There was a break in the rain as the sky broke a crimson red and the sun began to rise while the thick smoke loomed overhead as the fires continued to smolder. It was finally all over. After all these years, it had finally come to this and now it was over just like that.

I took a few steps over the rubble to get a better glimpse of the damage. So much of Hogwarts had been destroyed. The grandeur the place once held was no more. The once sparkling corridors were filled with blood; blood spilt from both sides: those who fought for the Light and those who fought for the Dark. The majestic Great Hall was scattered with dead bodies and rubble. The Quidditch pitch was scorched and the bridges had been destroyed, literally and physically speaking. But none of that seemed to matter now.

Everything was going to change…again. Funny how things could never stay the same for long, especially in the Wizarding World. As much as I had tried to bank on something remaining the same or going according to plan, life always seemed to have a way throwing things back in my face.

I swung my legs up so that I could sit on what was left of the wall in the demolished courtyard. Everyone was inside the Great Hall celebrating our victory; but I just couldn't be there. I needed time to think over everything that had happened. To process what my life was going to be now. Suddenly the rain began to pour on me. While most people hated the continual downpours of rain, I loved them. Some of my most memorable moments in life happened in the rain: the good and the bad.

While most people prefer to forget the painful moments in life, I didn't. There's an old saying that says what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger and I have to say that I agree with whoever coined that old adage. Our experiences define who we are. That doesn't mean that I think life is fair. No, I know it isn't. Today was just a glimpse of the cruelty that can be imposed to the human life.

I suppose at this point in my rambling, you're wondering who I am. Right? Well, I'm Anna…just Anna, pronounced like AH-na, thank you very much. Of course, I know that probably does little to let you know who I am. I'm sure you're probably wondering how close I am to Harry Potter, The Chosen One, the one who all the stories are about. To be honest, I'm more of a supporting character to Harry's story. Don't get me wrong, I do know the boy, after all, my father was his godfather; but we weren't insanely close or anything.

I mean, we were in the same House at Hogwarts, but I was sorted the year before he was. Was I in Dumbledore's Army with him? Yes, but normally I had my eyes on someone else during those meetings. Not to mention that I haven't really seen Harry since Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding back in August and then all of a sudden we're all here at Hogwarts battling good versus evil.

As the rain continued to pour, I turned my face upward to the sky and closed my eyes. The rain began to clean my face of the grime and blood from the battle. My fingers found their way to my tangled and matted hair pieces that had fallen from my braid. Knowing that the braid wasn't holding much hair anymore, I released my hair from its prison of a tight French braid.

I opened my eyes to examine the mess that was my hair and let me tell you it was a mess. My blonde hair that I normally kept in close to pristine condition was in need of several good washings. That or I could just cut it off. I did that once, cut my hair drastically because I couldn't deal with it and what it reminded me of…but that's another story for another time.

I felt so conflicted right now. Part of me wanted to be alone but another part of me just wanted to be held. I could hear my name being echoed through the courtyard despite the pouring rain. My heart stopped for a moment as I turned around to see the blurry figure hurtling toward me, dodging the pools of blood and puddles of water. Without even thinking about it, I felt my feet begin to move toward him.

Despite all the tragedy of today, I was thankful that this hadn't been taken from me too. It almost was, but love can change the course of history. I stopped directly in front of him and breathed heavily as I looked up to his disheveled ginger hair and beautiful brown eyes. The normal mischievous look in his eyes was removed and replaced by a more serious look. We both stared at each other for a few moments. Slowly, my hands reached up for his face and his hands reached for mine. Tears were stinging my eyes as I touched his flesh, knowing that he was real.

"Fred," I whispered.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he crashed his lips against mine. I was quite hungry for his touch. After several heated and greedy kisses, we pulled away from each other before I buried my face against his chest.

I suppose you're probably confused as to how Fred Weasley can be here snogging me after the Battle of Hogwarts. So I suppose that means that you'd like to know how it was Fred Weasley managed to survive. I'll give you a hint: love. Now, I suppose that doesn't make any sense either, because it's probably not the exact kind of love you're thinking of. I guess that means I'm just going to have to go back and tell you my story before we can go any farther forward with our story.

A/N: Yes, I know this is short. Just a prologue of sorts, don't worry, the actual chapters should be longer. Thanks for taking the time to read this snippet.