molly set a bowl of porridge in front of her and began buttering her toast. Ginny sat down beside Hermione and answered, "Harry, Ron, George, Charlie, and Percy are out having a game of Quidditch in the field. I'm going to join them once you're done with your breakfast. Even Charlie acknowledges now that I've got better at Chasing - even better than George." She swelled with pride as she said the last sentence.

Hermione grinned. "Well, George's a Beater. You're a Chaser."

"So what? It still feels good to be better than George at something."

"Of course."

"You aren't in a position to say anything, Hermione. You don't even play."

"Well, I suppose I can't win against that."

"You can't win against me, you idiot," Ginny smirked.

When Hermione had finished eating (Molly tried her hardest to make her have several pieces of toast more), the two girls walked out to unusually bright sunshine. Dodging a speeding Bludger, Hermione raised her eyes to the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. She could see it had been Percy who'd hit the Bludger in her direction, because of the fact that he was grinning sheepishly at her. Closer to the ground, Ron had spotted her. He came down and dismounted his broom, grinning and saying, "Good morning, 'Mione. Or should I say 'afternoon'?" 

"Shut up," Hermione said. "May I ask why you people didn't wake me up sooner?"

"Mum asked us not to," Ron replied promptly.

"And why, pray tell me, did she suddenly have the idea of letting me sleep to noon?"

"Well," Harry said, who had just landed gracefully behind Ron. After a pause, he continued, "Ginny mentioned you didn't sleep last night since you were crying your eyes out. We figured you needed some rest."

Hermione glared at Ginny. "How do you even know? You were sleeping like a log beside me."

"I guess I may or may not have caught a gnome from the garden, immobilized it, and told it to keep watch over you if it wanted to be freed," Ginny said, unabashed. "I had problems understanding its language, but it said you were awake till around five in the morning."

Hermione grew pink in the face; they didn't need to know that. The truth was that she still felt troubled by whatever had happened earlier that year. She felt pangs of sadness here and there, and night-time was the only time she let it all out. But it seemed that Ginny would not let her use the only private time she had.

But she was saved the necessity of replying by Charlie calling out, "Hey, Gin, coming or not?"

"Yeah, let me just get my broom," Ginny shouted back and ran to the broom shed. Ron took off the ground again. 

Only Harry remained, eyeing Hermione with empathy. 

"It's all right, 'Mione. It's okay to let your weaknesses take over sometimes. You've been the strongest of us all, it wouldn't hurt to be vulnerable. I've tried being strong in front of you all, but I have my methods of grieving too. Just relax, okay? We're all here."

Hermione nodded, then said, "Now, will you please fly over there and prevent more Bludgers from coming towards me and cracking my skull? I'd rather not risk it now that we haven't even got Madam Pomphrey with her bottle of Skele-Gro."

"You bet," Harry grinned, then flew off.

Almost immediately, there was a diversion for the players in the form of four chirruping owls, zig-zagging here and there. The smallest of them seemed to be so tired it momentarily came to rest on Percy's head - Ron guffawed - then, spotting the Burrow, flew off once again.

"Must be letters for Mr. or Mrs. Weasley," Hermione muttered, then gestured to her airborne friends to continue playing. As she went inside, she saw the four owls standing in a neat line with letters tied to their legs. She quickly untied the letters and kept a large bowl of water in front of the owls. Glancing at the topmost letter, she saw that it was a letter from Hogwarts to Ginny.

"I completely forgot Ginny's going to begin her seventh year," she mumbled. She looked at the second letter and gasped. That was a letter from Hogwarts too, and this one was - 

"For Ron!" she breathed. "But - it can't be!"

She quickly checked the other two letters. Sure enough, those were for her and Harry.

Hermione found herself clutching the letters tightly and running outside. "Harry - Ron - Ginny!" she yelled, making the others pause. "Come down!"

With utterly bewildered glances at each other, the three swooped down and dismounted. Charlie, George, and Percy followed. 

"Ginny, you've got your letter from Hogwarts, for your seventh year," Hermione explained.

"Yeah, I was expecting it," Ginny said with a frown. "So?"

"But the thing is," Hermione continued, looking at Harry and Ron, "we got letters from Hogwarts too!"

There was silence. Ron broke it a moment later, "You know, Hermione, that was the worst prank anyone has ever played on me."

"But it's true!" she practically shouted. "Go on - have a look!" And she threw them each their letters. 

George said, "I never heard that Hogwarts could give you guys detention even when you weren't at school. Well, Ron could've got detention for that ninth missed save back in the air. Harry could've been terrible with Ginny in bed. But Hermione - what'd you do?"

"Shut it, George," Percy said impatiently. "Go on, open those!"

Ron tore open his letter. Charlie read it out loud over Ron's shoulder.

Dear Mr. Weasley, 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to complete your seventh year of education. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment.

The term begins on September 1. You are required to board the Hogwarts Express on August 31 from platform Nine and Three Quarters at eleven O'clock.

Yours sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Hermione opened her letter too. It was the same apart from an additional bit at the end, which she didn't read out loud:

We feel proud to inform you that you have been chosen Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please also find enclosed your Head Girl badge.

Head Girl... 

Hadn't it always been her dream? But for being chosen the Head Girl, she first had to attend Hogwarts. And she wasn't so sure about that. 

There were memories in that place - too many of them. Hermione felt certain she would be able to hear Voldemort's voice echoing all the time around the place, as it had done during the War. She was sure she would be able to see the crumbling walls of Hogwarts, the devastated parents, friends, siblings, and children, the Death Eaters attacking and the warriors falling and the curses flying through the air. How was she expected to spend a normal year at Hogwarts as if nothing had happened at all? How could she attend classes and do homework within the very walls that she had seen in ruins not so long ago, and be okay with it? 

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other and silently decided to move inside. Merlin, this was going to be a tough decision.