Hermione looked at her clock. It glowed in an eerie green light, 4:02am, on her. She sat up and pulled the curtain back as she looked out at the street below. The street lamps were flickering out as the unnatural light of dawn approached. Hermione realized that she couldn't go back to sleep. So she put a pair of jeans on and grabbed a jacket to put over her camisole.

It had been a while, but Hermione decided to go and visit her parents. Whether they would know she went to visit them or not, she hoped she would find out later rather than sooner. This would be her first time in two years to go and see her parents. Hermione hated to go to pay a visit to them, because too many sad memories would come up and it would be then that she would be her weakest. In times like these you would never want to be weak.

A light breeze blew by as Hermione opened the door. Quickly she grabbed her keys then stepped outside. The air had a chill in it foretelling the approaching fall months. She looked out onto the dim lit street. Her eyes closed as she breathed deep in the fresh air.

Hermione turned back towards her house and locked the door. It had become habit to do so, even though she lived in a neighborhood where there was really no point at all. She had about four neighbors within a 5 kilometer (sp. ?) radius. All of them were good people, good muggles. She just didn't trust anyone any more. She took the key out of the door and started to walk to her car. As she did this the wind seemed to pick up, sending a chill through her body. Her pace picked up, and she walked rather quickly to her car and got in.

Sure there were a lot of other ways she could have gotten to the cemetery. However those other choices, well they had not crossed her mind for the past two years. She had been a muggle in every sense of the word. Save for the few times when she would use wand-less magic by accident. Anything she had that had to do with magic was in a trunk in her attic, apart from her wand which lay underneath the trap floor of a drawer in her night table gathering dust.

She pulled the car out of her driveway, turned left, and drove down the usually empty street. As she drove memories started flowing back to her. Just flashes of memories: a snowy owl flying towards her, two coffins at the front of a church, a destroyed house, a letter left by her bedside, a boy sprawled out on the ground with a look of horror on his face, an abandoned camp site. She tried to blink away the scenes playing in her head but they just cascaded down a pawn her.

Hermione had left her house earlier that day. It was Harry's birthday and she had told him that she would pick him up and then they would go get Ron. She had been driving for about 2 and a half hour's already. She drove slowly looking around for Privet Dr. no more than 5 minutes passed till she turned onto the street finding number 4 quite easily. She pulled her car alongside the curb out side the Dursley's house, and stepped out onto the sidewalk illuminated by the setting sun. As she looked up at the house she noticed how amazingly perfect it was. She figured it replaced the amount of oddities within the family. She walked up to the door and rang the bell. A grumpy faced plump man answered the door. Judging by his scowl on his face she figured that this was Vernon Dursley. Behind him was a skinny woman in a pink dress, which looked like it had come right out of the fifties, and a face that looked slightly like she had had something sour. Petunia, she believed her name was. Peeking from around the doorway that lead to the kitchen was the infamous Dudley trying to see who it was that his cousin Harry had been waiting for.

"Mr. Dursley I presume?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, and who might you be?" He responded sounding quite annoyed.

"My names Hermione, I'm here to pick up Harry." she politely replied.

"Well dear don't just let her stand out there for the entire neighborhood to see. Invite her in." Petunia sternly said her voice cracking a little.

Hermione smiled sweetly at Vernon Dursley as he stepped aside to let her in. She saw his eyes sweep the street to see how she arrived and noticed the relief pass through them when he saw her car. She followed Petunia down the hallway to the parlor. The three of them were staring at her, a slight disgusted look a pawn their faces. The only sound that could be heard was Harry packing upstairs. Hermione took a seat on the sofa; she placed her hands in her lap and waited patiently for Harry. The three Dursleys filed into the room and sat on the sofa across from her. Their stiff statures echoed their unnerving of having a witch in the house. She saw Vernon shift in his seat as he cleared his throat.

"So Ms. ah? Ms…"

"Granger, but you could just call me Hermione."

"Right…ah yes…as I was about to say Ms ah…Hermione so what do your parents do for a living?" Vernon stuttered nervously.

"Both my parents are dentists," Hermione responded naturally.

"Oh so your like my sister?" Petunia interjected noticing how uncomfortable her husband.

"Lily? Oh yes, no magic background at all."

"So do you have any siblings?"

"I well-" Hermione was cut off as Harry walked in.

"Hey Herm, ready to go?"

"Yea, just having a rather lovely chat with your aunt and uncle. It was great meeting you." Petunia smiled and gave a curt nod, Vernon turned his head and gave a barely noticeable nod, and Dudley had a small look of shock and fright on his face as he looked at his cousin and the girl in front of him. But as Hermione stood up to leave with Harry she had the strangest feeling to look out the window. She gazed out at Privet drive now only lit by the street lights and saw a figure of something flying in the sky towards the house. Her hand slowly moved to her back pocket but relaxed a little as she saw that it was only an owl. Hermione stepped forward and opened the window as a snowy owl sward through. The owl landed on the chair that she had been sitting in, looked toward her and stuck its leg out so as for her to take the letter. She took the letter and the owl flew back out the still open window. Petunia got up with a rather disgusted look on her face and shut the window.

Hermione turned the letter over in her hands and saw the ministry seal. Her hands started to shake; she didn't want to read what it said in the letter, she feared what it said. She closed her eyes as she opened the envelope and took out the letter. She let out a shaky breath and looked at it. As she read it her legs began to weaken, silent tears slid down her face, her eyes lost their usual twinkle, and her hands shook more then ever. Her fears were confirmed. Her body collapsed to the floor. Harry rushed to her side. Her tears fell more freely now. She looked at Harry and saw his eyes filled with confusion, worry, and fear. He took the letter from her. As he scanned it his eyes widened with realization and a tear ran down his cheek.

Hermione tried to blink away the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. She took a deep shaky breath and silently let a tear fall down her cheek. She reached down, turned her radio on and pressed play. A low beat filled the air as the song began.

a/n italics is the past