A/N: I’m hoping to keep this trend up of updating every five days (to give you guys some kind of schedule). Also, most of the chapters from now on will begin with some type of flashback to the ten years that you guys don’t know much about yet and that’ll be my way of explaining most of the questions I’m getting.
Also, remember that Harry, Ron and Hermione are 28 and Ginny is 27. You can do the math for anyone else, but that’s the time period I’m working with.
Also, again, someone asked about my chapter titles. They're basically just lines from the same song that I quote at the beginning of that chapter and I pick the songs out for all their lyrics, so probably to fully understand, You'd have to know the song. If not, just pretend I'm doing something really creative and literary.
And a short disclaimer: this chapter takes a lot out of the play “An Ideal husband”, more so than any other chapter will. These particular scenes, though, I just couldn’t pass up.
Chapter 3 “ Don’t Be Concerned
“But what if the pages stay pressed,
the chapters unfinished,
the stories too dull to unfold?”
- “This Ruined Puzzle” by Dashboard Confessionals
“She WHAT?” Harry’s voice rose higher, startling the new intern who stood in front of him, cowering back in fright.
Remus poked his head out of Harry’s office to see Harry grabbed the file out of her hands and she practically ran away. It had been almost three weeks since Harry had returned from his work in DC, but he still hadn’t broken down once about Emily. Remus was afraid that if he didn’t soon, the pent up anger and grief would manifest itself in a less acceptable situation.
Almost everyone in the room was throwing questioning glances towards Harry as he flipped through the papers, becoming more and more frustrated with each one. Finally slamming it shut he stormed over to where Remus was and slammed the door.
“Twenty men, Remus! Twenty of my men were sent out today because of an anonymous tip about Bellatrix possibly being near Hogsmeade, and do you want to know how many came back? Two!! TWO BLOODY AGENTS CAME BACK! And that’s not all. Bellatrix was there with ten other Death Eaters and they all got away, every single one of them?”
Remus was astonished in not only the facts, but the idea that someone actually approved and executed the plan. “Who in the world-“
“I’d be better off going back to bloody America and taking my chances with her there! She can’t treat my men like this!” Harry was pacing around his office, fuming, and kept running a hand through his untidy hair and Remus was now getting more of an idea about what happened. “How dare she even think she can intimidate me like this?”
Remus pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, sighing. “Harry, is this about Emily?”
“She signed it Remus!” Harry all but cried, flashing the paper up in his face. “She signed it! She sent eighteen of our agents to their death! How can people not see this woman is pure evil?”
“Probably the way you didn’t see it,” Remus snapped back, getting fed up with Harry’s unproductive ranting. The comment shut Harry up immediately and his eyes flashed up to Remus.
“Get out,” Harry said after a moment of silence.
Remus didn’t show any regret or apology in his eyes, merely held Harry’s fuming gaze for a few more seconds before wrenching the door open and slamming it shut behind him. He stood on the other side, breathing heavily and full of so much anger towards Emily and so much bitterness towards Harry at that moment.
A few seconds later, though, the bitterness faded completely as he stood very still and listened to the soft sobs that echoed through the closed door, sobs that Remus hated hearing more than anything in the world…
----
“Don’t get all fatherly on me now, Remus. Today is not the day.”
Shutting the door behind him, Remus raised a curious eyebrow at Harry’s already retreating back.
“Good morning to you too, Harry.”
Harry didn’t pause as he continued to walk down the hall, turning into his office and rummaging around doing who knows what.
“It won’t work,” Remus leaned against the office doorway, “I don’t even have to be in the office today.”
Harry hissed out a sigh without looking up. “I can’t really chat right now.” He seemed to be darting around doing busywork, moving files, underlining dates and correcting spells.
“Ginny flooed me this morning.”
“Muhum…” he bent over his desk, studying a report closely, his forehead furrowed.
“She was worried about you after last night.” He paused, gauging a reaction. “Said you left in a hurry and she couldn’t find you after.”
“Is that a fact?” he mumbled, still not looking up and filing a stack of parchment into the shelves behind his desk.
Having enough, Remus sighed heavily, taking two steps up to the desk and sweeping away the rest of the files in front of Harry. Harry stood shocked for a moment, his eyes darting up to Remus in astonishment.
“You really need to take a break, Harry. Running yourself ragged isn’t going to punish Emily, only you.”
Harry’s face hardened a bit. “You have no right to talk, Remus.”
“Look, Harry…” Remus hesitated, trying to find the right words. “She’s got too much control over your life. Find someone else. Move on, for Merlin’s sake…”
Harry’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Don’t you think I want to? Don’t you think I try every minute of my life to forget what she did to me?” He stuffed a parchment a little too harshly into an envelope and sealed it. “Don’t you realize that every time I get close to another woman all I can see is her smile and hear her words as she stuck that knife in my stomach?” His voice lowered. “Don’t you realize that I’m not in any hurry to get hurt again?”
Not allowing another word, Harry swept out of the room, leaving a bewildered and silent Remus behind, wondering desperately how he could help his young charge.
----
“Mr. Weasley! Mr. Weasley!”
“How do you think the Cannon’s will do this week?”
“Are you planning any new plays?”
“Do you have your starting players chosen?”
“The odds are highly in your favor, but are you at all worried?”
“What will the Cannon’s do if they make it to the World Cup again?”
“How much have you been practicing this week?”
“Are there any after parties planned?”
“Will Stempski or Travis be starting as Seeker?”
Ron answered the questions in quite a monotone voice, not really paying attention to much as flash after flash lit up his face and blinded his eyes. Press Conferences became the bane of his existence right after becoming the Player Captain of the Cannons five years ago.
Mostly he was thinking about his conversation with Lennon last night and the fact that he still had no idea how to deal with it yet.
As the conference broke up, Ron stood to leave, reports filing out of the pitch, talking with one another and munching on the last of the snacks that had been laid out for them.
“Ron. Ron!”
He didn’t stop walking, but slowed as Colin Creevey came up beside him. Having matured much since Hogwarts, Colin was a reporter and part time photographer for the Daily Prophet and had gotten on quite good terms with Ron as they shared a mutually beneficial relationship between writing favorable stories and giving first tips.
“Had a visitor this morning,” Colin began without preamble, chewing up a half a chocolate frog. “Lennon something-or-other. American chick. Said I should talk to you about Saturday’s game. Said you had big new for me.”
Ron stopped, his face betraying nothing as he turned to face Collin.
“Nothing yet, Creevey. I’ll let you know if something comes up.”
Turning away quickly, Ron all but ran into the locker room, heart pounding and head spinning as he thought feverishly for an answer to his questions.
----
Ginny examined a third hat, only to put it right back again and move onto the next aisle of the store, Hermione on the other side, keeping up with her as she examined necklaces
“Well I could see by the glare in his eyes that he was about to do it again,” Ginny was saying, trying on another hat and examining herself in the mirror.
“Poor Mr. Edward,” Hermione grinned, glancing over at Ginny. “It sounds quite serious.”
“Oh it is.” Ginny picked up another hat, denim with a red flower on the side. “He proposed to me in broad daylight right by those make-out benches from graduate school.”
Hermione smiled knowingly and grabbed a hat for herself, trying it on.
“Honestly,” Ginny pivoted a bit to get different views of the hat, ”the things that go on around those benches are quite appalling. The Ministry should interfere.”
Matching a necklace to her hat, Hermione turned towards her own mirror. “I know it may not suit a modern girl like you, Ginny, but there is, of course, one extremely effective way to put a stop to his proposals.”
“And that would be?” Ginny leaned over the divider, looking curiously at Hermione.
“To accept one of them!”
“Oh, no!” Ginny broke out into giggles which set Hermione off and they eventually had to leave the store for upsetting the public peace.
----
“Well you’re the man of mystery today,” Ron commented as Harry threw another quaffle that Ron caught easily, defending the hoops behind him. “Remus said he couldn’t get two words out of you this morning, and you’re certainly not giving me anything to go with.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Harry said sharply, throwing quite a bit harder, but still having his shot easily blocked by Ron.
“You know, I think I hear that line too much out of you, especially for being your best friend.”
“Well I’m sure you couldn’t guess most of the story just by watching us last night.”
“So,” Ron caught another one, “you had a bit of a history with Lennon. Sexual tension was there,” he caught another one, “she obviously hasn’t forgotten you,” another one, “and for some reason you seem to remember her all too well.”
Harry threw a hard one that hurt Ron’s hand as he caught it.
“American too. Dead sexy accent.”
For some reason this comment drew a truly piercing glare from Harry.
Ron just laughed. “You always seem to attract the beautiful ones, don’t you?”
Harry let the previous comment slide off easy enough and managed to crack a smile. “All I do is flash the scar and they come runnin.”
“You know, I almost wish I was you sometimes,” Ron said reminiscently.
“You know, Ron, I almost wish you were, too. Except that you'd probably make something useful out of my life, but after Hogwarts, I happen to like doing nothing.”
“You could always get married.” Ron suggested.
“Yeah, it’s the always bit that’s been worrying me.”
They landed on the ground, breathing heavily from the activity and heading toward the locker rooms, the field deserted except for them
“I take it you’ve been talking with Remus?” Harry said dryly as they entered the room, storing their equipment and putting on dry shirts.
“What tipped you off?” Ron closed his locker loudly, pulling a shirt over his head.
“Why is it that all of London seems fit to get me married?”
Ron pulled a face. “How many more times do you want to be chosen as Witch Weekly’s Hottest Bachelor of the Month? You’re racking up in the high twenties at my last count.”
“All you need is love, right?”
“Well, love, a good woman and a best friend,” Ron said, raising an eyebrow.
“And you neglected to mention that you took the last good woman I know. Took her right out from under my nose,” Harry said in mock accusation, “if I remember correctly.”
“Which you don’t,” Ron said superiorly as they both walked back into the sunlight toward the apparition point. “And what about that saying with the sea and there being plenty of fish in it?”
“Oh yes, but I couldn’t possibly marry a fish.”
They both broke out into laughter, overriding each others nagging thoughts about a certain red-haired witch and why exactly she had not been brought up in the conversation.
----
Being married was a great change to Remus Lupin’s life.
“You know, if I knew how to cook better, this could happen more often,” Tonks said sullenly as they set out dinner for the night: takeout from Warlock’s Wonderhouse.
Remus chuckled, grabbing two cups and a pitcher of pumpkin juice out of the fridge. “Well if I could get a better job we could have a house elf to do all this blasted work, but we can’t.” Setting down the glasses, Remus smirked up at her. “Relax, Dora. I wouldn’t love you any more if you could cook an eight-course meal.”
Tonks managed a slight smile and they sat down at the table, starting to load their plates. “So I guess I can cancel the cooking classes I signed up for next week.”
“Definitely.”
There was a pause for a moment as they started eating.
“So did you get a chance to talk to Harry today?” Tonks asked.
Remus grimaced, but not because of the food. “Barely. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.”
“You think it’s more than Emily? Is there something else bothering him?”
“I doubt it,” Remus took a sip of juice. “Ron was reluctant to talk about it either. But I asked him to try to cheer Harry up so they went to the Quidditch pitch this afternoon.”
“Well that should be good,” Tonks said slowly, making Remus look up at her questioningly.
“What?” he said innocently. “What is that look for?”
“Shouldn’t you have sent someone else? Someone with longer red hair, perhaps?” Tonks grinned evily.
“First off, I have no intention of playing matchmaker with Harry,” Remus said dryly. “He’s had quite enough problems in his love life and I’m not one to be giving anyone advice about it.”
“Oh, I beg to differ…”
“Secondly,” Remus interrupted, rolling his eyes, “yes, Ginny may have been the one who was worried about Harry last night, but he’s not even going to think of her until Emily leaves him the hell alone.”
“And when’s that gonna happen?”
Remus pictured the night Harry finally broke down, three weeks after coming home from his assignment in DC.
He closed his eyes, still able to see Harry’s tears and hear his soft sobs.
“Remus?” Tonks repeated. “When is she finally going to leave him alone?”
Harry’s tear streaked face mixed with James’ dead face, both of them filled with anger hurt and betrayal.
“Soon, I hope…for his sake.”
----
Harry strolled dutifully around the nightclub, firewhiskey in one hand already half gone. The loud, rancorous music began to seem deafening, but at least Harry knew he had too much to drink.
Finally making it to the bar and finding an empty stool, he set the bottle down, vowing not to pick it up again, letting the pounding in his head become a constant reminder of that vow. At least it was washing away his conversations with Remus and Ron earlier today. And the fact that his ex-girlfriend was in the same country as him again.
He didn’t go out at night, much, but when he did it was always to overcrowded, loud and popular places, making it easier for him to go unnoticed by people. Getting slightly drunk also had its perks, as no one expected the famous Harry Potter to be so lax in his drinking.
He never took it too far, though. He didn’t think he could handle another night like Ron’s bachelor party where he had forgotten over half the night and woken up at noon the next day, pleading with someone to cut his head off to stop the pain in it. He smiled at the thought. Hermione hadn’t been happy with either of them, but Harry especially. He had recovered faster than Ron and was therefore submitted to Hermione’s lecture about weddings and grooms and how it was good if the two happened at the same time. Harry had been throwing doubtful looks at Ron’s still collapsed form and knew that the right thing to do for Ron was to never let him wake up and feel the pain in his head. But, there was a marriage to be held the next day, and if the press ever found out they’d have a field day. Luckily, Ron was sobered up by the time Hermione was walking down the aisle and everything more or less came off as planned.
The music stopped for half a minute as the band chose its next number. The mixed voices around him grew louder as people tried to talk to one another now without competing with the music, just everyone around them. One particular voice caught his attention and he turned to the source of it.
Sure enough, Ginny was over in one of the nearby booths looking very angry at the man sitting across from her. Harry squinted a bit at the man and recognized him as Ginny’s current on-again/off-again boyfriend, Edward.
He was catching just snippets of their conversation, but could tell that Ginny was rather angry (and rather intoxicated) and Edward looked very cross himself.
Deciding to intervene (for Ron would no doubt hear about this and blame Harry if anything happened), Harry left his drink sitting on the bar and walked over to their booth right as the music started up again.
Ginny turned at once as he walked up, her eyes softening just a bit as she saw who it was.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said nonchalantly, grateful they were on the opposite side of the room as the band and could hold a somewhat normal conversation.
“I tried to find you last night after the party…no one knew where you had gone.” Her voice, though slurred a bit from the drink, was hesitant.
Edward seemed to catch Ginny’s angered mood at that point and glared hatefully up at Harry, grabbing his robe as he started to get up. “We’ll talk about this later, Ginevra.”
Though Harry looked over at Edward, he could see Ginny’s typical scowl at being addressed by her full name and they both watched in silence as Edward quickly left the nightclub, flinging his velvet cape on his shoulders as he walked out.
“Bloody git,” Ginny hissed as Harry took the seat across from her that had just been vacated, keeping his face neutral. “He can shove his pureblood heritage up his-“
Hearing enough, Harry reached forward, grabbing Ginny’s bottle out of her hand and taking it away. It stopped her ranting, but she didn’t move to take it back, merely sunk down into the seat, sighing.
“Half a pint of dragonale, Gin? Were you trying to make your head fall off?” Harry looked distastefully at the drink. Dragonale was quite a bit more potent then firewhiskey. Having a few sips would put anyone a little loopy. He had never seen Ginny drink it before.
“It seemed better than the alternative,” Ginny said, holding a hand to her head. “You realize this makes exactly 31 times now?”
Harry was at a loss so he kept quiet.
“31 times he’s tried the same old line, the same old ring and the same old reasons. ‘We’re purebloods, I’m handsome, I think you’re hot, No one says no to me’.” She hissed out a sigh in between her teeth and Harry deposited the drink in a rubbish bin that was floating by. He recalled Ron mentioning Edward a few times and how he was being a bit of a prick to Ginny with his proposals. Harry had thought it stalking, but it seemed Ginny didn’t want to stop dating him; she just didn’t want to marry him. Women were odd that way, he decided.
“He doesn’t seem to get the idea that I don’t love him, and he’s never said those words to me either.”
Harry’s forehead furrowed. “No offense, but I’m very glad I’m not pureblood.”
Ginny didn’t reply, in fact she didn’t even look at him. She just stood up, beginning to leave the table, on her way, it seemed, to the bar to get another drink. Harry hastily stood up, grabbing her arm gently to stop her.
“You should get home, Ginny. Come on, I’ll help you.”
He tugged on her arm a bit to the door, but she shook him off with more force than he thought possible for one so small and skinny as she was.
“Blast, Harry, let me go,” she demanded, her voice harsh, but soft. “Don’t start being the overprotective brother right now…” she paused. “That’s not what I need.”
He frowned as she finally looked over at him. “What do you need, Gin?”
Her face darkened. “Obviously nothing you can give me.”
She jerked away again, harder, breaking his grip and walking over to the bar. Harry didn’t follow her, but sat back down in the booth, watching her carefully as she ordered another half a pint of dragonale.
He watched as she dutifully downed it all within the next half hour.
He watched as she looked at the couples around her, a single tear falling down her cheek.
A quarter of an hour after that, he led her carefully out of the club, picking her up once they were out of the building and apparating her to her house.
Carefully laying her in her bed and removing her high heel shoes, Harry pulled the covers over her gently, quietly going back down the stairs, locking her door with a tap of his wand and apparating home.
----
“You’ve been awfully quiet today, Ron.”
He glanced over towards Hermione who was propped up on a pillow in their bed, a book in her lap but her gaze fixed on him sympathetically. He didn’t reply but finished pulling on his shirt and proceeded to his chair by the bed, grabbing a pile of notes from yesterday’s practice and glancing over them mechanically.
“Were you able to talk with Harry? Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s going to be alright, I think,” Ron looked up at his wife, offering her a comforting smile. “We had a good time today.” He stood up, leaning across the bed to give Hermione a warm kiss. “Don’t worry love, I’m alright.” He sat next to her in the bed, his hand reaching for her oversized stomach, rubbing it gently. “I’m just worried about the game, that’s all.”
Hermione smiled at him ruefully. “I don’t know much about Quidditch, Ronald, but being married to you for three years has increased my skill and even I know that the Cannons are going to win.”
Ron hesitated, but tried not to show the conflicting emotions on his face. “I’m not so sure anymore. The Wasps are brining in that new Seeker, Adrian, and they have made it to the semifinals. I mean, they beat the Tornados a few weeks ago.”
“So? The Cannons beat the Tornados too.”
“Barely,” Ron admitted. “If it wasn’t for our chasers, Chang catching that snitch would have been the end of it.”
“The chasers and the keeper,” Hermione reminded him, giving him a kiss this time, one that lasted much longer.
They were silent when the kiss broke and Ron studied her face carefully.
“I love you,” he whispered, knowing he needed to say it, and hear it, now more than ever.
“I love you, too.”
Such small and simple words seemed to comfort Ron more than anything else and he relaxed enough to turn off the lights with a flick of his wand and fall into a comfortable and warm sleep, his arm wrapped tightly around Hermione, not daring to let go.
---
A/N: Next time it’ll be almost a full chapter on Harry and Ginny explaining a few things, but not all, about their relationship. But all will be explained eventually, no worries ;)