18 June 2003 (12 Weeks)
9:45pm
He should've been happy – ecstatic even. These days should've been the best in his life. After everything that he had been through, he had been two steps away from his dream and left empty handed. He had nothing again – no, that wasn't right. He was six months off from being a father. There'd be a little version of him or Ginny or a perfect blend of both. What would it look like when it came? He remembered the red, squishy faces of Dominique and Molly II – talon like fingernails and a weird dandruff on their scalps as the hours turned to the first days. Babies were rather alien-like; maybe Ginny had a point after all. Not that it mattered. One week and all he got from her was a short letter with the date of her next appointment. At least, it was something.
"Would you lighten up?" Ron nudged his shoulder and nodded toward the old tavern.
Its wooden door hung crooked and the front window was broken. A tarp covered it, keeping out the steady rain. Truthfully, it should've been condemned, but it was loads better than being ogled at inside of the Leaky Cauldron. George had found this place, or rather they found George passed out inside of it the night of the first Battle of Hogwarts anniversary. Ever since, the lot went back whenever they could plan a Weasley's Guy Night Out, plus Harry. It didn't take a reason for them to celebrate, especially since a Weasley never passed up a good time, but Charlie had just come in from Romania for the week and Sunday's roast wasn't nearly enough time.
"What'd you mean? I'm practically floating," Harry muttered through gritted teeth. "Just dandy."
"You're a right, chipper Levitation Charm, alright," Ron retorted dryly, stopping with his hand on the door and preventing Harry access inside. He looked at Harry uneasily. "I was serious, mate. Fleur and Angelina saved your arse last week. But things have somehow only gotten worse–"
"Geez, thanks for the reminder." Harry dug his shoe into the cement, scuffling the tops.
Across the street, a young family quickly rushed out of a restaurant. The little girl giggled as she spun around in the rain. The couple shared a look and smiled. Harry's stomach lurched, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
Ron sighed, rubbing his neck. "I'm sorry, mate, but it has gotten worse, and the girls aren't here this time–"
"And Charlie is. Bloody fantastic. I know." Harry groaned. Shifting his weight back and forth, he tried to look away from the family as they loaded into a cab.
"He is. And I'm not letting them know I know anything," Ron reminded.
"Great, mate. Just great."
The family seemed so happy and careful, and the world was taunting him. Harry couldn't help but stare because life was incredibly unfair.
"It's just I don't want to complicate things and mess it up, you know? Because if they think I know, I just can't, mate," Ron continued, trailing off.
The family's cab drove off and Harry spun, shoving Ron's hand off the door. "Just open the door before I decide to go home. Like I wanted to do after work. I've had a crap day. Why'd you bring me anyway?"
"Better tonight over drinks than tomorrow in front of Mum. Avoiding will only make this worse. You should know that by now." Ron shrugged, walking inside.
Harry followed, knowing that Ron was right. The tension between Ginny and him had been obvious over the last few weeks. Hermione had been playing couple's counselor any chance she got, and both Ginny and he were frequenting the Burrow less and less. The rumors were rampaging like gossip at Hogwarts among the brothers, and all they could pinpoint was Harry in the middle of it. They wanted answers, and Harry had none to give.
At least, not yet.
They were the last to arrive. Inside the dimly lit tavern, the rest of the brothers were stuffed around a small table with a round already ordered for them. Charlie sat between George and Bill, talking animatedly about what Harry picked up on was dragons. His hair had grown out, almost matching the length of Bill's, and he had a new scar across his cheek. Molly was surely fussing about it. At the far end of the table, Percy sat uncomfortably, sipping from his own pint.
"Hey," Ron greeted, taking a seat across from the others.
"Look who finally showed up. Thought you were bailing," Charlie stated, sliding one of the extra pints across to him.
"You know how the Ministry gets. Held us over nearly two bloody hours," Ron grumbled, before taking a sip.
Harry hung back for a moment. Sometimes, he just watched their interactions. It was intriguing – one moment they'd have Percy or Ron blowing their fuse and the rest they'd be laughing from a childhood memory that Harry didn't understand. Once a night out, they'd get somber in remembrance of Fred before one would make a half-hearted joke and they'd laugh until tears came to their eyes. It was completely bizarre, and Harry wanted it.
Siblings.
Before meeting Ron, he never thought much outside of what it'd be like to have parents, or even a guardian who cared. He never dreamt of siblings and this weird relationship balance between being their own worst enemies and best friends on a level Harry didn't quite understand. He had Dudley, a cousin who spent his time beating him up, but it wasn't like this, because there was never laughing in nostalgia afterwards. There wasn't any rose tint to those memories. It just was.
It made Harry think of the baby – practically inexistent in the world yet already shaping up into such a broken beginning. Would the baby ever have siblings? Would it know the joy of its first best friend and enemy in the same person? A level of connection that no matter how close Ron and Harry were that Harry would never experience. He might've thought of Hermione like a sister, but even that fell short to whatever this was he was watching.
"Aye, Ron, who's this chap you brought with you?" George hollered across the table. He rose and extended a hand. "My name's George, by the way."
"You saw me last week," Harry replied, irked.
George place his hands up in innocence. "Forgot, I guess. What was that? Thirty minutes in the last three weeks –"
"Four, I believe," Ron added, rising his glass at his brother.
"Ah, yes, four. Might as well be a stranger than, aye?" George laughed. He clinked his pint against Ron's.
Harry glowered. They knew nothing – well, Ron did, but he wasn't any help. It was supposed to be a good night, and personally, he was already done.
"Lovely," grumbled Harry to himself. Shaking his head, he tightened his jaw and turned back to the door. He knew he shouldn't have come.
Avoiding things only made things worse if he decided to come back from avoidance. However, if he just stayed couped up at Grimmauld Place, then how'd they ever know?
"Aw, c'mon, Harry. We're just picking fun. George does the same to Charlie every time." Bill stood, beckoning Harry back over.
Pausing, Harry sighed. What choice did he have? After all, he had Hermione and Ron at Grimmauld Place with him. Avoidance was never an option this time.
"Fine, just lay off. Yeah?" He added, turning and slumping down into his chair next to Ron. He took a couple of large gulps from his pint.
At least, there was alcohol involved.
The solace lasted just a shade of a second, until Charlie slammed his drink against the table and shouted, "I'm sorry, but what? Someone going to bloody fill me in?"
Slouching further in his chair, Harry traced the condensation from his pint on the table with his finger.
"You know as much as me, mate. Been sealed off," George replied.
"Ginny and him, both," Percy added, matter-of-factly. "Been missing dinners for the last month. Both show up yesterday, and what? Disappeared and left."
"Been acting like a right, foul git at work and home," Ron added in, just as he promised. In his defense, he had warned Harry.
Still, it didn't make it less traitorous. Harry grinded his teeth and kept his eyes on the table.
"Come to think of it. Last Sunday was pretty weird, too," Bill added, feigning an afterthought.
"Ah, yeah? How so?" Charlie signaled to the waitress for another round.
"Ginny comes over an hour late and completely ignores us all but Harry. They disappeared for a little while. Then, she leaves," Bill explained.
"Bloody suspicious to me," Charlie commented firmly.
"Not even all of it, you guys noticed she had been crying. She tried to hide it, but that's definitely why she booked it out," Percy said between sips of his pint.
"Really? You saw it?" Bill asked, darkening his voice.
Harry tried not to fidget at feeling all eyes on him. Really, he should've been used to being glared at by now, but it never got easier. And he couldn't even explain himself.
"Nah, Ginny wouldn't let us see that, but her eyes were all red. Definitely crying," confirmed Percy.
Harry groaned, chugging the rest of his pint just in time for the next round to be dropped off. Instantly, he took his second and chugged it as well.
"So, what'd he do?" Charlie narrowed in on Harry.
George blew out air. "Beats me. Besides missing Ginny's game, even though she was benched from some unknown reasons, or acting like a sodding git. Who knows really?"
"Ginny's been benched?" Charlie exclaimed, looking around the table. He rested back into his chair. "Bloody hell."
"Don't look at me, mate. She's not talking. However…" George's eyes twinkled and a sly grin crossed his face. "The other night, after the Harpy's lost… maybe, say, four weeks ago… you know, right before our two lover birds disappeared from the Burrow… Ginny was mighty barmy that night and our little Ronniekins stayed after she kicked me out. I do say, lads, I think we've got an imposter among us."
"She was out of her bloody mind," Ron stumbled out, fidgeting in his seat.
Harry slid farther down into his seat. He laughed exasperatedly into his pint. Apparently, Ron's own plan was backfiring on him. However, Harry didn't know if that was a good thing. Like he said, siblings were weird and all he knew was that they had an uncanny ability to weasel the information out of Ron that they wanted, especially while drunk.
Then again, Ron did keep everything about the war a secret, even now. Only Ginny knew some of the story. So, maybe, Ron would treat this the same?
"I think George's got a point, Ron. You always know what's going on. If Ginny doesn't tell you, well, you live with the bloke," Bill added, signaling at Harry.
"Bloody hell! You're really turning this on me? You heard Hermione last week. Neither is talking. Pathetic if you ask me," Ron defended, straight-faced.
An odd silence fell over the table. Harry used it to take his next pint from the waitress's hands and take a few gulps. What number was this again? He couldn't be sure. He definitely stole a couple extra pints lying around the table. Either way, it was starting to go to his head; the walls swayed a bit. He had skipped breakfast and lunch for extra work and was coming off of a twelve-hour day. Not to mention, Andromeda had sent him a letter about farther communications with Narcissa. No one even knew about that. He would've told Ginny, but that wasn't a thing anymore.
The situation was really funny when he thought about it.
"I don't know. Maybe, he's telling the truth," Bill said. He glanced at the others.
"Ginny's really not one to just open up," Percy commented.
"Damn, right. Like she'd tell me anything. You know her." Ron didn't lessen his gaze. He met them straight on, unfaltering.
Charlie shook his head. "No, no. Look at his ears. He definitely knows something."
"I know you two. Ginny and you always act like you hate each other, but I know she tells you more than the rest of us," George added.
Bill snapped. "That's right! There's always something fishy about you two."
"Remember that time that Ginny snuck out to fly her broom and got hurt. Ron found her and helped stop the bleeding and tried to hide why Ginny was limping to Mum. Oh, he definitely know," Percy added, joining his brothers.
"I don't!"
"C'mon, Ronniekins, just share what happened with the rest of us so we can justify murdering the Boy Who Lived Twice for hurting our baby sister," Charlie joked, darkly.
Harry couldn't help it. He chuckled into his drink. It really was comical. At least, Ron really was trying to stand his ground, but it was so obvious.
"Think this is funny, Potter?" Charlie turned on him.
"Honestly, yeah," he slurred. He took another drink, spilling some down his face.
"You think that Ginny crying because of you is funny?"
"Bull! Ginny's crying because of herself. She's the one behind all of this! Why don't you go bloody interrogate her?" Harry shouted, standing up from his seat.
A wave of anger capsized the humor, and a monster in Harry's chest growled in attack. It was dark and twisted and wanted to settle the scores once and for all.
"Whoa, Harry, calm down," Ron jumped out of his chair and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He lowered his voice. "Don't do this. You're not thinking clearly."
"Ron, I say this with the utmost respect, but sod off." Harry shoved Ron off of him, causing Ron to stumble backwards over his chair.
"Bloody hell!" George shouted.
Percy jumped up to help Ron up again.
"What the hell?" Bill shouted as he stood up.
The owner of the tavern scurried over. He was a plump man with a comb-over and square glasses. "Do we have a problem here?"
Harry laughed. "Nope. No problem, sir. Everything's just freaking perfect."
"I'm sorry. I tripped over my seat is all," Ron lied, easily.
The owner gazed between the group of them. His eyes narrowed. For being a head shorter, he held an intimidating aura.
Something inside Harry purred, assuring him he could take him in a fight.
Staring back at him, the owner frowned. "You need to leave."
"Me?" Harry shook his head, smirking. "Fine. That's freaking perfect. In fact, I was just about to leave."
He grabbed a random full pint from the table and finished it off.
"Now! Before I call the police," the owner stated firmly.
Laughing, Harry tossed the glass back on to the table. It bounced and rolled on to the floor, shattering.
"I'm leaving now, but not because I was told to, but because I don't have to tell you a bloody thing. Because it doesn't concern you. What a freaking riddle," Harry shouted.
The owner grabbed a hold of his shoulders and pulled him toward the door.
Fighting him off, Harry stumbled back outside again.
Ron was shouting after him and followed him out onto the streets of London. "Where're you going?"
Harry didn't look back – just kept walking. He hoped Ron got the messaged. He didn't want anyone. He didn't need anyone. Grimmauld Place really wasn't that far off, except it was in the opposite direction. Truthfully, Harry wasn't sure where he was going. His feet just took him.
Rain poured down, mixing in with the swirling wind. It felt like pellets against his face. A storm was brewing over head, and the temperature dropped dramatically. Typical British weather.
Shivering, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and dragged his feet against the sidewalk. The rain was only coming down harder. Ducking into a bus station, Harry stepped out of the rain and kept moving for warmth.
"Tough night, yeah?"
"What?" Harry turned around.
A woman stood up from the bench. She had a young and pretty face – almond eyes that reminded Harry of coffee and a small smile. Her auburn hair curled to just below her shoulders and freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks.
It made Harry think of Ginny – their very first night together the summer after the war. He had woken up first and spent those first few blissful moments tracing the freckles along her back gingerly, until Ginny giggled at his touch. Apparently, right between her shoulder blades was one of her most ticklish spots. So, he made it a habit – any time he woke first, he spent the time playing connect-the-dots with the freckles on her back and she'd laugh herself awake. The very first smile of the day, and it was only his to marvel in.
"You okay?" The woman asked, nudging his arm playfully.
Harry blinked, shaking away the memory. "Uh, yeah. Rough night is all."
"Understandable. Mine too. Got stood up," the woman explained. She shook her head and focused out across the street.
"I'm sorry," Harry replied. He rubbed his neck, unsure of what else to say.
Turning back to him, she laughed softly. "It's okay. I should've known. Just sucks that I got all dressed up for nothing…"
"Yeah…" Harry looked over curiously.
"You know, I'm usually not this forward, but maybe our nights don't have to be so terrible after all. That is, if you want?" Something sparked in the depths of the woman's face, as she gently caressed a finger down Harry's arm.
Harry gulped, turning to face her. She really was pretty. The lights glimmered off her shiny hair. It looked so soft. Would it really be that bad? He smiled. "Yeah?"
She nodded, tracing circles on his chest. "Why not?"
He'd only ever been with Ginny. She was all he had known. So many of his years, he had been spent agonizing over life and death that such trivial matters never arose. What harm could one little night cause?
Then, he remembered the ultrasound picture. It rested tucked away in his nightstand.
He remembered Ginny. The way her smile lit up her eyes; how the tough exterior melted away with his touch. The way she made a tent for Teddy the first night he had spent with Harry to help him feel better. The whole night was spent with shadow puppets and treacle tarts and hot chocolate. He never wanted anything else.
But what would different bring?
Ginny was right after all. Not all parents stayed together – not all families were happy – but that didn't mean he couldn't be. At least, for one night – a couple of hours.
"Well? What do you say?" The woman purred. She brought a hand to rest on the back of Harry's neck and pressed herself against him.
And Harry knew exactly what he wanted.
A/N: I decided to go ahead and post another chapter. Please leave reviews. They really motivate me to continue working.
Hopefully, I finally stick to this story and finish it for all my faithful readers.