I Saw My Lady Weep

Chapter 24: In All The Dogs And Cats...

"Try it. Trust me... it's just potato salad!" Harry urged. It seemed odd to him, that Ron would hesitate to actually eat something.

"But it doesn't look like any potato salad I've ever had... just looks like odd-colored potatoes all sliced up with green stuff on them." Ron eyed his plate warily. "Cold, odd-colored potatoes at that," he muttered under his breath.

"Seriously, Ronald... with everything I've seen you eat without so much as blinking, you're getting squeamish over German potato salad?" Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, and then leaned over him to spear a slice of potato. "Okay... the Quaffle is heading for the goal-post! Open up now..." She waggled the fork in ever decreasing circles while pushing it closer and closer to his mouth.

"Hermione...!" Ron looked to Harry or Ginny for support, but both were barely constraining giggles. "Fine..." He opened up and took the bit of potato off the fork. "Hmm... okay, so it tastes good. It still doesn't look like any potato salad I've ever had." He looked utterly humiliated.

"It's good to try new things now and again, Ron." Ginny bit into her sandwich and smiled. Chewing, she watched the passing traffic. Diagon Alley was a busy place on Saturday, and it occurred to her that just sitting in a sidewalk café, watching the wizards and witches walk by about their business, was kind of fun. "Could someone tell me why we've never eaten here before?"

"Well, I have eaten here before, actually." Harry sipped his butterbeer. "Remember right before my third year... would have been your second, Ginny... you guys were off on your Egyptian adventure? The Ministry put me up at the Cauldron?" When his three companions nodded, Harry continued. "Well, I made it a point to try a new place every day. Just to see what it was like. I liked this place."

"I still don't see why we couldn't have gone to the Leaky Cauldron," Ron muttered. He was still poking at his sandwich... he wasn't sure about putting sauerkraut on a sandwich.

Hermione sighed. "Because we always go to the Cauldron when we're at the Alley... Honestly... you've been coming to Diagon Alley for seven years now. Have you ever once eaten anywhere but the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Sure..." Ron thought about it. "Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor."

"First, Ronald, that's an ice cream parlor. You don't eat lunch there when invited out by your sister and her fiancé. Second... you might not have noticed, but the ice cream parlor is gone. Has been ever since..." Hermione abruptly stopped speaking and looked glum.

"Yeah, I know. It's okay." Ron rubbed Hermione's shoulder. He smiled at her, trying to cheer her up.

"Speaking of going to lunch with your sister and her fiancé," Ginny began. She looked toward Harry, her eyes asking a quick question. Harry nodded and took another bite of his sandwich. "We... um... we have something we need to tell you. Seeing as you're leaving for Australia tomorrow morning, we didn't want you to get back and be surprised."

"Oh, Merlin... you're not pregnant are you?" Ron asked.

"WHAT? No! Why would you think I was pregnant?" Ginny slapped him on the shoulder. "Whatever would give you the idea that I'm pregnant?"

"Well... you two... I just thought... I mean..." Ron stopped talking and took a big bite out of his sandwich, sauerkraut or no sauerkraut.

"No, Ron. I'm not pregnant." Ginny was red, though whether it was from annoyance or embarrassment Harry couldn't tell. She looked once more at Harry for confirmation. "We're getting married. On Monday."

Ron stopped chewing his sandwich. His face went slack, like someone hit him on the forehead with a hammer. Hermione, on the other hand, squealed and clapped. "Ginny! Congratulations! I mean, I don't know why so soon, but if it makes you happy, I'm happy for you!" She abruptly got serious. "It's not because of Molly, is it? Oh, Ginny... don't just get married to stick a finger in your mother's eye... "

Ginny fumed. "Why does everyone think I want to get back at my mother? First it's Harry, now it's you..."

"The timing," Harry said. He was leaning his chair onto its back legs. "That's probably what it is."

"Harry's right," Ron finally said, swallowing. "Mum's going to explode. She's not just going to get mad at you, Ginny... she's going to explode. Two days after your big row with her over controlling your life, you want to take a big... no, a gigantic step away from her. Bigger even than moving in with Harry." He stopped. "You have moved into Harry's, right? I mean... I figured when you left last night, you were leaving for good, despite what Dad said."

Ginny stared at her plate. "Yeah, I guess I have moved out permanently. I mean, I still have stuff at the Burrow, but..." she shrugged.

Hermione took a deep breath and her face contorted, as if she was in pain. "Well... tonight's going to be interesting. What with the screaming and the threats."

Ron was quiet for a long time. "Ginny, I love you and I will always love you, because you're my baby sister... but I have to say I think you getting married on Monday is a mistake, just like I think you not going back to Hogwarts is a mistake. I think you're moving way too fast. But if it's really what you want to do... both of you..." Ron looked at Harry. "You're old enough to make your own decisions. It's not like you're going to be living in a one-room flat trying to make ends meet on two low-paying jobs... at least you don't have that worry."

Ron sat back in his chair and pushed the half-finished plate away. "I just... I'm not looking forward to being there when you tell Mum is all."

Hermione smiled weakly. "Yeah, but Molly's going to go spare. Not to mention the rest of your family. Everybody but Charlie's coming over tonight, remember? Big send-off for me and Ron?"

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny held a hand to her mouth. "I'd completely forgotten! I don't want to mess up the send-off... and I really don't want to get into another row with my mother..."

"Then there's two options." Ron held up his fingers. "One, you don't tell them tonight. Tell them after the fact. Two... don't go through with it. Now, I've already told you which option I think you should choose."

Hermione turned to Harry. "You've been awfully quiet through all of this... what do you think?"

Harry set his butterbeer bottle on the table. "I think I want Ginny to be happy, and I am willing to do everything I can to make her happy. If she wants to get married on Monday, and she really means it and is certain of it, then we're getting married on Monday. If she wants to wait, then we wait. She's worth waiting for, I think." Harry smiled. "I guess it's the same thing with her not going back to school. If she's happiest not going back to school, then I support her. That's also part of the deal... I stand by her and support her whenever she needs someone to support her, even if it's against her own mother."

"Do you want to get married on Monday, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, if that's what Ginny wants."

"Harry, I'm asking you what you want..."

"And I told you... I want Ginny to be happy. If that means finding someone to marry us in the next fifteen seconds, then I'll do that. If that means waiting until the year 2034 to marry her, I'll do that," Harry explained. "If it means we never get married and raise our children in one of those strange non-marriage marriages you hear about in gossip magazine stories about celebrities, then we'll do that."

His response exasperated Hermione. "Harry, that's not a real opinion. I'm asking you, seriously. Do you want to get married to Ginny?"

"Yes, of course I do. I wouldn't have asked her otherwise." Harry thought this was obvious.

"On Monday?"

"If that's what Ginny wants."

"Gah! Harry..." Hermione held her forehead in her hands. She sat up abruptly. "Okay, let me ask you this... would you prefer to get married on Monday, or wait for a better time?"

Ginny turned and stared at Harry as he shifted uneasily in his chair.

"The truth..." Hermione prompted.

"Well..." Harry hesitated.

Ginny stood abruptly, knocking over her chair. She gave Harry a withering look and walked away, toward the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Shit! Be right back..." Harry ran after her. Ron raised one of his eyebrows to Hermione and shrugged.

"Yeah..." Hermione said, "... me either."

XxxxxxX

Harry caught up to Ginny just as she was tapping the brick wall that led to the Leaky Cauldron. "Ginny, wait... please." Harry grabbed her by the arm, only to find the business end of her wand thrust between his eyes.

"Let go," Ginny spat through clenched teeth.

"No. Hex me if you feel the need... I probably earned it. But even if you hit me with a Cruciatus, I'm going to hold on until you stop and listen to me." Harry closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst.

"Let me go, Harry." The command came a bit softer than it had previously, but only just a bit softer. He opened one eye. Ginny was staring at him... the set of her jaw told him she was still angry, but her eyes weren't quite so violently slitted as before.

"Ginny... please hear me out," Harry begged. "If you still want to hex me after hearing me out, I'll just stand here and take it, okay? I'll let you go as soon as you say you'll listen."

She stared at him. She continued staring at him. Ginny looked to the brick wall, then back down Diagon Alley. Lowering her wand, she said, "Fine. I'll listen. Can we go somewhere less public?"

"Sure." He held his arm out to her. "Express taxi service to somewhere less public, coming right up."

Ginny smiled. It was a weak smile, but at least it was a smile. "Prat..." She took hold of his arm, he turned in place...

They appeared in the middle of a ruin... it was obvious that the room had once been a well-appointed bedroom, but the furniture was now falling apart, and the entire building creaked. There was dust everywhere, and the place smelled of mold.

"Where the hell are we?" Ginny looked around. "What is this place?"

Harry shrugged, also looking around. "It's... er... the master bedroom of my grandparents' house, in Hogsmeade. It hasn't been looked after in a while. I was thinking of getting the place fixed up, eventually."

"What?" Ginny was confused. "Didn't you say that your grandparents' house... This is the Shrieking Shack? We're in the Shrieking Shack?"

Harry shrugged again.

"Well... at least it's less public." Ginny found an overturned chair. She up-righted it and sat down. "So... you wanted me to listen. Talk."

"I'm sorry I upset you," Harry began...

"Upset me? You didn't upset me, Harry, you hurt me! I thought you wanted to get..."

He put a finger to her lips, stopping her. "Ginny, you said you'd listen. Please..."

She stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. "I said I'd listen. Sorry..."

"It's all right... I know you're upse... hurt. I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to." Harry took a deep breath and stared at his hands. He rubbed them together, as if trying to get dirt off of them. "I do want to marry you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you, and if that means getting married on Monday in some private little ceremony at the Ministry, then so be it. The circumstances won't change my feelings for you."

"But..." she prompted.

"But... I do think it's a bit fast, is all. I'm worried about your feelings, Ginny. I'm worried that... please don't hate me but I'm wondering if this rush to get married is because of your... well... you've always hated being seen as a little girl who needs protecting, Ginny." Harry knelt in front of her and took her hands. "Can you think of any better way to say 'I don't need protecting any more' to your parents than suddenly showing up married?"

Ginny shook her head. She was avoiding his eyes.

"I'm not saying that was why you asked. I'm just thinking it might have something to do with it." He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. "What do you think? Could it be?"

"I... You see... When..." Ginny stopped. "Not really, Harry... it's..."

"What's the matter, love? You can tell me anything." Harry lifted her chin with a finger so he could see her eyes.

She glanced away. "Harry, I don't want to lose you again."

That caught him by surprise. "What?"

"I don't want to lose you again." She finally looked him in the eyes. He could see that she was serious. "I don't want to wake up and find you're gone. I don't want to have to wait for days and weeks and months to see you again. I never want to feel abandoned again, Harry..."

"What does... Ginny, you're not going to lose me..." Harry was at a loss. "I don't understand, Ginny. What does this have to do with the rush to...?"

"Because if we're married and you left I'd at least have your name to hang onto!" she interrupted. As soon as she said it she clasped her hands over her mouth.

The outburst shocked Harry enough that he fell backward onto his butt. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "So... all the anxiousness and wanting to get it over with... was all about me? Because you're..."

"I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to not be with you anymore..." She was back to not looking at him. "I'm still afraid of losing you, I guess."

"Oh, Ginny... I am so sorry..."

She looked up at that. "You're sorry? Why are you sorry? You're not the one who's so worried about being alone she wants to rush into a marriage."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who left you. I'm the one who you fell in love with and who left you. I'm the one who hurt you. Ginny, I am so..."

"If you apologize to me I'm going to hex you, Harry. I've already forgiven you. This... this isn't about blaming you, Harry... it's about me being afraid." Ginny caressed his face and smiled. "That's all."

"You say 'that's all' as if your feelings don't matter. I don't want you to be afraid anymore."

"And I don't want to force you into marrying me just because I'm being silly."

"Ginny, you weren't forcing me into anything. I volunteered, remember?" Harry climbed to his feet. "Look, Ginny... I love you, and I want to be with you. I've never actually asked you formally..."

He pulled her up to her feet and kissed her.

"Asked me what?" She looked up at him, into his eyes. "You've already asked me the big question. I said yes, remember?" Ginny held up her left hand and waggled her fingers.

Harry could feel his heart flutter, and hoped it always would when she looked at him like that. "How do you feel about moving in with me full time?" He smiled. "Then, after that, the next logical step will be getting married... but not on Monday."

Ginny smiled wryly. "Mister Potter, are you suggesting I become some sort of scarlet woman?"

He kissed her. "Absolutely!" He deepened the kiss. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Let's be together as a couple for a while before we're together as a man and wife. I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly, Ginny nodded. "I can... yeah... It's silly, really..." She kissed him back. "So... let's go finish lunch. Okay?"

"Okay." Harry looked at her suddenly. "So what are we going to tell your Mum and Dad?" He held out an arm to her.

"That you're moving in with me." Ginny laughed.

"In with you? Ginny... it's my house!"