"It would be remiss of me to begin this year without acknowledging why our professors are different, why the castle though put together shows some cracks, and why you may no longer have certain classmates on the bench next to you."  McGonagall paused, eyes looking at each table.  "The war has taken many things from us, perhaps the most obvious are the people we care about and the sense of safety we used to have.  I won’t deny that even I am still shaken.  I know it was with no small amount of effort that you are sitting here today.  I am so very proud of you for doing so.  It takes a great witch or wizard to face their fears or admit their wrongs.