|
The Secrets In-Between Them | ||||||
|
Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama, Romance Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 46 Summary: Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts Harry leaves Ginny again to finish off the last of Voldemort's regime. Ginny moves on with her life with a secret. After a chance encounter reunites them they're forced together again. Can they find a new path forward? Hitcount: Story Total: 114640; Chapter Total: 9356 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story. |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
Chapter Five Harry slid into his cubicle at the Ministry the following morning with a cup of coffee in his hands. He’d taken to indulging in a Muggle coffee shop every now and then when he was in town and today he desperately needed the caffeine. He’d slept poorly that night as his mind tried to come to terms with the news. I have a son, he had said to himself over and over again. His emotions were in a coaster from disbelief to fear to anger. His friends and the Weasleys had kept this from him for years. How could they possibly justify it to him? Harry needed a distraction. Work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been slow with Dolohov finally dead. He had been relegated to desk work for the time being, catching up on five years of unfinished paperwork. He wondered if Ginny was in court today. Arthur had kept him updated on her career over lunch when they were able to meet. Harry was always happy to know she’d taken a job in the Commission for Justice; it was almost as if they were working together from afar. Harry knew it was painstaking work for her. Voldemort didn’t exactly keep records of his followers and their injustices and the effort to hold them accountable was monumental. Ginny and her team had to rely on victims and their families coming forward, find the right Death Eater or Snatcher to prosecute, and build a case. Harder still was convincing everyone to testify while they were still terrified Voldemort could return. Harry was curious how this all played out in front of the Wizengamot and decided to take his chances. He slipped out of his cubicle and headed down to the Level Ten courtrooms. Luck was on Harry’s side when he arrived, mid-trial. Ginny sat at the front of the room with her team. A young man and his attorney sat opposite them. His attorney was addressing the court. “Ladies and gentlemen of the court, my client was not some mastermind of Voldemort’s regime. He was a low level Snatcher. He was swept up in fear and joined for his own protection. The Commission for Justice promised my client that in exchange for his cooperation and testimony they would be lenient in their sentencing request and now they are asking for fifteen years in Azkaban. He has already served three waiting for trial. We are requesting the Wizengamot release him, on probation, with time served.” Harry was taken aback. Time served? He was sure the Snatcher deserved far more than the fifteen years the Commission was asking for and wondered how many other witches and wizards got off easy in exchange for cooperation. Ginny rose to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, opposing counsel would like you to believe that this man was low level and caused minimal damage during his time as a Snatcher. We have evidence to the contrary, and would like to ask Mathilda Magshot to read her victim impact statement.” The victim statements had been Arthur’s idea. He had read about them being used in Muggle courts and thought it may help people feel more empowered to come forward. A young girl seated behind Ginny’s team stood, tears already starting to pool in her eyes. Harry thought he recognized her from his time at school. She came forward and took a deep breath. Harry could tell it was taking all of the courage she had to do this. She turned to face the young man and his attorney. “You killed my mum.” The young man looked down, his face emotionless. “She was Muggleborn and you killed her when she was on the run. I was fifteen when Voldemort took over the Ministry and I begged my mum to go into hiding, but she didn’t yet. She was a Healer at St. Mungo’s, you know? She said she had patients and they needed her and she would be okay. I still remember when she dropped me off at the Hogwarts Express that fall and I was terrified that it was the last time I was ever going to see her.” She paused as the tears began to fall. “Your lot went to St. Mungo’s, demanded records for all the patients and all the employees and that’s when she took off. I don’t know where she went or where she hid but you found her, didn’t you? You found her and you killed her.” The young man still didn’t look up. Harry was angry. The least he could do was look this young woman in the eye and face what he’d done. “I still don’t understand,” she went on. “That’s the hardest part. I ask myself every day why, I can’t get over it. What did she ever do to you? What did she ever do to him? My mother healed people, she’d never hurt anyone. Why did you all hate her so much?” Mathilda’s voice began to rise as the young man continued to look down. “Are you even sorry?” He looked up at her finally. Harry saw regret etched on his face. “I am sorry,” he said. “I am. I wish I could take it all back.” “Well, you can’t.” Mathilda and he stared at each other for a while. They were both young, they were all so young, but in moments like this they all seemed so old. Ginny rose and put her hand on Mathilda’s shoulder and Harry could tell Ginny had probably spent hours with her preparing her for this testimony. He saw her whisper something in her ear that only made her cry harder. She nodded and sat down. Ginny turned to address the court. “Mr. Tuck has cooperated with the prosecution team and his information was valuable to us. It is for that reason and that reason alone that we are not requesting a life imprisonment in Azkaban. The prosecution rests.” “Very well,” the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot said. “If the defense has nothing further than we will deliberate and vote.” Harry left the courtroom. He felt sick to his stomach and didn’t want to hear the verdict. He found a quiet corridor and tried to steady his breathing and push his anger down. He wished there was a Death Eater left he could find and curse. How could Ginny do this every day? he asked himself. How can she look at these victims and criminals and not go mad? He was proud of the work he’d been doing as an Auror and he had made his own share of difficult choices, but he was suddenly acutely aware that Ginny was the brave one. At least he could do his part with a wand. She, on the other hand, did her part with her brain. After he’d calmed down he headed for the lift. He’d no sooner turned the corner when he saw Ginny embracing Mathilda who was crying in her arms. “You were so brave, Mathilda. So brave. Your mum would be so proud of you.” Walking in on this intimate moment made Harry feel uncomfortable. He felt like an intruder. He was wondering if there was another way back up when the girl looked up and noticed him. “You’re…you’re Harry Potter,” she seemed shocked when she noticed him. Ginny gave him a look that was clearly meant to ask what he was doing there. Harry moved toward the lift and put a knowing hand on Mathilda’s shoulder. “You were brilliant in there.” Mathilda was speechless as Harry moved into the lift. On the way back up Harry pondered about what he had seen. Ginny looked so confident, so sure of herself, so determined. His mind flashed back to the Battle of Hogwarts when he watched her comforting an injured girl crying to go home. It seemed there was a side of Ginny Weasley that had always been there that perhaps he had never fully appreciated. |
| Reviews 46 |
Previous Next
|
