AN: Hey hope you all like this chapter and I promise to update at least once a week.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Never did, and sadly…never will.

Chapter 2:

Hermione's life seemed to be slipping away but she knew she wasn't that lucky. She was alone in her room, even the existence of her feline companion, Crookshanks was taken from her by that man. Her room was all she had. It held the darkness that she had grown to love.

It was only a few weeks before school started and her father told her countless times that he wasn't going to let her go back there. She wasn't worried though because she had an escape plan all prepared. She sat in her corner thinking this out, when the door burst open and light streamed into her dark room showing the outline of a tall man, clearly drunk. Her father took a puff on the long cigar that hung loosely in his mouth. Even through the darkness she could see his eyes on her. She pressed her back as flat against the wall as possible but he still came. Why couldn't he just leave her alone! But we all know that would never happen in her 'loving' home.

He stood looming over her, "Hermione" he said softly, his voice cold and evil. "What did I tell you about cleaning up the bathrooms and the kitchen?"

"But you didn't.." Hermione tried to say but was interrupted, she knew as the words left her lips that she had made a horrible mistake.

"Are you calling me a liar!" He screeched at her as she squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't dare put her hands up to block his attacks, that only made him angrier. "How dare you!" He smacked her with the back of his hand across the face. "I'm not stupid are you calling me stupid!" He asked but gave her no chance to respond. He picked her up by her throat, her feet dangling in the air, then slammed her head back against the wall. She sank down the wall when he dropped her like a child would an unwanted doll. A foot made contact with her ribs and she grimaced as she felt a break. Her vision swam in and out of focus. He yanked her arm out that she had been holding herself up with. At first she thought it just another way to torture her but he didn't let go. He yanked Hermione's sleeve up roughly and she felt it. The cigar was being brutally pushed into her outstretched arm. The pain was excruciating. She fought tears and screams back, she wouldn't let him see her pain or even hear it. She would never give him the pleasure so she made no sound.

All of a sudden a distant voice yelled "Wingardium Leviosa!" Her father went floating into the air and shot into the wall on the other side of the room. The Cigar fell to the floor near Hermione's head. She looked up into the eyes of the spell caster and saw deep blue behind half moon spectacles. Those eyes looking over her, as she lay there, was the last thing she remembered.

Hermione sat up screaming sending Mrs. Weasley into screams of her own. "Oh my Hermione dear! You mustn't do that." she said clutching her chest, then returned to her seat by Hermione's bed, showing her a smile that held concern and worry behind all of it's love. "Lay back down dear, you need to rest."

Hermione looked around the room that was far too big and far to bright for her liking. As Mrs. Weasley attempted to push her gently back down, she bounded out of the bed and into a dark corner on the other side of the room, pulling her legs tightly to her chest. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees, slowly rocking.

Mrs. Weasley looked worriedly at Hermione before leaving the room to fetch Dumbledore through the fire. She returned minutes later with Albus in tow. "She woke up and just ran to the corner. I don't know what's wrong…"

Albus put his hand up to silence Mrs. Weasley and walked over to Hermione. "Hermione?" No answer nor move came out of her aside from her continuous rocking. He crouched low and rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.

She pulled away and shook her head. "No…please don't hurt me," came her faint voice, a voice that from Hermione, made sorrow fill the hearts of the patrons of the room.

"You are at The Burrow Ms. Granger. Your father is not here to hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again as long as I am here." He removed his hand from her shoulder and stood to face Mrs. Weasley once again. "She will be okay, just give her some time. She has had to deal with a lot over this summer. It is my understanding that she has taken a liking to darkness and small area's which is why..." He said indicating to Hermione with his hand. "I am terribly sorry but I really must be going. There is a great deal of work to be done to get her father put in prison. I must meet with a few people and I have a very short period of time. I trust you will be okay Molly?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "Of course Albus, she'll be safe here." She looked at Hermione with a sadness in her eyes that could burn to the very soul of a person looking into them. She thought about how Hermione used to be before her father destroyed the girl. It made her madder than she had ever been in her lifetime. Questions flooded her mind. How could a person possibly hurt poor, sweet, intelligent Hermione and feel no remorse? She was the smartest witch of her time and now here she sits, a shell of what she used to be.

Albus left shortly after. Molly hesitantly turned the lights off in the empty room and was able to convince Hermione to get back in bed.

As Hermione lay there late into the night, she was afraid. Afraid of her father coming for her, afraid of sleep. When she allowed sleep to take her, she revisited the nightmare that was her life for so long. She didn't think she could ever pull herself together again. It seemed impossible. To Hermione, she was simply watching life, not living it. She had not seen her friends since last year. She couldn't face them anymore. Feelings of guilt washed over her whenever she thought about it.

"I should have stopped him" she said softly before drifting off to sleep once again.

Ron, Harry, Fred, George:

Ron, Harry, Fred and George still spent a lot of times together but ever since the beginning of summer before his 6th year, Ron had made some new friends. The only people that knew about them were Harry, Fred, and George. The night of Hermione's arrival to the Burrow sparked feelings in Ron that he had tried to suppress but failed at.

He had always liked Hermione more than just a friend but at the end of last year, after everything they went through together, he wanted her even more.

That first night, after everyone went to asleep, Ron left. He had been invited to a party by his friends but had not told anyone about it. He couldn't tell them, they wouldn't understand.

He arrived at the party at about 11:45pm. Steve lay passed out on the front lawn, surrounded by his own vomit. Ron stifled a laugh and went into the house where the party was being held. Immediately he was greeted by Jacoby. Jacoby was a recent graduate of Hogwarts and was glad not to have to go back as he repeatedly told anyone who would listen.

"Hey Ron, how are you?" Jacoby said coming up to him and handing him a fire whiskey. Ron downed it and grimaced at the burning it caused drinking it down all at once.

He handed the empty glass back to Jacoby "Fill it up." Ron said staring off.

Jacoby filled it up again then handed the glass to him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me mate. I haven't seen you down fire whiskey like that since you realized you loved that Hermione girl but couldn't have her. If I remember correctly, you got in three fights that night." Jacoby said, looking Ron over. "So tell me what's up?"

"She's here. Hermione's here. I haven't seen her since Hogwarts. Everything has changed. I've changed… I missed her so much Jacoby." Ron said finishing off his third fire whiskey and getting another refill.

"So tell her" Jacoby said plainly as if it were that easy.

"I can't tell her, she's going through problems of her own. I can't push this on her now."

"Ron, it's not like we're talking marriage here. Just talk to her."

"Yeah.." Ron simply nodded still in his own world. He drank the last drop of his 4th and got another refill.

Ron staggered home at almost 3 am. He stumbled into the Burrow and started up the stairs, but stopped when he heard a low cry. It came from the room Hermione occupied. He walked as quietly as he could and twisted the knob, peaking his head inside. Hermione lay curled up into a fetal position on her bed ,crying out in her sleep. She was having a nightmare Ron realized through his drunken stupor.

Ron slumped over the bed and shook Hermione, more roughly than he would have, had he been sober.

Hermione sat up quickly and backed away from the dark figure sat beside her. It was her father. He had come for her. She knew she couldn't escape, not even Dumbledore could save her from that beast.

"Hermione" Ron slurred her name.

Hermione smelled alcohol on the breath of the person and jumped up, running to the darkness of the room and pushing herself into .

Ron got up and followed her, he needed to talk to her. He grabbed her arm and tried with as much strength he could pulled it away from her face.

Hermione let out a small cry, there was a bruise already forming on her wrists.

Hermione looked away from him, "please don't hurt me…please…" she begged shaking her head.

Ron looked down at Hermione who had tears running down her face. "Hermione, your so beautiful." He leaned forward, still holding her wrists in his hands. His knuckles turning white. He put them over her head and leaned in too kiss her. When his lips touched hers, she bit down hard on his bottom lip.

He felt blood almost instantly, " You Bitch, you bit me!" He reached back and smacked her as hard as he could across the face. Her head swung around and slammed into the wall. "Why the FUCK did you bite me?" Ron slurred and slammed her back against the wall. "Answer me damn't. I love you Hermione! Stop treating me like this!" He yelled slamming her repeatedly back into the wall.

"Please no more" She cried out to him. He ignored it and repeatedly slammed her back until finally she fell back against the wall, seemingly unconscious.

At that moment a fist collided with Ron's face. He fell backward to the floor looking up to find George and Fred standing over him. George yanked Ron up by fistfuls of his shirt and him and Fred dragged the struggling Ron out to the backyard. George threw him on the ground and delivered a swift kick to Ron's stomach.

"HOW DOES THAT FEEL RON!" George said loudly.

Fred jumped on top of Ron and started hitting him repeatedly till George pulled him off for his turn. "How could you do that to her Ron? How the fuck could you ever treat Hermione like that! She has already been through too much this summer for her to be afraid of being safe HERE! You Asshole! She trusted You!" Another kick landed at his stomach causing him to puke up all the alcohol he drank that night as well as blood.

Fred and George looked down at their bloodied little brother, turned around, went inside and locked the door behind them.

By this time everyone was wide awake. Mrs. Weasley was hysterical "What happened! Where's Ron! Is something wrong with Hermione!"

"Ron beat her! He went out and got wasted and came back about 3:00am. We heard him yelling. So we came to see what the problem was and found him slamming Hermione's head into the wall. She was completely unfocused and her lip and nose were bleeding. She asked him to please stop and he still didn't. George punched him and we drug him out back, beat him up and locked him out." Fred said all of this matter of factly fire burning in his eyes. "No brother of ours would ever do that. I don't know him anymore." Fred stared everyone down before walking off to their room, George following close behind.

After Mrs. Weasley fixed Hermione up, and laid her down in her bed again, she locked and silenced the house. Ron was staying outside. She also aimed her wand out the window and a sort of force field appeared around him so that he couldn't get within a hundred yards of the house or any member of the household, including Harry and Hermione. She would never forgive him for this. She may be her son but Hermione was like a daughter.

A short while after everyone was asleep Hermione had woken up. She couldn't stay here any longer. Like her own home, it wasn't safe anymore. She gathered all of her belongings and miniaturized them to put in her back pack. She carried her wand firmly in her hand, ready to curse anyone who tried to hurt her. She had had enough of being beaten. From now on, she had only herself. She pushed her fear aside and picked up her Gryffindor bravery.

About half an hour later she was wandering down the desolate road when she bumped into something laying in a grass clearing on the side of the road, yet she couldn't see anything there…

A/N: I hope everyone likes this story! If not…well tell me if you must. I'll update soon.