Sorry its been a while… it's a little short, but enjoy…
"Your sure you want to do this Harry?" Claire asked holding Sophie and glancing over at Luna Lovegood waiting patiently in her office at the Quibbler,
"If she doesn't print the story someone else will,"
"Shouldn't you at least tell Ginny?" Harry just looked at her, he was cold to the name, he didn't feel anything when it was spoken, he didn't hear it at all, he just took Sophie smiled and kissed Claire's forehead,
"Everything will be fine, don't you worry,"
He walked proudly into the office where Luna greeted him with a strangely enthusiastic hug and then looked intently at Sophie.
"She's yours? This is the story? You and Ginny Weasley got married and had a baby without anyone knowing! Its amazing! I always knew you had the stealth of an Argentinean Agbroo!" Harry laughed, he had missed the wide eyed wonder Luna offered up
"Well I don't know about an Argentinean Ragu, but Ginny and I are no longer together, we do however have a daughter, and as much as I try to hide it, sooner or later the papers will find out and I want you to write the story exclusively,"
"Of course! Obviously Oh this is just like in fifth year with that toad Umbridge!" They reminisced briefly, so much had changed he had forgotten how long it had been since he last saw Luna
Sophie began to fuss slightly and Harry took the hint. They began the interview,
"When did all of this happen?" Harry took a deep breath,
"Well we found out last summer," he started,
"And by we you are referring to Ginny Weasley?" Harry didn't flinch
"Yes, we found out last summer, after graduation, after we had decided to end things, and decided to keep it under wraps for as long as possible in fear of too much publicity to something that was a very private affair,"
"I always liked Ginny Weasley, very nice girl," Luna said to no one, except to hear herself say it, harry stopped this time, if only for a moment,
" Sophie was born in December, and when we went to the Weasley home for Summer we gave them the news,"
"How did they feel about not being told?" Harry took a deep breath,
"In retrospect we should have told them, however when it happened we agreed we should wait until we were settled and had things figured out," his words were coming slowly, he was getting nervous,
"What did the two of you during your long absences with Quidditch?"
"Her mother took care of her at school where I believe the Dean was kind enough to allow for a house elf and I came to see her when I could," Luna paused for the first time in the meeting, and looked at Harry, then to Sophie, then at Harry as he looked at Sophie. There was a pained look in it, she understood in that moment,
"It must be hard to have a child so young," Luna stated simply
"I have help," he said looking over at Claire who was nervously pacing outside the office,
"You and Ginny are still friends then?" Harry did his best to crack a smile,
"She is the mother of my child," was all he said, Luna continued to ask questions, and Harry did his best to sound convincing in his answers especially because he had the idea Luna knew more than she alluded. She seemed to look at him knowingly which made him nervous,.
After about an hour they were done and Sophie had fallen asleep,
"Thank you Harry, I will send the story over as soon as it is off the press" Harry nodded and shook Luna's hand as he walked out, this was the first in a long line of questions and interviews and he was already feeling exhausted, not only exhausted and angry, very angry.
He was holding a sleeping Sophie as he walked over to Claire forcing a smile,
"Let's go home," he said taking her hand, she smiled back at him, he was just that kind of man. She had never had a man take the reigns for her, make her feel beautiful,
"What time is Ginny coming over to get Sophie?" she felt Harry tighten his grip on her hand at Ginny's name,
"I told her we would be busy this evening so she is coming in the morning,"
Claire nodded, there was no question she was in love with Harry she was having trouble seeing past this Ginny thing. She called it a thing because she didn't know what to make of it.
Harry wouldn't talk about her, she couldn't remember the last time she heard him say Ginny's name and last week he came to dinner at her place seemingly furious, and when Ginny came to drop Sophie off a few days later she mentioned she had seen him when she was out with 'Dan', he pretended he hadn't seen her.
"Okay," Claire said now walking Sophie over to her crib and laying her down carefully pulling her small blanket over her to warm her.
She felt to arms wrap around her, she took in breath slowly and leaned up against Harry's chest, taking a deep breath to smell him. He always smelled fresh, not like cologne, but soap, really good soap. He started guiding her out of Sophie's room and kissing her neck, she liked it when he did this, when he felt that close; that intimate. She had been thinking a lot about THAT.
THAT being whatever she felt she was always stopping herself from doing, it wouldn't be her first time but the last time had ended terribly, in screaming and yelling. They had been best friends and now they never spoke.
She didn't want that to happen with Harry, but he was making it harder and harder for her to use logic or any sort of reason.
"Stay over tonight," he whispered quietly in her ear,
"I," she paused, she wanted to, but she wasn't ready for it, not that, not yet, "I can't not yet," he put his hands over hers,
"We don't have to do anything. I just want you here when I wake up. I want yours to be the first face I see," he turned her around facing him, she looked in his eyes, not at them, in them, and smiled
"I can't really say no to that now can I," she went to his room and put on a large shirt of his and a pair of his boxers and crawled into bed, nestling her head against his chest, it was moments like these she wished would last for lifetimes.
He stared at the ceiling one arm around her, the other entwining her fingers with his. She slept peacefully almost more sure of their relationship than she had ever been.
The next morning Ginny left the Burrow excited to see Sophie, she had been hanging out with Dan at his place and she was quickly falling for him, they had spent the last few days laying their wounds out on the table, talking about broken hearts and lost love.
It had been nice, she trusted him almost completely, and there was nothing he wouldn't tell her. She had never experienced that before, a relationship completely open, with no hidden lives or thoughts, everything out in the open, everything clearly defined.
She put on a clean shirt and apparated quickly to Harry's, it was 9:30, but she couldn't wait much longer to see Sophie. She appeared at his flat and knocked on the door, she heard water running and suddenly the door flung open, it was Claire.
"Oh Ginny! We didn't expect you, Harry is taking a shower, I'll tell him you're here," Ginny felt a little awkward, she hadn't realized how far their relationship had come,
Claire stepped into Harry's room and she heard the water turn off, Claire came out and started gathering Sophie's things together. She was followed by Harry who came out in nothing but a towel and completely avoided eye contact with Ginny who was so confused at this point she didn't know what to think.
There had been a time when Harry with his shirt off was euphoric to her, she couldn't help but stare, she saw the birthmark that rested on his hip bone and wondered if Claire too had found it and run her fingers over it slowly as she fell asleep in Harry's arms.
She snapped herself out of it, it was silly to reminisce. Claire picked up Sophie and handed her over to Harry who cradled her gently and kissed her head softly. Claire handed Sophie's bag to Ginny, and Harry then handed Sophie over. For a second he looked into Ginny's eyes, and then just as quickly he looked away.
Claire eyed the two of them uncomfortably and attempted to smile, Ginny shut the door and left and it was though the air had been let out of a balloon.
"What's for breakfast?" Harry asked trying to distract himself from the situation,
"How long is this going to go on for?" Claire asked standing in the doorway
"What?"
"This hating Ginny and not speaking to her,"
"What does it matter to you?"
"It matters a lot because if that's how things are going to end between us I don't want any part in this Harry, its happened to me before and it almost killed me, I can't have it happen again,"
"I would never be like that towards you," Harry said trying to figure out what it was she wanted to hear from him
"You say you love me, but I'm beginning to wonder if you really even know what that is, because if there is one thing I know that you don't treat people you love like that,"
Harry was fuming now, "You don't know the hell that I went through with her! You don't know what happened between us!"
"I would if you would let me in help me understand! I've been there before," Harry shook his head and backed away,
""Really? You know?"
"I dated a guy for a year and a half and he fell in love with his business partner, a really sweet girl, married her 2 months later, all that time I thought I was the one, it took him 2 months to realize I clearly wasn't," he shook his head,
"Three years, just waiting for her to get out of school, I had a ring!" Claire looked to the ground quickly she wasn't sure she wanted to hear this,
"Harry I- I didn't realize" he cut her off
"That's right you didn't! You didn't know that I locked myself in the bathroom like a little girl! That I threw up because for some reason the idea of my other half leaving me ripped my stomach apart,"
"… other ha-"
"You didn't know that when I lost her I lost my family, oh I have Ron and Hermione, but the Weasley's who I have spent virtually every Christmas and Holiday with since I was eleven, I can't go there because of her, that because she lied to me about OUR child I have lost everything!"
Claire's eyes were welling up, every insecurity she had ever had about their relationship made its way into his outburst,
"She took it from me, so no I would never do this to you because you couldn't do that to me, and I will hate her, and be numb to her, for as long as I can,"
"But your not numb to her," Claire said just above a whisper, "You hate her, you still hurt, because you're not whole…" Harry shook his head, Claire turned around to gather her things together
"What are you talking about?"
"You said it; she's your other half…"
"I didn't mean,"
"I thought I could do it, I thought that maybe I could fill that place in your heart, that maybe I could be that person for you, but Harry you… you said it yourself, you wont let me, you don't want me that close," Harry felt the anger rising up again,
"Damn straight I don't want that! I never want to feel that again. I may have gotten rid of Voldemort, but that… I couldn't survive that again…" Claire had her stuff together,
"I don't care that I wasn't your first love Harry… but I would really love to be your last… I don't think… I know you're not ready for that…"
"Claire I-"
"You're just going to have to give me some time here… But while you hate her like that… your not ready, and I know that, and I love you so I will be here for you, I won't just leave you, but I can't be in a relationship with someone who isn't ready to be in one,"
"Claire please," his eyes were longing, for something she knew she couldn't give him,
"You just want a relationship Harry… you don't want me…" She shut the door… he didn't go after her, he just stood there, staring blankly into space.
Claire read him like a book. He did love her though, he could never love her like he loved Ginny and to be honest he wasn't ready to even think of getting that serious again. She was beautiful from the inside out; she had an air of confidence about her that made him believe in new beginnings.
She deserved better, a better man, a better version of him if he could manage to take off the baggage.
Ginny carried Sophie back to the Burrow. She laid her down for a nap, and sat on the bed herself her throat was killing her. It had been hurting her for the past few weeks but she was doing her best to work through it, distracting herself with her correspondence classes to allow her more time with Sophie during the school year.
Not to mention working at the local pub to make extra money for Sophie while she was living at home. School gave her an allowance to entice her to stay there, but it wasn't much and it was cut in half over the summer.
Dan added a nice break from the craziness. Time spent with him, everything slowed, it was easy, and it was fresh. The weight she had carried from her and Harry's relationship just didn't seem to hold her down as it used to.
"Ginny?" It was Dan,
"Come on up!" She yelled in a loud whisper, he trotted carefully of the stairs,
"Sorry is she asleep?"
"Its fine," she said kissing him on the cheek, "I just picked her up from Harry's" she added sitting next to Dan on her bed
"Still not talking to you?" he said rubbing her back gently,
"Nope and Claire is spending the night… in his clothes…'
"So they're…"
"I don't know, not sure if I want to, I'm not jealous, just weird"
"It happens, its normal to feel that way," she looked at him with a smirk,
"You are very sweet," he shrugged his shoulders and smiled, she reached over and leaned in to kiss him, it was soft kisses like these that made her like him as much as she did.
He put his hand on her face,
"You're warm, are you feeling okay?" she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder,
"I'm just tired," he looked at her disbelieving, "My throat has been bugging me, but it's nothing I can't handle,"
"Well be careful around Sophie, kids are really susceptible to that kind of thing," she traced her finger down his cheek,
"If it gets worse I'll get it checked out, I think I'm just stressed with everything I have going on now," he grabbed a pillow and set it in his lap, allowing her to turn sideways and rest her head,
"Rest," was all he said as he stroked her head, he scooted them back some more and closed his eyes as well,
"I need to be up by seven for work…" she mumbled,
"I'll wake you up,"
"Are you still watching Sophie for me?"
"I told you last week I would, quit stressing, just sleep,"
"Okay,"
Alright guys I know its been FOREVER… but not only did have finals, and moving back home, but I was in Hawaii for a week, and most recently spent the evening hovered over the toilet. I know this chapter isn't very long, but I planted a lot of seeds… I promise the next chapter will be longer and leave you feeling better ab all the characters I hope.