A/N - I've written what happened between Harry and Ginny as a flashback because it worked best that way. It's in italics and told from Harry's POV. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 33

30 June 2003

Hermione froze. Harry was kissing her. Harry was kissing her. For a split second she allowed herself to sink into the kiss. And then she remembered that he was drunk. And still married. And as much as she wanted this, and gods did she want it, she didn't want it like this.

She pulled away from him gently, grasping his upper arms. "Harry."

He looked at her blearily. He shook his head. "Sorry, sorry." He moved away from her, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, propping his elbows on his legs. "'m sorry. I don't, I can't, 'm sorry."

"It's all right," Hermione said quietly.

"No, no, s'not all right. That was, I, fuck."

"I'm not upset, Harry. I promise, I'm not." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You should go to bed. Sleep this off. And we can talk more when you wake up."

Harry glanced at her but wouldn't hold her gaze. If it were possible, he looked more miserable than he had when Hermione first arrived. She wanted to reassure him again but knew it wouldn't do a lot of good given the state he was in. He needed to sober up.

Standing from the couch, she reached down and took his hand, tugging him to stand. "Come on, I'll help you upstairs."

Harry shook his head and tried to pull away from her. He reached for the bottle that sat on the table, but Hermione quickly pulled her wand, banishing the bottle to the kitchen. Harry scowled at her. "Bring that back."

"Bring it back yourself," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She doubted he could with as drunk as he was. He likely wouldn't be able to get the wand movements right, given he could barely even stand.

Harry glowered. "I can drink if I want to."

"Like I said, summon it yourself if you want it so badly." They stared at one another defiantly until Harry's shoulders finally sagged. He hadn't even drawn his wand, let alone tried the spell. Hermione's face softened. "Just get some sleep, Harry."

"Fine," he said petulantly. He turned to walk out of the room and lost his balance, tripping over the leg of the table and nearly falling on his face.

Hermione grabbed his arm and managed to keep him upright. She wrapped an arm around him and began to lead him from the room. After a few moments, Harry seemed to give into her suggestion and leaned against her as they climbed the stairs.

Harry paused as they reached Sirius' old room. "'m tired. Don' wanna go up any more stairs. I'll sleep here."

Hermione nodded, not surprised that Harry didn't want to sleep in the master bedroom. She wondered if Ginny had moved out already or if her things were all still there.

Hermione helped Harry into the room, and he slumped down on the bed. He was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt, so Hermione figured he'd be comfortable enough. She pulled the blankets back and he laid down, closing his eyes as she covered him up. She squeezed his shoulder and turned to leave the room.

"'Mione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Sorry. Love you."

Hermione smiled. "I love you too."

He was asleep, or passed out more than likely, before Hermione left the room.

After she'd tucked Harry into bed, Hermione had retrieved the hangover potion and set it on his bedside table. Then she had sent a message to the DOM, letting Croaker know she was taking the rest of the day off. She cleaned up the mess in the drawing room and opened the curtains. She'd sat and finished her sandwich, putting the rest under a stasis charm. Harry would probably be hungry when he woke up.

Then she had picked out a book from the small library that Grimmauld Place still had and settled in to read. She knew that if Harry remembered what he'd done, he was likely going to be embarrassed, but she wasn't about to let him brood by himself, on top of everything else that had apparently happened.

As much as she tried to stop, Hermione's thoughts kept drifting back to the kiss. She shouldn't read anything into it. He was drunk and he was hurting. He probably just wanted a bit of comfort.

Except, why kiss her? She was offering him comfort. He'd cried in her lap and Hermione had tried to soothe him as much as she could. She had tried to get him to eat and made it clear she was willing to listen to whatever he had to say. He obviously wouldn't have kissed, say, Ron, if he had been the one that was here. But would Harry have kissed Luna? Or Fleur or Angelina?

No. She had to stop doing this. Harry was still married and even if what he said was true, that he and Ginny were over, he was still going to need time to move on from that relationship. Besides, she didn't know how he actually felt about her. And she wasn't about to ask him right now. Gods, she had just broken up with Ron as well. It was different, of course, she and Ron hadn't been married. But still.

"Just stop, Hermione. You're going to drive yourself barmy," she muttered to herself, resolutely turning back to the book on her lap.

A few hours later, Hermione heard a noise in the corridor and looked up. Harry, looking thoroughly disheveled, stood in the doorway.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied. He held up the empty vial of hangover potion. "Thanks for this."

"Of course."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Why aren't you at work?"

"I wasn't going to leave you alone with the state you were in."

"Right," Harry said, face turning red. He ran a hand through his already messy hair. He looked embarrassed and uncomfortable, and Hermione hated it. She didn't want things to be awkward between them now.

"Harry, listen," she began but Harry shook his head, looking everywhere but at her.

"No, Hermione. I'm so, so sorry. I was completely out of line, and I don't even know why I did it. It was stupid and I was drunk, and I know that's not an excuse but-"

"Harry," she said forcefully, interrupting his rambling. Although her heart had constricted a bit when he said he didn't know why he'd kissed her and that it was stupid. She shoved that aside. "It's okay."

He finally met her gaze. "Yeah?"

She searched his face, looking for…something. For once, she couldn't read the look in his eyes. She nodded. "Let's just forget about it, all right?" She definitely didn't want to forget about it but if Harry needed her to, she would. At least for now.

She pushed the platter of sandwiches towards him as he walked into the room. "Hungry?"

"Famished, actually," Harry said. "Thanks."

Hermione poured him a glass of water while he grabbed a sandwich and took a large bite. She watched him eat for a few minutes, shifting her gaze back to her book every time he glanced her way. When he finally finished, he sat back on the couch.

She looked up at him. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "Not sure, really."

There was silence for a few moments as she waited for him to say something else. When he didn't, she bit her lip wondering if she should ask. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it.

"How'd you know I was home today, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I went to your office to see if you wanted to have lunch. Celeste told me you'd owled in sick. I came over to make sure you were all right."

He gave her a small smile. "I suppose you didn't expect to find me completely pissed."

"No," Hermione said with a small laugh. Then she sobered. "What happened, Harry?"

He sighed heavily. "More than I was expecting."

Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion. Harry sighed again and then began to explain.

"Why did you change your mind?" Harry asked as they sat across from one another in the suite Ginny had reserved for them. She'd ordered room service for dinner, giving them privacy they wouldn't have gotten in the hotel dining room.

"You were right," Ginny said, taking a sip of her wine. "We haven't had much time together lately."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Now that they were here, Harry wasn't sure how to begin. He knew he needed answers, more than the vague ones Ginny had given him. But he was also a bit scared of what he might find out.

"I think we need to continue our discussion about kids," he finally said.

Ginny sighed. "Can't we just have a nice dinner together, Harry? Do we have to immediately start arguing?"

"We're going to argue?" he questioned.

"Considering I haven't changed my mind about wanting to get pregnant right now, yes, we probably will."

Harry felt his anger rise but forced himself to stay calm. He'd gotten much better at keeping his emotions in check. "Ginny, I told you that I want us both to be ready to have kids and I meant that. I'm okay waiting for a while as long as I know that it's still something you want."

"I can't give you a definite timeline," she said firmly.

"I'm not asking for a hard and fast date. I'm just asking if it's still what you want at some point."

"I don't want to be pressured into it."

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to pressure you, but it's a valid concern, Gin. You know I want a family. It's one of the most important things to me. I thought you wanted that too."

"I do, it's just," she trailed off shaking her head.

"It's just what?"

"I'm not ready to give up my career."

"I'm not asking you to. I would never ask you to do that. If you want to go back to the Harpies after we have a baby, I'm all for that. Hell, I'd even quit my job and stay home if that's what we decide is best."

"I'd still have to take time off, Harry. At least six or seven months. I can't play after eight or ten weeks."

"I understand that," he said, "and if you want to wait another year or two, I'm okay with that too. I just-"

"Gwenog thinks I could make the English National Team for the World Cup," Ginny interrupted.

Harry stared at her for a few moments. "The next World Cup isn't for three years."

"I know, but the team is chosen a year before, to give them time to practice together before the matches start. The English National Team, Harry!" Her eyes lit up in excitement. "I've dreamed about it since the first time I broke into the broom shed and stole Bill's broom. But if I'm going to have a chance, I have to train and improve as much as I can. I only have two years. I can't take time off to have a baby."

Harry sat back in his seat. He wanted her to have this, he did. And if he had to wait three years, well, it wasn't what he wanted but he could. He would. "That's fantastic, Gin." He smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"It hasn't happened yet," she said with a laugh. "But thanks." She went back to her dinner as if their previous conversation hadn't happened.

Harry watched her for a few moments. "You never answered my question though."

Ginny's brow furrowed. "Which question?"

"Do you still want to have kids at some point?"

"Oh, well, yeah, of course," she said rather nonchalantly.

Harry studied her. "You don't sound overly convincing."

Ginny sighed. "I want to play Quidditch for as long as I can. And what if I don't make the English team this time? I'd definitely want to try again for the 2010 Cup. Like I said, I can't give you a timeline."

"You could play Quidditch into your forties if you don't have any major injuries," Harry said. Twenty years. She wanted to wait twenty years to start a family? Yes, witches and wizards lived much longer than non-magicals did, but Harry wasn't prepared to wait twenty years for children.

Ginny shrugged. "You know witches can have children well into their fifties."

"Ginny, I don't want to be fifty before we have a baby!"

"I thought you wanted us both to be ready?"

"I do, but twenty years is a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"

Ginny sat in silence for a few moments. "Look, why don't we just wait and see what happens with the 2006 team? If I make it, then maybe we can have a baby after that."

She made it sound like some transaction or something. "And if you don't?" Harry asked.

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Well, then we'll just have to wait a few more years."

Harry stared at her. She wasn't ever going to give him a straight answer. And he still wasn't convinced that she would have children at all, Quidditch career or no. Harry's heart clenched.

After a few minutes, Ginny reached across the table and took Harry's hand. "We'll work this out, I promise. Figure out something that works for both of us. Let's talk about it again tomorrow, okay? I love you, Harry."

Harry put a fake smile on his face and nodded, then returned to his dinner. He had a horrible feeling in his gut that this was the beginning of the end.

They stepped into the suite after a day of sightseeing. Personally, Harry would have rather stayed in their hotel and tried to hash everything out, but Ginny had insisted. And truthfully, he hadn't had the energy to disagree with her. He'd stayed awake half the night, convinced his marriage was over one minute, then hoping that they still might work it out the next.

His thoughts had been jumbled and confused all day, but Ginny hadn't seemed to notice. Or if she had, she hadn't commented on it. And she'd kept them busy so there was no time to return to their discussion. He wasn't very well going to have it in public where anyone could hear. Now, though, they were back in their suite and Harry intended to continue where they'd left off the night before.

"I'm going to take a shower, I think," Ginny said before he could say anything. She stepped closer to him, running her hands up his chest. "Care to join me?"

"No, you go ahead," Harry said.

She pouted for a moment, then reached up and kissed him. She gave him a dazzling smile once they parted. "Offer stands if you change your mind." She winked at him and then headed into the bedroom, swaying her hips as she did so.

Harry sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face. He made his way to the couch and sat down, resting his head against the back and staring at the ceiling. He heard the shower start a few moments later. Ginny had been affectionate all day, holding his hand, walking as close as possible to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek or the mouth every so often. At one point, she'd pulled him into an alley and snogged the life out of him. He didn't like to think it, but he was positive she was trying to distract him. Which only convinced him even more that she had no intention of returning to the children conversation.

Harry understood her feelings about Quidditch. And he had been serious when he told her he would be willing to quit his job and stay home with any children they might have. But he was starting to think that he'd been right when he'd told Hermione that he was worried Ginny didn't really want children at all and was just telling him what he wanted to hear.

The problem was, she hadn't come out and actually said it. He'd told her that he was willing to wait until she was ready. If he continued to press her to give him a time or a year or whatever, he'd only seem like an arsehole. He just didn't know if he could believe her when she said she still wanted a family. Fuck.

Harry stood abruptly from the couch as the shower shut off. He began to pace, wondering what the hell he was going to do. He had hoped that he would get some answers this weekend, settle some things, but he was even more confused than he had been before they'd come. Not to mention that the stupid photograph of her and Alex kept randomly flashing through his mind.

Harry made a noise of frustration, as he turned to take another pass across the room. He bumped into the side table as he did so. "Fuck," he snapped as the lamp wobbled and Ginny's handbag fell to the floor, scattering its contents everywhere. Harry grabbed the lamp to keep it from toppling to the floor and rubbed his knee where he'd smacked it against the table.

After righting the lamp and setting the table back in its rightful spot, he knelt down on the carpet to gather up everything that had fallen out of Ginny's bag. He grabbed her wallet and saw a newspaper clipping underneath. Sticking the wallet back in the bag, Harry picked up the clipping. It was the photograph of Ginny and Alex from the Quidditch magazine. Why did she have it in her bag? Why had she kept it at all?

Harry stared at the photograph, watching his wife give that soft look to another man over and over again. She'd cut this photo out of the magazine and was carrying it around with her. Had even brought it on a weekend away with her husband. What did that say?

Harry felt like all the air had been forced from his lungs as he continued to stare at the photograph. She'd sworn there was nothing going on between them and Harry had believed her. Even if there wasn't, it was obvious that there were more than friendly feelings between them. At least on Ginny's part. Why else would she have kept the photo?

"What do you think about that little Italian place we saw for dinner tonight?" Ginny's voice called from the bedroom. "It looked pretty small; we could probably avoid any press."

Harry didn't answer, just kept staring at the image before him.

"Harry?" Ginny said, stepping into the living area of the suite. She was wrapped in one of the hotel robes. She frowned when she saw him sitting on the floor. "What are you doing?" She took a few steps closer to him. "What are you looking at?"

Harry looked up at her but couldn't bring himself to answer.

All the blood drained from Ginny's face as she saw what he had in his hand. "Did you go through my bag?"

"No," Harry said. "I ran into the table, and it fell. I was picking everything up when I found this." He held up the photograph. "Why do you have this in your bag, Ginny?"

"It's nothing." She went to grab it, but Harry pulled it out of her reach.

"Why are you carrying this around with you?"

"Why are you going thought my things?" Ginny demanded.

"I told you; I wasn't. I bumped into the table. Your handbag fell and everything spilled out of it. I was picking it up and putting it all back when I found this. Why do you have it?"

Ginny stared at him but stayed silent.

"You swore to me that there was nothing going on between you."

"There isn't!"

"Then why do you have this?"

"I don't know. I wasn't, I didn't," she paused, shaking her head. "I don't know."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"No! I mean, he's my friend. We're friends." She was crying now, tears running silently down her cheeks.

"But you want more," Harry said, heart breaking in half at what he knew was the truth. He knew it in his gut, had known it for a while.

"No," Ginny said. "No, I want you. Just you." She moved closer to him, but Harry held up a hand to stop her.

"If that were true, you wouldn't keep this in your bag."

"I forgot about it," she said. "I was going to throw it out, I just forgot."

Harry sighed. "Don't lie to me, Ginny. At least have the decency to be honest."

She stared at him for what seemed like a very long time. And then she shook her head, tears falling more freely. "I'm sorry, Harry, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I don't know what happened, I, I just, it just did, and I tried to fight it, I really did. But I, I-"

"You're in love with him," Harry finished.

"No, no that's not, it isn't, I," she looked up at him, looking terrified to admit it, even to herself. "I love you."

"You love him too."

"I, I, I don't know, I," she covered her face with her hands. "I don't know."

She started to sob and regardless of how hurt he was, regardless of how he knew this was the end, Harry couldn't help but go to her. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly.

"I love you," Ginny said as if to try and convince herself.

"I know," Harry said. "I know." They stood in the middle of the suite, both of them crying, knowing that even though they loved each other, it just wasn't enough. Not this time.

Harry looked up at Hermione sadly. "I left that night and came back here. I'm guessing she stayed at the hotel and then went to the Burrow yesterday. She hasn't been back here, at any rate.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. She pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Harry nodded against her shoulder, hugging her back. They sat that way for several minutes until Harry finally pulled away.

"Does anyone else know?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't told anyone else. She might've though."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, Hermione. You're dealing with your own stuff."

"I'm fine, Harry, honestly. I went to my mum and dad's this weekend and it helped a lot."

"Really?" Harry asked, clearly surprised. He knew the issues Hermione had with her parents.

"Yeah, it was good, actually. Really good. I think that part of our problem was me always being afraid to say the wrong thing or something. I was upset and I told them everything that had happened with Ron. I think they needed me to need them. They needed to feel like parents again. Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a half-smile. "Yeah, it does. I'm happy for you, Hermione."

"So, I'm here for you. You don't need to worry about me and my stuff. Okay?"

"Okay."

They spent the rest of the late afternoon talking about nothing in particular. They avoided the topic of both Ginny and Ron which was fine with Hermione. She was willing to talk more about Ginny if Harry wanted to but as he didn't, she didn't push either.

"You want to stay for supper?" Harry asked. "You don't have to, if you have plans."

"Of course, I'll stay," Hermione said.

When Harry called for Kreacher to let him know that Hermione would be staying for supper, she excused herself to use the loo. When she finished and began to make her way back to the drawing room, she stopped short. That was Ron's voice. Shite.

She shouldn't eavesdrop, she knew that. She should just walk back into the room, alerting Ron to her presence. But she wasn't ready to see him yet. She was still angry about what Harry had told her the other day, about Ron thinking he could just throw a few token crumbs her way and she'd be fine. Harry needed all of his friends right now. She wasn't going to run Ron off for her own comfort.

She stood in the corridor, a few steps away from the door, trying to decide what to do. Ron's voice was rising and even if Hermione had still been in the loo, she probably would have been able to hear him.

"She came to the shop, stayed in the flat with me last night. I couldn't get anything out of her then, except that you two had a row or something. But she told me today. You're divorcing her because she's not ready to have kids?"

"Ron, that's not-"

"What the fuck, Harry!?" Ron was yelling now, and Hermione was getting angrier by the minute. Of course, Ginny hadn't told her brother the whole story.

"Ron, listen-"

"No, you listen! Where do you get off demanding that she have a kid right now or you're going to leave her, you fucking wanker?! I can't believe the person I thought was my best friend would treat his wife like this!"

Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. She stormed into the room. Ron's face was bright red, and he had a hold of Harry by the front of his shirt. If she wasn't mistaken, Ron was ready to punch him.

"Stop!" she yelled, startling Ron so much he let go of Harry. "Stop it right now, Ron!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Harry."

"You're here for him? Do you know what he did?"

"Of course, I do. You haven't gotten the whole story, Ron. And what you think you know, is wrong."

"Are you calling my sister a liar?"

"Hermione," Harry said but she ignored him.

"I'm telling you that she hasn't told you everything. And she's twisted what she has told you. Do you honestly think Harry would give her an ultimatum like that?"

"She came to me sobbing. She refused to say what was wrong at first, no matter how many times I asked her. Now I know why!" He glared at Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Good to see you think so highly of your best friend."

"Just stop," Harry said. "Both of you, please stop." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Ginny was upset but-"

"But what? But you're not sorry for what you did? Fuck you, Harry!" Ron yelled.

"Ron!" Hermione said. "Stop interrupting him! You don't know what happened!"

"Stay out of this, Hermione! It doesn't have anything to do with you!"

"Harry's my best friend! I thought he was yours too!"

"Stop it! Just shut it, both of you!" Harry shouted.

Hermione looked apologetically at Harry but Ron just fumed. "You know what? Fuck this. Don't come near my sister, Harry. I'm bringing her over here tomorrow morning to get her things. Don't be here. And don't bother coming to the Burrow either. You're no longer welcome there." Ron glared at Hermione one more time and then stormed out.

As soon as Ron had gone, Harry slumped down onto the couch. He rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. Hermione was unsure if she should go to him or not. She hadn't meant to get so angry, but she was not about to let Ron malign Harry's character and not even let him explain.

"Well, I guess we know who's getting Ron in the divorce," Harry said, voice muffled by his hands.

Hermione moved to his side, sitting down next to him. She put a hand on his back. "I'm sorry, Harry. He should have listened to you."

Harry sighed, dropping his hands and shaking his head. "I knew that she was upset when I left. Did she misunderstand me? Is that what she really thought I was saying? Gods, Hermione, I would never!" He looked horrified.

"Of course you wouldn't, Harry," she soothed.

"Then why?"

Hermione bit her lip. She honestly wasn't overly surprised by Ron's revelations, but she also knew that Ron had a tendency to jump to conclusions. He may have taken something Ginny said to the extreme. Or Ginny may have said exactly what Ron did in an effort to deflect any blame off herself.

But Harry sounded so hurt that Hermione's heart clenched. She wanted to rail against Ginny, accuse her of manipulation for her own ends. That wasn't what he needed right now, though.

"I think maybe she's just scared. And maybe she didn't explain things very well to Ron and he just jumped to conclusions."

"He's known me for twelve years. How could he think I would do something like that?"

"He's just upset, Harry. You know how he gets. He'll calm down and hopefully Ginny will explain things." She couldn't believe she was making excuses for Ron and Ginny, but she wasn't about to add to Harry's misery right now. And she could only hope she was right.

"Yeah," Harry said but Hermione could feel the hurt radiating off him.

She wrapped her arms around him. "It's going to be okay." Harry didn't respond, just rested his head against hers and sighed.

2 July 2003

"Hey," Hermione said as she met Harry in the Atrium for lunch.

He gave her a half-hearted smile and Hermione just wanted to pull him into her arms. She refrained given where they were.

Harry hadn't come to work the day before either. He'd told her he was going to take another day and spend it with Teddy. She hoped the little boy had been the balm to Harry's spirit he usually was.

"How was your day with Teddy?" she asked as they walked towards the Floos. They were going to the Leaky and then having lunch at a Chinese place in Muggle London they both liked.

"It was good," Harry said hint of a genuine smile on his face. "I took him to Hogsmeade, let him have a fly on his training broom. Then we had lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta told him some stories about Remus and my dad and Sirius that even I hadn't heard." Harry smiled softly. "It was good."

Hermione squeezed his upper arm. "I'm glad."

They reached the Floos and Harry sent her through first. They didn't say anything when they were in the Leaky, just waved to Hannah and transfigured their robes before they walked out into the Muggle side of London.

"Did Ginny come and get her things?" Hermione asked once they were well away from the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry nodded. "Everything was gone when I got home."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged. "I talked to my solicitor yesterday after I dropped Teddy back at Andromeda's."

"And?"

"If we both agree to the divorce, it shouldn't take long. There aren't any children involved, and the only property is Grimmauld, which I doubt Ginny wants. She's never liked it. As for money, I really don't care how much of my gold she wants. She can have it. But if she contests the divorce, then it could drag on for months."

"Do you think she will?" Hermione asked. She could see Ginny doing it out of spite, actually, to prevent Harry from moving on with his life. Or maybe to try and get him to change his mind.

They reached the restaurant. Harry didn't respond until they put in their order and sat down at a table.

"I honestly don't know," he said. He sighed again, looking annoyed.

"What is it?"

"I told him everything that happened over the weekend, including what she said about Alex. My solicitor said that if I could get proof that there was something going on between them, Ginny wouldn't have anything to contest. She would be in the wrong and I'd get whatever I wanted. He told me to hire someone to follow her."

"What did you say?" Hermione couldn't imagine that Harry would agree to something like that.

"I told him to bugger off. I wasn't going to have my wife followed. I know she was telling me the truth when she told me there wasn't anything going on between them. She might have feelings for him. but she hasn't acted on them."

Hermione bit her lip. She wasn't going to say what she was thinking. Harry didn't need that on top of everything else. Their food was brought to the table and Hermione busied herself with her meal.

"Tell me," he said a few minutes later.

"Tell you what?" she asked innocently.

"Come on, Hermione. I know you. You were going to say something just then but decided not to. What is it?"

"It's nothing."

Harry stared at her until she sighed. "It's just, I know there isn't anything going on now. That doesn't mean there won't be."

"Are you telling me to spy on my wife?"

"No," she said firmly. "No, I'm not telling you that. I know how you feel about having your privacy invaded."

"There's going to be a ridiculous amount of publicity about this as soon as we file anything. Do you know what the press would do if they found out I'd hired a private detective?" Harry's voice started to rise, and he raked a hand through his hair.

Hermione reached out and put a hand on his arm. "I know, Harry. Okay? I'm not telling you to do that."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying to pay attention. You're an Auror and you have good instincts. Use them in this situation. Listen to your gut."

Harry blew out a breath. "Yeah, okay. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Ginny might not contest anything anyway. This is all just speculation on your solicitor's part. Just wait and see, yeah? And if she does, well then, pay attention."

"Constant vigilance?" Harry asked wryly.

Hermione laughed. "Indeed."

Hermione stepped out of the Floo into her flat that night with a sigh. It had been a long, unproductive afternoon of research on the Universe Hopper. Unsurprising given that nothing else like this existed, but frustrating nonetheless.

"Hermione."

She jumped; her wand immediately drawn as her heart rate shot up. Ron was sitting on her couch, hands raised in surrender. "What the hell, Ron?! What are you doing here?"

"You haven't taken me off the Floo access," he said. She hadn't. Hadn't even really thought about it actually.

"Because I never thought you'd just waltz in here whenever you felt like it! What do you want?"

"I want to talk about Harry and Ginny."

Hermione sighed as she stowed her wand back into her arm holster. "What about them?"

Now that she'd put her wand away, Ron stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think we should help them get back together."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Two days ago, you accused Harry of horrible things and told him to stay away from her. You told him he was no longer welcome at the Burrow. And now you want them together? Why?"

"Ginny's my sister. She loves Harry and I know he still loves her. They're just having a rough time right now. They can work it out."

"You accused Harry of trying to force Ginny to have a baby. That's just a 'rough time'?"

"Okay, look, I know that I might have overreacted but-"

"No, Ron, you got it completely wrong! As usual!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"It means that you don't listen. You hear what you want to hear and damn everything else!"

"You think I wanted to hear that my supposed best friend was an unmitigated arsehole? Because I didn't!"

"Supposed best friend? Unmitigated arsehole?" Hermione repeated. "And you want them back together?"

"Fuck, Hermione would you just listen?" Ron shouted.

"I am! You're the one that's not listening! You don't even know the whole story!"

Ron scoffed. "Oh, and you do? What, were you there?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I wasn't there. Merlin." Ron was infuriating. "But Harry told me what happened."

"And you just believe him?"

"Yes. I do. He's my best friend."

"And Ginny's my sister!"

"Look, Ron. I'm not accusing Ginny of lying to you. But don't you think that maybe she might not have told you everything? Yes, Harry wants to have kids. But do you really think he would give her an ultimatum like that? Really?"

Ron sighed. "All I know is what she told me, Hermione. And she was really, really upset."

"I'm sure she was. Harry was really upset too. He owled in sick to work, Ron."

Ron's eyes widened. He knew as well as Hermione did that Harry never owled in sick.

"And he was nearly through an entire bottle of Firewhiskey when I found him. At eleven in the morning."

Ron didn't say anything.

"I think you should talk to Ginny again. Or better yet, ask Harry what happened. And listen to him this time. Don't keep interrupting and assume you know everything."

Ron scowled at her. "Why don't you just tell me if you know so much?"

"It's not my place. It's up to Harry if he wants to talk to you. And honestly, after the way you treated him the other day, don't be surprised if he tells you to sod off."

"Fine." Ron stood and walked back to the Floo.

"Oh, and Ron?"

He turned to look at her.

"If you come into my flat uninvited again, I will hex you."

Ron scowled and threw in the Floo powder, calling for the shop before disappearing.