A nineteen year old Hermione Granger sat at a table in Diagon Alley. She had a Sugar Quill, and was licking it. She couldn't concentrate on anything. She had never been like that in her whole life. She was reading the Daily Prophet about the Chudley Cannon's victory at a Quidditch game. It went on and on about how Harry Potter, who used to be her best friend, hadn't helped at all. She looked at the article again, seeing who wrote it. Rita Skeeter. *Of course, she has something against Ron, Harry, and I. Why didn't I think of that?* Hermione thought, tossing the paper in a trash can. She picked up her cat, Shankeddy, and put him in her purse. She was still sad about Shankeddy's mother, Crookshanks', death. She had died recently, and the only people who sent her cards were Fred Weasley and Albus Dumbledore. She was surprised that Dumbledore had sent her a card, even after she had dropped out of Hogwarts. Harry had dropped out also to play for a professional Quidditch team. Hermione had needed to try to find a job. She had gotten a part-time job at Eeylops Owl Emporium, but after a huge theft that had occurred when she was working a shift, she was fired immediately. She had no home, she lived on the streets. Once in a while she found a Knut, and if she was lucky a piece of silver. Crookshanks had had six kittens, but Hermione sold five of them for more money. She couldn't get any from her parents of course, because they were Muggles and they had died in an airplane crash. She had never heard from Harry since they dropped out and since Hermione didn't have an owl, she couldn't send a message to Ron. She had no clue how Ron was living, but she knew Harry had a life of luxury. She walked away but someone grabbed her shoulder. She spun around quickly. A young boy, about twenty, stared back at her. The boy had a childish grin and his red hair was matted down. Hermione shook her head. The boy held out something round wrapped in foil. "Cheeseburger?" he asked her. She nodded and pulled a Sickle from her pocket. She hadn't had real food to eat in days, only a Sugar Quill and a few of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans. He handed it to her and she sat down again. The boy pulled another from his jacket and sat down and ate it too. When he finished, moments after Hermione did, he wiped some dirt off of his face to reveal a thick coat of freckles. *Probably just a coincidence, him looking like Ron.* Hermione thought. Then the boy pulled an old wand that had snapped in half out of his jacket pocket. Hermione gasped. "Ron?"