Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoats Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Winter's End
Prologue
Christmas Day.
Hermione sat in front the crackling fire sipping on her hot cocoa, admiring the colorful lights dancing on the tree and the carelessly thrown wrapping paper littering the floor underneath. It was only dusk, and still not completely dark outside, but her family and relatives had all settled themselves in the comfy couches to chat, whilst the younger children played games and admired their new gifts. One of her younger cousins raced through the sitting room screaming, followed closely by her older brother, who chased after her with a wicked cackle and a handful of dripping snow, probably taken from the backyard.
"Sam!" Her aunt barked sharply. "You're dripping all over the carpet!"
Taking a sharp turn towards the front door was the only sign that the two kids heard the reprove. Pulling the door open, they ran out in the yard, barely slowed down by the ankle high snow in the yard.
"Those kids," her aunt lamented to Hermione's mother. "They're going to tear the house down around our ears with their antics."
Hermione's mother laughed.
"Oh, they'll be grown up in no time," she assured her sister-in-law. "And then you'll wonder where the time has gone."
As it turns out, they were both wrong.
Later, Hermione was told that the Death Eaters had also attacked 6 other Muggle families, all with children at Hogwarts. Hermione was told that she was lucky...that her family and her aunt was lucky...because Aurors were already heading towards her house to warn her and happened upon the Death Eaters before they even breached the front door. Unfortunately, they didn't make it in time to save her little cousins.
Hermione wanted to tell them what she thought of their definition of "lucky."