Prologue

Disclaimer: You guys have heard this time and time gain, but I fell the need to tell you again…. I don't own Harry Potter. I use J.K's magnificent characters and put them through my own evil ways ; )

A/N: Just a quick note, I want you guys to know that this fic is set in the seventh year and DOES include all the details from HBP (so be warned, there may be spoilers). Oh yes, this fic can be a bit 'depressing' at times, so if you're ready, feel free to have a go at it 

Cold. Dark. Depressed. Alone. These were the thoughts running through her head as she was being sped off for her last and final year at Hogwarts. Not that it mattered much anyway. All of her friends had abandoned her, extinguishing her from their lives forever. Hermione had never felt so alone as she sat on the cold floor of her compartment, watching the rain splatter against the dark window. Nothing could've been more soothing to her. It seemed as if the sky was reflecting her innermost thoughts.

The past few months had occurred in whirlwind, going too fast for even Hermione to begin to control. She kept asking herself over and over, why me? What had she done to deserve the gloomy fate that awaited her a soon as she had stepped on Platform 9 ¾? Everyone had stared her done, like she was some diseased animal that had suddenly made it's way into their presence and wasn't the least bit welcomed. She thought that Harry and Ron would understand at least, but not in the slightest. She was alone in the world now, without any friends or family.

It had started on her return home from Hogwarts in June. She had come home, expecting to see her parents there. Her mum and dad waiting for her when she returned, standing just outside their front door like that had done each and every summer for the past six years of Hermione's life. But this time it was different, her parents weren't there outside the door. Hermione had walked into her house, expecting to possible see them in the living room. This wasn't the case though. She had walked further into the room when she noticed a small piece of paper on the dining room kitchen. Quickly etched onto the paper were four little words…

"We need to talk".

Hermione could see marks where splashes of tears had landed on the paper, evidently written by her mother. Where were they now? She had no idea. She thought through her mind continuously that night, thinking over the things they could possibly need to talk about, waiting for her parents return.

And return they did. Hermione had rushed to her parents, moving forward to hug them, but was halted. Something was wrong. Her parents had then sat her on the couch and began to tell their story, a story that would change Hermione's life forever, sending her into a world of torment and ruin.

They told her a story of their lives, how they were actually part of the wizarding world, but were merely squibs. They had expected their daughter to be the same, left with no magical talent at all. They were overjoyed when they heard this, but their excitement was quickly been diminished. A prophecy had been made at the time of Hermione's birth, and a very horrible prophecy at that. Hermione was never told the entire contents of the prophecy, only what her parents had been told. All of this meant one thing though, a thing that would ruin her life until the day she died. She was betrothed to her worst possible enemy.

Word had spread like wildfire about the events at the end of her sixth year at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy had wandered into the Ministry of Magic nearly two weeks after the incident. He explained that he was finally out of Snape's hold and had come to the ministry immediately. He explained of how Voldemort had put him under the imperious curse, forcing him to do the terrible deeds that he had done. He told of how Snape was constantly watching him, making sure that he could never throw the curse off. But one night he finally did it. It was that night in the lightening struck tower when he couldn't kill Dumbledore. He just couldn't. When asked by the ministry as to why Voldemort had done this Draco had explained that it was because of his father's misdeeds.

Needless to say, the ministry believed every word of it and Draco Malfoy was let off the hook, enabling him to continue his studies at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. And this had been where Hermione came in.

By a binding magical contract that the prophecy had made, Hermione was required to be married to and produce heirs for Draco Malfoy, here nemesis since her first days at Hogwarts. She had wept over and over again, but nothing she could do would help any. She wrote to Harry and Ron, but they had shunned her, promising that she would never be considered one of them again. Hermione had cried even harder at this.

And that is how Hermione had come to be sitting on the cold, wet floor without a friend in the world. She hadn't even scene Malfoy since her last day at Hogwarts, and was in any particular hurry to see him anytime soon either. She wished sometimes that she would fall asleep and never have to wake up to see the light of day again. As much as she hoped this had never happened. She was still alive. She would live the rest of her horrible days out, living in a constant depressed mood. She wanted her life to end, but this was merely the beginning to a brand new one, and Hermione hated every second of it.

A/N: So there is the prologue. Let me know if you guys are interested in having me continue with this story 