Chapter II
Orphan. The Chosen One. War Hero.
Titles that he had acquired within mere 24 years and would quite probably never shake off until the day he died.
But he was far more than the public would refer to him as. Friend. Godfather. Husband.
Loving Harry Potter was not daisies and sunshine. Ginny knew, had always known that there would be nothing easy about being with someone as troubled as he was. That marrying someone like him would entail a life with constant ups and downs, full of bumps and hindrances. Nothing simple.
But she had known. She had dived in headfirst without hesitation, even when Harry, full of doubts about his capability to love her the way she deserved it, had hesitated.
Because he had known, too. That this marriage couldn't possibly be easy. But he had put all his trust in her in his quest to find some peace. Just a hint of normalcy. So, he had dared and dived in, too.
"So… When exactly did you start noticing a change in his behaviour?"
"Nine months ago."
A scribble.
"What caused you to notice a change?"
"His hands around my neck."
No scribble. Ginny absentmindedly grazed around her neck, right where Harry's hands had left a mark she'd had to obscure with a concealing charm. She could feel the pitiful looks even without meeting the auror's eyes; he was now dutifully writing down her statement, albeit more elaborate than she had provided.
Unlike the general public, the auror department knew about the happenings, sans details. Not because Ginny had sought out their help, but because they had sought out her. Because things were getting out of control.
"Given that there are no hospital records- "
"Wasn't necessary," she interrupted him, willing the interrogation to go over as quickly as possible. "He let go after around ten seconds, just when he realised what he was doing. No real damage done."
Beside the fact that she had locked him out of their bedroom, listening to his apologies and soft pleas. "You have to know that I didn't mean to hurt you… I would… N-Never… This wasn't me; I swear…" Of course, it hadn't been him. She had believed every word he had said. But this hadn't changed the fact that she couldn't have opened the door to him, comforted him, told him that everything was going to be okay… She had wanted to, but had kept silent instead, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
In that moment, her own wounds hadn't even mattered. It had been him who was broken beyond repair, whom she had wept for.
The auror sighed after a long pause.
"Was there anything that might have provoked this act of violence?"
Ginny looked up and raised one eyebrow.
"Well, I don't know," she paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "maybe the fact that he was seeing ghosts, and that you and your useless ministry didn't do a damn thing about it?"
"Mrs Potter- "
"You knew, you all knew, and you didn't even move a finger. He nearly killed me, and had I not moved out, he would have succeeded." Ginny shook her head, feeling angry and tired at the same time. "He almost killed a pedestrian who just happened to walk on the same alley as he did. So no, him almost strangling me to death had nothing to do with something that I might have done to set him off."
Another long pause. Ginny audibly sighed; they had already mucked it all up, hadn't they? Why ask her all these questions? Of what use could these details possibly be?
All she wanted to do was sleep. She was so tired.
"Does your brother, Ronald Weasley know about these happenings? Are you still in touch?"
"Harry used to. No one else seems to be able to contact him, me included." She had tried to reach out to him to at least let him know about Harry's wellbeing. Not that she would have told him about him almost killing her, but she would have at least let him know about Harry's peculiar state. Maybe he already knew, maybe he didn't; Ginny didn't know much about their conversations and had never pressed Harry to give any details.
Although she never openly admitted it, she did not approve of Ron's departure to who-knows-where. She thought of it as selfish; they all had issues; they all had survived the war. Ron was no exception. Why couldn't he be where his family and friends needed him the most?
The thought of Ron having the time of his life abroad while Harry was suffering made her sick to her stomach. After the war, Ginny had expected the both of them to cling to each other, especially after Hermione's sudden, unexpected death. Her eyes welled with tears, diminishing her anger just slightly. Hermione. Fred. Remus. Nymphadora. Had it really been eight years?
The rest of the interrogation was filled with mundane questions and clipped answers. Ginny darted out of the room as soon as the auror had thanked her for the cooperation, sounding almost apologetic on behalf of the entire ministry.