Chapter 2: May

As Ginny was trying to process what was being said to her, her entire family (Bill and Charlie included) rush into her room, threw the Skeeter woman out close and lock the door only allowing the medi-witch to enter and discharge her. The medi-witch had wanted to keep her overnight, she had a serious head injury after all, but given the growing unrest in and around the hospital of reporters and gawkers wanting to see and talk to Ginny, he agreed to allow her to go home to the Burrow under the care of her mother.

And thus the nightmare started. It was later explained to Ginny that during the first hour of her 7 hour game a heavily pregnant East Asian woman along with Rita Skeeter had delivered pamphlets to the spectators in the arena identifying the woman identified as Kiran P. as Harry's lover and she was allegedly pregnant with his child.

Kiran claimed that she had long admired the "chosen one" and when given the chance to work with him on one of his cases, they had started a torrid affair over a year ago. She had known that he was married, but "their immediate and strong connection could not be denied". Now that she was expecting their first child. Harry had promised to leave his wife for her but kept giving excuses about Ginny's mental state and focus around the importance of this game, however given her heavily expectant state she didn't want to wait anymore so she decided to go public and force his hand.

She didn't care for the fallout in the British papers or society, she didn't care what it would do to Ginny. She was only in England on a temporary job assignment and was slated to go back to her own country in a month and she wanted Harry to be there with her, she couldn't (or better said wouldn't) go back to her family without the father of her child beside her.

As soon as the Weasleys, who were all seated in the VIP section reserved for the fan and studio favorite the "Wicked Weasley' or the 'Fiery Harpy', finished reading what was written they left their section and tried to get to Ginny. The coach would not allow his best and most fierce player to be distracted from the game; claiming that it would be best for her to stay away from the ground, and people, for a while so the crowd had time to settle and the fans would be less emotional. With no other choice the family agreed and returned to their seats, however as soon as they saw Ginny got hurt they returned to the team lockers fully prepared to force and demand that the coach let Ginny sit out the rest of the game, and quietly leave the stadium. When it transpired that her last move had not only won the Harpies the game and but resulted in Ginny being injured badly enough to warrant being sent to St. Mugo's the family rushed towards the hospital fully intending on takin Ginny home from there.

Getting through the crowds took some time and when they finally reached St. Mugo's they faced further frustration and delays when trying to ascertain where Ginny was being treated and who was allowed to see her. Yet somehow that Skeeter woman had not only found Ginny first, she had "told" her the news in the worst way possible in hopes of getting a headline making reaction.

The distribution of those pamphlets was only the start of what can only be described as 'the breaking of the damn'. Over the next few weeks, it seemed like every day one paper or another would print a story of a new woman claiming to have had slept with, had a long standing affair with, or born the child of the Great Harry Potter.

The great blighter!

The dodgy maggot!

Of course in the pamphlet Rita had promised a full coverage story to follow the next day, filled with all the juicy details from Kiran; reactions and comments from Ginny, the Weasleys, as well as many of Harry's closest and dearest friends and details on how involved, knowledgeable, and complicit they all were. The anticipation for the next mornings the delivery of the Daily Prophet was ridiculously high and over the next weeks readers could not get enough of Skeeter's characteristic dramatically written, highly made-up, riddled with conjecture and lies articles. She had even taken Ginny's stunned and the Weasley's hurried initial reaction and turned that into a list of theories on the state of Harry's mental health and life.

There was not a theory she would not conjure and evaluate, a story line she would not follow, or a single person she would not exploit. Skeeter saw this as a way for revenge against Harry, and didn't care in the least who would get hurt, she needed to bring the great Potter down and increase the strength of her name.

Therefore she claimed open season on the friends and family of Harry Potter. She hounded Ginny, she stalked his friends, she camped outside of properties that could be "Harboring" Harry; all in hopes of getting the smallest tid-bit she could use to fan the flames of her Harry hate; but in the heat of it all she had, in typical Skeeter fashion, made a miscalculation. She overlooked the determination and loyalty that Harry had. She had tried to defame Harry, but instead had lit the torch to blame and pursue Ginny.

People who had quietly hated the girl who had won the Great Savior, now had an excuse to voice their hate and disapproval. They had taken hero worship and mixed it with victim blaming and somehow made Harry's adultery Ginny's fault and now wanted her to answer for her shortcomings and failure.

Skeeter, to her credit, did try to change the tide. But "Potterheads" turned out to be too strong, no one wanted to read about how Harry had broken his Marriage vows and cheated and manipulated so many women; everyone wanted to read how his home life was not satisfying enough that he needed to find solace elsewhere. That was the story people wanted to read, what they would buy, and thus what the magazines would print.

So once again Skeeter's attempt to defame and defile the Great Hero was thwarted and Ginny Weasley-Potter was the hapless victim that was caught and burnt in the flames.