Hello everyone! This is my second attempt at a Draco/Hermione fanfic. The first one, while very successful, also had very many upset people who thought my ending was less than adequate for them. Personally, and I am completely biased, I thought the ending was good for the type of story I had laid out. It was more realistic, I believe, and neither character ended up upset at the end. Draco even ended up with a fiancée :)

So, now that that's all out of the way, on with my new fic. And don't think that just because they didn't end up together in my other one they won't in this one. Sheesh. Some people are so pessimistic :P

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Chapter 1: Prologue

Hermione Granger sat crying in the sweet-smelling spring rain. With her legs drawn up and her body hunched over, anyone could see that—leaning against the far tree near the lake—she did not want to be bothered. No one even gave her a second glance; she would not be disturbed today.

Reflecting on her seventh year at Hogwarts, Hermione could not understand how things had gone so horribly wrong. The beginning of the year had been so perfect, so right, so much of what she thought she'd wanted. Her life had been mapped out almost to her deathbed, every point and turn carefully thought out. But now that life she had thought she so badly wanted was but a wisp of smoke in her past.

A new life had been presented to her; one of deep mystery and chilling secrets. Never had she thought she wanted such things—they had nothing to do with her education and furthering her knowledge on the course to adulthood—but all of a sudden it was all she had wanted. She dreamed about her new and exciting life, praying each night that she could have "just one more day".

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, until one day reality hit her hard. She could no longer remember who she was or how her life had become what it had.

And so she made a drastic decision. A decision that set the stage for the weeping ball of a girl that sat alone in the rain.

She feared—her teeth chattering—that she could never have her life back.

"Help me," she whispered, staring out at the calmness of the lake. But she knew help would never come.

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I know that was EXTREMELY short, but its only the prologue, and I wanted to get it out before this weekend, when I'll have absolutely no time for anything but homework and maybe some sleep.

The prologue of this story is actually the middle of it. The next chapter will begin from well before this point, and then the story will continue on until it reaches her crying in the rain, and then go on from there. I hope that makes sense :P Heehee!

Hopefully the next chapter will be out within the week. That might be pushing it for me though, so just me patient.

Other than that, I hope it was intriguing enough for you to come back :)

And don't forget to REVIEW!