Summary: On the eve of her wedding Hermione makes a wish to offer up her magic so that her friends may have had a chance to live, and so Harry and Ron could have a childhood without death and destruction. But fate has other plans Hermione is now 22 attending Oxford University and has never heard of Hogwarts School or Harry Potter, but all that changes when she finds herself in the Leaky Cauldron face to with a red head called Fred. Now Hermione has to figure out how to juggle her old life and her new life, between classes at the university, and magic lessons, and now a psycho wizard is coming after her best friend trying to kill him, oh and then there is this matter of a prophesy written about her.

Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own Harry Potter or anything that is involved in his world. But I do enjoy using Jo Rowlings characters.

I am swapping out all of my old chapters for beta'd chapters so there are some changes for anyone who wants to re-read them. Chapter five will be posted in a few weeks after it has been beta read sorry for the long break between chapters.

Chapter 1

August 11th 2000

Hermione sighed, shuffling through her paperwork that was scattered along the steps in front of Hogwarts castle. She hated having to work on her S.P.E.W. research outside, but she didn't really have any other choice; her report was due in less than a week. That really meant she had to be done with it that night, as her wedding was the next day and she and Ron were leaving for their honeymoon the day after that, so she had little time to finish her work. On top of that, she was hiding from Molly and Ginny. It had been Harry and Ron's idea to have a double wedding, arguing that they did everything together, so why not get married together as well? Once Molly had heard the idea there was no going back, no matter what Hermione or Ginny said.

After the first week of planning, she had quickly learned to avoid most things having to do with the wedding, particularly after the first fight broke out between Molly and Ginny. It had been an epic battle between the two over whether Ginny would wear Lily Potter's veil or her own aunt's goblin-made tiara. Ginny firmly insisted on the veil, for she would never wear anything that had graced the head of Phlegm, although she would never tell her mother that.

Hermione's seat on the steps was perfect. It allowed her to hear all the planning and decorating going on inside, but was also far enough away to let her avoid being dragged into any fights that started. From the sounds of it she had made the right decision, as Ginny's enraged voice drifted out the window yet again.

"No, mother! I do not want to wear the tiara tomorrow. I'm wearing Harry's mother's veil, now can we please drop this!" Ginny yelled angrily.

"Just try it on with your dress. Maybe if you see it on, you'll change your mind," Molly said, obviously attempting to stay calm.

"Mother," Ginny growled warningly.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry's voice cut in, "we have all the tents set up outside, and if you don't have anything else for us to do, Ron and I and the rest of the guys are going to head over to the Hog's Head for a few drinks. You know, a little stag party."

"Oh Harry, that was so sweet of you to do. No, that's all we needed you for. You boys can go to your stag party, have fun," Molly said sweetly.

Ginny rolled her eyes at her mother. "Harry," she said quickly, pulling him back into the room, "was Hermione out there with you? She left about an hour ago to get a book and I haven't seen her since. I could really use her help."

"I haven't seen her since dinner, Gin. Sorry," Harry said, sounding truly apologetic.

"That's fine. I'll just have to go look for her. Have fun at your stag, and try not to let Ron get too drunk," she said with a smile, giving Harry a quick peck on the lips before he left the hall. "Mum, I'm going to look for Hermione. I need her help with something," she called before leaving the hall after Harry.

"Shit," Hermione muttered when she realized Ginny might really be coming to look for her. Quickly she began to gather her books and a few notes she had scattered about the steps.

"If it were me who asked to leave, we would have been stuck making paper ducks or something like that," Ron muttered from behind Hermione as he and Harry exited the castle onto the steps where Hermione was hiding.

Harry chuckled, just managing not to trip over Hermione as he made his way down the stairs. "Hermione! There you are. Ginny is looking for you, she said she needed your help with something."

"I know. She just needs someone to take her side," she grumbled. "Look, you didn't see me, okay? I really don't want to get stuck in the middle of any of that."

"Well, we're on our way out, so I doubt we will be asked. But your secret's safe with us." Ron smiled at his fiancée.

"Thanks, Ron. Love you, be safe," she called as she ran from the castle as fast as she could, carrying an armful of books.

Hermione wandered the grounds of Hogwarts in search of a place to hide. Her usual hiding places were either taken up by wedding decorations or would have been the first places Ginny would have looked for her. She looked up from her place on the edge of the lake, scanning the area for potential hiding places. There was no way she would go into the Forbidden Forest by herself, so that was out. The greenhouses were locked for the summer, but even if they weren't, being in there for any more than an hour would wreak havoc on her books. That was when she noticed a small light coming from the Graveyard of Heroes. She had not been to the graveyard once since the funeral. It had been hard for her then, and she didn't feel quite ready to face her past yet. But there was nowhere else to go and she wasn't in the mood to be dragged into any arguments.

Hermione swallowed her nerves and made her way down to the graveyard. The Ministry had done a wonderful job designing it. It was surrounded by a beautifully intricate iron fence covered in a hybrid rose-lily that Neville had created. Near the entrance was a piece of the castle broken off during the Battle of Hogwarts. Engraved on the wall were the names of everyone who died during the wars. Hermione traced the wall, stopping at the names she recognized. Her eyes began to tear a little as she came across James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Alastor Moody, Ted Tonks, Dobby, and even Hedwig. Behind the wall lay the graves of the heroes who died at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's tomb was in the center, surrounded by about fifty other tombstones.

She began to make her way towards the middle of the graveyard where she knew her friends would be buried. As she got closer to the graves she noticed that the light that she had seen earlier was getting brighter. She cautiously made her way towards the light, her wand gripped firmly in her hand. It wasn't until she recognized the redhead perched in front of his brother's grave that she returned her wand to her pocket.

"George, what are you doing here? The boys left for their stag party you know," she whispered, hoping not to startle him.

George whipped his head around, looking alarmed. "Oh, Mione, it's you. I know, I just wanted to come and talk with Fred a little before I left," he said.

She shuddered at the nickname the twins had once given her. She hated all nicknames based around her name; they just didn't sound right. But one could never win an argument with the twins, so she had let them and only them call her that.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked softly, not wanting to impose on George's time with his brother.

He patted the grass beside him, and she joined him on the ground in front of Fred's grave. They sat in silence for several minutes before he finally said something.

"You know, they say losing a twin is like losing part of your soul." He looked at her, his eyes void of their usual spark and joy. "I don't know what that feels like, but losing Fred was like losing part of my identity. I don't know who I am anymore; sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning knowing that I won't see him. I would never wish this feeling on anyone,"

She wrapped her arms around him in a soothing hug. "I'm sorry, George, I wish I could bring him back for you," she whispered to him. "I would give anything for you to have him back. I would even give up my magic for you to have your twin alive again."

"If only that were possible, but let's not dwell on the sad. You're getting married tomorrow and you will officially be my sister," he said, the spark returning to his eyes and a grin creeping onto his face. "You know, I actually believed that you and Fred might have gotten together," he said with a chuckle.

She stared at him as if he had just sprouted another head. "What are you talking about?"

"Honestly, Hermione, have you forgotten the summer we spent in Grimmauld Place? You and Fred spent hours working on the Extendable Ears together; I was beginning to think he'd forgotten who his twin and partner in crime really was. But then again, it was you who gave him the inspiration to create the Daydream Charms and those Headless Hats, and a few others. I think he was trying to impress you. Then there was that one day you came into our shop with the black eye…"

"Okay George, I get it," Hermione said with a small giggle. "I guess I never really looked at it that way. I was too preoccupied with Ron at the time, and I had so many other things on my mind."

"Fred fancied you, you know. He told me at Bill's wedding, just before the lot of you left. He was planning on asking you to dance, but he never got the chance to," said George, smiling slyly.

"He did not," she argued.

"Maybe he did," he countered with a laugh.

"Well, none of that matters now. I'm marrying Ron tomorrow, and Fred is…" she started, but couldn't continue as tears began to fill her eyes.

George placed a comforting arm around her and pulled her into a hug. "I know, Hermione," he said soothingly.

"It's just not fair," she sobbed. "We were too young, it wasn't a fair fight. We were just too young."

"I know, but we can't go back and change it now," he said evenly.

"But what if there were a way? I'm sure I could find some way to go back and…"

"Hermione, don't waste your time. Even if you could go back, it wouldn't change things. Voldemort would still go after Harry, people would still have died."

"But what if…" she started, but George cut her off.

"Don't fill your head with what ifs. It will destroy you," he stated sternly.

"I guess you're right. If I have learned one thing about magic, it's that you can't have one thing without giving up something else," she said with a sigh

"That isn't always how it works," he said in a soothing voice. "Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself? I really should get to that stag party before Ron and Harry get too smashed," he added with a laugh.

"Yeah, go ahead. I won't stay down here much longer anyway."

"Thanks for everything, Mione. I'll see you tomorrow when you're marrying the wrong brother," he said with a chuckle before disappearing into the graveyard.

Hermione laughed at George's comment. He always liked to tease her about Ron. She had always thought it was his way of welcoming her to the family, but now she was beginning to think there was more to it than that. Hermione sighed, turning back to the gravestones, lost in thought.

"I'd give my magic just to see them alive again," she said. "I'd give my magic for them to have a childhood without war, without death."

"Hermione!" Ginny's voice called.

"I'm here, Ginny!" she replied as she watched the redhead weave her way through the graveyard.

"Hermione, there you are! We've been looking all over for you. I just ran into George and he told me you were in here. The boys left for their stag party already, you know."

"I know, I heard. I was hiding outside the Entrance Hall. Your mum can be a little… bossy sometimes." Hermione chuckled.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Did you hear that Aberforth is giving them free drinks all night?" Ginny laughed.

"What a sexist! He only gave us our first drinks for free at our hen party," Hermione said, laughing as well. "Do you think they'll even make it to the wedding tomorrow?"

"They'd better. I'd kill Harry if he didn't," Ginny growled.

"Only if you got to him before your mother did."

Ginny laughed. "He'd only wish my mother got to him before I did. What are you doing down here, anyway?"

"It was the only place I could think of where you wouldn't find me right away. I haven't been down here since their funerals, you know? And with everything happening, I guess part of me just wanted to see them."

Ginny sighed, making her way over to where Hermione was sitting and joining her on the ground. "I used to visit Fred every week when we were here. Sometimes I would just sit down here and talk to him for hours, tell him what was going on with everyone. You know, he was the first person I told after Harry proposed. I just miss him so much sometimes."

"I can only imagine, Ginny. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if it hadn't been us who had to fight this war, or at least if we had a chance to grow up a little before everything happened. Maybe Teddy would have had a chance to know his parents. Fred could have seen you get married. Snape could have had another chance to fall in love. Colin would have graduated."

"That would have been nice." Ginny sighed wistfully. "But could you really imagine Snape in love?"

Hermione thought for a second before bursting out in laughter. "No, I guess not."

"I don't know. If you weren't marrying Ron tomorrow and things were different, I could see you marrying Snape instead," Ginny said, failing to conceal her smirk.

"And you could be marrying Draco, and we'd be one big happy dysfunctional ex-Death Eater family."

"Ah yes, that would be the life!" she said with a laugh. "You would have a dozen greasy little Snapes, and I would have a single son because that's all that would be allowed in the Malfoy family."

"Okay Gin, you crossed the line there." Hermione shuddered at the thought of having children with her former professor. "But seriously, don't take this the wrong way. By no means do I now or did I ever want to marry Snape, but do you ever think things would be different if we didn't have that blasted war to worry about when we were kids? I love Ron very much and I'm happy to be marrying him tomorrow, but sometimes I wonder if the whole reason we got together was because of the war. We just fight so much sometimes and I don't feel like he understands me as much as I like, but at the same time I couldn't live without him."

Ginny placed her hand on her best friend's back. "Hermione," she said soothingly, "I don't think I could ever understand what you, Harry, and Ron went through during the war, but I've seen you and Ron together and I know you two will be just fine. You probably just have a case of cold feet and you'll feel better in the morning."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. It probably is just cold feet."

"Well, we should head back up to the castle. Mum's probably going crazy looking for us by now," Ginny said as she climbed up from the ground.

"You head up there. I just want to sit here for a few more minutes."

"Are you sure? You're not going to go hiding on me again?" Ginny asked apprehensively. "We could really use your help, and I guess I could try on the tiara if it will keep Mum quiet for a bit."

"I promise I will up there in ten minutes." Hermione chuckled. "And thanks for the talk, Ginny. It really helped."

Ginny smiled and gave her best friend a quick hug. "Anytime. Well, I'll see you soon."

Hermione watched as the red head made her way back to the castle, seeming so happy, so sure of herself. "Oh Fred, you would be so proud of her. She's grown up into such a beautiful woman since the war, and Ron is incredible; he's been there so much for George. He's even stepped in at the store to help when he can. And your niece Victoire is just precious. She already fancies herself in love with Teddy."

She turned to look at Remus and Tonks's gravestone, smiling a little at the thought of her unofficial nephew. "Teddy is so excited to be ring bearer tomorrow. He keeps asking Harry about your wedding. Since none of us were there when you guys got married, he kind of just made up a story. Hope you don't mind much. Harry tries to tell Teddy a new Mummy and Daddy story every time he sees him, but it's really hard on him sometimes. I just wish you could have lived to see him," she said, beginning to cry.

She looked up into the star-filled sky, closing her eyes tightly. She smiled a little as she remembered her mother's words from years ago: "Make a wish on the first star you see at night, and if you really truly mean it, it will always come true."

Hermione sighed and made her wish for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I would give my magic just to see them alive again, just so Harry and Ron could have a real childhood. Not one on the run or stuck in a closet under the stairs," she said in a low whisper.

She sighed and opened her eyes, wiping away her tears, and made her way back to the castle. If she had turned back she would have noticed the names on the gravestones beginning to fade.