All things relating to Harry Potter remain the intellectual and legal property of JK Rowling.

Warnings: Very strong language. Mild violence.

Chapter 38: A Revelation and a Decision

25th December, 2017

Ginny hadn't said anything yet; Harry's guts were clenched, his teeth pressed together as he waited to see what she would say when she did. Behind them stood George and his wife – both red-faced and shaking, screaming out all the frustrations of their marriage. It was one time. It was a mistake. I was drunk. Harry could still try that. Couldn't he? Only George was being so pig-headedly, stupidly honest to Angelina: for the first time in their partnership, Harry realised.

Ginny was trembling, breathing deeply. She seemed to be gathering herself. Her hand twitched towards her wand pocket. Was she really going to bat-bogey him? Didn't this go beyond her usual revenge? Would he just have to put up with a few minutes of an excruciatingly painful nose and then everything would be right again?

"I can't believe I've wasted my life on a pervert!" Angelina was yelling.

"Don't give me that! You got exactly what you wanted!"

"I got what?"

"Kids that look like they could be his!"

"Don't bring Fred into this!"

"I'm not the one who brought him into our relationship. He's the only reason why you're with me. If I lie on the right side at night you can even pretend --"

"He was a real man! He was ten times the man you are!"

"Don't tell me what Fred was!"

Angelina had moisture gathering in her eyes now. "I wish you'd died instead of him."

"I know you do. You've always made that perfectly clear. So do I, most of the time."

"He wouldn't have cheated on me."

"You stupid cow! Of course he would. He was never faithful to you. There were a string of girls --"

"I don't believe you."

"I shared the flat with him. There was a constant --"

"You're thinking of you and boys!" She screamed in vicious fury while the tears ran down her cheeks.

"I told you! It was only ever Harry."

Finally Ginny looked at him, took her hands from her face to stare, astonished, at her husband who squatted in front of her. "Even then?" she asked.

Harry didn't know what to do, what to say. He let his lower jaw flounder stupidly.

"Harry?" Her voice was sharper this time. "Were you and George ... doing things ..." she whispered the phrase so low that it was almost drowned beneath the continuing argument of the other couple in the room. "When Fred was still alive?" She stared at him. "Just bloody tell me! Tell me the truth for once."

Harry nodded slowly. So much for the tipsy christmas suck defence.

Ginny turned away from him, swallowing as though she had bile in her mouth. She stood, swiftly, pulled out her wand and crossed the room to confront her brother.

George turned to look at her and his face changed. It was as though he had forgotten that she was there; more than that, it was as though he had forgotten for a moment that she existed at all and he suddenly remembered exactly what he had done to her.

"Ginny. I'm sorry."

"Don't give me that you bastard!" she snarled, pushing her wand into his face. "You knew he was mine. From the first moment I saw him, he was mine! By rights! What screwed up, twisted kind of hate do you have --"

"Ginny! It's not about you! I didn't do this to --"

"You fucked my boyfriend and you didn't think it was --"

"But he wasn't!"

Harry closed his eyes. He got as far as grabbing the doorknob. He didn't want to be in the room when George told the truth about this, about when it had all started and how long it had been going on.

"He wasn't my boyfriend?" Ginny turned, confused to look at Harry, caught him trying to escape. "Harry? Was it during the war? You wouldn't let me be with you, but you let --"

Harry shook his head.

George answered. "It was before that. Long before that. I'm sorry Ginny, but you're the one who stole my boyfriend, not the other way round."

There was a stunned silence. Even Angelina was speechless. She sank onto one of the coat-topped beds.

"I've been in love with Harry since we were schoolboys," George confessed into the room.

"Then why?" Ginny asked Harry, at the exact same moment that Angelina asked, "Our whole fucking relationship? It's just a cover-up?"

"The kids!" Ginny gasped.

Harry felt parts of his body going numb, large areas of his brain were shutting down: he couldn't cope with this.

Angelina was on her feet again, though, her voice was gaining in strength. "Don't you think you can just swan off with your lover boy and leave me to look after those kids on my own, George Weasley!"

"You're the one who wanted them."

"They're your kids! You'll do your bit! And I'm taking every fucking knut I can get!"

"I can't have two kids living in the flat over the shop with me. There's no room!"

"That's where you're going is it?"

Ginny shook off her horrified trance and began to yell into George's face, too: "You are dead to me! You are no longer my blood!"

"That bloody flat!" Angelina stepped closer as she shouted. "That's why you wouldn't sell it!"

"I'll make sure the rest of the family know what you've done, you cunt! You'll have to change your surname!" Ginny spat.

"That's where you've been shagging him." Angelina was pulling George's head round by the hair, forcing him to look at her.

Harry still had the urge to run away, but as he watched George being assailed by the two women, he also had a fierce need to protect him. He didn't know how to do that, though, without exposing himself. A witless voice in his head was still soothing, "It'll be all right. It'll all work out." He didn't see how it could, though.

There was a flash of red light and then George lurched forwards, grunting, folded around his groin. Ginny turned with a triumphant look on her face, to face Harry. Angelina stepped away from her collapsing husband.

"What did you ...?" Harry asked stupidly.

"He'll get over it," Ginny snapped. "He deserves it."

George dropped to the floor. Harry was poised to run over him. He took the first few steps. Only then George swore with such strength and clarity that he knew Ginny had been telling the truth: whatever it was she'd done to her brother, it was painful but temporary. Harry had made it a policy never to interfere between Weasleys.

"Now!" Ginny said, all calm and business-like. "I think this is salvageable."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Get up and stop making such a fuss!" Angelina demanded. "If you think I'm going down to break it to our kids on my own that Daddy's moving out cos he's a lying, cheating, arse-bandit, then you are so wrong, George Weasley." She pushed past Harry on her way to the door. She spat in his face as she went.

Harry didn't wipe off the saliva because he felt that it was the least he deserved.

"Obviously, you'll have to have no more contact with him," Ginny began, "and we'll have to find an effective way of silencing everyone. I think we can work out some arrangements, though."

"What?" Harry asked again, stupidly.

"George!" Angelina demanded from the open doorway.

"You're Harry Potter. We owe it to the wider Wizarding world, as well as to the children, to find a way through this. We're the First Couple, we have to set an example. Sweet Merlin! Can you imagine what the Prophet would do with this story if they got hold of it?"

"You'd keep me?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Under certain conditions, which we'll need to work through," Ginny agreed.

"Harry!" George was managing to sit on the floor now, though his skin was covered in a sheen of sweat.

"George! You come with me now!" Angelina barked.

"Harry!" Ginny ordered. "We have things to discuss."

George shuffled to standing. "Harry! Please! This is it. They all know. It doesn't matter any more."

"There are certain public obligations. Your credibility is in jeopardy." Ginny looked collected, surprisingly in control.

"This is our chance, Harry!" George begged.

"We're going down to find the kids, now, George. Then you need to pack."

Harry stared between his wife and his lover. He had no idea what to do. The Right Thing. Of course. But what was that?

"You deserve to be happy!" George insisted, though he was obeying his wife, moving towards her.

Harry didn't feel like he deserved anything good.

"The children need us, Harry," Ginny said.

"I love you," George whispered on his way out of the door.