Love, Lies, and a Secret

Love, Lies, and a Secret

Chapter 15: Shatter to Mingle

The next day

The Burrow

"Harry!" Ginny cried as she spotted her boyfriend standing in the middle of the living room from the top of the stairs. "You're finally here, love!" She run down the stairs and promptly wrapped her arms around his neck, placing small kisses along his jaw line.

However, Harry pulled her away from him. "Please, Ginny, no," he said tersely, "I came here to talk." He looked at her and clearly saw that her smile was replaced by a frown and her eyes became clouded. She knows.

"Talk?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking slightly. "Talk about what?"

Harry heaved a deep sigh. "Why don't we take a walk?" he said instead. "We can go to that Café in the village."

"Harry, what's it? Can't you just tell me what you want?" she asked, her voice becoming stronger and a little louder too. "It has been a while since you looked at me this way. I'm not stupid, Harry! I don't need to be treated like a child!" She wiped away angry tears with the back of her hand. "I've been thinking a lot, you know? I'd convinced myself that I should fight for you. That we were bound to be together - that any and every obstacle would be nothing seeing that we loved each other! But now..."

"Ginny--"

"Do you love me, Harry?" she blurted out, looking intensely at his eyes. "Are you in love with me? Like a man should love his girlfriend?"

"I-I am sorry," he said quietly. It wasn't supposed to be so hard. "You are a great girl, Ginny... I-I just-"

Ginny held up a hand, breathing hard. "Stop, Harry," she said fiercely, "you don't need to say anything else." She bit her lips. "You can go, Harry."

"Ginny, this shouldn't be this way," he said. "We should talk and-"

"And what, Harry?!" she cried angrily. "What are you going to say? That I am a great girl but you don't love me? That's nothing wrong with me but the problem is with you?" She shoved off her arms into the air. "Believe me; I don't want to hear it! So please, just leave."

Harry just nodded, giving in. "Okay, if this is the way that you want it. I really think we should talk sooner or later, though."

He turned out on his way to leave The Burrow when he heard Ginny speaking once again.

"Even if I tried I could never be Hermione, Harry." Harry stopped on his track and turned around, staring at Ginny, his eyes opened wide. "I'm not stupid, Harry," Ginny said with a sad smile. "I am not stupid."

Without saying anything else, Ginny leaned towards Harry, cupped his face into her hands and kissed him gently on the lips, before walking away.

***

Ministry of Magic

Harry arrived at the Ministry feeling drained, but somehow absolved. It had been the best that it was Ginny the one who actually initiated the break-up. He knew she needed that; it was like- in this way she would have a- false, for sure, assurance that she still had some control in their relationship. In other words, it was a matter of pride. Before everyone else's eyes, he would be the damped one, not her. That also helped him to placate his own fears of hurting her.

And he knew he had hurt her. However, this was for the best, and it was the right time.

No, not the right time; he had waited too long. But now - he knew - he knew things would get better. He was purposefully not thinking about Ron.

Still, there was just one thing, one little detail about Ginny's words that, now, seemed to gnaw at him. It was the way Ginny had mentioned Hermione. No, he wasn't foolish enough to think that Ginny had never realized his true feelings towards his best friend. [Author ID1: at Thu Jul 26 12:11:00 2007 ]Ginny was an intelligent girl; neverless, it seemed there was something else. He couldn't even explain it to himself. It was like something was missing - like he was half expecting some sort of cruel words, or slight towards the brown-haired witch. But there had been no such thing, and this made Harry wonder. Ginny was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of Hermione and Ron's relationship.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by horrible screams coming from the end of the hall. Instinctually he raised his wand and walked faster in the direction of the noise. A young woman was crying desperately, pleading with an impassive Dolores Umbridge. Even without knowing the reason, Harry felt a strange feeling low in his stomach. There were several people watching the tableau, and all of them seemed to have sorrowful but resigned expressions on their features. Harry turned his head and his eyes meet Mr. Weasley. The older man had such a distraught expression that was almost disturbing.

"Mister Weasley?" he asked quietly, and the older Weasley turned his head at him.

"Oh, James," Arthur Weasley spoke in a quiet tone.

"Er, Mister Weasley?"

Arthur shook as he brought himself back to the present. "Oh, sorry, Harry," he replied with a sad smile. "It's just - the same thing happened about twenty years ago." He shook his head briefly. "I had hoped never to see such things again."

"W-What's happening?"

"Dolores has condemned this woman's child to the veil."

Harry felt a lump in his throat.

Sirius.

"W-Why? What did she do?" he managed to ask.

"Her daughter, it seems," Arthur replied sorrowfully. "The infant's great crime was to be born."

"I don't understand."

"The child's father is a werewolf, Harry." He gazed at Harry meaningfully. "You know the law, Umbridge's law regarding werewolves?"

Of course Harry knew the law.

*~*

1999

Grimmauld Place

Harry and Hermione were sitting alone in the living room, or rather, practically alone. Remus and Tonks were upstairs, doing Merlin only knows what.

"You know, I really don't understand why they don't get married already!" Harry commented, shaking lightly his head.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione laughed briefly, but it didn't search her eyes. "They can't. You know that. The law; have you forgotten about Umbridge's law?"

First, Harry looked at her confusedly, but then came the realization. The law. That ridiculously prejudiced law.

"I'd forgotten about that stupid law for a second," he admitted, "but, they could have a child. I don't think people - well people whose opinion really mattered - would mind if Tonks get pregnant, even if they aren't married." And Remus truly deserves a happy family.

Hermione shook her head sadly at him. "Oh, Harry," she whispered quietly, "they can't. The law doesn't only forbid the marriage of a werewolf, but also states that is forbidden for a werewolf to - to procreate."

Harry stared at her blankly. Yes, he knew that werewolves had a lot of restrictions, but that... "But what if Tonks gets pregnant anyway, huh?" He was almost daring fate to spite Umbridge.

"T-They, the Ministry... t-that horrible woman would take the child and-" She stopped as unwelcome tears began to fall.

Harry looked slightly alarmed at the girl. He went towards her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Oh, Hermione," he whispered in her hair, "I'm sorry if I made you cry."

Still in his arms, Hermione looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "I don't know - it -it's just this law. I always get so sad and angry when I think about it." He wiped her tears with the thumb of his fingers. "Th-They kill the child, Harry."

"W-What?" No, he must have heard wrong.

"You heard correctly," she said as if she could hear his thoughts. "They kill the child. They throw the child through the veil."

Harry couldn't believe on what he was hearing. That was so cruel, so-- he couldn't even think of words vulgar enough to describe it.

**

"Potter?" a voice snapped Harry back to the present. The screams had stopped and the hysterical mother wasn't there anymore. Harry wondered what would happen to her. He knew she and the child's father would be suffering a process, but he wasn't aware what would be consequences. Azkaban? Death? Harry didn't know, but he doubted that it really matters anyway. That woman's life had probably ended in the same moment her child was killed.

Harry shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Potter!" he heard someone calling.

He turned toward the voice and saw Auror Phillips. "Potter, Shacklebolt is asking to see you."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Phillips. I'll see him straight away." He then looked at Mr. Weasley. "Mister Weasley, I need to go-" He ran a hand through his hair. "Um, may I speak with you later, sir?" I have to tell you that your daughter and I broke up.

Mr. Weasley looked startled at him. "Of course, son," he said. "I hope it is nothing too serious."

"Oh no," Harry assured the older man, "it's just- something."

"That's okay then. I'll be in my office."

They bid their goodbyes and each man headed off to his own fate. As Harry waited for the elevator to the Aurors' Department, he gazed again at the empty spot, where, minutes early, the woman wept.

"Poor Remus," he muttered to himself, without even thinking.