Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my ideas. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Six: Hiding the Truth

Marley was cursing herself.

Why had she moved away?

James had most definitely been going to kiss her - something she thought about every time she was with him and a lot of the time she wasn't with him. She had seen him look at her lips and move closer and then...

She had gotten scared.

She had chickened out and moved away.

What if they kissed and James realized that she wasn't all that special? She knew that he had been with a lot of girls at school, whereas she hadn't dated many for more than a few trips to Hogsmeade.

What if they tried things and it didn't work out?

She wasn't sure she could handle not having James in her life.

She needed advice, and she honestly wasn't sure who to go to. Marley was sure she could go to Roxanne, her best friend besides James. But... did she want to? She could go to her mother, or Meredith.

Meredith seemed so distracted and distraught with her own things that Marley wasn't sure if she could dare to bother her with something else.

But then again... Meredith had always been there for her.

Marley groaned, sitting up on her bed and deciding that she would go to whoever she saw first - her Mom or Meredith. She padded out into the hall and headed down into the living room, finding her mother sitting on the couch with a book and a cup of tea.

She was happy to see that she was alone - it was a rare moment when either one of Marley's parents had a second to themselves.

"Mum?" Marley called out tentatively.

Hermione looked up, smiling at her daughter instantly. "Yes, love?"

"C-can I talk to you for a second?" Marley asked.

Hermione shut the book and placed it on the table in front of her before patting down on the couch for Marley to join her. Marley sighed and took in a deep breath of courage - she had to talk about it now. She sat down next to her Mother who summoned a blanket over with her wand to cover the both of them.

"Thanks." Marley said. "Okay, so..."

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Y-you know how I - uh - I..." Marley stammered.

She hated opening up about things like this. But she knew that her mother almost always had good advice.

"Is this about James?"

And apparently was a mindreader.

"How did you know?" Marley asked.

"I just do, love. What about him?" she said.

"Well... I just... I really like him Mum, and I think that he likes me too, but..." Marley started, sighing in sadness. "I'm afraid that if we try things out and give it a go and it doesn't work out... I'll-I'll lose my best friend."

Hermione smiled softly at Marley, in just a way that made Marley feel comfortable.

"Do you really like him, Marley?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Mum. I really really do." Marley whispered.

"Then, you have to go with what your heart wants. I think that boy is head over heels for you, love and I know that he already makes you happy."

"Yeah, he really does."

"Then, you should follow your heart."

Marley knew that her Mom was right, but she still couldn't shake her sense of fear.

"What if it doesn't work out, Mum?" Marley whimpered.

"But what if it does?"

Marley was quiet and then leaned into her Mother, allowing her to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close - something she was sure she hadn't done in years. She felt Hermione begin to stroke her hair, the way she used to do when she tucked her into bed.

"Let me tell you something that I haven't told any of your siblings, okay?" Hermione started.

Marley turned her head slightly to look at her Mother. She was almost certain that Hermione told Meredith everything. Those two had always had a different relationship than the rest of her siblings - and if Marley was being honest, it had always made her a little jealous.

"You know what you said about your father and I having a perfect love story?" Hermione started.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's true. Everyone always says how perfect you two are and how you got together in Hogwarts, Mum." Marley sighed, rolling her eyes.

Even her friends who didn't really know her parents raved about Hermione and Draco. She knew that her Mum was still a tad famous from being a part of the people who had saved the Wizarding World all those years ago. Her name would always be known.

"Marley, there is so much that you don't know about your father and I." Hermione sighed. "When we were apart for a few years, I... I had a small relationship with your Uncle Harry."

Marley sat up, moving out of her Hermione's grasp with her eyes bulging. "You and Uncle Harry?" she shouted.

Hermione nodded slowly. "Yes. And... and when things were over, I just knew that our friendship was strong enough to overcome it. And look at us now - twenty years later and still the best of friends."

Marley could not believe it. Her mother and James's father had been together? She was almost certain that Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had been together since the instant the War was over.

"I can't believe you were with Uncle Harry!" Marley shouted.

"Shh! Please, don't bring that up around your father, okay? It always gets to him." Hermione sighed. "The only reason I've told you is to prove to you that you can take a chance with James and that even if things don't work out, you can be okay."

"But..."

"Now, what I believe you and James have together is entirely different from what Harry and I had, but that doesn't mean if things don't work out you can't be friends anymore, okay?"

Marley nodded, still trying to process the information she had just been told. It was way too weird to understand. She had to tell James.

"Does Meredith know about that, Mum?" Marley asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so, no. She was way too young to remember."

Marley still couldn't process any of it. She knew that her mother was trying to be helpful, but she couldn't shake the weird image of her mother with Harry.

"Just follow your heart, love." Hermione whispered, leaning towards Marley and kissing the top of her head.

Marley nodded, now focusing on James once more. She needed to see him. Maybe if she saw him again, she would know for sure if she was ready for what she was almost certain they both wanted.

"Can I pop over to the Potter's house?" Marley asked, standing up.

Hermione smiled, seemingly amused. "You would go even if I said no."

"True."

Hermione got on her feet and pulled Marley into a hug. Marley tentatively let her mother hold her and hugged her back, closing her eyes and allowing herself to feel like a small child once more.

"I love you, Marley." Hermione whispered.

"Love you, too, Mum." Marley whispered back, letting go and walking over to the fireplace.

. . .

"One more, please."

The bartender poured another glass of FireWhiskey and pushed it towards Meredith. She knew she had exceeded the amount she usually had, but she didn't care. She needed to drink to forget tonight. She needed to forget for at least a second.

Meredith downed the contents in front of her and dropped coins on the bar, pushing them towards the barkeep.

"Cheers, mate." she muttered, standing up and steadying herself when the world spun just a bit.

"Steady there, Mer."

She whirled around, finding Leo approaching her. She groaned instantly. She had done so well at avoiding him over the last two years - and now he was everywhere in one day.

"Leo, please leave me alone." Meredith moaned, turning around and trying to hurry away from him.

"Please talk to me, Meredith. We need to talk." he protested, grabbing gently onto her arm.

She turned around and finally allowed herself to look into his eyes - his deep, green eyes that were already searching hers. Meredith instantly felt the connection between them once more. It was still there. Of course it was.

This was Leo.

She felt her lip quiver and braced herself to stop a breakdown. She would not lose it in front of Leo. She refused.

"P-p-please let me go, Leo." she whispered.

"You can't avoid me forever." he sighed.

"I know I can't. But I sure as hell can try." Meredith said, snatching her arm away and turning away.

As she did so, she tripped over her own feet, sending herself flying forward and onto her face. When she collided with the ground, she let out a sob - not because it hurt at all, but because she was so frustrated. She was so done with everything.

"I think you've had a little too much to drink, Mer. Let me take you home, okay?" he whispered, crouching down next to her.

Meredith was too tired and ashamed to protest. She felt him pull her to a standing position before feeling the swirling sensation of Apparation take over. When she opened her eyes, she found the two of them safely inside her bedroom - which she was glad for. She hated seeing her parents when she was drunk.

"Thanks." she muttered, collapsing down onto her green and silver bed. "You can go."

Leo crouched down in front of her and sighed sadly, shaking his head. "I'm here now."

"Please, Leo." she whispered tearfully.

"Look, Mer... if you hate me, okay. I guess that you've got to hate something, but -"

"I don't hate you, Leo! Don't you see that? If I hated you... would I be so upset?"

He was quiet as he stood up. Leo sat himself down beside Meredith and she turned her face away, letting out a choked sob. She buried her face in her hands, feeling absolutely horrible. She didn't want to push Leo away, but she couldn't face finally speaking about it.

"Okay, well... does this mean that you'll talk to me?"

"Leo -"

"Not right now, but soon?"

Meredith looked up at him. He looked so incredibly desperate that she knew she couldn't refuse him forever. She would have to face him. She would have to face it all.

"Okay. Soon." she whispered.

Leo leaned forward and kissed her forehead, causing a deep blush to erupt onto her cheeks.

"Thank you." he whispered back. "Now, get into bed, okay? It's late and you've gotta sleep this off."

Meredith obediently crawled under the covers and Leo pulled them tight over her. She was reminded sadly of the few days after it had happened, when Leo had done absolutely everything for her. He had held her hand, he had let her shout at him, he had done everything.

"Night, Mer. Sleep well." he whispered, bending down and kissing her forehead once more.

And then, she heard the sound of Disapparation and fell apart.

. . .

Hermione heard the sound of the Floo and turned her head immediately, hoping it was her daughter. She was getting tired, but wanted to stay awake until Marley got home. She could still hardly believe that her daughter had come to her for advice once more - and was a little bit astonished that she had told her about Harry.

Hermione sighed sadly when she was that it was in fact Harry, and not Marley.

"Hi, Harry." she said with a yawn.

Instantly, she noticed his worrisome expression. She sat up straighter on the couch and felt herself jolt more awake.

"Harry, what is it?" she asked.

He made his way over to Hermione, sitting down beside her. He looked at her curiously, and Hermione knew that he was assessing her mood level before deciding how to spill whatever it was that was concerning him.

"Harry, out with it." Hermione said with a deep sigh.

"Right, okay, well... Ginny's just received a Floo call from her Mum and..." he started, clearing his throat.

Hermione nodded encouragingly. "And?"

"And Molly's said that... that Ron's come to her."

Hermione's heart all but stopped. She blinked her eyes, knowing she had to have heard Harry wrong.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"Ron's come to her. He came to the Burrow, Hermione. He's there right now. She didn't know how to turn him away." Harry divulged.

Hermione shook her head. "No. Why-why would he do that? No one's spoken to him in sixteen years, Harry! Why would he... why?"

Hermione felt herself shake. She hardly let herself think about the man that had once been her best friend - the man she had almost married, the man who had beaten her, the man who had kidnapped her daughter for months.

"I... I don't know. Molly said she'd call back in the morning." Harry said.

"But... why is she even talking to him? Why didn't she tell him to leave?" Hermione asked.

"Because he's her son, Hermione."

"I don't care! He ruined my baby girl, Harry. She was never the same after that, and you know that. She can't trust people because of what he did to her and me!"

"Hermione, I know that. I was there for everything, you know that."

Hermione felt her lip quiver and Harry instantly wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to him.

"How about you come over in the morning, okay?" Harry whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. "That way you can hear what Molly says."

"Okay." Hermione whimpered.

"Now, where's Draco?" Harry asked.

"I-I don't know, actually. I think he went out earlier and he hasn't come back yet."

. . .

Draco took a deep breath before knocking at the door. He knew that he shouldn't be there, but he couldn't help himself. He was just too damn curious. The door opened, revealing the raven haired women that he hadn't seen up close in almost two decades. He had seen her from afar on Platform 9 and 3/4 dropping off her children, but that hardly counted.

"Draco." Astoria said, her eyes widening at him.

He attempted a weak smile at her. "Astoria."

"It's uh... it's been a long time. What are you doing here?" she said.

"I just need to ask you something. May I come in? Or are you busy?"

She moved aside, gesturing for him to step inside the door. She led him down al long hallway into a small sitting room. He sat down on a chair across from her spot on the couch. The silence was incredibly awkward.

"Are you alone?" Draco asked.

Astoria raised her eyebrows at him and nodded skeptically. "Yes."

"Okay, I... I need to ask you something about Daphne."

Astoria's expression darkened and Draco felt bad for having to ask. He thought about getting up and leaving - but then he thought about how distraught Meredith had seemed and knew he had to get as much information as he could.

"What about her?" Astoria asked, her lips pursing together tightly.

"I heard that she passed away." Draco began carefully.

"She did. A long time ago." Astoria sighed. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Well, I just found out about it this morning. I had no idea. I'm really sorry, Astoria."

She nodded her head politely and shrugged at him. "How did you find out?"

"Well... your nephew was in my kitchen this morning."

Astoria widened her eyes at him before groaning. "Whatever Leo's done, I apologize for him."

"No, he hasn't - actually, I don't know what he's done."

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, it's clear that he knows my daughter Meredith and has done something to upset her."

Astoria shrugged. "Got me. Leo's been... his behaviour changed dramatically a few years back. He got back from school and was just never the same since. It's clear that something happened, but I really don't know what."

"You have no idea?" Draco asked.

"None. I've tried to get it out of him. My husband - Theodore - tried, too, but never really got anywhere farther than I did."

Draco sighed, defeated. "Alright, well, sorry to bother you, then."

"Wait, Draco, how is she? Your daughter, I mean. I read about her in the papers all those years ago."

"She's... you know. She's grown up well. Ask Leo about her, would you? And owl me if he says anything?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Tori."

They sat in silence, Draco unsure if he should leave. He looked at Astoria, finding her eyes filled with question.

"What?" he asked.

Astoria shook her head. "No, nothing, I just..."

"Astoria, what is it?"

"When Leo was in school - around Sixth Year, I think - he wrote us and said he had a girlfriend. He didn't say her last name and I didn't think about it then, but it had to have been your daughter."

"He said Meredith?"

"Yes."

Draco sat back in his seat, wondering why his daughter had never mentioned Leo.

Author's Note: thanks for reading! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! xx also, Happy New Year! I hope that it's a great year for all of you lovely people! (: