I don't own Harry Potter nor any of its characters. They belong to the lovely JK Rowling
Chapter 26: Mutual Exasperation
Ginny woke slowly, allowing her body to relax against the blankets and the sunlight to stream through the windows across her arms, warming her. She reached across the bed, searching for her husband as the memories of the day before, and the whole night of reliving Harry's memories, washed over her. After days of fear and worry invading her every thought, it was nice to know Harry was finally back home.
Wait... Where is he? Ginny started, feeling his absence beside her.
"I'm here, Gin." Came a soft chuckle from the end of the bed. Ginny sighed in relief. Harry was already getting dressed for work, grabbing a fresh shirt from the open suitcase at the floor. He had removed the bandages from his back, leaving a long half-healed cut behind. Ginny could see other bruises and cuts, adding to the array of scars from the war and his job as an auror.
"Where are you going? How long have we been asleep?" Ginny asked.
"Oh, about six hours. It's nearly eleven, and I need to get to the office. Two of Voldemort's men were captured while trying to leave the ministry, and I need to lead their interrogations. They may be able to tell us where Voldemort went. Besides that, it's time to reinstate the Order of the Phoenix. I'm going to be recruiting today and sending for all the old members. Do you think here will be a good place for headquarters?" Harry replied, buttoning up his shirt.
"I suppose so. It's big enough, and already has a fidelius charm in place. I'll get mum to start writing notes when I get downstairs." she replied matter-of-factly before saying imploringly, "It wouldn't do any good if I asked you to stay home today, would it? You've been through an awful lot and the kids have missed you. Not to mention, your parents! Harry, we haven't even talked about this! We haven't had the time!" Ginny looked at Harry, allowing the fogginess of sleep to leave her brain, reminding her of the many pressing matters at hand.
"Yeah, I'll say goodbye to the kids before I leave." Harry said.
"And your parents? When are you planning on talking to them? I'm sure there are a lot of things you both need to say." Ginny was surprised when suddenly Harry's demeanor changed, his brow creasing, his shoulders collapsing in on himself as if a heavy burden had just been laid on them. He looked away from Ginny, busying himself with his cloak and rechecking his pockets – just something to busy himself with, she knew.
"Harry, tell me what you're thinking." She entreated, sitting herself at the end of the bed to be near to him. He met her eyes and she could see the storm brewing beneath them; a storm of uncertainty. He opened his mouth, only to shut it again, not sure how to begin.
"I don't know, Gin. Honestly, I don't know what to think." He finally said quietly. He reached forward and held her hand in his own, sitting beside her on the bed.
"They'll be wanting to talk to you. And here is your chance to talk to them, and finally get to know your mum and dad! I know how long you've wished this could be real."
"Look, I've got to get to the ministry. I just don't have time right now – Dark Lord risen from the dead and all. I'll deal with this later." Harry put his phoenix wand in his pocket, and went to pick up the Elder Wand, only to stop short. Finally, he picked it up and placed it in the briefcase containing his memories. "Hold on to it, would you? I don't think I should be carrying it around with me, just in case."
Ginny nodded, worry creasing her features as she watched Harry, suddenly so unsure of himself. What was he thinking? If it were Fred who had come back, she would have jumped at the chance to talk to him again and tell him everything! Why was Harry being like this?
She made to speak again, but Harry resolutely walked out the door, avoiding the end of the conversation. She huffed and began getting ready for the day, taking an extra long shower and taking her time. By the time she got downstairs for breakfast, she was lucky to see she had missed the rush of nieces and nephews. They were all leaving the dining area, on their way to the basement which served as their play room.
She opened the door, breathing in the delicious scent of bacon and eggs. Her mother was in the kitchen, humming an old tune from Celestina Warbeck, and Audrey was doing the dishes by hand. At the table sat George and Angelina, Fleur, Victoire and Teddy, Ron and Hermione, and Lily and James.
"Where is Harry?" Lily asked when she saw Ginny.
"Oh, um, he left already. Lots of work to do, being the auror head and all."
"Wait, auror head? As in, head of the auror department? You didn't say that last night! Isn't he only 33?" James asked, shocked.
"Yeah well, we try not to let it get to his head." George said, wagging his eyebrows cheekily. Ron snorted, and Hermione rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile.
Ginny sat heavily, and thanked her mother as a plate was placed in front of her. She quickly let everyone know about the order meeting that would be taking place, explaining to her mother the need for multiple notes. Everyone was enthusiastic as the prospect, and they listened as James and Lily recounted stories from when they were first inducted into the order. Soon, conversation carried on, and Ginny listened lightly to Ron explaining to James the changes in the ministry since the war and telling funny stories of things he and Harry used to do as kids, and Hermione talking about her work at the ministry and her fight for equality among the other races. "You know, that was something I always thought was ridiculously unfair and old-fashioned! House-elves ought to have equal rights, and it's about time someone stood up for them!" Lily was answering, excitedly.
George was now talking about the joke-shop, and his latest products, making James snicker and reminisce on his old days. "Oh, you should have seen old Padfoot! Those damn mirrors were the only things that made detention bearable."
"Wait! I'd forgotten! Harry said you, Sirius, and Lupin were the original marauders! Sirius was Padfoot, Lupin was Moony, and you were Prongs! You were our heroes, Mr. Potter! Fred and I nicked your map from Filch! It was the best thing we ever did!" George's obvious omission of Wormtail was thankfully ignored, and after swallowing, James continued on happily.
"Oh, please, call me James! And I'm glad it came to some sort of use after we left."
Ginny smiled into her food, laughing to herself at how ridiculous it all was. Well, since when has life ever been ordinary or expected? She thought. Soon though, their light-hearted conversation came to an end. George and Angelina rose from the table to go help with the clean-up efforts at the ministry. Harry, Arthur, Bill, Percy, and Charlie had already left before Ginny came down. Ron and Hermione also prepared to go, but Molly forced them back in their seats.
"Don't even think about it! Your injuries are not fully healed, and if I had been awake when Harry left I would have forbid he go anywhere, either! You may be adults, but I am still your mother!" She continued to huff under her breath that she "would rather no one left the house at all", and that the fidelius charm was "basically useless since everyone insisted on going out and about anyway." Suddenly, her muttering was abruptly halted by a raised voice.
"Molly! MOLLY?!" The group started as the yelling got closer to the dining area, and Arthur strode through the door. "There you are! We have some more guests that Harry wants to come and stay with us. We need a note to reveal our location."
"Well, alright dear, but for who? The whole family is here…"
"For Astoria Malfoy and her son."
"WHAT!?" Ron suddenly bellowed, dumbfounded. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN'S BOLLUCKS IS MALFOY COMING HERE FOR!?"
"He didn't say Draco Malfoy, Ronald. He said Astoria and her son!" Hermione corrected him.
"Her son!? You mean scruples, or scruffy, or something?" Ron said again, just as open-mouthed as before, though thankfully not yelling this time.
"Yes, Astoria and her son Scorpius. I don't know the details, but apparently they are in need of protection and Harry feels obligated for some reason or another." Arthur replied, taking the note from Molly. He turned on the spot and went back out the front door, disappearing with a faint pop!
"You've got to be joking." Ron muttered.
….
Astoria opened her eyes, nearly falling from dizziness. Apparition didn't normally make her feel so sick, but it had been a long day, and her health was quickly waning. Harry steadied her, and held the door open for her to pass the threshold. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to come and live with Harry Potter and the Weasleys of all people!
It seemed her thoughts were mirrored in the faces that greeted her as they walked through to the dining area. Each face was frozen with shock and apprehension, and if it weren't for Arthur and Harry breaking the silence with introductions, Astoria doubted a word would ever have been spoken. Ginny Potter offered Astoria an open seat beside her at the table, and Arthur offered to take their suitcases to their room.
"Hey! I heard the door! Who's here?" came a small voice behind them. Astoria turned as a small boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes came through the door. "Dad! You're back from work! Good!" Harry grinned and hugged the boy, who could be none other than his son.
"Albus, this is Astoria Malfoy and her son Scorpius. Maybe you could bring Scorpius downstairs and introduce him to the cousins? They're going to be staying with us for a while." Albus nodded energetically, and offered a hand to Scorpius. Harry smiled to himself sardonically to see Albus extend a hand of friendship to the boy who was almost the spitting image of Draco Malfoy.
"Hello, I'm Albus Potter, nice to meet you." Scorpius shook the hand hesitantly, introducing himself in turn. They turned to leave the kitchen, and Harry could hear Albus say, "Are you going to Hogwarts next year? What house do you think you'll be in?" before their voices faded from hearing.
Harry refocused back on the group in front of him, grinning inwardly at Ron's incredulous look concerning a Malfoy in the midst of his family. Harry proceeded to explain the situation, and the risks Draco was taking to help bring down Voldemort.
"Well, I'll be damned. Malfoy finally grew a pair – "
"Ron!"
"I mean, that's really brave of him."
Harry laughed along with the rest, meeting the eyes of his mother and father in the process. His laugh died off, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Well, I've got to get back." Harry pecked Ginny on the cheek and collected the handful of notes from Molly for the Order members, then headed to the front door to apparate back to the ministry. He had nearly reached the door when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Wait! Don't you want to stay for some lunch, at least? or early dinner, rather?" Lily laughed nervously. "Or maybe James and I could come with! Maybe we could help recruit, or something?"
"No! I mean, thank you for the offer, but I've got to go. And I appreciate you want to help, but there's nothing you can do at the moment." Harry replied, turning to his mother. He couldn't meet her eyes, and fidgeted in the silence, unsure of what to do. Lily could see his unease, concern and confusion creasing her brow.
"Sweetie, you don't have to do this alone, you know. You'll run yourself into the ground. Besides, I was hoping we might have some time to, I dunno, talk?" She extended her hand, hoping to give him some form of comfort. He flinched back, causing her to withdraw it immediately.
"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…?" She began, unsure why she would elicit such a reaction from him.
"No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I mean, I just… I gotta go." Harry stuttered. He stood for a second more, before turning and leaving out the front door. She heard the faint pop! of his departure, then turned around to head back to the kitchen. She walked slowly, her emotions flustered by the encounter.
As she reentered the kitchen, she was relieved to see Harry's leaving had caused the majority to follow suit. Only Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and James were left in the room.
"What's wrong, darling?" James asked, sensing her thick emotions immediately. Lily sniffed, and fought back some tears as she recounted what had just occurred. James pulled Lily down beside him, and looked expectantly to the three people who knew Harry the best.
Ginny frowned sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Lily. He just – it's hard for him sometimes to express what he's feeling. He tends to bottle things up inside. He doesn't know any other way, I'm afraid."
"I think he is being an absolutely ridiculous! I mean, yes a lot of things are happening right now, but this is the chance he has always wanted! It's what anyone would want!" Hermione ranted.
The girls all crossed their arms in irritation. Quietly, but gaining volume as his confidence grew, Ron spoke up.
"Well, if you think about it, Harry never knew his parents except for twice when they appeared as ghosts – both of which were times when he was basically surrendering himself to Voldemort and death. Last night he even said that when he died in the forbidden forest, he had to choose to stay here and not move on, and since then he has done everything he can to leave that all behind him and start over!
I don't think he's not happy you're here, it's just – like Ginny said, he doesn't know what to do now. I mean, he's over 10 years older than you both, and all you know about him is what he showed us last night in the pensieve, which he didn't even want anyone to know about! Necessity and extreme measures forced him to reveal his innermost secrets, and frankly the two of you are basically strangers! The only people who knew you and could tell him stories about you all died nearly 20 years ago! If you go and have a 'talk' what will you talk about? His childhood? Hogwarts? What's he going to say? His childhood was shite, the Dursleys were terrible, and Hogwarts was great when you don't include the near-death experiences, battles with Voldemort, and watching a bunch of people die every year. He didn't even graduate!
He doesn't want to talk about it, and it's not like he's going to just shove you into his pensieve for hours on end! What's he supposed to do? Meanwhile, Voldemort is back, and once again the wizarding world is depending on him to fix it. He's under a lot of stress!" Ron breathed heavily as if he had just run a mile, trying to catch his breath. "I mean, or not. Maybe I'm wrong." He shrugged his shoulders self-consciously and dug in to some left-over pie he'd been working through all morning.
Hermione looked at her husband, her face filled with wonder. "Ronald, forgive me for ever saying you had the emotional range of a teaspoon. That was brilliant."
"Always the sense of surprise." Ron replied, swallowing hard on his pie and smiling sappily at her.
"Oh, get a room." Ginny chuckled. She then looked at James and Lily, sobering. "He's right though. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that's exactly what Harry is thinking. It makes perfect sense."
"Well, what do we do now? How do we fix it?" James asked.
"I don't know if you can. You could try talking to him, but honestly, I think he will just have to come to you. Just be there for him. That's what we've all had to do throughout the years." Hermione said.
"Remember those months after the war, when all the funerals were finished and all the reporters were camped outside the house, trying to catch a glimpse of the "Savior of the Wizarding World"? All any of us could do was try to live through the pain day after day, and try to get past the nightmares. Harry couldn't stop feeling guilty for all of it. He blamed himself for everything that had happened and everyone we had lost, and he tried to distance himself from us. It's how he handles things – solitude. When he finally snapped out of it, it still took him until almost our wedding to tell me everything. It just takes time, and a ridiculous amount of patience on our part. That's what he's like." Ginny said pensively, her eyes misted over in memory.
"Well, we have all the time in the world. I don't mind waiting, if that's what it takes." James nodded in agreement as Lily made that statement, and the group smiled in mutual exasperation. They continued to talk for hours, reminiscing on old times and things they'd been through together.
Suddenly, the door opened with a Bang! and Molly rushed inside, Scorpius trailing behind.
"Where's Harry? Has he left already?" she asked fretfully.
"Yes, he left hours ago. Why? What's happened?" asked Ginny.
"Astoria has left. She said she'd realized what the trinket was, told me to watch Scorpius, and left right out the front door!" The group paled, and it was obvious what the others were thinking.
If she was right, and she could get the trinket, it would be able to lead right to Voldemort.