When Doves Cry

Chapter 9: When Doves Cry

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

A/N: For those of you have been waiting for it….I guess you could say that this is the chapter where the "shit hits the fan." Well here goes…

"Morning Gin." Ginny was greeted when she entered the kitchen on Sunday morning.

"Harry, the bedroom clock says that it's 10:00."

"That's because it is Gin."

"Where are the kids?"

"Watching a video."

Ginny frowned. This more or less was the first conversation she and Harry had had since their argument, and he was acting as if nothing had ever happened. 'Maybe this is his way of fixing things,' Ginny thought to herself. It wasn't unlike Harry to not want to talk about things..

"I tried to wait up for you last night, but I fell asleep," Ginny told him.

"Sorry Gin. I meant to call you over the floo. I went to Draco's after practice last night. I needed to talk to him about something."

"Oh"

Ginny chewed on her lower lip and she and Harry fell into an awkward silence. Never in her life would she have imagined that she could be so uncomfortable having a conversation with Harry, but something about it seemed unnatural.

"Ron and Hermione should be here in half an hour or so," Harry remarked, breaking the silence.

"Ron and Mione?"

"They're coming for breakfast. Remember?"

"Oh! Right! Well, I'll go get dressed then." Ginny quickly wandered out of the kitchen, happy to escape the strangeness of the room.

"Gin! Harry! We're here!" Ginny heard Ron's voice below. She leaped from her seat across from Harry at the kitchen table and ran to greet them.

"Ron!" Hermione was scolding. "Hope could be sleeping."

"Our baby? Sleep?" Harry laughed, entering the room just behind Ginny.

"I know how you feel mate," Ron grinned. "Now where's the food? I'm starved. What did my favorite baby sister whip up for us?"

"Actually, Harry cooked."

Ron made a horrified face.

"Trying to make us sick are you?"

"No. Harry's culinary skills have actually improved quite a bit since he started feeding himself so often, missing most of our family meals and all."

There was a short uncomfortable silence before Harry spoke.

"Well what are we standing here for? The food's all set up in the kitchen."

Ginny was grateful that Ron and Hermione seemed to be in particularly chatty moods and were, for the most part, keeping the conversation going on their own. Ginny watched as Ron's eye caught the photos on the refrigerator. He shook his head.

"Hopes getting so big Gin. She looks more and more like you every time I see her."

"Hope's getting big? Have you seen your son lately Ron?"

" I know. He is getting big. That's why I want another one. Having a bit of trouble convincing Alli though."

"Ugh. You sound just like Fred! He's been telling me for a month now how nice it would be for the girls to have a little brother, two if I could manage it. Honestly…"

"What?" Harry exclaimed in defense of the men. "It's not so ridiculous. I wouldn't mind having a boy either."

"Harry you have a son," Ginny reminded her husband.

"I know Gin, but I missed out on seeing him as a baby. I want to experience that."

"The only difference between a girl baby and a boy baby is that boy babies piss in your face when you change their diaper," Ginny stated.

Ron nodded in agreement. "She's right. James got me right in the mouth once."

"Don't you think another baby would be nice though Gin?"

"Harry, I think we have enough going on right now without adding a new baby into the mix.

"Thank you Ginny," Hermione nodded. "Fred just doesn't get it. We have two one year olds, a business, a house, family, and lives. We don't need another baby."

"Need and want are two different things," a new voice entered the conversation. "No one needs a baby. People just like having them."

"Fred, what are you doing here?" Hermione rose from her seat. "Where are the kids?"

"George has them with Diana at the store. Sorry to intrude on you little breakfast guys; I just wanted to make a delivery since I know that none of you read the Daily Prophet anymore."

Fred plopped the paper down and that's when Ginny saw it. She had forgotten about that night.: that night that she had seen her husband standing comfortably in the arms of Cho Chang. But there, on the cover of the Prophet, was a picture of that very scene, Harry looking into the other woman's eyes and smiling.

"Potter or a Look-alike?" the headline read.

Hermione was the first to snatch up the paper and read the opening paragraph aloud.

"Has Cho Chang, Hogwarts sweetheart of hero Harry Potter, found a look-alike to replace her ex-beau, or have the Potters tricked the Wizarding World into believing that Potter Paradise is more perfect that it really is? This picture, taken several weeks ago, shows Chang in the arms of a man much to the likeness of Potter. So much to the likeness that one must wonder if it really is just a look-alike or Potter himself."

Hermione put the paper back down on the table and Ginny looked expectantly toward Harry. This was it. She was finally going to get the answers to her questions about the night she had convinced herself to think nothing of. Ginny prayed that he had a valid explanation.

Instead, her hopes were shattered as Harry said , "That's ridiculous! That doesn't even look like me!"

Ginny froze when he said this. Her chin began to quiver from both hurt and rage and she fought not to shout, "I saw you! I saw you with her!"

No one seemed to notice Ginny's look of disbelief and she was more than happy to leave the room when Hope's cries carried down from the nursery.

Ginny tried to ignore the hot tears that she felt rolling down her own cheeks as she rocked Hope in her arms.

Wiping the droplets from her daughter's cheeks, Ginny looked at her empathetically.

"I know just how you feel. I know just how you feel."

Ginny waited until that evening, when she was sitting in the living room with him before she confronted Harry.

"Harry," she began. "You need to tell me what's been going on."

"What do you mean Gin? Nothings going on."

"Nothing? If nothing's going on Harry then why is our marriage falling apart? Why are you at work 14 hours a day? And why were you with Cho Chang that night in Diagon Alley?" Ginny questioned calmly.

"Ginny, that's not me in that picture!" Harry defended himself.

"Harry I saw. You saw you there with her," Ginny told him, revealing no emotion in her voice.

"Gin it's not me."

"Harry, I saw you."

"If you thought you saw me then why didn't you ask me about it?"

"I convinced myself that it was nothing."

"Then why do you think it's something now."

"Because if it were nothing then you wouldn't be lying to me about it."

"Ginny are you accusing me of cheating?" She could see the anger developing in his eyes.

"I don't know what to accuse you of Harry. All I know is that there is something going on, and that I need you to tell me what it is."

"So let me get this straight Ginny. I'm not allowed to spend time with an old friend from school without being accused of having an affair, but you're allowed to spend the night in Malfoy's bed without me saying a word."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "Harry that's completely different! Draco's one of my best friends! He's practically my brother!"

"I don't see you having slumber parties with your real brothers."

"They all have wives to…"

"And you have a husband. I don't think you have any right to accuse me of being unfaithful Ginny."

"Harry if my relationship with Draco bothers you then you should have told me a long time ago!"

"You should have told me when you saw me with Cho!"

"So you're admitting that is was you that night?"

"Yes Ginny. You caught me. It was me. And you know what? I was with her all day too. And the day before that, and for two months before that."

"So are you sleeping with her?" Ginny said flatly, her voice completely void of any feeling.

"Are you sleeping with Malfoy?"

"That's a stupid question Harry."

"Then so is yours."

Ginny didn't have a change to respond because with that Harry apparated out of the room.

Harry groaned up as he woke up, the surface below him was cold and moist and the air around him was musty. Slowly Harry opened his eyes and as he did he quickly realized that he wasn't at home. Hurriedly Harry stood up and took in his surroundings. He wasn't at home, but he knew where he was. He remembered the tunnels that had led him to his near fatal meeting with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets well. You don't forget things like that; those memories don't fade. The simply become a part of you.

He had to get out. He had no idea how he had gotten there, but he needed to find his way out. However, without even realizing it Harry had already begun making his way through the tunnel. He was going the wrong way. He knew he was, but for something made him keep going. Something made him ignore the voice in his head that was telling him to go back the other way.

Harry knew where he was headed,. With every curve the tunnel became more and more familiar, and with every curve Harry knew that he was getting closer.

Finally he saw it. The two entwined serpents, carved into the wall, their emerald eyes glimmering despite the dim lighting in the tunnel.

Despite willing himself not too Harry felt himself step forward and brace himself before the wall.

"Open," he hissed in parseltounge.

Harry fell to his knees as the wall parted and slapped his hand to his forehead. A sensation he hadn't felt a trace of in four years tore through his body, causing him to let out a strangled cry of pain. As in subsided to a dull ache around his scar, Harry slowly rose to his feet.

He looked ahead at the large statue at the end of the chamber. He examined the stone wizard for head to toe. Harry's gaze froze at the wizards feet as he felt a sudden rush panic. At the feet of the wizard Harry could see the glimmer of red hair. His heart racing he rushed forward.

"Ginny!" he called out and he ran towards the body.

When he got there he froze. Ginny was lying there motionless. Beside her was a very pale James, and cradled in her arms was a small unmoving Hope.

Harry dropped to his knees beside his family. He gently took Hope from Ginny's arms and into his own. She was cold, and limp in Harry's arms. He normally fair skin was white.

"Come on Hoho. Wake up for Daddy. Daddy's here," Harry attempted to wake his daugher.

Securing her in his arms Harry went around to the other side and kneeled down by James.

"James. James it's dad… It's dad James. Can you wake up for me bud? Jamie I really need you to wake up for Daddy."

"They're not going to wake up Harry," a familiar voice spoke out.

Harry looked up in confusion to see Ginny standing ten feet away, only it was Ginny as he remembered her from Hogwarts. Her limbs were still slightly lanky and her red hair flowed all the way down to her waist. Harry looked back down at the Ginny at his feet and then back at the Ginny standing before him. She was dressed in white and her skin was pure and glowing.

"Ginny," he stood, carefully placing Hope back in his wife's arms. "What's going on Ginny?"

"You didn't even try did you Harry?" Ginny's eyes were tired and sad.

"I didn't try? What? Ginny what happened? You and the children…"

"The children?" Ginny rose an eyebrow and then gave a bitter laugh. "They're not real Harry. Neither am I, at least not the person you know now. They never were Harry."

"Ginny…they're right there. James and Hope they're…"

"They're not real Harry. They would have been."

"The would've have been? Wh.."

"They would have been if I hadn't died a month after you left for the war."

"Died?" Harry exclaimed. "Ginny you didn't die! You were pregnant with James and…"

"I was pregnant with James when I died Harry. I was pregnant with James when a death eater killed me."

Harry stood there, too shocked, too confused to say anything.

"You could have saved me," Ginny accused. "But you just stood there. You stood there and watched. You didn't even try." Ginny spoke in an icy tone.

"I would never do that Ginny!" Harry defended himself. "I would never just stand there and watch you die!"

"But you did Potter," another voice Harry would recognize spoke.

From behind Ginny Tom Riddle appeared, placing a strong hand on her waist as he came up beside her. "You watched her be murdered and sent her right into my waiting arms. It really was kind of you."

"I don't understand…" Harry said. "What don't you understand Potter? You let your precious Weasley die. You just let it happen."

"But what about the past four years?" Harry asked.

"The worst pain of all Harry, is knowing what could have been. You could have had them," Ginny looked at the three bodies. "If only you'd tried. Now you know you didn't just let me die Harry; you killed all three of us. Our little family. You killed us."

"I don't believe you !" Harry shouted, storming toward the pair, no longer being able to stand Riddle touching Ginny. But before he could get to him he saw a flash of silver and was suddenly taken back to the funeral parlor just where he had left off, peering into the casket.

Inside was Ginny, her red fiery hair reaching her waste. She was dressed in the white dress. Harry saw the silver again and suddenly found himself at the gravesite. He saw it, the tombstone read Virginia Aurelia Weasley. The date read four years ago.

In processing this Harry didn't even feel himself arrive back in the chamber.

Riddle and Ginny were no longer there, but the bodies of his family were. Harry slowly kneeled down beside them. Stroking each of them gently he whispered softly, "I love you." And as he spoke, Ginny and his children slowly faded away, leaving him alone in the chamber.

Ginny placed Hope back into her crib and tip-toed out of the room, careful not reawaken the sleeping baby. She went back to her bedroom and paused in the doorframe. Harry wasn't in bed anymore.

"Harry?" Her gaze shifted around the room until her eyes fell upon Harry sitting in the chair by their large pane window. The moonlight illuminated his face and made his eyes glow ever so slightly. Ginny involuntarily shuddered that the coldness in his eyes as they bore into her. The dark expression Ginny had seen glimpses of in the previous month or so had completely consumed his face.

"Harry?" she asked again.

"Take it back," he commanded.

"Take what back Harry?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"It wasn't my fault," he told her as he rose from the chair. "I wasn't… I did try!"

"Harry what's wrong? Is this about earlier?" Ginny approached him and reached up to brush a piece of stray hair out of his face. Harry forcefully slapped her hand away and Ginny gasped in shock.

"You knew it wasn't my fault! You knew I did everything I could! But you blamed me anyway. You knew how much it would hurt me. You did it to hurt me. Now take it back Ginny," Harry continued to press and he backed Ginny up against the wall.

Ginny pressed her body into the cold surface as she pleaded with Harry. "Harry please…if this is about Cho…"

"Just take it back."

"Harry I don't…"

"Take it back!" he screamed.

"Harry your going to wake up James and Hope!"

"Tell me it wasn't my fault!" he screamed as he grabbed on of Ginny's music boxes off the shelf and threw it against the far wall. Ginny cried out as it shattered to pieces with a loud bang.

Turning back to face her Harry lowered his face to hers. "Say it!" he screamed.

"It's not your fault!" she sobbed, more afraid of Harry at that moment then she had been on anything in her life. "It wasn't your fault."

With that Harry turned and left the room. Ginny could hear the front door open and close as Harry exited the house. Slowly Ginny slid to the floor, no longer able to support herself.

"Mummy?" she heard a little voice call. "Why was Daddy yelling?"

James was standing in the doorway, hesitant to come into the room.

Ginny sat silently for a moment before saying, "I don't know baby. I don't know."

James entered the room and sat down in his mother's lap, hugging her tightly around the neck. Once again, her four year old son was trying to protect her. Ginny stroked his soft hair, and kept her son in her arms until a cry came from the next room. Hope had woken back up.

"Want to help me get your sister back to sleep?" she asked.

James nodded and the pair got up to go see the baby.

After Ginny got both of her children back to bed, she went back to her bedroom and looked at the shattered music box, and then at the spot where Harry had had her pressed against the wall.

That was when she realized what she had to do.

She had to leave.

She had to get her and her children out of that house.

Without another though Ginny switched on the bedroom light and went into the closet to grab her luggage. She'd have to start packing right away if they were going to leave before the morning.

A/N: Well there you have it. What did you all think? I'm guessing some of you aren't to pleased with the ending to this chapter… Haha. Well if you get the chance I'd LOVE to hear from you in a review. Next chapter will hopefully be out next weekend but we'll see.. Check my live journal for more accurate info about updates. I couldn't get the url to work in a post but if you go to my author profile (at the top of the screen where it says Author: Bella O click on the Bella O) the link listed under homepage is the link to my journal. Well I guess that's all for now!

Love,
Bella

PS: Also, check out my live journal for a small sneak peak at the story I plan to begin posting when I'm done with this one. Warning though; it's a Draco Ginny fic, with only a hint of Harry Ginny.