A/N- So the first two chapters were a bit short, but hopefully moving forward I'll get them a bit longer. We're almost through the prologue now! I'd intended to finish the prologue in this chapter but it kind of got way from me lengthwise, so there'll be one more part left to it. I'd also like to thank everyone that's reviewed, followed, or favorited this story so far. It's been a quite a long time since I was able to bring myself to write and I was very nervous about it. I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story!

Also, as far as updates go, I'm going to shoot for weekly and see what happens. I don't have a massive amount of time to devote to writing unfortunately, so it may be less consistent.

Prologue to the Return

Chapter 3: Reunion in the Forest of Dean

July 31st, 1998

She'd apparated to her parents' old house first. Ron didn't know it, but she still owned it, her parents having given it to her after she had restored their memories. A parting gift, her father had called it. Her mother had refused to speak to her, even look at her once everything Hermione had done had been laid before them. Her father had at least listened to her story, but when she was done, he simply wrote out a letter giving her the house and their cars back in Britain and told her to leave and never come back. She'd shipped everything she could down to Australia, including all the family photos. She couldn't bear to look at them, even though she was sure they were burned when they arrived.

Now the house stood empty, a mausoleum to the life she had once had, to everything she had given up to save this horrible, horrible world.

She'd climbed the stairs to what used to be her parents' bedroom, where she stood for barely a second before rushing into the bathroom and violently spilling the contents of her stomach into the toilet. All the while Ron's screams of agony echoed in her head. Once she finally stopped retching, she made her way back into the bedroom where she collapsed and curled herself into a ball in the middle of the empty room.

The naked walls echoed the feelings in her heart. All the righteous rage she'd felt, all of the bravado that had carried her through the morning had evaporated. Left behind was guilt at what she'd done, and sorrow. Now she had truly lost everything. She'd lost her parents, her best friend, been used and beaten. Hermione laid there and sobbed for hours, allowing herself to give in to despair. Finally, when she couldn't cry anymore, she'd begun to think about her next steps.

Should she follow through on her threat to Ron? Should see seek out the chosen-one turned traitor? Her heart clenched painfully every time she thought of him. Harry Potter. Her beloved best friend and the biggest fool on the planet. She couldn't understand why she hadn't sought him out immediately after the battle. When she tried to remember exactly what happened her mind turned foggy and she'd cried out quietly when a sharp pain appeared in her head. Try as she might every time she tried to remember the battle and the days afterwards the pain kept coming back.

The answer was simple enough, despite the fact that it made her skin crawl and her stomach clench again. Her memory had been tampered with, and she had a strong suspicion that more than that had been done to her. Despite the gravity of that realization she brutally forced that thought from her mind. She could cope later. The time for planning was now.

Should she just leave? Leave them all to their fates and strike out on her own? Surely, she'd have to leave the country. Maybe if she went far enough, she'd stop feeling so used and so disgusted with herself.

The pros and cons of fleeing to America had been going through her head when she heard the front door blast off its hinges. Her name, screamed in rage and reverberating off the bare walls came from the bottom floor. it was probably Molly, or perhaps Ginny. Come to get revenge for the damage she'd done to poor Ronald. That was good. If it was them and not the Aurors she had a chance of escaping.

A quick test by reaching out with her magic verified that no anti-apparition wards had been put in place, and without a second thought she cast the spell. A crack echoed throughout the house as she disapparated, just as the raging form of Molly Weasley crested the stairs. A bolt of green light hit the floor where Hermione had been seconds prior, and when she realized she had missed her mark Molly's howls of rage could be heard from all the way down the street.

Now here she was. Wandering around the forest with nowhere to go.

In truth, she didn't remember consciously deciding to apparate here at all. She'd cast the spell to escape from the house, which knowing Molly was likely burning to the ground now, and that was that. She hadn't had an image of where she was going in her mind at all, which should've resulted in her getting splinched at the very least.

Stranger still, when she'd arrived, she hadn't been in an area of the forest that she recognized. When they'd taken shelter in the forest while on the run from Voldemort and his snatchers, she'd kept them to sections that her father had taken her. The part she was traversing now was thickly overgrown and difficult to navigate. A game trail she'd stumbled upon was the only way she'd been able to keep going, but she was still constantly being tugged at by branches and brambles that had grown over onto the path. She was sure she had several cuts by now, but she couldn't bring herself to stop, even though her tired muscles were screaming in protest.

The same thing had happened earlier at her now former home with Ron. The same strange pull that had brought her mind out of the fog and allowed her to escape was now driving her to keep moving through the woods, despite her misgivings about what she was doing now. She couldn't explain it. Despite knowing that she should keep moving, knowing that if Ron had been reached in enough time to lift the curse before he went mad, that he would likely have told whomever was sent after her about their time in the forest. Still, she kept wondering through the darkening woods.

Stumbling through a particularly thick section of underbrush, Hermione found herself entering a small clearing. She was soaked in sweat by now, the stifling summer heat combined with the sheer strain of the events of the day had taken its toll on her. The sun hung low on the horizon; broken rays of red fire streamed through the trees.

She leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree to catch her breath, shivering slightly as the rapidly cooling breeze hit her skin. Her flight had been so sudden she hadn't had the chance to change from the simple tank and jeans she'd been wearing to lounge around the house. It was sheer luck she'd had shoes on, but that was just about the extent of her preparedness. Surely, she wasn't prepared to spend a night outdoors. Even with magic it would be difficult.

Hermione froze. Her eyes narrowed as she stained to hear the slightest sound. Around her, the forest had gone completely silent. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her instincts kicked in. Pulling herself away from the tree, Hermione struggled with what she should do. She could disapparate wandlessly if she had to and she probably should, but the same feeling that had pushed her to wander around the forest was now keeping her rooted to the spot. She turned slowly towards the path she'd come down, watching intently. If she was being followed, they'd likely be coming from that direction. Her eyes flicked to the sky briefly, scanning for the swarm of brooms she knew was coming.

"Why are you here?"

Startled she whirled around, brown hair flying wild. Her hand went for her wand, but she knew it was already too late. She'd felt the tug a moment before as he'd wordlessly summoned it from the waistband of her jeans. Brown met green, and all the air left her lungs as time froze around them.

"Harry."

"I asked you why you're here, Granger." Harry growled. Her wand was now held securely in his left hand, his own in his right. It was pointed squarely at her heart.

"Harry?" She repeated, breathless. Tears stung in her eyes as she realized it really was him. "Oh Harry! You've no idea…" She began, moving towards him with her arms outstretched.

"Don't move!" He bit out, raising his wand a bit. It was then that something clicked in her mind. Subconsciously she took a step back, raising her hands in front of her.

Harry Potter was threatening her. He didn't trust her.

Just what in the bloody hell happened over the past few months?

"Harry please." She begged, hopping the desperation in her voice would reach him. "I don't know what's happening to me. What HAS happened to me. I'm frightened and I don't know what to do, or think, or feel anymore." Tears spilled down her face as she spoke, leaving tracks through the dirt caked there. She was trembling now, any moment she felt like she may fall apart for good. Harry's green eyes narrowed at her, his wand never lowering. "Har-" She began again, but he cut her off.

"Did HE send you here?" He said quietly. His voice was low and even, which unnerved Hermione even more. "Are you the last resort then? I should've known they would send YOU after me eventually." He was moving know, stepping slowing in a half circle around her, never getting any closer. The hand that held her wand raked through his dark hair. Hermione went to move towards him again, but he stopped her. "DON'T MOVE!" He roared. She started at his sudden change in volume but froze in place regardless.

She was so confused. This wasn't the Harry that she knew. For one thing, her Harry would never, not in a million years have pointed a wand at her in anger. On top of that, he looked positively wild. His hair was longer, hanging down past his shoulders in the back and well into his face at the front. He hadn't shaved in weeks, a light beard the evidence, but she could still tell his cheeks were sunken in like he hadn't been eating. The jacket he wore was ruined, the t-shirt underneath was tattered and dirty, as were his jeans. It wasn't the same clothes he'd been wearing at the battle, but she could tell he'd been in them for a while. It brought back memories of the previous year when they'd been on the run.

Back then, all they'd had was each other. Hermione choked back a sob.

For his part, Harry was just as confused as Hermione was. There was no way she should be here. It was IMPOSSIBLE. Nobody should have been able to find this place. Yet here she was before him, dirty, crying and obviously confused.

"Who would've sent me, Harry?" She asked softly.

"DUMBLEDORE!" He roared, infuriated by her obvious question. "WHO ELSE?"

"I DON'T KNOW HARRY!" She roared back. In the past few moments Hermione had gone from being numb from the events of the morning, overjoyed at having found him, back to sorrow at realizing he didn't trust her. Now she'd come full circle back to rage. "I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD'VE SENT ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!" She screamed at him, chest heaving.

Harry faltered, his wand dropping. This wasn't what he'd expected would happen when he saw her again. Frankly, he'd suspected her to just kill him and be done with it. He was almost sure he'd let her do it, too. Better her than anyone else to release him from this life. Could it be that she had broken free somehow?

"How did you get here Hermione?" He asked.

"I apparated Harry, how else." She said, exasperated.

"No Hermione, I meant what happened for you to come here? Why aren't you at home with Ronald." Harry asked. Hermione hadn't missed the way he'd lingered on Ron's name, or the disgust he clearly felt. The guilt for what she'd done to Ron came back, not as powerful as it was before, but it was still there. "What specifically happened today Hermione? Why did you leave?"

Hermione looked away from him, her anger faltering and shame evident on her face. Harry was quiet for a moment, allowing her to organize her thoughts. The only sound around them was the breeze whispering through the trees. She wrapped her arms around herself, chewing on her bottom lip slightly as she worked through what she should say. It was something he'd seen her do many times before and it brought him a slight sense of normalcy as he watched her.

"I woke up." She finally said, meeting his gaze once more. Harry barked out a laugh.

"You woke up? That's it? You rolled out of bed and decided to walk away from your life?" He asked incredulously, anger seeping into his tone. He raised his wand back to full height again, taking a step closer. "I hope you have a better explanation than that, Hermione." He told her.

"Stop pointing your wand at me Harry." She ordered him, anger returning to her gaze. "If we're going to talk it should be like the FRIENDS that we ARE."

"Are we?" He asked softly.

"YES!"

"THEN ANSWER THE BLOODY QUESTION!" He yelled back at her. She was quite for a few more moments before she started speaking again.

"When I woke up this morning, I felt like a fog had been lifted from my mind." She said softly. She spoke slowly and evenly, wanting Harry to understand. She couldn't fathom what could have happened to make him as wary of her as he now was, but she wanted him to trust her, so she would give him the truth. "For the past few months Ronald and I have been in a relationship and were sharing a flat in London."

"Were?" He interjected, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes were, Harry. If you want to know what happened stop interrupting me." She said, eyes narrowed at him. Harry almost laughed at that and couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly. So, the bossy know it all was still in there after all. Hermione sighed heavily but relaxed a bit. Somehow some of the tension seemed to be leaving them as she spoke. "Ron hasn't been…. Well let's just say he's been less than a gentleman to me these past few months." She said. Tears stung at her eyes as she remembered everything that he'd put her through.

"Did he hurt you, Hermione?" Harry asked, his voiced barely a whisper.

"Yes." She said just as quietly, fresh tears sliding down her face.

Magic like she'd never felt before rolled off of Harry. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't speak. Silently, he vowed to END Ronald Weasley before the end of this day.

"I swear to you Hermione, he won't live to regret it." Harry said venomously.

"Don't worry Harry, he can't hurt me anymore. I made sure of that." Hermione said softly. Harry raised an eyebrow at her, a look of surprise on his face. "We got into another fight this morning, and I decided I'd had enough." She said. "Enough of him screaming at me, enough of him hitting me. Enough of him using me and… fucking me."

Again, the strength of Harry's magic nearly knocked her over. It took the breath from her lungs and it felt like she was being compressed from all sides. She locked eyes with him, panicked, and what she saw was the image of rage incarnate. His pupils were barely dots and his green irises were literally glowing with power. She felt cold.

"Stop!" She'd managed to choke out. His power retracted almost immediately, and she could breath again. How did he get this powerful in just a few months?

"I'm so sorry Mione." Harry said, stepping towards her. Hermione smiled slightly at his use of his nickname for her.

"It's alright Harry." She said, happy for his concern for her. It was the first time things felt normal between them so far. He wasn't fully convinced though, she could tell. He hadn't come to embrace or, or so much as touched her yet. And even though he'd lowered his wand arm, his wand was still pointed at her in his hand, even if he was trying to hide it. "I know you're angry, but I meant what I said. I took care of Ronald already."

"How?"

"He tried to draw his wand on me." She said. Harry smirked. Hermione was the only person he'd ever met that could match his speed drawing a wand. Weasley had made a poor decision in trying to draw on her. "I was faster." Hermione said, smirking back at Harry. "I told him that I was done and that I was leaving. He threw a tantrum like a child and tried to blast my head off my shoulders when I turned to leave. So, I beat him to the punch."

"Did you kill him?"

"I should've. Merlin knows he deserves that and worse."

"What did you do to him?"

"Harry…" She said softly, her arms wrapped back around herself like she was trying to hold herself together.

"I need to know, Hermione." Harry said, stepping towards her.

"I used the cruciatus on him. I cast the spell and disapparated." She finally admitted. Her gaze fell; she couldn't look him in the eyes as she told him of her fall to darkness. "I left him there screaming in agony, and I hope he goes insane from it! I wanted him to SUFFER Harry! He USED me and I wanted to make him pay for it! But I feel so guilty! I don't understand why, after everything that insufferable piece of human excrement did to me, I FEEL GUILTY!"

Finally, Harry was convinced. Hermione started slightly as she felt his arms wrap around her but didn't resist. He pulled her in and held her tightly as she cried out her anger and grief for what felt like forever. They sank to their knees, Hermione sobbing and Harry holding her.

"He deserved it, Hermione." Harry said after a while. She looked up at him, desperation clear on her face. "He deserved what you did to him and so, so much more."

"What do you mean Harry?" She asked softly, pulling back from him. She sat back on her knees while Harry simply plopped down onto the grass. He picked up their wands, which he'd dropped when he took her into his arms and handed hers back to her. Despite herself, she was relieved to have it back.

"You've no idea Hermione. No idea how deep this all goes." Harry said, looking away from her.

"Tell me." She begged, needing to understand. She needed to know why all of this had happened.

"What is the last thing you remember from the battle?" Harry asked cryptically.

"I don't know." She said. "I realized earlier my memory has been tampered with. Every time I try to remember what happened during the battle and immediately afterwards, I get this pain in my head. I suspect somebody doesn't want me to remember what really happened. I remember sneaking back into Hogwarts and that's it."

"That's because they don't Hermione." Harry said, bitterness creeping into his voice. "Everything went to hell so fast."

"I can't remember why they say you're a traitor Harry. I can't remember why I didn't go looking for you. All I know is that every time I so much as mention you to anyone we know I get told you've gone dark, that you're going to be the next Voldemort unless you're stopped." She told him. "There's a kill on sight order out on you Harry."

"I'm aware." He said, chuckling darkly.

"Tell me Harry, please." She begged him. He leveled her with a long look and sighed heavily.

"Fine, but we should go inside for this. It's a long story." He said, standing up. He held out his hand for her, and she took it. Harry helped her up and pulled her towards the center of the clearing. A moment later Hermione felt the familiar feeling of entering a warded area and her jaw dropped. The tent, that god forsaken tent that they'd lived in for months, that she was certain had been lost when they'd been captured last year was in the middle of the clearing. It appeared to have been there for quite some time as well, judging by the firewood stacked up next to it.

"How in the world did you find this Harry?" She asked, bewildered.

"After I fled the castle that night I apparated to Godrics Hollow. I found a backpack with the same enchantment as your bag with the tent and some basic supplies inside it leaning against my fathers headstone. It had a note with my name on the front. It also said to run, so I did. I came here on a whim and decided to stay once I took… precautions." He said, heading to the front of the tent.

"What precautions?" She asked, faltering behind him.

"That's why I was so suspicious of you Hermione. It shouldn't have been possible for you to find me." Harry said, turning back to her. "This place, this clearing and the forest for a kilometer around it. I put it under the fidelus charm as soon as I got here."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"But that's impossible." Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Exactly. I made a random muggle that was passing through the secret keeper and locked his memory of it. He doesn't even live in this country; he was just here on holiday. NOBODY should have been able to find me."

"We should go Harry." Hermione said, panicking suddenly. "We should go right this instant."

"Why?"

"Because something… pulled me here. Something guided me to this spot. I've been walking through this forest for hours, but I didn't turn once. It's like some kind of primal instinct or something. I came straight here, and I don't know why. Not to mention suddenly being freed from whatever potions or compulsion charms I've HAD to be under." Hermione said hurriedly. Harry tensed. "Someone or something led me back to you."

"Oh no." Harry breathed.

"What?"

"I've felt that as well. The night of the battle. That same kind of pull to do something you think is bonkers. Hermione…"

To their credit, they both drew their wands instantly and directed them into the tent.

"At last we're all together."