Only Half-Weasley
Chapter 18
A/N: Here is the next chapter that I'm sure all of you are eagerly waiting for. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! The support was incredible and it was because of you that I was motivated to get this out before Christmas (alright, maybe that's exaggerating). Please do review!
Hermione woke up with a headache the next morning. She sat up in bed, rubbing her throbbing temple, and wondering how she got there when the last thing she remembered was laughing and drinking with Ron and Harry the night before. Just as she began to think something was wrong with her, the door opened with a creak and Ron tip-toed inside.
"Oh, you're awake," he said, stopping in front of the bed and looking down at his wife. "How are you?"
"I have a headache," she groaned, falling back into the pillows. "What time is it?"
"Nearly noon."
Hermione jumped up. "What?" she cried. "How did that happen?"
"You passed out at dinner after drinking four goblets of firewhiskey and exposing my sister," Ron answered evenly. "You have been asleep ever since."
For a moment, Hermione thought she must have misheard her husband. Yet, after reading the dejected expression on his face, she knew this to be true. Ron would never lie to her with that kind of an appearance. "Where is Ginny now?"
Ron shrugged and instantly massaged a spot on his side. "I don't know. She disapparated."
Hermione bounded off the bed and pulled robes out of her clothes bag. "No one went after her?" she cried. "She can be anywhere! Who knows where she went? We need to go find her!" Hermione darted for the door, but Ron stopped her before she could leave.
"It might not be a good idea to go downstairs right now, Hermione."
She froze on the spot, halfway through getting her sweater over her head. "Why?" she asked hesitantly.
"Hermione, sit down for a moment," Ron told her.
"Ron, just tell me why!" Hermione shouted.
Ron sighed. "Fine, but don't get angry with me."
"Just tell me!"
"Everyone is furious with you!" Ron exclaimed. "My parents are beside themselves in shock and my brothers are holding you responsible for the mess. They think you have always known about Ginny and that you have been helping her hide from the family. I can't even defend you because I don't know what is going on!"
"I haven't been hiding her!" Hermione declared.
Ron looked glum. "I didn't think you would; the least you would have done was tell me." His words were more of an accusation than a statement.
"I wanted to tell you, I did-"
"How long have you known?" Ron interrupted her.
Hermione bit her lip. "Two months."
"And you weren't going to tell me?" Ron said in a hurt tone.
"I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, Ron!"
Ron gave a grunt. "Not even your husband?"
Tears filled in his wife's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
The red-haired man turned around and headed for the door. "Explain that to my family," Ron said over his shoulder. He opened the door and let it slam shut behind him.
Hermione hid her face in her hands, but the desire to cry had passed though she was now stunned at how this situation with Ginny had exploded in her face. This was the reason she had wanted Ginny to tell them before. If only Ginny had not made her promise…if only Ginny had been brave enough to go to her parents herself…if only Hermione hadn't been so stupid as to keep that promise…so many if's and none of them able to get rid of the miserable feeling in her stomach.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said automatically.
The door opened to reveal green eyes and untidy black hair which looked even more disheveled than ever. "I saw Ron coming down the stairs," Harry stated. "I thought you might be awake."
"Have you come to yell at me, too?" Hermione asked with a tone of bitterness.
Harry shook his head. "We have more important matters on our hands than arguing about who should be blamed for a grown woman's selfish mistakes."
"You aren't angry?" Hermione said meekly.
"She is not my sister," Harry answered. "Besides, she's an adult and she's old enough to take responsibility for her own actions. What I am concerned about is the welfare of another red-headed little girl."
"Holly!" Hermione exclaimed. "She's still here?"
Harry nodded. "And she needs to go home today, too. Only you and I know where she lives."
The expression on Harry's face was plain: he did not want to be that person to take Holly home and Hermione couldn't blame him. If it hadn't been for her, this would never have happened. "I'll take her," she volunteered. "I should talk to her."
"I talked with Arthur and he thinks that might be a bad idea," Harry responded. "We think she's going to run again."
Hermione looked slightly confused. "How do you come to that conclusion? We have her daughter."
Harry nodded and added, "We do and we know where she lives. But it wouldn't be hard for her to disappear again. She's made herself dead for twelve years. I'm sure she can do it again, though with Holly that might be difficult."
The brown-haired witch bit her tongue in thought. "So what should we do? We can't keep Holly here."
"No," Harry agreed with a heavy sigh. "Arthur thinks I should take her home. She is probably upset right now and if you came waltzing up to her apartment with her daughter, she will be more apt to kill you before she disappears again."
"But you don't want to," Hermione pointed out.
"I don't," Harry admitted. "I've had enough of the games, frankly, but I would do it for Holly. This isn't her fault."
The two stared at each other before Hermione nodded in defeat. "This is rubbish," she said irritably. "Why do we even have to deal with this?"
Harry merely shrugged with a dark look on his face. "Because someone never learned that their decisions might hurt other people," he said bitterly. "Look, I need to go. The sooner I can get this done, the better." And with that, he left the room and slammed the door behind him.
It was a shot of pain running down her arm that finally woke up Ginny at her flat. When she cracked one of her brown eyes open, it was to realize that she was still on the couch where she had flung herself the night before and she had been laying on top of her left arm all night causing the blood supply to her arm to be cut off. However, she was afraid to move. Any individual who has ever had a limb fall asleep understood the stabbing pain of releasing the limb from its misery.
Then there was a knock on the door, sharp and echoing through the house. Forgetting the pain for a slight moment, Ginny jumped up from the couch only to release the blood supply and replace her numbness with a thousand stabbing knives. She was so taken back by the sudden surge of pain that she did not see the coffee table in front of her and jammed her baby toe right into it.
BANG!
"AH!" she cried in pain, now reaching down to hold her foot.
There was another sharp knock on the door.
"I'm coming!" Ginny yelled. Standing up, she had no other choice but to limp to the door and open it. She nearly fell over when she met the figure standing in the door way. "Harry."
The raven-haired man looked coldly at the witch before him, though his expression turned to concern when he saw her holding her foot. "Are you all right?" he asked, indicating her odd position.
"Stubbed my toe," Ginny mumbled. "What do you want?"
The wizard's expression whipped back into its cool demeanor and he crossed his arms to add to the stern affect. "I've come to bring Holly home," he answered sharply. The twelve-year-old red-head peeked her head around her professor's cloak where she had been hiding for the last few moments.
"There you are," her mother stated. "Did you have a good time?"
The younger girl beamed, coming around to meet her mother. "It was a lot of fun," she replied. "I hope I can go again next year!" Holly moved passed Ginny and went to her room, leaving her mother and teacher alone in an awkward silence.
"Well, thank you for bringing her home," Ginny said, trying to avoid the confrontation that she knew was inevitable. She was standing before him, red-haired and freckled face, and acting as if this was perfectly normal.
Harry bit his bottom lip, trying to make something of the situation. This was not how he expected to be talking to Ginny Weasley. She was neither cold nor angry and she hadn't begun threatening him yet. "So, why did you leave?" he blurted out.
Ginny took a step back, though more for reflection and space than because the question was unexpected. "I thought that was obvious," she said calmly.
"Obvious? What is obvious about it?" Harry demanded.
The other witch brought out her left hand which had finally resumed its normal composure. "Well, let's see," she began, counting off her fingers. "I ran away with a Muggle, lied to my parents, lied to my brothers, lied to you, got pregnant, became a widow and decided I hated my life. There! Now you know. Anything else I can help you with?"
Harry stood stiffly, trying to make sense what was going on. "And you didn't care what happened to the people you left behind?" he asked incredibly.
The witch pursed her lips only for a second before responding in a low voice. "I do care about the people I left behind. I cared enough to spare them the agony of realizing that all I am is a cheater, a liar, and a fake. Wouldn't you rather off believe I was dead than to think that I was ever capable of being such a…such a…." Her voice trailed off, not wanting to say it. Even though she had done many things, putting a label on herself would be making it real and true to her nature.
The raven-haired wizard stood silently, his expression unreadable. When he spoke, it was in a tone full of disappointment. "I think you were right after all. The Ginny Weasley that I knew died twelve years ago. I don't know who you are."
Before Ginny could say another word, Harry had disappeared on the spot. She mulled the words in her mind, trying to understand what he had been saying. The Ginny Weasley that he knew? Who in the world was she? Was she the girl that sat at home, knitted mittens with her mother, and let everyone else determine her life? Was she the girl that was supposed to wait patiently for her true love to finally set her free? What soap opera was she living in?
Then it hit her. Somewhere between the ache in her leg and the ache in her head, she came to a significant understanding of what was going on. She had not been running away from her family. Was she really afraid of her family? She was a Weasley. She had energy, fire, and enough wit to take on whatever her family threw at her. Was she afraid of breaking Harry's heart? Well, that was debatable. Once upon a time, she had loved Harry. Yet, she was only human and a human can only take pain for so long before they are forced to lose hope. What in the world was she afraid of?
Herself, she determined. The essence of the legacy that had followed her around since the day she was born. The delicate flower that everyone seemed to think she was. The little child her family was determined to keep safe away from danger. She hated the protectiveness, the lack of independence, their behavior…how many times did she have to show them that she could take of herself?
"Mum, are you alright?" Holly asked from the hallway.
Ginny looked around. She was still standing in front of the door, staring at the spot where Harry Potter had disappeared from. She didn't realize she had been standing in the doorway for the full five minutes since he had left. "Fine, fine," she said cheerfully. "So, how did your visit go?"
"How did it go?"
That was the first question that echoed in his ears when Harry Potter entered the Weasleys' kitchen. Hermione was sitting at the table across from Mrs. Weasley, both women sipping tea. The rest of the house was quiet and Harry could only assume that the Weasley men were out.
"Fine," he said, shutting the door behind him.
Hermione looked astonished. "No hexes? No threats? You just dropped off Holly easily just like that?" she said, though only half seriously.
Mrs. Weasley, too, was looking anxious. "What happened, Harry?"
"I really don't know," Harry admitted. "Where is everyone?"
"Out," Hermione answered promptly. "They…um…have to deal with another mess."
Harry looked confused. "On Boxing Day?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip and nodded. She shifted her arms to cover the Daily Prophet from beneath her. Harry took immediate notice of this and held out his hand. "Let me see it."
"You really don't want to," Hermione told him. "It's not…pleasant."
"Let him see it, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley ordered.
Realizing there was no way out of it, Hermione handed over the copy of the morning paper with hesitation. Harry quickly took it out of her hands and studied the front page. It was a picture of Harry and Ginny from their sixth year with a title beneath it.
BEST FRIEND HIDES POTTER'S LONG LOST LOVE.
On December 25th, Ginevra Weasley, who had been declared dead five years ago, was revealed to be attending the Weasleys' annual Christmas Party. The young woman had taken on blonde hair and claimed herself to be 'Jennifer Miller' before later being exposed as none other than the Weasleys' own daughter. This came as a surprise and a shock to many guests at the Weasleys' home, except for one witch. Hermione Granger had proudly announced the identity of the otherwise unfamiliar guest after dinner. As the wizarding world knows, Granger is best friends with the famous boy-who-lived, Harry Potter.
It has been made known that Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley have been in love since they first set eyes on each other in school. Potter had eyes for no one but the young Weasley and proclaimed his intent to marry her. This came as a blow to another of Potter's admirer's, his own best friend, Granger. Granger had been jealous of Weasley since her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and even prevented Potter and Weasley from being together while Potter was fighting Voldemort.
When the trio came back from the war, Granger could not keep the two away from each other. She attempted to catch Potter's attention by marrying their mutual best friend and less well-known mate, Ronald Weasley Still not catching her love, she kidnapped Weasley, who then was carrying Potter's child, and reconfigured her memory so that the young woman would not remember who she was. For twelve years, Granger has kept Weasley and her daughter hidden from the wizarding world.
A truth serum dropped into her whiskey finally revealed the story on Christmas night. The Ministry officials are now investigating the matter and several charges of kidnapping and illegal spells are being held against Granger. Though Potter was unavailable for questioning, on behalf of the Daily Prophet we could like to celebrate with Potter on his discovery of his long lost love and child.
By the time Harry was done reading the article, he didn't know whether to be angry with the article or laugh out loud at the stupidity of the story. When he finally responded, it was with a sarcastic grunt. "I can't believe you, Hermione," he declared. "If you really loved me, you should have told me ages ago."
Hermione's facial features relaxed. "You know I couldn't tell you, Harry," she responded. "I was too busy cheating on my husband and kidnapping Ginny."
Harry chuckled, though Mrs. Weasley did not join in. "Is everyone else at the Ministry?" Harry asked the older woman.
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said icily. "Arthur is trying to clear up the charges against Hermione, as if she would do such a thing!" The older woman stood up and headed for the backdoor.
"Where are you going, Molly?" Hermione called after her mother-in-law.
"To the garden," the Weasley matriarch replied. "I need to think."
Harry and Hermione exchanged worried looks. "What were you two talking about before I came in?" Harry asked, sitting down next to Hermione and allowing the bushy-haired woman to conjure him a cup of tea.
"Ginny," Hermione told him tentatively. "I told her everything. She understands now, though I think it will be a long time before she forgives me."
The raven-haired wizard nodded his head and fixed his green-eyes on the swirling contents of his tea. "You didn't tell me," Hermione began, "what happened with Ginny this morning?"
"I don't know," Harry repeated. "I knocked on the door. She answered. She was pleased to see Holly. I asked her why she left. She admitted to everything. Then…I left. I expected her to murder me, quite honestly. But she was normal; very casual about everything. I don't understand women."
Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, what else is she to do?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a baffled look on his face.
"Now that her secret's out, what is she going to do?" Hermione repeated. "She can't take Holly out of Hogwarts. She can't really hide herself again because we will easily recognize her with her daughter. She is also aware that I know her mother-in-law. You want to know what happened? I think she finally gave up."
Harry had a blank expression on his face, as if he words merely bounced off of his forehead. "I'll leave it to you. What she did was unforgivable," he finally said and stood up from the table. "I'm going to pay a visit to the Ministry. I will see you tomorrow night."
He waved a good-bye before exiting the kitchen. The freezing air felt good against his numb skin. He needed something to do. He needed someone to be angry at. For the last seventeen hours, he felt as though his thoughts and feelings had emptied from his brain. Of all things to expect, this was the last. And yet, he didn't want to think. Instead, he turned on the spot and disappeared, intending on giving the Editor of the Daily Prophet a reason to stop living.
The days following were some of the best that Ginny could remember. She did not bother to change her hair back to the blond color she had succumbed to. Instead, she resorted to keeping the red-hair that now emphasized the resemblance between her and Holly. The younger girl was also more cheerful than Ginny had seen her since she left for Hogwarts back in September. Holly did not put up a fight when Ginny asked her to do chores around the flat and was even polite at some points. Neither discussed what happened at Christmas, but from what Ginny could assume by this new Holly, her daughter knew exactly what had happened.
"I have all of my stuff packed," Holly announced the night before she was to return to Hogwarts. "What time do we need to leave tomorrow?"
Ginny looked up from her magazine to examine the clock as if it would magically tell her the answer. "Ten o'clock. That should give us plenty of time."
"Alright," Holly said to herself. "Do you think we'll see the Weasleys on the platform?"
"I'm sure we will," the mother answered, putting down her magazine on the coffee table. Ginny understood where Holly was going with this conversation and though she was not quite ready to discuss this with her daughter, recent events prevented her from avoiding the topic. "Come here," she said, patting the cushion next to her.
Holly obeyed her mother and took the cue that her mother wanted to talk about what had happened. "So, are you going to talk to them?"
"I don't know," Ginny answered truthfully, giving her daughter a serious look. "I don't know what they think of me. I have been so stupid, you know."
"They thought you were dead," Holly remarked. "Daniel told me a long time ago. I didn't know you were his aunt, though, until I saw the picture of you in the Trophy Room. You never told me you played Quidditch."
Ginny was taken aback by how much her daughter knew about her. "Really?" she said unbelievably. "When was this?"
"Weeks ago," the young witch admitted. "Well, I didn't really know it was you. Professor Potter said it wasn't, but the resemblance was too uncanny for it not to be you. Your team won the House Cup."
The mother studied her daughter, wondering what other things Holly knew. "Yes, our team won the House Cup twice. I played seeker both times. Harry Potter always managed to find a way to get banned from the game."
"You played Quidditch with Professor Potter?"
Ginny nodded. "I told you I knew him, remember? He was a great Quidditch player."
"Oh," Holly answered. "Then why is he so angry with you?"
"Who isn't?" Ginny responded with a laugh. "He is friends with my brother," she went on to explain. "I can imagine my brother is not too happy right now."
"Tell me about your family," Holly requested.
Ginny studied her daughter's eager expression. "Alright," her mother answered tentatively. "Where should I begin?"
Holly looked thoughtful for a moment. "Your brothers," she decided. "I met Uncle Ron, Fred, George, and Bill. Who else am I missing?"
"Uncle Charlie and Percy," Ginny answered, giving in to her daughter's request. She began with her older brothers, what she could remember of them, and what they were like as she grew up with them. However, the next thing she knew, everything about the rest of her life came spilling out of her mouth. It had been so difficult to explain all of this, but now that she and Holly were on the same page of their lives, the right words filled her mind and she knew it would be hard to stop until she reached the end.
She described nearly everything that she could remember from when the twins cursed her doll to bite her when she picked it up to when she was taken into the Chamber of Secrets and then finally finished with the end of her seventh year, her job at the Ministry, and then meeting the man that would one day be Holly's father. Throughout the story, Holly remained silent, soaking up every word her mother said. It was as though she was watching an artist putting the finishing touches on what would one day be a piece of art. The picture that was being painted, which once had been blank and dull, was finally revealing the mother that she had not understood very well until now.
It was nearing midnight when Ginny finally finished the lengthy autobiography. The clock struck twelve and the loud ringing caused the two red-heads jump and turn towards the mantle where the clock sat, both hands pointing up. "We ought to turn in if we are going to catch an eleven o'clock train," Ginny told her daughter.
"We should," Holly spoke up. "I'm glad you told me this, though. I just can't believe you never told me about your childhood before. You had such an interesting life! Why would you keep it from dad? I would think it would have amused him."
Ginny sighed. "Not many Muggles are very open to the idea of magic. I don't know how your father would have taken it, but I was afraid. Many times, when a Muggle finds that their spouse is a witch or wizard, they tend to leave. Magic is just too abnormal to some people."
Holly looked guilty at her mother. "I was one of them, wasn't I? I thought it was abnormal."
Her mother pulled the young red-head into a long embrace. "You are not one of them," she whispered into her daughter's ear. "You are only learning."
It was awkward for Ginny Miller to step onto the platform for the first time in twelve years without a disguise. She had decided earlier to let her fiery red hair hang down to her shoulders, knowing that it was no use keeping the blonde than she had adopted. Since she had not seen anyone from the Magical community since Christmas, she did not know what to expect and so braced herself for the worst.
Ginny glanced around the platform as she followed her daughter towards the train with Holly's trunk in tow. It was easy to spot members of her family on the other end. The group of red-heads stood out against the rest of the crowd and were gathered together to bid their children farewell until the following June. She could imagine how each of these parents must feel. The idea of not seeing her daughter over the next six months tortured her.
"You will write to me, won't you?" Holly piped up, her trunk already stowed away on the train.
"Of course, Hun," the mother responded, hugging her daughter one last time, "as much as you want me to."
A whistle in the distance announced the train's departure. Holly jumped onto the train, though turning back to wave at her mother. "Thanks for everything, Mum!" she cried and Ginny waved goodbye until her daughter disappeared around the bend.
Ginny stood there for a few moments, still staring at the spot where the train had once been. A touch on her shoulder caused her to jump and spin around. In the process, she nearly ran into Hermione. The brown-haired woman had separated from the group of Weasleys that were making their way back through the barrier or apparating.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly before Ginny could hex the woman. Although she had accepted her fate, she still felt somewhat resentful towards her brother's wife.
"I'm sure you are," Ginny answered coldly.
Hermione bit her bottom lip. "You have a right to be angry with me," she said honestly, "but so do I. You put me in a bad position."
Ginny sighed in defeat. "I know, I did," she answered, her expression softening. "I've been so stupid. I thought I was doing the right thing. Does everyone in the world know now?" As she said this, she eyed the crowd leaving. She could feel some sort of tension as she stood on the platform, though she didn't understand why.
"In a way," Hermione said vaguely. "Do you get the Daily Prophet?"
The red-headed witch shook her head. Hermione handed her the copy of the paper. Ginny had barely glanced at the headlines before she burst with laughter. "Oh really!" she cried, as she scanned through the article. "Hermione, how could you?"
"I've been summoned to a hearing next Friday," Hermione told her with a dark expression. "You need to help me clear this up. Don't you think it's about time you came clean?"
Ginny hesitated before she agreed. It had been unfair of her to do this to Hermione. "I think so," she admitted, then added tentatively, "what did my family say?"
The expression on Hermione's face was unreadable. "You will have to talk to them yourself," she told her.