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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Other Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 713 Summary: Can love survive, no matter what someone does to destroy it? Hitcount: Story Total: 154205; Chapter Total: 6784 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Author’s Notes: Hey everyone! Okay, this took a little longer than I anticipated, in addition to not being able to squeeze everything in this chapter that I originally wanted to. Such is life, I suppose. Big thanks to my betas, who helped fine tune this piece and helped me to quell any doubts I had about where to go. Please, as always, read, review, and rejoice! Rebuilding Foundations on Quicksand There was no sound in the house for the next few moments, save for Teddy’s soft snoring coming from the living room. Harry sat down at the kitchen table with his shoulders slumped while Ginny stayed rooted to the floor. What was there to say? What good would words do now? Harry had most likely just lost his best friend and Ginny a brother. How would speaking possibly combat that? Still, looking at Harry as yet another loss was added to the weight of his heart spurned something inside her to take action, any action, no matter that she might be caught in between the ricochet of her own upheaval. Anything to try and ease his pain if she could. Ginny had taken her first step forward when a blinding white light burst into the room. They both jumped and Harry stood at attention. When the glow had dimmed slightly, she was able to make out the gleaming form of an otter floating in the kitchen. “One of the Aurors came and got me after you left, Harry,” Hermione’s voice airily said to them both. “Ron just took off for who knows where, but he told me everything before he left. I’m waiting by the Floo in my office to hear from you. Please contact me immediately, both of you…either of you…please.” The Patronus faded into nothingness. There was stunned stillness for a few beats more. Everything in both of their worlds had shifted off course from where it had started this morning. Harry spoke first. “I can’t,” he whispered. His eyes were still fixed on the spot where the tiny otter had vanished. “I can’t…not both in one day…I just…” Can’t risk losing them both in one day, Ginny’s mind finished. Poor boy. Will he ever be able to fully trust that those he loves won’t leave him? Then again, look who’s talking; I did more than my share to contribute to that cause. The bitter taste of truth that particular thought brought was enough to drown out her inhibitions for once. Reaching out, before reasoning and logic could tell her not to, she took one of Harry’s hands in both of hers and brought it to her lips, planting a soft kiss on his knuckles. It was the first time in years her lips had touched his skin. Unlike the rest of Harry and Ginny, nothing much had changed between these parts of them in that time apart. There was the tiniest sliver of a scar just underneath where she pressed her mouth to him, but her eyes never spotted it. Lips, though, could take in much, much more than sight could hope to. I wonder if he still tastes the same... Ginny couldn’t help thinking, nearly moaning in pleasure despite herself. Immediately, she released his hand as if burned by it and turned away before she could see what would surely be a look of piteous confusion on his face. “I’ll use the Floo in your study, if-if that’s alright,” she said, making her way out of the room. “Teddy’s…he’s sleeping on the couch.” She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else before she shot out of the room and up the stairs. Ginny was aghast at herself. What are you playing at?! His worst fears in life were just realized so now it must be the perfect time to consider licking every inch of skin on his hand?! How daft can be one person be? She stopped in front of the door to his study to compose herself. “He doesn’t need that from you right now,” Ginny told herself. “All he needs you to do right now is to speak to Hermione and try to undo whatever damage has been done.” She entered the room with renewed purpose and knelt carefully in front of the small fireplace. She lit the small pile of wood and kindling, leaning back on her haunches for the flames to take life. Like so many other things in her life, her estrangement from Hermione had happened begrudgingly before her very eyes. They had always gotten along very well growing up the only two females surrounded by so many boys, but it wasn’t until their seventh (technically, Hermione’s eighth) year at school that the closeness of their friendship had solidified. They shared many of their classes and Ginny was at last able to avail herself of the study resource that was Hermione Granger. Not that their relationship was predicated on how well Ginny’s grades improved under Hermione’s tutelage; they found they had much more in common than ever before. Both were seen as leaders by the incoming classes, Hermione as Head Girl and Ginny as a Quidditch captain; both were lonely as they each had boyfriends far away who were risking their lives yet again; and both had survived a war that had claimed a piece of them they would never get back. Hermione had been the one to find her in the Gryffindor bathroom, bloodied and broken nearly beyond repair. After Ginny was released from the Hospital Wing, Hermione had walked her down to the nondescript classroom every Thursday at 3:15pm for her counseling appointments with the psychological Healer from St. Mungos, made sure she was getting enough rest, went down to the Great Hall for every meal with her, sat next to her in all of their classes, and shot anyone who dared throw her a curious gaze a look of pure venom. After she was more steadily on her feet, it was Ginny’s turn to listen to Hermione’s still-strained relationship with her parents, for it had taken the Grangers many months to forgive their daughter for what she had done to them in the name of their safety. In the interim, Ginny offered Hermione her ear and shoulder whenever it was needed and quizzed Hermione endlessly for NEWTs to distract her from killing Ron when the prat had forgotten to send her a Valentine’s Day gift. When she was finally up for getting back on a broom, Hermione sat cheering her on in the stands, albeit usually with a thick tome in her lap. They talked late into the night sometimes of their dreams for the future over braided hair and chocolate raspberry truffles from Honeydukes as they made plans for all the vacations they would drag Harry and Ron off to when they all got married to each other. It had been Ginny’s first experience with having a sister. She had no idea what her brothers had been complaining about for all those years. Of course, she had found a way to destroy it, although she was more than happy to share some of the blame for that one with Hermione. After she had ended things with Harry, Hermione had made it her personal mission to try to find both the cause and solution of the problem in their relationship. She didn’t accept Ginny’s reasoning that Harry cared more for his job than for her and was determined to uncover the truth. Tenaciousness was normally one of her more admirable qualities, but not that time. Learning why Ginny had done what she had done would do no good. If Hermione knew the truth behind why she had left Harry, that it had been for him to heal without being burdened by worry for her, Hermione would have been duty-bound to go to her true best friend with the information. After five days straight of trying to dodge the bushy-haired witch’s endless questions, Ginny had finally exploded. “IT ENDED BECAUSE THINGS END, HERMIONE!” Ginny had raged in the privacy of her bedroom. Everything inside her was still raw and aching from losing Harry and control over herself was more than she could muster. Why couldn’t Hermione just leave things be? “THAT’S ALL THERE IS! LET IT GO!” Hermione didn’t even flinch. “You love him,” she said simply. “You’ve loved him since you were a girl. That doesn’t just go away overnight. I think that-” “Well, here’s something that might surprise you: Not everyone in this world gives a rat’s shite about what you think! Maybe you should spend some time worrying about your own relationship instead of trying to save ones that are already over and done with.” “What is that supposed to mean exactly?” “Oh, nothing really. Just that I saw that recruit in Ron’s class the other day, I think her name is Shannon. Very pretty girl, she is: smoldering blue eyes, perfectly pouted lips, and a body designed by the gods. She seemed quite taken with him, to be honest.” It wasn’t honest; it was just the first thing Ginny could think of to rile Hermione up. The other witch crossed her arms tightly and shifted slightly on her feet. “And I should care because…?” “Because maybe,” Ginny continued, fighting hard to keep her voice and her eyes cruel, “she’s willing to give him something that you’re just not ready for yet. That would smart, wouldn’t it? You hung the stars over his head for seven long years and risked life and limb for Ron before he finally took notice of you, only to have something as stupid as waiting to sleep together until you’re married push him away.” She clucked her tongue derisively. “How pathetic.” It stunned Ginny to see Hermione Jean Granger–a witch who had been personally tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange–let such words, such nothingness, bring tears to her eyes. Not that she’d ever dare let them fall in Ginny’s presence. “I’m glad to see how much stronger you are now,” she spat out as she strode for the door. “It shows me how easily you’ll handle getting through whatever you’re going through all by yourself!” The slam of the door was the final communication between them for some time. Ginny hadn’t seen her again until two months later, at the World Cup the entire Weasley clan had gathered for off the coast of Japan. She had been offered a roster spot as a reserve based on her try-out with the Harpies and amazingly, had been put into play when one of the Chasers left with a concussion. Hermione had waited until the celebration had dimmed to offer her quiet congratulations and it had given Ginny a chance to offer her apology for her behavior. Slowly, very slowly, friendship began to develop between them again, though it was never anywhere near what it had been when it was enclosed in the walls of Hogwarts. But Ginny wouldn’t let herself be offended by the distance. Hermione was Harry’s friend before hers. It was only fair that she chose him in the end. The flames danced high in front of her and Ginny knew the moment could no longer be avoided. Throwing a fistful of powder into the fireplace, she waited until the flames turned green before leaning in and shouting, “Ministry of Magic, office of Hermione Granger!” It only took a moment for the orderly office to come into focus. She could see Hermione’s feet pacing a frantic path across the floor. They stopped as the Floo activated and Hermione rushed over to receive the call. “Ginny…” she said slowly, taking in her old friend’s features before offering a tiny smile. “I wish, I mean, it is good to see you and all, I just…” “Wish the circumstances were tweaked a bit, I know. I’m glad to see you, too.” Ginny gave her a smile in return. “How are you?” Sadness washed over Hermione’s face. “Well, before your brother tried to launch a curse at my best friend, I was actually having a nice day. It went downhill pretty quickly after that. Did Harry tell you what happened?” “Just the bare minimum. He’s a bit upset himself.” “I’d feel sorrier for him if there wasn’t a part of me that didn’t want to slap him upside the head. Or you, for that matter.” Ginny’s insides squirmed. “Hermione…” “Harry’s relationship with Meredith ends completely out of nowhere; you’ve quit Quidditch and you’re pregnant by a man that you won’t even name; and in the middle of it all, you and Harry are living together in some secret society that Ron holds in nearly as much contempt as Death Eaters.” Hermione shook her head in disappointment. “How did we lose you both so much and hardly even notice?” “You didn’t,” Ginny tried to deny. Hermione was having none of it. “Please, you’ve both done everything you can to exile yourselves away from the entire family,” she countered angrily, “although Harry at least still has the decency or the courage to show up to Weasley lunches and dinners more than once every six months. He at least makes an effort to reach out to people, even if it’s for nothing more than to let them know what country he’s in instead of having to read about in the papers. He doesn’t break the hearts of his surrogate parents by spending the weekend of their wedding anniversary romping through the beaches in Bali.” How dare she?! Ginny thought as she glared viciously through the flames, stung by Hermione’s superior tone. Doesn’t she know that…wait, how could she? I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell anyone in my family why…I just assumed they understood… She closed her eyes as her anger turned inward, wishing when she opened them that everything was simple again. When she had been a child, she longed for adventures and seeing the world. To stand apart from her family with the freedom of a bird. Now all she desired was a life free of explaining herself to those she loved. “I didn’t stay away because I wanted to,” she admitted quietly. “I stayed away so Harry wouldn’t have to. So he wouldn’t feel pushed out of the only family he’s ever had. I love you all so much and you have no idea how much my heart missed being truly a part of our family, but…but I couldn’t do that to Harry.” She lowered her eyes in shame. “Not after what I had already done to him.” “Why, Ginny, why?” Hermione implored, her harsh tone softening. “Why did you hurt him like that? I saw with my own eyes how happy he was with you in school those weeks before Dumbledore died, how hard he fought to kill Voldermort so he could find a way back to that. And even when you were going through your…your troubles that last year, you were both so complete when you were together.” She laughed with a bit of sadness. “I am smarter than any ten witches out there and for the life of me I have never been able to understand why you ended things with him.” “He wouldn’t get better,” Ginny whispered. “That last year, when I started doing so well, he fell apart before my eyes and I couldn’t save him. He was so scared of pulling me down into the dark hole with him that he wouldn’t try to get out of it. I believed…I believed that if I wasn’t in the picture anymore that he’d have a chance to get better, to be happy again. That was all I wanted for him, Hermione, I swear.” “And you never gave any thought to the fact that losing you might very well bury him in that dark hole you wanted to save him from?” It was Ginny’s turn to laugh sadly. “There was a time in his life when he didn’t love me. He’d remember that again and move on, simple as that. And he did. He made a good life for himself here in Hastom. He has peace here. He’s not anyone’s hero in this village, he’s just Harry. To live far away from the expectations of everyone else in the world and just be.” “All that peace cost him was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with,” Hermione said simply. No, Hastom didn’t cost him Meredith. That one’s on my shoulders. “Well, now that he has it,” Ginny began, “I won’t let my idiot brother take it from him. Or you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Does it make you angry that he lives here? Has Ron thoroughly convinced you of the evils he believes are here?” “Of course not,” Hermione said with a sigh. “I hate that Harry’s lied for all these years, but I understand why he felt he had to. I guess I never really understood until today how deeply Ron feels about Hastom.” “Neither did I. Has he said anything to you?” “When I got to the office, he mumbled out what had happened between him and Harry, kicked a rubbish bin clear across the room, and Apparated before I could get a word in edgewise. I imagine he’s on his third or fourth pint by now.” She rolled her eyes, blowing a stray curl out of her face. “How are we going to fix this, Ginny?” Ginny saw flashes of her third year, when Ron and Harry were fighting over that blasted Tri-Wizard Tournament, as she and Hermione tried to devise strategies (short of knocking both of the boys skulls together numerous times) to bring the two best mates back together. The girls had been a team then and it looked like they needed to be one again now. Although this time, Ginny was much more open to skull bashing, as long as it involved Ron and a brick wall. “Well, we need to get them in a room together as soon as possible, for starters. It’ll probably be best if it’s away from Hastom, which means I won’t be able to be there. What do you suggest?” “I think,” Hermione said, looking away in thought, “maybe it would be better if we let Ron cool down a bit first before we have him try to hash things out with Harry or with you. I say that only because you haven’t seen or heard his raging soliloquies about Hastom or…or you these past few weeks and coupled with what he just found out a little while ago, he’s liable to do something truly unforgivable unless we give him time to calm down.” “Hermione, you didn’t see Harry when he came home,” Ginny argued. “I can’t even describe it. He honestly believes he’s lost Ron forever and you as well.” “Harry would have to do many more things worse than keeping his address a secret for him to ever lose me,” Hermione assured her, “and if you don’t want Ron out of both your lives forever, trust me when I tell you the best thing to do is to give him his space. Let him get all the anger out of his system away from you two before it does any further damage. He and I are leaving in two days so I can speak at a conference in Quebec. We’ll be gone for three weeks and I’ll have him there to myself with no outside distractions. I’ll get through to him and then we can find time for the four of us to all work this mess out. Together.” “How are you so sure that Ron will come around?” “Because Ronald Weasley does things that are impetuous and impulsive and that no one else in the world can understand or even see to begin with because they only exist in his mind. But do you know what else he does?” “What?” “He comes back to you, even when you’ve completely given up hope. Believe me, I speak from experience.” Ginny didn’t relish the thought of spending weeks with Harry as he stewed over the state of disarray his friendship with Ron was in. However, if a short time of discontent could lead to a lifetime of shared pints, embarrassing stories, and fierce camaraderie between the two men, it was a price Ginny was willing to pay. Hopefully, Harry would, too. “Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. “Fine, Ron and Harry shouldn’t speak for a little while. What about Ron and me? Would it help if I…I sent another letter or tried to Floo or…?” Hermione shook her head. “Give him time, Ginny.” “I wrote to him weeks ago, he can’t still-” “You’re his little sister, you’re having a baby under far from ideal circumstances, you’re living in a place he reviles, and he just found out you’re living with his best friend.” She shrugged helplessly. “Not to mention he still hasn’t completely forgiven you for breaking that best friend’s heart three years ago.” Ginny’s heart chilled and she shivered, despite the warmth that the Floo connection offered. “I didn’t mean…I didn’t know what that decision would cost me at the time. What it would cost all of us.” “Would your choice have been the same if you had known?” “Yes,” Ginny admitted around the lump in her throat and she brought her hand to her belly. “It would. It’s terribly selfish to say or even think, but my choice…I will always choose my child first. I hope someday you and Ron can both understand that.” Hermione was quiet, struggling to keep her emotions held close. “I…I am happy for you. In regards to the baby, I mean,” she said. “I wanted to write and tell you, I just didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me. We haven’t exactly…I wasn’t a good friend to you three years ago. I knew something else was behind your decision to leave Harry and I didn’t fight hard enough to reach you. Maybe if I had things could have been different.” “Or much worse. We can never be certain.” Ginny smiled a little. “And I’ll always want to hear from you.” “Me too.” Hermione reached across the connection to take her hand for a squeeze. “Give Harry my love and tell him to call me when he’s ready. We’re all going to get through this together.” I hope so. “I know,” she said out loud. Walking down the steps a few moments later, Ginny couldn’t help but think of how one decision she had made so many years ago still rippled through her life and the lives of those she held most dear. It hadn’t been a lie when she told Hermione she wouldn’t change what she had done. Not only for what it brought her future, but also because there had been no other way she could think of for Harry to get the help he needed unless their ties were severed. Still, the cost was a hefty one: So much time lost with her family and so much pain for them all. Especially Harry. She found him sitting on the sofa. Teddy was still asleep and Harry had maneuvered the boy so he was lying across Harry’s chest. Ginny joined him, perching herself as best she could next to Harry on the arm of the couch. “Are you alright?” she asked, watching as he stroked Teddy’s back. “I’m not sure.” He kissed the top of Teddy’s head and turned his head up to look at her. “There are moments when everything just…just makes perfect sense. Nothing in the universe can hurt me.” He took one of her hands. “And then…” “It all comes crashing down,” she finished, knowing the feeling all too well. “That’s why we need to hold onto the good in our lives so much. To make it easier for those troubling times with irksome brothers and best friends to bear.” “I suppose.” “Speaking of best friends, call Hermione when you can. She wants to talk to you when you feel up to it.” “She does?” “Yes, very much. There’s a lot you need to tell her and that she wants to tell you.” “She doesn’t, um, she doesn’t…” He struggled to get the words out. “No, she doesn’t hate you,” Ginny told him. “She never could. You’re family. And it may not feel like it right now, but Ron doesn’t hate you either. The three of you will make this right again.” “You think so?” I hope so. “I do,” she said, hoping she wasn’t lying yet again. She was saved from contemplating that by Teddy’s stirring. Stretching his small limbs in Harry’s grasp, he yawned until Ginny was sure his jaw would unhinge as he rubbed his slowly opening eyes. He stared up blearily at Harry and Ginny. “Hi,” he whispered, staying snuggled in his godfather’s embrace. “Hello,” Harry said with a loving smile. “Did you have a good rest?” “Uh-huh.” “I hope that you were very good for Ginny today.” Teddy molded himself even tighter against Harry, looking up at Ginny with wide, guilty eyes. “Uh-uh,” he admitted. “No?” Harry raised his eyebrows. “I’m not too happy to hear that. What happened, Cub?” “Well,” Ginny answered, nudging Harry gently until he slid over to give her space to sit next to him and Teddy, “we had a good morning, drawing pictures and building castles with the blocks. It was only after lunch that you had some trouble listening, but you did eventually. You stayed on that naughty step for your timeout and you showed me how big you’re getting to be. So we’ll start again from here and I know that you’re going to do your best to listen to me and Harry.” She pinched his nose gently between her fingers, eliciting a small smile from him. “Right?” “Uh-huh.” “Excellent.” She smiled at Harry, who was staring at her in bemusement. “Naughty step?” He mouthed over Teddy’s head. “I’ll explain later,” she replied in kind. Turning back to Teddy, she tickled his belly lightly. “What would you like to do the rest of the day, young man?” “Play Quidditch in the yard,” he giggled as he squirmed away from her fingers. “Quidditch?” Harry replied. “I think we can manage to get you up in the air.” He hoisted Teddy up in the air. “Teddy Lupin, star Beater for the Appleby Arrows takes to the sky! The crowd is roaring with glee, watching the Quidditch wunderkind light up the air with every swing of his bat!” The baby, perhaps responding to Teddy’s outburst of glee, offered a series of swift kicks in reply. “Hey! Your tummy just moved!” Ginny raised her eyebrows in surprise at Teddy’s observation and looked down to see her shirt pulsating ever so at the spots where she felt the baby moving on the inside. “That’s neat!” “It is,” Ginny agreed with wonder. “That’s my baby moving inside me. She’s never moved like that before.” Grinning, she looked over to see a gobsmacked look on Harry’s face as he lowered Teddy back to his lap. Struck by an idea, she took Teddy’s hand. “Do you want to feel her kicking?” Teddy shook his head furiously and leaned back against Harry. “No! I don’t wanna get kicked! That’s mean!” “Oh, it doesn’t hurt, sweetheart, I promise.” The boy glanced up at Harry for reassurance. “Really?” Harry hesitated for moment before he smiled at Teddy. “How about, if it’s alright with Ginny, we feel the baby kick together? You and me both.” He looked to her for confirmation. As much as he had talked with the baby at times, he always asked her permission to initiate physical contact, save that night on the dock when he had given her his land. Ginny had just assumed his first experience when she had forcibly placed his hand on her belly had made him a bit hesitant to the subject. Biting her lip, she nodded in agreement. Slowly, as Ginny placed Teddy’s hand over the spot where she felt the baby kicking, Harry put his own hand next to Teddy’s. Both of their eyes sparked alive when Iris gave them her own greeting. It was truly a feeling like nothing she had ever experienced, sharing such an intimate moment with two people she loved. To anyone watching from the outside, the three–well, four–of them could have almost been… “Wow!” Teddy exclaimed excitedly. “Wow,” Harry murmured quietly under his breath. Wow, Ginny thought silently, knowing she had found a good memory of her own to combat any trying times ahead. ****** The good memory had faded somewhat as October began its end and Ginny stared dejectedly into the full-length mirror in her bedroom. Not matter what outfit or pose she tried, the reflection refused to work with her. If it wasn’t the pimples breaking out along her jaw line, it was the sagging of her weighty bosom, or the swollen feet that no shoe or foot rub could relieve. The white flower-printed shift dress that had looked so appealing in the store now made her feel like a sausage encased in soft cotton. “Are you almost ready, Gin?” Harry called up the stairs to her. “No, damn it! Of course I’m not!” Ginny shouted back, wincing as she straightened out her back to relieve a kink and caught sight of her huge stomach at a side angle. There was no way she would ever survive two more months of this. Harry hesitated. “It’s just…it’s Nell’s birthday and we said we’d be over at her place at six for dinner and that was, uh, well about forty minutes ago, so…” The urge to throw a Stunning Spell at Harry (or at the blasted mirror) was such that Ginny could feel it racing down into the tips of her fingers. “What? You think I’m addled now in addition to being a behemoth?! I bloody well know what day it is and what time it is!” she barked at him. Giving the mirror one more traitorous glare, she picked up her purse and made her way slowly down the stairs to find Harry waiting for her by the front door, holding her cloak out for her and Nell’s present. He smiled cautiously as he wrapped the cloak over her shoulders. “You look lovely, Gin. The dress makes you…” He trailed off as he noticed how deeply her eyes had narrowed. “You think it’s funny? I can’t even look down to see if I put matching socks on my feet and all you have to say is that I look ‘lovely’? I think it’s time for a new prescription on those lenses, Potter!” He pulled the door open for them and followed her out into the chilly evening air. “I just meant that-” “And don’t you dare start spouting off any rubbish about me being ‘glowing’ or ‘radiant’ or ‘lighting the evening sky with the brilliance of my beauty’ because I know it’s all hogwash!” “What am I-?” “It feels like it takes hours to find something to wear that won’t dig two inches into my waist after ten minutes,” she continued unabated, “if I even start to think about the size of my underthings nowadays, I’ll start sobbing, and I’m afraid to even look at certain shoes because I’m paranoid I won’t be able to take them off at the end of the day! So never again try to tell me how lovely I look, Harry, because I have no tolerance for liars anymore.” He stayed silent on the subject and he fell a few steps behind her as they continued on quietly. When they reached the crest of the hill that took them to the path into Hastom, Ginny gasped, first in relief as the throbbing in her feet eased, then in anger as she rounded on Harry when she realized what he had done. “You just used wandless magic on me, didn’t you?!” “Yes,” he admitted without stopping his stride. “How dare you?!” Never mind that walking was no longer a practice in slow torture, there was a principle to be defended. “I’ve told you that I didn’t want-” “I’m quite aware of your feelings on the subject, Ginevra.” “Then you know that if I can’t use magic for my own benefit, I certainly do not want someone else-” “I do know. Not a moron, here. Pick out my own clothes in the morning and everything.” Positively growling, she planted her feet–her gloriously pain-free feet–in the ground and crossed her arm as if she were a petulant child. “What gives you the right to-?” “I don’t like seeing you in pain, okay?” Finally fed up, he turned back to her. “I listen to you every day complain about how uncomfortable you are and all you’ll ever let me do is rub your feet at the end of the day and maybe, if I’m lucky, run you a warm bath upstairs! I could do more, much more, but you’re too stubborn to let me so I just went ahead and did it! Forgive me for not being able to hear you suffering without bloody well doing something about it!” Ginny stared in shock at Harry’s back as he slowly walked further along the path, stunned out of her annoyance at the passion with which he spoke. She could honestly say that all her focus lately had been on her own discomfort and not on what that vocal objection to said discomfort was doing to him. So consumed by her own misery was she, Ginny had never taken the time to consider how her sometimes loud moans and sighs of pain around the house had made Harry feel. He had a right to a peaceful time in his own home, after all. He shouldn’t have to endure her noisy suffering at the end of a long day. What a terrible friend she was. “Thank you,” she whispered when she had caught up with him, “and I’m sorry. For being such a stereotype of a witch lately.” He put his arm gingerly around her shoulder and tugged her close for a squeeze. “You’re welcome and you’re forgiven.” He released her far too soon for her liking, but kept his body close to hers as they continued into town. The village was alight with lanterns strung across rooftops, showcasing the tapestry of streamers and ribbons in dark autumn colors. Guests and townsfolk alike lingered over market stalls and small street performances, jostling easily for what little space there on the wide streets as all of Hastom prepared for the beginning of their annual celebration of fall. “I know I can be a right pain in the arse these days…” “You’re seven months pregnant, you’re entitled to be.” She smirked to herself before she sobered at her next thought. “And…and I know it’s been painful and frustrating, not hearing anything new from Ron, but-” “I don’t want to talk about him right now,” Harry cut her off. He reached down and twined his fingers through hers. “I just want to go and have a nice dinner with you and my friends. My real friends. The ones who accept me for what I am and the choices I’ve made.” “Hermione will get through to him, she always does in the end,” she said. She needed to hear it out loud as much as Harry did. “Not always,” Harry replied with a small smile. “What do you mean?” He studied her for a moment, weighing whether or not to tell her, before continuing, “Marriage. I mean, she can’t get him to let up on proposing marriage. You see, Hermione wants to wait until she’s about thirty or so to get married. That way she and whomever she’s roped into her insanity can be perfectly settled in their careers and whatnot before settling down.” Ginny crinkled her nose in confusion. “Thirty? That’s just so…old. If I were going to get married, I don’t think I could ever wait that long.” “Me neither. But, um, anyways Ron knows all this and he still proposes to her all the time. It’s kind of like this weird joke between them. I’ve been in the room a couple of times when he’s done it.” Harry’s smile brightened as he stared at something in the distance, his eyes in the past. “He’ll make this endless sappy speech about eternal love and devotion at the most inopportune times, like during breakfast or right before Hermione has to appear before the Wizengamot; once he even had a song written, which we all agreed to never repeat the lyrics to. Then he pulls out something small from his pocket, like a tack or a piece of candy, and he presents that to her for a ring. And when he’s all done with his part, Hermione will burst into these phony tears and pretend to swoon before she tragically admits that her heart is just not ready to accept his love.” Harry laughed to himself. “I don’t think they tell anyone else in the family for fear of it getting back to your mum. Can you imagine the wrath they’d incur from her if she knew what a ‘mockery’ they were making of an engagement?” Ginny giggled as she pictured the look on her mother’s face if Molly Weasley were ever to witness such a thing. “What happens next?” “Huh?” “After Hermione says no, what happens next?” “Well they, uh, they usually just kiss and go about the rest of their day. Like nothing’s happened. I know it sounds weird, but it’s just sort of like the way your dad brings home a new dishrag for your mum every Friday evening or how Fleur always eats a few bites of rare steak with Bill so he doesn’t feel out of place in a restaurant. Proposing and rejecting the proposal is just how Ron and Hermione say, ‘I love you’ to each other.” Ginny could only shake her head. “That’s just bizarre, even for them. And that’s saying something.” “I think lately, Ron’s meant it more as a serious thing than as a joke,” Harry admitted, almost to himself. “When we’d have time during the day before…you know, he’d pull out this catalog from his desk and thumb through it, in his own world. The one time I was able to sneak a look at it, I saw that it was from a small jeweler in Diagon Alley. The ring section.” As furious with her brother as she was for his behavior as of late, a small part of Ginny couldn’t help but flutter at the thought of him finally marrying the woman he loved. Though he was nothing more than a nuisance to her presently, even she could admit that for all he had sacrificed and suffered throughout the war, Ronald Weasley was entitled to a happy life for the rest of his years. Hopefully, she and Harry could both be a part of those years with him. Though with almost another month of stony silence between them, her hope was dwindling day by day. Ginny curled her arm through Harry’s and leaned her head on his shoulder as they approached Bart and Nell’s little cottage. Harry pulled open the small front gate for them. “I think,” she said when they reached the front door, “that we should just put Ron and Hermione out of our minds for the night and enjoy the evening. After all,” she ribbed him in the stomach, “it is the start of the Fall Festival.” “That it is,” he agreed. He started to knock on the door but before he could, it opened and Bart stuck his head in between the door and the jam. “This was not my idea!” he hissed at the pair. “This was my wife’s, okay? Not mine, hers. She is the meddler and I am just the guy who enables her. Got it?” Harry immediately tensed. “What has that woman done now?” Oh no, Ginny thought, keeping herself melded to Harry’s side. Iris, Mummy is going to try her very best not to start swearing at Auntie Nell, but in case one slips, you’re not allowed to repeat it once you can speak. Understand? The baby jabbed at her ribs, hopefully in agreement. Good girl. Bart began to answer until Nell’s voice called out from upstairs, “Bart? Are they here? I was just about to Floo their house.” “Yeah, they just got here, babe! Perfect timing, you’re really incredible, have I told you that?” Bart floundered, apologizing to his friends with his eyes. “Plus she’s kept her figure, isn’t that amazing, Harry, my good friend? Come on in, you two.” Opening the door wider, he hissed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Wife’s idea. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. We’ll all get through it together. I’m sorry.” Harry only rolled his eyes and shoved the wrapped box in Bart’s hands. “Thank you and did I mention that I’m sorry?” Holding her breath, Ginny edged into the small living room with Harry, prepared for anything to spring out in front of them: Banshees, Doxies, Professor McGonagall in polka-dotted footed pajamas. Her mind was at red alert. Nothing would surprise her. Beside her, she could feel Harry’s side tense. Instead of something frightening or off-putting, all she and Harry found was Sapien Stellner sitting with his leg crossed on the sofa, giving them both a warm smile in greeting as he stood. “Good evening to you both, Citizen Potter and Prospect Weasley. I trust the evening finds you in good spirits.” It had been some time since Ginny had had the chance to speak with the elusive head of the Council. Between her work at the pub, coaching the Quidditch team with Harry, and the everyday minutia of her life in general, there hadn’t been time lately for conversation with the village elder, only a friendly nod hello once in a while. “Hello, sir,” Ginny said formally, still on guard. What kind of news could her friends have if they thought it required the presence of Sapien to smooth it over? She looked to Bart for answers but the man was working hard to avoid all eye contact with her, rolling the gift back and forth in his hands. “What’s going on?” Harry asked without preamble. He stepped away from Ginny to shake Sapien’s hand. She wanted to pull him back to her side and keep him there. “Perhaps we should all sit down before we begin our discussion,” Sapien tried as he released Harry’s hand. Harry opened his mouth to answer but Ginny offered hers first. “No, thank you. We’d like to know what’s going on here. We were told,” she glanced at Bart accusingly, “that we’d be having supper with our friends, not being blindsided by whatever you have to say here…” She trailed off as an idea took shape in her mind and she wanted to drag Harry back to her when she saw what it was. I did something wrong, Ginny thought in horror. Somehow, I broke one of their rules and now they won’t let me stay in Hastom. I have to leave my life…my home…Harry… Without hesitation, she lurched forward and grasped Harry’s hand tightly in hers. Sapien looked down at their linked hands and quirked his lips in surprise. “My presence here is not one of punishment or judgment. I am here tonight only to wish Citizen Nixon a happy birthday and to serve as an intermediary if one is called for, not to ask anyone to leave our borders,” he assured her voiceless thoughts. Ginny frowned in confusion before she sighed in relief; with his empathetic abilities, of course Sapien would know instantly what she had feared and would know how to alleviate it. Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly. So sound was her relief that she almost missed Sapien’s next words. “As you know, the time has come for our annual Fall Festival. In a village that prides itself on its capacity to celebrate, this festival is, if I do say so myself, our crowning jewel. Days and days of reveling and merriment to give thanks for all that the warmth of spring, summer, and fall have provided us. This celebration is also a time of growth and welcoming in our community; when our strict rules regarding those who come into Hastom relax ever so slightly. Citizens are allowed to bring in more visitors than we would normally permit, provided that those same citizens bear more responsibility for their guests.” “How does this have anything to do with us?” Harry asked. “Perhaps,” Sapien nodded towards Bart, who for once looked quite unhappy to be the center of attention, “Citizen Nixon could better answer that question.” Bart smiled ruefully and sauntered slowly towards the staircase, hands in pocket, taking his sweet time. “Okay then. Thank you for that typically wordy and cerebral explanation, Councilman Stellner. In layman’s terms, there’s going to be a lot more people in town this week and, um, we–that is my wife and myself have taken some of these guests into our home. I mean, we’re…we’ve invited some people to Hastom and,” Bart lowered his voice and glanced quickly above his head, “by ‘we’ I mean my lovely wife to-” “Hey!” Ginny heard Nell shout angrily from the top of the stairs. “I heard that!” Cheeks aflame, Bart winced as he called back, “Did you also hear me before tell Harry how tight and right you’ve that kept that body, babe? Because if you didn’t, you have and if you did, it just needed to be said again! Anyhoot,” he turned back to the group at large, “back to my point, we…we have guests with us here this week...” He paused again, searching for the words. Ginny traded a look of apprehension with Harry. Bart being at a loss for words was never a good sign. Finally, Bart gave up and looked to Sapien for guidance. The white-haired man nodded and addressed Harry and Ginny once more. “These particular guests,” Sapien explained, “you both know. Healer Nixon,” he called up the stairs, “I believe that is your cue.” Soft footsteps soon followed down the stairs. More than one pair. Nell appeared first at the bottom, tugging her husband off to the side to allow their guests room to enter. The mysterious duo stopped about halfway down for a moment so Ginny could see only their feet. I know those shoes, she thought idly of the thin, strappy black heels. They’re just like the pair I bought last year for Her- Unconsciously, Ginny felt herself take a step back as she gasped quietly in shock. Beside her, she heard Harry stop breathing as he watched Ron and Hermione descend the stairs to stand in front of them; Hermione in a tasteful long sleeved ivory sweater and dinner slacks with happy tears shining in her eyes and Ron in a proper suit coat and pressed jeans, his mouth in a straight line as he took in the sight of his best friend and his younger sister. His deep brow furrowed when his eyes noticed how tightly wound together Harry and Ginny’s hands were. Though it made her heart tremble to do so, she released Harry from her grip and Ron’s gaze relented. Unable to contain herself, Hermione shot forward and took both Harry and Ginny in her arms. “It’s so good to see you,” she cried against them. “You have no idea how much I’ve…” She sighed happily and tugged them even closer. Around Hermione’s mass of curls, Ginny saw that her brother had not moved an inch, neither from the step or in his stiff posture. There was no happiness on his face or anger. There was nothing. “H-How are you…?” Harry pulled away from Hermione’s hug, looking bewilderedly around the room before he settled back on the face of one of his oldest friends, slowly smiling until he was beaming at her. “Um, your friends,” Hermione explained, smiling back at Nell and Bart in the corner. “I got this strange owl right before we left for Canada and it had a letter from a woman named Nell Nixon who claimed to know you, to be a friend of yours. There was so much about you she knew in that letter that I didn’t doubt her to be truthful. She said she wanted us to meet in person and after running a standard background check on her through the Ministry, we met at the Leaky for lunch. She…she told me she thought…” Hermione sniffed and pulled Harry in for another squeeze. “I can’t believe any of this. I can’t believe we’re all here!” Nell picked up the story. “I told her that I had seen with my own eyes how much this estrangement was effecting you and Ginny and that I thought I knew a way to help you all work through everything. If they were open to it, we could have Ron and Hermione come to Hastom as guests of ours and they could see for themselves what this place truly is and what your life here is like.” She smiled warmly at Ron, who nodded in return. “It took a little bit of convincing on my part over the last couple of weeks, but I got Hermione on board with the plan and, um, well-” “I told Ron if he ever truly wanted to see a ring on my finger, he’d come here with me,” Ginny heard Hermione whisper into Harry’s ear. Smiling over Harry’s shoulder, Hermione slowly released him and moved over to Ginny, raking her eyes over Ginny’s swollen form. “You…you look…” Hermione trailed off again, shaking her head in amazement. “Enormous,” Ginny supplied as she hugged Hermione again. “Gigantic. Fit to burst. Viewable from space. Take your pick.” “I was going to say stunning, actually. But yours work too.” The laughter died in Ginny’s throat as she watched Ron walk down from the stairs into the living room. He stopped a few feet away from Harry and waited. With bated breath, Hermione and Ginny untangled themselves from each other, each knowing how much was riding on this exchange. It was not melodramatic to say that both their futures very well depended on what was said here between the two men. Harry hesitated, weighing his choices carefully before he looked over to catch Ginny’s eye, silently begging for one thing: “Should I do this?” He’s asking me what to do? Why? I’m the one that caused this whole mess to begin with. Pushing aside her own confusion, she nodded in encouragement for him to meet his oldest friend halfway. The entire room gazed at the pair silently, giving them a layer of space yet unable to look away to give them privacy that would make the encounter easier. Or perhaps easier to leave unresolved. “Hey,” Ron said quietly when Harry was finally in front of him. “Hi,” Harry replied. The two men sized each other up as time moved sluggishly around them. Ginny heard Hermione bristle in annoyance next to her. “Morgana help me, it’s the bloody fourth year all over again,” she said under her breath. Perhaps sensing his girlfriend’s irritation, Ron cleared his throat and kept his eyes on Harry’s as he began to speak. “I, uh, I owe you a…an apology,” he said awkwardly. “For what happened in the office a few weeks ago.” He looked down at his feet. “For, you know, trying t-to curse you.” Ron, thankfully, looked decidedly abashed as he picked an imaginary piece of lint off a table lamp. “It was uncalled for and no matter what I was feeling at the time I had no right to do something that…that unforgivable.” “No,” Harry agreed, “you didn’t.” “I just…look, Harry, I know I was completely barmy to do what I did. I should probably be locked up in a cell right now. But can you at least admit that what I heard before I did it, what you told me, it was absolutely the last thing in the world I ever imagined I’d hear?” “Yeah, I can. That still doesn’t excuse what you did, though.” “I never said that it should, I’m only trying to make you understand what was running through my head.” Ron’s face fell. “I had just found out my best mate had been lying to me for more than three years. Are you saying I should have been able to keep my head on straight?” “Your best mate lied to you because the only thing he ever heard from you about his new home was what a breeding ground for the entire world’s evils it is,” Harry countered. “Because that’s what I had been told my entire life.” “Well, I wasn’t. I came here and saw with my own eyes how good this place is, how honorable the people are who live here. Nothing exists here but peace, which I could have let you see for yourself if I ever thought you were open to it.” “So you didn’t trust me enough to show me this part of your life?” Ron asked, his voice hardening. “That’s what you’re telling me?” Harry tried his best to answer, but could only shrug in defeat. “I didn’t trust,” he said slowly, “that I would be able to survive if I lost you, Ron, or Hermione. I couldn’t let myself risk it. Not after I had just lost…” He shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead tiredly. Away from Harry’s scrutiny, Ron shot a quick look of condemnation at his sister. Ginny didn’t need any of Sapien’s extraordinary abilities to understand what Ron was feeling or thinking. In his mind, this entire debacle, from Harry’s decision to move to Hastom right up to this little standoff in Bart and Nell’s living room, was entirely Ginny’s doing. She would have been furious with him if a part of her didn’t agree with him. And if the majority of Ron’s rage was directed at her, that at least meant that there was hope he and Harry would be able to reconcile their differences and keep their friendship intact. That was something. If all Ginny had to give up to let Harry have that was another brother, then…well, eventually she’d find a way to live with it. “Look,” Hermione finally said, walking to stand beside Harry and Ron, “I think you both can agree that mistakes were made over the years, by each of you. Ron, I know that finding out Harry’s been living in Hastom all this time was a shock, but he is your best friend and you owed him more than firing off the first curse that came to you. And Harry, maybe you thought you were doing it for the right reasons, but you still spent years to lying to Ron and to me every day.” The two men nodded solemnly at Hermione’s analysis. “There’s no going back to undo what’s been done. All that’s left is starting fresh from here on in with a bit more trust on everyone’s part. Agreed?” “Yeah,” Ron told her before he turned back to Harry. “I’m sorry, mate. I truly am.” He held out his hand in apology. “Can you forgive me for being such an arsehole?” Amazingly, Harry smiled just a little as he took Ron’s hand. “Our history suggests that, yes, I can.” Ron chuckled sheepishly and nodded. “But only if you’ll do the same for me,” Harry added. “I’m sorry, too.” Ron pulled him by the arm into a deep hug that Hermione joined after a moment and Ginny bowed her chin down in thanks. Fred, I’m not sure if you had a hand in getting Ron squared away or if it was all Hermione’s doing, she thought, but if you did, thank you. She felt an arm brush her side and looked over to see Sapien standing beside her. “Your brother still loves you very much, Prospect Weasley,” he told her quietly as they watched Nell and Bart join the trio as their hug disbanded. “Do not doubt that.” “Maybe he does. But he hates me a little bit, too. Doesn’t he?” “He is angry and frustrated. That is not the same as hate.” “Sure feels like it on this end of things.” Harry’s eyes were lit with pleasure as his two worlds collided together, watching his best friends finally all begin to exchange pleasantries in his company. He glanced over at Ginny and grinned with the ease of the child. It occurred to her then that for the first time in far too long Harry truly had everything he wanted in life: All his best friends around him, living in a place that gave him peace; a godson that he treasured; work that fulfilled his need to help those around, and most of all, a future completely unencumbered by darkness. The sun was finally shining brightest on Harry James Potter. At the thought of something shining, Ginny’s mind suddenly flashed back to Harry’s study. Probably still sitting in his desk drawer was the persem diamond that had been intended for Meredith. It made Ginny’s heart spasm with guilt. No, she was wrong. Harry didn’t have everything he wanted. “Join your friends,” Sapien told her suddenly. “I am quite certain they want you a part of their group. Especially Citizen Potter.” Fixing a smile to her lips, she followed Sapien’s advice and stood next to Nell on the fringe, Sapien behind her. With everyone gathered around him, Bart clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention amidst the various conversations going on. “I think now is a perfect time for supper. Everyone follow me to the backyard. We’ve got plenty of food and Warming Charms all set up for my wife’s,” he pressed a smacking kiss to Nell’s neck, “third annual twenty-second birthday dinner!” He ducked her half-hearted slap as he led them all outside to the cozy yard. A large picnic table was set, laden with steaming plates of chicken, roast beef, and three different preparations of potatoes as well as greens and other vegetables. Two bottles of elderflower wine and pumpkin juice sat on either side of the decorative centerpiece arranged with leaves and flowers. As promised, the Warming Charms cast around the borders of the yard kept the chill of the evening air from disturbing them as they all began to take their seats on the benches. Trying to figure out the best way to ease her bulky frame down onto the corner spot without losing her balance, Ginny was surprised to feel a familiar hand on her lower back and arm. Without a word between them, Harry helped her onto the bench before taking the seat beside her. “Thank you,” she said softly. “My pleasure,” he replied with a smile as he poured pumpkin juice into her cup. It normally would have made her joyful to see him so attentive to her, if not for the heat she could feel coming across the other side of the table from Ron’s stare that Harry seemed oblivious to in his newfound state of glee. She fidgeted against it and tried her best to ignore her brother as Nell’s birthday celebration got underway. It was a mix of old and new, past and present at the table. Older stories of eleven year-olds fighting off trolls in bathrooms to newer ones of a local healer struck dumb by a group of different eleven year-olds brewing potions to deliberately give themselves horse tails as a fashion statement. Hermione spoke of her and Ron’s recent world travels while Nell offered her own anecdotes about living all over Asia for a year as part of her training in herbal remedies. Ron stayed closer to Sapien during the meal, peppering him with (from what Ginny could hear from her end) questions about Hastom and its history. Sometimes the answers brought a small smile to Ron’s face while others muted him for a short time. Harry joined in wherever he felt like it; making Hermione groan when he merrily described the effects a stray cat hair had had on a batch of Polyjuice Potion or arguing with Bart over the merits of various Auror practices. Sapien retired for the evening after the cake was cut, but the rest of them stayed out so late that the Warming Charms needed to be recast. Ginny smiled and laughed over her meal, but was perfectly content to stay silent and watch those she loved be happy for much of the night, which was made truly glorious after Ron and Hermione had presented Nell with a beautiful set of crystal goblets for a birthday present. Hermione then handed Bart a rectangular wrapped box of his own. “You guys didn’t have to do this. This day’s for my wife, not me,” he told them even as his fingers ripped the paper off. “Well, we figured with all you’ve done for Harry these years, we owed you something,” Hermione said. “It was actually Ron’s idea. I told him how Nell mentioned you were a fan of Muggle comic books and it turns out he had a whole pile of them from when he was a boy.” “My dad went mental for anything not magical,” Ron supplied. “Always brought this stuff home from work that had been seized and uncharmed that none of us had any use for. He had stacks of those comic books in the broom shed and I nicked a bunch because I thought the pictures looked cool, even if they couldn’t move. I figured it was time to give one to someone who could really appreciate it.” Bart grinned as he finally got rid of the paper and took the top off the box. “Really, this is awesome of you, but you really didn’t ha…” Bart’s mouth stopped moving midway through the word and refused to close as his eyes bulged until they were practically coming out of their sockets as the rest of the table tried to get a peek at what was flummoxing him so. “I’m sorry it’s not newer,” Ron apologized immediately. “Dad hadn’t gotten any for a while so all I had were some really old ones before I was even born. It’s the very first one in the series and it’s still in pretty good shape, at least, so if you don’t know the story it’s a good place to start.” Bart whimpered pitifully and the hands gripping the box started shaking. “I thumbed through it a few times and it’s not that bad. It’s about this bloke that gets bitten by a spider and-” Slowly, Bart stood and laid his gift box precisely on the table, taking great care to recover it and position it away from the edge. When he was done, Ginny watched in shock as he marched over to Ron and threw his arms around him, Ron’s head tucked under his chin, and proceeded to kiss the top of Ron’s ginger hair. Ron looked a strange mixture of scared and sick. “What’s happening now?” he asked the table as Bart began rocking them back and forth. Nell, having a general idea of what had just occurred, couldn’t hide her smirk. “My husband is saying thank you,” she said around a giggle. “No!” Bart cried out. “You can’t….there are no…I don’t know…” Suddenly, an idea occurred to him and his eyes lit up. Releasing Ron (who took in a deep breath of fresh air) Bart carefully picked up his new/old comic book and looked down at his wife. “Honey, where do we keep the deed to the house?” Before Nell could answer, Bart waved her off. “Never mind, I think I know!” He raced back into the house, letting out a shriek of delight. Nell simply shook her head. “All right then, I’m definitely not having sex tonight,” she informed the table at large. The entire group groaned and laughed together. Ginny felt the baby start hiccupping and she giggled “Stop that now,” she said out loud to Iris. “I know Uncle Bart is a funny man but that’s no reason to take it out your sillies on me.” “She giving you trouble?” Harry asked her. She nodded and Harry leaned his head a little closer to her belly. “Enough of that, Snitch. Be nice to your mum or no Quidditch over the wireless for you tomorrow tonight.” Ginny was stunned; in private, when they were alone, Harry was never shy about interacting with the baby. Around people, on the other hand…that was something else entirely. Apparently not to Harry, though. He stood up and stretched. “Mind if I use the loo, Nell?” “Um, sure,” she said slowly. Ginny, her cheeks flaming, forced herself not to look away from her friends as Harry walked into the house. “You know, Hermione, my mother kept some of the old town records and we have some copies here. I, uh, know you mentioned wanting to look at them before. Would you like to see them? Right now?” “Oh,” Hermione said her eyes wide. “Oh! Yes, of course. The…the town records. Yes, I’d very much like to look at those at this very moment.” The two women stood together and quickly walked into the house, Nell waving her wand behind her to clear the mess from the table and shut the door, leaving the two Weasleys alone. Ginny looked towards her brother at the other end of the table, miles away from her. To comfort herself from the silence of her brother, she started rubbing her belly, humming quietly and cursing herself for making such meddling friends. I made the first move. I wrote the letter, she thought stubbornly. It’s his turn to talk if he has something to say. It turns out he did. “Do you really think there’s some sort of document she wants ‘Mione to see?” Ron asked, staring straight ahead. “Or was it just an excuse to get us all by ourselves?” “Probably a bit of both.” He nodded and took a long sip of his wine. “I don’t have any idea what I’m supposed to say right now,” he murmured. “One part of me is saying that you’re my baby sister and the other part is screaming that you’re also the person who put my best friend through the fires of hell and seems bent on doing it all over again.” “What does that mean exactly?” Ginny spat out. “You know what it means!” Ron finally turned in his seat to face her. “What in the name of Gandalf do you think you’re doing here with Harry? Once wasn’t enough, you want to drag his heart through the ringer again? Sequel’s never as good as the original, Gin, you know that. Why waste your time?” She squeezed her eyes shut and continued caressing her belly in hopes of keeping her calm. “That is not what is happening, Ronald. Harry and I are friends, that’s all there is and that’s all I w-want. And for your information, I was never trying to hurt him when I broke things off-” “Well, that’s just great. You still managed to do a bang up job of it, regardless!” “Where is all this coming from?! Where was all of this outrage about, I don’t know, four years ago? When I actually ended the relationship? Where was all of this self-righteous, Harry-first attitude of yours back then?!” “It was kept clamped down as tight as I could keep it because I didn’t want to watch my mother’s heart break over her children fighting so soon after it put itself back together from losing a son!” Ron pushed away from the table and paced around the yard. “I know how hard that is for you to understand, caring about whether or not I hurt my parents, but still…” Ginny saw nothing except red. Hefting herself up, she caught up to Ron and shoved her hands into his chest, making him stumble into a hedge. “How dare you?! You have no clue as to what I think or feel, Ron Weasley! You have no idea why I made the choices I made!” She huffed and backed away from him. “Never mind the fact that they were my choices to make, not yours and-” Ron reached forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gently. “Don’t you get it?!” He screamed into her face. “You ruined it! You ruined everything!” She struggled to break free of his firm grasp. “What are you talking about?” “You were supposed to marry him!” Ron cried. Ginny’s heart dropped and she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. Ron sounded as if he couldn’t either. “You were supposed to marry Harry and have a life together and be right by me and ‘Mione while you did it! You weren’t supposed to run off all over the world, keeping yourself hidden away for months at a time while he vanished right in front of our eyes! You weren’t supposed to end up pregnant by some miserable cockstain you won’t even name while Harry dated someone so…so…blonde and not you! I was supposed to…to be there for…” His grip on Ginny slacked and he leaned his forehead down to press wearily against hers. “You were both supposed to have nothing but an easy time of it after Voldermort was done and gone. After everything you went through in that Chamber and after…it wasn’t supposed to be like this for you.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she laid her head on his shoulder. “I know,” she admitted past her sobs. “It’s bad enough I couldn’t save you from a goddamn diary,” he continued, clutching his arms around her back as best he could. Ginny started to protest, but Ron cut her off. “Again, when it really counted, I couldn’t save you from yourself. I couldn’t protect you from hurting yourself and the rest of us.” “I never meant to. I swear on Fred’s grave that I thought what I did was the right thing.” “I know,” he whispered, keeping her close, “but you did hurt us, Gin. Whatever you thought, this is still the end result. A lot of pain and a lot of what-ifs for a lot of people that you love.” “H-How do I make it right? For you and me? How do we get past all this?” Is it even possible? Ron didn’t answer for some time and Ginny clung to him even tighter, afraid if he let go she’d lose him forever. “Do you remember,” he said into her hair, “that autographed dragonskin glove you got from Araloff Dillengard at the World Cup in Japan?” “Yes?” “Maybe…I don’t know maybe if you were feeling generous with it, I might be-OW!” He pulled back from the wallop she had just packed into her shoulder before bursting into laughter and easing the thick layer of tension that had been weighing them down all evening. Ginny joined him, making her way back to sit at the picnic table, motioning for him to follow. “You’re a prat, Ron,” she told him, wiping at her tears. He offered her a napkin and she gratefully took it. “I know.” “Truly, though, please tell me what I have to do to make this right.” He thought for a moment. “Give me the name of the bastard that did that,” he pointed to her stomach, “to you so me and our brothers can go kill him?” She slapped his shoulder again. “Be serious, Ron.” “I am serious. Why won’t you tell us?” “Because he won’t be involved so it does no good to anyone to speak of him, especially your niece.” She took his hand and laid it on her belly. He rubbed it gently, smiling when he felt the baby poking in reply. “Ron please, name it and I’ll do it. Just give me an answer.” He took his hand away and stared right at her. “You’re already doing it.” “What?” “Making Harry happy again.” He smiled wider and leaned back on his elbows against the tables, looking up into the deep night’s sky. “It’s been entirely too long since I’ve seen him smile like he did tonight, just sitting next to you and talking to your kid. Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson this time and you won’t-” “Harry and I are not together,” she said firmly, standing. She cradled her belly with one hand and offered the other to him. “We’re friends, good friends, and I promise you that I won’t do anything to jeopardize that. Come on, it’s late. Let’s go back inside and say goodnight before Bart comes out to offer you one of his kidneys.” Ron’s smile faded a bit as he got up without Ginny’s help. “Friends?” “Yes.” He shook his head. “Could’ve fooled me. Don’t muck it up again,” he called back in warning as he walked into the house, leaving her alone in the yard. Friends. Why was it so hard for people to understand that’s all she and Harry were to each other now? But more importantly, why was it getting so hard to understand herself? |
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