Secrets

Prologue

Hermione lay on her bed at her parents' house, afraid to move due to the pain she knew that it would bring. Ever since the battle at the Ministry with the Death Eaters, her life hadn't been the same.

Her injuries, though they seemed to heal at first, had proved to have lasting affects. She had a pain in her chest that wouldn't go away, although it did fluctuaate with the intensity. She would also get cold from time to time, as though ice water were being poured right into her heart.

It was August 15th and today was the day she was going to meet Harry and Ron for their trip to Diagon Alley to buy their supplies for the coming year. She was also going to the Burrow to stay with Ron and his family until they got on the Hogwarts express. How in the world was she going to keep this from Harry? She knew that Harry would blame himself for this, and he had enough on his mind as is.

Living as a witch with Muggle parents was more difficult than one would think. It was very lonely at times. Her parents didn't know anything she had gone through at Hogwarts, at least not the dangerous things. She didn't know about the chess game in her first year, or being petrified her second year. She didn't dare tell them about meeting Sirius Black or the fact that she spent most of an hour underwater during the second task of the Tri Wizard Tournament, and she sure as heck wasn't telling them about the injuries that she had gotten before school ended.

Sometimes she wished that her parents were a witch and wizard, just so that she had someone that she could talk to about what she had gone through. She knew exactly what they would have done had she told them. They would have tried to keep her from going back, and she couldn't allow that. Harry and Ron needed her, and for more than simply helping them with their homework. They were like the three musketeers, friends to the end. Although, she was scared that the end was coming for her soon...