Face of Desires, Deceit of Fate (Dramione Fanfiction)

Chapter I: The Runaway

It had been five years since Hermione had used her wand as a means to survive against a combat. 

Five years since she had spoken to the ghosts of the afterlife in Hogwarts. 

Five years since their victory against Lord Voldemort against the Battle of Hogwarts, and the deaths of their loved ones. 

Five years since the death of ever funny Fred Weasley, whose jokes used to annoy her terribly but now she misses horribly. Her ears would always replay over his laughter, so hearty. But now, the sound of his laughter was starting to be a bit distorted in her mind, as if her ears were pushing the memory of his laugh away. But Hermione tried her best to remember, even writing the description of his laugh down her notebook. But even the desperate scribblings would not wash away her forgetting of someone's laugh. And it terrified her, much like how she was scared for the Weasley family.

SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS.

The Weasley house had never been the same after his death; Molly and Arthur tried their best to keep the family alive with their jubilant traditions, but all it seemed was that they had already moved on, making it seem as if Fred never existed.

It angered Charlie, who moved away and his contacts with his parents grew less and less, until he was nothing but a remainder of someone's past. Molly and Arthur tried their best not to mind it, always saying they were used to it and joked around, but those jokes and smiles hid the pain and longing in their hearts. 

Percy tried his best to be there, to catch up with the family, yet it all seemed too late. Percy lived with guilt of not being there for the family. Failure number one. Percy lived with the guilt of being with Fred and letting him die. Failure number two. How ironic, that the perfect boy of the family was now considered a failure. And although it wasn't said out loud, Hermione knew that the rest of the Weasleys harbored resentment and blame to Percy towards Fred's death, Percy included. But what else could they do? 

Fred's death was the beginning of the end of the Weasley family, whether they wanted to admit it or not. For after that? The family started to fall apart, all hiding behind a facade of one big happy family. But no one couldn't keep that in- not for long. 

That same year, George was found dead on his joke shop, his face shattered over the glass. As much as a devastating news it was, it wasn't shocking. George was Fred's other half, his soulmate, and his twin. Ever since Fred died, George also died. It only took a year before he did so. 

Hermione was the one to investigate the death alongside Harry, as Ron couldn't bring himself to look at his brother's corpse. The shattered glass and his broken face all ruled out signs of suicide, as it was reported he would get violent once he saw a reflection of himself. There were also reports that he was living in guilt, feeling as if he was living Fred's life and he had replaced him. It was even stated that he and his long time crush, Angelina Johnson, had started to blossom a romance. And Angelina just so happened to be Fred's girlfriend before he died. Those signs all ruled out as suicide. Yet as Hermione looked over the details once more, she was left confused. The sprained ankle didn't make sense, nor the broken wand that laid on his right hand- George was left handed. 

Yet she pushed it aside, and lived in a lying bliss with Ron, who grieved over two deaths of his family. She was there, always there for him, and for that she was rewarded. Shortly after his death, a beautiful ring lay over her ring finger, and plans of a wedding were to be made in a year.

And all of a sudden, happiness crept back into her chest, spreading all over her body. She was sure that there was nothing bad that was going to happen. She and Ron would get married, and she would live a happily ever after with him. She wasn't the type of person who would believe in happily ever afters, not after what she had witnessed ever since the war. Yet with Ron, she would believe. She would love. All for him.