Internal Bleeding Strawberry

Chapter: One (Prologue)

A/N: Although this story has been stated as being AU, it incorporates some aspects of the later books, but that is it. This story will be very dark, so don't look for the light fluffy moments that you may find in some of the other works I have written.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the product of JK Rowling's imagination and not mine. I am in no way making profit off of this, nor do I plan to.

o1. a n d . t h e n
chapter one (prologue)

I don't know why I'm remembering now,
something I asked from a person
whose face I don't even remember...

Sharing one's pain and sadness
is easier said than done.
If I could, I would.

Up above, dark clouds rumbled in the distance, a promise of the rain yet to come. It cast a large shadow over the ground, covering it in a haze of stark gray, a contrast to the earthen hues it was normally awash in. The sounds were absent, a reflection of the gloomy atmosphere that was shrouded over it. They may have been there once, but they weren't here today, a fitting tribute to what would soon take place.

The quiet aura presiding over the area was suddenly broken by the soft sputtering of a dying car engine. It was strange to see automobiles of any sort in this part of town but that didn't bother the woman who had been driving it. In fact, she had refused to come here by magic, shunning the other half of her that she had forgotten a long time ago. With careful precision, she stepped out of her vehicle and closed the door, the sound echoing over the landscape. Her dark eyes took a moment to take in her surroundings, focusing on the large hill that took over the horizon at the back of the grounds.

She let out a sigh and brushed a stray, curly tendril of hair away from her face, her feelings indescribable as she tried to calm the inner turmoil that was raging through her heart. Why had she come here? Did she really think her presence would change anything that had happened? If she were any less of a person, she would have turned back, never bothering to look upon this place again, and she was sorely tempted to, but her resolute determination would not allow it. She had come this far, there was no point in meeting it halfway. Taking in a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and made the slow walk up the hill, her anxiety near to the breaking part.

What did she expect to see? Her hands clenched over the possibilities, each more unbearable than the last. Why was she doing this to herself? The reason she had put herself in exile was exactly because of this, to avoid any instances where she would meet up with people she had known. If they saw her, she didn't think she would be able to handle the overwhelming guilt and shame that would come with it. After all, it was her fault that this had happened, her fault that she had taken the one and only savior they had known, and destroyed all of their hopes and dreams. The war was over, had been for quite a while, but this was the first time in a long time she had thought of them in such a way, that she felt herself flinching from the memories.

It would be easy to do it, turn around and walk away, but that would mean she'd be a coward, even more so after that, and she couldn't do that. Wouldn't do that. It was disrespectful to his memory and that was something she never wanted to destroy. He deserved better than that and for all they had been through, she could at least make the effort to face the consequences of what she had done.

"He'd forgive you, Hermione. You know that," the man insisted, his voice rough as he sent a piercing stare towards the female in front of him.

"Would he?" she scoffed. "I'm sorry, but that's just something I don't believe," she rejected, finding it easier to hide behind a wall of denial.

"Of course he would, but you'd have to forgive yourself before he could do so," he said solemnly, his blue eyes gazing sadly over her figure.

She shook her head, pushing away the memory. Where had that come from? It had been ages since she had thought about that and him for that matter. She thought they had been long buried, put under lock and key, never to be seen from again, but then things always had a way of coming back to haunt her. An image resurfaced once more, and she let out a frown, fighting back tears, as she fought to control the emotions that had broke free. He had been the one constant in her life after that incident and was the only one who had stayed by her side when the magical world had turned its back on her. It wasn't fair that it had to end like this, he had deserved better, and that had all been taken away from him, by her.

Pausing briefly, she sighed once more, her hand resting gently on her forehead. Her heart had been thudding loudly in her chest, a result of the heady amounts of adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was almost there, almost to the top of the hill where all of her fears and self-hatred lay. Would he be watching her? Would he be judging her from the pedestal he now stood from? Shaking her head, she knew that the better question to ask would be, "Would he forgive her?" and that was what she hated the most. She didn't want to know the answer to that, because she was quite sure that it wouldn't have been at all positive. If he could respond, his words would have been filled with nothing but hate, and she accepted that. It was nothing less than what she deserved. Even if he did, she couldn't and wouldn't hold it against him, but it would hurt all the same.

Why did she ever believe him? How could she have allowed him to manipulate and twist her for his needs? If she had only done something different, done anything different, then maybe he would have been here with her today.

A/N 2: So, that's the first chapter. Very short, but I assure you the later ones will be much longer. This story is based around the themes of songs I have chosen, which are meant to flow like an album. I have planned this story to only have 18 chapters, and will try my best to make sure all the loose ends are tidied up by the final chapter. Anyway, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more chapters later on!