And So it Begins....

Chapter 1: The Letter and a Reply

I stared at the letter for a moment. Ron. I had thought it would be Ginny who would write to me first. I stifled a smile. I'm not sure why I felt like smiling at that moment, maybe it had something to do with this being my first owl of the summer. I opened the letter carefully and read Ron's words:

'Mione:

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write to you. It has been hard, I can't forget things. I need you. Please come to the Burrow.

Love - Ron

I looked at the letter and sighed. 'I need you,' I read, 'Love - Ron.' I knew right then and there that, as much as I needed to please my parents, I had to go to Ron. With a wince I pulled myself up from the window seat and began to make my way downstairs. It took me so long to do anything now. The curse I was hit with in the Department of Mysteries had lingering effects. Effects that the healers had said would fade with time. I hated these pains. The limping, the aching pain throughout my entire body that wouldn't go away, and the headaches, the headaches were the worst. The headaches were always followed by dreams. These dreams were more like nightmares. Nightmares of things I had seen, and, though I'm not sure, things I was going to see in the future. They were usually just flashes, but I hated seeing them. I wondered if the dreams would fade.

I reached the kitchen and plopped myself down in one of the chairs. Feeling the aches subside I stood again to find my mother. As I rounded the corner to the dining room, I spotted her. She was small and petite with big brown eyes and her dark hair pulled into a professional bun and had wisps of sophisticated gray. I could only hope to look as beautiful as my mother did at that moment, I almost hated to interrupt her, she looked so peaceful.

"Mum," I said sitting in a green padded chair.

"Hermione, darling, what are you doing up? You should be resting!" She cried abandoning her housecleaning and rushing to my side. She really had a lot in common with Mrs. Weasley. They would get along. 'Stop thinking like that! They will never know! Our worlds are too different! They will never understand what we've been through and I can't bring myself to tell them!' I frowned at that thought but returned to the task at hand.

"Mum, Can I go to the Burrow?" I asked with caution. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes as I continued, "Ron, he's.....I need....Oh Mum...." At the look of worry on her face, I began to cry. Damn myself! I always cry! I always cried to Harry and Ron and now I couldn't stop crying to my parents. They were never going to let me go anywhere if I kept this up, but the tears wouldn't subside.

"Hermione, sweetheart, Ron is fine," my mother said taking me into a light embrace, afraid she would crush me if she held me tighter.

"Mum....(gasp).....so hard....(sniffle).....please?" I pleaded, the emotions of the past weeks flooding out of me. I was never good at holding my emotions back.

"Yes, of course," my mother sighed, I could tell this was hard for her, "I know you love Ron, I don't understand what you went through, but if Ron needs you, go to him."

I stiffened at this remark, "Ron? Love?" I whispered to myself, "He's my best friend," I said out loud as if trying to convince myself that that was all he was.

"We will take you to the Burrow; you are in no condition to use that powdery stuff."

"Floo, Mum, Floo Powder," I sniffed, smiling to myself.

"Right, well, go upstairs and write to Ron, tell him you'll be there in the morning." My mother replied, looking disheartened.

I nodded, pulling myself up from the chair. 'Do I love Ron?' I wondered to myself as I cautiously climbed the stairs, 'Of course I love him, but as more than a friend? I can't worry about it now, Ron needs me,' I concluded as I reached my bedroom. I picked up a quill and some parchment and wrote:

Ron-

It's ok it took so long, I understand. I can't forget either. I need you too; I'll be there in the morning. My parents will bring me. They do not think I am in a condition to Floo.

Yours,

'Mione

I carefully folded the letter and gave it to Pig, who was flapping excitedly around the room, "Take this to Ron," I said before opening the window and letting Pig free. I watched him fly until he was out of my sight, before collapsing onto my window seat. I rubbed my legs, trying to relieve the soreness. Every day my body felt better. The more I walked and moved around, the better my body felt. However, the headaches have yet to subside.

As I sat there on my window seat, stretching my aching muscles, I braced myself for the headache that I felt approaching in the back of my mind. They were coming back, the memories. I now knew what it felt like to be Harry. The large circles underneath my eyes represented the lack of sleep I had obtained in the past few weeks. Every night I was awakened by a nightmare, or if a headache was proceeded by a blackout I awoke feeling as though I had just run a marathon.

The whispers began and I clamped my hands over my face as the memories began to haunt me once more.

~Flash of white light~

-Spinning red X's on doors-

~Flash~

"Expelliarmus!"

~Flash~

"AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

~Flash~

"Hermione!!"

~Flash~

"SIRIUS!!!!!!!!"

~Flash~

"NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

Darkness

This is my first fan fiction, if you couldn't tell, please review! If you have any comments or suggestions I'd love to hear them! Thanks! I'll try to make the chapters longer!