A Slither and A Pounce

Chapter 1

Note: All characters present do not belong to me, all rights and claims belong to JK Rowling and this is simply my way of having fun with her already wonderful works. Please take note that I do not condone the marriage of teens and all details in the story are purely meant for entertainment purposes.

Prologue:

Hermione opened the door from the Weasley's Burrow, it was a bright day outside. Ironic compared to the dreary mood inside the house. For once the house was silent, there was no clanging of dishes being washed, no steps of people bustling about their business, it was silent. Dead silent. 

An owl had arrived that day, inviting Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Harry all back to complete their missed year, luckily all of them were at the Burrow so they were notified at the same time. Hermione had not yet found her parents, she was thinking about doing it this year, but now her plans had changed. A wind blew past her and carried with it the heavy smells of summer, at least they would have Hogwarts waiting for them, something normal after last year. 

... Time skip to Great Hall at Hogwarts...

The Great Hall was once more buzzing with life and with laughter. The War was over, there would be no more losses, no more fear, no more taboo.

Harry was talking with Ginny, it had been a few months since her brother's funeral, but she was still affected by it, and of course, her mother's grief was hard on the entire Weasley family. Ron broke up with Hermione not long after getting with her, he said it was too hard to be romantic while all he could think about was the loss of Fred. She understood, albeit painfully so. 

Once full, the Great Hall seemed to hold far fewer people, faces were missing, and those that remained had a strange, glassed-over look on them. Yes, the war was over, but now a new war began.

A loud clanging signaled McGonagall's start of the term announcement. "Welcome! To new students, returning students, new teachers, and returning teachers. I will like to start by listing out a few changes that have come into effect as a result of the Wizarding War." 

A silence floated around the student body as McGonagall struggled to continue, "Firstly, there are now mandatory group therapy sessions for all years, you will find them helpful, I hope, to deal with the trauma and pain that this War has caused you. Secondly, as we are still repairing Hogwarts, there are a few places that will be off-limits or will be bordered off to discourage students from going there." She paused as if choosing her next words with great care.

 "I realize that this will be challenging, especially due to the circumstances the War has brought upon us, but here will no longer be any house-rivalry. Any misbehaving students will be found and confronted if he or she subjects any other student to bullying, alienation, racism, or other forms of maltreatment and stigmatism."

The Great Hall was silent. This was new; no house rivalry? What was the purpose for houses in the first place then? Hermione reconned it was an attempt to start solving the prejudice between Purebloods and Muggle-borns. McGonagall took another look at the faces of children scarred from the War, she breathed deeply and spoke again, "You will notice that all seventh years and technically eighth years are united in the same overlapping year, we have moved the rest of you forward. If you find the material difficult to learn due to early advancement, come seek a teacher and we will set you up with an older year student tutor. Before you leave tonight, I will ask all seventh years to stay behind to discuss certain changes that only apply to them alone. Thank you."

She sat down but the food did not appear yet, McGonagall spoke once more to the student body, "Please join me in taking a moment of silence to honor those who were lost in the Great War." A deep and penetrating moment it was. The silence was thick, the only noises coming from shaking legs and occasional sniffles.