Strange Can Be Good

HarryxLuna

Rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Strange Can Be Good

Chapter 4: Dinner with the Family

"Harry dear, it's so good to have you and the boys over for dinner. I just hope Ginny shows up as well," Molly says as she bustled around the kitchen. Harry smiled at his mother-in-law, remembering her bustling around years ago whenever he stayed at the Burrow.

"I sent her a letter letting her know that we were having dinner here this evening and for her to meet us here," Harry said, hearing his sons playing Wizard's Chess with their cousin Rose, Ron and Hermione's daughter and eldest child.

The man sighed as he thought of his wife. Ginny was becoming very difficult all of a sudden. The day he got home from work after Kingsley gave him a paid leave from work, he had picked up his sons (who were very happy when they found out he would be home for a while) from school and had taken them to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor to get them each a cone. Afterwards he had taken them flying before they settled back at home. The boys were doing their homework when Ginny had arrived home. She had seemed surprised to see him home early, but she quickly recovered and casually asked him how work was. However, the moment he told her he was on a paid leave and would be home for possibly a few months, Ginny got angry and began to yell at him. From what he could gather, she didn't want him to be home all day and that he was going to ruin her every day schedule. He had argued telling her that she didn't do anything except spend money all day, but she insisted that he was wrong and demanded he go back to work immediately. Harry refused and told her that she was going to stop shopping and spending their money every day and spend time with James and Albus. And as if to prove his point, he had gone to Gringotts the next day and talked with the Goblins, where he had them set up the all of the Potter vaults to where that only he could take out money and use it at his pleasure. He knew it had worked when his wife came home hours later screaming at him for closing her out of the vaults. That fight had caused Ginny to slap him across the face before she left the house and Apparated away. He hadn't been aware that Albus, who was the only one of the two boys home at the time, had heard and seen it all until he ran to him crying. That had been a week ago, and Ginny had yet to return home.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked and saw Mrs. Weasley smiling reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry, dear. Ginny will come. I sent her a Howler just to make sure she did," Molly said, causing Harry to smile slightly. He knew Mrs. Weasley's Howlers would make any grown man do what she said; Ginny would be stupid not to show up once she got the red envelope.

The door opened and Ron and Hermione stepped inside the house, smiling when they saw their best friend. Hermione hurried and hugged Harry before letting him go so Ron could do the same.

"It's so good to see you, Harry. Ron told me you were taking some time off from being an Auror," Hermione said as the three of them walked into the room where their children were currently stationed in. Sitting down on one of the two couches, the three of them watched Rose call a move before smiling and saying, "Checkmate."

Harry chuckled as James frowned and demanded and rematch. Ron laughed and sat down in the floor next to James, telling the boy he would help him. Albus, who didn't care much for the game, moved over next to Rose and watched as his Uncle Ron reset the board.

Hermione smiled before turning back to Harry. She noticed that her best friend was looking weary, maybe even a little stressed. Getting his attention, she casted a privacy bubble spell around them and asked, "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry looked at her and thought about trying to avoid the question, but he knew Hermione well enough to know that she would not let up on the matter until her finally spoke. Sighing, he said, "Not really, Hermione. Things with Ginny haven't been so great."

"Is she still carelessly throwing your money away?"Hermione asked a hint of disappointment in her voice. She was ashamed to call Ginny her friend. The girl who was like a sister to her, and was now by marriage, was so caught up into the fame being Harry's wife brought her that she seemed to be neglecting her husband and children.

"Not anymore, I had the Goblins at Gringotts close her out of the Potter vaults. She screamed at me for it and has left for a week. Ginny also got mad when I told her I was taking a paid leave and slapped me. She's just not the same Ginny anymore; I don't know what happened or what to do. She's a mother, for Merlin's sake, and she acts as if James and Albus don't exist," Harry said his frustration evident in his voice.

Hermione didn't know what to say. She couldn't think of anything to say that would comfort Harry in his frustration concerning his wife. So instead she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Harry looked at her and saw her give him a reassuring smile before saying, "Things will get better, hopefully. Is there anything that possibly makes it better?"

Harry thought for a while before his thoughts drifted to a certain blonde haired whimsical woman. The few times that he met up with Luna, he forgot about all his troubles concerning his wife and their marriage. Luna was a free spirit and whenever he was around her, he felt just as carefree as he always felt whenever he was with her. Without realizing it, a smile had spread across his face. Hermione, being as perceptive as she was, saw it and realized that the smile on his face was the same smile he used to have whenever he would think of Ginny when they were dating, engaged, and in the beginning of their marriage. She wondered who her best friend was thinking about; because it obviously wasn't the ginger haired woman he called a wife. Before she could ask, the door to the Burrow opened once again and this time it was Ginny who waltzed inside, looking none too happy to be there.

Hermione dropped the privacy bubble and stood to go and greet her sister-in-law. Harry sighed as he saw her and put a smile on her face as he went to greet her. he waited until Hermione was done greeting her before he stepped up and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello Ginny, I'm happy to see you made it," Harry said, trying to sound happy. His wife's brown eyes looked up at him with irritation before she walked past him into the kitchen to go and greet her mother. Harry sighed before looking at Hermione who had seen the exchange as well. This was going to be a long family dinner.

Ten minutes later, the table was set, the food was sitting on platters on the table, and everyone was in seat gathered around the feast. Molly had really outdone herself, but that was nothing new. Arthur and George showed up right before they said grace, and when they sat at the table, they had grace and began to eat. The conversation switched from subject to subject, but throughout the whole dinner the only person who hadn't opened their mouth was Ginny. It was during dessert that Molly decided to try and make her daughter talk.

"Ginny dear, how was your day?" she asked her innocently.

"Fine," Ginny said curtly before taking a bite of her mother's homemade boysenberry pie. Molly nodded and decided to press further to get her youngest to talk.

"Did you do anything in particular? Visit a friend or anything like that?"

Ginny shot her mother a glare before saying, "None of your business, mum."

Hermione gave the ginger woman a look of disapproval and said, "Ginny, she was just asking a question."

"Well it's not hers, yours, or anybody's business what I do all day or who I see. In fact, I didn't even want to be here, I had plans. But instead I get forced to come here and have dinner with you people," Ginny said standing up and turning to leave the dining room.

Harry, ashamed at his wife's behavior and words, stood up after her and grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving. Spinning her around he said, "Ginny, stop acting like this. You are behaving unlike yourself. Have you forgotten that you have a family, husband, and children? James and Albus need you, you can't just abandon them."

Ginny sneered at the raven man and yanked her arm away before scoffing and saying, "Oh please, you're the one who forgets you have a family because of your job as an Auror."

"I took time off so I could concentrate on my family and marriage. You're mad at me for not spending time with you and the boys, now you're mad that I took time off from work to do so. What do you want from me, Ginny?!"

"I want you to leave me alone! All of you! What I do with my life when you're not around is my business, you tosspots!" Ginny screamed before storming out of the Burrow and Apparating away.

Harry stood and stared at the door that his wife left out of before giving out a frustrated scream and stomping into the living room. It wasn't long before the sound of objects banging and breaking was heard. The other occupants of the dining room sat in silence before it was broken by soft sniffles. Albus put his fists to his eyes to stop his tears while Molly took him out of his seat and sat him on her lap. She knew Albus hated to see his parents fight because it upset him. James on the other hand would get angry and side with Harry, believing his mother to be in the wrong.

Ron looked around the table at everyone's grave expressions before sighing and saying, "Some family dinner, huh?" Everyone else just nodded in agreement, appetites lost.