This is an AU where the Chamber of Secrets never happened. The battle of Hogwarts occurred and Voldemort has been vanquished.

Hermione sat alone in the library. This is where she preferred to spend most of her time. Hogwarts was lonely these days. She wished Harry and Ron would have opted to complete their seventh year of education after the battle. Naturally the two had disregarded her logic and began their training as aurors. Hermione scribbled dates next to major events on her timeline. It felt odd to be doing something so mundane. She had almost grown accustom to running through the country side and dodging malicious spells. She was writing the date next to a particularly tragic battle. The walls, bookshelves, and desks seemed to melt away.

She was walking through the half demolished corridor. A breeze whipped through the gaping hole in the castle's outer wall. The moon shone on the debris, both stone and human. There were bodies, corpses, lying in unnatural angles. Some limbs were obviously broken, dislocated, or simply missing. Some were lying face down in pools of blood. She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cool night air. The smell of rot was seeping into her pores. She felt as if she was going to be violently ill…

Hermione blinked rapidly and the library came back into focus. She was gripping the edge of the desk so hard that her knuckles were threatening to break forth from her skin. She gulped in oxygen until her lungs threatened to explode. I need some air.

She gathered her things and left the crowded library behind. She walked aimlessly down the corridors. I just need someplace to get away. I just need someplace to get away. I just need someplace to get away-

She halted. The bricks of the wall to her right were changing shape to create a doorway. Of course, the room of requirement saves the day again. She thought gratefully. She opened the door and slipped inside. The room was relatively small and the entire back wall was a gigantic window looking out on the grounds. The natural light filled the room which was made of wood paneling. An odd thing to see in a brick castle. There was a long, comfortable looking couch set in front of a roaring fireplace. On the wall behind it stood a large wooden bookshelf filled with hundreds of books. Next to the bookshelf was a wooden desk with many drawers and a chair.

She dropped her bag next to the desk and sat in the chair. It conformed to the natural curves of her body and she let out a sigh. It was much better than being cooped up in the library. She pulled out her homework and began to work.

x~x~x~x~x~x

The next day, she found herself wandering back to the room of requirement. She didn't have homework, but she was interested in seeing the books that the shelf had to offer. She stood in front of the stone wall and mentally repeated "I just need someplace to get away". Instantly the door reappeared and she pushed it open to reveal the room from yesterday in the exact condition that she had left it.

She walked over to the bookshelf and began to scan the titles. She was disappointed to find that she had read almost every volume that the shelves contained. She examined shelf after shelf until finally, something caught her eye. She removed the black leather bound book from its place in the shelf and flipped through it's pages. The pages were blank and yellowing. It's a journal. She thought excitedly.

A separate part of her brain awoke immediately. Check it. It could be dangerous.

She doubted something as simple as a journal could be dangerous. She was painfully reminded of some other seemingly harmless objects that had turned out to be more than they appeared. A locket, a ring, a diadem.

She pulled out her wand and tapped the cover while mentally reciting a spell to reveal any form of magic. When nothing happened after a few moments she was convinced the journal was in fact not bad-natured, she took it to the desk and opened it to the first blank page.

She opened a few of the drawers and fished for a quill. Luckily, there was a horde of stationary in one of the drawers. She began to write. At first she started off simply.

Hermione G. January 1, 1999

Today, I had absolutely nothing to do. It was marvelous. I spent the whole day doing absolutely nothing and it felt odd. I haven't done nothing in quite some time.

But she found her thoughts wandering to darker places.

Before, doing nothing meant letting your guard down. Letting your guard down meant death. How could I have lived that way? Living day to day knowing that at any moment, it could be your last.

She couldn't quell the feeling of liberation that was erupting through her. It felt nice to share these inner thoughts, to vomit them out onto paper. To get them out of her. When she finished writing she looked at the words scribbled onto the yellowing page and she smiled. It wasn't happiness that caused her to smile, it was relief.

She sat for a while and watched the sun set behind the trees of the forbidden forest. Then she picked up the journal, cradling it in the nook of her elbow, and left the room.

That night her dreams were plagued with unspeakable horrors. She awoke to the comforting silence and darkness and familiarity of the girl's dorm. She lay back on her pillows and decided to write Harry and Ron in the morning. I don't have anything to tell them. She thought to herself, but it will be nice to hear from them.

Hope you like it so far! :D

More to come later