Armies Against Me.

Disclaimer: In A perfect I would write Harry Potter rather than fan fics. But as this is not a perfect world I don't own the characters they belong to J.K. Rowling I am just borrowing them. This story however is all mine so please don't pinch it or post it elsewhere.

Chapter One: Falling From Grace

Mary Jo don't you know you've got to learn to be alone

And though the pavement's beckoning now come away from that window

And as the water touches chin I let a little sunlight in.

Yeah as the waves are crashing in I find a light to guide you in.

It had been the middle of dinner, a beautiful affair for Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione when it happened. As candlelight flickered over the smiling faces, the couples discussed life after Hogwarts, and, more specifically, their days. For Harry, the day consisted of training as an Auror under the best of the best. Generally, training would be long over for an Auror, but not for The Boy Who Lived. In a quirk of fate, Voldemort had seemed to vanish, weakened by a bolt of freak lightening on the battle field and apparating without warning. Whether he returned or not, Harry would be ready. For his fiancée, Ginny, life was learning to be a teacher; paid for in large by the money she made working in her brothers' joke shop. Her practical lessons would see her back at Hogwarts under the majority of her teachers. Hermione's day had been, by far, the best. Working with Severus Snape, she had helped create a cure for the side effects of the Crutacius curse, and today was the day it was proven by three other sources to work perfectly. But best of all, today was the day Ron was going to tell their friends that they planned to wed. Ron, however, was not having such a pleasant day. Being turned down for yet another training course as an Auror was never a pleasant experience, but recently he had also lost his job. He had worked at the Three Broomsticks to pay some bills until he was accepted, and yet, he had been fired, and all because of a snotty little Slytherin. It had been weeks ago, and day after day he went out and pretended. All to keep the bloody know-it-all happy.

A song came on, the music chosen earlier by Hermione as Ron sat brooding in the lounge, and was magically echoed through the room softly. "Who the hell sings this crap, 'Mione?" "Ron, don't you remember this song? Three nights ago you called it 'our song'... I... I just wanted to surprise you; you seemed to have had a bad day." Her voice wavered slightly as she moved to quickly change songs. "Well I guess I'd say anything to shut you up sometimes then, wouldn't I?" he was getting death glares from his sister, but he didn't care. "Y'know what, turn this crap off, its disgusting, all of it." Silently, angrily, Hermione Granger shook her head. "Just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you can criticise me, Ronald Weasley. I asked you about all these songs, and you said they were fine!" "Will you shut the fuck up!" it had happened in an instant, and no one had time to stop him. His hand rose and fell, the blow knocking her to the ground, her hand moving in shock to her face, tenderly touching the area his fist connected with, eyes wide in fear and shock. Suddenly she stood and ran from the room. Only Ginny noticed as Harry rounded furiously on his former friend. Only Ginny noticed the sudden vanishing of all of Hermione's possessions in the room, and the soft pop that heralded an apparition. Only then did she join the angry men, fury written all over her face. Nobody noticed the small ring lying on the floor where Hermione had fallen.

Hermione, meanwhile, arrived at the rooftop of her workplace, sobbing brokenly and loudly as she curled into a ball and rocked softly, her tears and sobs quieting. She was alone, totally alone. Her family had died in Voldemort's reign of terror, and her friends? Now she had none. The Weasley's would forgive Ron anything, even a display of violence against a friend. Not even Ginny or George, her dearest friends, would choose her over their own flesh and blood. Harry would fight, for a while, but eventually the group would be reconciled. Her hand moved again to the bruise forming painfully on her face, touching the spot as though desperate to prove it all a bad dream. Sighing, she stood, the familiar knot of terror forming at the very thought of being so alone. I can't be alone again. She whimpered softly as she moved towards the ledge, suddenly curious as to the real height of the building. For nearly an hour she sat silently on the ledge, legs dangling over into the nothingness of vacant airspace. She had lost everything tonight, the man who loved her, her friends, her safety and security, her mind begged her to lose just one more thing, and end the pain. Tears falling, she moved to stand upon the ledge.

"Hermione? What... what are you doing?" Before she could react, strong hands touched her shoulder. "Please come down, the pavement holds nothing for you tonight. Come, you look like you need a drink." She nodded numbly and felt Severus Snape lead her away from the edge.

Ron Weasley had watched his sister pull many stunts in her life, but this was ridiculous. She had stormed off to the family home and told his family. Told his mother about the fight. The family, the full family reunion, had hurried to chastise him, Mrs Weasley also arriving to care for the poor girl. She found the ring first. "What's this? Oh, Ron..." he stared at the ring angrily. "Little slut" he muttered to himself, until his mothers hand clouting him painfully upside the head reminded him of her presence.

Severus Snape had seen many things he would rather forget. Women beaten, raped and tortured in the name of sport, killed in the name of fun. But this was different. This wasn't a Deatheater's hand, it was a loved ones. Ronald Weasley had beaten his girlfriend, pure and simple. And as the sobbed confessions emerged, his vow to not hex Weasley lost its conviction. It was bad enough to beat a woman, but to beat her in front of an audience of her closest friends? He had never even known of a Deatheater stooping so low. The young woman sat shivering violently in his living quarters at Hogwarts, and he found himself suddenly glad they had worked in school grounds. "Come, Hermione, you look cold. Would you care for a hot bath? It might relax you a little." She didn't move, just stared brokenly ahead until he picked her up carefully and moved her to his bedroom. He was glad for the bottle of dreamless sleep he kept nearby at all times; giving her some and watching her fall slowly to sleep. With that, he removed her shoes and let her be. He needed to inform the Headmaster they had a guest.

"Find her, Harry, she'll listen to you. Tell her I'm sorry, and I'll never do it again, whatever, just bring her back." "Listen to yourself, Ron. You've hit your girlfriend, she's taken all her stuff and left you, and you want me to bring her back so you don't look bad! When did you turn into such a greasy bastard? Why would I bring a friend back to a man who doesn't care about her? Why would I do that, Ron?" The man glared defiantly. "Because otherwise I will." Sighing, Harry admitted defeat. "Alright, Ron, I'll look for her and see what's happening. Just don't go after her, ok? She'll be scared of you, and that never goes well when you're trying to repair a relationship. I'll send word to you when I can. And with that, he apparated, inwardly fuming. He'd tell Ginny exactly what was said in there, and then they'd decide how to handle it.

Professor Dumbledore looked upon the ghastly wound on the sleeping girl's face and sighed wearily. "I always knew he had a temper, but I never imagined he would use it like this..." "Albus, should we remove it before she wakes?" "No, Severus, I think we shall leave it as proof this was no dream." Wearily, the man looked to Severus. "You think she was planning to...jump?" The Potions Master nodded slowly. "Perhaps, then, Severus, it is time we offered her a teaching position, an underling under Minerva." Despite himself, Severus chuckled. "Those poor first years, now there will be cats and falcons awaiting them when the year begins." Laughing quietly, the pair left.

A.N. Hi all this is my first posted Harry Potter fic so please leave me feedback I would love to here from you all. Though I will warn you flames will be met with biting sarcasm so please be nice (although constructive criticism would be appreciated). This story is completed and a sequel is in the works so I won't leave you hanging for the ending (not for too long anyway...)

-Screefox