Prologue - The End At The Beginning
Hermione didn't think she was going to be able to last much longer. She had been running for what seemed like forever and a day. It was wearing hard on her and she was teetering on her breaking point. It was taking a severe toll on her body and mind. She didn't remember the last time she had actually held a conversation with anyone. When was the last time she really spoke out loud? Nothing was clear anymore. The days blended into weeks and it all was just one blur after another. She was losing bits of herself every day. The glimmer in her eyes had faded months ago. Memories were becoming distant thoughts that rarely came to mind. The people that use to fill her days with joy were undoubtedly erasing her from their lives, while she was desperately trying to keep hold of them for as long as she could.
It would never be the same though. Nothing was ever going to go back to the way it used to be. Life as she knew it was over. Hermione Granger was becoming a distant memory to all who knew her. Sadly she deserved it. She had betrayed everyone she loved and swore to fight alongside with. She was a traitor. Now there was nothing more she could do. She just had to accept it all. She knew it.
She had seen the darkness and allowed it to consume her in a time of weakness. Her intentions were never evil. How could they be? Hermione Granger evil? Bollocks! Things had just spiraled out of control faster than she could handle. There was so much at stake that she needed to do whatever possible to protect it. Good or bad. She got that taste in her mouth and wanted more. It was a sick gratifying feeling. The rush from doing something bad filled her with this moment of contentment. She hated every fiber of her being for feeling that way. She was low and disgusting. A filthy Mudblood. She now laughed at that term. It was so appropriate after everything she had done. Everyone she hurt. She did not deserve the right to possess magical talent. She had no right to call herself a witch. She was worthless.
There was absolutely nothing she could say to fix what she did. No possible way to regain trust from anyone. Not that she believed she deserved anything. Least of all forgiveness.
Bloody hell! She had reasons. Good bloody damn reasons at that! She didn't just fall into this crazy place in her life for nothing. She was trying to protect someone. She was fighting for them. Trying to save someone she cared deeply for. She was all he had. The only other person that knew what it meant for him to survive. For them to both survive. No one would understand that. She could explain it until she was blue in the face. In every possible way she could think of. Everyone would just think she had completely gone daft and probably lock her away. It was understandable. If this was the beginning of the school year and she was on the outside of this, she would think every part of this was some crazy nightmare someone dreamt up. But it wasn't, it was all so real and scarily so.
Unfortunately not only did she betray everyone who cared for her, she failed the one person that would have stood by her through anything. The only one that seemed to matter and he had been the only important part of her life for a while now. She couldn't save him. He was gone now. It broke her heart. Draco Malfoy was gone and it was all her fault.
She was to blame. Instead of wallowing, she had chosen to do whatever it took to make it right. She swore to herself that she would fight with every ounce of her being until she made it right. To fix what she had destroyed.
In the end it didn't go the way she had so hoped it would. Her plan took a turn for the worse and created this huge pile of lies that she had to constantly keep up with. She did all she could to protect everyone involved. Sometimes that meant keeping them in the dark. Hermione was building a huge house of cards, then the moment she slipped up, a gust of wind swept through and knocked it all down. She lost it all. Her friends. Her family. Draco. Her life. She lost all that mattered. Everything that made Hermione Granger so bloody brilliant. Nothing was going to bring it back.
So she had to go. Not just for the fact that she couldn't bear to look into the eyes of everyone she let down, but because she was now being hunted herself. The ones she once looked up to and followed were determined to bring justice upon her. Then on the other side were the Death Eaters, set on bringing her life even more pain. All they wanted was to deliver her to the Dark Lord and watch as he mutilated her. They wanted her to suffer. To watch the fallen member of the Golden Trio squirm at the hand of their Lord. The though made Hermione's stomach turn.
She had been hiding and dodging for longer than she could keep track of. She was desperate to survive. The obvious reason for running. She didn't have much left for her in life, but that was all she truly needed. The thought of life. Continuing to live on. Her Gryffindor spirit was still intact after going through this hell. It had dings and some bits of it were broken, but she still had that one strong piece of her old life.
She was going to fight until the end. She would never give up and surrender. If she did all of this would be for nothing. What happened to Draco would be for nothing. She would not stand for that. She couldn't let him down more than she already had. She was going to live for the both of them.