The Bond Clause

by MissRose727

A ritual within a ritual. Those who have experienced cannot speak of it. A ritual that will teach you about your partner and more importantly, about yourself. A story of love and how it conquers even the most unsettling of situations. Three days it lasts, but can you survive being trapped in your newlywed's body for that long? Draco panics. Hermione can't aim. DM/HG. EWE.

Title: The Bond Clause

Author name: MissRose727

Category: Humor

Sub Category: Romance

Rating: M

Spoilers: DH compliant, sort of. Fred, Remus and Tonks are all alive because I said so! :D Definitely EWE

Summary: A ritual within a ritual. Those who have experienced cannot speak of it. A ritual that will teach you about your partner and more importantly, about yourself. A story of love and how it conquers even the most unsettling of situations. Three days it lasts, but can you survive being trapped in your newlywed's body for that long? Draco panics, and Hermione can't figure out how to aim. DM/HG. EWE.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: Okay, okay I know what you're going to say. What about Shattered! Yes…well my muse and I compromised you see…we came to an agreement that if she kept my angsty juices flowing for Shattered, I'd write out this little plot bunny she'd been pestering me with. I wasn't going to post this until I was done writing it, but alas, I never listen to myself. Not sure how long it will be, guess we will find out when it ends.

The Bond Clause

Chapter 1: The Wedding

The wedding was beautiful. A perfect blend of the Bride and Groom. There was elegance and tradition. There was simplicity and innovation. Muggle and Wizard customs coming together like never before. There were extravagant decorations, such as fine china and gold threaded table cloths, with a cake nearly ten feet high, but accented with subtle floral arrangements that bordered on delicate.

The Groom was dressed in traditional wizarding dress robes, shined and polished to perfection. Meanwhile the Bride, in traditional muggle attire, wore pure white dress from head to toe. Her veil was the same length as her train, charmed to float as if caught in a summer breeze. Exquisite lace draped her from top to bottom, the dress flaring out mid leg. Intricate but delicate embroidery and needlework covered the floor length gown, while the scalloped sweetheart neckline brought out every perfect quality of the bride.

Though simple, the stones adorning every available wrist, earlobe, neck and belt of the dress were diamonds of the rarest breed. They created tiny rainbows that flittered about the room as the soft-lit candles floated in the air. Their light illuminated the internal glow of the blushing bride.

It was a wedding of contradictions and compromises. None of that mattered, though, because what truly made the day something special, was the two people in the clothes. They could have been dressed in burlap sacks and they would have beamed at each other the same way as they did now.

Harry Potter had never before seen two people so in love and so completely perfect for each other. It was an unlikely pairing, much like the muggle book, Romeo and Juliet, but with a much happier ending. Star-crossed lovers, enemies for far too much of their lives, now to be joined, bonded, for all the days of their life… and wizards had a habit of having longer life span than muggles.

Harry stood next to the groom, his position in the wedding being the Best Man, strangely enough. Beside him stood Blaise Zabini and even stranger still, stood Ronald Weasley. Across the aisle from him stood Ginny Potter, formerly Ginny Weasley. She was secretly pregnant with their first child, but thankfully wasn't showing yet. They were waiting until after the happy couple came back from their honeymoon to tell everyone the good news.

Ginny had insisted on not stealing her best friend's wedding spotlight, as the famous Harry Potter's first child would surely hold the paper's interests for weeks to months once they found out. Even if this was the second wedding of the century, his own being the first, nothing could top the promise of a new Potter heir.

Behind Ginny stood Luna Lovegood. It had been an amazing feat for Blaise to hold her still long enough to place a ring on her finger. But he, being the cunning and devious Slytherin he was, had persevered and won her heart. Behind the quirky blond stood possibly the most outrageous pairing of the three of them, Princess of Slytherin herself. Pansy Parkinson stood holding her small bouquet of white lilies, presenting a rather large baby bump to the crowd. She was nearly seven months pregnant with twins. By the miracle of magic they knew that both twins had red hair and stubby noses.

Yes, in fact, Ronald Weasley had married none other than Pansy Parkinson, now Pansy Parkinson-Weasley. That had been a hard pill to swallow for the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Pansy's friends and family. The pair had crossed paths about two years ago, found they were a good match for each other and never looked back. They lived about a half hours drive from the burrow now, in a moderately wealthy town. Pansy, having only distant family left after the war, had decided that being near Ron's family was important, especially with the twins coming.

Harry watched as the bride made her way up the short three steps to the top of the raised platform where her betrothed stood, mouth agape at his fiancé's beauty. Harry really couldn't blame him, she was stunning. She took a moment to turn around, smiling at Harry. He returned the smile and winked at her. There was the moment where her father gave her away and Harry actually felt his heart ache for the poor man. Having his own child on the way…what if it were a girl? He would have to give her away as well.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please be seated," Mr. Weasley said softly after the song came to a close. Harry stayed standing where he was, as it was customary for the bridal party to stand. He would have liked to sit; it seemed being the best man meant no sitting for the duration of the entire wedding day…and the night before. His feet killed, to say the least.

"We are gathered here today to join together two souls in the sanctity of marriage. No other commitment in life is more challenging or fulfilling than that of choosing a partner for life. Whatever life may bring forth, you both shall face it together, as equals, as partners. Where there is love, there is life and I can see from the love radiating off the two of you, there is no lack of love.

"I believe you have chosen your own vows?" The bride and groom smiled at each other and Harry held his breath. They'd been practicing this for days, wanting it to be just right. The two of them, perfectionists to the core, he'd laughed quite a few times at their need for flawlessness.

"I love you unconditionally and without hesitation," they said together. Their voices perfect, just as they'd hoped. Harry couldn't help but allow his face to crack into arguably one of his largest grins ever, save the ones that were reserved only for Ginny. "I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with love, learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone."

Here they each reached for the rings both Harry and Ginny had held for safe keeping. Placing the ring on each others left hand they finished the bonding ritual, clasping hands while Mr. Weasley cast the bonding spell.

"Today, I choose you to be my husband/wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for and love you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life."

There was a pregnant pause, seemed no one in the room was breathing even. A sniffle sounded out and Harry noticed the mother of the bride wiping away a tear and beaming nearly as bright as the bride herself. It was a happy moment for everyone.

"If anyone has just cause for these two not to be joined on this day, together, bonded for all the days of their lives, let them speak now, or else hereafter forever hold their peace."

There was always a tense silence after that line that Harry always worried someone would say something. He wouldn't put it past the twins to say something just to get some laughs. Thankfully, they remained silent, though it could have been the silencing charm Mrs. Weasley had placed on them. Harry winked at the teary eyed witch.

"Well, now that that is settled," Mr. Weasley continued, turning to face the groom.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, do you take this witch to be your bond-mate. Do you enter into this bond of your own volition and henceforth be true, honest and faithful to your bond-mate, Hermione Jean Granger, whom stands before you now and in front of these witnesses and adhere to all laws and regulations placed on this bond?" Mr. Weasley asked, and although he said this with a smile, this was the part that bound the two of them for life. They were the two most important words of Draco's life. Harry knew that, because he'd said them himself just over a year ago.

"I do," Draco vowed, solidly and proudly with a grin on his face to rival any before. A collective breath was released in the crowd, yet another thing that made Harry want to laugh. Here they were in a marriage ceremony and people were afraid someone would say no? Well he supposed it could happen, but not with these two. This was what fairy tales were made of.

"And do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take this wizard to be your bond-mate. Do you enter into this bond of your own volition and henceforth be true, honest and faithful to your bond-mate, Draco Lucius Malfoy, whom stands before you now and in front of these witnesses and adhere to all laws and regulations placed on this bond?"

"I do," Hermione said without hesitation. Her grin was so brilliant that the entire room felt her happiness. Draco beamed as well. The two of them were just right for each other.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the Minister of Magic, I now pronounce you bonded for life. Draco, you may kiss your bride." Mr. Weasley stepped back, allowing the now bonded witch and wizard the smallest amount of privacy. Not that there was any in a room filled with friends and family.

And kiss her, he did. The crowd whooped and whistled as he bent Hermione backwards in a deep dip, kissing her soundly on the lips. Harry sent out his own whistles and caught the eye of his own bride. She winked at him and his heart soared as it only did when he was looking at Ginny.

The happy couple came up for air and Hermione looked elated, a little surprised and winded, perhaps. Together they jumped over the broom, effectively sweeping away any past grievances and opening their world to a new, fresh start. Hermione had insisted that the symbolism was needed for those who still didn't agree with their marriage and she pointedly ignored the other possible meanings for broom jumping, such as the marriage being not legally valid, etcetera and so on and so forth. Harry hadn't really paid attention. Only Hermione would give an hour's lecture on the history of broom jumping just to make her point.

The rest of the wedding went as most weddings did. They ate, danced, smashed cake, much to the groom's dismay. They danced more and tossed the bouquet and the garter. Neville catching the garter and Gabrielle Delacour catching the bouquet. Both blushed the rest of the night.

Harry made his toasts, keeping everything simple and short, just as the bride and groom had asked of him. Ginny did the same, although tears were shed and she had to excuse herself afterwards. Pregnancy hormones were a pain in the arse evidently.

As it all came to a close, Harry found himself thinking about one thing. What would happen in the morning? For he knew something that the newlyweds didn't. It was a custom that is kept secret, as part of the bond rules, because if you knew about it before hand, many would not enter into a life long bond. Which would be a shame, because there really wasn't a greater feeling in the world than knowing that you were, for the rest of you life, never going to be alone. And for an orphan like Harry, the prospect of never being alone again was pretty damn awesome.

"Harry!" Hermione called from across the room. Her dress swirling and presenting her as an angel sent from heaven. A weightless charm allowed Hermione to freely move about without worrying about her dress falling down or getting too cumbersome. Harry gave her a light hug.

"The beautiful Lady of the Evening. How is everything, Hermione? Is it everything you dreamed of?" Hermione beamed. He knew it was what she wanted because Draco had ensured it would be. She'd begged him not to make a fuss over the wedding, and he'd done his best to not flaunt his money, but when it came to Hermione, money was no object. She would get everything she wanted and then some. That was partly why Harry had agreed to the marriage.

Draco had actually asked three men for Hermione's hand. First and foremost was her father, Mr. Granger. He'd been reluctant to let his daughter go after finally getting her back from Hogwarts, the memory lapse and then the curse-breaker program and internship that had lasted four years in total. That was how Draco and Hermione had gotten past…the past. Being stuck with each other for four years forces you to learn a lot about a person, whether you wanted to or not.

Hermione's father had finally agreed when Draco had promised that they would be by at least twice a month if not more so he could see his daughter. Draco assured him that his daughter was not going to disappear from his life.

Then he'd gone to Mr. Weasley, who in many ways resembled Hermione's magical father. Mr. Weasley had easily given Draco his blessing and had been surprised when Draco had asked him to officiate. The patriarch agreed to that as well, obviously.

Then Draco had come to Harry. Harry Potter, Hermione's best friend and as close to a brother as possible. The person whom Draco had been adversaries with since the day they'd met, who hadn't gone through the internship with Draco and still held some reservations against him at the time. He'd braved rejection from the Boy-Who-Lived-Again because he'd know it would be important to Hermione. That, in and of itself, had said enough for Harry to give him his blessing.

It had taken awhile for Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys to completely open up to Draco. The new marriage between Ron and Pansy had helped, as Pansy had been Draco's ally during the awkward period.

"Oh Harry, it's everything I ever could have dreamed of. No…it's more than I could ever have dreamed of," Hermione said breathlessly.

"Only the best for my bonded, my wife, the new Mrs. Malfoy." Draco kissed her temple, careful to steer clear of the large hairpiece on the side of her head holding her massive curly hair in the most amazing off the side twist with crystals and miniature flowers scattered about in strategic places.

"Are they already in the love-y dove-y name calling stage?" Ginny sidled up to Harry and he dutifully wrapped his arm around her waist. He always wanted to be touching Ginny, it felt so right.

"It's the wrackspurts; Draco's head is full of them." Luna smiled at the scowling Draco. He didn't like it when Luna pointed out her imaginary beings, let alone when they pertained to him. It was a quirk that he tolerated for Blaise and Hermione.

"Luna, love, Draco's wrackspurts ran away a long time ago. His mind is impossible to inhabit for a long period of time. My condolences to you, Granger. Although, I suppose it's Malfoy now. Though, I'll be honest, I'm still calling you Granger." Blaise wrapped Luna in a hug from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and winking and Draco who'd turned his scowl to his friend instead of the blonde.

"Be nice, Blaise, its Draco's day after all," Pansy chided and Blaise just winked at her as well.

"The food is amazing, that's for sure," Ron said with a half full mouth and another piece of cake. This was his third.

"For Merlin's sake, Ronald, put that down. You'd think you were the one eating for three," Pansy remarked, rolling her eyes. The corner of her lips twitched, however, and she gave into the smile she couldn't hold back from her husband.

An unlikely bunch, a mixture of three of the four houses, brought together by powers unknown. And even with their past as marred as it could ever be, with war and death as their foundation, here they stood the eight of them, all now happily married and ready to start their new lives together. Some families already growing, others soon to be and some just beginning.

The six of the eight knew what was coming for newly bonded couple. Sworn to secrecy by the bond vows they took, each of them anxiously awaited the return of the Malfoys. They were going to the American Hawaiian Islands, as Hermione had always wanted to go there. The time zone change, however, would cause the pair to lose a day and a half due to traveling.

What even Hermione Granger-now-Malfoy couldn't find in a book was this: a ritual within a ritual. A body-swap for three days. There was no avoiding it, it would happen whether they liked it or not. More than likely not. Surprisingly, as everyone would come to accept later, it was the most brilliant idea ever. There were so many things to learn about another person, why not trade bodies? There was so much they each had learned about themselves and about their better half.

The six of them wished they could go and see how the bride and groom handled the inevitable switch. Its trigger was the morning after consummating the bond. The next day when the bonded pair wakes up, they will be in their bond-mate's body. That was why it was against the bond rules for anyone to be around the newlywed-bonded couple for the first week. It would be awfully hard to maintain normal life when you are all of a sudden a girl or find yourself having to navigate the men's lavatory.

All six of them were thinking the same thing.

T-minus two days and counting.

A/N: So…what do you think? Should I continue? Hermione's dress is located here: davidtuteraformoncheri ( dot com) ( slash ) wedding-dresses (slash) 213253 (slash)?fc= just remove (slash) with a (/) :D I hope the link works. I hate not being able to link things on here. Anyway, tell me what you think, I'm dying to know! Dramione cookies for all who review!