A/n: Yay! Today, is my last day of school! All I have to do for the next 9 days is write, write, and write! And thanks for all the reviews. I have 42 now (on ff.net)!!!!!! And for those of you asking if Harry is going to come back, I haven't even decided yet. But it's not looking good. Make a good case in your REVIEW and I'll consider it. :-P
Ginny took the stack of papers from Lavada. "Where do I sign?" She asked with another rather devilish grin.
"Right here, and here, and initial there." Lavada pointed to three different spots in the stack of legal papers.
"So I'm done? I got a divorce just by doing that?" Ginny asked happily.
"Well," Lavada started "See, that's the thing. You need to get Desmon to sign his name in these three spots too." She said pointing to three more blank lines.
"WHAT!" Ginny half yelled in disbelief.
"We know it will be hard Ginny." Mr. Weasley said. "But it's got to get done," he finished.
"Can I just send it to him, through the mail?" She asked pleadingly.
"You could." Lavada said, "but who knows if he'll actually sign it. It's best to just go there and get him to sign it."
"And what if he still refuses? What then?" Ginny asked scared as ever.
"I'm sure we can find ways to, shall we say, persuade him," said Lavada with a wink.
"How long do I have to get this signed?" Ginny asked resigned.
"30 days." The Mistress said "30 days from the time you contact him," she finished
"Then what?" Mrs. Weasley asked what Ginny was about to do.
"Then he has the right to appeal. If he doesn't sign it then he can refuse you a divorce unless you can come up with evidence that the marriage was unhealthy," explained Lavada.
"Unhealthy?" Ginny scoffed. "What do you call these?" Ginny asked sarcastically un-concealing her marks, bruises, scars, and scratches.
She could see all three of them wince slightly at the horrible wounds.
"Yes Ginny. That's why I don't thing the actual divorce will be the hard part. The hard part will be the trial when you will most likely have to retell all of the things he did to you in front of a judge, and jury," Lavada stated with a note of pity.
Ginny gasped slightly. "No. I can't."
"Yes you can Ginny." Mrs. Weasley reassured her daughter.
"We believe in you, love. You can do it, Gin," Mr. Weasley confirmed.
"What am I suppose to say to him? 'Hullo Des dear. Mind signing these divorce papers so that I can bring you to court for beating the shit out of me for the last 3 years, and you could be put away for years in Azkaban' Yes that'll work like a charm." She said sarcastically again.
Lavada was the first to speak after a short silence "Well I'm pretty sure there isn't a law that says you have to be completely truthful as to what the papers are, or what signing it will do," she said with a smile. "No body reads them, let alone the fine print, it's his fault if he doesn't," she said with another devious smile.
"What do you mean? Lie to him about the papers?" Ginny asked surprised to hear this from the Mistress of Magic herself.
"Like I said," Lavada stated with a grin. "If he doesn't read the paperwork, or the fine print it's his fault."
Ginny some weeks later was on her hands and knees, elbow deep in soil. She was helping her mum in the garden. Mrs. Weasley was in the same row a few feet ahead of her on the opposite side of the row, facing Ginny.
As Mrs. Weasley dug the small, shallow trenches for the seeds Ginny was helping her with, she said as casually as possible, "Gin. When do you think you'll try to have him sign those divorce papers?" She finished, not looking up but at the rows behind them, to see how much longer they would be in this sweltering early summer sun.
Ginny sighed, and pushed some of her hair out of her face that had fallen out of the bandana she wore on her head behind her ear. "I dunno mum. I've been thinking about it, and I know I have to do it," she paused to think, and grab another hand full of seeds from the small sack attached to the belt loop of her cut off shorts. "I was thinking sometime next week. Wednesday perhaps?" She suggested, plopping down three seeds, and crawling forward a bit more.
"Would you like anyone to come with you?" Mrs. Weasley asked looking up at her daughter.
Ginny thought a moment. "No mum. This is something I have to do alone. It only shows weakness if I have to have someone come along."
"There's no shame in that," Mrs. Weasley said sitting up on her knees, as she reached the end of that row.
Ginny plopped the last seed into the trench and covered it, before sitting up like her mother. She was about to reply saying that it was awful thing, but then she saw Nemone excitedly running across the lawn to her flailing the Daily Prophet in her small hand. Mr. Weasley following behind at a trot.
"Mummy!" Nemone called from afar. "Mummy he's been seen!" She yelled again, much closer.
"Who has honey. Who?" Ginny replied as Nemone arrived in front of her.
"DADDY!!!!!!!!!" Nemone squealed. "Look!" And she pointed to a very small article on the right hand side of the eighth page of the Prophet.
"Harry Potter, who has believed to have been dead for nearly 4 years was supposedly sighted out sided Scotland yesterday. A woman browsing in a bookshop says, "I swear I saw him window shopping along the street. He looked right at me, there was no mistaking those brilliant green eyes. But I didn't see any scar." The ministry of magic is taking this sighting as seriously as the others. More information on the death/disappearance of Harry Potter on page 12."
Ginny was in shock for a moment. "Why isn't this front page news?" She cried and held the article up to her mother and father. "What do they mean by; "taking this as seriously as the others."" She asked.
"Ginny…" Mrs. Weasley started but was interrupted by his daughter again.
"Why aren't you guys more concerned. Harry's still alive!" She cried.
"Ginny listen to me." Mr. Weasley said at her words, "There are sightings of him all the time. Usually people who want their name in the paper, or people are just mistaken."
Ginny spoke again, this time more calmly. "But what if he is still alive dad. We can't give up!" She hung her head, and fought back a tear.
Nemone hugged her mum's leg and Ginny picked her up and embraced her.
"Mummy, I didn't mean to make you cry." Nemone said into her mother's shoulders.
"Shhh… It's ok Nem. Mummy knows." She whispered to her. "Thank you for showing that to me."
Following lunch Ginny sent Nemone off for a nap. After the few weeks they had been there she had taken to sleeping in the room she was assigned, but still a few nights a week she found a small body curled up snuggled into her. These were always pleasant awakenings. Before Ginny left the room Nemone asked:
"Will they ever find daddy?"
Ginny knelt by her daughter's bedside. "I hope so Nem. I really hope so."
"But if daddy's still alive, he would have come home right?" Nemone asked sweetly, and rather sleepily.
"If he could I'm sure he would have." Ginny reassured her.
"I hope he comes home, and soon."
Ginny hugged her tight, and laid her down. "Shhh…go to sleep. It's nothing you should worry about Nem. Whatever happens, happens. We'll make it through."
Ginny walked quietly out of the room, and flicked off the lights. As she passed her bedroom door she yawned and decided a small nap never hurt anything. She walked in and tossed her wand onto the bedside table next to Harry's picture. She lay down on her bed still in her work cloths from the garden, and fell asleep, staring at his picture.
Sometime later Ginny was awoken by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. The door to her bedroom squeaked open.
"Ginny." She heard her mothers voice say quietly. "The Mistress is here to see you."
"Hmmm…" Was Ginny's only reply as she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Mrs. Weasley left the room.
Ginny trekked down the hall and upon entering the living room saw Lavada sitting on the sofa with her mother sipping tea.
"Good evening Ginny." She said as Ginny entered the room.
"Good evening Mistress." Ginny replied forgetting the Mistress's request to be called 'Lavada'.
"Please Ginny, Lavada." She said with a warm smile.
"Oh yes, I forgot." Said Ginny with a small yawn.
"Not a problem. Well, why I'm here is because of the lack of signed divorce papers." Lavada stated cutting right to the point.
Ginny sat in the chair facing Lavada, and hung her head slightly. "I know, I know. I've been avoiding it, because I really don't know how to go about it" She said, and paused before continuing. "I guess it's just one of those things you just have to do and hope for the best eh?"
"That seems to be the only thing to do, doesn't it? There really isn't much preparation you can do, considering, well, considering who we're dealing with." Mrs. Weasley said looking from one girl to the next.
"Well, I've actually been thinking about it and what you said, Lavada." Ginny said taking her own cup of tea.
"Oh? And what might this plan be?" Lavada said with another warms smile and pushing a lock of her trademark black and pink hair out of her face.
"The suggesting you made to lie to Desmon about what the papers are for." Ginny reminded her.
"Oh yes." Lavada replied remembering.
"What do you plan on telling him, Gin?" Mrs. Weasley asked after a moment.
Ginny proceeded to tell them her plan.
"When do you plan on going?" Lavada asked curiously.
Ginny looked at the clock, and saw that it was only seven in the evening. "I was thinking as soon as possible." Ginny paused and made a deep sighing noise "like perhaps now?"
Both Mrs. Weasley and Lavada looked slightly surprised.
Lavada spoke first saying; "Would you like someone to go with you? Perhaps me, or a ministry Auror?" She suggested.
Mrs. Weasley replied for her. "I asked her this earlier in the day, and she flatly refused." She said with a sharp, yet worried look to her daughter.
Ginny shot a dirty look at her mother before replying to Lavada. "No, but thank you with my wand I'm sure I can handle him." She said with a sweet smile.
A few minutes later Ginny found herself in her car on the way back to the hell whole she swore she'd never return to. During the duration of the drive she contemplated how she was going to go about getting him to sign the papers.
Before she knew it she was making the autopilot turn onto the street the large home stood on.
She placed the car in park and got out. She was almost to the front door when she remembered the papers. She ran back, and grabbed them.
She marched right up to the front door, and almost walked right in. But realizing she no longer lived there that may have been considered trespassing. She slowly raised her fist and knocked on the door.
Ginny heard heavy footsteps down the hall to the front door. It swung open, and an obviously drunken, slightly smelly, and unshaven Desmon stared back at her, holding a nearly empty fifth of vodka.
"I knew you'd come back." He said swaying on the spot a little.
When he spoke, he did so much to loudly, and his breath smelled wretchedly of liquor. He also smelled as if he hadn't bathed in days.
A/n: Ok, sorry if this chapter is a bit short. I wanted to save the next bit for the next chapter. So I hope the ending wasn't to much of a cliffy. And thanks again to my beta KK…(kneh13) I love you so much and I don't know what I'd do with out you!!!!! XOXOXOXOX