Unexpected Happiness
HarryxHermione
Rated M
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling
Unexpected Happiness
Chapter 7
Kingsley never moved so fast in his life through the Ministry as he was at the moment. He had heard Ron yelling from his office, followed by the sound of cheering and yells of 'punch him' and 'get him, Harry'. Ron and Harry were fighting and apparently over Hermione. Not to say he wasn't surprised by what Ron had yelled, because he was, but the Ministry was not the place to have neither that conversation nor this fight.
Finally entering the corridor where the fight was, Kingsley pushed his was threw the crowd until he got to the front where he could clearly see Ron having pinned Harry to the ground and was sitting on him, punching him repeatedly in his face while Harry tried to defend himself and block the onslaught of punches. Taking his wand the large man quickly cast the Incarcerous Spell on Ron before pulling him up roughly, allowing Harry to pick himself up. Looking at the both of them he said, "My office, now." Looking at the rest of the crowd he said loudly, "Return to your work stations. And if any of this information—meaning what was seen or said—leaves the Ministry, you'll lose more than your jobs. And no paper will print any of this information. And someone better make sure Rita Skeeter doesn't write a single word on this."
Many people nodded before scurrying back to do their work, all the while silently talking to each other about the development of Harry Potter impregnating Hermione Granger just months before his wedding. Many people wondered where Rita Skeeter was, considering she hadn't been seen for a month or so now. As the crowd dispersed, Kingsley dragged Harry and Ron away to his office, steeling himself for the talk he was about to give them. He'd yell if he had to, though he'd prefer not to have to do so. Then again, sometimes that was the only way to get through to Ron.
Daphne smiled up at Theodore as he walked her to her front door. Once they reached it she said, "I had a great time, Theo."
Theodore returned the smile and replied, "I did, too. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
"Absolutely." She was definitely looking forward to the next date, if he was serious of course; she had a feeling he was.
Grinning he said, "Good, then I'll write you for our next date."
Daphne beamed and said, "I'll be awaiting your letter."
"Alright then." Theodore chuckled before taking his date's hand and giving the back of it a soft kiss. "Goodbye for now, Daphne."
"Bye," the blonde witch said, waving after Theodore as he left. When she was certain he was out of earshot, she squealed and bounced up and down in a circle before saying almost breathlessly, "I have another date with Theo!"
Unlocking her door she walked inside her home, closing and locking the door behind her. Making her way to the living room she stopped seeing the broken jar underneath the window. Turning her blue eyes to Crookshanks who was busy bathing himself on her sofa, she exclaimed, "Crookshanks! What did you do? Now that blasted beetle got away!"
Crookshanks made a noise of irritation at the loud exclamation before jumping down from the sofa and walking over to something on the rug, nudging it with his paw before giving a meow. Daphne walked over and kneeled down, taking a close look at what Crookshanks had nudged. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was Rita in her Animagus form, only headless. Looking at Hermione's pet she asked, "Did you kill her?" All Crookshanks did was give another meow as an affirmation.
"Well, I don't know whether to congratulate you or to scold you for ending her. But regardless, I need to get rid of any evidence that she had been here, not that I think anyone will come looking for her here."
Picking up the beetle's body and head once she found it, the blonde walked over to her fireplace and tossed the bug in it before pointed her wand to it and lighting a fire inside, instantly incinerating what was left of Rita Skeeter as well as warming her home. Cleaning up the broken jar and throwing it away, Daphne washed her hands before saying, "Well, I'm going to take a bath now."
As Daphne walked out of the living room and further into her home, Crookshanks stared into the fire before curling into a ball on the floor and falling asleep.
"Now from my understanding, it seems Harry has gotten Hermione pregnant while engaged to Ginny," Kingsley said, to which Harry nodded as he avoided eye contact with the Head Auror turned Minister. The man was his mentor in his Auror training and he was ashamed to look him in the face at the moment.
Ron struggled in his bindings as he spat, "Yeah, he fucked my girlfriend and got her pregnant! He cheated on my little sister!"
Kingsley didn't even bother telling Ron that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend anymore and hasn't been for months, knowing it wouldn't do any good to the current situation. Looking at Harry he asked, "Harry, what are you going to do about this? Whether it eventually makes it out to the public or not, your name is attached and considering how involved you are in the situation, it is up to you what you are going to do. What about Hermione? Will she be alright if this information gets out? I know she doesn't like attention from the media as much as you don't."
Harry cleared his throat a bit, touching his sore nose from where Ron had broken it and Kingsley healed it, before saying, "Hermione currently isn't in England at the moment."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, she left to avoid all of this and went to Australia to stay with her parents. She knew if I found out she was expecting my child and the public found out about my infidelity to Ginny, she'd be harassed as well as me, as well as it ruining my relationship with Ginny. I actually only found out today myself. I actually just got back from seeing her."
Concerned Kingsley asked, "Is she alright?"
Nodding Harry answered, "Yeah, she seems alright, though when I left she was upset, but it was my fault. There was a wizard there that I spoke to named Patrick; he's a neighbor and friend of the Grangers. He listened to me explain about what all had happened and how Hermione and I ended up sleeping together and everything up to now. He listened and revealed some things to me, some things that I never considered but now seem to make sense."
"And those are?"
"He…he said that I was falling in love with Hermione and couldn't do so because Ginny has been giving me Love Potions."
Ron's already red face turned even redder as he bellowed, "BULLSHIT! YOU FUCKING LIAR! GINNY WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU! YOU CHEATED ON HER! YOU CHEATED ON HER WITH HERMIONE AND NOW SHE'S PREGNANT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TALKED MY GIRLFRIEND INTO SLEEPING WITH YOU AND MADE HER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU!"
Harry glared at Ron and said, "First off Ron, Hermione isn't your girlfriend. Second, we were drunk when we had sex, no thanks to your brother might I add. And third, this whole predicament is my fault because I was the one who wanted to act like the whole thing never happened. I didn't think this would affect her so badly; I was only thinking of myself and Ginny. And that may be because of the Love Potions in my system, but I know I've hurt my best friend in a way I've never done before. Hermione has always been there for me and supported me through thick and thin while also being understanding; that's more than I can say about you. And as for her falling in love with me, she didn't even realize she had until years later and she knew staying with you was only going to hurt you both in the long run."
"So you still believe Ginny gave you Love Potions to fall in love with her? You really have no faith in my sister, do you?"
"I don't know for sure, but it's worth looking into. And if it is true, then I'm definitely going to confront Ginny about it. And…and the wedding will be off."
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO GINNY! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"
Kingsley quickly silenced Ron with his wand, cutting his speech off as he was getting a quick headache from his yelling. He was glad he had decided to cast a Silencing Charm on the room before they began talking. Closing his eyes he sighed before opening them and looking at Harry. Giving him a meaningful look he said, "I hope you know that if and when you break things off with Ginny and the public hears about it, you'll be hounded for as to why. You can either stay silent or tell them the truth."
Harry nodded, not knowing what he would do. He knew Kingsley was right; he could either stay silent if it came to him breaking things off with Ginny, or he could tell them the truth. But he wondered would he just tell them that it was because she had been giving him Love Potions (if that came out to be true), or would he also include that he was falling for Hermione and that she was having his baby. But then again, he needed to still analyze his feelings for the brunette witch. He couldn't fully accept Patrick's words that he was falling for Hermione completely until he did some deep thinking.
Kingsley could see Harry was thinking hard about his predicament and gave him a sympathetic smile. He knew this was hard for the Wizarding Savior, caught between two women who both loved him, only one seemingly forcing him to be with her while the other was willing to let him go, sacrificing her own happiness so he could have his. He knew Hermione had a big heart and knew letting Harry go from her life would undoubtedly break it, but he knew that even so she'd be alright, both she and her baby. But that didn't mean Harry was going to be alright with it all. In fact, like this Patrick fellow, Kingsley was sure Harry had some sort of romantic feelings for his best female friend; the man just hadn't figured it out yet or couldn't tap into them.
Casting a spell on Ron to temporarily take away his hearing, Kingsley said to Harry, "Between you and me Harry, I think you have feelings for Hermione as well. But you've stayed so loyal to Ginny it seemed ridiculous. But now that there is a chance she's been continuously drugging you with Love Potions, it may not be so ridiculous that you've fallen in love with Hermione, despite the fact you are engaged to Ginny."
Harry gave a small smile saying, "Patrick said that, too."
Standing Kingsley said, "Well, let's get you checked to see if you really do have Love Potions running through your system. And as for Ron…"
The man canceled both spells on the redhead, allowing him to hear and speak again before casting the Bewitched Sleep Spell on the redhead, effectively causing him to slump over in his seat and fall asleep. Kingsley beckoned Harry to follow him as they made their way to the Ministry's Potioneers. As they walked Harry could feel people staring at him, hear them whisper about how he got Hermione pregnant while with his fiancé. It wasn't like he wasn't always talked about, but this time he had never been more uncomfortable. Even so, he needed to still confront George as to why he had gotten him and Hermione drunk in the first place, and why only them two. Of course, that would come after confronting Ginny if it became true that she had indeed been giving him Love Potions.
A while later they reached the Potions Laboratories and Kingsley instructed for Harry's system to be checked for any traces of Love Potions. It took a whole ten minutes before one of them said, "Minister, Mr. Potter has indeed be ingesting Love Potions, though the one he had taken recently seems to be close to being completely out of his system."
"However it may take a long time for all traces and effects to be completely out of him, though. It may take even years," another Potions Master said after having examined Harry's blood.
Green eyes closed in pain at hearing that Patrick's words were confirmed. Ginny had indeed been giving him Love Potions. How could she do this to him? He vaguely heard Kingsley ask whether or not they could make something to completely rid Harry of the Love Potions, to which the Potioneers told that they could try, but it might take a while. Shaking his head Harry told Kingsley that he would see him later, quickly making his way to the nearest Floo Network. Not bothering to stop to listen to anyone he grabbed Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace, dropping it after saying, "The Burrow."
Harry was engulfed in green flames as he traveled through the Floo before finally landing in the fireplace at the Weasley home. Stepping out he walked through the living room to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and George were all seated. The moment he stepped in Mrs. Weasley greeted, "Hello, Harry dear. Come to visit?"
Ginny smiled at her fiancé lovingly before it fell from her face seeing his grave expression. Standing she asked, "Harry, what's wrong?"
"We need to talk," Harry answered.
"About what? Why do you seem upset?"
Green eyes darkened almost dangerously as Harry said, "How about you tell me why you've been hopping me up on Love Potions for the past two years."
Brown eyes widened before Ginny asked stupidly, "How did you find out?"
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley hissed.
Harry couldn't believe that she hadn't even tried to deny it, just went ahead and asked him how he knew. In disbelief he exclaimed, "I can't believe this! I can't believe you've really been keeping me on Love Potions just to make me love you!" Quickly turning to George he asked, "Have you been giving them to her to use on me? I know she can get an unlimited supply from you. How could you, George?"
George quickly shook his head, clearly disturbed by the news as he replied, "I didn't! I haven't been giving her any Love Potions. If she's been getting them from me, she's been stealing them." Turning to look at his little sister he asked, "Have you been taking things from my shop, Ginny?"
Ginny looked uncomfortable at being confronted and quickly looked at her mother for help. Even Mrs. Weasley looked uncomfortable and not knowing what to do. Finally relenting she sighed and answered, "Yes, I've been taking Love Potions from your shop, George. I've been taking one every month for the past two years to give to Harry."
"Why?" Harry asked, hurt filling his chest at what his fiancé had done.
"Because I wanted to be with you and for you to love me!" Tears began to fill Ginny's brown eyes. "I've always dreamt about being with you, Harry. And when we finally got together when I was a Fifth Year, it was a dream come true. But then you broke up with me to protect me. I figured once the war was over we'd be together again, and even more so when you kissed me the night of the battle. But then after that you seemed distant, like you didn't want to be with me anymore. And the more I asked whether or not we were getting back together, the more you avoided me. You couldn't even answer me when I told you I loved you, only saying that you viewed me as a sister again, so I did the only thing I could think to make you love me."
"And that was to give me a Love Potion."
"Yes. Mum helped me with the first few that I gave you, but then I started taking from George's shop to make it easier on myself. I hadn't started off giving them to you frequently, but when I saw you were beginning to wane and no longer be under the influence of the potion, I gave you more just to make sure you'd stay with me. I just wanted to be with you because I love you, Harry. You have to believe me!"
Harry shook his head as he absorbed what Ginny had told him. She had basically tricked him into loving her when it had been clear that he hadn't been into her from the start, not like he had previously been. Running a hand down his face Harry tried to control his breathing as he could feel his anger rising and knew his magic would respond if he didn't control himself. However it was when Ginny reached out and touched him did it do so.
"Harry," Ginny said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
The red haired girl let out a painful shriek when Harry's magic lashed out at her, nearly taking her hand off but only leaving behind burns. Mrs. Weasley rushed to her daughter to look at her hand before looking at Harry asked, "How can you do that to your fiancé?"
"Shut up," Harry hissed glaring at the two women. "Just shut up. You knew…you knew she was doing this. You helped her. I can't believe you, and to think I viewed you like my own mother. A mother wouldn't do this!" Turning to look at Ginny he said, "It will take years for the potions to wear off thanks to how many you've given me. If you really loved me, you wouldn't have forced me to be with you. We're done, Ginny; the wedding is off. I want you out of my house. Your things will be on the street in front of Grimmauld Place."
"Harry, please!" Ginny pleaded as her tears fell down her cheeks.
Harry shook his head and left the Burrow, about to Apparate back to his home. However it was the call of his name from George that made him stop. Turning he asked, "What is it?"
George reached him and said, "I'm sorry for what Ginny did. I really had no idea she was taking potions and drugging you. And for mum to be in on it as well…I'm sorry, mate."
"It's fine. It's not like Ginny forcing me to fall in love with her was your fault."
"But I feel like I'm partially to blame because she took some of my product."
Placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder Harry said, "It's alright, George. I don't blame you." A thought occurred to Harry before he said, "Well, I don't blame you for that anyway."
Raising an eyebrow George asked, "Then what do you blame me for?"
"At the Ministry party seven months ago, you gave both Hermione and I champagne spiked with Fire Whiskey. We both got completely pissed and ended up sleeping together."
"Oh really? Was it good?"
"Stuff it, George."
"Come on, mate. You have to tell me if Hermione is good in the sack or not. Was the sex good despite your drunken haze?"
Harry said nothing at first before finally answering, "It was the best sex I've ever had." Ignoring George's grin he continued. "Anyway, I was just wondering why you did it. Because a lot of things have happened since then and it's gotten us into a predicament with an everlasting consequence. Not to say that we're upset about it, but it's definitely unexpected, but we welcome it nonetheless."
George frowned for a moment before realization dawned on him as he asked, "She's pregnant, isn't she?" At Harry's nod he said, "Congratulations, mate. And as for why I just did it to you two, it wasn't just you two. I spiked several people's drinks that night. But if you and Hermione ended up together, then it was for a reason. When people are drunk, they let go of their inhibitions and say things or act out what they are really feeling, whether that be to someone they secretly hate, secretly love, etcetera. For you and Hermione to sleep together, it's probably because you both love each other but couldn't do anything because you were with Ginny—and we know why now—and Hermione had been with Ron because she thought she belonged with him at the time. It could also be that you two wanted a chance to be together romantically because you knew no one expected you to be with someone other than Ron and Ginny."
Harry stayed silent for a moment before asked, "So you think that I've been in love with Hermoine for a while and couldn't do anything about it until that night because I was drunk?"
George shrugged before saying, "It's just a thought. But hey, if being drunk helped you break through the Love Potion to actually pursue Hermione like that that night, then it has to mean something."
The dark haired wizard nodded before saying, "I need to go. I need to get your sister's things out of my home, and then I've got to sort out my thoughts and such. And then…"
"Then?"
"…I'm going back to Australia."
Harry Disapparated on the spot, leaving George behind. The moment he was gone, George smirked before saying, "I've always known you've loved Hermione romantically, Harry. I just gave you a push that night." He hadn't known his sister had been giving the younger man Love Potions, but as long as the end result was the same, it didn't matter. And for him, that end result would be Harry and Hermione becoming a couple, no matter how long it took.
