*Notes from the Writer*

Okay, SO! This is my first fanfic, and I'm excited to share it!

This is a HermioneXGeorge fic (with just a bit of HermioneXRon at the beginning), so, if this isn't your cup of tea, you won't hurt my feelings if you skip it :)

Rating - T for now. Some mild language, war and violence, sexual (but not explicit) discussions and innuendos, and perhaps a scene or two of sensuality between married people...

Yes, this is another fic based on the premise of a wizard marriage law. My apologies if people are tired of reading those. Personally, I love the marriage law fanfics and I like reading the different spins put on the idea by different writers, so I hope people will enjoy reading one more!

Summary: When the Ministry of Magic decides to create and enforce a marriage law, Hermione finds herself set to marry her friend, George Weasley. Hermione and George are already bonded together by a secret that only they share, and as they face their impending marriage vows, the two grow even closer. Hermione helps George to battle the fears that have plagued him since the battle at Hogwarts, and she may just fall in love with him in the process. Compliant with HP 1-6 with some changes made to DH story-lines.

Warning that the prologue is sad, and there will definitely be a bit of heartache throughout this story, but there will be humor and light-hearted fun throughout and I promise, promise, PROMISE to leave you happy at the end of it all!

I'm not making any sort of profit off this story. It is simply for my entertainment and [hopefully] for the entertainment of other fans. All the characters, fictional places, etc., etc. belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and everyone else who has ownership rights to the Harry Potter stories.

If I owned any of it, I would be writing this while relaxing on my own personal island, and, more importantly, Fred Weasley never would have been killed. ;) Seriously, please don't sue me. I don't have much. :)

******

Prologue

There were near-constant flashes of light all around me, and it seemed that there was no where I could go to escape the screams that continually reached me ears. People were running, fighting, shouting spells; some fell to the stone floor in crumpled heaps. I knew that they were dying, if they were not already dead. A burst of green light just missed my head, jerking me from my anxious thoughts, and I turned in time to see a wizard taking aim again with his shiny, black wand. I ducked and ran, maneuvering through the chaotic mass of people, losing the dark wizard somewhere along the way. When I reached a long and empty corridor, I stopped, placing a hand over the sharp ache in my side and tried to catch my breath. I'd been separated from Harry and Ron, and had to find a way to get back to them - a task that could be more easily completed if I could just figure out where, exactly, they were. Or, for that matter, where I was.

After a few short seconds of rest, I continued on down the corridor, away from the madness I had just narrowly escaped, and as I approached the corner, I heard two familiar voices. They were not the voices of the two boys I'd been looking for, but, all the same, I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort at the thought of seeing two friendly faces. Quickening my pace, I sprinted towards the voices which, amid various shouted spells, were cheering and laughing, and as I rounded the corner, two identical figures came into view. The two boys were both tall and lanky, with shaggy, ginger hair, and they were laughing and congratulating each other as they disarmed and destroyed a group of Death Eaters. My footsteps thudded and echoed in the open space as I ran towards them, causing both of them to turn their heads in my direction.

"Hermione!" they yelled in unison.

George pulled me against his side for a quick hug. "You alright there, Hermione?"

I nodded. "Fine, thanks. At least, for the moment, anyways." I tried to laugh but it sounded shaky and unsure.

Fred gently cupped his hand over my shoulder and offered a comforting squeeze. "Have you seen the others? Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"The last time I saw them, everyone was fine. But I.. I don't know.. I got separated somehow and I can't find my way back."

"Well, I think we're about finished here." Fred grinned as he surveyed the room which was now littered with the corpses of several dark witches and wizards. "What do you think, Forge?"

"I think you're right, Gred," George said, returning his twin's smile with one of his own.

"Let's go find the others then, shall we?" Fred bowed slightly and then made a grand sweep with his arm, indicating the path we should take.

Fred led the way and I followed just behind him with George at my heels. Ten seconds. We couldn't have been running for longer than ten seconds before it happened. There was a deafening explosion followed by the sound of cracking stone, and the air was suddenly so thick with dust and debris that I couldn't even see which way to run. Something solid and heavy connected with my chest and knocked me to the ground, the pain so intense that my vision completely blacked for a moment. When I could see again, the dust was settling and I could make out heaps of rock all around me where part of the castle wall had collapsed. I heard groaning behind me, followed by the scrapes and thuds of rock being shifted. Slowly, I pulled myself up, ignoring the piercing pain in my ribs, and turning to look back, I saw George, struggling to get to his feet.

"Hermione!" he yelled as soon as our eyes met. He abandoned his attempts to stand and crawled over the rubble to get to me. As he got closer, I could see a gash across his cheek, blood trickled from it, trailing over his jaw and down his neck. When he reached my side, he pressed his hands to the sides of my face, feeling my cheeks, petting my hair, searching me for signs of injury. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I began to nod but suddenly stopped, seeing something out of the corner of my eye; something bright and colorful and out of place among the dingy rocks. I turned to get a better look and felt a wave of nausea hit me as I recognized the soft, ginger-colored hair of Fred Weasley. He wasn't moving. Something between a cry and a groan escaped from George and I knew, without needing to look back at him, that he'd seen what I was seeing. I somehow managed to pull myself to my feet, and rushed over to the place where Fred was lying, but George made it there first, scrambling on all fours to reach the broken body of his twin. Fred's face was slightly bruised and cut, but the faintest trace of a smile still clung to his lips. He was dead.

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion, and I couldn't make sense of any of it. George was hunched over his brother, frantically pushing and pulling every stone away from the motionless body until George was the only thing left touching him. Tears began to prick my eyes. George's breathing was heavy and ragged, ripping through his entire body like tearless sobs, and the sight of him, of his utter desperation, made me feel as if my heart might burst with grief. And then I thought of something.

"George," I said, but my voice came out as no more than a whisper. "George," I tried again, a little louder this time. I reached across his brother's body to grab George's hands, difficult to do while my own were shaking so badly. "I think we can save Fred."

George looked up at me for just a second, and his eyes were wide and panicked. I wasn't sure that he was comprehending a word I was saying to him.

"We can DO this!" I yelled, my voice shrill and harsher than I had meant for it to sound. I was on the brink of hysterics myself and as much as I was trying to convince George, I was also struggling to convince myself. "George, we can do this!" I shouted again. "But I need you to help me! George, you have to listen to me!"

He lowered his gaze to Fred's face once more before looking back up at me. I saw his adam's apple bob up and down his throat as he swallowed, hard. His lips moved, but he didn't make a sound. At last, he nodded.

********

Writer's Notes:

I'm new to posting here so please be patient with me while I find my way around.

If you enjoyed the prologue and want to read more, please leave me reviews because, while they won't affect whether or not I continue with the story (because I will definitely continue), your reviews WILL make me oh-so-happy! Thanks in advance and I promise there is happiness to come! :)

(And thanks to Rebel Band Gal for pointing out that I called this an Epilogue instead of a Prologue! Yikes! I need an embarrassed emoticon.) :)