A/N: Several lines from this chapter were taken from "An Ideal Husband" and for those of you who have seen the movie or read the play, it is starting to show it's smiliarities. Happy Reading!
Chapter 2 “ I Will Not Break
“Because of you I find it hard to find it hard to trust,
Not only me but everyone around me.
Because of you I am afraid”
- “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson
Harry shuffled his feet from side to side, trying not to look too obviously bored as he stood in the corner of the room, a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand and a million other things on his mind. The most prominent of which was everything he’d rather be doing than what he was actually doing. Even arriving late, he still was bored.
He didn’t attend many parties for several reasons, all having to do with his “chosen one” status and the lack of tact that most of the Wizarding World felt they needed to have around him. Ron and Hermione threw a party a month, either for no good reason at all, or for them both to give reporters something to talk about. They had taken the brunt of the popularity from Harry, which he was grateful for, and both seemed comfortable with being in the limelight.
Ron was an almost world famous keeper for the Chudley Cannons, bringing them out of their however-long hole of losing World Cups. Hermione, on the other side of the spectrum, was a highly sought after wizarding lawyer, one of the toughest positions to obtain outside of Minister of Magic itself, but neither Ron nor Harry were surprised when she was given her degree. After only 18 months of having the job, and being 6 months pregnant, Hermione was a spitfire on the courtroom floor.
He saw her across the room talking to the current Minister of Magic, Hestus Dolittle, an unsavory witch who was just as ambitious as old Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour, but luckily about things that mattered like training more Aurors and keeping Hogwarts safe. Hermione seemed to sense his stare and turned a bit to give him a cheerful smile before going back to the conversation, no doubt about her ridiculous Elf Rights campaign that had been going on since their fourth year at Hogwarts. He was surprised, what with her skills as a lawyer, she hadn’t gotten them all freed yet. But Harry wasn’t the only one around who knew that was never going to happen, even for Hermione Weasley.
“You are very late,” a cheeky voice drawled, coming up beside Harry. Ron’s little sister and Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Ginny Weasley smirked as Harry turned to look at her.
“Did you miss me?” he replied, allowing a small smile to grace his lips.
“Awfully,” Ginny said dramatically, stringing her arm through his playfully and starting to lead him into the other room where the band was playing a lively dance number.
“Sorry to hear that.” Harry heaved a sigh. “I should have stayed away longer, I like being missed.”
In mock outrage, Ginny slapped him playfully on the arm and stopped walking. “How very selfish of you!”
Harry finally allowed himself to smile, but not enough to break the banter. “Miss Weasley, surely you know by now how very selfish I am.”
She let out a dramatic sigh and continued walking with her arm around his. “You’re always telling me about your bad, qualities, Mr. Potter.”
“Oh, I haven’t told you the half of them yet.”
She stopped again and turned so that they were facing each other and she still wore her smirk. “Really? Are the others very bad?”
“Bloody awful. When I think of them at night I go to sleep at once!”
They both broke out in customary giggles, as was common after their routine banter. Harry leaned forward and gave her a quick hug which she returned gratefully.
“How are things in the private sector?” she began as they walked over to graze the refreshments table.
“Oh, right peachy,” Harry said, nonchalantly, selecting a chocolate doughnut. “Working alongside Draco Malfoy was one of my grand ambitions in life.”
“No doubt.” He saw her give him a puzzled look out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it.
Harry and Draco’s friendship had always been somewhat of a puzzlement to Harry’s friends. The year following Dumbledore’s death, Draco had been as much of a wanted man as Snape had been. Harry, who had been the only witness of what had actually transpired, had hated them both with a vengeance that no one thought he would ever let go. That is until a battered and near dead Draco Malfoy staggered into Hogwarts one evening, remaining unconscious until the following afternoon. Harry had been the only one he was willing to talk to, but since Harry, Hermione and Ron hadn’t enrolled in school that year, he was hard to track down. Luckily McGonagall had her ways and Harry turned up that evening, reluctant and suspicious, but after some coaxing, Harry and Draco talked for almost an hour in the hospital wing, Ron and Hermione standing outside the hospital wing doors, peaking in every five minutes to see the two young men still talking.
Harry had never told anyone the full details of the conversation, which explained their suspicion when he came out, informing them that Draco was pleading for sanctuary for him after his father had killed his mother on Voldemort’s orders. Draco had explained to Harry, in reluctant terms, that despite the act he tried to put on when he was supposed to kill Dumbledore, Voldemort had threatened, blackmailed and even harmed Draco and his mother to make him carry out his orders. At the time, Draco had no way out of it and figured things would get better once his father was out of prison, but they only got worse. The murder of his mother seemed to shock the reality of war into Draco.
Even Harry was reluctant to trust Draco at first so they had simply kept him hidden, carrying out the promise that Dumbledore had made to Draco in his final moments. When the final showdown between the Order and the Death Eaters came, Draco voluntarily came out of hiding, swearing an unbreakable vow to Harry that he would fight for the side of the light and never betray him. Harry couldn’t seem to argue with the terms, so he gave him a wand and let him fight. Draco killed three death eaters that night, one of them being his father. Thanks to the vow that still held, Draco would never and could never betray Harry Potter.
Of course, only Harry, Draco and Remus (who had preformed the spell) knew about the vow. They just let the others wonder.
“How’s your work going?” Harry said in between mouthfuls of the doughnut.
She shrugged. “Not as exciting as I’d like it. You’d think with all the schooling I put up with, I could find something exciting in life, but working as an intern is just plain boring. I’ve got a few weeks off right now, but I’m hoping it becomes more of a permanent thing.”
“Still waiting to hear from the DMLE?” he said apologetically.
Typical Ginny fashion caused her to frown. “You think this long means I didn’t get in?”
“It’s a competitive program, Gin, especially after the war. Everyone wants to save the world now and for some reason they got it in their heads that means being an Auror.”
Her face grew stern as she looked across the room, not really focusing on anyone or anything. “I want it more than any of them.”
Not really knowing what to say, Harry simply put a caring arm around her shoulders and said, “I know.”
----
“Will you be staying in England long?”
The over-dressed American tossed back her long mane of curly brown hair, smiling at Hermione. “Most likely not, unfortunately.” Hermione, however, found nothing unfortunate about it. “I have to be back in DC by a week from Sunday.”
“Ah, Ron, there you are,” Hermione was grateful at the distraction as she pulled a bewildered Ron over next to her to face the young woman. “This is Miss Lennon, of the American CIA. She’s in town on business.”
Hermione could see the doubt flash across Ron’s face as he reached out and shook Lennon’s hand, and she completely understood. Lennon looked like she would die if she broke a nail. The publicity of the American intelligence agency stylized it’s agents as rough-n-ready males who took no BS from anyone and plainly dull women who did all the real work behind desks and on telephones, but the men decided to sleep with them anyway. Lennon looks more like an American supermodel.
“Dr. Weasley,” she still loved hearing that title, and Hermione turned promptly to her addresser, becoming engaged in a conversation about the new legislation on werewolf rights and hoping desperately that Ron would be careful about what he talked about around the beautiful Miss Emily Lennon.
----
“You have a lovely house, Mr. Weasley. I’m sure your family is proud of all that you have accomplished.”
Ron tried not to act uncomfortable about talking with this woman, but he remained polite. “We’re very happy here,” he said nonchalantly, taking a swig of butterbeer that he held in his hand.
He watched her eyes sweep the room a bit before settling back on him. “I was honored to be invited to one of your parties.”
“You came with Miss Chang, did you not? She’s a superb player. We’ve been trying to get her with the cannons for months now, but she sticks with the Tornados, no matter what I suppose.”
“Yes, she’s very dedicated to her team,” she smiled. “Cho and I worked together in America for a few years and I’m staying with her for this particular trip.”
They began a slow stroll about the room as they talked, though Ron had initiated the walk hoping to be able to shrug off the conversation to someone else. After almost ten years of getting used to celebrity limelight, Ron knew the etiquette of conversation, but on more than one occasion wished that he didn’t. Opportunity knocked as he saw Harry a way off, saying one last thing to Ginny before moving back over to the refreshments table that they were now walking right by.
Grabbing Harry’s arm and pulling him into view, Ron smiled and began, “Ah, Miss Lennon, allow me to introduce you to my best friend-“
“Good evening, Mr. Potter.”
Ron knew at once that he had made a dreadful mistake. Harry was rarely ever caught off guard about something, and when he was, never let anyone know about it. But it seemed he could not hide the surprise from his face as he looked at Miss Lennon who smiled seductively at him, her attention now solely focused on Harry rather than Ron.
Harry had to be given props at how quickly he recovered and put on at least a decent looking face again, reaching out to shake her hand shortly, and then dropping it even quicker. “I did not think you’d remember me, Miss…Lennon, is it?”
“How could one forget you, Harry?”
Ron was just about to come up with a suitable excuse to leave, when Misty did it for him. She appeared at his shoulder.
“Master Weasley, there is being a problem with the wards outside,” she looked quite frazzled, but Ron was relieved enough to get away that he didn’t care what the problem was.
“Right,” he turned to Harry and Lennon. “Excuse me if you will.”
Lennon gave him a polite nod and Harry sent him a surprised and helpless silent beg for help. Not even daring to stay a moment longer, Ron ignored his best friend’s plea and hurried away, hoping Harry would still talk to him after this.
---
“Harry, Harry…” it wasn’t often that he hated the sound of his own name. He turned back toward all his troubles, still mentally cursing Ron and tried not to look as helpless as he felt. She smiled warmly at him, “Aren’t you a little pleased to see me?”
“Probably even less than that,” he admitted truthfully, taking a sip of his firewhiskey and wishing he had more. This was a perfect moment to be drunk.
“Should have expected that, I guess,” he was surprised to see her fidget a bit before continuing. “I hear you’re still a bachelor.”
“I’m in no hurry,” Harry replied nonchalantly. “Though, if the tabloids still keep up to date, and by the way Ron introduced you, I would assume you aren’t so lucky.”
She laughed heartily, a laugh Harry used to enjoy, but now sounded rather creepy. “Unfortunately my dear husband wasn’t as lucky as I was in the combat area. He died on duty over five months ago.”
“And yet you don’t cry at night anymore,” Harry said sarcastically, “Forgive me, Emily, but I’m not the only one who had doubts about that marriage, or it’s ending.”
“And you’re not the first one to voice them either. However, I don’t mind your opinion as much as others. In fact, yours is still the only one I think I truly believe in.”
Harry frowned at that, trying to get around her manipulation. “What are you doing here, Emmy?”
She smiled widely. “I haven’t been called that in years. It’s a refreshing memory.”
“No doubt,” Harry scoffed, annoyed that he had already exchanged so many words with her after swearing to ignore her existence for all eternity. “I’ll file it away with everything else I left in America.”
“You’re British accent was always so sexy,” Emily said, stepping up to him and running a hand down his arm. He stood stiffly, ignoring how good she smelled.
“Look,” he grabbed her arm, shoving her away gently, “as much as I love being felt up by you, I have to say the approach only works once.”
She put on a fake pout. “Seen through my disguise?”
“Years ago.”
Without another word he turned his back on her, heading towards the cloak room to gather his things and leave. He caught a flash of Ginny’s bright red hair disappearing around the corner and sighed.
This party had gone on long enough.
----
Ron looked concerned as he saw Harry hurry out of the room, his countenance dark and uninviting. His eyes travels back over to the mysterious Miss Lennon to find her calmly holding a conversation with one of his teammates, Robby Stark, over near the staircase.
“What was that all about?” Hermione whispered in his ear, her voice worried as they both thought about their best friend.
“Seems they knew each other,” Ron mumbled, looking away from Lennon. “Well it’s one more secret he doesn’t have to hide from us anymore.”
He turned to see Hermione looking at him crossly.
“What?” Ron asked innocently.
“Get over there and find out what she did!” Hermione hissed angrily. “It’s hard enough getting him to come to parties, but then you shove an unwanted acquaintance on him!”
“Hey, it’s not my fault the man knows everybody. I was just being sociable.”
----
“Mr. Weasley, how good of you to come back. I was hoping to get more acquainted with you.”
Ron forced a smile and a slight nod of the head. “Forgive me for leaving to quickly. Damn rabbit set off an outer ward.”
“Not at all.” She took a sip of punch. “Would you mind giving me a short tour of your lovely home? I’d love to see more of its rooms.”
A warning sign went off in Ron’s head, but having no choice he led her across the foyer, into the closest unoccupied room which happened to be Hermione’s library.
Closing the door behind them, Ron heard her sigh.
“Such a remarkable collection.” He turned to see her gazing lovingly at the books that stacked along all four walls. “Though I would expect nothing less from Hermione Weasley.”
“You know my wife well?”
“Know of her, is more like it. Surely you did not miss the fact that your Mr. Potter and I met on more than one occasion before?”
“I admit I did not.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I can’t help but express curiosity as to the nature of your friendship.”
“I think both he and I could hardly call it that, now,” she laughed lightly. “But in his work in America he and I worked together quite often.”
It seemed she did not want to say much more, for she quickly changed the subject.
“You have certainly come a long way from being in his shadow, though.” She turned and smiled at him. “You’re big break with that game in ’98 was sheer magic, if you don’t mind the pun.”
Ron ordinarily didn’t mind flattering words from fans. He had reveled in them the first few years and the rest had been tolerable and sometimes needed. But something about her words made his blood run cold.
He distinctly heard something ‘click’ in his mind.
“Lennon? Wouldn’t happen to be related to a Michael Lennon, would you?”
She smiled charmingly up at him. “My late husband, of course.”
Ron dropped his drink before he even had time to think about catching it.
----
“Your red hair seems to be giving you away tonight, Ginny,” Hermione said wirily, coming up beside her sister-in-law and holding out a firewiskey for her. “Drink it,” she instructed briskly. “For both of us.”
Ginny didn’t seem to mind the command, and knowing that Hermione was unable to drink because of her pregnancy popped the tab and let a third of the bottle drain quickly into her mouth.
Swallowing, she took a deep breath.
“Feel better?”
“Not really,” Ginny admitted. “You saw him leave, didn’t you?”
Hermione nodded darkly “No thanks to that Lennon, woman.”
“That’s her name, then?”
“Yes, one of Cho’s friends, though there’s no surprise there. Birds of a feather.”
“He seemed angry at her.”
“I’ve got Ron on it.”
Ginny turned to Hermione. “Maybe I’ll go try to catch Harry. See if I can help.”
Hermione tapped the bottom of the firewiskey bottle with her fingers. “Drink up. By the way he looked, you’re going to need more of that in you to have a decent conversation with him.”
----
“Whatever you may be referring to, I have nothing to say on the matter.”
Lennon seemed to be enjoying herself all to well. Heartless…
“You only have nothing to say on the matter because you believe there is no reason for you to say anything. But I will give you a reason, Ronald.”
She pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
“Do you know what this is?”
“I have a guess, but I’m sure you would explain it to me anyway.” He was trying not to sweat.
“It is a letter from you to my late husband when you were a standby keeper for the Chudley Cannons and he was the American investor in the team.” He wasn’t bothering with not sweating anymore, he was trying hard just to breathe. “It details in specifics a rather complicated plan, taking out John Daughterly, the then current keeper, the night before the playoffs for the world cup in the year 1998. Plans that you and he coordinated on specifically,” she walked towards him slowly, “to place you in the right…” she paused, nose to nose with him, “…position.”
Ron muttered off a set of swearwords Hermione would smack the back of his head for.
“tsk, tsk, Mr. Weasley, not at all civil conversation to this elegant and rich lifestyle you’re now living in.”
Ron gritted his teeth. “What do you want?”
She let out a giggle. “Well that’s the brilliance of it all! Not very much at all!” She sat herself comfortable down on one of the oversized armchairs in the room and continued to look innocently at him. “I have invested a large sum of money into the coming game a week from today and would be delighted not to loose it all.”
He gave her a pointed glare, knowing that wasn’t the end of it. “Winning that game will be no problem for us.”
“Oh of course not!” she gave a giggle, apparently highly amused with herself. “Everyone knows that the odds are highly in the Cannon’s favor. But you see my dear boy,” she stood and walked right up to him again, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper, “thanks to the uninsightful skills of my now dead husband, all that money has been placed on the Wimbourne Wasps winning. So if you know what’s best for you and your family, I suggest you get rid of your exceeding talent by next Saturday, or you’ll find that this letter makes its way into more…resourceful hands.”
She turned abruptly, her heels clicking as she walked towards the door. “I expect an owl no later than Monday night, Mr. Weasley.” As she opened the door, she turned back to him and gave a winning smile. “You know where to find me.”
And without another word, she was gone, leaving Ron alone in the room to lean heavily on the desk behind him, wishing for once that he had ignored protocol and blown the woman off earlier…
Or better yet, have skipped Chang’s name on the invitation list in the first place.