A/N: This is a short chapter but necessary. There were a few reviews wondering how Ginny would react... and a few reviews telling me that Harry and Hermione were bad people and they betrayed Ginny and Ron. Well, if JK Rowling can make a mistake and admit that Harry and Hermione should have ended up together... then Harry and Hermione can make a few mistakes on the road to their own happiness. Enjoy this short chapter and please tell me what you thought!

Chapter 9

Ginny Weasley had loved Harry Potter from the first time she had set eyes on him at the age of eleven. At first, she was smitten with the idea of him but as they grew up together, first as friends, then as lovers, her love burned deep. They spent a few glorious years together as they finished up at Hogwarts and moved on to their careers. Harry became an Auror, like he was always meant to do, but she flitted around different professions. After a summer playing Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies and a brief stint at the Ministry of Magic, Ginny was unsure of where to turn. She had recently been thinking of working for the Daily Prophet. She had a good head on her shoulders and was able to read people exceptionally well. She could control a conversation and was able to pick up on body language, effectively telling her if someone was lying or not.

But Ginny always had a soft spot for Harry Potter. After her Quidditch career fizzled out, Ginny found she was constantly bored. She always knew that Harry and Hermione were close but he always came home after work, and that was proof enough of his love for Ginny. But when Harry became a certified Auror and started spending long nights at the Ministry, Ginny's logic went out the window, and she began to think of all the possible scenarios. Harry could be a work… or he could be with Hermione… or with another woman… or he could be getting sloshed on Firewhiskey under his desk… or he could just not want to come home. That was the worst thought of all.

A few times, Ginny had actually taken Harry's Invisibility cloak out from the bottom of his chest (he never used it much anyway) and had tried to track him down. The first time, she found him at his desk, diligently going over paperwork while a few stray pixies wreaked havoc in his office. She left with a smile, knowing that he was hard at work, working for his career and for their lives together. She second time she put on the invisibility cloak and went to Harry's office, he wasn't there. She panicked briefly then made her way out of the Ministry of Magic into the snow. When Ginny looked through the windows of the Leaping Lizard, she noticed a bushy haired witch in the corner next to a young man with brilliant green eyes and jet black hair. The two were sitting a respectable distance away from each other and laughing boisterously over two pints of Butterbeer. Ginny felt the first tears fall down her cheeks, chilling her as the snow fell down around her. She went back home, to their home, and never spied on Harry again.

But Ginny was getting her life back under control. She no longer spied on Harry, no longer waited by the door for him to come home. Her first interview at the Daily Prophet went exceptionally well and she was just waiting for her owl of acceptance. She knew her relationship with Harry wouldn't last much longer, but it is always hard to say goodbye to someone you once loved. So they both lived together, and pretended that everything was fine between them, even though it clearly was not fine.

Standing in the doorway and watching the man she once loved kissing the woman who was once like her own sister… it was heartbreaking. Ron had apparated straight from the hospital and told her everything but she had to see it for her own eyes. And now, she wished she hadn't. It was one thing knowing your relationship with someone was coming to an end. It was another thing to see your relationship end like this, with a baby that wasn't yours.

"Ginny," Harry said, after he had straightened. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. As he should, Ginny thought. But she remained calm. This was inevitable, she just wished he had handled things better.

"We need to talk," Ginny said, surprising both of them and coming into the room. Ginny took the seat by Hermione's bed and reached into her purse. For a split second, Hermione thought she was reaching for her wand and she felt Harry twitch almost imperceptibly next to her. But Ginny only pulled out a small wood carving and held it out to Hermione. As Hermione reached for it, she gasped.

"It's a stag," Ginny said with a quiver in her voice. "I was making it at home. Lots of lonely nights." She shot a quick glance at Harry who had the grace to look ashamed. "I didn't know why I was making it but… I suppose I do now." Hermione studied the wooden stag in her hands. It was rustic and its eyes were slightly lopsided but there was no mistaking its likeness to Harry's Patronus. Hermione's mouth was open and tears flowed freely down her face when she looked back up at Ginny. Both young women were strong enough in themselves and their convictions that no words were needed between them. Harry Potter might be a great wizard, but he was still a man, and all three of them deserved their own happiness.

"Thank you Ginny," Hermione simply said. "For… everything." She smiled at the red headed witch before her. Ginny made a move as if to touch Hermione's flat belly but thought better of it. Instead she stood up and collected her purse more tightly around her. Fearing any more time in the room, Ginny left without another word. She cried silently as she walked down the hallway towards the elevator. She had taken the upper road and she was proud of herself for that. But all she really wanted to do was put a spell on Harry to make some of his body parts wither and fall off.

As the elevator doors opened before her, Ginny heard a soft voice behind her.

"Ginny," Harry said. "I loved you… so much. I'm sorry." Ginny heard the regret in his voice. She also heard love and sadness. Perhaps he was wondering, as she was, if they could have made things work between them if they had just tried harder. Ginny took a deep breath then stepped into the elevator. As she turned around, she pressed the button for the Apparating Area and looked up at the boy she was loved.

"Goodbye, Harry," she said. He belonged with Hermione, they had always belonged to each other. She was glad to be a part of Harry's life but she knew that it was time to walk away and move on. When the doors closed, Ginny shook her head sadly and made a plan to go straight to the Daily Prophet and inquire about her interview.