A/N - This is the second piece for The Mistress, and while the first one took place years after the story, this takes place following the final chapter. This piece focuses on Harry and Ginny rather than Draco and Hermione, but I hope people will still enjoy it.

The Mistress?

When Harry arrived home from welcoming Hermione and the babies home, he fully expected his wife to ask how his afternoon had been. However, Ginny blatantly ignored the fact he'd been out all afternoon and instead prattled on about how she'd spent her day. As Ginny continued to ignore the fact he'd spent the afternoon with Hermione, Harry realised it was an issue he was going to have to deal with. To be honest he'd been avoiding confronting Ginny over her attitude towards Hermione, but he knew Hermione was going to be a major part of his life again, and he needed to know what his wife's problem was with his friend.

Not wanting to get into a possible argument in front of the children, Harry waited until the boys were tucked up in bed before he raised the topic of Hermione with his wife.

"Are you going to ask me how this afternoon went?" he asked.

"I take it everything was fine, or else you would have said something," Ginny replied with a disinterested shrug. "And let's guess, the twins have magic after all."

"The twins are like every other child, and only time will tell if they're magical," Harry answered, slightly taken aback by the venom in Ginny's tone. "But is there really any need to sound so bitter about it? After everything Hermione and Malfoy have been through, wouldn't it be good if their children were magical?"

"You only have Hermione's word that there was even any problems with the pregnancy," Ginny pointed out cattily. "It's not like you've been in contact these last few years. She could tell you anything she wants about her life, and you would never know if it was true."

"No-one would lie about such tragic events," Harry argued. "And certainly not Hermione."

"Heaven forbid precious Hermione isn't perfect," Ginny snarled in disdain.

"Just what is your problem, Ginny?" Harry demanded sharply, having just about enough of his wife's attitude. "Why do you hate Hermione so much? And don't deny that you do," he pre-empted, knowing that she was about to protest. "You were so disappointed when it turned out she wasn't Lucius's mistress. Why were you so desperate for her to be a mistress?"

"Because maybe then you and Ron would see that she's not perfect," Ginny hissed.

"We don't think she's perfect," Harry replied in bewilderment.

"Of course you do," Ginny snorted. "You always have. Ever since the pair of you met her, you put her on a pedestal and she can do no wrong in your eyes."

"That is not true, Ginny," Harry argued. "She's our friend, and we love her, but we don't idolise her. She's human just like us, and she makes mistakes just like us."

"You wouldn't think it the way you and Ron behave," Ginny retorted. "Even now, you're fawning all over her, when she was the one who left without giving either of you a second thought. She ran off, Harry. She went on sodding holiday and never returned, yet you and Ron never blamed her for not getting in touch."

"She wasn't the only one to blame for losing contact," Harry protested. "In case you'd forgotten, she invited me to visit her when she first decided to stay away. I put off because you said you wanted to go with me, yet when you finished school you always had an excuse not to go. And then time just passed and contact dried up. Hermione didn't cause that, we all did. We all know what mistakes we made, and that includes Hermione."

"I doubt she considers her choices mistakes," Ginny snorted bitterly. "After all, she's got a handsome, rich husband, a beautiful house that should have been mine and now she's even got two perfect children."

"You're jealous of her," Harry muttered in understanding.

"I am not jealous of Hermione," Ginny hissed.

"It certainly sounds like it," Harry said gently, letting the hurt he felt show to his wife. "It sounds like I'm not good enough for you. I'm sorry I'm not as rich or as good-looking as Malfoy. And I'm sorry that we lost the house, but I then let you spend a fortune doing this one up. And I'm really sorry that our wonderful children are not good enough for you."

"Harry, I never meant it like that," Ginny protested, genuinely sounding apologetic. "I love you, and I love our boys. And I certainly didn't mean to sound ungrateful about the house. I know we would like somewhere bigger, but the redecoration is perfect for now. I wouldn't change my life for anything."

"It certainly wasn't sounding like that," Harry said quietly. "You sounded jealous of Hermione, and I really don't know why. I love her as a friend, that's all. You're the only witch I've ever been in love with."

"I never considered her a rival for your affections," Ginny admitted with an amused chuckle, which showed how funny she considered the idea of Hermione as a love rival.

"So why the jealousy?" Harry asked.

"I've told you, Harry. You and Ron had her on a pedestal, and how was anyone supposed to compete with that? How was I ever going to live up to perfect Hermione Granger? I'm not as smart as her, and I can't master spells in one go like she can. I can't do everything like she seemingly can. Even the fact she's not the most attractive witch in the world matters. She was the talking point of the Yule Ball, and not just because she went with Krum. Hell, even Malfoy and the Slytherins noticed her."

"I don't really know what you want me to do with that, Ginny," Harry confessed. "I can't change the fact that you seem to have a different recollection of the past than I do. Ron and I never worshipped Hermione, and I never once compared you to her. She's our friend, and yes she is amazing in many ways, but she's far from perfect. Did you just ignore the times we fell out in school? Did you ignore the arguments Ron and I had with her when she tried to push us into spending as much time in the library as she did? I don't know why you took against Hermione, but it's clouded your judgment."

"Or maybe you just don't want to admit it," Ginny countered. "Maybe you don't want to admit you idolised a girl who ran off and ignored you for years. Instead you're happy to just welcome her back into your life as though nothing had happened."

"Nothing has happened, other than life getting in the way," Harry pointed out. "We were friends who lost touch, and now we've been reunited. I can see now that a friendship between the pair of you will be impossible, but I don't want this toxic attitude to continue."

"You're calling me toxic?" Ginny whispered, clearly hurt by Harry's words.

"Right now, yes," Harry answered. It hurt him to say these things, but he knew they needed saying if they were to move on. "I love you Ginny, but at the moment, I'm so disappointed and disgusted with you. I don't care what your real problem with Hermione is, from now on you keep it to yourself. She's my friend, and I will not lose her again. You are going to have to learn how to be polite to her."

"Or what?" Ginny asked, hearing the threat in her husband's voice.

"Or else we're going to have some serious problems," Harry replied quietly. "Hermione is not a threat to you, or to our lives together. I'm not asking you to be her best friend. All I want is some maturity. Your paths are going to cross from time to time, and is it too much to ask that when that happens, you can be civil towards her? Please Ginny, all I want is a quiet life."

"Fine," Ginny huffed, reluctantly accepting her husband's terms. "But for the record, there will come a time when Hermione's halo slips, and you will see she's not perfect."

"I already know she's not perfect, Ginny," Harry said with a sigh, frustrated that nothing he'd said seemed to have penetrated his wife's thick head. "The problem doesn't lie with mine and Ron's perception of Hermione. It's lies with your view of how we see her. The problem isn't ours, Ginny, it's yours. For all of our sakes, solve it before you tear us apart."

Hoping that his stark warning about what Ginny was risking if she carried on the way she had been, Harry left his wife to ponder their conversation. Thankfully his words seemed to sink in, and while she and Hermione were never close, Ginny did at least make the effort and was polite every-time the two witches came into contact. It wasn't ideal, and Harry would have loved if his wife and best friend had been close, but at least it kept tensions at a minimum and it ensured that he didn't lose either his friend or his wife.