For a moment, Hermione wondered if she was too young to have heard of Grey Wardens... only to realize he was referring to children. Well, that wasn't strictly true, since many witches her age have graduated and opted to start families, but then, he wouldn't know that. Cultural norms vary by culture, after all.

"Oh... that does sound like it would have been preferable to ripping a hole in time and space," she noted. "I don't so much mind dying, or even dying young, just so long as my death means something." Which it almost had, if she'd made too many false moves in the war just a few months before.

His reaction to the workings of the Ministry surprises her, and she offers him a small, polite smile. "Most Muggles - or, um, non-mages - know nothing about us. They might consider us a threat, or else expect us to use magic to solve all of their problems, or else simply avoid us because we're different. But if they don't know we're different, we're not treated as such, and everyone gets to be much happier. Besides, in the end, we're really not all that different from one another."

Carefully following step besides him, she remarked, "Thank you, though. For saying 'when' I get home, and not 'if.' That's not always a guarantee when you get caught up in an adventure." That much was spoken like someone who's had far too much adventure for such a relatively small number of years.