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Chapter 13: William's Tears
William didn't see Mary after that incident, but he did know what happened to her a few days later at his office when he saw the newspaper that was going to be out the next day. William grabbed a copy and read it:
Wedding Announcement
Draco Malfoy is proud to announce the upcoming wedding of his son Aidoneus Malfoy and Miss Mary Lestrange. The wedding will be held a week later at 3pm…
William didn't read any further. Angrily, he tore up the newspaper and threw it into the rubbish bin.
"Potter, what the hell are you doing?" roared his boss.
William looked at the rubbish bin and realised what he had done. "Oops."
William didn't get home until late at night, because his boss punished him to work overtime for tearing up and throwing away a customer's copy of the Daily Prophet.
Once he stepped into the house, he found a pink envelope on the door mat. He picked it up and opened it. It was an invitation to Mary's wedding. William didn't know whether it was Mary or Aidoneus who sent him the card, but that point, he was already too disheartened to care. He crumpled up the card and threw it aside.
He went to the sofa and sat down with his eyes closed. After a while, he opened his eyes. He was still for a while before he leaned forward and took his father's diary.
26th of June 2004
Diary,
Today I went to see Hermione. She's still as sleepy as ever. And when she's awake, she has cravings for some odd food. I can never understand pregnant women…
Anyway, I tried to talk as much as I could to Hermione today when she woke up at around 9pm. We talked about books, our baby, our schooldays, our baby again, things I had seen in my travels, and our baby again. It seemed like we couldn't stop talking about the baby. :) We couldn't help it, I don't know why.
As Hermione drank a glass of water, I told her that she was behaving like a lion. She says she hopes that she has its strength when she gives birth.
Hermione giving birth? I have never thought of that. I can't imagine what will Hermione be like when she gives birth, will she scream like hell like those women in the movies? I have no idea.
Back to the topic, Hermione suddenly asked me to go and buy yogurt. I said I couldn't and she just went scowling. Not wanting her to lose her temper, I just went out and tried to buy two containers of yogurt.
I got back with the yogurt and Hermione said she would eat them in the morning. Great. I would have complained about the waste trip, but I decided not to. I didn't want Hermione to snap at me. So I kept my cool and tucked Hermione into bed. Good thing I didn't blow my top, because I got to see her smile before she slept.
Phew. Mood swings, cravings and sleepiness, is that what you will get for being pregnant? Oh my God.
If Hermione is going to be a sleepy, grouchy witch throughout the nine days, I think I'm going to faint.
Oh well, at least it's only nine days, ordinary women will behave like that for nine months. shudders
3 days down, 6 more days to go before the baby arrives.
I'm trembling with excitement, Diary. I can't believe it. Hermione and I are going to be parents in just 6 days! I wonder what the baby will look like… if it's a boy, let him look like me, but without the messy hairstyle please… ok, if it's going to be messy, let it be a stylish tousled style, that will be fine. If it's a girl like Julia, let her be like her beautiful mother.
You know what? I think I'm going to read up about being a parent now.
Harry
28th of June 2004
Diary,
It's a boy, it's a boy, it's a boy!
Oh my stars!
No, the baby isn't here yet, but the Healer has confirmed that Hermione is carrying a boy. Hermione told me this afternoon when I went to visit her.
Oh I'm so happy that I can't even think straight right now, Diary!
We went into a discussion for a name for our boy and we came up with several names. We didn't like them all. Then we thought of the perfect name for our boy: William.
William Potter, doesn't that sound wonderful, Diary?
But wait, there's more, Diary, something amazing happened straight after we decided to name the baby William.
William moved! Hermione felt his movements first and she grabbed my hand to feel it from her stomach.
I could feel him, Diary. I could feel William moving.
For a moment, I was amazed. I could actually feel my son.
How… well, I can't find a word to describe it but it's just that a few weeks ago, Hermione is just a single woman and now we have created another life in her.
He's now growing in his mother and she will bring him into this world in just a few days.
How wonderful thing life is.
Am I being sentimental or what?
Told you that I couldn't think straight.
Harry
30th of June 2004
Diary,
Hermione now has a stomach as big as a basketball, but she still looks as beautiful as ever. Her sleeping habit has returned to normal (thank goodness) and I'm able to bring her out for a walk, so that she could have a bit of fresh air. It's good for young William too.
Feeling that I have a right to protect her (and William), I won't let Hermione to go anywhere by herself except the toilet. I simply follow her everywhere. And Hermione doesn't like it, she says I'm being overprotective.
I'm not!
Okay, maybe just a little, but I'm just trying to protect her and William… what if something happens to her and I'm not around to help, huh?
But Hermione is pleased when I read to her and William while she's in bed. I read somewhere that at the later stage of the pregnancy, the baby can hear things from the womb, so I read storybooks to keep Hermione and William from boredom.
When it's near the end of the visiting hours, I was forced to go home. I hate this visiting hours thing, it's stupid. I want to keep Hermione company, she's lonely in the hospital and I can't go to her, just because the visiting hours are over.
Who made up that rule anyway?
Harry
1st of July 2004
Diary,
Today is the worst day of my life! Wait a minute, have I said that before?
Whatever.
Hermione and I have decided what to do with William after he's born.
The Weasleys are definitely out of the question, because the baby is mine, not Ron's. He can't stay with me either, because I'm just the father, William needs his mother and Hermione just can't get away from the Weasleys all the time, they will get suspicious. He can't stay with Hermione's parents, same reason with the Weasleys. Hermione even suggested putting William with the Dursleys! No way. If they treat me like dirt, they will do the same to my son.
Hermione mentioned to me about my fame and the press, which was a problem. But it's nothing comparing to Hermione's problem. She has to keep William from the Weasleys and her parents.
Then a horrible idea came into my head. The orphanage.
It's sad to put William in there, but then he could grow up peacefully, away from the public and the press.
Hermione objected. Of course, she's the mother after all and she doesn't like to be separated from her baby. I don't like the idea of putting William in the orphanage either, in fact, I loathe it. William is going to grow up like me, living in a place with people who don't really love him but will take him in anyway, because it's their responsibilities.
But do we have any other choice? No, we don't. We just can't keep him with us, it's too dangerous. And that's what I told Hermione when she objected. Then I told her that we would get William out from the orphanage after she got her divorce.
"Will I ever get one?" asked Hermione.
I went quiet. At that point, even I wasn't sure if Hermione would ever get a divorce. Ron was too possessive. Way too possessive. He will never let Hermione go.
In the end we both decided that the orphanage was the best place for William. We also decided to keep William with us for a month before we bring him to the orphanage.
It's sad, Diary, but we have no choice.
But we will get him out soon, I'm sure. I don't know when or how and we must get him out. I don't want William to grow up without his parents, like me.
Harry
Tears dropped and stained the pages of the diary as William cried.
So this was how he ended up in the orphanage in the first place. Not that his parents were heartless, they just had no choice.
And they didn't manage to get him out of the orphanage. Ginny did.
He remembered her telling him that once she had got him out, she and Neville brought him to see his parents in the Azkaban prison during Christmas for a family reunion. Neville even had to bribe the guard so that William could be with his parents longer.
He couldn't remember anything from the reunion, but he wished he could.
Because that was the last time he saw them alive.
