AN-Found some more time to type up this chapter. Please check out my profile for my Twitter profile link. I'm using that to keep everyone updated on the status of all my stories.
Disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter. Although it would be a great graduation present. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.
Chapter 4
Ginny waited for the tears but they didn't come. Her breathing coming out in ragged gasps, but she did not cry. She felt unbelievably free. It was the most amazing feeling. But the prospect was as scary as thrilling. She had to start all over again. She was still relatively young, but would any man want a woman with three children? She shook her head. She should not being thinking of dating, it should be the last thing from her mind.
Ginny stood by the door as Harry came down the stairs, trunk floating behind him. "What about the children?"
"I would like partial custody, visits every other weekend, or whenever they want to come, and be involved in decisions on their well being. Does that work for you?" Ginny nodded slowly. Harry looked around the house one last time. "I'm, uh, going to pick Lily up from school, take her out to dinner and explain this all to her. She might take it better from me. Bye, Ginny."
Ginny slumped to the floor, back leaning against the door that Harry just walked out of. He left? Why did he leave? The words repeating themselves as an image of Harry walking out replayed itself in her mind for what seemed like hours until she became completely numb, devoid to any feeling except anger, and hurt and confusion. Upset that her marriage was over, angry that Harry gave up on his family and her. And the confusion. Why? Why did he do this?
Was there another woman? All those nights he said he was working late, was he meeting someone else? Was she prettier and younger than she? No, Ginny corrected herself; Harry wasn't that type of guy. He was too noble to carry out an affair. But if he was so noble, why'd he leave?
Was it her fault? Was it all the nagging about him working so much? Or maybe it was her pressuring him to have another baby?
But maybe this was just a phase. Maybe this was a midlife crisis that he would snap out of and he'd come crawling back in a few months after getting some space.
Maybe…
Ginny shook her head, hoping to rid herself of all the doubts, the what-ifs and maybes. She should probably get off the floor, sitting there wasn't going to fix anything. Finally, Ginny picked herself up, checked her reflection in the mirror, and walked out the door, apparating to the Burrow to see her mother, hoping to make sense of it all.
Harry looked around the crowded café, spotting Hermione in a booth in the far off corner.
"Hey." She said, giving him a quick hug. Harry observed her appearance as he sat down across from her. Here eyes were slightly red and small bags under them, but she had a bright smile gracing her lips. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot."
"It's not a problem, you know that. I was going to call you anyway." He admitted. A waiter came up to the table with a pot of coffee in his hand.
"Can I get you anything?"
"Just coffee, please."
"Same for me, thanks." The waiter poured their coffee and hurried off to another table. Harry sipped it and waited patiently for Hermione to begin, but she didn't. She just sat there, staring at her coffee and biting her lower lip. "What happened?"
"Ron and me." There was a crinkling sound as she fiddled with a page of the local paper that he hadn't noticed before, crumpling up the edge of it and then smoothing it out before repeating the process. This got Harry even more concerned, Hermione wasn't the type to fidget with things nervously. She cleared her throat and continued. "We, well, we're getting divorced."
Harry chocked slightly on his drink. He knew they were having problems but not bad enough to separate.
"Are you alright?" Hermione smiled and nodded.
"I didn't think I should be so happy that my marriage is over. But it's the happiest I've been in a long, long time. Since about Rose's birth." She confessed. She proceeded to tell Harry about Ron's and hers discussion the night before. Hermione shook her head dismissively. "Okay, enough of my problems. What did you want to talk about?"
"Talk about irony." He chuckled nervously. She shot him a questioning look. "Ginny and I are getting divorced too."
"What?" Hermione gasped loudly, causing several people to look oddly at them. She sighed after Harry told her what happened. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Well, I figured I'd get a hotel room until I can find a flat." Hermione nodded in agreement.
"I need to find a flat to. Mum offered me to come and stay home, but I think it would be best to be away from her fretting. I would love to find one with room for Hugo and Rose." Hermione said, picking up the paper next to her and scanning the flat ads. She let out a frustrated breath. "So expensive. Barely my salary."
Harry had a brainstorm. "Why don't we just get a house together?"
"Are you insane?" she asked him, vigorously shaking her head. "Do you have any idea what people would think? They'd assume that we were having an affair or something. It's out of the question."
"Come on, Hermione, think about it. We could find a house with enough rooms for the kids to stay when they visit." Hermione shook her head again. "Will you please consider this rationally? You're not going to find a flat with enough rooms for you, Hugo and Rose for cheap."
"Fine," she sighed in defeat. She knew he was right. Hermione briefly wondered why he was even getting a flat when he still owned Grimauld Place. That's when the idea struck. "What about Grimauld Place?"
AN-Yay, another chapter. This is all I have written so far, so I probably won't be able to update till middle of June or July. Oh, by the way, I'm not at all familiar with the prices of flats in England and don't pretend to be, so let's just pretend that Hermione doesn't make enough in muggle money to get a flat, deal? Please leave a review; it'd be a great graduation present, ha-ha.
