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SIYE Time:6:03 on 19th March 2024
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Restless Heart Syndrome
By notadryeeye

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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-Hogwarts
Characters:All
Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance
Warnings: Mild Language, Sexual Situations
Rating: R
Reviews: 429
Summary: 17 Years have passed since the fall of Voldemort. Just as the world thinks it has finally started to heal and move on, some things thought long lost begin to awaken.
Hitcount: Story Total: 102986; Chapter Total: 3740





Author's Notes:
Enjoy! And once you get to the end of the chapter--you'll see exactly where we're heading very shortly :)




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StoryPrinter


It was the smell of frying meat that had lured him out of bed.

He could hear the light clanging of pans and the sound of knives against a wooden cutting board.

Someone was making breakfast.

Careful not to make too much noise and wake up both his brother and mum, Jackson slowly rolled himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of his camp bed. He took a moment to work out all out all the kinks and stretch out his tired muscles. There was still a trace of Portkey-lag muddling with his senses, but after a night’s sleep Jackson certainly felt a bit more refreshed.

He tip-toed across the room, careful not to wake his brother and mother before grabbing his hoodie from the back of desk chair and throwing it on. He slowly opened the office door and stepped out into the quiet hallway.

The smell of breakfast being made was even stronger out here.

Now that he was out in the hall he could tell that it was still fairly early. He could see pale morning light streaming in through the windows on either side of the front doorway. Aside from the sounds coming from the kitchen, the house was otherwise quiet. It seemed the vast majority of the occupants of the house were still asleep--recovering from a busy day with a bit of a lie in.

As good as the prospect of crawling back into bed may have been, the sound of Jackson’s stomach rumbling quite loudly in the quiet hall won out and he padded gently towards the kitchen--his stocking feet barely making a sound against the hardwood floor.

As he moved towards the open kitchen, he immediately saw his grandmum at work in front of the oven and stove much like he’d seen her countless times over the years at The Burrow. She was moving about effortlessly between pots and pans as she stirred, diced and flipped.

She was also smiling and laughing at something or someone just out of view.

Jackson rounded the corner to enter the kitchen fully, slowing up as he caught sight of that someone sitting on one of the stools lined up along the breakfast bar counter.

Even from behind he knew who was sitting there.

“Oh, good morning, sweetheart!” his grandmother greeted when she looked up to find him surveying the scene before him. “I didn’t think anyone would be up this early with all the excitement of yesterday,” she added with a bright smile as she took in the sight of her eldest grandchild.

“I--er--breakfast smelled--wonderful,” Jackson struggled to get out as his eyes remained locked on the shock of black hair still sitting on the stool facing away from him.

“Well come have a seat,” his grandmother beckoned as she pointed to an open chair. “Best to grab a plate before the hordes wake up and eat everything up.”

Jackson hesitated for a moment more before he was able to move one foot in front of the other and took his place on the stool next to the only other occupant of the kitchen.

“Good morning,” his dad greeted him with a big smile as Jackson pulled his seat closer to the countertop.

Jackson nodded his greeting and smiled in return as his grandmother placed a plate full of eggs, bacon and sausages in front of him.

It looked and smelled wonderful. His Gran really was the best cook.

“Eat up,” she implored as she smiled and then turned back to concentrate on preparing the rest of that morning’s meal.

Jackson quickly tucked into his plate, trying not to shovel it all into his mouth too quickly.

“This is even better than I remember, Mrs. Weasley,” his dad said after gulping down a large forkful of food.

“There will be none of that,” Jackson’s gran scolded as she turned from the stove with a hand on her hip and a wooden spoon pointed warningly in the direction of the counter.

Jackson watched his dad freeze on the spot--fork stopped in mid-air piled high with eggs and sausage. He looked very concerned he’s said something offensive and confused as to what it might have been.

“We’re both well onto being adults now,” Gran told him with a smile. “So there will be no more of this “Mrs. Weasley” talk. It’s Molly, Harry.You can call me Molly.”

Jackson watched on as his father smiled and nodded sheepishly--ducking his head slightly.

“I think I can manage that,” he said quietly, the embarrassed smile still visible on his face.

Gran shot Jackson’s dad another smile before turning back again to the meal at hand, leaving them all in companionable silence.

“Your Gran really does make some of the best food I’ve ever had,” Jackson heard his dad say quietly. Jackson turned to to find his dad watching him carefully.

Jackson nodded in agreement.

“Mum’s pretty good herself,” admitted with a grin, not quite sure exactly why he was bringing his mother into the conversation. “But nothing’s ever quite the same as how Gran makes it,” he admitted sheepishly.

His dad, however, looked very interested in what Jackson was telling him.

“I can only remember ever eating something she made once,” he responded with a wistful look on his face. “Treacle Tart for my birthday.”

“And it was burnt,” Gran said from her place at the counter. From her side profile, Jackson could see that she had a faint smile on her face at that particular memory.

“It was still fairly good,” his dad admitted.

“She’s become quite a good cook since then,” Gran said proudly. “She was very much a quick study once this one came along,” she added as she turned, smiling at Jackson as she placed another heaping spoonful of eggs on his already full plate. She did the same to his dad’s plate as well.

“She’s still trying to fatten me up, I see,” his dad whispered as he eyed the mountain of eggs. Jackson could only smile widely. She’d been doing the same thing to him for the last few years.

“I heard that,” Gran said in a sing-song, scolding voice. “And, yes...even after all these years I think that you’re still far too thin for as tall as you are,” she added as the added even more bacon to their plates.

“And you…” she added as she turned to Jackson. “Now you see what the future holds for you, it wouldn’t hurt you to eat up too,” she said as though he was openingly protesting the food that she was plying him with.

But for some reason Jackson was more intrigued with the notion that from now on he’d be able to look to the man sitting next to him as a blueprint for what he’d look like as he’d got older.

For so long he’d only been able to picture his father as someone who was slightly older than Jackson was now and there was ultimately going to come a time in his life where Jackson would be older than his father had ever gotten the chance to be.

But that wasn’t the case anymore.
The man sitting next to him--well into his mid-thirties--gave Jackson his first real glimpse at what he’d very well look like at that age. His dad-- unlike some of his uncles, thankfully--still had a full head of dark hair. And aside from a few wrinkles and worry lines around his eyes and couple of small scars on his face--he still looked fairly young.

It was nice to know that he had some good genes in the pipeline.

“Thanks, Gran,” Jackson said as he began to attack the small mountain of food she’d piled again on his plate.

“So what do you have planned for the day?” Jackson’s grandmother asked, and he looked up slightly alarmed. He wasn’t aware that he’d been tasked with planning anything. He didn’t know of any plans either.

“Your dad, here, tells me there’s a pool on the property,” his gran said with a smile. “I’m sure once the rest of the crowd finds out, they’ll want to dive in.”

The words “your dad” were odd to Jackson. He’d certainly heard them over the years but never in the context of “your dad--sitting right next to you--real and alive.” It was still something unbelievable that he’d have to get used to.

“Yes, there’s a building at the edge of the property that has a pretty good-sized pool and deck and lounge area,” his dad confirmed. “I don’t actually get to use it all that often, to be honest--but I’d love it if everyone else could take advantage of it--especially with the cold and snow we’re having.”

“That’s pretty awesome,” Jackson interjected.

“I do--um--also have a few errands to run this morning,” his dad said.

“Even though your grandmother says I don’t need to--I’m going to stop at the store to pick up some more food and other items,” he continued and Jackson heard his grandmum say something about managing perfectly well and that he shouldn’t have to shoulder all the burden as the host.

“I also have to stop at my office to pick up some papers I need to grade over break that I forgot,” he added.

“And...I thought--if you’re interested…” his dad said, looking rather sheepish and nervous all of the sudden. “You might want to tag a long.”

“Yeah...of course!” Jackson said quickly--unable to keep his enthusiasm at bay.

His dad cracked a big smile.

“Good,” he said with a nod. “I’ll probably leave within the hour, if that’s alright?”

“I’ll be ready,” Jackson assured him.

He quickly wolfed down the rest of his meal and bid both his gran and dad a thanks--with his dad telling him he could use the downstairs bathroom to shower and take care of whatever--before he hurried down the hall towards the still darkened office where his mum and brother were still asleep.

He tiptoed quietly back into the room, carefully pulling a new change of clothes out of his rucksack as he tried not to make too much noise and avoid waking his family.

He’d thought he’d succeeded in doing so until out of the corner of his eyes he saw his mum roll over and sit up on her cot. She rubbed her eyes sleepily for a moment before they focused on him.

“What are you up to this early?” she asked in a near whisper--making sure not to wake Alex.

“I got up a bit ago--had some breakfast,” Jackson supplied. “Gran is already making it.”

“Is anyone else up?” she asked as she yawned.

“Umm...not really,” he said with a shrug as he grabbed his shoes. “Just...dad.”

“Oh,” she said with a nod, not relaying much emotion or surprise at all.

“He...er...also asked if I wanted to come with him this morning,” Jackson said quietly, glancing over at his still sleeping brother. “He’s got a few things to do.”

“Can I go?” Jackson asked.

His mother’s eyebrows raised for a bit in surprise before she responded.

“You’re of age, love,” she told him quietly. “I--you can choose what you’d like to do with him without my permission.”

“Ok…” Jackson said with a nod. “I’m going to go with then.”

“Do you know how long you’ll be gone?” she asked him.

He shook his head.

“He’s going to a store and his office,” Jackson replied. “I suppose it’ll be quite interesting to see where he works.”

Ginny only nodded again and looked down at her blanket and away from him.

Even though she was telling him it was alright for him to go, there was something in her demeanor that bothered him. As hard as this whole messy situation had been on him--Jackson could only fathom what it might be like for his mum. He had been quite surprised actually that she was here at all.

She was here in the house of the man she’d loved as a teenager and had a baby with--a man she’d spent the last 17 years believing was dead and had gone through so much grief for. Jackson didn’t have any of the interactions she’d had with his dad and so his take on all of this was that he wanted as much time and opportunity now to get to know his dad.

But his mum was going through so many different emotions about this. He’d heard some of the others in the family mention that his mum and dad should get together and hash things out. But he really didn’t know if that would happen anytime soon.

Jackson hadn’t talked with his mum specifically about her feelings in all of this--but he knew her emotions were all over the place and it was so unlike her and he wasn’t quite sure what to do to make her feel better.

He set the clothes he’d gathered from his bag back onto his camp bed and moved over to hers, sitting on the end of the bed where her legs did not quite reach.

“Mum, are you ok?” he asked quietly as he looked at her, hoping to catch her gaze. After a moment, she looked up with questioning eyes.

“I’m fine, Jackson,” she replied tiredly.

“I can’t imagine any of this is easy for you,” he returned as he picked at a spot on the blanket next to his own leg. “We haven’t really talked about how you feel, Mum. I know I’ve been excited about the opportunity I have now to get to know him--but you’ve got a lot more complicated history to sort through. I don’t want you to think I’m--”

“I want you to know him,” his mum said sincerely. “I want you to have a relationship with him and I want you to enjoy having your dad in your life.”

“Harry and I--your dad and I--we do have a complicated history,” she continued. “And now that I know there were plans and things in place that change everything I knew about the situation--I am having a hard time fathoming how I’m just supposed to move on as easily as everyone else.”

“But that’s for me to work out,” she added, reaching forward to take his hand. “That’s for your father to work out. Not you.”

“I just don’t like seeing you like this,” Jackson replied. “You’ve just been different since we found out he was alive.”

“I know,” she admitted quietly. “I’m trying--please know that. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t trying to come to terms with this.”

“But please, do not think you have to dampen any of your enthusiasm for your dad because I’m trying to figure out where I want to be in his life,” she told him. “Enjoy the time you have with him. Go on--have fun.”

Jackson observed her, trying to discern anything in her face that might giveaway that she wasn’t being completely honest or that her words were not sincere. But he did not see anything there that gave him that impression.

“Apparently there’s a pool here,” Jackson offered after a moment. “I’m sure everyone is going to want to take a dip once they find out.”

“I’m sure your brother will like that,” she said with a smile.


“You should enjoy it too,” Jackson replied. “And...maybe later...when we get back...you and dad can talk,” he said as he trailed off.

“Maybe,” his mother said with a heavy sigh, giving him the clear impression that he shouldn’t press this conversation much more. She’d clearly shared all that she was going to.

Jackson got up from his spot on the bed and reached over to give his mum a lingering hug before he returned to where he’d dumped his clothes and shoes on the camp bed. Giving her one last glance over his shoulder, he left the still darkened room and padded down to the loo to get ready for the day.

-------------------------------- ---------

Nearly half an hour later Jackson returned to the kitchen--his hair still slightly damp from his shower--to find it much more crowded than previously. Several of his cousins and aunts and uncles were seated at the island on stools or at the adjoining dining room table. He could hear voices also coming from the sitting room--giving him the impression that the group had also spilled into that room as well.

“Hi Jackson!” Scarlett said as she ran by him down the hallway with stocking feet. He smiled and watched her scurry away before he could even respond.

He’d had so many years of this kind of chaos--his big, warm and boisterous family seemingly always make lots of noise--laughing and even sometimes shouting. He’d come to love and couldn’t imagine his family any other way.

As he took it all in, his eyes scanned the room for what would be an addition to the usual crowd. But he did not see his dad amongst them.

Several other people shouted greetings and ‘good mornings’ towards him as he moved throughout the room.

“Did you eat yet?” his Aunt Hermione asked him as he passed by where she was seated on a stool.

He nodded as he gave her a quick hug.

“I ate earlier before everyone was up,” he supplied as he pulled away “Do you--er--do you know where my dad is?” he asked as he looked around again.

“I think he went outside--with your granddad and your Uncle Ron,” she replied as she nodded towards the hallway that lead to the front door. “I think he was showing them how to access the building where the pool is.”

“I’m sure that’ll keep everyone busy today,” Jackson said with a smile.

His aunt returned the grin and both of their gazes were drawn to the hallway where the sound of the front door opening and closing caught their attention. A few moments later, Uncle Ron entered the room, followed closely by Jackson’s grandfather and then finally--his dad.

All three men were brushing snow off of their coats and out of their hair--well his dad and uncle were. Grandad didn’t have much to deal with anymore.

“Hey,” his dad greeted as he drew up closer to the pair. “All ready to head out in a few?”

Jackson nodded.

“Just need to grab my coat on the way out,” he added.

“I’m going to go say goodbye to Sophie and then we can get on our way,” his dad told him.

Jackson watched as his dad moved into the sitting room and knelt beside Sophie, who was happily playing with the others. He seemed to say a few words to her and she nodded in understanding of whatever he was telling her. She wrapped her arms around his neck for a few seconds before releasing him and going back to playing with the other kids.

Jackson saw his dad stand up and then caught his eye as the older man beckoned to him to follow--pointing towards a side-door off of the kitchen that he knew led to a garage. Jackson obeyed and crossed the room to follow--his gran was holding his coat out for him to take and he deftly slipped it on.

It was much colder inside the darkened garage and Jackson immediately pulled his hands into his pockets to warm them up.

“We can take that one,” his dad pointed to a dark colored SUV just on the other side of a sleek black car that sat in the first bay as he pushed a button the wall that opened up the large garage door.

Jackson walked across the garage to the vehicle. He pulled on the handle, but it was locked, so Jackson stood beside the car, waiting.

“So you’re going to drive?”

Jackson looked up to find his dad standing beside him, keys in hand as he was looking at Jackson with an amused look on his face.

“Huh?”

“Well...unless you’re driving...it’s the other side,” he explained as he motioned to the opposite side of the vehicle.

“Oh...right,” Jackson said sheepishly as he finally registered the fact that driver and passenger sides of cars were opposite here from over in England.

Trying to avoid the amused grin on his dad’s face, Jackson scooted around to the other side and quickly took his place in the front passenger seat once his dad had unlocked the doors.

“You know, if you do want to drive--that’s fine too,” his dad offered as he started the darkened SUV with a rumble--all the lights and dials on the dashboard suddenly leaping to life.

------------------------------- --------------------------

“I...er... I don’t know how.”

Harry looked over at Jackson as he shifted the Volvo into gear, watching his son fidget nervously.

“Drive--I mean,” Jackson clarified.

“Oh...er...that makes sense,” Harry said awkwardly, knowing that as a wizard, Jackson really had no need to have learned to drive. He could just Apparate and pop in and out of wherever he wanted to go.

“If you ever wanted to learn…” Harry offered casually. “I could...help.”

Jackson nodded but didn’t seem to have much more to say.

The two lapsed into silence as Harry carefully maneuvered the SUV out of the garage and down the driveway to the roadway.

“Anna can drive though. She said she’d teach me too,” Jackson said suddenly as the tires hit the pavement and they started on their way.

Harry glanced over at his son.

“Anna?”

“My--er--my girlfriend,” Jackson supplied as he gazed out the windows at the snow-covered landscape and forest surrounding them.

“Girlfriend?” Harry said with intrigue as his eyes left the road momentarily.

“You...you didn’t mention a girlfriend at all yesterday,” he added with a smile as the younger man shifted in his seat.

“Didn’t come up,” Jackson said quietly.

“So--er--how long have you two--been--a couple?” he asked, hoping he wasn’t probing too far and too fast. The idea that his son--his teenage son he’d met mere hours ago--was so grown up he had a girl was another level of surprise. He was sure there’d be many more to come.

“Since the summer,” Jackson replied easily. Apparently he was okay with talking to his dad about this--although there was still a bit of color on his cheeks.

“But we’ve known each other for years,” Jackson continued. “We went to school together.”

“Oh?” Harry nodded as he guided the car onto the highway, careful not to hit any slippery spots as he moved over the onramp.

“Is she older? Younger? Harry asked. “Same house?”

“She’s...a little older,” Jackson replied.

“But--er--no,” he said as he shook his head. “She didn’t go to Hogwarts with me.”

“Oh?” Harry said again as he glanced over with a questioning look and raised brow. Maybe he’d met a witch from one of the other schools--or possibly the very small minority of wizarding children who were not sent to Hogwarts for education, but were home-taught instead.

“We went to school together--as little kids,” Jackson supplied in explanation. “Before I went off to Hogwarts.”

Harry still wasn’t sure he completely understood. As was his recollection--there weren’t any pre-Hogwarts schools for wizard kids.

“I went to a Muggle school,” Jackson supplied, evidently picking up on his father’s confusion. “Before I went to Hogwarts.”

“Really?” Harry said in surprise. He knew all of the Weasley children had been home-schooled prior to Hogwarts by Molly Weasley. He’d just assumed it was somehow the same for the grandchildren.

“Mum talked with Aunt Hermione about going--what it was like--and thought it would be an ok idea,” Jackson offered. “And Mum had just started writing and working for The Prophet after retiring from quidditch so she couldn’t stay home all the time and home-school.”

“So Anna is--”

“Not a witch,” Jackson finished in confirmation with a nod. “She’s at university now--studying to be a teacher. She’s got her own place with a few roommates.”

“She knows that you’re--you’re a wizard?” Harry asked curiously. He’d certainly never had to worry about dealing with that issue in any sort romantic relationship--he’d dated witches. Two witches--well--one really.

“For a few years, yeah,” Jackson said with another nod. “There were only so many weird things about me I could explain away after a while and I wanted to stay friends. Mum and Uncle Ron helped out with the whole reveal thing. She--thankfully--only took a little while to really come to terms with the whole magic thing and there being a whole different world that she didn’t know existed.”

“It’s a bit of a mind-blowing moment when you find out,” Harry agreed. Even though he had been a wizard when he’d found out about the magical world at the age of eleven--he understood how absolutely overwhelming a bombshell like that was. Even though the existence of a wizarding world explained a lot of the strange stuff Harry’d had happen to him as a child--there were still plenty of moments of immense disbelief mixed in with all the wonder.

“She hasn’t seemed put off by any of it since,” Jackson replied. “She finds lots of the stuff pretty cool--like flying and apparating. She’s kind of jealous of the fact that I can just wave my wand and clean up a mess too. I’m usually nice and help her out,” he added with a smile.

Harry couldn’t help but smile to himself as he glanced over and saw the grin form on Jackson’s face. His son was definitely smitten with this girl. Even in the midst of the chaos his life had been back then--Harry remembered what it was like to not be able to stop a smile coming to his face whenever he thought about a certain red-headed girl.

“Don’t worry,” Jackson added. “She takes advantage of every opportunity there is to make fun of me for the stuff I don’t get about the Muggle world.”

“Is that so?” Harry asked as he once again shifted and steered them off of the highway and onto a frontage road into town.

“Computers, cars, mobile--whatever--those phones are,” Jackson replied as he gestured wildly to Harry’s own iPhone that he’d put into the dashboard holder when he’d gotten into car.

“Smart phone?” Harry supplied with a smile.

“Sure,” Jackson said with a shrug. “I don’t use those things often--and I’m sure I do odd things when I do. And apparently all of it is very amusing to her.”

“In in my world, owls, brooms and the Floo work just fine for traveling, talking and sending information,” he added with a smirk.

“She sounds great,” Harry offered as he pulled into the parking lot of a local grocery store he knew to be open this morning.

“She is,” Jackson said with a sigh and a nod. “She’s been amazing these past few weeks--months--with all of this happening. I know she doesn’t completely understand everything behind the circumstances--the backstory and all that. But she’s been right there for all of it--from the beginning really.”

“I mean--she’s the one who came with me to look for you.”

Harry hit the brake pedal harder than he’d anticipated doing as he pulled the SUV into a stall. Both he and Jackson lurched forward at the sudden stop, straining at the seat belts holding them.

“You came to look for me?” Harry said as he turned to face his son. Shock and surprise was evident in his tone.

Jackson looked just as confused as Harry felt--as though he’d just said something wrong or that he wasn’t supposed to but wasn’t quite sure what it was.

“Ron and Hermione--your aunt and uncle--they said they were the ones who saw my picture in my book,” Harry said as he recalled one of the very first conversations he’d had with his friends after they’d found him.

“No,” Jackson said shaking his head. “One of their kids had gotten your book as a gift from their grandparents--the Grangers--and I happened to be looking at it at my birthday party,” he added slowly.

“I thought I was going crazy--because it was obviously--at that time--impossible for you to be alive,” he continued. “But I couldn’t stop obsessing over how much the photo looked like me--like you. I don’t know why I couldn’t drop it--but Anna helped me do some research on you and we ended up coming up with this crazy plan to track you down.”

“Here?” Harry asked sharply.

“New York,” Jackson replied, shaking his head. “But we didn’t end up finding anything and went back home after a few days.”

“I got in loads of trouble for running away like that,” Jackson said as he dropped his gaze to his lap--fidgeting with his hands as though he were remembering the episode. “I was grounded until I went back to school--and pretty much even after I went back…”

Harry stayed silent for a moment as they sat there--letting what he’d just learned sink in.

“I’m sure they told me that they were the ones who noticed the picture because I hadn’t known about you,” Harry said after a few moments. “It’s understandable.”

“Uncle Ron was the one that caught Remus, Professor Snape and Headmistress McGonagall discussing you in the dungeons though,” Jackson supplied. “When they were discussing how their memories were coming back and the marks from the Unbreakable Vow were disappearing.”

He’d heard this part of the story before.

Ron and Hermione had told him in passing on the night that they’d first met again about about Remus, Snape and McGonagall--the three people he had entrusted and enlisted to help him research and carry out the last part of his plan--remembering things that had been designed to be long forgotten and the vow they took seemingly unravelling.

Was this why a few months ago he’d suddenly started to remember as well? Was there really a correlation?

Part of his mind had been thrust into a panic. He did not know how all of this was even possible or what the ramifications might be.

He wasn’t quite sure why he hadn’t been concerned at all about these details before...

He wanted to ask more questions and press for more information--but Jackson looked decidedly uncomfortable as Harry looked over at him.

“I might have to talk with Remus later,” Harry said quietly. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t really spoken to his old mentor at all. Remus had showed up later than the others at the house and had made himself fairly scarce.

Harry almost wondered for a moment if the older man was avoiding him…

“I’m sorry to have questioned you like that,” Harry apologized as he turned off the vehicle. “I just didn’t realized that you were involved like that. I had no clue that you were the one who started this whole thing.”

Jackson nodded jerkily.

“I am very glad you ended up starting this whole thing off,” Harry told his son as he reached over and put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I’m glad you didn’t give up after seeing that picture. We wouldn’t be here without that.”

Jackson looked up and gave Harry a tentative smile.

------------------------------ ---------------------------------------- --

“No, you cannot go into the pool with that drink,” Hermione called as she watched one of her teenage twin sons attempt to jump into the water--cup still in hand.

Reed came to a sliding stop just near the edge at his mother’s words. He smiled sheepishly back over his shoulder at his mum before he turned back towards her and put the cup gently on the table. As soon as it had hit the surface, however, Reed had wheeled back around--taking a few giant steps towards the pool before jumping in. The force of him hitting the water caused water to splash all of the occupants in the pool within a few feet.

Ginny watched as her sister-in-law shook her head in exasperation--although there was an amused smile that tugged at the corner of her lips.

“I always swore it would be your brother who would be the one to make me go gray first,” Hermione said--the smile full-on now. “But those two are giving their dad a run for his money these days,” she added as she gestured to where the Reed had joined his brother Ethan near the far side of the pool.

Ginny chuckled to herself. Hermione had a point--this new generation and version of the Weasley twins was very quickly proving they were up to the task of living up to the reputation that the original duo set. Those two having their heads ducked together in some quiet corner usually meant mayhem and lots of laughter were soon to follow.

“I still don’t honestly know how mum handled all 7 of us and you handle 5,” Ginny said in admiration. “My two are enough to keep me on my toes most days,” she added as she glanced over to where Alex was talking animatedly with a group of his cousins.

“Handling them all is just an illusion--it’s really a constant practice of organized chaos,” Hermione said with a laugh. “And Ron and I tag-team the lot. So at any one time we really only have to wrangle 2 or 3 apiece.”

Ginny laughed at this admission. Although--there was a very small part of her that was jealous of it as well. She and Paul had done a good job of raising both of her boys over the years of their marriage. But for the last 4--when she had both boys at home--she was on her own parenting. Every scrape, every fight, every dust-up between her two rambunctious boys was up to her to keep under control.

“Do you have any idea of when Jackson will be back?” Hermione asked as the two lapsed into silence--even as the pool house around them was full of chatter, laughter and the occasional shout.

Ginny shook her head.

“Not really,” Ginny replied. “From what I understood they were stopping at a store and then his office,” she added, emphasising one word in particular.

Hermione raised a brow.

“So you’ve started referring to Harry as him, now?”

“I’m not referring to him as anything at this point,” Ginny said simply. “I was stating a fact. You knew who I was talking about.”

Ginny watched as her sister-in-law surveyed her closely.

“I know you have any right to be angry--but has it ever occurred to you that this isn’t healthy? For anyone…” Hermione said quietly. “There’s only a short time before we’ll all be gone from here for who knows how long. You two really should talk…”

“That’s what everybody seems to keep telling me,” Ginny said sourly as she took a sip of her wine. “If you haven’t noticed--he hasn’t exactly been the one to seek me out either. And he’s the one who has all of the talking to do. He’s the one that left.”

“You told me he tried to apologize and explain yesterday out on the deck,” Hermione retorted as she also took a drink of her glass of wine.

“We weren’t about to talk about things then. We were talking about Jackson,” Ginny said defensively. “I told him we’d talk sometime later.”

“Sometime?” Hermione asked. “What? Sometime in the next few days, months, years?”

Ginny threw her sister-in-law a stern look.

“You haven’t exactly been giving off the vibe that you want him anywhere near you since you’ve been here,” Hermione said. “That could be the reason...I wouldn’t blame him…”

“Why is it always ‘poor Harry’?” Ginny asked in a harsh whisper, even as her happy family continued on around them without a care.

“You do realize that HE is the reason for this. HE is the reason things are exactly as they are now,” Ginny continued as she tried not to lose her cool. “His decisions lead to big--life-changing--consequences for the rest of us and nobody but me seems to remember that.”

“We haven’t all just forgotten,” Hermione said--her voice now sounding strained and slightly defensive. “But we’ve--”

“Just stop,” Ginny said, holding up a hand. She did not want to get into this with Hermione--especially not here. Hermione’s mouth hung open for a moment--as though she very much wanted to protest. But after only a second or two she closed it.

“I don’t have the energy right now to have this conversation with--”

“Hey, Mum.”

Startled, Ginny looked up to find her eldest standing next to her with a tentative smile--as if he was very unsure he should be there at the moment.

“Hello there, sweetheart,” Ginny replied as she did her best to fix him with a reassuring look. “Did you have a good time?”

Jackson nodded.

“It was really great,” Jackson said--sounded thoroughly excited as he sank into the chair beside her. “We got to talk quite a bit and I saw where he works. He took me up to his office and everything. You’ve been there. Right?” he asked, addressing his aunt this time.

“Yes--your Uncle and I--” Hermione began to answer, but stopped mid-sentence as something over Ginny’s left shoulder seemed to catch her attention.

Ginny turned just in time register the presence of the black haired man who had been the topic of discussion just moments ago.

“Sorry--er--I found these for you,” Harry said quietly as he handed Jackson a bundle of black fabric. “You’re a little taller than me--but they should fit ok,” he added as he nervously scratched the back of his neck-- watching as Jackson unfurled the fabric to reveal a pair of swim trunks.

“These should work great,” Jackson said with a grin. “Thank you.”

Harry nodded--still looking slightly unsure about whether or not he should have interrupted this particular conversation.

“There’s a place to change through there,” he added, gesturing to a doorway off to the side of the pool room.

“You can keep your clothes in there too,” Hermione told him. “The others have all stored their stuff as well.”

Jackson nodded his thanks and with a look of excitement got up from his chair and quickly hurried towards the changing room and out of site.

This still left Harry standing awkwardly next to the table where the two women still sat--looking decidedly like he’d rather be anywhere but there.

“You can sit down, you know. I won’t bite,” Ginny said suddenly.

She registered a look of shock on Hermione’s face at her abrasive words and watched as Harry started at the sound of her voice.

Surprisingly, he sunk into the chair that Jackson had just vacated.

“Everyone’s really having a blast with the pool, Harry,” Hermione said as she tried to break the horrible and uncomfortable silence that had settled on the table. “Thanks for letting us bring the kids out here to blow off some steam.”

“Oh...er...not a problem,” Harry said with a wave of his hand. “It doesn’t get much use from me and I’m glad everyone’s having a good time,” he added as his eyes strayed over the pool where several different groups of people--children and adults--were enjoying the water.

“Mummy! Mummy!”

All three adults at the table turned at the sound of the little girl’s voice.

Scarlett came scampering over to Hermione. She was soaking wet from head to toe--looking like she’d just come out of the pool. She was also hopping from foot to foot in a familiar dance to the three parents.

“Mummy, I have to go potty,” Scarlett said in a whiny voice. “Daddy said you would take me and help me with my suit.”

“Oh did he now?” Hermione said under her breath, even as she got up from her chair. Ginny watched as she threw Ron--who was lounging in the water on the side of the pool by the twins--a pointed look before she took hold of her daughter’s hand. Ron raised his hands in surrender--as if to say ‘sorry.’

“Sorry--we’ll be back,” Hermione said to the two others as she led Scarlett away--leaving both Harry and Ginny alone at the table together.

Ginny sat there--decidedly looking anywhere but at Harry in the hopes of blocking out the tension that had settled. Maybe if she pretended he hadn’t sat down next to her she could avoid whatever painful conversation that might be coming.

“I’m surprised you’re not in there with everyone else,” Harry said unexpectedly as he gestured towards the pool. The sound of his voice started Ginny out of her quiet contemplation. “From what I remember--you were always one of the first to jump into the pond at The Burrow and the last out of the water,” he added with a tentative smile.

From what he remembered?

Anger that had leapt up within her over the choice of his words was something she hadn’t expected. Did he think they were just going to reminisce over the past and pick up a friendly conversation of “remember when we used to?”

“What you remember so well was 2 kids and a few sizes ago,” she said as she glared out over the water--failing to keep the biting edge out of her tone. “I’m not exactly about to throw on my old bikini and parade around for you this time around.”

Ginny watched as her words hit their mark and Harry looked down at his hands. She’d clearly stung him and he’d not expected that type of response to his attempt at pleasant conversation. She simultaneously felt slightly petty and wholly vindicated as she watched his reaction.

“So is this what we’re gonna do now?”

The tone of his voice surprised her. His question was steady and held none of the shock or hurt she’d expected.

He wasn’t looking at her. Instead his gaze was focused out over the water and the people enjoying it--his face now suddenly impassive and almost unreadable.

“Is this how it’s going to be between us?” he asked as he brought a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “You looking as though you’d like to hit me and me walking on eggshells around you the whole time?”

“Did you just expect me to run back into your arms as soon as I got here?” Ginny replied evenly as she too looked out over the water--seeing, yet not really taking in what was actually going on around them. “That I’d forgive everything and forget the last 17 years of my life have gone by without you in it?”

“I thought we’d talk at least,” Harry said as he turned towards her. She could feel his green eyes searching her face. “I thought we’d at least have opportunity for some conversation--for me to explain. I think I deserve that much.”

“And what is it exactly you think you deserve?” Ginny snapped. “And why would you think that you do?”

Harry just stared at her.

“You were the one making all the decisions for the rest of us back then,” Ginny continued. “You had no problem discussing and making plans without our input and now you--you--”

She paused, shaking her head angrily as she tried not to lose her cool with all of the family around. She looked up and saw her mum and a couple of others watching the pair carefully.

“You know what? I’m not doing this here,” Ginny said through gritted teeth as she tried to stop herself. “I’m not talking about this in front of everyone,” she said as she picked up her previous forgotten wine glass and took a large gulp. It burned all the way down--but she really didn’t care.

“Then let’s go somewhere else,” he said simply--his eyes never leaving hers. “Let’s go away from everyone else and say what we need to to each other. Let’s just get it out there. After that--you can continue hating me and I’ll leave you alone, if you want.”

Somehow Ginny managed to keep her eyes locked with his--even though everything inside her wanted to look away--to run away and go back to the time when things weren’t this complicated.

‘And when has your life ever not been complicated?’ a small voice inside her head mused.

“Fine,” she said as she finally wrenched her eyes away and looked around the room again. “Lead the way,” she added.

Without saying another word, Harry rose from his chair--the legs of the chair grating slightly against the tile pool deck. Ginny soon followed suit--grabbing hold of her still half-full wine glass.

She stayed a few strides behind him as they crossed the room towards a wooden door that looked to lead to another portion of the building. They were nearly three quarters of a way to the door when Ginny started to notice the eyes of most of the other people in the room starting to follow their progress.

Harry got to the door first, pulling it open and standing aside to let her go through first. She had to bite back a comment about chivalry and instead let him hold the door open and passed by him into what looked like a darkened office.

As Harry followed and closed the door behind him--essentially drowning out all noise coming from the pool area--Ginny could still feel all eyes of her family trained on the space where they’d just exited.
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