Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot and Emily Granger.

Prologue: Starting Over

Hermione's Point of View

It was Harry's 18th birthday, and his aunt and uncle were letting him throw a party at their house while they went on that long awaited vacation with Dudley, Harry's cousin, to Majorca . They're on much better terms now, since he saved their lives when Voldemort attacked their neighborhood and was about to blow it all up into smithereens. They finally started to see that having a witch or wizard around might actually be a good thing.

Anyway, back to the party. A lot of our former classmates came; everyone from the DA, a few kids who were friends with Fred and George. All in all, it was pretty fun. No alcohol, at least, it was supposed to be that way, but you never know at these things.

Life was perfect. Voldemort was gone. We'd just graduated from Hogwarts. And I was dating the most wonderful man in the world: George Weasley. Unexpected, I know, but there's just something about whenever we're together that's oh-so-magical. That just sounded really cheesy, but, hey, it's the truth!

George and I had come separately to Harry's party because he and Fred ran a joke shop (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, aka 3W) in Diagon Alley, and they had to close up shop. I arrived at the Dursley's early so Ron and I could help Harry set everything up. We put a Silencing Charm on the whole house so the neighbors wouldn't be disturbed, and I put another spell on the house to make it seem 'normal' to the Muggles. We went around like crazy, bewitching everything so it wouldn't be dirty or break. His aunt is a neat- freak after all, not that I should be talking.

People started arriving at around 7:00. By 9:00, the house was full of people dancing. I remember seeing Fred and George just arrive with their arms full of magic tricks as a gift to Harry. I waved to George, but I don't think he saw me because he didn't wave back. I had to tell him the great news: I was pregnant.

I was in the kitchen tying up all of the trash bags, shrinking them, and banishing them to the trash can outside, when I heard the kitchen door open. I turned around to look, and it was George.

I threw my arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Hey! I need to tell you something! I'm-"

"Hi," he broke in, a little sullenly.

Immediately I realized that something was wrong. "What's the matter with you? Are you tired?" "Hermione," he breathed deeply, "we need to talk." The kitchen door opened again, and it was Ron looking livid.

"You bloody well better tell her now, George, or else I will!" he shouted.

I was lost. What was going on? "George?" I asked, "Ron? Is there something wrong?"

"Well..." George began. "I... I..."

"Bloody hell George!" Ron shouted. "Tell her right now!" His voice was getting louder, and Harry, Fred, and Ginny ran inside.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry..." George mumbled.

I came closer to him. "What? What are you sorry about?"

"I... I..."

"Spit it out! C'mon, George!" I urged gently. Ron pushed him away from me. "Ron! What the bloody hell are you doing?!" I yelled.

"Hermione, do you remember Katie Bell?" he asked.

"Yeah... Former Gryffindor Chaser, George's ex-girlfriend..."

"Wrong!"

"What?"

"George has been cheating on you with Katie!"

I felt the color drain out of my face. "What...?" I asked, thunderstruck.

"He's been meeting up with Katie in secret for the past 6 months, Hermione!"

I looked at Ron. "You're lying... George... he would never do that!" I looked at George desperately, but he was looking at the ground. I walked over to him again, and lifted up his chin so he would look at me. "George?" I asked quietly. "You'd never do that to me, right? Ron's lying right?"

He moved his face out of my grasp and stared at the floor again. I felt sickened. "Oh god..." I said backing away. "You... Oh god..." Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe.

George moved towards me. "Hermione," he said reaching for me, "I'm sorry... I love you. I love you so much! Katie didn't mean anything to me! I swear! It's you I love, Hermione!" My mind flashed back to all of our happy memories. The first time we kissed, our first date, the day he told me he loved me, the night I gave myself to him... Suddenly, everything was numb. I couldn't feel a thing.

I stared at him in the eye. "All of your lies..." I said in a harsh voice I didn't recognize as my own. "All of your stupid lies. You make me sick." I punched him hard in the nose. "I hate you... I hate you... I hate you..." I chanted over and over, glaring at him as he fell to the ground; nose obviously broken.

Ginny, Harry, and Fred kneeled next to him. "I'm so sorry things had to end up this way, George," Harry said softly, not meaning for me to hear.

Then it hit me. "You... all of you..." I stepped clumsily to the back door. They all stood up and tried to come near me. "You... knew?" I whispered disbelievingly. Tears flowed freely down my face. "You helped him... do this to me?"

"Hermione... It's not what you think," Harry began.

"It's not what I think?" I said dangerously. "You know what, Harry James Potter? FUCK YOU. Fuck all of you. I thought you were my friends, and you all... You let me get hurt like this! I HATE YOU. I HATE ALL OF YOU!" I screamed and ran out of the house.

The rest of the night was a blur. I remember Apparating to my flat in London and packing everything. I quickly wrote a letter to my parents telling them that me and George were over, and I was going to start over in New York. Then I sent off my owl, Misty, to their house and told her to meet me in London.

Then I Apparated to the Ministry and told them I wanted to live in New York now, and I needed a place to stay. I paid for all of it and they gave me the address to my new home, and with a 'pop!', there I was, in my new home.

"Starting over..." I whispered, patting my stomach. "I'm starting over..."