A/N: Yay! I got reviews! does happy dance Thanks so much, and I know it's been forever since I've updated but I wasn't feeling it, and now I am!

Disclaimer: I in no way profit from anything.

Chapter 3

Starting with secrets and lies

"I know you didn't want this to happen this way, but it has and now there's no way around it."

"Keep your voice down, ok? That's not why I asked you to come help me. I…I'm thinking I made a bad choice."

"On what?"

"Getting married."

"What? Why?"

"I don't think it was the best idea, that's all."

"Any reason in particular? It must be something recent for God's sake, it's been sixteen years and I didn't catch on to anything. I always thought you two were great together! Sure, you fought, but Harry and I do that constantly, and we still love each other, and I know you and Ron do!"

"I know! I thought so too, but it's like ever since this prophecy stuff started back up, he's been drifting away. I know it hurt him, the way Natalie spoke to him like that, but…I really had thought that he'd get over it."

"That's understandable. You know, I always thought you and he would have a baby together…it felt like it would be his, really his. He loves Natalie like crazy, but at the end of the day, I always wondered how many times he'd look at her and see another man in her features."

"I thought it would look odd, if Natalie looked one way, and another baby looked differently, and besides, I couldn't bear the thought of having another baby."

"Why not? You love kids!"

"It felt like cheating…like I was being unfaithful to someone along the way."

"How? It's Ron you cheated on!"

"But Robbie, he wasn't just a fling, Ginny. I really felt something for him! Maybe it wasn't what I felt for Ron, and maybe it wasn't even love, but he was special."

Ginny sat gaping at her friend. She took a deep breath and looked around at Hermione's cheery yellow kitchen. This was the kitchen where her friend had sat every morning and eaten breakfast with her brother and their daughter, and now she was telling her that she didn't love Ron.

"I think you need some time to think." Ginny said slowly.

"But I don't need to think, this is how I feel!"

Ginny shook her head as if to drown out the sound.

"NO, you're not getting it. You need to take off work, spend some time at home with my brother, your husband, and forget this conversation happened. You're depressed. Natalie's leaving in a year, and now you're pining away for her dead father, and you just need time. That is it. I'm never going to speak of this again, and neither are you. I just came over to tell you that Harry is taking a job at Hogwarts as an extra security Auror so that he can keep an eye on Natalie and James, and make sure that they're doing what they promised. I'm going to go home now. Have a nice evening, and I'll see you tomorrow at the station."

Ginny stood up and Disapparated. Hermione put her head in her hands and cried softly. On the stairway, Natalie sat, hardly daring to breathe.

o-----------------------------o

When Ginny got home she sank into a chair in her own kitchen to try to wrap her head around what had just happened. She didn't have long to think alone, however, because Harry came home in only a matter of minutes.

"Gin, you won't believe the day we had today. I swear, Ron and I didn't see outside the building until we were leaving. Paperwork. All day long, that's all we did. Transfer paper, legal documents, honesty contracts, I swear, if I never see another piece of paper that uses the words 'hereafter' I'll die a happy man."

"Why was Ron doing paperwork?" Ginny asked.

Harry turned to look at her, clearly surprised.

"Well…he's getting my office position. Temporarily, of course, but…surely Hermione told you that. Ron mentioned that the two of you were having a girl day today."

"No, well, we didn't' really talk about Ron's job that much, and it wasn't a day, it was more of an hour."

"I'd wondered why you were home. It's only three, and you're nearly gone all day on those types of things."

"Why are you home so early?" Ginny asked.

"We finished the paperwork." Harry said simply, sitting down with a butterbeer in his hand.

"And the department doesn't need their two top Aurors at the ready? Surely all the mass murderers aren't taking a holiday."

"I—Ginny what's gotten into you? I've never seen you like this."

"Me? What's gotten into me? What's gotten into you, Harry? I hardly see you and now you pop in and pass off being home early as 'we finished the paperwork'. I know for a fact that you're always the last to leave. It's not like you to take off and leave all the other Aurors alone."

"They're not alone, Gin, I left Dean in charge."

"Why now, all of a sudden? Why didn't you leave Dean in charge, say for our anniversary? Or for Ella's birthday last year? Oh, or what about when Mum got so sick? You visited for a half an hour, Harry James Potter, and then you had to go back to the office! There was no 'leaving Dean in charge' then!" Ginny was standing, her hair falling around her face, looking quite hysterical.

"Ginny…" Harry walked over to her and put his arms around her.

"Stop it, Harry, quit, I mean it!" Ginny beat at his arms, but he held her tighter, and finally she fell against him, sobbing.

"What's wrong, babe?" He asked softly.

"I visited with Hermione today." Ginny said, sniffing.

"Oh, yeah, visiting with her always makes me crazy too. What else?" Harry asked.

"Shut up Harry, this is serious."

"Sorry. Go on."

"Well, it's just that I don't think that Hermione's very happy with Ron anymore."

"Really? Wow…I…wow…really didn't see that one coming."

"I know. Have you—have you noticed anything with Ron or anything?"

"Not really, I—wait…yes I have. It's like ever since we decided to tell them about it, he's been getting moodier and moodier. I mean, obviously, that was to be expected, but he's been really down in the dumps. I really don't want you to run wild with this theory but I think that Ron's with someone else."

"No! Ron? He wouldn't Harry, I know he wouldn't. He loves Hermione…I—you've seen them together!"

"And I've seen them apart, too. Ron gets real friendly with all the newest hires when he thinks no one's looking. I've kept myself out of it, but now I think it's time to involve myself. I can't stand the thought of him and Mione splitting up after all this. Think of the impact that'll have on Natalie. She's going to have enough to deal with this year without her parent's splitting up."

"You know, I wish somewhere along the way we'd managed to get the hang of this grown-up thing. I don't think we're very good at it." Ginny sighed.

"I get that feeling too, sometimes. It's almost as if we threw ourselves into adulthood way prematurely. Ella and James have a couple of teenagers for parents."

"Oh, now, I think that's the fun part. I'd always wished Mum and Dad had been a little more receptive to teenage stuff when we were growing up."

"Yeah, that would have been nice." Harry said softly.

"Hey." Ginny looked up at him and untangled herself from his hug. "Happy thoughts, 'kay? I can't deal with any more depressing stuff."

Harry laughed.

"Okay. Where are James and Ella?"

"James is helping Ella pack. Why don't you go and check on them while I start dinner?"

"You've got yourself a deal."

o-----------------------------------o

"Ella?" Harry tapped on his daughter's door, bracing himself for a battle. Ella was hitting that 'I hate my dad' stage.

"It's open!" Ella yelled.

Harry pushed open the door and his jaw dropped.

"I thought you were packing!" He gasped.

"I am!" Ella said.

The room was covered in clothes and shoes and her trunk was completely empty.

"This is packing?" Harry said, stepping over a copy of Standard Spells: Grade Five.

"I can't find the new dress robes that Mum and I just bought. I had everything packed when I realized that they weren't in there, so I had to take everything out and search for them."

"Whoa…why didn't you just go get your mum so she could do a Summoning Charm on them?" Harry asked, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Oh." Ella stopped sifting through her books and grinned sheepishly. "That makes much more sense now that I think about it."

Harry sighed.

"Hang on. Leave everything alone and I'll go get your mum. She's better than I am at those pack charm thingies."

"Thanks Dad, but I'll go get her. She'd have to leave you in charge of dinner, and we all know what happens when you cook."

"Hey, that was one time, okay? I thought we were forgetting about that." Harry called after Ella as she ran downstairs.

"I don't think even a Memory Charm could erase that meal, Dad."

Harry turned around to see James leaning on the frame of his bedroom door.

"Joke all you want, mister, but just wait till you make a dinner for your family and it turns out horribly…I'll be there to laugh when it does, trust me."

James smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"And what family is that, Dad? The one that's being chosen for me?"

Harry sighed heavily.

"James…please…this is your last night here. Can we not spend it fighting, please?"

"Aw gee, Dad, I was hoping I could." James said sarcastically, "Of course I don't want to spend it fighting. I just…I dunno…I guess I thought joking about it would make it easier."

"It doesn't." Harry sighed, and motioned to James's room. "Can we sit down?"

James shrugged, but walked into his room. Harry followed.

"Joking might make it a little better at the time, but it won't get easier. Your choices consume you…haunt you…feed off of your emotions. You can't escape." Harry drew a ragged breath, "Even today, years later, my choices are still with me. Don't try to get rid of them, or go the easy way, James, because eventually, whatever you do will come back and you'll have to live with it, and some choices make that impossible."

"So, in all, choices are killjoys?"

"Not all of them." Harry smiled.

"Yeah? Like which ones?"

"Well, deciding to marry your mum was the biggest one I can think of. I'll never regret that as long as I live."

"What about the prophecy? What about that choice?"

Harry's face darkened slightly.

"That's a mixed choice. I accepted long ago that I had to do it, so I didn't waste a lot of time dithering about it. Even when I was being a, well, a brat and saying poor me, something inside of me knew that I had to do it. I couldn't take the guilt of knowing that If I didn't' try to do something innocent people died."

"I think I see where you're going, Dad."

"Good. Now, finish your packing and then come down for supper. Your mum's got a big meal planned."

"Okay." James hesitated and watched as his dad got up and started to leave. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Harry turned at the door.

"I've always thought you made the good choice."

Harry looked surprised and puzzled for a minute, but then he smiled.

"Sometimes I do too." He said softly, and then left.

o------------------------------o

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