Love Conquers All
You know the drill – anything you recognise isn't mine!
Chapter 2
As night fell over the Burrow the entire house fell into an uneasy sleep. Harry however lay awake on the spare bed in his best friend's room just thinking about what had taken place earlier that day.
The war had been finished for a little under a week and slowly people were repairing the damage. Many people had been injured in the final battle so healers had been hard to get a hold of but Mrs Weasley had managed to persuade Madam Pomfrey to check over all of the Weasley children and those who had become like children to her.
"I'm not going to lose any more of you for not being cautious enough." She had said bringing an end to everyone's protests. Everyone's except Ginny.
"I'm fine mum. I don't need to be healed!"
She had struggled against getting a check up until finally she gave in. She was the last to be checked. They had all sat waiting for her. Madam Pomfrey had come out and whispered something to Mrs Weasley. White faced the red headed woman had rushed into the cubicle her daughter was being checked in.
"What's going on?" Ron asked when his mother came out followed by Ginny.
"I think we're going to have a little family talk when we get home." Whispered Mrs Weasley but whether she was angry or upset Harry couldn't tell.
They had all crowded into the tiny kitchen at the Burrow. Mrs Weasley sat down at the head of the table and pulled Ginny down to sit on the chair next to her. Ginny's face had paled to a deathly white and she was using her long hair like a shield covering her eyes. But Harry could still see her mouth. He could see her lips trembling and the way her hands shook as the placed them on the table in front of her.
"What's up poppet?" Mr Weasley asked his wife.
He looked from the woman he loved to their daughter as if they were telling a joke. Mrs Weasley didn't answer. Instead she addressed Ginny.
"How long have you been keeping the fact you are having a baby from us?"
It had been at that moment all hell had broken loose but Harry had barely noticed. His world felt like it was being ripped apart.
"Quiet!" Arthur Weasley finally shouted and the entire room fell into an uneasy silence.
Ginny was still just sitting there, frozen. "Answer the question Ginivera."
Barely moving her lips the girl answered;
"I realised about a month after Easter."
"But that means you would have been here. Did you leave the house? How could you be so irresponsible?" Percy's harsh accusations rang out but Ginny still sat frozen.
"Who is the father?"
A feeling of ice took hold of Harry as George asked the question he dreaded.
The girl moved her lips but no sound come out.
"Who?" Ron demanded angrily.
Again her mouth moved but her voice was silent.
"Who is the father Ginny?" Harry asked quietly.
Finally she looked up, shaking. Her eyes were filled with tears that spilled as she whispered the words that brought his world crashing around him.
"Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort."
Once again all hell broke loose but once again Harry didn't notice. He felt like someone had grabbed a hold of his heart and was crushing it under a heeled boot. He turned away from her and, from the corner of his eye, he watched as she slipped off the chair and stormed up to her room. Mrs Weasley later tried to talk to her but she hadn't succeeded in getting any more out of her. She hadn't come down to dinner and Hermione had been forced to take the uneaten plate of food that had been sent up to her back downstairs to be washed.
Harry hadn't been able to eat much of dinner that night either even though Mrs Weasley served treacle tart for dessert – a favourite of his. All he could think of was the fact that Ginny had been that way with someone else. He wasn't ready to even try deciding whether she had been telling the truth or not of the child-to-be's parentage. Finally deciding that sleep wouldn't come to him any time soon Harry slipped off the spare bed and went downstairs. He poured himself a cold glass of water and then went out into the warm night air to stand on the Burrow's patio.
"Finally decided to come out of hiding, have you?" Harry asked the thin redheaded girl that sat balanced on a railing in front of the house, unsure whether his voice sounded bitter or jokey. He wasn't even sure which he wanted it to be.
"I suppose." Ginny whispered, looking briefly at him and then returning her gaze to the stars.
Harry walked over to lean on the railing beside her and looked her over; searching for any indication of what she had kept hidden for over three months. He could only see the slightest of change where it looked as if she had little more flesh round her middle than when he'd last seen her.
"Are you..." He began to ask but then decided now was not the time. "Should you really be sitting on that railing? What if you fall off? Wouldn't it hurt the baby?"
Ginny looked at him again sorrowfully. With a deep sigh she slid of the railing and made her way inside.
"Good night Harry."