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Hermione was not sure what to expect from her eighth year as she, Harry, Ron, and Ginny trundled up the path to Hogwarts in one of the traditional carriages the school provided. She was overwhelmed with nostalgia as well as a very practical realisation that this would be her last time being pulled up toward the castle in one of the spindly, thestral-drawn carriages with her best friends.
Harry and Ron had not wanted to come back to Hogwarts. The three of them had been offered jobs in the Auror office at the Ministry despite their lack of NEWT completion, but Hermione could feel that her future lay outside of chasing dark wizards for the rest of her life. She craved more of the innocence of her childhood and not the horrible, dark and disappointing reality that had become her life when Voldemort had risen.
He had been gone for months now, never to return. Harry had defeated him in a battle that was sure to be spoken of for centuries. She cast a small smile at her friend, who returned the expression with fondness.
"Going to be an interesting year," Harry commented needlessly.
They all knew.
"I wonder how it'll be with McGonagall as Headmistress," Ginny mused absently. Her head was resting on Harry's shoulder possessively.
Following the final battle, the two had come together with the intensity of lightning ripping through the night sky. Their fierce devotion to one another was sometimes difficult to witness. Hermione uncomfortably thought how different it had been from her and Ron.
Without the threat of Voldemort looming in the distance, it seemed she and Ron were no longer compelled to be glued at the hip. They had drifted apart slowly, like the tide going out. Despite that such a thing had been perfectly obvious to both of them, it had only been on the previous day, right before the start of term, that they agreed to remain friends only. There were no hard feelings, nothing lost. Hermione's relief was palpable, even now.
As the carriage came to a stop in front of the castle, she felt excitement begin to bubble up within her.
"D'you suppose it's all fixed up?" Ron wondered, goggling at the castle, which looked much the same as it always had.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough," Ginny answered. She took Harry's hand in hers as the foursome walked up to the enormous front doors of the school with the other returning students.
"Look, there's Gryffindor Tower!" Hermione pointed, indicating the familiar structure protruding from the seventh floor in the distance. A warm light was glowing from the windows in welcome and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She had worried she would never be back.
"I hope there's a good spread," Ron groaned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He was unable to enjoy the sight of their beloved home as Hermione did. "I could eat the Sorting Hat I'm so hungry."
