PROLOGUE

AUTHOR'S NOTE I'm not exactly new to fan fiction, but this is my first story in a very, very long time. All comments are appreciated.

DISCLAIMER Harry Potter is not mine. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.

It was late, almost midnight, when the woman stepped from her front door and onto the porch. The wind blew softly as she pulled her sweater tightly around her frail figure. She sighed and sat down on the first, sagging porch step. It groaned in protest, even under her weight. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one. As she took the first drag, she felt another tear roll down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe this one away. After all, it wouldn't be the last.

The sudden creak of wood startled her, and she almost dropped her cigarette. She was scared to turn, fearful it was him. She sat completely still, preparing herself for another hit, another slap, another kick. But none came. There was silence for several minutes, even the wind had stopped. Until finally, there was a whimper.

"Mommy?" a little girl of only four asked. The woman closed her eyes, fighting back more tears. She turned her head and forced a smile as she took in her daughter.

"Oh, Chloe, come here, sweetie." The young girl's face was red and blotchy with tears. "Why aren't you asleep, sweetheart?"

"I--I couldn't, Mommy. I heard you and Daddy." The woman didn't say a word. She wanted to comfort her daughter, but she did not know how. The fighting had gone on for too long, and Chloe was no stranger to it.

"It will be okay this time," the woman finally replied. "This time, I promise."

Chloe gave her mother a look, which clearly said she did not believe her. How many times had her mother made this same promise? And how many times had they stayed? But, Chloe did not say a word. She simply sat down next to her mother and placed a hand on the woman's swelling belly.

"You hear that, baby?" Chloe said. "Mommy promises."

And with that, Hermione Granger knew that this time, she could not break her daughter's heart.

Hermione's life was not supposed to turn out the way it had. After winning the war against Lord Voldemort at the age of eighteen, her life was supposed to become a happily ever after. Her best friends, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were getting married, and she had begun dating her other best friend and longtime crush, Ronald Weasley. And for a couple months, everything was perfect. Until Hermione made the biggest mistake of her life.

It was no secret that Ron's greatest ambition was to become a Quidditch star. So naturally, when his favorite team, the Chudley Cannons, asked him to become their new Keeper, he did not have to think twice. Quidditch season was in full swing, and since Ron had missed summer training, he was out on the field practicing from sun up to sun down. This did not bother Hermione at first. She had her own things to sort out, with studying for her N.E.W.T.s and preparation to study Arithmancy afterwards. But, once her N.E.W.T.s were taken, Hermione was at a lost for what to do. The nights were lonely for her. Harry and Ginny were traveling Europe on their honeymoon and Ron did not get in until after midnight most nights. On his one and only day off, Sunday, he was too tired from the week before to do anything but lay in bed and sleep.

It was never intentional. She had gone to the pub for an innocent drink. She did not know that there, she would run into Terry Boot, nor that he would charm her the way he had. A couple of firewhiskeys later, Hermione was a little more than drunk, and she wasn't turning down Terry's advances. That was how she ended up in his apartment the first time. When she woke up the next morning, she could not believe what she had done and promptly left. But, within the next couple of weeks, Terry was paying more attention to her than Ron had in her entire lifetime, and Hermione liked it. A couple of dozen roses later, a bottle of wine, and the promise of forever was what landed Hermione in his apartment the second time. It also landed her with an unwanted pregnancy.

When Hermione first discovered she was pregnant, she tried to convince herself it was Ron's child. But, she knew deep down it wasn't. They hadn't done anything remotely sexual since the summer and therefore, there was no way he was the father. She was at a loss, and decided Terry was the only person she could turn to. She did not want to bother Harry and Ginny in France, or Italy, or wherever they were. Going to Mrs. Weasley would only get her a guilt trip. And, she hadn't seen nor spoken to her own parents since she told them the truth about her last year at Hogwarts.

Terry was ecstatic when Hermione told him she was carrying his child. So much so, it surprised Hermione. And, in less than an hour, Terry had convinced her to leave the love of her life and her whole childhood behind and start a new life with him in Ireland. That night, Hermione waited for three hours for Ron to return home to tell him she was leaving. When he finally did open the door to their flat, he waved her off and told her he was too tired, and they would talk in the morning. Brushing her off made it that much easier for Hermione to convince herself she was doing the right thing. She began her letter and in ten minutes, she was gone.

The first two years of her life with Terry was truly the fairy tale Hermione had always dreamed off. The birth of their daughter, Chloe Renee Boot, added to the happiness of their perfect little family. They had moved into a quaint little cottage square in the middle of a small Muggle village. Terry was commuting to the Irish Ministry of Magic for his job as the Head of the Sports Department, and Hermione had chosen to take a year off to take care of Chloe. Life was wonderful during that time. But, then, just as Hermione was to go back to school, Terry lost his job, and the drinking began.

Hermione had done everything in her power to help Terry. She gave up her dream of university to help him find another job. But, for some reason, Terry could not secure a stable job within the Wizarding community, back in England or in Ireland. When he finally settled on a low paying Muggle job, they had been forced from their perfect home in the perfect neighborhood and were now living in a rundown, two bedroom shack on the outskirts of town. Hermione knew that Terry hated their new life. It wasn't as if she enjoyed it either, but Hermione tried to make the best of it. But Hermione's best was not enough for Terry, and he showed her just how unhappy he was one night when he struck her.

Hermione had attempted to fight back, but she was no match for her husband. And, she was without a wand. Terry had taken both his and hers and locked them in a trunk when he had been shunned from the Wizarding world. That night he left her trembling in a corner, baby Chloe screaming in her crib in the other room. That was the beginning of Hermione's nightmare. The same nightmare she had promised her daughter she would end countless times.

The next morning, after Terry had left for his dead end job, Hermione went to the closet where Terry kept the old trunk that contained their wands and anything else related to magic. He had the key, and Hermione stood staring at it for several moments, desperate to get it open. I never realized how helpful 'Alohomora' is, she mused. And suddenly, the lock clicked and the lid sprung open. What the hell? Had she just preformed wandless magic? At the moment, however, Hermione did not care. She grabbed her wand and the satchel of Wizarding gold. She looked at Terry's wand for a moment, and then without much thought, she snapped it in two. She could not take any chances.

With her wand back in her hand, Hermione quickly packed a suitcase and shrunk it down to fit into the bag. Then, she practically ran into Chloe's room and shook her awake. "Come on, sweetie," Hermione cooed. "We're leaving."

"Wha--?" Chloe asked, as she rubbed her eyes.

"I promised you, Chloe. I'm getting us out of here."

"But, Mommy?"

"No questions, Chloe, please. We have to hurry. I don't know when Daddy will be back. I don't know if he actually went to work this morning or not."

As Chloe was getting dressed, Hermione packed as much of Chloe's things as she could. She didn't have much in the first place, and Hermione knew that every toy meant something to her daughter. Chloe was trying to tie her shoes and Hermione shrunk her suitcase down and placed it next to hers in the bag. Chloe stared at her mother in disbelief. It was no wonder, though. Although Chloe knew her and her parents were special, she had never actually seen the magic performed.

"Come on," Hermione urged, taking her daughter's hand.

"Where are we going, Mommy?"

"Somewhere where you'll never be hurt again."