Summary: Lately, a lot in my life has come into question. The question was never really if I could adapt, it was never if I would have problems defining that thin line between what's right and sheer insanity. You know what has come into question lately? Everything else.

A/N: So, I had a few hours before my next class started, and the plot line for this story started to form inside of my head. It's a work in progress, to be honest, and will probably be edited from time to time. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and reviews really do encourage me to keep updating. I'll probably be able to put up a new chapter Sundays, Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This isn't a guarantee, though. I'll let you know if it's going to take longer.

Also, if anyone would be willing to BETA for me, I would love you forever and ever.

I own nothing.

Prologue

It was dark inside; I'm not too sure why this surprised me, it's always dark inside. The walls would creak and groan with the passing wind and serve as a constant reminder of the current state of our lives, of everyone's life.

It hadn't even been a year since the coup took place, and it was done with the same brutal efficiency he was always known for. Do you think it was broadcasted in the newspaper? Hardly. All anyone ever heard was Scrimgeour was deemed incompetent, given the state of things, and that Martial Law had been declared. They didn't say who was pulling the strings, they didn't have to. Most everyone knew what had happened, but everyone was afraid. Whose soul has been bought by the devil? If I confide in him or act like that will I come home to walls splattered with the blood of my family? He had complete control.

You know what the worst of it is? He didn't even have to do anything, hardly anything at all. As soon as even murmurs of a rebellion would ride on the wind, someone from the area would mysteriously go missing and the resistance was squashed before it even had a chance to rise. It's been ages since anyone's seen him, and even longer since any public displays of violence. That wouldn't last, though; his followers were getting anxious. You could see it in the way they'd fidget at their post, or the way their eyes would dart around at the slightest sound or sight of action.

They wouldn't be sitting there for long, action was coming.

We had been moving around, sneaking out from place to place and slowly gathering support. Most were too afraid to outright join with us, but many would support us with other necessities such as food and money so long as we stayed outside, always outside.

We had lost so many people to this war that nobody had the courage to stand up anymore, but what did they have to be afraid of? They didn't have to watch his face contort with fear as a lifeless hand reached out and grabbed him, dragging him down to the depths of Merlin knows where. Every night, for the rest of my life, I'll see that freckled face and red hair. I'll hear the muffled cry and the splash of the water. I'll watch the bubbles slowly rise from the water before he faded into nothing and I'll open my mouth to scream, but nothing will come because my throat is already raw and broken. I'll open my eyes and will it all away, but eventually I'll fall back asleep and see it all over again. But, I'm not afraid.

He will never make me afraid.

I sat upright in my bed and frantically looked around, carefully examining the all too familiar walls of Grimmauld Place. The wall paper was peeling, and try as we might to make the place livable it just kept deteriorating to it's previous state. We just didn't have time to keep up.

"You're home, you're safe." I kept chanting to myself, hoping the mantra would eventually sink in. I barely noticed when the door slid open and Harry stood in the door way, looking down at me with a clear note of concern.

"Again?" he questioned. His tone was more expecting than questioning, though. He knew what had happened, what I had dreamt of.

"Again. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, you should go back to sleep now."

"And here I thought you were my best friend." He chuckled as he took the few strides over to my bed and sat down beside me and gently tucked my hair behind my ear. It wasn't quite romantic, at least I hoped it wasn't. After everything that had happened, he was all that I had left.

I rest my head against his shoulder and took in a deep calming breath.

"You know that I am, Harry."

"Then let me help you. Lay down."

I pulled the covers back and did as he requested, resting my head now against the pillow. He took the spot beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist, and I accepted the comfort.

"Now, go back to sleep. I'll be here to fight any nightmares."

He was right, too, I slept for the first time in ages without seeing Ron's face staring up at me, I didn't have to see the accusation in his eyes. It was nice, to be honest. It wasn't that I didn't miss my almost-but-never-quite boyfriend, I did. It was just…the only thing that was keeping me sane, keeping me on the Light side, was the knowledge that in the end it's black and white. It was Us and Them, Good and Evil. Ron's death added a whole new spectrum of grey area.

I'm not too sure if it was the angry foot steps, or the angry shouting that first woke me up. Maybe it was both, but either way I knew something was wrong. Had we been compromised? I threw myself out of bed, pausing only long enough to grab my wand, and took the flight of stairs down three steps at a time.

"Harry!"

There was no reply, the house took on a new sort of eerie silence.

"Harry, you answer me right now or Merlin help me I wi-" I bit back a scream as someone grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around.

"Christ, Granger, and I thought you were supposed to be intelligent. Why don't we just send the Dark Lord an invitation, since you seem to be so dead set on giving us away."

I was standing face to face with my school nemesis and known Death Eater in training: Draco Malfoy.

A/N: The prolouge is told purely from Hermione's P.O.V, though I doubt the actual chapters will be…at least not with all the commentary. Let me know what you think. Also, this will be one of the (very) short, short chapters. Probably the ONLY very short, short chapter. And, kudos for any of you that recognized the monologue from the short play 'Juvie'. :)