A few weeks later, Hermione and Harry sat down to lunch together at a park in the Muggle section of London. The trees were a patchwork of yellow and orange and red, and the rain had held off that morning, so the benches were dry.

"This is very nice, Hermione."

"Yes, isn't it lovely here, Harry? I often come here when I'm not in a hurry to get back to the office. It's nice to clear my head, and then there's this incredible food cart here. I desperately want to learn to make a proper tagine myself. The recipe books all describe the wandwork in the vaguest way. And it-"

Harry bit into his sausage and gasped. "Ho- hot! Er-mi-ne, wha- is this?" His eyes were streaming. His mouth and throat felt like he had just ingested spiced Fiendfyre.

"Oh dear, sorry about that, Harry! Maybe we should have ordered yours with extra pita bread? Didn't I warn you that Moroccan food can get a tad spicy?"

"A tad?!" he said, alternately fanning his mouth and gulping down more water. Hermione quickly handed him her extra container of rice and then fumbled as she tried to discreetly get her wand into her sleeve and perform a spell without letting any Muggles see it. In the process, she spilled her steaming stew onto her own lap and yelped.

"M'fine, just fine. I think my tastebuds have been permanently seared off, but it's alright. Here, take my napkins."

"I'm so sorry, Harry! Oh, look at my new skirt! Well, so much for being completely inconspicuous. I'll just scourgify it later. Wait here."

To Harry's amazement, Hermione walked back over to the same food vendor and returned with a plate of falafel and another bowl of tagine.

"Here, you still need to eat, and the falafel is perfectly safe, Harry. Don't look at me like that! I just really wanted my stew."

"So... are you making much progress on your Djinn liberation project, then?"

"Yes, I am! But don't try to sidetrack me. Down to business, Harry. I want to talk about your plan for coming out."

"Hush! We are in public, here, remember?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Harry! It's a Muggle park. None of these people have a clue who you are! So I take it, then, that you would not go for my press conference idea?"

Harry raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"So what is your plan, then?"

"Hermione, I am sorry, but this is really none of your business."

"You don't have one! Harry, you can't go on like this. We need to make you a plan."

"I don't believe this!"

"Okay, so I can see you are a bit nervous about it. How about this- I'll set you up with someone from the ministry, and then you can take it slowly. Here's a list I prepared of every gay wizard- well every known gay wizard- in our age range. You aren't interested in older chaps are you? Anyway, just pick one, and I'll talk to him."

"Hermione, are you insane?! I do not need you to tell me how to come out, or to set me up with someone. There are some things a bloke needs to do for himself!"

She looked crestfallen. "I was afraid you'd take it that way. Ron says I am meddling too much, too. I just want you to be happy, Harry. It's going to be fine, you know, you coming out. You'll be great. Don't you at least want to see my list, though?"

"Oh, give it here, then. I can't believe you, some days." He started reading the names to himself. "Why don't I know about all of these? This is a pretty long list. Dean Thomas- the guy who Ginny used to date? Wow, that's too weird! And Oliver Wood? Well, everyone knows about Zabini... Do you actually know everyone on this list is gay, or are you only guessing? Hey, why didn't you write Malfoy's name down?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows this time. "Draco Malfoy? Harry, I'm shocked! Well, other than being a snappy dresser, I don't have any reason to think he is gay. He's married, but I suppose that doesn't means anything, does it? So do you know something I don't?"

Harry shrugged. "No, I don't. I just always figured he could be. I give you credit for being extremely thorough, though. Look, thanks for taking all the trouble, but I would like to handle this on my own. I think I can figure my love life out on my own terms. I admit it's scary, much more scary than getting together with Ginny was, but I will do it. And I promise you'll hear all about it when I'm ready. But for goodness sake, I haven't even found a new apartment yet!"

"Oh, alright, then. But before I forget, Ron says to ask you if you would like to start coming to the senior Auror meetings again now. The next one is Wednesday at four. They could really use your help."

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, tell him I'll be there. And thanks- for everything."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ginny and Lily had finished their breakfast, and Ginny had set Lily to do her reading for the morning, while Ginny meticulously read through the newspaper. She was making notes of different techniques in article writing. Mother and daughter were squashed up cozily next to each other on the divan. They made a picturesque pair with their matching red hair and both unconsciously biting their quills in just the same way.

"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed.

"What is it, Mum?"

"Oh, someone died. No one that you know, though, dear." There was a brief article about Astoria Greengrass Malfoy, who had just died in some tragic and horrible accident with a cursed silver comb in Malfoy manor. "I wonder what on earth happened?" she wondered privately, not wanting to disturb Lily.

But a few minutes later, the morning owl post arrived through the open kitchen window. "Mummy, the post! Did anything come for me?"

"Yes, it looks like James has written you this time. Dear boy! And here is Albus's usual letter to Daddy and me. Goodness, it's quite long this time!" Ginny read Albus's letter to herself:

"Dear Mum and Dad,
You won't believe what happened! Scorpius- you remember my friend Scorpius? The one I told you gets teased a lot for being the son of a Death Eater? And they used to call him awful names, but I said they shouldn't be bullies because being in Griffindor means you are brave and have honour. And it turns out that Scorpius is nice, really, and he flies quite well, only not quite as well as I do. Anyway, since Dad said that Slytherins can be alright, too, I don't mind being friends with one. Scorpius had me come round to their common room to play wizarding chess, and we were having a great game because I had taken both his knights already, but THEN, his dad came to see him, and it was just awful! You won't believe it, Scorpius' mum died! His dad looked just as white as a sheet, and after he told Scorpius, then he went all white too, and started to cry, and then they left together to go home, and Headmistress McGonagall says that he may stay away for some time. And she said that any of his friends who want to go to his mum's funeral can get permission to go. And please may I go? Only don't tell James because he'll pick on me!
Love, Albus
PS I found my way to classes this week without getting lost once! Dad, your note about the staircases really helped. Mum, thanks for sending me the ginger biscuits. I miss you all. Say hello to Lily!"

Ginny owled Albus back right away.

"Dear Albus,
Of course you may go, darling! I'll talk to Dad about the details, and we'll work out how to take you. I can't promise that James won't hear about it, but I won't mention it if I can help it. I'm so proud of you for being a good friend. What a very sad thing to happen! I'll write more soon.
Love,
Mummy"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After Lily went to bed that evening, Ginny and Harry had a long and productive talk. Ginny rarely cried or exploded things in front of Harry now, even when it was a difficult conversation, and Harry was also becoming less defensive and easier to talk to.

Taking Albus to the funeral would be tricky because neither parent was particularly eager to go, and also because, under the circumstances, they wanted to be considerate of Draco's feelings. In the end, they decided that Ginny should go, since she had the least history with the Malfoy family. And Albus could send Scorpius some chocolate frog cards instead of flowers, if he wanted to.

They also talked over the sleeping arrangements, which were working fairly well so far. Ginny had moved into Albus's room for now, just until Harry found himself an apartment somewhere nearby. He would be looking at several possible places that week, and with luck, choose one of them soon.

They decided that Lily would start off spending weekdays with Ginny and weekends plus Fridays with Harry, and they could see how it worked.

"Can I hug you?" Harry asked when they had finished talking.

"No, Harry. Thanks, but it's not good for me right now. I'm still trying to stop thinking of you in a romantic way. But we did well tonight, didn't we? We're getting there."

"Yeah, we are. I just wish it weren't so hard. Good night then."

"Good night." Ginny remembered to breathe, and then she went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She pulled out the new blue teacup she had bought for herself a few days ago. It had been the first time she had gone shopping for herself in years. Drinking her tea from it tonight felt comforting. For so much of her life, Ginny reflected, everything had been about Harry-and-Ginny, never Ginny alone. Now this teacup was perhaps the first piece of this jigsaw puzzle that she was assembling which would become her new life, her life as just-Ginny. Holding her little blue china cup at that moment, the thought of her own life did not seem quite so terrible.

Ginny took out her quill and a folded piece of parchment and rewrote the final paragraph. It was a draft of an article on the new Irish quidditch team players. When it was ready, she would submit it to the sports editor of the Daily Prophet and see what happened.