Dawning

Wandering around on, what was now essentially considered, a battleground by herself on the day after a major battle, may not have been her best idea ever. However, she wasn't exactly in the right mindset when that choice was made, or she would have immediately thought of all the ways this decision could have gone wrong.

It was hard to believe all the challenges she's overcome, because, not to be presumptuous, but let's face it, if it weren't for her, there was no way the boys would have lived past the first years at Hogwarts, where every "test" was surely being vetted by the Headmaster, much less defeat Voldemort. It's hard to believe it all happened, that it all started the moment she stepped foot in Hogwarts, and it led them to the second wizard war.

'War...'

All those years ago that word was so intangible, it was impossible to grasp all that was attached to it. It was easy to see, through the eyes of innocence, how choosing to stand by your friends was an easy choice to make, without knowing the consequences of all it would bring.

'I've actually fought in a war... And lived to tell about it'

And they actually won. Well, as much as one can win when there are sacrifices that need to be made, I'm sure the people who fought felt their deaths were meaningful, or at the very least their lives were, but I'm not sure the same can be said about the innocent bystanders. However, even those are debatable really, the only true innocent are the children and we were the ones forced into a war not of our own making.

((((((((((((((((((She's never been much of a social butterfly, nor did she like adventures that much, preferring to enjoy a book under a warm blanket to a 'night out', so to speak, so much so that she's always envisioned her future as a researcher or professor of a sort, not as a seasoned war veteran, much less at the budding age of 17. )))))))))))))))

When her grandpa talked about the war, The First World War, she could see in his eyes the haunting pain of someone who had been through too much, seen too much, someone whose hands were filled with the blood of innocents, shoulders heavy with guilt and scars marking the sacrifice of fighting for a cause worth more than life itself, or so they said. But, she had never considered what it would be like in his shoes, until she had found herself there.

There was emptiness in her heart, thrust into a confrontation much too young, this had been her life since she stepped foot in Hogwarts and met Harry, she loved learning and magic was ever so fascinating, but it was all so easy to her and every year Harry was in way over his head with something new, so really was it any surprise that she went along with him, solving puzzles, getting into trouble, getting out of trouble. She did all of it with a single goal in mind: to help Harry. She went at it with a single-minded focus, because it was her friend and her place in this brand-new world that was at stake, and now it's... over?... And she's left wondering: What now?

As she pondered all this, the hands of fate had already begun their work to build a new tomorrow, the children destined to fight old men's battles deserved a future brighter than the childhood they were given, they had earned it.

"Hermione, you shouldn't be out here alone."

Hearing the voice of her once savior snapped her from her trance, and she took stock that she had walked farther than expected too, she was just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She faced her friend and took a second to absorb the picture she made, statuesque figure complete with blonde hair and blue eyes and framing her was the imposing figure of Hogwarts, maybe not so imposing these days, there is so much to fix in our future.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, just needed somewhere to think peacefully."

She could see understanding fill Fleur's face without her needing to say more. And really, she's not sure she could explain it, it's not that she didn't want her friends near, it's just she thought maybe if the world matched how she felt, it wouldn't feel so out of balance anymore.