Fear That Binds

By Actrez

Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter characters, however if I did own them I would be getting paid to write this and that would be beautiful because I need money. Alas. . .

Rating: R for language, violence and possibly for sexual situations in chapters to come.

Pairings: Hermione/Draco with some Harry/Ginny and possibly some Ron/Other

Summary: It's the Golden Trio's final year at Hogwarts and things are changing quickly. Can the three friends make it out of it all together or will secrets kept tear them apart? Alliances must be forged as the students of Hogwarts learn everything is not always as it seems.

Author's note/warning: If you look at my profile you can tell that I have trouble finishing stories at times (it has happened though, no worries). I have a number of stories for various things in the works at the moment that I told myself I wouldn't post until they're completely finished. However, this is my first Harry Potter fic and I would like feedback on it as I go along so I've decided to post it as I work on it. Please let me know what you think of it (good and bad—just be nice, I don't take kindly to flames). And please stick with me I promise to try my hardest to finish but seeing as I am merely a college student trying to pay bills some chapters may come faster than others. Thanks!

Special thanks: I promise the story is coming, lol, I just wanted to thank my fantastic sister Nicole11 (who is amazing writer and I totally recommend her stories—especially Voldie's Gone Ghetto, its slap your knee funny) for getting me into this whole Harry Potter thing. Thanks sis! You're the best!!

Prologue

The morning sunlight crept into the bedroom from the open blinds, warming the faces to the two sleeping forms. Hermione Granger felt someone shift beside her as she slowly awoke; she knew who it was instantly as the events from the night before replayed themselves in her mind. Bloody hell. She forced herself to open her eyes and found blue ones staring back at her with just a hint of panic in them.

"Morning," Ron managed an awkward smile which she returned with the same amount of discomfort. He gave a little laugh in hopes that it would ease the tension. No such luck.

"So. . ." Hermione filled the awkward silence lamely. She was painfully aware that they were both completely naked under Ron's blanket.

"This is awkward," he finally muttered, concentrating on the thread that had worked its way out of the stitching.

Oh thank Merlin he felt it too. She breathed a sigh of relief, "Yeah." Relief flashed through his eyes at her agreement. "They say the morning after is always awkward," she offered vainly, not completely sure who 'they' were.

"That's an understatement," she heard him mutter under his breath; she couldn't agree more. The need to put an end to awkward tension filling the room overwhelmed her; she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. After a moment of shock he responded by running his tongue across her lips. Well, she thought as he slid his tongue into her mouth, this is certainly not how it felt last night. She slowly opened her eyes to find him once again staring back at her. They stopped mid-kiss as smiles slowly broke out across their faces. The ridiculousness of the situation caused laughter to bubble up in her throat and she began to giggle against his lips.

Hermione felt the tension whoosh out of the room as they both fell back on their pillows, laughing. "Well, that answers that," she said as their laughter died down.

"Hell of a way to start seventh year," he said with a shake of his head. She nodded in agreement and they fell into a far more comfortable silence.

Hermione glanced down at her naked form and her grip on the blanket they shared tightened—her self-consciousness coming back full force. "Do you think you could. . ." she signaled for him to turn around.

Awareness dawned on his features and his face reddened enough to match his hair. "Yeah, sorry," he turned his back to her and she quickly reached for her clothes that had been discarded on the floor the night before. "So what do we say to everyone else?" he asked as she handed him his clothes and let him know he could turn around.

"I don't think we need to tell them anything," she said with a shrug as she buttoned the last few buttons of her shirt, "It's not as if anything needs to change."

He watched her for a few moments; despite their frequent arguments Hermione was one of his best friends. The idea of something jeopardizing their friendship made his stomach churn. He wished he could remember what exactly had been going through his mind when he decided that shagging her would be a good idea. I must have been bloody insane, he thought. "So we're still friends?" he asked tentatively.

"Ron," she looked at him, shocked he would even ask. He looked back at her uncertainly and she thought he might have been holding his breath. A grin broke out across her face at his concern and she shoved his shoulder, "Of course." She watched as relief flooded through his form and he released a long breath. Her smile widened even more, causing her eyes to crinkle, "At least now we know," she told him with another shrug.

Ron looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The look on his face let Hermione know he had felt the same pressure and expectations of their peers she had the past six years that they would end up together. From downstairs they heard Ginny begin to yell at Fred and George before Mrs. Weasley intervened. "I'm going downstairs, you should get dressed," she told him as she stood from the bed and headed toward the door. She turned back and saw that he had pulled the cover up over his head, "Ron," she let out an exasperated sigh, "You have to get up, we're going to Diagon Alley today remember?"

"Why do you even care?" he peeked his head out from under the blanket, "You've read all the books we need already anyway."

"But you haven't." She considered going over there and yanking the blanket off of him as she would have done if he were clothed, but stopped herself, realizing it would only make things awkward again.

Ron rolled his closed eyes. Deciding not to break her heart, he kept the fact that he didn't plan to ever read the books to himself. "Fine," he heard her say as she opened the bedroom door, "I suppose if you don't want to eat before we go you can sleep half the day away." The door closed behind her as he yanked the covers down, "Not eat? Wait! 'Mione wait! What do you mean not eat?" he yelled after her.

"Don't call me that!" Was the only response he got as he heard her descending down the stairs. He could see her in his mind, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the nickname he had given her over the summer.

Hermione walked into the Weasley's kitchen to find Ginny talking animatedly to Harry about the upcoming school year. "Morning dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted her with a glass of pumpkin juice and a scone. Hermione accepted them with a smile and went to join her friends, sitting down next to Harry. Mrs. Weasley shook her head with a sigh, "RONALD!" she yelled up the stairs. "Get down here if you want to eat before we leave!"

There was a thump and a muttered curse from upstairs and Hermione hid her smile behind her scone as they listened to Ron scurrying around above them. He was stumbling down the stairs, still pulling on his shoes, seconds later and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his disheveled appearance.

Ginny wrinkled her nose at her brother as he sat down next to her. "Did you even shower?"

"No," he told her simply before digging into his food. Ginny made a disgusted noise and Ron's head shot up, glaring at Hermione, "It's her fault, not mine!" he told his sister with a wave of his scone.

Hermione gaped at the boy across from her, "My fault?" Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Harry shake his head at the two of them.

"Yes your fault!" Ron said through a mouthful of scone. "If you hadn't wanted to leave so bloody early I would have been able to shower."

"Ron, it's nearly noon! It's not my fault if you want to sleep the day away," she told him haughtily.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have slept the day away if you hadn't kept me up half the night!" Hermione's eyes widened in horror and Ron's jaw went slack as a confused silence settled over the room.

Hermione realized that her swift kick in the shin to Ron was a bit of a delayed reaction but she didn't care enough to stop herself. The others in the room looked at them and she watched Ron's face redden across from her, well aware that hers was doing the same. Ron you stupid git, she mentally chastised him.

"How did Hermione keep you up half the night?" Harry gave his two friends a confused look.

The two stared at each other, each praying the other would speak up first. "Uh. . ." Hermione began awkwardly, "I was up late reading." Great excuse, she told herself as she mentally rolled her eyes. She knew Ron was thinking the same thing as he glared at her from across the table.

Harry seemed to be even more confused and he shot a look at Ginny who shrugged her shoulders, "Okay. . ."

"And she was humming!" Ron cried with a slightly triumphant look on his face. Hermione shot him a look from across the table and shook her head, his expression instantly sobered.

Harry turned his confused gaze on Ron, "I didn't hear her."

"It's getting late," Hermione stood from the table just as Ginny opened her mouth to comment. "We should go." The others seemed to accept this answer and followed Mrs. Weasley to the fireplace.

"You were reading?" Ron whispered as they fell behind the others.

She shrugged helplessly, "It's true," she said, getting slightly defensive. "If you hadn't made that daft comment I wouldn't have had to think of an excuse in the first place."

"Yeah, it's all my fault," Ron muttered somberly with a roll of his eyes.

Before they could continue Harry appeared before them. "You guys coming?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Hermione smiled brightly, "Of course," she said pushing Ron towards their friend. Harry gave the two of them another confused look before the three joined Ginny and Mrs. Weasley at the fireplace.

"Can you believe we're going to be seventh years?" Ron's excited voice carried throughout The Leaky Cauldron. "And Hermione's head girl, we're going to rule the school," he announced triumphantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, casting a concerned glance at Harry who was suspiciously quiet as they drank their butterbeers. "Harry?" she touched his arm to pull him from his thoughts, "Are you okay?"

Once they had arrived at the Burrow to finish out their holiday he had told her he thought something was going to happen with Voldemort that year. She had tried to tell him that he was being paranoid. Even if something did happen, she had assured him, they would be able to handle it. Her words hadn't seemed to make much of a difference and she was slightly concerned, he had never been worried without good reason.

Harry met his friends concerned looks, "I'm fine," he told them unconvincingly. Hermione gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and Ron clapped him on the back. His friends knew exactly what had been concerning him lately. He couldn't explain his sudden paranoia. He hadn't heard any news of Voldemort over the summer, but that fact didn't seem to rid him of the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

"Come on, mate," Ron told him cheerily, "Let's not think about that now." He shot a look at Hermione over his glass and saw that she had noticed Harry's expression darken even more. She seemed to force a smile on her face as she asked Harry about quiditch in an effort to get him to talk.

Draco Malfoy wandered into The Leaky Cauldron and sneered as he caught sight of the Golden Trio sitting on the other side of the room. Weasel and Mudblood were casting looks at the Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived as if they feared he would suddenly disappear in front of them. Wouldn't be much of a loss, he thought with a roll of his eyes.

The Weasel's eyes met his and narrowed into slits, "Malfoy," he heard him hiss. Draco returned the glare and decided it was time to make his appearance. He swaggered over to their table, a sneer on his face. He took one look at Weasel's muggle clothes and smirked, "Nice sweater Weasley, d'your muggle-loving father get it in one of his raids?"

Ron's face grew red at the jab at his family. His hands balled into fist and he saw Hermione glare daggers at Malfoy.

Draco watched in amusement as Ron reached for his wand. Hermione grabbed his arm, "Just ignore him Ron," she told him in that holier than thou way she had. Draco sneered at her, where did she get off thinking she was better than him.

"See you at school mudblood," he told her with a smirk. Miss High and Mighty pretended to ignore him but Draco caught her grinding her teeth in anger. He walked off, snickering as Ron made another move for his wand and she shook her head before turning back to the all important Potter.

Well? What d'ya think? I'm already working on the next part so hopefully it'll be up soon.