Summary: Something strange happened to Hermione Granger during the final battle of Hogwarts. She had managed to save Fred Weasley from an almost terrible fate… but she didn't exactly know how. After the battle, a strange mark appeared on her skin just over her heart and she has no idea what it means. She avoids Fred for the next few months, trying out a relationship with Ron before heading back to Hogwarts to finish her 7th year. Yet it's getting harder and harder for her to ignore the pull that she feels towards Fred, especially when the twins open up a new Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmade and Fred is managing it. What is the strange mark that showed up on her skin and will she figure it out before it's too late? The Death Eaters that managed to escape are banding together to get their revenge and to plunge the Wizarding World into the darkness that Voldemort craved.

Author's Note: This is obviously a Fremoine fic (my first one) and it's AU where Fred is still alive. He was always my favorite twin and I was absolutely devastated when JK Rowling killed him off! Anyways, this is also a bonding fic… but I'm hoping that it's a little different than most of the ones that I've read. I was tempted to make this a Triad fic with George, Fred, and Hermione, but I think I'm just going to stick with Fred and Hermione. I always liked the pairing of George and Angelina. Okay, so onto the Prologue! I might give some flashbacks of the time between the final battle and when Hermione starts her 7th year, but the first chapter will probably go straight into Hermione being at Hogwarts… unless my lovely readers would rather have more of the in between… let me know when you review!

Disclaimer: I do not, and never shall, own Harry Potter. This wonderful series belongs to the talents of JK Rowling!

This
Is the Beginning

November 1989; Hogwarts; Gryffindor; Boys' First Year Dormitory.

Bursting through the door of his dormitory, Fred Weasley hurried over to his bed to lay down the book he had found in the library. He figured that this was something that probably should have been in the restricted section, but he had nicked it from a seventh year Ravenclaw who had been writing an essay. The pages were yellow and dusty, the leather cover wrinkled with age. He had been drawn to it somehow and couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to find something in it. He set the heavy volume down on his bed and his fingers prickled with anticipation.

"What'd you find, Freddie?"

"A book about magic and soul bonds," Fred replied to his twin brother, George.

George looked over Fred's shoulder at the old book and scoffed. Fred had always been the more sensitive twin. He had always known that he wanted to find the love of his life and get married. He was only eleven but he never shied away from girls like most boys his age. George didn't care much for any of that kind of stuff. He would much rather be pranking girls than trying to get one to kiss him. He would never tell his twin that he thought his obsession over finding his true love was ridiculous, though. George would do whatever it took to protect Fred from getting hurt, even if that meant reassuring him that he would one day find true love.

"What are you going to do with it?" George asked.

"See if there is a spell in here that will help me find my soul mate," Fred said excitedly, his eyes shining.

George furrowed his eyebrows, "Well be careful."

Fred only nodded his head and opened the book, his eyes scanning a page before finding the next one. George left his brother to his reading and went down to the common room. The book was incredibly interesting. There were so many different types of bonds that Fred had never even been aware of. There were blood bonds, magic bonds, soul bonds, protection bonds, sibling bonds, bonds between parents and their children… there was a bond for almost any type of relationship that you could think of and then some. Fred had been reading for hours before he found a bond that caught his eye. It had the characteristics of a both a soul bond and a magic bond. A soul bond was specifically for a marriage. It was rarely used anymore, but it bound the souls of the people involved. Meaning they could feel each other's emotions and even communicate telepathically once the bond was fully formed. It also meant that if one of the bonded died, the other(s) would follow soon after. Magic bonds were much more powerful. You didn't have to be in any sort of physical relationship to have a magic bond. With this type of bond, you could draw on the magic of the person that you were bonded to, making them much more powerful. Only some people were able to have this type of bond, though. Sometimes the souls may be meant for each other, but the magic clashed and vice versa. This bond was known as a True Bond. It was one of the most powerful bonds and only grew with the more people that were involved in the bond. Although, it had been known as a Battle Bond during dark times throughout wizarding history since the magic of the bonded was so much more powerful.

"Whoa…"

Fred had stopped reading after that. He wondered if he was lucky enough to have a True Bond with someone. He eagerly skipped ahead to the portion with the spell. He slipped his wand out of his robe pockets and cleared his throat, reciting the spell slowly to make sure he pronounced all of the words right. For a few seconds after he was finished, nothing happened. His hopes deflated a little bit until a pulse of energy seemed to gather in his chest before it poured out of him. He probably would have panicked if he hadn't been so fascinated. The energy condensed into a ball of clear light, with a spot of deep turquoise in the center. He reached out to touch it, but it pulsed again, sending a stabbing pain into his chest before disappearing completely. He was in agony. Little needles of pain traveled through his skin and centered just above his heart. The pain slowly faded, until it was only a dull ache. He didn't know if it had worked, but he suddenly felt bereft and confused. He glared at the book before pushing it off of his bed. With a flick of his wand, it had shrunk down to the size of a sickle and was stashed away in his trunk, fated to be forgotten.

2nd May 1998; Hogwarts; The Final Battle.

Hermione Granger was absolutely elated. She had just watched Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem shatter to pieces in Harry's hand. That meant that the only horcrux that was left was Nagini, Voldemort's snake. She had also kissed Ron. It had been wonderful and yet it had felt wrong. She couldn't explain it. She had wanted to kiss Ron for years now and when it finally happened… well it wasn't everything she had hoped for. It didn't stop the giddy feeling rising in her chest, though. They were one step closer to defeating Voldemort for good. One step closer to the peace that they all craved. She was telling Harry as much when they heard the unmistakable sounds of dueling. Fred and Percy backed into view, firing off spells against some Death Eaters. Without hesitation, Hermione flew forward with Ron and Harry following behind her. Jets of colored light were fired in every direction and Hermione was sure that Percy had just said some sort of joke before an explosion rent the walls around them.

For a split second, everything was calm and then the air was ripped from her lungs and she was thrown through the air. She felt a tug deep in her chest before she felt a piercing pain… like something was trying to claw its way out of her chest. The pain lessened when a turquoise light spilled out of her and everything slowed down. Dust seemed to freeze in the air and Hermione tried to follow the light, but the dust was too thick. She heard someone cry out and then time caught up with itself and she landed heavily on the ground, coughing and trembling. She felt weak, too weak. Her hearing seemed muffled and she knew someone was yelling, felt a hand on her elbow and saw Harry. He helped her stand and they walked over to the three Weasleys. Two of them were kneeling; one was lying on the ground. As they got closer, Hermione realized it was Fred on the ground and felt a sudden stab of fear course through her. She struggled out of Harry's grip but relaxed when Fred started coughing.

"Give a man some room, Perce!" Fred gasped out.

"Merlin, Fred! We thought that explosion killed you!" Ron said, his voice shaking.

Fred grinned slightly, "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me!"

"You should get down to the Great Hall," Percy said sternly, "Have Madam Pomfrey look at you."

"I'll take him," Hermione said, furrowing her eyebrows, "I think that explosion took a lot out of me. I don't think I could even manage a lumos. It's like my magic was drained."

Harry was about to reply but didn't get the chance to. A body dropped down from the hole in the wall and started blasting spells in their direction. Ron and Harry immediately started throwing spells back while Percy hauled Fred to his feet. Fred seemed much stronger than Hermione and he wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her steady. A feeling on contentment spread through her and she leaned into his embrace. Fred and Hermione took off in the opposite direction, away from their friends dueling Death Eaters and spiders. They quickly found their way into the Great Hall and Fred set Hermione down gently on one of the benches. Hermione's chest ached and for some reason she felt bereft without Fred's arm around her. He cupped her face in his hands and his eyes softened.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go fetch Madame Pomfrey," he said gently.

Hermione could only nod and watch as Fred took off towards the aging medi-witch. She rubbed the spot on her chest, just above her heart and it seemed to sooth the ache. It wasn't long before Fred came back, Madame Pomfrey in tow. She took in Hermione's haphazard appearance and began waving her wand, muttering to herself. Hermione felt strength return to her limbs and she could feel her magic swirling inside of her. The ache in her chest didn't lessen until Fred sat down next to her and she could feel the skin of his arm against hers.

"Feel better?" Fred asked.

"Much," Hermione replied.

She wanted to tell him about the light that came out of her. She assumed it was her magic but she didn't know what could cause something like that and it made her nervous. For those few brief moments, her magic had left her and she wondered if that's what it felt like to be a muggle. She had always known she was different and didn't like the hollow feeling she had without her magic. She unconsciously moved closer to Fred and he wrapped an arm around her. She let herself be comforted by him for a little while before standing.

"I have to go find Harry and Ron."

"Go on then," Fred frowned, "But be careful."

"I will."

Fred watched Hermione go with a heavy heart, rubbing the mark that rested just above his heart. It was faint, but it had been there ever since he performed that spell to see if he had a True Bond with anyone. It had flared in the explosion and that same turquoise light from his first year had come back, but it had come from somewhere else. It didn't come from his own magic; it seemed to be protecting him from the blast. He just didn't know where it had come from. He ignored the dull ache, like he had been for the last nine years and went to see where he could help. Time seemed to drag, but before Fred knew it, everyone was silent as Voldemort's voice rang through the school that Harry was dead. That was impossible, though! His heart stopped in his chest as he thought of Hermione, but he had seen her with Ron not moments before. There was a rush as everyone left the confines of the school. Harry was in Hagrid's arms, limp and pale. McGonagall cried out in anguish, followed by the voices of many others. Fred could barely hear anything else. His eyes were focused on Harry. There was no way that Harry was dead. He refused to believe any of it. He was brought out of his thoughts when the giants crashed through the grounds and chaos reigned. He watched Neville cut off the head of Voldemort's snake and then everyone was pushing back into the school. He searched desperately for Hermione and saw her up ahead to his left, being pulled into the school by Ron.

"HARRY? WHERE'S HARRY?"

Fred heard Hagrid's voice over everyone else's and a tiny spark of hope flared within him. Another battle ensued in the Great Hall and Harry soon revealed himself. There was a joyful uproar in the Hall as Harry and Voldemort circled each other. The rest of the battle seemed to come to a halt as everyone waited with baited breath to see who the victor would be. They each cast their spell and met in the middle with a resonating crash. Fred watched as Voldemort's wand flew high up into the air while Harry reached out to grab it. He held both wands in his hands as Voldemort fell over backwards, dead. Everything was silent for a moment before a deafening roar could be heard throughout the hall. Everyone raced towards Harry, ignoring the Death Eaters that fled from the hall. It was the day they had been waiting for… Voldemort was finally defeated.

The day then passed very quickly. Collecting the dead and the wounded was the primary task. The Great Hall and the Entrance Hall were used to take count of the dead and to heal the wounded. The Death Eaters were kept separate, the dead stayed outside and the wounded and captured went straight to the dungeons. To say it was an exhausting day would be an understatement. Hermione was tired and dirty and she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a warm bed. Thankfully, most of the dormitories remained untouched so she was able to get just that. She stayed in the Gryffindor tower with Ginny, Luna and a few other Gryffindor's that had stayed behind to fight. She had just finished showering and was changing into her night clothes when Ginny grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, what is that?" Ginny asked, nodding to her chest.

"What's what?"

"That," Ginny said, turning Hermione to face the mirror.

Hermione gaped at the mark on her chest. It was the same turquoise color as the magic that spilled out of her and she had no idea where it came from. The tip of the design dipped between her breasts and then followed their curve on either side before connecting in a straight line just above the swell of her breasts. Swirling patterns decorated the lines and the Celtic symbol for water sat in the middle of the triangle. She traced the mark with the tip of her finger and felt the mark get warm in response. Did this have something to do with her magic leaving her during that explosion? Her mind raced with possibilities but she knew she wouldn't find any answers tonight.

"I have no idea," Hermione said, "I've never seen it before."

"Well we should make sure it stays hidden until we find out what it means," Ginny replied, climbing into bed.

Hermione nodded in agreement before pulling on a shirt and hiding the mark from her view. They would have plenty of time to research it in the morning, but for now, Hermione was extremely tired and once she got into bed she knew that nothing would be able to keep her awake.

{ phoenix }

Author's Note: So this is just the prologue. There will be more answers as Hermione finds out more about the mark… anyways leave me a review and let me know what you think! Sorry if it seemed a little rushed, I didn't want to go into too much detail since everyone hopefully already knew what happened during the final battle… and it is the final battle from the book and not the movie.