A/N: Another story that sort off just snuck up on me. I hope you will enjoy it.

(I made some changes. Sorry not an actual update)

Chapter one: What if...

What if she hadn't taken that turn. Hadn't gone out that late frosty November evening. Hadn't slipped on the icy path. Hadn't been caught before she fell. Hadn't accepted the invitation and followed her saviour inside.

That's how Hermione found herself, sitting on a comfortable couch sipping some hot chocolate in a strangers apartment wondering what if…

Earlier that night she had left the security of her cozy warm apartment. The urge to get away and escape it all for just a few moments had been too strong. And so she had left without a word. A simple note 'I will be back' was all she had left them with behind.

They were smothering her. Always looking at her for answers she didn't have and only to get upset when she couldn't tell them what they had wanted to hear. The whole day they had grilled her with questions of Ginny's whereabouts.

How was she supposed to know? She, well until today, was cut out of their lives. Used and thrown away like a piece of garbage. Like trash to be disposed of. Filth in their eyes, they probably had more mercy for some ex death eaters.

Hermione snorted.

She knew for a fact that that statement was true. After all Draco and his mother Narcissa Malfoy were treated better than she was. Yet, as soon as they needed answers they came running back to her. Not uttering a single word of apology. No, instead they just barged in demanding answers she didn't have.

Yes, she and Ginny were in a relationship at a time... No, she didn't know where Ginny was. Why she didn't know? Wasn't that obvious to them? Just because she didn't know where in Merlin's name Ginny was now didn't mean she hadn't loved her! She did love her, had loved her. Back then more than anything. The question was did Ginny love her back? She used to think so…

At least she did before Ginny had run of with some girl from her former Quidditch team. A young obnoxious blond girl with some odd foreign name and thus leaving her behind in the cold half empty apartment they once shared.

The Weasleys saw no reason to support Hermione, after all their dear innocent Ginny could do nothing wrong in their eyes. Besides they never approved of their relationship in the first place. Following their logic if their youngest daughter had left the bookworm behind it was because off Hermione and through no fault of her own. Ginny was a pretty girl who shouldn't have wasted her time with the ugly bookish duckling in the beginning. After all who cared about the former member of the once Golden Trio?

They certainly didn't, not anymore anyway.

She couldn't help but think back. About all the things that had happened over the last few years. Her friends some she even had considered family all seemed to have forgotten she ever existed. Her once best friends, Ron and Harry, no longer spoke to her. Most of the Weasley family ignored her. The very Wizarding world she had sacrificed so much for to safe had abandoned her. She had felt like she was forsaken by all and had moved to a small wizarding community in the Netherlands. There the small and friendly Wizarding community she was part of seemed very liberated and didn't care much about who she was, for them she simply was Hermione. She lived there in animosity until they suddenly stood on her doorstep wanting answers.

She thought back on how her life had gone down the drains.

The war had changed everything.

Shortly after the war she and Ginny started dating, to everyone's dismay…

Ron had claimed that she was a traitor. She was his and was supposed to have been belonging to him and no one else. Hermione briefly wondered if he ever saw her more than his property. It didn't matter... In his jealousy he broke off their friendship and along with it both her arms. You see, he had attacked her in a blind maddened rage. She should have defended herself but because of shock didn't. Besides she wouldn't have defended herself, couldn't. The thought of harming a former friend with whom she had shared so much repulsed her. Thus ending up with two broken arms before the headmistress stormed over to them firing a spell and pulled him off her.

Now she understood how foolish she had been. Back then she could only think of what friendship they had during the war. They had counted on each other, even going as far as trusting him with her life. Luckily, Luna had called the headmistress. While the rest of her fellow Gryffindor's had been standing still, frozen watching Ron breaking her arms. The sickening crunch of breaking bones had echoed through the room yet he could have hurt her more if it hadn't been for Luna and McGonagall.

She shuddered at that thought.

As peculiar as it might sound his punishment was relatively light even though he had almost been expelled from Hogwarts, had it not been for her pleading to Minerva. Till this very day she still didn't know what had possessed her to do that. Actually she did, she just didn't want to admit it to herself.

Ginny had asked her…

After that the Golden Trio was no more. Ron continued to taunt her, she always had to watch her back for hexes. She recalled Mad Eye's words of constant vigilance. They were more true for her than ever before. Harry as always remained a faithful friend to Ron, nothing had changed. The golden boy was nothing more than a little puppet for the Weasley family to use, he never seemed to realize it too! He hadn't learned from the time they had spent on the run when his so called best friend left them behind not even looking back. Then when he did return Harry received him as a hero!

Hermione balled her fist, even now she was still so angry about that. How could they continue as if he had never left! And when she was tortured for hours on end for them she was cast aside by the need to bury Dobby. By no means did this mean she hated the little house-elf, no she loved the little guy but they hadn't asked her once how she was feeling.

Her mind wheeled back to the horrible battle and how they had won, supposedly. She certainly didn't feel victorious. The night after their escape from Malfoy Manor her own parents had been killed. Despite her desperate measures to protect them she couldn't protect them. She somewhat resented the Order for not helping her, as if her family was less important than others who families were magical. In the end Voldemort had sent his death eaters to Australia and had them kill her parents, then sending a clear message via owl to her, telling how they suffered while not recalling who she was. She still can remember the horrible letter she received, her parents had died without remembering her and knowing that she loved them. Even till today she still had nightmares from it. Voldemort had wanted to break her, the pesky little mudblood, who was the brains behind the Golden Trio.

He succeeded, almost.

It had been too close, she was on the verge of losing herself. Would have too, if it wasn't for Fleur and Luna. The other Weasleys helped to, afterwards that is. But right then it was war and they only stayed for a short while in Shell Cottage.

Fleur with her tender care, nursing her back to health and Luna with her odd yet insightful comments and support. What of Harry and Ron? They hadn't allowed her to grief. Instead they forced her to continue to figure out where the next Horcrux was. By that point, though she didn't realize it at the time, they were consumed by their own hate.

The rest is history…

They had won the final battle and shortly after she started dating Ginny. And despite the numerous objections of the Weasley family they were happy. At least she thought they were. Apparently Ginny's love had been nothing more than a façade and Hermione discovered this the hard way. It still hurt. The betrayal.

She had given Ginny her heart and in the process she lost all those she cared for. Two years later her love was thrown back in her face with the aid of some young blond thing.

This brought her back to the memory of before, leaving the Weasels behind in her apartment. Reality finally started to sink in. After not having heard of them for over a year ever since she had left Britain they were suddenly there on her doorstep bombarding her with questions.

She briefly wondered how they had found her.

She only had kept contact with three people and all had sworn not to reveal her location. They didn't betray her, did they? No. She knew she could trust them, they were the only ones who were there for her after the war. She missed her friends dearly. Minerva, Fleur and Luna, she hadn't seen them in ages. Their form of communication consisted off only sending sporadic letters. She had missed so much out of their lives, she felt the tears threatening to fall. Here she sat, in a kind strangers home lost in her memories and fighting back the tears.

Mysterious Savior POV:

It was late at night and an unexplainable urge moved her outside and made her walk towards the park nearby her home. It was bitter cold, she couldn't believe that she was sane. After all no sane person would go outside with this weather for a casual stroll like she did herself. Just as she finished that thought she saw a woman walking her way. The woman seemed lost, poor thing didn't even notice where she was going or that the wind was starting to pick up. As she neared the woman who now she could tell had beautiful brown curly hair lost her footing. With a quick spurt she managed just in time to catch her, saving her from the hard concrete.

The brunette looked shocked. "T-thanks" the woman managed to sputter through the clattering of her teeth.

She gave the woman a radiant smile "No problem" For some reason she felt another urge and on a whim invited the gorgeous brunette to come home with her for something warm to drink. At first the lost woman seemed to refuse but she wouldn't take a no for an answer. Shortly after getting the answer she wanted she lead the stranger into her home and hurried off to the kitchen to make some nice hot coco.

She walked back in the room and found the brunette sitting close by the fire, she looked amazing… actually amazing was an understatement. Words couldn't describe how beautiful the brunette looked as the fire lightened her face.

She swallowed once before continuing towards her destination and giving the woman her cup of hot chocolate. In return she got a quiet murmur of thanks and a friendly appreciating yet exhausted smile.

She returned to the kitchen leaving the woman behind in order to grab her own drink. When she returned she could see that the woman was lost in her own thoughts. It was then that she finally realized who this gorgeous stranger was. Hermione! The lost woman who she 'saved' from the pavement was none other than Hermione. In shock she almost dropped her steaming cup of hot chocolate. She couldn't believe her eyes. Surely she was dreaming? The lost member, the one she had always admired was sitting here in her living room. Merlin's beard!

As she stood still in shock of her recent discovery Hermione balled her fist in anger. This didn't go unnoticed by her but she remained quiet, still flabbergasted about this unexpected turn of events. Slowly she made her way over to the comfortable chair opposite of where Hermione was sitting. She could see the gorgeous brunette struggling and yet despite her curiosity she knew she had to remain silent. She, unlike Hermione, knew exactly who was sitting opposite her. How couldn't she? Her mother always loved to tell her stories about the wild adventures of the 'Golden Trio' when she was home during the summer holidays.

You see, she was a witch too. But due to her mother's job she hadn't been allowed to go to Hogwarts. She still resented Dumbledore's decision on that. As if her own mother would ever show favouritism! Just because she was her daughter, as if! They both knew it wouldn't change a thing. Before she got too lost in her own anger she heard the tiniest sniffle coming from Hermione. In her astonishment she realized that Hermione was silently crying.

For a moment she was debating what to do. Leave her alone or… Tentatively she set her cup down and kneeled before Hermione grabbing her hand.

"Now why does a gorgeous woman like yourself look so sad?"

This resulted in an immediate blush. She almost wanted to squeal, gosh Hermione looked adorable when blushing. She smiled friendly at the brown haired witch and this seemed to work as she got a shy smile back.

"I.. I am so sorry, I must seem like a mess. I haven't even thanked you yet for saving me and…" Hermione stumbled over her own words trying to make the situation less awkward and failing miserable. "Gosh I don't even know your name! I mean…" Before she could continue to prattle on she was stopped by a finger pressing softly on her lips.

"I am glad to be off service and would love to save you any time" She couldn't believe she just said that! Cheesy much? What was she doing! From the moment she laid eyes on the woman sitting before her she felt bewitched. As if she was hit by cupids sledgehammer, forget about the bow and arrow! She felt butterflies in her stomach as she saw Hermione blush again.

"As for my name… I'm Dawn, pleased to meet you"

She didn't give her full name. Knowing full well that Hermione would run the moment she would have heard it. She hated the British wizarding world and who could blame her?

A/N: Please review I would love to know what you think.