Harry Potter was… struggling with life. Since his return to the wizarding world four years prior, he had been almost killed 10 times (the Troll, Fluffy the Cerberus, Quirrelmort, the Basilisk, the dementors at the black lake, the dragon, the lake, Voldemort, and the dementors in Little Whinging for those who aren't counting) and he has had enough. So this is why our protagonist can be found in the Hogwarts library on September 2nd 1995 at 8 o'clock in the morning, it was a Saturday afterall.

Now, on the second day of term the only inhabitant of this library is usually one Miss Hermione Granger so when she found her best friend in her favourite part of the castle she was a bit confused. "Harry," she asked, "what are you doing in here when we don't have any homework?"

At her question, Harry turned solemnly towards her. "You believe me when I say that Voldemort has returned right?" At her affirmative he continued, "I can't keep going as I am if I am to defeat him. He's had seven years to learn all that can be learned from this library and even longer to practice it. Over the summer I've been having visions of his actions from his perspective. Since the third one I've noticed that I have some access to his memories. Including many about why my unwanted claim to fame didn't work. Tell me Hermione, do you know what a Horcrux is?"

At this point Hermione realised that Harry's scar wasn't just an ordinary curse scar as even they would have faded over the 14 years Harry has had his. "Is that what your scar is Harry?"

"Kind of. You see a Horcrux is an object acting as a container for a shard of one's soul requiring a lot of preparation to create. My scar cannot be a Horcrux for the reason that he did not prepare me to become one, he was planning on using my murder to create another one. I've managed to remove the Horcrux into another container that I found at Grimmauld Place which also contained a soul fragment. The locket that we couldn't open was a Horcrux, Hermione, and it could have affected any of us if we held it for too long. Enough about the Horcruxes as Dumbledore knows about them and is working on destroying all of them. The locket I handed to him personally with a note saying that I know what he is doing and the locations of the others and what they are. What I'm really worried about is this bit of magic that never stayed in Riddle's mind. It talks about travelling between worlds using a method not too dissimilar to apparition."

As soon as Harry paused for breath, Hermione butted in, "Are you telling me that you are planning on leaving Hogwarts without telling your friends? Because if you were then you are poorly mistaken. If you want to leave then I'm coming with you. Now where can we go so that you can teach me all that you know?"

Smiling at his friend's actions, Harry returned the book to its place and led her from the library towards the seventh floor and the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Requesting a training room, Harry paced in front of the plain wall and the large doors appeared and granted them entrance.

Over the next week Hermione picked up everything Harry had to teach her as he suspected she would. On the 12th Harry had a vision that truly disturbed him.

It was through Voldemort's eyes of course but it was what happened that was worrying. That evening he took Hermione to the Room of Requirement to show her his memory.

"You know how to use a pensive right Hermione?" he asked. With a nod from Hermione, he continued, "In this pensive there is a vision I had early this morning that worried me. There is a prophecy surrounding me and Riddle and it makes me want to leave before Christmas as we planned."

Entering the pensive Hermione saw a very limited perspective as it was a memory of a vision making it blurry. As she got used to the experience of falling into someone's memories she heard a voice state,

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the dark lord shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not… and either must die at the hands of the other as neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord shall be born as the seventh month dies…"

Having heard the prophecy Hermione was pulled out of the pensieve in order to compartmentalise what she had heard. After a few minutes Harry asked "Do you see why I want to leave early? I know that I don't have any power that he doesn't know so we need to do what he feared to do in order to defeat him."

Ever the voice of reason, Hermione replied, "But what if the prophecy isn't referring to you? Why act at all?" as a reply Harry lifted his fringe to reveal his scar and quoted "'and the dark lord shall mark him as his equal' This prophecy is about me, which is why I must do this and that is why you are joining me, so I don't end up killing myself. When we were planning to leave we decided to skip leaving on Hallowe'en as you were worried that we wouldn't be ready, my reply is that if we don't leave soon Riddle could lay siege to Hogwarts soon, and he would pick Christmas as a time when everyone has let their guard down making a takeover easier." reluctantly, Hermione agreed with Harry's logic and they work hard up until Hallowe'en.