CHAPTER 31
The Nott family and Harry were waiting for the person that would be interviewing Ginny. They were at her rooms after haven eaten an intimate lunch together. The read-head was caressing Mr Crackers, trying to calm her nerves. She wasn't that prepare to let the world know about the things Theodore had made her go through but, knew she had to talk for her children's own good. Thomas and Haley were playing together with 'Hedving', while Harry and Emma entertained themselves with Anika, the snake she had received for Christmas.
"Mom" Thomas interrupted her thoughts. He had left Haley to play alone and sat beside his mother, Ginny noted he looked insecure. "Are you mad at me?"
"No, should I be?" she asked puzzled. Ginny didn't remember her son having done anything to make her mad, though with the stress she was feeling at the moment she may have forgotten about it.
"I punched Burke. I shouldn't have done it, Dad would have done something like that and I don't want to be like him. I know what I did was wrong but, he was insulting Emma and you and… I don't know, I just lost control and everything I could think about was hurting him so that he could never say something like that again. I was hitting him with all my strength, I don't know what would have happen if Flint hadn't stopped me with that cutting cursed and Harry hadn't appeared. I don't want to be like 'him' but I did the exact same thing he does." Thomas ended his talking with his voice full of emotion. Ginny had hugged him, she could see how much what had happened affected him. Thomas wasn't one for crying, he hated being seen as a vulnerable person but, this time, he couldn't stop himself and tears started falling through his face.
"Tommy, you are nothing like your father. I'm not going to say that I'm happy with your fight but I can understand that you were trying to defend your sister and me. What you did came out of Love; it's not what your father does. Every time he mistreats someone, he does it to show his power, to make his victims fear him. And if you lost your control, it was only for a moment, I know you and I'm sure you would have stopped before something really bad happened. You're not like Theodore, son, you're good, noble, brave, intelligent and a lot more great things that your father can only feel envy from you. You're a perfect son, my wonderful little man." Thomas nodded his head and continued hugging his mother tightly. Ginny felt grateful for it, she hadn't experienced a hug from her son in years, it was nice to be that close again.
"Bananas" Harry heard someone say on the outside of the room. The door of Ginny's place opened and a woman with long dirty blonde hair and protuberant grey eyes, entered the room.
"Luna?!" Ginny exclaimed in shock.
"Hello, Ginny" the blonde greeted her airy, as if they had last seen each other just the day before instead of many years ago.
"I can't believe it! What are you doing here?" the red-head stood up from her sit to give her old friend a hug.
"Your interview, of course."
"You are the person Neville called?" Harry asked and also hugged her.
"That's right, Harry Potter, who else? 'The Quibbler' is the only magazine that publishes important stuff. My father gifted it to me last year. Now I'm the director." She informed them as it was the most normal thing in the world and the articles of The Quibbler weren't really crazy and unrealistic.
"I thought you were travelling around the world searching for magical creatures." Ginny commented. She couldn't see Luna as someone capable of staying still in an office, writing news.
"I was. But Lorcan and Lysander are bigger now and they tend to make some trouble wherever we travel. That's why Rolf and I decided to stop our adventures and dedicate these years to write about them, at least until the twins come to Hogwarts." Harry and Ginny both had identically surprised expressions on their faces.
"Stop right there a minute. Are you telling me that you're married and have two kids, twins?" Ginny asked her.
"Yes, I sent you an invitation to the wedding but you didn't come. Lorcan and Lysander are now 5 years old."
"I'm sorry, Luna, I didn't know, I haven't received anything the last seven years or so. What's Rolf surname? How's he like?"
"Scamander. He is the grandchild of Newton Scamander, the magizoologist author of 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them', do you remember the book? He used it in Care of Magical Creatures. Rolf and the kids will be here in just some minutes, he is teaching them about the Thestrals."
"Great! I'm dying to meet them. Meanwhile, I introduce you to my children. You've already met Emma and Thomas, though they are a little bit bigger since last time, fifteen and twelve. And this is Haley, she is four." Ginny introduced one by one. Luna greeted them with an amicable smile.
"Yes, they've change quite a bit. Emma, do you still have those earrings I gifted you?" Emma's eyes opened in surprise, how could she remember about that disastrous gift?
"No, I'm sorry Mrs Scamander, I lost them a while ago." Luna started laughing freely, nobody knew well why but soon enough everyone was infected by it.
"Mrs-hahaha Mrs Sca-haha-mander- hahaha" she said between laughs. And once she calmed down she spoke again. "Luna, just call me Luna, 'Mrs' makes me sound ridiculous."
"It's true! I feel the same way whenever I hear someone call me 'Mrs Nott'"
"Oh! But yours is truly ridiculous, Ginny. You are not 'Mrs Nott', you've always been 'Mrs Potter.'" she said easily what she thought to be the right thing. Harry and Ginny blushed profusely. Her children, on the other hand, smiled satisfied.
"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed extremely embarrass. But, she didn't have time to chastise her friend because a knock on the door interrupted them. Harry opened and there it was Luna's family.
Rolf was a tall and good-looking guy with brown hair and amicable hazel eyes. His children had Luna's blonde hair and Rolf's coloured eyes but with the dreamy look of his wife.
"Mm, hello, I'm Rolf Scamander, Luna's husband." He said shyly.
"Come in, we were waiting for you. I'm Harry." They both shake hand and Rolf and his children entered the room.
"Rolf, this is Ginny and her children, Emma, Thomas and Haley." Luna introduced them and they all greeted each other.
"Oh! That's a Royal Python! It's been years since I saw one." Rolf said when he saw the sleeping snake rolled up in Emma's arm. "After so many years studying magical creatures, sometimes you forget that non magical animals exist. Those snakes are also known as 'Ball pythons' because of their shyness they curled themselves into a ball. The name 'royal' comes from a legend that said one of those snakes rolled up in Cleopatra's wrist, an Egyptian ruler. What's its name?" apparently, Rolf's shyness disappeared when talking about animals or any kind of creatures.
"Anika." Emma answered getting closer to Rolf so he could see it better.
"It's really pretty." Rolf said while caressing it and the snake hissed an answer.
"She says 'thank you very much'" Emma translated and Rolf faced brighten with enthusiasm.
"You speak Parseltongue! That's amazing! Luna, Emma could help us write a chapter on snakes. We could get different species and obtain a lot more information if she speaks to them." He said turning to look at his wife.
"Rolf, leave her alone. Besides, Harry and Ginny also are parselmouths." The magizoologist became even more impressed. "But, that's not why we came here today. Do you want to start now, Ginny?"
"Well, maybe we should both go to my room alone."
"I want to be by your side, Ginny." Harry told her, and Ginny's heart skipped a beat, she felt his love for her.
"Me too, mom." Thomas added.
"I too want to speak." Emma said.
"No, no, no, Emma, you won't be interviewed. I don't want you to be more exposed than you already are." Ginny deny her, gaining a snort from her daughter.
"It's also my life that is at risk. I don't want Dad to ruin it. I mean, Theodore to ruin it." Emma corrected herself when she saw Harry's face fall.
"It's okay, kid, I understand. Nott raised you for fifteen years and you barely know me."
"You are a million times better than him." Emma assured him.
"You're not going to talk, Emma." Ginny said once again.
"Gin, maybe you should let her if she wants.
"But, Harry, she is just a little girl."
"I'm not a little girl! Mom, I'm fifteen years old."
"Ginny, I understand you wanting to protect her and I love you even more for that." He said taking Ginny's hand between his, making her look him in the eyes. The red-head almost answered his 'I love you' with a 'me too.' It was getting harder to keep her feelings in check. "However, Emma is right, this is her life too and her siblings'. If she feels the need to defend her family I think we should let her. Besides, her point of view is different from yours, and people are going to see that you weren't the only one he mistreated, that Nott was not only a bad husband but also a bad father. This is just an written article, nothing more, Emma is still going to be safe here at Hogwarts, I promise you."
"Okay… she can talk. But only this time and only because I trust Luna and her magazine." damned Potter, he could always make her do things she didn't really want to.
"Me too. I'm going to say some stuff." Thomas was infected by his sister braveness. It was time to expose the real Theodore Nott.
"Perfect! Rolf, you'll take care Lorcan, Lysander and Haley here. The rest of you, let's go to Ginny's bedroom."
The interview was long and painful to do for Ginny. She had to continuously stop her tale to breathe and calm down the tears. The worst part was hearing her children. She had knew they had been Theodore's victims but she was hearing for the first time about many things they had kept from her. Every word that came out of Emma's and Thomas' mouth made her feel even guiltier and a worse mother. She couldn't understand why they insisted on calling her the 'best' mom in the world when she was clearly the person who had failed them the most.
Harry's hand held her from the start to the end. Not even once he had made her feel bad or look at her with repugnance. Ginny had thought that when she talked about the night Haley was conceived, Harry would look at her in disgust and be repulsed. She couldn't have been more wrong. Harry had reacted with ire against Theodore and love for her, he was proud at her strength to keep going after all she had suffered.