A/N: This is a rather short chapter but I do hope you enjoy it.
As always, I am looking forward to your feedback.
My Cheating Heart
By: tweety-src-clt9
Chapter Thirteen: The Tragic Tale of the Wizarding World's Power Couple
Harry Potter Reveals All About His Marriage to Long-Lost Lady Potter
By: Rita Skeeter
Sometime in 1994, this reporter has speculated about the budding tragic romance between the then unexpected Tri-Wizard Champion, fourteen-year-old, Harry Potter and his brilliant best friend, Hermione Granger. A few years later, after our hero's success against He-who-must-not-be-named, we were astounded by the scandal that is the sudden marriage of Harry Potter to Hermione Granger despite the latter being engaged to another.
Then dubbed as the 'Scarlet Woman of Britain' for having allegedly stolen Harry Potter from his original fiancée, Ginevra Weasley (now Zabini), Hermione Granger victoriously returns to our shores as the Chief of the Medical Research Department of the International Confederation of Wizards. What's shocking is that per an interview from another paper, Hermione Jean Granger is unaware that after leaving us for ten years, she is still the Lady Potter.
Of course, we have long speculated on the trials that befallen our star-crossed lovers but Harry Potter and Hermione Granger have long been silent about the issue of their troubled marriage. Only via a recent publication containing her feature upon promotion in the ICW did the rest of us get an insider view of what happened to the relationship of the Wizarding World's Power Couple.
Did Hermione Granger trick Harry Potter into marrying her? Is she the sly scarlet woman that we all know her to be? Or is she protecting our tragic hero from a sinister plan?
With the long-lost Lady Potter's return, tongues have been wagging whether or not we finally get to see a happily ever after or the sad end of the Wizarding World's Most Powerful Couple. At the recently held Hogwarts Alumni Homecoming, Hermione who is assumed to be the World's Best Healer bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award and shocked everyone with her emotional song number that screamed her grievances regarding her marriage to our tragic hero.
Sources say that Lady Potter's performance contained song lyrics such as, 'I know you want me back. It's time to face the facts that I'm the one that's got away. Thank god you blew it. What goes around, comes back around. I bet it sucks to be you right now'. The song itself tells us that our tragic hero's long-lost wife is telling everyone that she's happy to be separated from him. We can feel the angst, resentment, and viciousness. This poses the following questions, what did Harry Potter ever do for his wife to hate him so? Why did their marriage fail? Why did they get married in the first place? Finally, we all want to know why the great slayer of He-who-must-not-be-named is begging his estranged wife for one more chance when he too surprised the attendees of the recent homecoming with a song that per my reliable sources state, 'I'll never walk again until you come back to me. I'm down on bended knee'.
Dear readers, it's now time for all our questions to be answered. A few hours after the Hogwarts Alumni Homecoming, I received an owl from Harry Potter himself containing his narration of what happened all those years ago. While I am uncertain as to why our hero finally wishes to acknowledge all the unanswered questions regarding his marriage, I am delighted to grant him his request. Below is a complete and unedited explanation from the man himself…
"Rita, I believe it is time for me to finally admit what happened ten years ago regarding my marriage to Hermione Granger. Everything stated here is all fact. I would not have you alter any single word from my official statement. Or else!
Ten years ago, Hermione Granger and I were the talks of the town due to our sudden marriage that ended with her hasty departure from Britain. She has been called names, Scarlet Woman of Britain being the most prominent. Now I am finally going to debunk that hateful moniker and admit to everyone that Hermione Granger, is the most sacrificial, loving, and amazing woman that I have ever met. Due to my stupidity, influences of others, and secrets, I lost her. But before I get carried away, let's go back to the start…
Hermione Jean Granger is my best friend. Yes, she may not agree with me anymore, but to me, she always will be. Ten years ago, Hermione due to coercion from Luna Lovegood and Fleur Delacour-Weasley, tricked me into marrying her to save me from a vicious plot to legally steal my wealth. As you all know, I was first engaged to Ginevra Weasley but Luna and Fleur discovered that Ginny was in love with Blaise Zabini (now her husband) but she wanted me for the Potter and Black money. They discovered that Ginny planned to have me marry her, build her a large manor (which I did), and once that all happens, she make it seem like I cheated on her so that she can file divorce and legally demand my wealth as payment for the alleged cheating. Once my wealth is hers and our marriage is annulled, she would then marry Blaise Zabini who used to be rich but lost his fortune due to his father's involvement as a Death Eater. If you want proof, I can provide pensieve memories. Hermione was very much in love with me then and when she heard of the nefarious plot, despite her hesitations, she agreed to participate in her friends' plan.
The plan was Luna will tell me that one of the side-effects of Bellatrix Lestrange's tortures of Hermione at Malfoy Manor during the Voldemort War is that she is stuck with a dark curse that can only be removed via a love-based ritual between herself and a virgin lover. Since Hermione is my best friend, upon hearing Luna's story, I immediately volunteered to be the virgin lover. I didn't know that Fleur used Veela Magic to ensure that when Hermione and I make love, she would immediately get pregnant. As head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter and regent of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, I was compelled to marry her when she got pregnant. Hence, ending my engagement to Ginny and our sudden wedding.
I was devastated when the Weasleys hated Hermione and myself when she got pregnant and we had to marry. I consider the Weasleys as my family and the separation from them pushed me to start drinking. I did not blame Hermione for getting pregnant because when we did the 'ritual', I meant everything I did because I only wanted to save her. One night at the Hog's Head, Ginny taunted me about Hermione's intentions. I returned home drunk and demanded answers from Hermione as to why we suddenly got married. Hermione's only reply was that she was in love with me and she did everything she could to steal me away from Ginny. At this point, I was not aware of Ginny's gold-digging schemes, so I treated Hermione severely. I felt so hurt that Hermione, the one person I trust the most in the world, could betray me like that. With her betrayal and the hatred from the Weasleys, I resented her. Ever since that night, I treated her like shit.
I would honestly now confess all the sins I made during our marriage. I never physically hurt Hermione. But I emotionally destroyed her. I brought random women in our house, paraded them in front of her, and slept with them to spite her. I threw insults and I made sure that she would feel my scorn. When we moved into the then Potter Manor (which I originally built for Ginny since she demanded me to build her one as part of our engagement), I confiscated Hermione's wand and told her to manually clean the large house I built for the real Lady Potter. I let myself be blinded by the pain of what I perceived as Hermione's betrayal and my pride. I am very remorseful to admit that I even enjoyed taunting her and seeing her cry.
I do not want to express in great detail how much I hurt Hermione during our time spent together as husband and wife. I never treated her like a wife. I more or less treated her like a house-elf. She was resilient however and she endured everything that I threw at her. When she was eight months pregnant, she was cleaning that time and I brought a random woman with me, I spitefully stated that I hated the baby Hermione was carrying in her womb. After that, things changed. Hermione would never even look me in the eye anymore. She would still do whatever it was I asked her to do, but she did not care about what it was that I did anymore. Looking back, as soon as I saw the pain in her eyes when I stated that I hated our baby, I immediately regretted it. I made so many mistakes in our marriage but that to me was the biggest mistake I ever did. The baby was innocent.
One day, I returned home to an empty manor and I panicked since I can't find Hermione anywhere. When I counted the months, I realized that she must have given birth already. I wasn't there for her when she suffered the pain of childbirth. When I flooed to St. Mungo's, the healer told me that she gave birth to a baby girl. However, this baby was very sickly. She had very weak lungs and an underdeveloped heart. I asked the reason why. The healer said that when a pregnant woman is stressed and suffers from emotional pain, then it will have side effects on the unborn child. I am the reason my daughter was born sickly. I could not bring myself to face Hermione and our daughter. I sneaked in to check on them and my heart broke. I knew then and there that Hermione will never forgive for me this.
After three months of stressful days and nights, especially for Hermione, as she fought with all her might to save our baby's life, she died. I can still remember waking up one day to Hermione's anguished screams. Our baby died in her arms. I can never forget the dead look in Hermione's eyes. The healers had to stun her and dose her with calming draughts since she was at risk of mentally losing it. I didn't know how I operated that day our baby died. I arranged for the baby's death certificate, the burial, while I was filled with guilt for all that happened. When I went to visit Hermione, the hatred in her eyes as she yelled at me to get out of her hospital room, is something that I have never seen from her before. The best friend I grew up with, loathed me maybe even more than she ever hated Voldemort. I spent the night crying outside her hospital room as I blamed myself for being the cause of my baby's death. If Hermione never recovered from the anguish and if she lost her mind, it would have been my fault too. I killed our baby and I broke Hermione's spirit.
One week after our baby's burial, Hermione entered my chambers - the first time she ever did in the entire duration of our marriage. She handed me the divorce papers. She said that she already signed it. All I had to do was to sign it myself and have it notarized. She said that she didn't want anything from me. I begged her to stay but she refused. She left me crying and kneeling on the floor as she walked out of the manor and my life.
I drowned myself in alcohol again when one day Luna and Fleur visited me. They asked me what I did to Hermione. It was obvious Hermione never confided to anyone about the way I treated her. Then the shock of my life came. Her friends told me that she only tricked me into marrying her since they coerced her to save me from Ginny. They showed me pensieve memories. I never hated myself so badly as that day.
That is the complete history of what happened between my failed marriage to Hermione. I drove her away from Britain because she could never forgive the man who caused her daughter to die.
Witches and Wizards of Britain all called Hermione names, 'Scarlet Woman of Britain' being the worst. Hermione who is the brains behind my perceived victory from Voldemort was severely mocked by the same people she worked so hard to help save. All of us benefited from her brilliance and sacrifices but we turned our back on her. She left the country and remained in contact with only five friends, the people who never judged her and left her side.
It is truly ironic that when Hermione was still here, nobody addressed her as the Lady Potter. Hell, even I never did! I only called her Lady Potter out of spite! When she was gone, however, and I started to demand people to stop publishing bad publicity about her and to formally call her the title she so deserves, it was for naught. It was too late! For ten years I looked for her and begged Luna and Fleur for her location but I was never successful in finding her. One day, I was very stunned to see her on the cover of The Wizard Times. Hermione Granger, my best friend, the woman I broke, rose from the ashes. She ended up representing Britain (and the people who used to mock her) in the ICW as Chief of the Medical Research Department. When the news circulated, people now insist on calling her Lady Potter. A title that she frankly doesn't give a shit about!
I would only like to add that I am to blame for our failed marriage and the loss of our friendship. To the people of Britain (and the rest of the magical community), please leave Hermione alone. She doesn't deserve your scorn or your false adulation because of her achievements. Calling Hermione as the Lady Potter will only be perceived as an insult by her. In as much as she deserves the title like no one else ever could, she doesn't care about it anymore. So, I only request that you leave her alone because she needs the peace. She deserves it. Besides, if you want her to focus on saving the children affected by the epidemic (the only reason she is back in Britain, to be honest), then do not bother her.
Should my statement have violent reactions, approach me and not Hermione. She should not be bothered at all.
Lastly, I would only like to say that I am truly very sorry Hermione. You are right. You truly were the best thing I ever had and it sucks to be me right now.
All statements are guaranteed to be true,
Harry James Potter"
There you have it, my dear readers. Now we have a glimpse of the true history of the fallen marriage of what is supposed to be The Power Couple of the Wizarding World.
To Hermione Granger, on behalf of the people of Magical Britain, we are truly sorry for all the pain from the insults we threw at you. We can only wish you all the best and thank you profusely for all you have done for our country and its people.
The British Wizarding World is in for a rude awakening that Monday morning as the Daily Prophet was circulated the entire country.
In a weirdly structured house in Ottery St Catchpole, a wee red-haired matriarch read the front-page story of the Daily Prophet. After reading, she decided to confront the one person who is involved in all of this.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! Explain all of this! Is it true that you planned to legally steal from Harry?", a fumingly mad Molly screamed for her daughter to appear as she stomped into the house via floo.
"Ginny! Get down here this instant!", Molly yelled. Footsteps can immediately be heard from the stairs. A sleepy red-haired woman ran down to meet her mother.
"Mum! Keep quiet! Blaise and I are tired of watching Julianna -"
"Explain this Ginny!", Molly screeched as she pushed the Daily Prophet to her daughter's chest.
"Ouch!", her daughter winced.
"Read it now!", Molly demanded. As Ginny Zabini looked at the headline, she gulped.
"Mum, I can explain!", she said meekly as her face paled.
"You tried to legally steal from Harry and break his heart. What's worse is that your actions caused the death of an innocent child!", her mother was livid.
"What? What are you talking about? I would never kill a child!", she was offended.
"Read it! Every single word!", Molly screamed. Ginny gulped and complied. It took her about ten minutes to read the article and when she reached the end, she had tears of shame and guilt in her eyes.
"Mum, I didn't know. I swear I didn't know that their baby -", she was sobbing now.
"How dare you beg Hermione to save your daughter when your selfish actions caused her to lose her very own!?", Molly hissed.
"Mum, I'm sorry. I -", she was kneeling in shame.
"I am very disappointed in you Ginny. No wonder Hermione wouldn't even look at you", Molly Weasley disapparated.
It is indeed a very surprising morning for the magical community when they discover that the woman they once called as 'The Scarlet Woman of Britain' is the innocent one. The woman they sympathized with all those years ago, is the true scarlet woman. As the entire country was stunned with this twist of events stated by their beloved hero's confession on the paper, Hermione Jean Granger was still fast asleep since she was very tired from all the drama that happened the day before.