Chapter 12

Harry sank to the floor, head leaning back against the door. He pictured Hermione sitting inside. Her sobs had quietened, and he could barely hear them anymore. After a while, he didn't know how long, he turned, still sitting and called through the door.

"Hermione?" He called tentatively.

No reply, but he knew she could hear him.

"Hermione...I know these words aren't what you want to hear right now, but I'm sorry. Believe me, I am. I know right now you probably..." he sighed "You probably don't want to speak to me ever again, or you'll want to kick and punch me and scream at me...and I'm not saying I don't deserve it....I just....Hermione?"

Still no reply. He sank further down again, and more tears escaped his cheeks. He didn't know what he was going to do without her. He wanted to tell her that, but he knew that she wasn't going to listen to anything he said. "Hermione." He repeated in a whisper, more to himself. "Hermione."

He was startled when the door opened behind him and he spun round on his knees.

"Harry..." She started, but Harry had lost it by then. He put his hands on her waist and looked up at her.

"Hermione, I love you. I can't survive without you..."

"Get off me. Go. Go to Ron's...go wherever...just get out!" She said, batting him away, trying desperately not to crying in front of him.

"Please don't do this to me." Harry wept, clinging closer to her, hugging her waist, ignoring her desperate swipes at him.

"No, Harry." She said. Despite herself, she found that she was hugging him into her stomach. They stood like that for quite a few minutes, Harry grabbing onto her waist and resting his head on her stomach, not wanting to let go; Hermione hugging his head into her, occasionally swatting at him.

"Harry, no." She said, suddenly re-gaining herself and pushing him off, grabbing at his arms as they reached for her again.

"Hermione..." Harry started, but he knew it was hopeless. Reluctantly, he shakily got to his feet, looked her in the eye, and slowly turned away from her, looking back once, as she was shutting the door. He was walking away from his whole life. Hermione was his life. He remembered her words..."Got to Ron's". Sure, Ron was his best friend...but this was different. This was Ginny. But there was nowhere else. He needed Ron right now more than ever, but he had too much pride to tell him what an idiot he had been. He shook his head. Pride? He wasn't sure he had any anymore.

Not long later, he was approaching Ron's house. Reluctantly, he knocked the back door. A few minutes later, Molly answered.

"Harry!" She said, smiling and ushering him in. "You know you don't need to wait to come in!" She said, looking slightly puzzled.

"Yeah...I..." But Molly's hospitality and friendliness just increased Harry's guilt. Tears began flowing from his eyes.

"Harry!" She said, enveloping him in her arms. "What's up?"

"I....I...I'm so stupid." Was all he managed.

"What's happened? Have you fallen out with Hermione?" She said, searching for clues in his face.

The mention of her name only caused more tears. He was uncomfortable. Partly because he was crying in front of her, and partly because of....Ginny. He pulled away from her.

"I'll go and get Ron, shall I?" She asked, looking intently at him.

Harry nodded feebly in answer.

"Well, okay, but if you need anything..."

"Thanks." He said.

"You take a seat in the kitchen, dear." She said with a smile and put on the kettle before disappearing upstairs.

A few minutes later, Ron came down the stairs.

"Harry...?" He asked, approaching him. "What's happened? Mum said..."

"Ron, I've been such an idiot." Was all he managed, before folding his arms on the table and burying his head in them.

"Come on...what happened? Is this about Hermione?...Did you, um, have a fight?" Ron asked, trying his best to be supportive.

"I've been the worst possible....I mean...I've done...She's....I love her so much, Ron, and I've just lost her forever."

Ron just looked at him expectantly. "What are you saying? You didn't...cheat...on her? You wouldn't...would you?" He laughed nervously at the suggestion.

Harry sighed. "Yes," Before collapsing in tears again.

"Oh Harry." Was all Ron could say. He put his arm around him.

"There's more." Harry croaked, trying to dry his cheeks.

"What?" Ron asked cautiously.

"She's...I got..." He sighed once more. "She's pregnant."

"Who, Hermione?"

"No...The...the other girl."

"That's bad, mate."

"I KNOW THAT." Harry yelled.

"Sorry." He said. "Um...do you want some tea?" He said, cursing himself internally for sounding like his mother.

"No." Harry breathed. He hated that he was even being comforted by Ron...when there was worse to come. When Ron was so oblivious. He was trying his best to help.

"I'm a terrible boyfriend...a terrible person...and a terrible friend." He said, staring at his hands.

"A terrible friend?" Ron was curious at the comment. He brought over the teas which he had made simply to give him something to do.

Harry didn't answer. They sat in silence for a while, ignoring the tea.

"So...who was the girl?" Ron asked into the silence.

Harry's head jerked up. "Um..."

At that point, Ginny walked into the kitchen, and abruptly turned on her heel and disappeared again when she saw Harry and Ron.

"Seriously, that girl has been acting so strange lately. Any mention of you and she's been all..." He stopped and stared at Harry.

Harry's heart sank. Ron had guessed.

"Ron..." He started, but Ron had started to speak at the same time.

"Does she know who the girl is? She knows, doesn't she!"

A wave of relief washed over him. He realised Ron was still staring at him waiting for an answer. This was even harder than the confrontation with Hermione earlier.

"Ron..." He said, taking a deep breath. "I...I'm so sorry."

"What?"

"The girl..."

"Yeah?"

"It was...It is...Ginny." He added under his breath.

"What?" Ron stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry."

"My sister?"

"Yes..."

"You and Ginny...Ginny...SHE'S PREGNANT?" He yelled.

"Yeah." Harry said, feeling smaller by the minute.

At that moment, Fred came wandering down the stairs. "Who's pregnant?" He said, light-heartedly.

Ron ignored him. "AND IT'S YOURS?" He yelled again, standing up, knocking his chair down behind him.

"Yes." Harry replied feebly.

"MY SISTER GINNY?"

"Yes."

"Ginny?" Fred asked, approaching them, just as George entered the kitchen.

"What's going on?" George asked, joining his twin.

"Pregnant?" Fred repeated, looking back and forth between Harry and Ron.

"MUM!" Ron yelled. "GINNY!"

Harry sank even lower into his seat when Molly came back downstairs, accompanied by a terrified looking Ginny.

"What's going on?" Molly asked, looking around the room, from Ron's face, bright-red with anger...to the twin's startled expressions...to Harry.

"GINNY'S PREGNANT." He yelled. All eyes turned to Ginny.

"Ginny!"

"Pregnant?"

"Who?"

"Oh dear."

"Wow."

"IT'S HARRY'S."

The whole room fell silent. All eyes were now focused on Harry.

"Ron..." Harry started. Ginny had dropped to the floor, crying, comforted by her mother.

"When did this happen?" George cut in, hardly daring to believe it.

"I...umm...a few months ago." Harry answered honestly.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE." Ron yelled. "GET OUT!"

Harry turned to the rest of the Weasleys. Molly's eyes were closed, hugging a weeping Ginny. The twins were both looking down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Harry slowly got up from his seat and walked out, closing the back door with a click. He heard some yells from behind the door once he was outside, which made him cringe once more. His mind was numb...he had to walk. He didn't know where too, his feet just moved, almost independently from the rest of his body. He soon found himself in a graveyard. It wasn't raining, but the clouds overhead were dark grey. He spotted a bench, and he fell down into it. There was a metal bin beside it, filled dead flowers. He scanned the deserted graveyard. A drop of water landed on his arm. He looked up. The clouds had burst and rain was falling, lightly at first, then heavier and heavier.

"One stupid mistake." He thought. "One stupid mistake, and my whole life is over. Hermione's left me, I can't survive without her. I've hurt her in the most unimaginable way...Ron will never speak to me again...Ginny will have to live with this for the rest of her life..." He sighed and brought his legs up so that he was lying on his side on the wet bench. Tears merged with the rain on his face as he realised his losses. "And I've lost the Weasleys...the only family I have ever had."

He lay on that bench for a length of time he could not comprehend. The sky soon became black as night fell, and the rain only seemed to get heavier. He could not stop crying. One stupid mistake ruined his whole life. Why? Why did he have to...why...? But there were too many questions and not enough answers. The only thing he knew was that he was the one to blame. He had lost himself the only girl he would ever love...he's lost his best friend...and he had lost his family...again.