A/N.: The first part of the chapter is told in James' POV. Thank you and enjoy!

CHAPTER 5

James Potter had just met this Harry bloke, so he didn't know him very well. However, there were two things he'd come to realize about this mysterious man.

Number one, he was quirky. He said weird things that didn't make sense. Thus, he always had this haunting, guarded look on his face, as if Voldemort just popped up out of nowhere and was eager to fight. His wife kept saying he was alright, they could trust him, but James had his doubts; there was something… off about him. He firmly believed there was more to the story he was telling, but kept his mouth shut and decided to give him a try. If Lily could trust him, so could he.

Number two, Harry was paranoid, which made sense. To a certain point, all Aurors were paranoid, including James himself. However, this Harry bloke was on a whole different level.

Being married to a muggleborn, James was familiar enough with muggle objects and everyday life, but the fact that the three of them were heading to Harry's house, in a car ("you don't want to attract too much attention"), still didn't make sense to him. They were all wizards, after all. Couldn't they just apparate there? And how did Harry learn how to drive?

"Everything all right back there?" asked Harry as he eyed James through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, everything's great," said James as he tried his best to stop fumbling around in the back sit.

"Can you please put the seat belt on? I don't want to get a ticket," said Harry as he drove, his eyes on the road ahead. When James looked at him like he just spoke mandarin, he added: "It's the strip on your left. You just connect the metal thing with the black one attached to the seat."

Lily, who was sitting on the front seat, turned around and gave him a reassuring smile. Reluctantly, he managed to put the seat belt on, which made him even more uncomfortable.

"Why do we need to wear these things?" he asked, visibly irritated.

"It's so you don't get hurt in case of an accident," explained Lily.

"An accident?" asked James with a mixture of fear and suspicion. If cars were already made with this kind of measures, accidents must be pretty frequent. "What kind of accident?"

"It's so you don't get projected through the windshield and leave blood all over my car, in case I smash it into this truck," said Harry.

Lily looked at him, clearly disapproving of the unnecessary comment, and James could almost swear he saw a smirk on Harry's face. Guess he had one more thing to add to his list of things he'd come to learn about this Harry character: number three, he was a sadist.

"So, how much farther is it?" asked Lily in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.

"We're here," Harry announced as the car slowed down.

James looked out of the window. He could see a nice brick house, not too small, not too big, with a small garden upfront.

Harry and Lily got out of the car, so James quickly followed them. He kept looking around, taking in his surroundings, noticing Lily doing the same. As they reached the front door, James jumped with surprise. There was water coming from the grass. Like it was raining, but in reverse!

"Please, keep the weird behavior to a minimum," said Harry. "The couple who lives up front is retired and loves to spy on their neighbors. They're probably looking out their window right now."

"It's just an automatic irrigation system," Lily quickly explained in a quiet voice. At James' puzzled look, she added: "It waters the grass."

Harry had been looking directly at James when he spoke, so despite his apparent nonchalant attitude, James took great offense in his comment. It wasn't like he was a complete twat. He knew how to behave. He was just surprised, that's all. How was he supposed to know what an automatic irrigation system was?

Following Lily, James entered Harry's house, heading to the kitchen. Looking around, it seemed like a nice, normal house. Cozy, if not a bit messy. Passing through the living room, James could see dirty plates and cutlery on the coffee table, as well as a laundry basket with folded clothes. Entering the kitchen, he saw more dirty tableware and empty bottles of butterbeer. A typical bachelor pad.

"Here, we should eat something since we skipped lunch," said Harry as he heated some chicken leftovers with a flick of his wand.

They ate in silence, the only sound coming from the cutlery touching the plates.

"Nice place," Lily said, clearly meaning to break the awkward silence.

"Thanks," retorted Harry, distractedly. Apparently, he didn't feel awkward at all. "Feel free to walk around. There's a TV in the living room in case you want to watch something."

James shared a look with Lily. Of course there's a TV in the living room. If he hadn't seen Harry perform magic, he'd seriously doubt he was a wizard at all.

"I have to go back to the Ministry, so I'll show you the guest room, where you'll be sleeping, when I come back from work," continued Harry.

"Any idea for how long we'll be staying here?" asked James.

"Believe me, I want you gone just as fast," said Harry, clearly misinterpreting James' question. "I know this isn't ideal and it's definitely against protocol, but we've been breaking Ministry protocol ever since the beginning."

"We just don't want to impose," Lily assured.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice. I can't risk you bumping into people. As soon as I figure out a way to bring you back to your reality, you can leave."

"So we're supposed to stay here until then?" asked James, not happy about the prospect of being locked twenty-four hours a day inside a stranger's house.

Harry dropped his fork and looked directly at him. "Look," he said, trying to keep his anger in check. "This is not a picnic for me either. I know you don't like me, but honestly, in case you haven't noticed, the feeling's mutual." He checked his wristwatch. "I have to go." He got up and put his now empty plate in the sink. "We'll talk later when I get back."

"I just want to ask you something," James urged.

"Go ahead." Harry put on his coat and looked for his keys.

"Why didn't you ask any more questions when we were under the Verisaterum?" James had been thinking about it the whole time. It seemed like a very suspicious move. He had the opportunity to ask a lot of questions, but only wanted to know their names. Which they had already told him.

"I only had one thing in mind when I made you take the truth serum and that was confirming your identities. I don't like using it, it's too invasive. No one should be put on the spot like that."

"Then why did you use it on us?" James ignored the look Lily was giving him, probably warning him to stop pushing.

Harry looked James right in the eye. "Because I too am willing to do whatever it takes." Then he left.

"What?" asked James, annoyed by Lily's looks.

"Nothing," she said as she raised a glass of water and took a sip.

"No, don't do that. If you want to say something, just say it."

"Okay." She put the glass down and looked directly at him. "You're too volatile."

James arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Lily simply said as she resumed her eating.

"How can you trust him?" James demanded. "We just met the man… if I can call him that. How old is he? Twenty?"

"I don't know," Lily shrugged. "He's never told me."

"Well, he looks like a kid fresh out of the Academy," James observed. "And he's the one who's going to help us?"

"Do you have a better option?"

"Yes! Let's go to the Department of Mysteries right now!" suggested James. "We will figure out a way to get out of this mess!"

There was no way he was going to stay locked in this house like a dog, just because Harry said so.

"And then what?" Lily asked, now irritated. "How do you plan on entering the Ministry in the first place? Assuming you have plan, of course."

James was taken aback by her rudeness. "I work there! I'll just show them my identification!"

"And how can you be sure that your identification will work? Things are different here, James! We don't know what we're dealing here. What if it doesn't work? Then what?"

"Then we'll figure it out. Like we always do."

Lily made a frustrated noise and, aggressively, grabbed the plates from the table, putting them on the sink.

"What's the problem?"

James was confused. They were usually so in tune with each other. No matter how different their opinions were sometimes, they always easily seemed to reach an understanding. But Lily's blind trust on Harry was not smart. How could she not see that?

"You can't cruise through life like that," she said, mysteriously. "Sometimes you need a plan."

James got up from the table and approached her, feeling his anger return. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she said, looking away, paying him no attention, instead focusing on muttering the incantation to wash the dishes.

"Lily?" insisted James.

She turned to him, speaking in a softer tone. "You're a 'live in the moment' kind of man, James, and usually that's a good thing. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you, the fact that you enjoy life to the fullest without wallowing in sorrow and regret. But sometimes…"

"Sometimes what?"

"Sometimes it makes you impulsive and reckless."

"Well, someone has to do something!" said James, immediately regretting his words. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

"Oh, come on, Lily, don't be angry at me," pleaded James. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"I know you're a man of action and always feel the need to be the centre of attention, James, but sometimes not doing anything it's the smarter choice. I can't say I trust Harry completely, but I've known him longer than you. And that should count for something."

James opened his mouth to speak, but not finding the words, closed it.

"We're at a disadvantage, far from home, alone, in a place we don't know," Lily continued. "We have no idea how this reality played out. We have to be smart here. And that means we keep it together and lay low until we come up with a plan."

"Okay," James agreed.

Lily reached for his hand. "Staying behind these doors is not going to be pleasant, I can see that. I was in that Inn for a whole month and it was overwhelming at times…"

"Did you really stay inside the whole time?" he asked.

"Yes," she confided. "I was in the muggle world, so I went out sometimes. Briefly." James gave her an indulgent smile. "But I don't think we should do that now. We can't risk being seen by our counterparts."

"Okay. We'll do it your way."

"Thank you." Lily smiled and James kissed her forehead.

She was right. It was time to trust that his wife knew what she was doing.

xxx

The days passed as James and Lily fell into a routine. Usually, when they got up in the morning, Harry had already left for work and, when he arrived, it was so late that they only exchanged a few words. Meaning they barely saw each other. James was frustrated about this as he had hoped that there'd been more communication from Harry by now. But he promised his wife he would lay low, so, staying true to his word, he didn't push. Just let things run their course.

However, James was never one to stay put. Being inside the house all the time, not being able to go out and see the world was starting to get to him. He felt trapped and the anger boiling inside of him kept threatening to spill over. Basically, he was on edge.

One Saturday morning, though, everything changed.

The night before, Harry had mentioned that tomorrow he'd have the day off, but when James got up, he'd already left the house to do whatever he did when he was not home. Linking that event to just another one of the many weird things Harry used to do, he hadn't thought much of it, proceeding with his morning routine.

James had just finished his shower when he heard a noise coming from downstairs. Assuming that it was probably Lily making breakfast, he wrapped the towel around his waist, opened the door and went into the guest room, with the intention of getting dressed. Once inside, he saw Lily making the bed. Wow, that was fast, he thought.

"Good morning, love. Is breakfast ready?" greeted James, placing a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"I just woke up, but I'm going to start right away." Lily smiled. But her smile faltered when he saw her husband's face. "What is it? What's wrong?"

It seemed as if all the colour had drained from James' face. "I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. I thought you were making breakfast."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I? Can't be downstairs making breakfast at the same time, now, can I?"

James put his finger on Lily's lips, motioning her to be quiet. They heard a noise like a plate breaking followed by a muffled curse.

"Someone's here," James whispered.

"It's probably Harry," Lily guessed. But she didn't feel too sure. She shared a look with James and nodded, understanding his intentions.

Careful as not to make any noise, James slowly opened the door and the couple went out into the hallway, the sound becoming clearer as they approached the stairs.

Reaching the kitchen entrance, James could see the back of a redhead woman crouching by the fridge and holding a bowl. Deciding to talk to Lily first, before confronting this stranger, James carefully took a step back, making a crack sound, which was enough to catch the attention of the woman. Sensing she was not alone, the woman put the bowl down on the counter and closed the fridge's door.

"Harry?" called out the woman. "Is that you?"

James and Lily stood rigid in their positions, hidden outside the kitchen, trying to even out their breathing.

Sensing the stranger's presence getting closer and closer, James tried to reach for his wand, but didn't find it. He regrettably remembered leaving it by the night stand. He also realized he never got around to put clothes on and was standing there in only a towel.

"Harry?"

Luckily, Lily was prepared, and when the woman found them, she pointed her wand at the stranger, exactly at the same time the woman pointed hers.

"Lower your wand," Lily warned.

"After you," said the woman, her eyes never leaving her opponent's.

"Who are you?" asked James.

"That's what I'd like to know." Her eyes briefly landed on James. "Why are you naked?"

"We want no trouble," Lily promised.

"It doesn't look like it."

"We just want to know who you are."

"I'm the bloody owner of this house. Who are you and what is he doing with my blue towel?"

"Harry is the owner of this house," defied Lily, ignoring the woman's question.

"You're friends of Harry?"

"Yes."

"Well, I know all of Harry's friends. He hasn't got many. And I don't know you. Do you see my problem?"

"Why would my husband be wearing a towel if we didn't know Harry?"

"You're not the first lunatic who had the urgency to take a bath in the Chosen One's tub so excuse me if your words don't convince me."

"Let's all lower our wands and just talk," intervened James. He was trying to come up with a strategy to disarm the redhead.

"Not a chance," said the woman. "God, I can't believe this! We're going to have to move again," she added as an afterthought.

"Harry drove us here," Lily stated. "We've been staying here with him."

"Then how come I haven't seen you before? I live here too."

"Harry lives alone."

The woman released a humorless laugh. "You're lying or you're delusional. Either way, I don't care. Just get out of my house."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Harry was standing there in running pants and a sweatshirt, his sweaty hair plastered on his face, looking at them with arched eyebrows.

"This woman broke into your house," accused James. "She was rummaging through your fridge."

"She should be since she paid for it," said Harry. Turning his attention away from James, he (to James and Lily's surprise) addressed the redhead woman. "I didn't know you had arrived. I wasn't expecting you until Wednesday."

The woman, realizing there wasn't a real threat, put her wand away. "Gwen took pity on us and let us go home earlier. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"It's definitely a surprise. I think it's the first time I see someone on the other side of your wand who is still intact," said Harry with a smirk.

The woman grinned. "I think you're going senile, Harry. Everyone knows you're the one with the temper."

James couldn't believe his eyes. They were actually flirting like old chums, completely ignoring the fact that this madwoman was pointing her wand threating them just moments ago.

"Still," Harry continued. "Some things can't be unseen."

"I assure you your traumas had nothing to do with me."

"Can someone please explain what is going on?" interrupted Lily.

Harry, who seemed to have forgotten they were not alone, looked at Lily. "You can put the wand away, Lily. It's just Ginny."

James and Lily shared a confused look. As if that explains anything.

"And who the bloody hell is Ginny?" said James.

The woman, Ginny seemed to be her name, turned to Harry. Ignoring James' outraged words, she spoke with amusement. "Of course the weird man in only a towel is connected to you. How could he not?"

Harry rolled his eyes and, taking pity on James and Lily, decided to explain. "Ginny Weasley, my girlfriend. She's been away these past few days and was only supposed to arrive on Wednesday."

"I thought you lived alone," said James.

"I never said that." Harry shrugged.

No, you never say anything at all. That's exactly the problem.

"Please, introduce me to your friends," Ginny said with fake politeness.

Harry's jaw tightened visibly and the amusement left his eyes. "I was hoping to talk to you first, before you actually met them. This is Lily and that's James. He usually wears clothes."

James made a face at the comment. It seems the man never missed an opportunity to insult him.

"Okay," said Ginny, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Potter."

"Oh." She looked from Harry to James and Lily. "That's… impossible, right?"

"No, it's not!" James was fed up with people questioning his identity. "He already checked," he accused. "With Verisaterum."

"Okay," repeated Ginny, trying to keep up.

"Lily came to see me about a month ago. At the Ministry. It seems she was confused about… well, everything," explained Harry, vaguely. "We think they might've come from an alternate reality. They're familiar with Ministry procedures and the Wizarding World in general, but events didn't exactly happen the way they did here."

"Okay."

"Harry's been helping us find a way so we can go back home, without messing up the timeline," offered Lily.

Ginny nodded. "I see." She, then, turned to Harry. "So the logical next step was to bring them here?"

"I know," Harry agreed. "But I couldn't risk anyone finding out about this."

"You mean the Ministry doesn't know?" Ginny scolded. "Harry!"

"I know, I could get fired for this."

"Forget fired! How about locked up?"

"It's fine," said Lily, deciding to help Harry out. "We haven't left the house. As long as we aren't seen by our counterparts, everything's fine."

This did nothing to reassure Ginny, who, for some reason, now seemed even more alarmed.

"Can you leave us for a minute?" asked Harry in a rude tone. "Maybe get dressed or something."

"Of course," Lily agreed, dragging a reluctant James up the stairs.

Once inside their room, James spoke. "He has a girlfriend?"

"Here, put these on," said Lily, handing him a pair of muggle jeans and a jumper.

"Why didn't he tell us someone else lived here?" insisted James as he got dressed in the clothes Lily gave him.

"I don't know, James. Maybe because it's none of our business," said Lily dismissively, as she fixed the collar of James' jumper.

"Well, I beg to differ. I think he should've told us."

"What Harry does with his private life is not our concern."

"He made it our concern when he locked us in here! But he never tells us anything. Why didn't he want us to know he had a girlfriend?"

"Don't be ridiculous, darling. I don't think he withheld that information on purpose."

"And how do we know that? We can barely get two words out of him! Maybe he wanted us to think we would be alone here just in case."

Lily snorted. "Stop being such a drama queen. You promised to give him a chance."

"I'm trying, but he doesn't exactly help himself. Let's go back and find out what they're talking about."

"And do what?" Lily asked. "Demand some answers? You know he's not going to give them to us."

"I think I saw some extendable ears by the living room," James suggested casually.

"Absolutely not!" Lily looked furious. "What are you? Ten?"

"I want to know what they're saying to each other," said James. "This Ginny character appearing out of nowhere doesn't sit well with me. It could be part of his twisted plan."

"Uh, maybe she's a spy," Lily joked.

"Maybe she is!" declared James.

Lily laughed and disappeared into the adjacent bathroom.

"I'm right, you know," he continued. "In the end, you're going to admit that."

"Yes, dear," came Lily's muffled response from inside the bathroom.

xxx

"I had no choice."

"Okay."

"I tried to put them in a Ministry safe house, but Savage found out it was occupied."

"Okay."

"It was the only place I could think of at the time."

"Okay."

"I don't trust the Ministry with this."

"Okay."

"And once the reporters got a hold of it, it would be chaos. I mean, can you imagine the shit storm?"

"Okay."

"It could lead to irreparable consequences to our timeline."

"Okay."

"Stop saying that!"

"Well, what do you want me to say?" asked Ginny. "I just came home and found James and Lily Potter in my kitchen."

Harry released a frustrated sigh.

"I should've talked to you first," he admitted.

"You should've."

"But I wasn't expecting you until Wednesday," Harry defended himself. "Which is completely beside the point," he quickly added, seeing Ginny's angry expression.

"Look," she adopted a gentler tone. "I can understand you wanting to be near them. I mean, if I saw Fred again—"

"My parents are dead," interrupted Harry.

"I know that."

"They are not my parents," he repeated, avoiding his girlfriend's gaze.

"Yes, I know that. Do they?"

Harry stared at her with a stunned expression. He couldn't believe what she was implying.

"And risking the entire consistency of the timeline? No way. Besides, they'll be gone soon anyway. They don't need to know the specifics."

"Harry, you said it's been a month," observed Ginny. "How much longer are you going to keep this from them?"

"I'm working on it!" said harry. "But this has ties all the way to the Department of Mysteries and you know how slippery those guys are!"

"I'm just saying, I remember, not too long ago, a fifteen-year-old boy complaining about people keeping him in the dark about things that he had the right to know…"

"This is a completely different situation," he quickly said.

"Why? Because it's not happening to you?" she urged, leaving Harry speechless.

"Do you want me to take them somewhere else?" he asked after a silent pause.

"No." Ginny approached him and put a gentle hand on his arm. "What would you do with them? Ditch them in the curb?"

Harry took her hand and smiled. "Guess not."

"I didn't know you'd started picking strays," she confessed, her demeanor softer.

"That's a Weasley thing," said Harry, remembering how her parents had practically adopted him in the past. "I guess it's contagious."

Ginny put her head on Harry's chest, as he wrapped his arms around her. They stood there, content in their embrace and enjoying the closeness. Harry only now realized how much he missed her.

"Verisaterum, really?" Ginny asked out of the blue.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Ginny didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin their peaceful moment.

"I missed you."

He kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too."

xxx

Later in the evening, when James and Lily were in their room, someone knocked on the door.

"Hi."

It was Harry. He was wearing a white t-shirt and dark red pyjama bottoms with little snitches on them. James noticed, with a sly grin, that the pants were too short and far too childlike for a grown man. He stood there, in the middle of the room, looking around like he was seeing it for the first time, when James knew he must have seen it countless times before. It was his house after all. His guest room. Now that he thought about it, in the days they'd been here, he didn't think he ever saw Harry step foot in the room at all. He was gone most of the time and, in the rare occasions he was home, stayed mostly to himself.

But here he was now, acting very strange, almost as if he was feeling… awkward? If James wasn't so surprised by the obvious shift in his behaviour, he'd be enjoying the scene a bit more.

Harry seemed to be struggling for something to say. "I'm supposed to tell you dinner will be ready in 5 minutes. Ginny thinks we should be having meals together since we're living under the same roof and all."

James was speechless. Lily didn't seem to find any words either. Which made the whole situation even more awkward.

Harry put his hands in his pockets. "Anyway," he continued. "You can come down whenever you're ready. "

Such politeness.

"Thank you," said Lily.

Having finished his mission of passing on the information, he left and closed the door.

"That was weird," James observed.

"I think it was a nice gesture," said Lily as she got out of bed.

"Yeah, nice of Ginny. He was just the owl, delivering the message."

When the James and Lily entered the kitchen, the table was already set and Harry was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet, which he put down when he saw them come in.

"Please, take a seat," offered Ginny kindly as she placed a casserole with roasted beef and potatoes.

Taking the only two seats available, James and Lily sat opposite Harry and Ginny. Harry made a motion to serve himself, only to be stopped by Ginny.

"Here, I'll do it," she said, as she took Harry's plate and started to serve him some food. Harry looked at her with arched eyebrows.

"What? Can't I do something nice? We have guests after all," she declared like it was cause for celebration. She then proceeded to serve James and Lily too.

"So," she continued, making conversation. "I understand the situation's tough and we're practically strangers, but we're going to be living together for a while. And it seems stupid for us not to spend time together." She ignored Harry's scowl. "Let's just make the best out of a bad situation. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. We want you to feel comfortable and at ease."

"Thank you," said Lily. "That's very nice of you".

"Yes, thank you," James agreed. "But we don't want to impose. I mean, I understand the need for us to be here, but you don't have to cook for us. We can help out too."

"It was no bother," Ginny shrugged. "It's been a while since I cooked. Harry usually handles the kitchen. I know this must be hard for you, being away from your friends and family. Harry tells me you have a son."

"Yes, Alex," Lily answered, nostalgia in her eyes. "He's in his sixth year at Hogwarts. Just been appointed as Head Boy."

"Wow," said Ginny. "You must be very proud."

"Yes, we are," she smiled fondly. "His professors keep saying he's the brightest of his year, that he'll have a great future ahead of him."

Harry muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "How dull" and Ginny kicked him under the table.

"Do you only have the one?" she asked.

Harry cursed inwardly. He hadn't told Ginny because he felt he would be violating their privacy, but now he kind of wished he had.

Lily looked crestfallen but it was James who spoke. "Alex is our youngest. Our eldest died a long time ago. It seems like only yesterday, but I guess it's been twenty-four years."

"I'm sorry," Ginny apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine," said James but Harry could see that it wasn't.

Even after all this time, the couple in front of him were still grieving. Harry wasn't a father himself, but he considered Teddy his son. Just the thought of something happening to him made his blood turn cold. He couldn't even imagine how James and Lily felt. Actually, he could. He just preferred not to.

"Voldemort killed him. Because of some stupid prophecy," James almost spat. "He was only one-year-old, a baby. It just proves how cruel he can be. Lily and I always fought against Voldemort's regime; it was always something that we wanted to do. But now, ever since Harry's death, putting a stop to Voldemort's heart is something we must do."

James' words surprised not only Ginny but also Harry. For someone who didn't share anything about his life (besides being an Auror), he was going all the way with this information. Maybe he just needed to talk about it. Lighten the load, somehow.

"Voldemort has no heart. I don't think he ever did," Harry said in a haunted voice.

James looked at him with something that resembled admiration. "You say his name."

Harry shrugged.

"Is he alive here? In this world?" James asked.

"No," said Harry. "He was killed a long time ago."

"I'm glad. I hoped he suffered."

"Is Harry alive? In here?" Lily asked suddenly.

There was a pause in which Harry quickly debated on what to say. Neither of his options seemed good. "Yes," he eventually said.

Harry waited for it. He knew Lily would ask. She was dying to know more about her son. Where was he? Could she see him?

But she didn't ask. She didn't say anything at all and Harry came across Lily's wisdom once again. No, not wisdom. Strength. Because only an abnormally amount of strength could have had prevented her from saying anything at all.

Harry decided he didn't like Lily's strength. It made him even more ashamed for doing what he was doing. Keeping them in the dark. For not being able to do anything but that.

A heavy silence clouded the room. No one seemed particularly hungry after that conversation.

"Well, I always found him quite morbid. Always dressed in black. No wonder he never got laid."

Ginny's words were so unexpected that Lily choked on her wine. The rest looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"What?" she asked.

The fact that someone wondered about Voldemort's sex life (or lack thereof) was probably ludicrous to the people in the room.

"God, you're weird," said Harry and he found himself smiling fondly at her.

"Just some of the things that keep me up at night." Ginny winked at him.

Harry loved the fact that she always knew what to say. Her unexpected dark sense of humour was one of the many things he loved about her.

But James and Lily didn't know Ginny like Harry did. They didn't know she hated the tension, so she used humour as a defence mechanism as a way of dealing with her own past. That, while doing so, it made her inner demons seem more distant and life a bit more bearable. He didn't have to worry, though. For when he looked at James, he didn't seem upset. He was shocked, but smiling.

As the atmosphere in the room seemed lighter, they all started to eat. Except for Harry. He calmly observed the way James and Lily's face scrunched up as the food entered their mouths. They kept exchanging looks as if they were uncertain of what to do. Ginny seemed to be the only one oblivious to it.

Suddenly, a noise that resembled flames erupting in the fireplace was heard from the living room. Someone was trying to communicate using the Floo Network.

"Oh, that must be Demelza. I promised to tell her something and I completely forgot," Ginny said. "I'll be right back."

As soon as the redhead left the room, Harry started to collect the plates. "Yeah, you're not going to eat that."

"What?"

But Harry had already gone to the fridge and taken out some leftover lasagna. "Here, I promise this one's edible." He cast a heating charm and took a bite. James and Lily followed suit and he saw their faces relax and demonstrate how much they seem to be enjoying the new menu.

"There's a reason why Ginny doesn't cook."

xxx

"So," started Harry as they stood outside Ron and Hermione's flat. "When we enter through this door, we pretend everything's the same. You can talk about the meetings your team had with the press and your time in America and I talk about my work—"

Ginny snorted.

"What?" asked Harry, confused by the interruption.

"When do you ever talk about your work?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I talk about it all the time. Even yesterday, I told you about the dreadful interrogation Neville and I had to do."

"Correction, you told me that you and Neville had to do a dreadful interrogation and that was about the extent of your 'talking about work'."

"Ginny, you know I can't give you any details, it's confidential," Harry said patiently.

"I don't want to know specifics. But when I ask you how's work, it'd be nice to get more than a 'fine' or a shrug," she said simply.

"Ginny—"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, relax, Harry, I'm not mad," she reassured him as she rang the doorbell.

"Okay, as I was saying, we pretend everything's the same. No one can know."

"You mean, you're not going to tell my brother and Hermione this huge secret you've got?" asked Ginny sarcastically. "Well, that's a first."

"Hi!" greeted Hermione in a lively voice, leaving no time for Harry to respond to Ginny's snarky comment. "How was the trip?" she asked Ginny after giving her a hug.

"Tiring, mostly," Ginny answered. "I hate doing press."

Hermione gestured for them to follow her. "Come on in. I just finished dinner." She, then, disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hey, mate," greeted Ron. "Glad to see you're not working and actually doing something social for a change."

Harry made a face.

"I see that, while I was gone, you have been even more reclusive than usual," Ginny deduced.

"I have not been reclusive. I just had a lot of work," defended Harry.

"And how's my little sister? How was America?" asked Ron, ignoring Harry's comment.

Ginny ignored his brother's provocation. "It was rather dull. Just a lot of shaking hands and patting people on the back while pretending there was no place I'd rather be. Gwen's been making us do a lot of promotional stuff lately. She says we need to improve our visibility."

"For what? You don't even play in the American League."

"I think she's trying to change that. Maybe she's looking for an excuse to be in America. She and Ruczinski seemed rather friendly."

"I thought Ruczinski was in the hospital," said Harry, who read in the Daily Prophet how The Fitchburg Finches' beater had been hospitalized after getting hit with a nasty bludger.

The conversation was interrupted by a voice coming from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

"Let's go, before Hermione has a fit. She's been impossible, the woman," said Ron. As Ginny made her way into the kitchen, Ron kept Harry behind.

Harry sensed his best friend's mood change as if something was weighting him down. "Is everything okay?"

"You tell me," said Ron. "Hermione's been worried about you. She says you've been acting weird. I told her you were always weird, but I don't think she liked it. Accused me of not validating her feelings. What does that mean, anyway?"

"I'm not weird," denied Harry, who was starting to feel a bit attacked.

"Anyway, she's been worried. Does she have a reason to?"

There was a small pause, in which Harry entertained the idea of telling Ron everything that's been going on – the Potters, the Department of Mysteries… How good it would feel to share the load. Just like old times. But something held him back.

The less people know, the better. It will all be over soon, anyway. Don't turn it into a thing.

"No," he eventually answered. "Everything's fine."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but a noise coming out of the kitchen kept him from pressing. Harry was glad his friend seemed to think it was probably not the best time to talk about this.

Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Harry was not in the best mood, so he didn't join in on the conversation. Hermione kept giving him side glances, which was starting to annoy him. Ginny, who noticed the exchange between his boyfriend and her sister-in-law, made an effort to indulge Ron's questions about the American League and all things Quidditch related.

At the end of the meal, Hermione asked Harry to help her with desert. It was such a ridiculous and obvious lie (so unlike Hermione!) that he quickly declined. But, making an effort as not to make a scene, he reluctantly followed her into the kitchen.

"Just say it," said Harry, eager to get it over with.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione denied with fake innocence.

"Hermione, I've known you since we were kids," said Harry, impatiently. "The fact that you think that I buy into this," He made a gesture with his hand. "Makes you either incredibly naïve or unbelievably stupid. And I know for a fact you're neither of those. So, come on, just say it. Get it off your chest."

"I honestly have no idea what you're saying, Harry."

"It's pointless, Hermione. Ron already talked to me—"

"If you could only hear yourself," interrupted Hermione, who seemed to give up her charade.

"Ha! I knew it! You were dying to give me a good dressing down since the moment I stepped foot into this house," stated Harry, feeling his anger threating to come out.

"Well, can you blame me?" asked Hermione. "You're acting like… like…?

"Like what? Huh? Come on, say it! A lunatic? A mad person? Deranged?"

"I was going to say like a child!"

At that moment, having heard raised voices, Ron and Ginny entered the kitchen.

"What's going on here?" asked Ron warily.

"It's nothing, Ron. Everything's fine. We'll be right out," answered Hermione, forcing a smile.

Harry looked at her friend with an incredulous look on his face. Like he couldn't believe she would deny it, when it was perfectly clear none of them believed everything was fine.

"You just can't help it, can you?" he accused. "No, everything's not fine, because you can't get off my back!"

"I'm just trying to help you!" Hermione insisted. "I know something's wrong, Harry."

"And I've told you everything's fine a million times!"

"But I can see you're lying!"

"Can't you just pretend to believe it, then? Be my friend and give me time!"

"I am being your friend! I know you and I worry about you, because you have this tendency to keep it all in and shut everybody out until—"

"Until what?" Harry dared her. He knew he should stop. Giving his rage free rein never had good results. But he just couldn't. He had lost all self-control. It was as if everything he had been feeling this past month, the things he had tried to, desperately, sweep under the rug were pouring out of him.

"Until you do this!" Hermione cried out, her own anger rivaling his. "Explode and end up hurting the people who are just trying to help!"

"You call it help, I call it meddling!" Harry shouted, ignoring Hermione's intake of breath and hurtful expression. "You just can't stand not knowing!"

Ron chose that moment to intervene.

"Okay, maybe we should end this conversation and eat dessert," he suggested, torn between his wife and his best friend.

"Yes!" Harry continued, as if Ron hadn't said a word. He was on a roll. Now that he had started, he couldn't stop. "You're always meddling into other people's business. I don't think you can help it! It's a tendency! Well, I'm here to tell you to stop doing it, that we don't like it, 'cause it's fucking annoying!"

"I think we should go." Ginny's voice made everyone shut up. She didn't raise it, but spoke with such firmness, that none of them dared to utter a word. "Thank you for dinner, Hermione, it was lovely."

Ginny excused herself and made her way towards the front door, with Harry on her toes. As they were leaving, Harry heard an angry "Could you be on my side just this once?" from the kitchen.

Ginny didn't say anything. She barely looked at Harry, which made him feel a thousand times worse. He knew he had screwed up. He had let his temper get the best of him, but, God, sometimes Hermione got on his nerves like nobody else. He knew she meant well, but pestering him and trying to make him talk had never worked for him. Why did she insist on keep doing it? After all these years, Harry had expected that his friend would have known by now that pushing him didn't help at all. He was already on edge; he didn't need other people adding fuel to the fire.

Harry looked at his girlfriend as she made a motion for the door. Ginny would never pressure him. She would respect his wishes and let him deal with his feelings his own way. That's why they worked so well. She never pushed him. Always gave him time to process everything and brood for how long he needed to. Couldn't Hermione do the same?

Once outside, Ginny finally looked at Harry and what he saw in her eyes made him bow his head in shame.

Disappointment.

Ginny had just given him a good dressing down, in her own way. She had said what he knew was true.

He was truly an idiot.

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.

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So live fast and die young and stay forever numb.

-Bad Decisions, Bastille