Author's Note: We are building our way up to Part Two of the story. After this there are only four more chapters before Harry, Ginny, and Ron come into the story. I know some of you might feel like there is a lot of exposition, or that the story is moving too slowly but there is a reason for that. This part of Hermione's life feels as though it will never end, and I don't want you to worry that this is a majority of the story. It is not. We will move past this shortly.

Warning: This is a M rated story for a reason. The war outlook is much darker than the real HP books and mature and taboo topics will be addressed in later chapters. Please be warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Anything you recognize is owned by JK who I am not.

"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." ~Marcus Aurelius

January 2nd, 2000

Solitary. She had managed to get herself thrown back in solitary. She hadn't been a prisoner of loneliness for nearly as long as when she first arrived. Only a few days, but the days were starting to run together.

She had recognized the food man as the same one from when she first arrived in April. That had only been months ago. It was strange to think how many changes she had gone through in only a few months.

Hermione hadn't intended to end up alone again. During Anna's second bread run they needed another distraction. Hermione knew she would need to do something bigger if she had any hope of getting the buffoon to run to her again. Clumsiness wouldn't be enough.

Hermione laughed to herself wondering what Anna would say when she got out. Hopefully Anna had gotten the bread, thus making solitary worth it. But Hermione had gone a step too far. She was lucky she only received a small punishment. Honestly she was starting to think they weren't allowed to kill her yet.

It had been something she thought about a lot in the few days she had been alone. There had been no news about the death of Harry Potter, something that would surely be spread even around their news less town. She had started to hope that they had a plan. Maybe the Death Eaters thought themselves clever.

If they waited long enough, to either break the trio's spirits or at least the rest of the country's then they would feel they had the upper hand. Most likely Harry, Ron, and herself would be killed in some public manner. The No. 1 desirables couldn't just be done away with without a word.

So Hermione was counting on the fact that they wouldn't kill her until Voldemort was ready to all but do it himself. Obviously she was going to need to distract the Death Eaters again, and she didn't like the idea of being killed for it.

Anna would be worried, or possibly even caught herself. They didn't announce when they took people to isolation, she might think Hermione was dead. It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine considering all the girl had yelled to get people's attention.

"This is ridiculous! We're starving away and slaving away, and for what? No one will tell us what is going on outside these walls! Tell me, Sergeant Buffoon, Major Bulks-a-lot, what is going on? I am Hermione Damn Granger and I refuse to accept this! We can't sit back and let them win, we have to fight until we can't fight anymore! Don't let them treat us like cattle for the herding, we are people, we are human beings, and damn it we are good witches and wizards! I am the brightest witch of my age, I might be the brightest damn witch of the century and I won't stand back any longer!"

The crowd around her was shocked. Many of the other muggleborns were trying to get her to be quiet but it was too late. She was in too deep. The buffoon had already noticed her and she was sure Major would be on his way. She kept screaming and kicking up a storm to the best of her abilities. Anna had run into the building minutes earlier and if her last timing had been any indication she would only need another minute.

Major looked pissed beyond belief that he had to deal with her again. But for whatever reason he did nothing. He stood with a smug look on his face and waited for her to finish. It wasn't normal, there had to be something else to it but Hermione would take the opportunity to buy Anna more time.

She looked around and saw a few people nodding with her, clearly she wasn't the only one who was silently ranting in their head every day. But Major didn't seem very interested in her by the time she was done.

"Surely you've learned by now where your place is, Mudblood."

With a quick spell Hermione was on the ground staring up at the sky until Major stood over her.

"Don't think I don't know how to best punish you."

Hermione actually chuckled as she thought about it. If a good punishment was a while in solitary she would handle it well. In fact there was a certain calm that came with time away from the crowd of frightened muggleborns that was nice. In solitary she could think and allow her mind to wander without fear of interruption. She could sleep without the cries of a teen whose mother was 'transferred' with a younger sibling, or a father who had lost everything invading her dreams.

Her only worry over the last few days had been Anna. The girl wasn't strong enough to survive on her own. She was too trusting of what people told her. Hermione feared she would get out of solitary and learn that Anna was told she could travel to another camp and just agreed. Without Hermione there the girl might truly begin to believe in the other camps again.

If it was possible Hermione was actually beginning to miss her old cot. The hard floor of solitary was even less comfortable than she remembered. She had only been fed twice in the five days she had been there. But that was still more food than she would have been guaranteed outside in the town. She just couldn't place how this was considered a punishment for her. If anything it was like a nice vacation.

The town was hardly a pleasant place to be, with about five hundred people all scrambling to survive and trying to get over the round up and deaths that had taken almost six hundred already. It was still odd to her that the town still seemed crowded. They had been cut in half but there was still no room.

Maybe it was some magic of the town, never having enough space for however many people were there. Or maybe new people had been thrown into the mix without anyone noticing. Everyone had been more preoccupied with themselves in recent months. Hermione certainly cared less about the population as a whole. She needed to get herself and Anna out, from there she'd be able to find Harry and stop the war.

At some point during her confinement that had become her number one plan. It was vague, and would require a lot of rethinking each time she got close to finishing one step, but it was something. Anna and Harry would get along, she thought, Anna's happy attitude had calmed itself but she could still be the optimistic sister their group had never had. Harry had always been quick on his feet, Ron had a temper, Hermione had books, but it could do them some good to have someone who was truly happy around them.

Hermione had always thought of Harry as a brother. Now Anna had become a younger sister to her and she just knew the girl would meld with the trio. There could finally be another person around that didn't just talk about flying and food.

Hermione laughed, realizing she had talked about food quite often in the months she had been in Mudblood Town. So many years of telling Ron to find another subject of interest but she finally understood. Food should be cherished. If she ever got out of the town she would never take for granted the food she could have.

Anna and she were getting closer to their escape plan. They had agreed to search the grounds for any weak points, or unfenced areas. The trenches were the most likely place. Hermione had to wonder if any of the men had attempted to dig under the fence. That could be an important question to ask if she could be subtle enough with it. The less people that knew about the escape plan the better. She didn't need more attention drawn to her than necessary.

Hermione could feel the pressure on her bladder. She knew she'd need to pee again soon, but she hated how quickly the room smelled like urine. Instead she forced her eyes shut and let sleep take her over. Hopefully the feeling would go away at least while she slept. That would give her a little longer without the putrid smell gaining power.

When she opened her eyes she couldn't be sure how long she had been out. She yawned trying to ignore the pushing feeling in her stomach. There was no reason she had to pee right away she could relax for a few moments at least. She looked around the room as she had every day she was awake. There wasn't much to it, cold walls, hard floor, open door…

The door was open. Hermione couldn't believe she hadn't been awake for when they first released her. She was free to leave, or that's what she assumed based on her last stay. Knowing she wouldn't be stuck any longer she went quickly over to the corner to relieve herself before leaving the room once and for all. Well once and for all, for now.

If she was stuck in the town much longer she was sure she would wind up in confinement again. It just seemed to be the way of things. She had no doubt that she would need to do something else that would require her to get punished, and if the Major thought this was a real punishment then she would happily take them.

Others received death for merely speaking up, she was trapped in a room for less than a week after everything she had yelled. Yeah, she thought to herself, something else has to be going on there.

It was almost dark when she got outside, something she was glad for. Remembering how much the sun had burned after her weeks in solitary she didn't want to revisit that experience anytime soon. But it almost being dark meant she needed to hurry into her building to sleep.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep after how much time she had spent snoozing alone. It was bound to be the new year already and she had slept through it, not that she would have been able to celebrate. But she planned for this year to be it, she would get out and by Christmas she will have found Harry. It was a goal she refused to give up on. If she put her mind to it there had to be a way.

No one else was out in the street as she walked across the dirt towards the building she and Anna had called… well not home… but they had lived in since the beginning. Even once she was inside everything seemed quiet. It was odd, she almost felt alone still, which she knew couldn't be true.

Walking up the four flights of stairs had gotten easier once she and Anna had started stealing bread again. Not even a week in solitary and the stairs proved to be more difficult for her again. She wasn't sure how she thought she could be on the run if she couldn't walk up a few stairs.

With the door to the fourth floor open she could hear people chatting away at their beds. It was the one time people felt free enough to do so, even if they still referred to each other by numbers. Anna was just sitting on her bed staring into space. Hermione should have assumed the girl wouldn't talk to anyone else in her absence.

Anna had seemed so sociable in those first few days, everyone had liked her. But with Hermione and Leslie by her side she had become withdrawn she had relied on the other two girls to be her source of strength and entertainment. With Leslie gone it wasn't a shock that she would sit alone without Hermione.

"Anna." Hermione said gently as she got closer to the beds.

"You're alive!"

Anna jumped up wrapping her arms around Hermione's neck and pulling her into a death grip hug. It had been a long time since Hermione had been embraced in such a way, it felt good to be reminded of a hint of normalcy.

"Of course I am, I got solitary again. How that was my punishment I'll never know!" Hermione laughed, but only slightly, "Did you get the stuff?"

"Yeah but…" Anna didn't finish.

Hermione watched the girl sit back down on the bed looking guilty. She knew she shouldn't have joked about the solitary, Anna was too sensitive about things. Hermione could only survive the town by laughing at what she couldn't understand. But Anna took things to heart.

"What?" Hermione pushed for the girl to finish.

"I don't think solitary was your punishment."

Hermione looked at her with intrigue. It didn't make sense but she knew Anna would have a good enough reason for saying it.

"Hermione," it must be serious Anna hadn't said anyone's names since the kids were killed, "people were killed while you were locked up."

"Oh no, did we know them?"

"Not really. It was only five this time. They were people who had heard you shouting."

"A lot of people heard me shouting." Hermione countered.

"There were only five who agreed with you out loud though. Major made everyone come watch this death line and he kept talking about how he would save our precious Hermione Granger because he knew she couldn't save us now, but it was a trade."

Hermione knew what she meant but her mind wouldn't comprehend the words.

"He killed them in your place." Anna said plainly.

Hermione's heart dropped.

THANK YOU! As always to the wonderful lizziemarie0529 for the review. It is a pleasure hearing from you. And rairio thank you for your review I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

A.N.: Well we have gotten another chapter and it didn't take me a lifetime to post it. I have been working hard to keep the story developing so I can keep updating you quickly. Please review.