Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.

"Is Ginny OK?"

"I think so, why?"

"She went a bit funny when I was talking to her last night."

"She gave you back the picture Arthur found."

"Yeah, but Mione, it was really queer. She was fine and we were talking normally, then she went really funny when I mentioned James doesn't have many pictures of his mum."

There was an elongated pause before Hermione decided she couldn't avoid telling Harry what she suspected.

"Harry. She can add. She knows that to be James's mum, she was probably your wife."

"Oh."

"You're going to need to talk to her."

"I know."

Harry had met Hermione coming down the stairs on Boxing Day. He presumed Ginny was still in her room, the door was closed and the kids were all downstairs.

He had a pretty good idea of what the conversation could entail and decided he needed to do it on a full stomach. He was not surprised to see than Ron had beaten him down to breakfast.

Sitting at the table with James, Hugo and Fred, they seemed to be having a competition of who could make the most mess with their breakfast. Molly seemed oblivious to the massacre of food going on behind her as she served Harry and Hermione with a full breakfast.

"I thought we'd have a quiet day today," Molly addressed them as they began to eat. "The kids will want to try out their new things and make as much mess as possible." She sighed at the thought of the extra cleaning. "Oh, and Xenophilius Lovegood owled me last week, Luna's come back for Christmas, so I'm sure she'd like to see you all." Her eyes twinkled in Harry's direction as she turned back to the breakfast.

"How is Luna?" Harry assumed Hermione would know.

"Great I think. Married Newt Scamander a few years after Ron and I married. Ron likes to tell it as if they met at our wedding, but I doubt it. Her daughter's two years below Hugo and James, and she's pregnant again now.

When Ginny appeared in the kitchen later, she was forced into having breakfast by her mum, though Harry was the only one to notice she didn't eat much of it. Everyone else was too busy trying to stop the twins having a food fight. Despite their efforts quite a lot of breakfast ended up around the room. Even Hermione noticed when Ginny did not react to bacon landing in her hair.

As soon as order was restored; the twins were sent outside and a massive game of Quiddich was started; adults against children. With Harry, Ginny and Hermione absent, the game was rather uneven, but nobody was complaining.

"We could go and see Luna now if you want Harry." Suggested Hermione. Harry nodded in answer and looked towards Ginny. Hermione took the hint. "You coming with us Ginny?"

Ginny gave Harry a funny look, shook her head and left the kitchen. Harry and Hermione left the house in silence, though it didn't last long.

"It's bothering her, isn't it?"

"I think so. You did tell her that you have a child with a lady who isn't her. She always thought the two of you would be together. And now she's confused because you didn't bring your wife with you."

Harry was shocked. It occurred to him that he'd never mentioned Louise to any of them in detail. Had he even said her name? He couldn't remember, but he didn't think so.

"I thought James would have told Hugo."

"Well if he has, Hugo's kept it awfully quiet. But he's a boy Harry; they probably don't talk about that sort of thing. Knowing them, as deep was it gets is most likely where they live." She paused, as if deciding whether Harry needed to know the rest of what she planned to say. "She thinks you and Louise are still together. That's why she's so upset. It's like she's back in second year again and doesn't think you'll be interested in Ron's little sister."

Harry was shocked. How could he tell Ginny that Louise wasn't around any more? He'd never gone into how she died with anyone except Louise's parents. Even James had had to be told by his grandparents.

"Harry." Hermione broke into his thoughts. "Go and talk to her. We'll go and see Luna later."

"How?"

"What?"

"How do I tell Ginny about Louise?" Harry was aware it sounded pathetic, but he genuinely had no idea.

"They need to be your words. But start by telling her where your wife is now." Hermione gave him a hint, knowing that otherwise he wouldn't get anywhere.

Harry shook his head. "I can't. I've never told anyone how Louise di-"

Hermione went pale. His wife was dead? Divorced she'd been expecting, but not this. No wonder he was so worried about talking to Ginny.

Harry went on, oblivious to Hermione's change of heart. "I didn't even tell James."

Hermione looked shocked at this. "He doesn't know?"

"He knows. His grandparents, Louise's parents told him. Then the doctors explained it. A few counsellors have tried too." Harry attempted to make it sound light hearted, but he knew it wasn't.

Hermione hugged Harry tight. It was all she could think of to do.

"She needs to know. At the very least she needs to know you're not together. If you don't want to tell her the rest, tell her about James a bit. She likes him I think."

Harry nodded glumly, his mind already cycling through possibilities.

As they turned back to the house, Hermione looked up. Staring back at her from a window was Ginny, her red hair framing her face. She smiled at her, but Ginny did not smile back. The sooner Harry explained the better, thought Hermione.

Harry climbed the stairs slowly, not exactly sure what he was going to say to Ginny. What did you say to the first person you had loved? Especially when she knew you had found someone else. And thought that someone else was still around.

Knocking on Ginny's door produced no reply. He was about to call in to her when the bathroom door opened behind him. Turning, he found himself facing Ginny; though not the happy girl he remembered dating. He hadn't realised how thin she'd got; she must have lost a lot of weight since September. Red tinges around her eyes told him that she'd been crying. He didn't know that she'd been watching him and Hermione, and realised that Hermione knew more about Harry than she did.

Squeezing past Harry she slipped into her room, leaving the door open behind her. Harry took this to mean he was allowed to follow her, and indeed she didn't complain as he came in behind her and closed the door.

Facing Ginny across her bedroom, Harry still had no idea what he was going to say to her. Once upon a time words would have come to him so easily. But he was a different person now, and his ability to say what he meant seemed to have been greatly reduced.

"Ginny, I-" He faltered, seeing the tears slip down her cheeks as he began to speak.

"Ginny, don't. Please." He crossed the small space between them and made to hug her. She pushed him away and turned her back to him.

Ginny swore inwardly at her inability to have a conversation with Harry without crying. But he's the only one she ever loved, and she doesn't want to believe that he found somebody else. And now he's standing right behind her after being gone for fifteen years.

"You never said goodbye." She choked the words out between silent sobs, her body shaking with the effort of not launching herself at him. But she needed answers now, or she'd never forgiver him, or herself.

"I couldn't." Now Harry was fighting a similar urge to cry. "If I'd seen you I would have never have been able to leave."

"I didn't want you to leave."

"I had to-"

"You didn't have to do anything." Ginny span round violently to face him. "You could have stayed here. Everyone would have accepted you. You'd just defeated Voldemort; nobody would have cared that you couldn't do magic. You were the saviour of the wizarding world and you vanished."

"I di-"

"No." Ginny was not going to let him interrupt. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks and knew that this was it. She was not going to listen to reason; she was going to let him know how she felt, and he was going to listen to it, because she'd missed him for fifteen years and he was not getting away from her again.

Hope you're still enjoying the chapters. Two chapters ago I said two more to come… well there's probably four more to come now at least. This story keeps getting longer; the plan's gone out of the window. Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming please so I can improve the story for you dedicated readers!