Chapter 13

After Harry had left, Hermione had slammed the door shut and collapsed into the couch, tears flowing down her face. She tried not to cry. Ever since she was a little girl, she always swore to herself she wouldn't cry over a man who treated her bad in the slightest way, her mother had taught her that. But this wasn't some random guy, this was Harry. Harry Potter. Her best friend, her boyfriend, her life-partner. Never, in a million years would she ever consider the fact that Harry would mistreat her...the thought, even now, made her cringe. Who was this girl? What did she have that she didn't? What did she do to Harry to make him cheat? He wasn't that type of person. He had suffered too many losses in his life, and he had suffered a tough childhood. He never, ever took anything for granted. He cherished life, and cherished his friends. She always thought he'd cherished his girlfriends too...

Toby came trotting into the living room from the bedroom, where he had hid when Harry and Hermione were arguing. It was like he just...knew. He jumped up beside Hermione and onto her lap, leaning onto her shoulder like a baby. Hermione put her arm round and stroked his back as he rested his head on her shoulder. She couldn't stop the tears then. Toby moved his head further into her neck, and licked a few of the tears from her cheek. This made her smile slightly and she tossed her head back on the couch and let out a shaky sigh.

----

Meanwhile, at The Burrow, all present Weasleys were still gathered in the kitchen, the mutual air of shock, confusion and denial filling the room. The twins had sunk to the floor, and Molly was still comforting a sobbing Ginny. No-one knew what to say. There was so much to say, so many words, so much anger. But no-one could voice anything. Ron, still seething with anger, flopped back down into his chair and let his head flop onto the table. It was a long time before anyone spoke. Slowly, Ron raised his head and stared at Ginny with empty eyes. She raised her eyes up to his cautiously.

"How could you." He said, steadily. Each word was sharp and clear.

"Ron." She half-whispered.

"How COULD YOU." He yelled and stormed out into the garden. No-one followed.

"Harry." Fred said, more to himself than anyone else. "Harry Potter." George just shook his head.

"Ginny, dear, when? Why?" Molly said, sitting up.

"I...I don't know, ok? I don't know." She replied quietly, voice quavering.

"And...The baby?" George asked, dropping his voice at the end.

"I...I just don't know. I can't think right now." Ginny replied, burying her face in her hands.

At that moment, the kitchen door was opened loudly. Ron came marching in and stood in the middle of the room, facing Ginny.

"Of course...you can't keep it." He shot.

Ginny just looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"Ron!" Molly frowned up at him.

"What? We can't expect her to keep the child of that bastard, can we?"

"Ron, Harry's your oldest friend!" Fred commented carefully.

"Friend? He is no friend of mine. And I will NOT be...uncle...to...to...Ginny, come on, I'll take you now and we can get rid of it."

"Ron!" She squealed and ran upstairs. Molly stood up and, glancing at Ron, followed her.

"That was out of order." George said, standing up.

"I don't care. It's the truth." Ron said, staring George straight in the eye.

"Look, mate, I know you're angry right now..." Fred said, standing too, and attempted to put his hand on his little brother's arm.

"Get. Off. Me." He said, swatting him away. He turned his back and stalked back out into the garden. The twins shared a glance. They both closed their eyes slowly and shook their heads. Opening their eyes, they looked at each other.

"What about Hermione." They both said together.

----

Hermione was curled up on the sofa. The tears had stopped a while ago, and now she was just staring into space, absent-mindedly stroking Toby, who was curled up beside her. She could still smell him in the house. Everywhere she looked reminded her of him. After all, it was his apartment originally. Her eyes would occasionally catch a possession of his...the shoes lying by the radiator, the photograph of the Weasleys on the mantelpiece. She stood up and looked at the other photographs. Most were of her and Harry...smiling, hugging, holding hands...just being 'together'. There was one photograph of their last day at Hogwarts. She remembered that day fondly. They had, first, gone to the library for one last look around ("For Hermione!" Ron had said.) Then the three of them had ran down to the lake and sat at its banks for the last time. In the picture, they were leaning against their favourite tree, Hermione in the middle, her head on Harry's shoulder. They were all smiling, with happy tears in their eyes. Harry's hand was running through her hair. They were so happy that day. She sighed as she noticed the picture beside it, of Harry and her again, kissing and laughing as they danced about. It was at her birthday last year. Memories floating in her head, she lay back down on the couch. She wondered where he was now. Probably at Ron's. The Burrow was their second home. The Weasleys were the only family Harry had, really, except for Hermione.

She was startled by a knock at the door. Wiping her dry cheeks just in case, she went over to the door. She was a little surprised to see Fred and George standing on the other side.

"Oh...umm...hi..." She started, but they had lunged at her, wrapping their arms around her before she could finish expressing her surprise.

"You heard," was all she said, as she buried herself into Fred's shoulder.

"Yeah." George in." Hermione said, breaking free and standing back to let them in.

She walked back to the sofas and sat down. "Umm...have a seat." She said, offering her hand to the sofa opposite her.

They sat down beside her.

"How...umm...how are you?" George asked, immediately regretting it.

"I really don't know." Hermione replied honestly with a half-hearted smile. "I take it H...he...was at yours then?"

"Umm yeah, yeah he was. Not for long though." Fred answered.

"Why?" She asked, looking up at him confused, but trying not to show she cared.

"Well, obviously, he got talking to Ron, and...and a big argument sort of erupted among everyone and...Ron told him to leave." George said uneasily.

Hermione looked at him even more puzzled. "Why...why was there a fight?"

Fred and George looked at each other and immediately registered that she clearly didn't know that it was Ginny.

"Umm...did Harry mention...who...she...was?" Fred asked.

"Oh. He didn't." She realised she hadn't even thought about that yet.

"Hermione, we really didn't want to be the ones to tell you this but..." George began.

"You know who it is." she answered. "Tell me!"

"Well..."

"Tell Me!" She yelled. "Please. Who is she?"

"Umm...it was...well..." George started.

"Ginny." Fred finished.

There was a long pause which, to the twins seemed like a decade. To Hermione, it seemed like a centaury. Slowly the name sunk in.

"Ginny?" She asked, shaking her head unbelieving.

"Yes." Fred whispered.

"Ginny? As in your little sister Ginny? As in Ginny Weasley?" She inquired, emotions rising inside her.

"Yes." Fred repeated, putting his hand on her shoulder, waiting for the real reaction. It soon erupted.

"Ginny! Ginny!" She yelled incredulously. "I...whoa...that little...I mean...HIM!...I mean...Oh GOD!" She brought her hands to her face.

The twins remained silent but each put an arm around her. They sat that way for quite a while, with Hermione taking turns at either crying or yelling in anger.

"Ginny...she...she's my friend...she's your sister...and...umm...what's she going to do...you know, about...the..." she took a deep breath and whispered her last word, "baby."

"I don't think she knows. Ron was yelling at her to get an abortion, but I don't know, I don't think Ginny would ever do that. But, under these circumstances." George told her.

Hermione's frame of mind changed then. She had been angry at first, sure, that she, Ginny Weasley, was carrying Harry's child, and that she was the reason that her whole world had just collapsed...but now she sympathised with her. She actually felt sorry for her. Being a girl, she had always dreaded being in that situation herself, pregnant without a father around...or would he be? But it's the whole situation. It was just...too much to think about.

"I want to see Ginny." Hermione announced.

"Are...are you sure?" George asked.

"Yes. Can you take me now?"

---

Not long later, Hermione and the twins were standing in the kitchen of the Burrow. It was empty now, but the scene of earlier was still fresh in Fred and George's minds. It was 11pm.

"Wait here." George said, disappearing upstairs while Fred stayed with Hermione, giving her a quick hug.

"Good luck." He smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks." She smiled back, and turned to the stairs as Ginny came slowly down, accompanied by George. She looked shyly at Hermione, then at the floor.

"We'll go, but we'll just be upstairs if you need us." Fred assured, as he took George's arm and left.

"Um...hey." Hermione said.

"Hey."

She couldn't bear it any longer. Ginny looked so small and helpless. Hermione ran over to her and embraced her tightly, much to the surprise of Ginny.

"What? Umm..." Ginny started, but she realised she was hugging her back, clinging to Hermione tightly. But she suddenly came to her senses, and an overwhelming flood of guilt washed over her, and she pulled away.

"Umm...sit down?" Ginny offered, taking a seat at the table herself. "Why...why are you here, Hermione?"

"I had to see you, I guess." Hermione replied. But now that she was here, she had no idea what she was going to say.

"Aren't...aren't you mad at me? I...I thought you'd hate me." The red-haired girl asked sheepishly.

"Why would I be mad with you? It's that cheating bastard I'm angry with."

"Hermione...don't say that about him."

"I've every right! Don't go standing up for him!" Hermione snapped.

"Hermione...I think you've got the wrong idea about things..." Ginny started.

"Like what?"

"Harry loves you. Even when...when...every time I was with him...it was clearly just lust. I knew he was thinking about you all the time. And the guilt on his face afterwards...it was incredible. He loves you so much." Ginny pleaded.

"Loves me? Oh yeah. He loves me soooo much that he cheats on me and...gets you pregnant? and...wait a minute...every time you were together? How long did this go on for?" she asked.

Ginny cringed inwardly. "Umm...oh...it was a while...But it all stopped a few months ago. He finished it with me because he wanted to start afresh with you."

"How considerate." Hermione snapped. "But it was too late, wasn't it. He'd already screwed up all our lives."

"Hermione I don't want you to put all your anger at him. It's me you should hate." Ginny said.

"You? Well...it takes two to tango..." She narrowed her eyes at her.

"Yes. But...I want you to know that it was all me." she took a deep breath. "Harry was always...he never really wanted to do this...but I was pushy. You see...ever since he and Ron became friends in their first year, I was obsessed with Harry. He...he was a celebrity, but he was so...so normal, and he hated his fame. Then he saved me in second year...and you...you were always there. You were always that other best friend, and I envied you so much. You had Harry. Even before you started going out, you were best friends, and you had him. And I was so jealous. And it was all because of Harry. Sure, I got over it as I matured through Hogwarts, and you and Harry became more serious...and that's when we became friends. I've never had many friends, and most of them are male, so you were my one close female friend, and I'd never dream of hurting you, Hermione..."

"But you did." Hermione said blankly, staring at the table.

"I know I did. I guess...well, you two were getting so serious, my childhood feelings came back on me, and I just kept thinking I'd missed my chance completely. That you and Harry were going to go off and get married and spend the rest of your lives together, and I'd never even get a chance. So I took my one shot. I regret it now, of course, because it was worthless. I had waited too long for him to become single again, so I took him from you, and it was completely worthless...because he was in love with you the whole time, and he always will be, Hermione. I could never imagine him loving anyone else."

Ginny looked up from her speech to find Hermione staring at her in amazement.

"I cannot believe you. I can't believe I cared so much to come over here. I had no idea." She said, shaking her head and standing up, pushing the chair back with a scrape. She ambled to the door and was gone. Ginny watched the door close behind her, and folded her arms on the table, laying her head down on them, a few tears dripping from her cheeks.