Title: Harry Potter and the Falling Stars
Part: 1/?
Author: Marie a.k.a. Lovesbitch
E-mail: Lovesbitch84@yahoo.com
Rating: R (Not right away, but in a few parts you'll see why)
Summary: Hermione, Ron, Harry and Draco have all entered a small wizards college in London. Ron deals with his growing feelings for Hermione, Harry discovers his sexuality, Hermione trys to deal with a deadly problem on her own and Draco is forced to make a decision where his loyalties lie.
Contents: violence, slash, Harry/Draco, Hermione/Ron
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I have no money so there's no point suing.
Distribution: If you want to put this on your site then just send me a e-mail with the link
Feedback: Listening to the voices in your head and send feedback like a good reader
Authors Note: This is my first time writing a Harry Potter fanfic and a m/m slash piece so any and all thoughts/opinions are this fanfic are greatly wanted and needed :)

Miles from Pivet Drive, in her muggle home, Hermione Granger woke violently from her sleep with a silent gasp.

Her eighteen year old body shook uncontrollably as she tried desperately to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"Oh God," she whispered, forcing her eyes closed and her knees to her chest. She rocked back and forth slightly as she willed her nightmarish images to leave her.

All she wanted was to forget the blood, the screaming and the feeling of cold metal in her gut.

When her breathing finally returned to normal and her body was still she rolled off the bed. Her bare feet stung against the cold, wooden floor as she walked into the bathroom but she barely noticed.

With a flip of a switch the small bathroom was bathed in a harsh, artificial light. Hermione grasped the side of the sink and looked up into her reflection.

"This has got to stop," she whispered. It had been over a week since she had had a peaceful sleep.

She turned the shower on and stepped into the icy water. The last of sleep was shocked from her body and she could feel the water numbing her.

Finally, Hermione stepped out of her icy prison and wrapped a towel tightly around her body.

She returned to her room and dressed quickly. She pulled her damp hair, now cut short, back into a small pony tale and examined her reflection in her full length mirror. Her dark denim jeans fit tightly and the purple tank top made Hermione look like a typical teenage girl.

"If only that was true," she said to her image. A lot had changed in Hermione's life, most of it far from typical. Sure, she had some normal changes. Like noticing boys for the first time, her breasts growing to a C cup and other signs of puberty but she had changed emotionally too.

The wizard world was living in a state of panic these days and Hermione knew better than anybody how dangerous it had become.

She was almost in a dream state, remembering her first years at Hogwarts when life had been simpler, when a ringing broke the silence. She laughed, trying to calm her nerves and pulled her cell phone from her purse.

"Hello," she said, falling onto her bed.

"Hey Baby, did I wake you?" Ron asked, cheerfully.

"No, I've been up for a while," Hermione answered, delighted by Ron's voice. Harry and she had taught Ron how to use the phone earlier that summer and now they couldn't keep him off it.

"Shouldn't surprise me, you probably rise with the sun," Ron laughed.

"Are you calling her again?" Harry asked, in the background.

"Yeah," Ron called back.

"And you two are just friends," Hermione heard him say with a laugh. Harry had moved in with the Weasley's earlier that summer after the three had graduated from Hogwarts.

"Shut up, you wanker," Rob laughed.

"You nervous about today?" Hermione asked, ignoring Harry's comment.

"Not really, you?" he asked, and she sighed.

"Horribly. I mean, everything changes today. We went to Hogwarts for seven years and now...," Hermione trailed off, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey, we'll still be together. How different can college really be?" he asked, and Hermione could hear his desperate attempt to calm her in his voice.

"Maybe you're right," she said, trying to convince herself he was right.

"I always am," he bragged.

"I wouldn't go that far," she said, feeling herself smile. Hermione didn't know what she would do if she didn't have Ron and Harry to help her threw the hard times. They were always there for her, even in her darkest hour. She missed them more than life.

"What time do you want to meet?" Ron asked, as if he read her mind.

"How about three, in the Leaky Caldron?" Hermione suggested.

"No problem, we'll be there," Ron said.

"It'll be nice to see you guys again. It's been forever," Hermione admitted.

"You saw us last week," Ron said, causing Hermione to shiver.

"That was business," she said, emotions fleeing her voice.

"I guess," Ron whispered, noticing the change in her voice.

"I'll see you," She said, her tone not changing.

"Bye," he said, softly and then she was alone, in silence again.

She looked at her bags, piled neatly by the door and scanned the room.

Leaving her home was becoming harder and harder each year. She could pretend she was safe here, that her nightmares were just nightmares and that when she woke from them she would be unharmed.

"Why can't life be simple again?" she asked the emptiness. A sharp pain in her gut was her only answer.

"Damn it!" she cried, grabbing her side as pain shot threw her body like daggers. It was blinding and she felt around desperately for her purse.

It seemed every move her body made only increased the intensity of her misery. She cold barely breath without flinching. Finally, the handle brushed her hand and she forced her fingers painfullly around it. She somehow managed to remove a plastic bag of small, aspirin-sized pills and forced several of them into her mouth.

It was like swallowing hot coals and a horrible scream escaped her lips as her body collapsed onto her soft, pink bed.

She could hear her parents banging on the door and yelling her name but her body had gone limp and all she knew was pain. The pills finally began to do their job as her parents forced themselves into her room.

"What the hell is going on?" her father demanded, as Hermione struggled to sit up. The pain was gone, but her body felt heavy.

"I twisted my ankle," Hermione fibbed, knowing her parents would easily see threw her lie.

"What is this?" her mother demanded, grabbing the back of pills of the bed.

"Those are mine! I need them," she declared, lunging for the bag.

"You're doing drugs!?" her father snapped, his face growing red.

"It's medicine!" Hermione said, seizing the bag from her mother.

"Don't lie to us!" her mother said, looking away from her daughter. Hermione could see the tears forming in her mother eyes.

"I'm telling you the truth," Hermione insisted.

"You heard your mother, no more stories! If you're having problems with drugs we want to know. We can get you help," her father said.

"I don't need help! Why won't you believe me?" Hermione asked, desperately.

"We know what goes on in this world!" her father yelled.

"No you don't!" Hermione yelled back. Her mother lifted her eyes back to Hermione, shocked. "You have no idea what's happening!"

"I see the news, I read the paper. We're not clueless. We know about gangs, raves, drugs and all those other things you teens are so into," her father said, coldly.

"In your world, you might know the truth but you're clueless when it comes to mine!" she yelled.

"Then enlighten us," her father insisted.

"Fine, you want the truth, I'll tell you what's happening!" Hermione yelled, jumping to her feet. A sharp pain shot threw her body but she was to angry to pay it any mind. It had been so long since she had spoken to her parents, since she was straight with them. All her anger and bitterness towards them for not understanding what she was going threw was bubbling over.

"Before I was born an extremely evil and powerful wizard forced the people of my world to live in fear. Even after he fell when I was a baby they wouldn't speak his name," she started.

"And how is this important now?" her mother asked. Hermione noticed how weak her mother looked and froze for a second.

"Well?" her father asked.

"He's back, he regained power three years ago. He hasn't acted yet but slowly and surely his followers are flocking to him. And when he does attack again, and we know he will, it'll be a blood bath!" Hermione yelled, shaken by her own words.

"Then stay here, no one's forcing you to go back there. You're safe here," Hermione's mother insisted, stepping towards her daughter.

"No, I'm not," she said, looking away from her mother. It would be so easy to believe the words her mother told her. She missed the days were she could curl up in her mother's arms and believe that all was good in the world.

"I'm sure this evil wizard you speak of isn't going to track some college girl down," her father said, the anger fleeing.

"Please, he'd send an army after me," she said, coldly.

"You're just scared, I can't blame you for that," her mother said, putting her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I'm not just scared. You don't understand, you can't," Hermione whispered.

"Then tell us," her father insisted.

"Harry was the reason he lost power and he knows how dangerous Harry is with Ron and me at his side," Hermione whispered.

"Oh baby," her mother said, pulling her daughter into her arms. Hermione could feel the tears forming in her eyes but knew crying would do her no good.

"But how does that explain the pills," her father asked, after several minutes of silence.

"Every second of the day we're in danger. His followers, they're dangerous. We never know when they're going to... we have to stay ahead of them," Hermione said.

"And how do you do that?" her mother asked, breaking away from her daughter.

"We follow them, get names of their supports and places they meet," she answered.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with the pills," her father said, and Hermione stared at him.

"It explains everything! About a week ago I snuck out with Ron and Harry. Word had gotten to us a former death eater, what his followers call themselves, wanted to come clean and give us information we needed. We knew it was a bad idea to meet her but we couldn't resist knowing their was a small chance she was telling the truth. But, like we expected, it was a trap. We got out of their but my side got cut up on the way. Those pills are painkillers," Hermione spat, falling back onto her bed, exhausted by her own words.

"Oh baby," her mother whimpered.

"I'm fine, mommy. Just a little sore," she answered, not meeting her mother's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us any of this?" her father asked.

"I didn't want you to worry. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. And even when I can't I have Harry and Ron at my side. You know they'll protect me to the end," Hermione said, forcing a smile.

"You sure you have to leave. I still think it would be safer if you stayed here," her mother asked.

"Mom, it would only lead him to you. Plus, I'm safer surrounded by powerful wizards at the school," Hermione said, standing up.

"Maybe you're right," her father said, looking away from his daughter.

"I don't want to hurt you guys and I don't want you to worry," Hermione said.

"We'll always worry, you're our baby," her mother whimpered.

"I'm going to go next door and say good-bye to May before we leave," she said, desperate to get out of the room and the conversation.

"Don't be long, we have a big drive ahead of us," he father called after her, as Hermione burst threw the front door. She took a deep breath of f fresh air and sighed. She knew her parents would find out the darker parts of her life sooner or later but...

They had handled it better than she had thought but they would still worry about her. She didn't want to think about how they would have handled the whole truth. She hadn't really lied to her parents but she had sugarcoated it for them. She left out the darkest corners, her nightmares, the fears and blood that had slowly been taking over her life.

"Hermione!" a voice yelled, and she turned to see May running across her yard. She was about 16 and beautiful with long, blond hair, crystal blue eyes and a perfect smile. The only reason Hermione had ever become half-way friends with her was because they had grown up next door to each other.

"I was just coming to say good-bye," Hermione said, walking over towards her.

"College, aren't you excited?!" May said, bouncing slightly.

"I guess," Hermione said, with a fake smile on her face.

"I wish I was going off to college but I still have two years," she said, with a sigh.

"Don't worry, they'll be over before you know it," Hermione urged.

"I'm going to miss you. I'd tell you to write but I know you won't," she said with a pout.

"I'm not much of writer and you know how busy I get with my studies," Hermione explained.

"Yeah, you always were a smart one," she said, with a laugh.

"I gotta get back inside. I still have to load all my luggage into the car," Hermione said, backing away.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"Not really, dad and I can handle it," Hermione said.

"It was nice knowing you," May yelled after her.

"I'm going to college, not leaving the planet," Hermione said, turning to face her friend.

"I know, it's just I woke up this morning with a feeling that I was never going to see you again," May said, backing away.

"Oh," Hermione said, feeling dread wash over her.

"I guess I'm just going to miss you. I'll see you next summer!" May said, running back to her house.

"Good-bye," Hermione whispered, her hand drifting to her side.

Hermione walked silently back into her home, her body numb. May was a muggle, there was no way she could read the future but still...

Life was getting harder every day.

To Be Continue...