Chapter 15: New and Old

It was late in the afternoon when Ginny was finally called into the briefing room. She had tried to get an appointment with Moody for earlier in the day to ask him about the mission, but all of her efforts had been pushed aside. She sighed as she walked down the hall that led to the briefing room, only this morning she had been so excited about this mission… now she wasn't sure she was up to it.

She stepped through the door and stopped cold. Sitting in one of the chairs along the long mahogany table was a dark haired man with cold brown eyes… her ex-husband. "What are you doing here?" she asked confusedly.

"Miss Weasley, if you'll take a seat we will begin explaining this mission to you," said Moody gruffly. Ginny shifted her eyes away from Michael and took a seat as far away from him as she could manage. Once she was seated Moody began explaining the situation. "I don't know if either of you keep track of muggle news, but in Cardiff there have been four murders in the past two weeks in a certain part of town. Each murder has been the same; there were no marks of any kind, no poison in their system. As far as we know the only thing that can kill without a mark is the Avada Kedavra curse. It is up to the two of you to apply for jobs in this area of town, keep an eye out for any witch or wizard that you come into contact with. Once we discover who the culprit is we want them taken to Azkaban, any questions?"

Ginny heard her blood roaring in her ears. She was supposed to accomplish all of this with Michael in tow? "Excuse me Alastor, but why did you choose the two of us for this mission?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"We chose the two of you because we need to keep this as inconspicuous as possible. If two people randomly were to go into town, looking for jobs in the same geographic area and were seen speaking together there would be suspicion. We need you to pose as husband and wife," Moody said with a soft growl.

Ginny stood up so fast that she knocked her chair over. "I won't do this, you can choose any other woman in the department, but I won't be his wife again… not even for the sake of a mission," she argued.

"I know this isn't pleasant for you Ginny, but you need to relax," Michael said with a soothing voice. He had moved close enough to touch her and she backed away from him.

"You son of a bitch," she choked, "this was your idea wasn't it?"

"Miss Weasley, calm yourself!" Moody barked at her, "Mr. Corner didn't know about this either until this morning. I chose the two of you because you know each other well enough not to get caught up in a trap if it ensues. You wouldn't have to make things up about a fake marriage; you just have to hide the fact that you aren't married any longer. I assume you still know the basics about each other. I wouldn't have to do this if I had a young married couple on my payroll. You don't have to live together; you just have to work together."

Ginny didn't take her eyes off Michael as Moody explained the situation. She knew that he wouldn't have put them together on purpose, but she didn't have to like it. "How long do you expect us to be working on this mission?" she asked softly, her eyes still focused on Michael.

"If it takes you longer than three months to discover who is doing the killings and take them to Azkaban I'll be surprised," Moody replied. Ginny nodded and pulled her chair back up to its normal position.

"When do we start?" she asked, finally letting her eyes leave Michael's.

"Report here on Monday morning and we will discuss the fine details, you are dismissed," Moody growled and stomped out of the room, leaving Ginny and Michael alone.

Michael stood with his back to the wall, his eyes fixed on her. "I'm glad that you decided to do this, Ginevra," he said with a soft smile and reached out for her. She backed away from him and gave him a piercing stare.

"I'm not doing this for you," she spat at him, "I'm doing this because I want to save the other muggles from suffering the same fate as the first four."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for several moments and then Michael spoke again. "I read in the Daily Prophet that you moved in with Harry Potter. I suppose Natalie finally has her father," he said with a trace of bitterness.

"He is a better father than you ever were, at least he loves us," Ginny said coldly.

"Has Harry asked you to marry him yet?" he asked lightly. Ginny didn't say anything; she just turned away from him. "I can't see how you prefer to be his whore to being my wife… at least I gave you my name. I gave you respectability while you were warming my bed."

Ginny flinched as if he had slapped her across the face. "At least he doesn't hit me," she whispered and then walked around him and out the door.

"You'll come back to me, we both know it. Harry was never man enough for you!" Michael yelled angrily after her. Ginny didn't turn around, she just kept walking. If she hadn't, she would have killed him.

Ginny closed the front door of Potter Manor behind her and leaned against it with a sigh. She was finally home, in a place where love radiated around her like a warm blanket. It was true that the Manor was the largest building she had ever seen, let alone lived in. It rivaled Hogwarts for sheer size, yet it didn't make her feel overwhelmed. There were three people living in a place meant for close to four-hundred, but it didn't bother her… it felt right. As far as she knew the Potter family had lived in Potter Manor since the early 1600's. It had been added to and expanded upon through the ages, it was home.

She heard the shrieking laughter of her daughter and she smiled. No matter how badly her day had gone before, she was at home now. Wherever Harry and Natalie were was the place she belonged. She still couldn't believe that she had almost lost all of this forever.

Natalie charged into the hall and saw Ginny leaning on the door. "You're home early!" she said with an excited squeal. She crossed the entryway and flung herself into her mother's arms.

"I was hoping that your father hadn't taken you to the Burrow yet," Ginny said with a smile as she ruffled her daughter's hair.

"Was that because you wanted to see me or her?" Harry teased as he walked into the room. Ginny felt her composure slip as he walked into the room. She hadn't realized how hard this was going to be to keep from him, she didn't even know if she was allowed to tell him that Michael was her partner. "Ginny, are you all right?" Harry asked as he watched her face fall.

She watched him as he walked across the room and took her into his arms. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she wrapped her own arms around him. "I'm so lost; I don't know what to do."

"Why are you crying, mum?" Natalie asked with worry evident on her tiny face. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Nat, why don't you go and see if Jingle has a snack for you," Harry suggested. Natalie gave her mother one last fleeting glance and then she left the room. Harry looked down into Ginny's eyes and brushed a stray curl behind her ear. "What's the matter, love?"

"I can't tell you," she whispered, "I can't share this with you and it scares me."

Harry held her tightly to his chest, letting her tears stain his shirt. "Does this have anything to do with your assignment?" he asked softly. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Is this something that might come between us?"

Tears flowed even faster down her cheeks, "I don't want it to, and I don't want to give you any reason to think that we don't belong together anymore. I hate this; I hate not being able to share everything with you."

"If anything happens to you and you can't tell me because it's a secret, I will make sure you don't have anything to do with the Auror department again, do you understand? I'm not going to lose you because of this damn secrecy policy," Harry said heatedly.

"If something happens that threatens me, I will tell you, Harry. I won't let them dictate my life to me," Ginny replied.

Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead and then stepped away from her. "I wish I didn't have to go to practice tonight, but it's only a half practice. I should be home in a few hours, just in time for dinner."

"Natalie and I will be waiting," she said and gave him her best smile. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you more," he said seriously and then walked out of the door.

"I'm glad that you decided to have dinner with me," George said to Hannah as they sat across from each other at a table that he had set up in the large living room.

"I was intrigued," Hannah replied with a smile, "You always know just what to say to catch my attention."

George grinned and took a bite of the cold pasta he had brought home from the corner delicatessen. He waited until he was done chewing and then he spoke to her. "Hannah, I need to be completely honest with you. It isn't fair that you have been working for me for a week now and you still don't know the whole situation with me and my children," he began in a soft voice.

"There isn't anything I'm doing wrong is there?" she asked worriedly, her hands wringing together.

"No, I couldn't have asked for a better nanny for my children, they adore you," George assured her and reached across the table to pat her hand. That comforting touch brought her eyes up to his and she looked shocked. He pulled his hand back and coughed to cover up the tension in the air. "Actually," he continued, "It really isn't about the children, it's about me."

Her pale eyebrow rose at his statement and he realized how strange he sounded. "Am I missing something?" she asked curiously.

"My wife and I are in the process of getting a divorce," he said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "She left with her newborn son; I say hers because she informed me that Charlie isn't mine." He gave her a strained smile and it was Hannah's turn to reach a comforting hand across the table. He took her hand and squeezed it before letting it go again.

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry for your troubles," she said sincerely. She finally understood what Jess had meant when she called J.R. her first baby brother… her brother Charlie lived with his mother.

"It doesn't really matter anymore, all that does matter is building a loving home for my children," he paused and looked into her eyes, "Already I can see that my children are growing attached to you and I think that having a female role model in their life is going to help them be without their mother."

"I can't take the place of their mother," Hannah said softly, wondering if that's where the conversation was going.

"That isn't what I meant," George assured her, "I just meant that… well…" He couldn't finish what he was saying because he wasn't sure she would understand. He wanted to tell her that he was glad that the woman in their life was her, she seemed to be exactly what his children needed right now. "You seem to fit into the missing puzzle piece of their life right now," he finished lamely.

Hannah nodded and began to poke at her pasta. "I think I understand what you mean, George. You don't have to explain yourself to me," she said with a soft smile. George felt his insides warm at her smile, there was such openness to her as if she accepted everyone for who they were. He needed someone right now who could accept him for who he was. He was beginning to feel as though his best wasn't good enough. "Penny for your thoughts?" Hannah's eyes met his again and he smiled.

"I was just thinking that you and I could become good friends," he said. True, it wasn't exactly what he had been thinking, but it was close enough to the truth that he didn't worry about what he left out.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Hannah sighed and set down her fork. "You've been honest with me and I can't do any less for you," she told him with a tired look on her face.

George felt surprise run through him as he looked at her. "What haven't you been honest about?" he asked quietly. He was suddenly scared to know what she was going to say. What could she be keeping from him that would be relevant to how she did her job?

"When you hired me I was working at the coffee shop, remember?" she asked and he nodded. "I think your sister told you that I was having problems with the manager and that isn't untrue. It was more than just disagreements… he was making advances on me," she said softly and began wringing her hands together again.

"What do you mean by advances?" George asked softly. He knew exactly what she meant, but he didn't want to believe it. He could admit to himself that she was beautiful and appealing… but to have her superior make unwanted advances on her, it didn't seem right.

"He would corner me in the back room as I attempted to leave my shift almost everyday. He would pin me to the wall and touch my hair…" she closed her eyes and let out a pained breath as she remembered what the man had done to her. "It never went any farther then attempted kisses or caresses, but I asked him to stop, it made me uncomfortable. He said that if I didn't give into him eventually that he would cut my hours. I couldn't afford to lose any of those hours!" she exclaimed in frustration.

George walked around the table and knelt beside her chair, taking her hands gently in his, hoping that she wasn't thinking that he was trying to take advantage of her like her manager had done. "He can't hurt you anymore, you aren't there anymore," he whispered soothingly and rubbed the back of her hands with his thumbs. He wanted to pull her into his arms and sooth her like he would one of his children, but it wasn't allowed… it especially wasn't allowed in this case.

"I just want you to know that I'm not a whore, no matter what he tells everyone in that strip of Diagon Alley, I never let him touch me. I don't want you to think I'm that kind of woman," Hannah choked out. Her tears were rushing down her face in torrents now, and George threw caution to the wind and pulled her into his arms, cradling her like a child. He reasoned with himself that she was an old friend from school and it was okay, but in his head he didn't believe it.

"Shhh, don't cry, Hannah. Everything will be all right now, you are here with me and the children and I'll never let anyone hurt you," he promised as he rubbed her back. She felt so warm in his arms; he didn't want to let her go, even though he knew he had to.

"I didn't want you to hear the rumors from anyone else," she whispered against his chest. "I value your opinion of me, and I don't want it hurt by anyone."

"I don't think any less of you, I promise," he told her and pulled himself away from her gently. He couldn't touch her anymore, it wasn't right, even though she needed comforted… it just wasn't right.

Hannah wiped her tears away and nodded. "I knew you would understand. You were always ready to listen to anyone at school who needed someone to talk to. You respected everyone unless they had done something really wrong."

George smiled at her recollection of him. It made him feel good to know that she had admired him in school and still admired him today. Her being able to trust him with her secret had meant a lot to him. He knew that no matter what happened while she was his children's nanny, she would never be just the hired help, she would be his friend. They had crossed that line tonight and he was grateful.

"Let me help you to your room," he suggested and pulled her to her feet. "You still seem a little shaky."

Hannah leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked down the hallway to her room. "You are a very good friend, George Weasley," she whispered softly.

"I hope so," he replied and squeezed her hand that she had placed trustingly in his. "I hope so."