Disclaimer:
No matter how much I wish it were true, I do not own anything Harry Potter.

Summary:
Left broken from the war, Harry tries to seek comfort in his best friend. But with Ron having feelings for the same person, Harry brakes the code and shatters Ron's trust. With the trio now drifting apart, can they keep it together long enough for everyone else's sake.

A/N:
This is my first Harry/Hermione fanfic. I'm a little nervous about writing it, having only ever written Hermione/Draco fics. However, I've finally plucked up the courage to post this one. Also, this takes place right after the fifth book. Hope you like it! Please R&R.

xXx

The Bonds Between Friendship
Chapter One
Mourning a Lost Friend

xXx

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed, watching his godfather fall. It was so surreal, almost dreamlike. "Sirius?" his voice was slow. In fact, everything around him was slow. Slowly like honey and yet so heavy with muse.

Everyone stood frozen, watching as Sirius fell backward, his body curving into an arc as he descended backward through the veil hanging from the ach.

Surreal…

He was gone.

Disappeared…

NO!

But he was gone.

He had disappeared…

Disappeared through the veil that fluttered in a high wind and fell gracefully back in place.

Bellatrix's triumphant laughter echoed in Harry's ears.

'I'll make her shut up!' his conscious mind thought, the only part of his mind that had not fallen asleep with the rest of him.

"Sirius!" Harry's subconscious continued. But Sirius had not reappeared. "Sirius!" he sprinted toward where Sirius had disappeared; he would pull him out and everything would be okay again.

Suddenly seeing Harry starting for the archway, Lupin grabbed him around the chest, holding him back. "There's nothing you can do, Harry—"

"Get him, save him; he's only just gone through!"

"It's too late, Harry—"

"We can still reach him—"

Struggling…

"There's nothing you can do, Harry. Nothing. He's gone…"

"No…we can…" Tears welled up in his eyes. "Sirius…"

…suddenly Harry bolted upright and before he knew it, he was in Hermione's arms. She had been sitting on Charlie's bed where Harry slept when he had jumped up into her arms, startling her. It had taken Harry a few seconds to realize he had done this. Even after his realization, he still did not let go. Instead, he buried his face into Hermione's shoulder.

She felt his body quiver slightly as he sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm sorry." She said softly, putting her hand on the back of his head.

"For what?" he wept, burying his face deeper into her shoulder, clinging to her tight.

Hermione did not reply. She felt tears swelling, ready to burst forth. Finally able to find her voice, she whispered. "For the way things turned out."

Harry lifted his head to look at her. Hermione let out a heavy breathe and held it. She could no longer hold back her tears and her face screwed up into a sad expression. They were on their way down and there was nothing she could do. Another three heavy breathes of sobs escaped her lips and tears made there way down her cheeks.

Harry quickly expelled them with a swipe of his thumb but more hastily followed after the others, his falling freely from his own eyes. Harry wrapped his arms around her once more, placing a hand on the back of her head. They sat holding each other for what seemed like forever, the side of their cheeks toughing.

Harry was still quivering and now Hermione began to shake against him.

He spoke softly in her ear. "Everything will be fine." He whispered comfortingly in reply to her words spoken so long again, or so it seemed.

"Will it?" she choked and Harry's grip tightened around her.

Still, he did not reply.

"Mrs. Weasley asked me to come up here and check on you." Hermione changed the subjected. She explained that Mrs. Weasley had been getting worried because Harry had slept the day away and did not seem to be waking up anytime soon.

"What time is it?" Harry asked, still holding each other close, their cheeks still up against each other's.

"Nearly two in the afternoon." Hermione forced a smile.

Silence once again filled the room as they continued to stay close to each other.

"It's just not fair." Harry said after awhile. "I just wish I could have done something. Maybe things wouldn't be like this."

"Harry," Hermione breathed sadly. "We all wish we could have done something. But the fact of the matter is…there just wasn't anything any of us could have done. We're all hurting, Harry. Please don't blame yourself."

It was true. They were all hurting tremendously but did they really know how he felt? They could not possibly even begin to understand.

"I know…" he tried to say but it came out weak and feeble. "I just…"

('I just feel so guilty.')

"It's not fair." He cried harder, pressing against Hermione even tighter. It's not fair he has to feel this way. It's not fair anyone of them should feel this way. "I've lost everyone. My parents, my godfather—"

Hermione quickly cut in, "You still have me."

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Hermione and Harry broke apart.

Ron stood in the doorway, watching his friends. "You two okay?" he asked, looking just as morbid and beaten down as they did. Neither of them responded. In fact, none was even necessary. He already knew the answer.

Ron stepped into Charlie's room, watching tears leak down his two best mate's faces.

XxX

It was nearly one in the morning and Harry sat on the couch at the Burrow. He kept mulling things over. Not that he wanted to but his mind just kept reeling that night's events at the ministry repeatedly. Nothing seemed real anymore. He was ready—more than ready—to wake up from this nightmare. The fact of the matter was…this was real no matter how dreamlike everything around him felt.

He could feel tears proliferating forth again. He did not want to, did not have the energy to cry anymore. His heart was breaking. But could his heart really be breaking when it was already broken?

"It should have been me." He whispered to no one in particular.

"Don't say that!" someone cry out from behind him.

Startled, Harry spun around on the couch to find Hermione standing at the bottom of the stairs. She looked completely distraught and disheveled.

"Don't say that…" she said again. "As much as I hate it was Sirius…I'm so glad it wasn't you!"

"Mione…I." he broke off. "You know I never…"

"Just don't say that ever again. Don't ever think that way!" she sniveled trying to hold back more tears.

"I'm sorry." He said softy, giving her a guilty, sad expression. He got up, taking a step toward her. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hermione, listen." Harry started, trying to come away from the whole subject of Sirius.

"I meant what I said before." Hermione broke in. "About it not being your fault."

"Hermione, please…"

He just wanted to get away from this, wanted to be so done with this whole thing. Yet somehow, the topic just seemed to linger around. Would it ever just go away? They were all grieving. He was the one who was suffering the most. He was the one who should be the first person to talk everything out and yet he was last person who wanted to.

"No, I'm serious. You have to stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could do."

"Don't tell me how I feel, Hermione! Because you don't know! None of you know!" He screamed at her. "So STOP acting like you do!"

"Harry…" Hermione began to tear up again. "I…just…" The tears found their way down her cheeks again. "I'm just worried about you, is all. I don't want you to feel like—"

Harry's temper rose. "I don't want to talk about this! Just come off it!"

"Maybe I do…"

"WELL I DON'T!" he shouted.

Hermione quickly gathered her composure. "Well, excuse me for being concerned." She hastily turned on her heal, heading up the stairs again.

"Hermione…" Harry called after her, feeling another wave of guilt set in.

"You're not the only one going through this, Harry." She answered softy, her back to him. She was already half way up the stairs. "So stop acting like you're the only one who feels like they should or could have done something to prevent this. You're not the only one who lost something that night." Without another word, she headed the rest of the way up the stairs and into Ginny's room where she disappear out of sight, disappeared like Sirius once disappeared behind a veil of curtain.

xXx

"Any better?" Ron asked. He and Harry were sitting together at the dinning room table.

"Not really. You?" Harry asked.

"A little I suppose."

Mrs. Weasley stepped in from the kitchen with a huge plate of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages. She looked like she had aged five years in these past few months and that she had not slept in days. If anyone was feeling guilty, it was her. Molly had been arguing with Sirius non-stop every time they were in the same room together.

Ginny quickly followed behind with two empty plates. Molly placed the plate in front of the boys and Ron immediately began shoveling down the contents.

"Ronald, that is for everyone." His mother scolded as Ginny placed the empty plates in front of him and Harry.

"Sorry, mum." He apologized with a mouth full.

"How do you still have an apatite?" Harry asked Ron as Mrs. Weasley told Ginny to get Fred, George, and Hermione.

"Harry," Ron smiled, helping himself to more bacon, "If you don't know that I'm always hungry, then I guess you never really knew me at all." He teased, shoving Harry slightly.

'How do you have any sense of humor either?' Harry managed to crack a smile before Ron added with a serious note in his voice, "So I heard yours and Hermione's row last night." Harry's half smile quickly wore off.

"Yeah?" he answered dully, waiting to see if Ron said anymore.

"Yeah, you two were really going at it." he said, his mouth once again full.

"You really think so?" They heard Fred asking Hermione as the two of them walked down the stairs together, George and Ginny following at their heal.

"Yeah." Hermione responded. "It's actually really fascinating. A genus invention." The three of them took a seat at the table and Harry smiled slightly at Hermione from across the table. However, she did not return it and titled her head down toward her plate.

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked, moseying into their conversation.

Fred answered, "Just showing Hermione here our latest product." He placed a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, Molly came bursting into the dinning room with a huge sigh. She sat down in her usual seat at the table.

"Is everything alright Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked.

She did not respond right away. She seemed to be mulling something over in her head.

"Mum?" Ginny called, a concerned look about her face.

"Oh, yes. Everything's fine, dear." Molly finally answered but she still had the same distraught expression plastered on her face. "I just—I got an owl from your father."

"Everything okay at the Ministry, Mum?" came George's voice.

Another sigh escaped Mrs. Weasley's lips. "Oh, yes. Fine, dear. He'll just be working late tonight." She looked as if she would break down right there. Feeling tears coming forth from her own eyes, Hermione excused herself and quickly left the table. "Let her go." Molly instructed, seeing Ron starting to get up. "She probably just wants to be alone." She struggled to keep her own tears back. Have to be strong for everyone else's sake.

Molly hastily got up herself and headed into the kitchen.

XxX

"Hermione?"

"Look, I just want to be alone, Harry."

He had followed after her. They were now in Ginny's room where Hermione sat on her bed and Harry in the doorway.

She turned away from him and took a tissue to the corner of her eye.

The door shut from behind her and thinking he had left, Hermione turned around to find Harry still standing there. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes slightly as she turned back round on the bed.

"I just want to apologize for last night." Hermione didn't answer. "I shouldn't have snapped like that." He continued. "I feel stupid now…and ashamed."

"Well you should."

"Well I do."

Silence filled the room.

"I hate to see you like this." Harry spoke softly from behind her. "It makes me feel even worse than I already do." He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Hermione suddenly stood up and fell into his arms. She buried her face into his chest. "I wish there was some way I could make you feel better. But honesty. I dunno." He said.

Hermione looked up and before they both knew it, their faces began to lean in. Hermione closed her eyes, waiting for that moment when their lips touched. However, just barely touching, the bedroom door suddenly blew open and, startled, Harry and Hermione hastily broke apart.

In the doorway… stood Ron.

xXx