I don't own Harry Potter (what else is new?) and yeah…that's about it. Enjoy and please review!

Chapter 1: Absent Hope

Hermione pulled away from the haggard looking group and sat down in a corner with her tattered diary. She always held this diary in her pocket (it helped her to record her ideas when they came to her at the most random of times) along with a muggle pen. She sighed and looked over at Ron who was talking in a low, whispering voice to Neville. Neville shook his head profusely, his lip trembling slightly.

Remus Lupin unrolled a piece of parchment, pointing out certain spots on it with his gnarled hand. Professor Flitwick was talking in his squeaky voice and pointing out suggestions. Hermione did not want to know what they were discussing. It was hopeless now. She opened her diary and began to write:

Diary,

I can understand anything I put my mind to. I've always been the top of my class. I could tell you anything you ever wanted to know about Alabar Fletcher, Hogwarts castle, or even the properties of a moon root. Diary, I don't know what to do now. Harry is dead.

Death…perhaps I do not understand everything. In the great epics, Good always triumphs over Evil. Yes, sometimes the hero may die but the Evil does not live on. Voldemort lives on…does this mean that all the Good in the world will be wiped out? Are not flowers, sunsets, or even people all good? How will they co-exist in a world where Evil now has the upper hand? Ron said that no matter what, we would get through this together. Will Evil kill Ron? How are we still living?

Truthfully, Diary, I do not see how Ron can have hope. Harry is dead…maybe that fact has not sunk into Ron yet. Maybe when he realizes it, he'll go into hysterics and become crazy like I have.

I can't tell you where we are hiding right now, Diary. The location is currently secure but we all know, though we do not choose to voice it, that we cannot stay here long. There is not much for us to do except wait for Evil to conquer us.

I dread the moment when the truth will hit me.

Hermione

She sighed as she looked at her short entry, profusely wishing it could be about anything else but this. She could even settle for an entry over what kind of shade of lip-gloss she was going to wear tomorrow. Slowly shutting her book, she walked over to the table where the parchment was spread out. Lupin looked up at her and smiled faintly, the smile clashing with his weathered, tired face.

"You're just the witch we've been looking for," he said, his eyes shining faintly.

Hermione tried to return the smile, but it was not convincing. Ron looked over at her, a worried frown creasing his forehead.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"First I want you to get some rest," he said, concern etching in his voice. "And everyone else should too." He looked pointedly at the other ten people in the room.

Hermione nodded her head, ignoring his comment. "What have all of you been discussing."

Professor Flitwick pointed his wand at the parchment and muttered a few words under his breath. Suddenly, feathery writing spread out on the map and revealed an ecliptic code. Hermione curiously stared down at the parchment.

"We think it's a prophecy," Ron said quietly. "But we have to translate it first."

"Wow," Hermione murmured under her breath. "Where did you find this?"

"It was in the Department of Mysteries," Lupin said. He did not sound like he wanted to tell how an important document managed to be removed from a secure ministry location.

"But we don't know how to translate it," Ron cut in.

"So you want me to translate it?" she asked softly.

No one replied. They just all stared silently at the prophecy lying before them. Lupin sighed and rolled the parchment back up. He bid them all to get some rest because they would be leaving again soon. Hermione yawned but her eyes still flitted over the parchment in Lupin's hand. She looked over at Ron, whose weary eyes were also staring hard at the prophecy. He looked up suddenly at her and smiled dimly.

"G'night," he whispered hoarsely.

That night Hermione was so tired that she slept dreamlessly, hoping never to wake up again.

Authors Note:

Did you like it? There's going to be Ron/Hermione in a few chapters coming soon along with the prophecy being revealed. Feel free to leave any suggestions for the story!

Climmy