Truth is... by Joy
A/N: I used to be okay at writing short pieces. I just don't think my brain works that way without effort... so this is my attempt at a short piece. COMPLETE FLUFF!
Harry swallowed slowly as Ginny walked in the front door of the Burrow. It was holiday time so the whole family was present. He always hated this moment at these gatherings, not because he hated seeing Ginny but just he hated seeing the prat that followed her. Prat... well... that wasn't really fair.
Jonathan was a good man with a good job that would have been in Fred and George's year at Hogwarts had he attended. Being an American meant he was pretty much a home taught wizard. He looked like a blonde Weasley really. He was a cross between the twins and Charlie. Ginny had been seeing this fellow pretty seriously for nearly a year. Harry felt certain that Jon would ask her to marry him soon. Jon would have to be a git not to.
Harry laughed at himself. A git... yeah that should be tattooed across his forehead. To this day he couldn't figure out why he hadn't asked Ginny out while he was in school. If he had he probably would be in Ron's boat, happily married to the woman he loved (Hermione of course) expecting a child or two. God he was a git.
Harry watched the red headed siren walk in confidently. "Hello all," she called. Harry continued to stare as the door shut...with no prat...Jonathan. Harry missed the normal Weasley family answer back to the youngest. No one asked about Jonathan's absence or acknowledged he was missing. At that moment it became the most important thing in Harry's world to find out why the boyfriend was missing...cause maybe he wasn't the boyfriend anymore... Hey, Harry could dream right?
Hermione was in the kitchen tasting Molly's gravy when Harry swooped in, begged pardon for stealing Ron's wife, and ushered her to the backfield to sit on the picnic table. "What is the Bloody Hell is wrong with you?" Hermione swore. "Do you know how bad my lower back hurts these days?"
"Sorry 'Mione. I need to talk to you," Harry apologized.
"If this is about Ron's birthday next month I am going to kill you."
"No...no...no..." Harry looked around to make sure there were no twins around. "Its just... do you know why Ginny came alone? I mean...where's Jonathan?"
Hermione looked at him like he had gone nutters. "Harry...Jonathan and Ginny stopped dating months ago. She would just bring him along to keep Mum off her back. She broke the news to Mum last month that it was a sham... You knew this."
It took a beat for Harry to process what he had just heard. 1) There was no boyfriend. 2) There had not been a boyfriend in months. 3) All the times he had wished those smiled and comfortable conversation Ginny held intimately with Jonathan were directed at him instead, were merely nothing more than good friends talking. And of course 4) HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE KNOWN THIS!
"What do you mean I knew this?!? I didn't know this! Do you honestly believe if I had known this I wouldn't have been on bended knee begging and pleading with the girl I have been in love with for years to forgive me for every stupid thing I have ever done and try to convince her to elope that night?" Harry said in a huff. Hermione's eyes went wide for a moment before she hopped off the table. "Where are you going? I need your help here."
"I know...just excuse me a moment," she murmured moving from stunned to angry.
"Why?" Harry demanded.
"I need to make my child fatherless," Hermione growled and stormed into the house.
Harry sat stunned himself for a moment then heard a great ruckus inside the house. Hermione was screaming her head off at Ron, drawing the attention of the house. Harry could see through the windows her arms flaring. He couldn't make out what was being said but he could see Ron was attempting a 'think of the baby' line to get her to calm down. Around that time Ginny walked in to intervene. Hermione turned and yelled at her a moment, calmed then grabbed Ron and Ginny by the ears and field-marched them into the backyard. Harry was not sure he liked this turn of events.
Both Weasley's came with a very angry pregnant woman with many little groans along the way. Hermione released them both shoving them toward Harry. She then drew her wand and... "Hermione, don't do anything hasty," Ron pled...but the spell was already cast.
Harry backed away from the other two. "What did you do 'Mione?"
"I cast a truth spell...one that catches lies of omission as well."
Ginny's eyes got huge. "You did what?"
"A truth spell... You see I know my husband has been lying to Harry and I. I believe you probably have too... and then of course there is Harry who has been biting his tongue so long I'm not sure what will come out of his mouth. So here we are," Hermione fussed.
"Ronald, you and I had a little conversation a while back about Ginny's original breaking up with Jonathan, right?""Right."
"I asked if you had told Harry about it. You said you had. Why did you lie?"
Ron was desperately trying to keep his mouth shut, but it wasn't working. "I didn't want to lose his friendship," he said lamely.
"What?!?" Harry shouted.
"Explain," Hermione chided.
"I've seen Harry obsess over women before and I knew the minute he realized Ginny was available would be the minute I would never see him again, because he would always be with her. If he thought she was dating someone he wouldn't interfere...too honorable... but I knew Ginny was the only one for him so it's not like he was going to find another bird... The longer I didn't mention it the more of a habit it became. It didn't even seem like lying after a while," Ron finished eyes wide with fear over the repercussions of his undesired statements, especially with the near murderous glare in Harry's eyes.
Ginny was flabbergasted. Harry loved her that much? That couldn't be true, could it? She thought it over and realized he hadn't dated anyone at all since a bit after he left Hogwarts, maybe even before.
Harry grabbed Ron by the collar. "You knew all this time and didn't tell me! I am going to kill you!" he shouted before actually punching his best friend.
When he reached down to pick Ron up to punch him again, Hermione chimed in, "That's enough Harry. We have someone else to question."
Ginny stood stock still terrified of what was going to come out of her mouth. "Ginny for what reason did you say you and Jonathan broke up?""Because he wanted me to move back to America with him."
Harry's eyes got large and scared. He just kept repeating to himself, 'It didn't happen. It didn't happen.'
"Why did you really break up with Jonathan?" Hermione asked.
Ginny threw her hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop the words. Harry might never speak to her again. He loved her... at least she thought he did... and now it was going to be over before it started. "Please Mione," she ground out.
"No way. Harry is the closest thing to a brother I have. I knew that he had a thing for you but I assumed he was working up the guts to tell you. I had no idea he didn't know you were using Jonathan as a decoy for your mum. If I had I would have told him and helped him figure out a way to tell you his feelings. Well now I have my chance. But you owe him this Ginny. You owe him an explanation. Now why did you and Jonathan break up?"
Ginny swallowed and shut her eyes letting tears descend her cheeks praying he would forgive her deception, "Because I'm in love with Harry."
At these words Harry released Ron's collar and let him fall back on his ass. He turned to her so shocked he just blinked a moment. "You love me?" he whispered.She nodded, "Yes." Ginny cautiously looked into his eyes, "Forgive me?"
Harry said nothing just took Ginny in his arms and kissed her slowly. Once he was satisfied that she was completely relaxed in his arms he pulled away and whispered, "I love you too... Forgive me?"
"For what?" she asked quietly.
"Oh for taking this long to get it together, for not asking you to a ball or out to Hogsmeade for a date or any number of things but mainly for ignoring you in hopes that this feeling in my gut would go away... Forgive me for every slight you have ever felt, every time I have ever failed you, every moment I should have listened to you, every time that I ignored you...just forgive me for not being the man you deserve...and thank you for loving me anyway."
Ginny was still in Harry's arms crying silently. "Of course...forgive me all the same... and thank you for loving me in return."
Harry smiled, "My pleasure." He kissed her one more time quite thoroughly.
Hoots, hollers and claps of the twins and the other family members brought the two back to reality. Ron was holding Hermione gently looking on slightly shamefaced having moved off to give them time and space. Harry chuckled and mouthed 'don't worry about it' to his best friend. He then let Ginny go a bit keeping his arm around her waist."Kiss her again," Fred yelled.
"Better make an honest woman of her, aye," George shouted.
Harry murmured to Ginny quiet enough that only she could hear. "How bout it?""How bout what?"
"How bout I make an honest woman of ya?" Ginny looked up at him like he was insane.
"Harry, you can't be serious."
"Sure I am. Promised Hermione I would beg on bended knee for your forgiveness then plead harder for you to elope."
"You're lying," she responded.
"I'm under the truth spell too ya know."
"Oh my god," Ginny said with a quivering voice.
"So...how bout we apparate over to a certain professor we both know and elope?"
"Only if we bring him back here for the 'ceremony'," Ginny responded. "I can't believe I just said that."
"Truth is you want to marry me," Harry said with a smirk before drawing her back in his arms and kissing her nose.
Ginny smiled back, "Truth is...you're right."
Finite...