Stolen Identity

Chapter 1

Hermione steadied her breath and placed a hand on the cold wall of the tower. As she regained her balance on the window ledge, a sigh slipped past her lips and she found herself thinking aloud.

"No one will notice I'm missing tomorrow morning. They're all too busy celebrating, anyway. But you would have noticed, Harry."

Her thoughts wandered to the relationship she had cherished with her best friend. It seemed like they had been together for ages, even though it had only been over a year. She had shared everything with Harry- her fears, thoughts, and unshakable love. There was no one else in the world more important than he was, and Hermione didn't know what she would do without him. That is, until that night came. It had been a night that many had rejoiced in, yet one she hated with every ounce of her being.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, panic reflecting in her eyes.

But Ron would not look at her. Instead, he glanced down at his feet and told her what he had heard.

"Listen, Hermione. Harry defeated You-Know-Who."

A sigh of relief washed over Hermione as she squealed with excitement.

"Well, that's great, Ron! But why are you..."

She paused as it dawned on her what Ron was leaving out. Her throat felt hot as a lump emerged and she found it hard to swallow.

"Ron... He's alright?"

Yet she knew the answer. Harry was gone.

She looked down at the grounds below and the wind blew her hair into her face, sticking strands to the tears on her face. The pain in her heart grew bigger and bigger each night she spent awake, thinking about the love she had that was so viciously torn from her life. Any dream that accumulated in her head was full of reminders of what she had lost, and it hurt to remember. She refused to recall the way he smelled...the way he touched her face...the taste of his kisses, so strong and sure. Had it only been four nights before? It seemed like a joke now, for Hermione felt as though she had never felt anything other than agony in so long.

Hermione took a deep breath in and shut her eyes. She didn't want to live with that memory anymore. But was it just the memory? No. There was no purpose in living if it meant being without Harry. She would rather die.

As she prepared to let go of the ledge, the door to the tower cracked open and a figure appeared in the entrance.

"Hermione?" a quivering voice questioned.

Startled, Hermione turned around, tripped, and fell backwards into the open air beneath her.

* * *

The door was thrust open with such force that Ron amazed himself with his own strength. As he ran towards the window, an outline of his worst fears was confirmed by the eerie moonlight. Luckily, the small hedges she had fallen into partially hid Hermione's contorted body. Ron wasn't sure if he wanted to see what Hermione looked like, but he knew he needed to find help as quickly as possible. He had already lost one friend and couldn't bear to loose Hermione, too.

She couldn't leave him yet. There had been things unsaid. Ron had been too afraid to tell her his feelings. But now all he could think about was saving her. Hermione could not die without knowing how much he loved her.