NEXT DAY
"Divorced? But, but..." Sirius was gobsmacked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's about where I am right now." He sank onto his bed, but it only reminded him of Ginny.
Sirius came into Harry's room and shut the door. "You want me to get James, or both your parents?" he asked.
Harry shook his head miserably. "No, you know what mum's like, she'll go off her nut...and I really don't want to hear Hermione gloating how she told me so."
He bowed his head and put his hands either side of his cheeks.
"But, but..." Sirius was stll trying to process everything. "But...if you're miserable, why did you sign the divorce papers...why did you let her leave?"
"Because I'm an idiot. What if mum and dad were right, and we made a big mistake a year ago? What if it was the alcohol and a bit of homesickness that made us get married," sighed Harry.
Sirius nodded. "Maybe it was, but Harry, you never looked at anyone that year you've been apart. Never even thought about it, did you?"
Harry shook his head. He looked down at his left hand, wishing they had wedding bands to wear. Then he frowned. Ginny could be divorcing him right at this very minute, and all he was doing was lamenting the fact that he didn't have a wedding band? 'Stupid, Potter, stupid', he mentally berated himself.
"After the last couple of days, seeing the two of you together, I didn't see anything that didn't look genuine. You were like two lovebirds, and she fitted in so well with the family. Damn," swore Sirius.
"She did, didn't she," asked Harry, rhetorically. "She kept telling me how much she loved you guys. She said Selena was great to talk to at shopping yesterday," sighed Harry, moodily.
"Selena said the same thing, said she found Ginny smart, funny and beautiful. I told her I expected nothing less for my godson, and she told me I had nothing to worry about there. Damn," he swore again, "this will hurt her."
"Don't say anything to the others, please, Sirius. I need to sort some stuff out in my head before I tell anyone, especially mum and dad," implored Harry.
"I won't...and I'm here if you need to talk to someone," said Sirius in a pitying tone.
"What would you have done if Selena had said no to your proposal?" asked Harry.
"Well...I don't know. Hounded her, stalked her till she changed her mind. As scared as I was about proposing, I never imagined what I'd do if she didn't say yes," said Sirius. He looked at Harry. "Do you feel like you made a mistake a year ago?" he asked softly.
Harry thought about it and shook his head. "No. I knew it almost straight away, knew she was the one for me."
Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Then don't let her get away."
Quietly, he left Harry's room.
/*/*/*/*
Ginny sat opposite the lawyers for the Holyhead Harpies, as they went through point after point of the amazing contract they were offering her. She had met Gwenog Jones, which was a real thrill as she had been Ginny's idol, and the two had quite the chat about the role she envisioned for Ginny once she signed the contract. She spoke as if it were a done deal.
"Section four, paragraph B, sub-section 12," droned the lawyer in a monotone voice. It made it hard to concentrate, so she looked around the office. Spying the clock and doing a mental calculation, she knew it was mid morning in Paris.
"Let's turn the page, section seven, first paragraph," droned the lawyer.
Ginny's lawyer nudged her with her foot, trying to get Ginny's attention back to the matters of hand. Ginny tried to focus on the paperwork in front of her, qite possibly the most important thing she would ever sign her name to. Apart from -
'I now pronounce you man and wife. Thank you for choosing the Little Wedding Chapel for your ceremony. If you'd both just sign here, and here, and you can collect your commemorative photograph as you leave. We wish you all the best, Mr and Mrs Potter, but don't hesitate to think of us for your next ceremony.'
"Psst," hissed her lawyer, trying to make it look like she had sneezed.
"Bless you," said Ginny, almost in a daze. Her lawyer, Susan, frowned and arched an eyebrow.
"Ms Weasley?"
Ginny looked up to see the Harpy's lawyer handing her a quill, his tone encouraging. She almost corrected him – 'actually, it's Mrs Potter' – but it had been there, in black and white, section three, paragraph two. 'All Harpy players must be single and live in Holyhead for the Quidditch season, whether playing or not.'
"Ms Weasley?" His voice was now more forceful.
It was her life long dream, the culmination of years of drills, of injuries, of being away from home for a year to perfect her skills. It was the Harpies, her favourite team, and they wanted her!
Hesitatingly, she took the quill. Taking a breath, she looked down at the parchment to see where she needed to sign.
/*/*/*/*
Harry kept a watch on the English newspapers he had delivered directly to his room, but there was no word on any new signings, at least, not from the Harpies, and no mention of Ginny.
It was now the third day since she had left, and he felt terrible. He had explained their absences by saying Ginny was suffering from ' women's troubles' and he was looking after her. Naturally, his mother, Tonks and Selena had piped up, asking if they could help her. Harry assured them that Ginny was fine, but embarrassed to ask for help, and just wanted to be left alone.
Later, Hermione pulled him aside, wondering whether Ginny couldn't do with a talk from someone closer in age to her, someone like an older sister. This made Harry teary, that Hermione, who had been so against them at the start, would now offer to help Ginny in a time of womanly need.
It also made him aware how quickly Ginny had won all their hearts. Ryan was constantly asking when she would be better to go for a fly, and Teddy wanted to go back to the beach. Everyone asked about her practically hourly.
He sighed, how was he going to tell them, to explain? Sirius had gone along with his deception, to give him some time, but he knew he was running out of that time.
Harry recalled that last morning together.
"You can't be serious? They don't allow married players on the team, at all? That's bloody ridiculous," he'd scoffed.
"I know," sighed Ginny, looking at the parchment from her lawyer. It was the contract offer. As she looked at it, a loose piece of parchment fluttered to the floor.
Harry had bent over to pick it up, glancing it as he did. " Divorce papers? You've already had them drawn up?" His voice was one of hurt and looming anger.
"No, my manager contacted a lawyer, who thought –" she began, when he interrupted.
"I don't believe this. Is this what this whole visit was about?" he asked coldly.
"I wanted to see you, to see if what we had was as good as I remembered," she told him.
" Yet you never mentioned anything about this," he gestured, tossing the divorce papers on the table.
" The Harpies weren't the only team scouting me. I had no idea which one would make the best offer," she said tearfully.
"And they did? The Harpies" he asked, his hands on his hips.
Ginny nodded. " Except for this...us," she said softly.
Harry looked at her, feeling his heart break. He walked over to the table, picked up a quill and signed his name. " There...now there is no us."
Ginny's face fell. " Harry, I-"
He held up his hand. " I'm going for a fly. I don't want you to be here when I get back."
And he left, hearing her sob as he closed the door behind him.
Why had she cried? She was getting everything she wanted, wasn't she? He might have been angry and cold at the time, but he truly wished her the best. So where was the big announcement, the photos in the paper?
He heard a knock at the door, but rolled over on his bed, having no desire to talk to anyone. Without Ginny he felt lonely and empty.
"Harry, it's me."
"Come in, Sirius," he replied, his voice dull.
Sirius came into the room. " I'm giving you warning that your mum is only going to give 'Ginny' today, then tomorrow she will be at your door with a healer," he told his godson, using italics for Ginny. A Ginny that wasn't even there.
"What, why?" asked Harry, rolling over to look at his godfather.
"Because your mother is worried why the ' two of you' haven't left the room," he said sarcastically. " Because if this was real life, it would be concerning for a woman to be incapacitated for days when it's that time of the month, and because she's hoping for grandbabies from you at some stage, and she wants to help her daughter-in-law. Harry, they're all worried sick about Ginny. They've come to care for her greatly. Here, this is from Hope." Sirius handed Harry a drawing.
Harry's heart sank. " Get better Ginny, we miss you," he read aloud. He pointed to a red and black blob. " I suppose that's me and Gin?"
Sirius nodded and sighed. " What are you doing, Harry? If you're miserable, fix it. Get out of this room, go for a fly with your brother, go see a movie with your sister? Do something," he urged.
Harry tried so bloody hard not to well up, but he couldn't help it. " I just want Ginny back," he said, laying his arm over his eyes.
He felt the bed dip as Sirius sat on the side. " Still no word on her signing?"
Harry shook his head, then realised Sirius probably couldn't see it. " No."
"What if she changed her mind? What if she thinks you don't want her anymore, what with how quickly you signed those damned divorce papers," queried Sirius.
"I thought it was what she wanted," defended Harry. "I was giving her what she wants. I love her, Sirius."
" Then go see her, tell her that. Ask her to reconsider, go for a different team. Marriage is about communication and compromise, on both sides," advised Sirius. "If Quidditch is more important to her than you, then you're better off without her."
" You're right. You're absolutely right? I need to get to Wales, talk to Ginny, tell her how I feel," realised Harry, sitting up. " I need to book a Portkey, pack. Merlin, I've wasted all this time," he said aloud, now standing and pacing.
"Harry, wait. I'll go book a Portkey for you, and come back and help you pack," offered Sirius.
"What am I supposed to do, then?" asked Harry.
"Go have a shower. It's been three days, Harry, you stink."
Harry's jaw dropped as his godfather let himself out of his room.
/*/*/*/*
Ginny paddled her feet in the Lovegood's pond, waiting for her friend to bring down some homemade lemonade and biscuits. As a shadow fell over her she looked up, expecting to see Luna but instead, a large owl sat on a branch, watching her.
" No," said Ginny, crossly. " Bugger off."
The owl blinked and hooted, but didn't budge. Slowly it held out a letter, but Ginny shook her head. " No," she said firmly. She did not want to see any more owls, or read any more letters from her manager. She had read the contract back and forth, looking for any sort of loophole, even taking it to her brothers for advice.
Ron had been first, the most analytical one of her brothers. " It's a good contract, giving you exactly what you want. Sign it," he encouraged.
"Looks fine to me, Ginevra, I can't fault whoever wrote it up, they have certainly dotted their i's and crossed their t's," admired Percy, the most officious of the lot.
"Wales? For the whole Quidditch season? That's like, nine months of the year," noted George, dubiously.
"We'd miss our Ginnikens," agreed Fred, " but hey, free tickets to the Harpies matches. Can we help you pack?" He'd ruffled her hair and she'd chuckled, brushing him away. She would miss the twins terribly, they were always good for a laugh. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like if James and Sirius met Fred and George, but that hurt too much, for it would probably not even happen now.
" Why haven't you signed it?" asked Bill, turning the tables back on her. " It's a good contract, great money. You'll play matches in England, so it's not like you won't see the family at all. Hell, you'll probably see us more than Charlie does. What's holding you back?"
Ginny had yet to tell her family about Harry, the wedding, the divorce, everything. So she simply shrugged. " Something's telling me not to sign," she admitted.
Bill, the oldest and the most protective, took her hand. " Did something happen in Australia?" he asked.
Ginny shook her head. " No, it's me."
" Don't sign if you're having doubts," advised Bill.
' Harry didn't hesitate to sign those stupid divorce papers,' she thought. Tears welled in her eyes at the coldness of his voice. ' Don't be here when I get back'.
" You're right, I should sign. I'll contact my manager tomorrow. For now, I'm going to visit Luna," Ginny told her brother. She hugged him. " Thanks for the advice."
" Anytime, Ginny," smiled Bill, hugging her back.
So here she was, in a standoff with an owl, who finally hooted in disgust to fly back to her manager's office.
" I don't think he was happy with you," said Luna.
"He's not the first male I've pissed off this week," sighed Ginny, moving over to allow Luna to sit at her side and dangle her feet in the cool pond water too.
" Do you know, in Bali, they have fish who come up to you and nibble on the dead skin of your feet?" asked Luna, conversationally.
Ginny screwed up her nose. "Does it hurt?"
Luna shook her head. " No, and it leaves the bottom of your feet all soft and smooth." She handed Ginny a bottle of homemade lemonade and watched as Ginny opened it. " Your heart is hurting," she noted.
Ginny took a swig, watching as a bird swooped down to try and catch a fish from the pond. " Yes."
The bird flew away, unsuccessful. Luna watched it, smiling. " Greedy bird, I laid out some seed for it this morning. Why?"
Having grown up with Luna since they were little, Ginny was able to follow Luna's questions. "I met someone."
"Ah," nodded Luna, but asked nothing else. She opened a container. " Biscuit? I made them this morning."
Ginny nodded and took one, taking a bite. " Mmm, nice and fresh," she said.
Luna agreed, her mouth full. She swallowed then took a drink. They sat companionably, then she asked, " Your 'someone'. Would he like me?"
Ginny didn't hesitate. " Yes. Yes, I think he would."
Luna tilted her head. " Why?"
" Well," – Ginny deliberated – "firstly, because he likes meeting interesting, caring, kind people, all of which, you are."
" And secondly?"
Ginny shrugged. " Because you're important to me."
"He sounds quite nice," said Luna, looking up at the sky. " Do you think it will rain?"
" What – no! It's July, Luna," reminded Ginny.
" Your voice sounds heavy. Have you put on weight?"
"" No, at least, I bloody well hope not," gasped Ginny.
"Love shouldn't make your heart hurt, or your voice heavy," said Luna. " At least, I don't think so,' never having been in love myself."
" It doesn't, Luna. Being in love is the most amazing thing in the world. It-it's like having a wonderful secret that only you and your significant other know," explained Ginny.
"That sounds nice," admitted Luna.
" But when it all goes balls up, it's the worst feeling in the world," sighed Ginny, gloomily, " especially when it's all my fault."
"So fix it. Go find your 'someone' -"
" Harry, his name is Harry," interrupted Ginny, " and he's amazing and brilliant and, Merlin, I miss him." She ran her hands through her hair.
" Go find Harry and tell him what's in your heart," advised Luna.
" You're right, Luna. I shouldn't have left, even though he asked me to," sighed Ginny. " I should have explained everything, ripped those divorce papers up then and there."
" Good luck, Ginny. I hope Harry realises how lucky he is to have your heart," smiled Luna, helping herself to another biscuit.
Ginny hugged her childhood friend. " I can't wait for you to meet him."pThey sat in companionable silence again until Luna spoke. "You did say divorce papers, didn't you?"