A/N: Have you ever had a story idea stuck in your head for days? Well, I decided to write down the first two chapters of my second multi-chapter fic. Hope you guys like it! For those reading my other fanfic, BIWDT, I will be posting the next chapter soon. It is almost done! Thank you for reading my fics!

This story is mostly canon compliant up until the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. After that, it becomes strictly AU.

Disclaimer: Owned by JKR.

Chapter 1: All is Not Well

They always said that some days are darker than most. That some months are darker than most. But for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the events of May 1998 will forever be etched in their memory as the darkest moment in their lives. With the defeat of Voldemort, the wizarding world celebrated heavily and mourned twice as hard for those losses sustained in the war. Their world, had, after all, been broken beyond recognition and was now being put together piece by piece. Yet while Voldemort may have died, his numerous followers were without a leader. A leader who could control them, rein them in. While most of his followers were on the run, there were some that saw it as an opportunity to unleash the very hell their master had sworn to unleash.

It was a sad day in the Weasley household. The funeral for Fred Weasley had been that very morning and the entire Weasley household together with their friends and relatives were all present at the Burrow. All except Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Perhaps it was Harry's insistence to get it over with that saved them or Ronald's decision to just take a breather from mourning or Hermione's choice that she wanted this done in order to find her family but whatever the reason, the Trio had taken off with Kingsley in an undisclosed location to tell their story of their quest to defeat Voldemort. Kingsley, being the wise Acting Minister that he was, had chosen the location far from the Ministry which he still suspected of having spies. It was a decision that both saved and haunted the Trio for the rest of their lives.

When they returned to the Burrow, they found what was a once vibrant and colourful home reduced to mere rubble with piles of black smoke billowing in the wind. Two dead Aurors were found outside as Kingsley together with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad did a full sweep of the place. It was concluded that this was the work of two, possibly three assailants though what most intrigued the fallen Aurors weren't killed by magical means, evident from two bullet holes to the head. Kingsley, already burdened with the guilt of ensuring the safety of his friends as Minister, could only cry at the regret of asking Arthur to remove the Fidelius Charm so as to allow others to pay their respects to Fred. A powerful curse blast engineered from a charm found inside a box had been the cause. The cause of death for everyone present in the Burrow.

Along with Fred, came his brother, George. Percy Weasley. Charlie Weasley. Bill Weasley, his wife Fleur Delacour. Arthur and Molly Weasley. But two deaths stood out more than anything else. While the rest had their bodies recovered, the body of Ginny Weasley was nowhere to be found although it was concluded that she may have been in close proximity to the epicentre of the blast, allowing for her body to vaporise without a trace. The second death was arguably the hardest to take in simply because of the victim's age. He was hardly a month old when an Auror pulled his dead, blackened body from the ruins.

This was the moment that broke Harry James Potter. Harry, who had entrusted his mother figure, Molly Weasley, with watching his godson while he was gone, had taken one look at the deceased body of Teddy Lupin and simply fainted. As for the other two, they were simply in shock as Ronald stared down at the dead bodies of his entire family while Hermione clung on to him, tears streaming down her face like drops in the rain.

And as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. The storm showed no signs of letting up. Two days later, Aurors entered the home of Wendell and Monica Wilkins to find them both dead, no sign of forced entry or any Muggle-related causes of death. The Aurors also managed to find the Dursleys, found in similar conditions to the Wilkins but with the exception of a wide-eyed Dudley who lay sprawled in front of his parents as if he jumped in front to protect them. Upon capturing a Death Eater, it was later revealed that the events at Malfoy Manor had indeed changed Voldemort's course of action. His first was to protect his remaining Horcruxes while finding Harry but the second was to find and eliminate those who were seen helping him. With renewed vigour, the Death Eaters redoubled their efforts to seek out the trio while helping their master gain some form of revenge. In a way, Voldemort had won for though he could not defeat Harry on the battlefield; his actions had led to a far worse fate. He had made them into a version of himself that once existed.

Orphans. In pain. Alone and broken.

Very much broken.

…..

Hermione made a beeline towards the white door at the end of the corridor. She had heard it at first, faint, but as she approached the door, the screams were most definitely getting louder though what she thought was a single voice, was now clearly two voices. The first voice sounded angry and hurt, which was more than understandable, but the second voice was loud but firm as the tone sounded somewhat comforting in nature.

Hermione opened the door to reveal a dark room with only a ray of sunlight coming in through the corners of the curtains. The bed was a mess with pillows torn apart, leaving feathers lying all over the floor. A pile of books were scattered by a wall filled with dents as if someone was throwing them as hard as they possibly could. Hermione turned to the other door in the room, one where the sounds had been coming from although now it seemed only one voice remained, whispering softly. Sighing, Hermione pushed open the door to the bathroom.

It was indeed a sorry sight for anyone not used to seeing what they were looking at. But Hermione had been familiar with it for weeks. There was a tall man with red hair whose face had a look of concern and exhaustion mixed into it as he cradled a shorter man whose hair, once jet-black, was now a mixture of dark and grey. The latter had his eyes closed as he breathed slowly with the tall one cradling him in his arms.

"How bad was it this time?" Hermione asked emotionlessly as she sat next to Ron. Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He had propped up Harry next to the toilet bowl while he and Hermione sat against the wall.

"Really bad although good news is that he didn't try to hurt himself this time."

"Did he hurt you?"

Ron didn't say anything and he didn't need to. Hermione herself knew how hard it was to take care of Harry. Both she and Ron took turns sleeping with him at night, taking care of their best friend as he succumbed deeper and deeper into an abyss to which there was no coming back from.

"It's getting worse, Mione. He can't stay here. Whatever they're doing, it's not helping him."

"I know. That's why I had a talk with the Healers this morning."

"What were you guys talking about?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to keep silent as she stared against the wall. Ron gently nudged her as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"They told me that with everything Harry has been through, this trauma isn't going to stop. If they do nothing, there could be some very serious damage done to Harry." Hermione whispered.

"How bad?"

"Worse than the Longbottoms," Hermione said as Ron's eyes began to widen. "No…" Ron began to stammer as Hermione reached for his hand.

"They've come out with a solution. But you're not going to like it."

"What's the solution?" Ron asked with trepidation evident in his voice.

"The main problem with Harry is the memories. He is torturing himself at the thought of causing all the deaths of those he loved even though everyone knows that's not true. As long as these thoughts caused by memories are in him, he will never get better. In order to save Harry from himself, they are considering removing his memories. Memories not just of the war but of everything related to the magical world. They had considered removing just certain memories but the way memories worked is that so often one is linked to another. Removing specific memories is like trying to remove a card from a house of cards and hoping it doesn't fall. So the Healers are suggesting focusing on a certain theme. Memories removed by theme are much easier and more efficient. In this case, every memory of the magical world."

"Are they insane? Not only would Harry not remember us, but he won't remember that he's a wizard?"

"There's more."

"Sure, more good news!" Ron whispered sarcastically as he kept one eye on Harry, who appeared to be dozing off.

"Because Harry is the Chosen one, removing the memories won't be enough. Even if he lives as a Muggle, Harry would still be too famous to go unnoticed by the magical community and removing the memories does not mean that Harry wouldn't accidentally cast a spell. Even a spell done in front of him, something as simple as Lumos could still trigger the memories back. So in order for there to be a hundred percent efficiency, Harry would have to be entered into the Muggle Protection Act.

"But Harry's not a Muggle."

"I know," Hermione said as tears started to drip from her face. "For wizards, the Muggle Protection Act can still apply to them so long as they are willing to do one thing. Renounce the existence of magic. If they do that, the Ministry has a charm that can remove the magic from them to be placed into their wand. They would have no powers just like a Muggle but it's more than that. What they intend to do to Harry is to place him under a powerful charm. Muggles can sense when magic is close by, even witness magical events or talk to wizards and witches but not Harry. In Harry's case, once the charm is done, he will be oblivious to anything related to our world and we will be oblivious to him. They've never used this kind of charm before. Harry will be the first because he is a special exception."

"Renounce his magic?!" Ron said shockingly. "But if he renounces his magic, he can get it back, right? I mean it's still in his wand.

Hermione shook her head. "Theoretically, it is possible but unlikely because while he can still get back his powers, once a wizard enters into the scheme, the Ministry will store the wand somewhere safe and in all the years this scheme has been introduced, none of the wizards or witches who left the fold has ever come back."

"Harry won't do it. I won't let him." Ron said determinedly as he looked back at his best friend.

"It's not up to you, Ron. Only Harry can renounce his own magic which is why during the dark times, this act wasn't used to remove magic from Muggleborns."

"But Hermione, Harry is part of our family! We're all he has left!" Ron sighed out loud as he ran his fingers through his hair again. "Is that all the Healers discussed with you just now?"

"Actually the Healers discussed that with me last night when it was your turn to look after Harry."

Ron looked confused. "Then what were you guys discussing just now?"

Hermione tugged on Ron's shirt as she led him out of the room but not before leaving the bathroom door slightly ajar. She caught a glimpse of her best friend whose eyes were closed as he seemed to be dozing off.

"Ron, before I tell you, there's something I need to know. We've been at St Mungo's for a while now and I know you're yearning to leave. What are you going to do?"

Ron's face hardened as he sat down on the bed, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'm going to hunt them all, Hermione. I'm going to make them pay."

"Why, Ron?"

"Are you seriously asking me this?" Ron said as Hermione's eyes began to water again.

"Ron, I obviously understand your reasons for wanting to kill them all but that's not what I mean. What I mean is that haven't you given enough already?"

Ron's face softened a little upon hearing her trembling voice. This was a discussion they had many times over the weeks at St Mungo's.

"Ron, haven't we done enough? We stopped Voldemort. We saved the wizarding world and what is our reward? Our families are dead! THEY KILLED OUR FAMILIES, RON!" Hermione yelled at the top of her voice, not caring who heard her.

"YES, THEY DID! THAT'S WHY I HAVE TO HUNT THEM DOWN, HERMIONE. MAKE ALL THOSE FUCKERS PAY!" Ron yelled back as he spat out every word.

"Ron, you lost everyone as did I. There are Aurors capable of getting these monsters and putting them to justice."

"Hermione, I don't want justice. I want revenge. Pure and simple." Ron growled as he balled his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Then what if these monsters kill you, Ron? Is your life that meaningless to you? What if they kill you?"

"THEN THEY KILL ME! If I have to die, so be it. What's the point of going on, anymore?"

"What would your mother say? To throw your life so recklessly away, it would have –"

"I have no clue as to what my mother would say, Hermione!" Ron snapped as he punched the bed several times before launching himself on the floor. "She's dead. The dead don't care about what we do."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione said as she threw her arms around him. Together, they sat on the floor, both clinging on to each other as hard as they could. "What about me, Ron? What am I going to do if you're gone? With Harry gone too, I would be all alone."

The old Ron would have probably said something along the lines of I'm always going to be here or I won't leave or might even have let go of his whole revenge approach but this wasn't the old Ron. Even though he had escaped the massacre of the Burrow, Ron felt as if a piece of him, the piece that was once good and optimistic and often a comic relief to his much more serious friends had died in that house. Maybe it was because it was only three months though no amount of time would ever be enough. Ron said nothing as his arms around Hermione tighten.

"I thought that maybe, you might want to come with me," Hermione whispered into his ear as Ron emerged from her bushy hair.

"Come with you?" Ron asked as he wiped the tears off Hermione's face.

"Ron…I see them every night. My parents. Looking away from me as I cast the spell on them. That lost, distant looks in their eyes are the last things I see every single night. My last memory of them alive Ron was one in which neither of them could recognise me. They died not knowing I existed, Ron! MY PARENTS DIED WITHOUT REMEMBERING ME! ALL BECAUSE OF ALL OF THIS!" Hermione screamed as she pulled herself away from his embrace to pull out her wand before throwing it as hard as she could against the wall.

"At least you know that your parents and Harry's died knowing they loved you but mine, mine died without realising they had a daughter. I'm so fucking tired, Ron. So fucking tired not just of this place." Hermione said as she gestured towards the walls of St Mungo's. "I'm tired of magic, Ron. Magic took my parents from me. Magic killed them." Hermione said venomously as Ron stared at her.

This wasn't the old Hermione either. The strong-willed, rational, sympathetic and caring soul that he had fallen deeply in love with. That Hermione was gone. Just like Harry. Just like himself. They were all broken.

"I went to the Healers to ask if I could do the same as Harry. If they could make two exceptions instead of one. They agreed it was possible." Hermione whispered as she calmed down. Ron nodded, having reached that conclusion earlier.

"But I was thinking that maybe you might want to come with me. They would definitely grant you the same exception as Harry and I. You and I, we could go somewhere together. Live our lives in peace. At some cottage. Maybe not in Britain but like the south of France perhaps?"

"What about Harry?"

"We can't get close to Harry ever again, Ron," Hermione said as she started to cry again. "We're too close to him. It could trigger his trauma again."

"Hermione, you're asking me to forget my family. Mom. Dad. My brothers. Ginny."

"They're all already gone, Ron. Justice will be meted out by the Aurors. We need to move on. We need to live our lives."

"It's not that simple, Hermione." Ron sighed as he stared into her beautiful, hazel eyes. Merlin, she's beautiful Ron thought as he wiped the tears off her cheek. "You and Harry only lived in this world for seven years. I was brought up in it, moulded by it. The Muggle world is not something I know."

"That's the beauty of the Act, Ron. They will give us all new memories. Memories created of a better life, one that's not as horrible as this. You wouldn't need to know about the Muggle world because the memories will give you all you need to know! It can even give us another story of friendship on how we met."

"We will be living a lie, Hermione."

"Rather a beautiful lie than a devastating truth, Ron. We've done enough, Ron. You hear me, we've done enough."

Ron looked at Hermione as she cupped his cheeks with her small, soft hands. He couldn't imagine that, years ago, he had thought her as being nothing more than a bossy nightmare. But now, she was everything to him. They've gone from friends to best friends to…something more. He recalled how her lips tasted as she kissed him at the corridor, Basilisk fangs and Voldemort be damned. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Yet, the images of the charred bodies of his family laid on his mind. The looks of shock and horror etched on their faces for those still recognisable enough for him to look at.

"I'm not saying I'm not going to consider this, Hermione. But I need to hunt the monsters down. All of them."

"Ron…" Hermione wanted to protest but Ron put a finger on her lips.

"Look, how's this for a compromise? Once I've hunted them all down, I will ask the Ministry to do the Act on me and then I'll come find you."

"But Ron, that could take years!"

"Hermione, I have to do this. I really have to."

Hermione tilted her head as she moved closer to Ron, her nose so close to touching his.

"But I won't know you, Ron. Unless they add a memory that you're like my best friend but you had to go away or something. That could work but still…"

"I don't want you missing me when you're trying to rebuild your life, Hermione. Don't worry, even if you forgot me, I would come find you."

"Ron…" Hermione whispered as her lips got closer. This would be their second kiss Ron thought as he leaned forward, his lips almost reaching their destination. "Hermione…" Ron whispered.

"Guys?"

Nothing in the world would have stopped Hermione and Ron from kissing each other except the sound of their best friend. Breaking out of the trance and knowing the moment was over, Ron and Hermione pulled away from each other as both turned to the bathroom door. Inside, they could hear Harry stirring. Ron sighed, reminding himself to tell Hermione how he felt before she did the Act.

"Ron?" Hermione said as her fingers brush against his nose. "Sorry, you got some dirt on your nose."

Ron let out a small laugh as he pulled Hermione back onto her feet before pushing the bathroom door open.

"Listen, mate, we got something to tell you," Ron said as he helped Harry up on the toilet seat. Hermione could only watch as the man she had grown to love told her brother-like friend about what they had discussed. As Ron was busy telling Harry about what they were going to do, Hermione couldn't help but think about how ironic it was that it was in a bathroom where their friendship began and where it was going to end.

Ten years later

"Come on, Potter. Pass the ball!"

"Get out of my way!"

The ball was launched towards the goalkeeper who watched as it hit the crossbar before bouncing behind the goal. The referee blew for a goal kick. Paul Giggs roared in frustration as he turned his attention to his attacking midfielder.

"Damn it, Potter, next time pass the bloody ball, you wanker!"

"Next time, make an earlier run, you prat. You were bloody offside."

"Sam!"

Harry turned as Jamie Ramsey, their left back, ran towards him. "They're calling you. You got to go." Harry realised that play had been stopped as the referee was running to him. At the sideline, he saw his coach gesturing to him as his substitute, Frank Shearer, was waiting eagerly to be substituted on.

"You got to be fucking kidding me! Come on, gaffer!" Harry roared as he trudged back slowly. The referee ran next to him.

"Better get a move on, son, before I card you for time-wasting. You're on a yellow for simulation already."

"That's because you need glasses, you prick. The defender totally clipped my leg." Harry whispered under his breath as he jogged towards Frank. Clapping him on his hands, Harry allowed his coach to give him a pat on the back before walking miserably to the bench where Jamie Pickford, the second-choice goalkeeper, was grinning at him.

"He subbed you off again, eh mate."

"Yeah, what is his deal? Paul's an arse, mate. And Frank's more comfortable playing a DM than an AM."

"I think he just wants to preserve the lead."

"More like parking the damn bus. We can't do that next week against the Devils, mate. They will totally rip us apart. Seen that Kylian boy play?" Harry said as he gratefully accepted the water bottle that Jamie had passed to him.

"Yeah, the fucker can run. Plus his dribbling is out of this world, mate. He should be playing for like Manchester United or Real Madrid."

"Tell me about it." Harry sighed.

"Well, at least Sunday league football beats being in the office five days a week. Wish my life wasn't so boring, you know?" Jamie said as Harry nodded. Sunday league football was all Harry looked forward to. Each day at the office, filling in paperwork had left Harry disenchanted, to say the least. Though he was turning twenty-eight soon, Harry couldn't help but feel he was going through a mid-life crisis.

"Got any other drink, mate?" Harry said as Jamie grinned at him before removing a flask hidden in a paper brown bag. "You know he's going to have a fit when he sees you drinking during the game again," Jamie said as he gestured towards the coach.

"Yeah, well, since he subbed me off, I can't play again. So might as well enjoy myself." Harry said as he took a swig of whiskey from the flask.

"Come on!" Jamie roared as the opposition team nearly scored. "God, Kylian is so going to kill us like this. The guy is like magical on his feet. Wish I had that, mate."

Harry sighed as he looked towards the pitch. "So do I, Jamie. So do I."

…..