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Author: fathomlessspite
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings: (eventual) slash, DH SPOILERS, epilogue compliant :(
Rating: PG thus far
Summary: It's Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts, it'll be the first year in thirteen since Ginny and Harry had the house to himself. But as Ginny has decided to take a course at a wizarding college in Egypt Harry accepts a teaching position at Hogwarts. With old friends and enemies surrounding him, questions about his slowly disintegrating marriage are hard to ignore.
Chapter Summary: "Or Ginny? How are you going to tell Ginny?" Hermione continued.
"Tell me what?" Ginny asked, standing in the kitchen doorway. "Who was at the floo?"
CATCH UP: --PROLOGUE-- , --PARTS 1&2--, --PART 3--, --PART 4--, --PART 5--, --PART 6A--, --PART 6B--, --PART 7--, --PART 8--, --PART 9--, --PART 10--, --PART 11--, --PART 12--, --PART 13--
Harry explained the situation shortly to Hermione and she repeated her comment from earlier, "Oh dear."
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"How are you going to tell the children?" she asked. Harry wasn’t too worried about telling the children, he knew they’d be disappointed but they would understand. He was more worried about, "Or Ginny? How are you going to tell Ginny?" Hermione continued.
"Tell me what?" Ginny asked, standing in the kitchen doorway. "Who was at the floo?"
"I think I’ll go back outside," Hermione said and made a quick escape. Mouthing, ‘Good Luck’ before she went back into the garden.
"Harry?"
"I’ve got to go back to Hogwarts. Tonight," he told her. He should have probably softened the blow a little, but he’d rather get it over and done with. Her eyes blazed and she folded her arms.
"Why?" she asked shortly.
"Narcissa Malfoy died this morning," he said.
"What a shame," she cut in, Harry shot her a sharp look.
"Draco can’t cover me anymore, he had to get back to the Manor," Harry continued as if she had not spoken.
"It’s only until tomorrow morning, he couldn’t wait?" she asked.
"His mother just died!" Harry exclaimed.
"Oh please, it’s not like the Malfoys are the closest of families," she said dismissively. "He probably just wants to sort out whatever inheritance she left him."
"How can you-?" he paused briefly. "He didn’t look too concerned with money Ginny," he said.
"He was here?" she demanded. "You let a Malfoy in this house!?"
"Oh come on Ginny, have a little compassion!"
"Compassion? When has he ever shown any? He should have stayed until tomorrow morning. They were never particularly demonstrative or loving before now, why start now?"
"They were a closer family than we are!" Harry ground out.
"And whose fault is that?" she asked righteously.
"Yours!" he shouted, patience finally snapping. Not caring anymore if their voices were carrying to the garden. "It was you who chose to run away from me the first chance you got Ginny! Don’t go blaming me for any of this."
"And who can blame me?" she demanded. "You hardly ever even touch me anymore, let alone speak to me. All you care about is the kids, it’s like I don’t even exist," she hissed.
"Don’t be stupid," he muttered.
"Don’t call me stupid Harry. It’s true and you know it. Sometimes I wonder if you even have room for me in your heart anymore. You certainly never make any show of loving me," she said stonily.
Harry stopped short. How could he respond to that without lying. The short answer was that he couldn’t. And from the look on Ginny’s face she seemed to realise that too.
He dropped heavily into one of the chairs at the table and gestured for her to sit in the one next to him. When she stayed standing he sighed, "Sit down Ginny," he said quietly; tiredly.
When she finally sat down he continued, "You’re right, I’m sorry," he said sincerely.
"You don’t love me then?" she asked matter-of-factly.
"Yes, but not," he paused thinking back to a conversation he’d had with Draco. "But more platonically at the moment, I guess."
"Right," he said, crossing her arms and looking at the table top.
"But we can try and fix this Ginny," he said earnestly.
"You want to?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Did he want to? He didn’t know, but he definitely did not want to go through everything that not fixing it would entail.
"Yes," he answered. She gave him a drawn smile and squeezed his hand briefly.
* * *
Harry had taken the children aside and explained that he had to leave and why. They had been relatively understanding, James a little less than the others. As he headed back upstairs to pack Al trailed after him.
"Do you think Scorpius is okay?" he asked as he watched Harry throw his clothes, marking and various other belongings back into his trunk.
"I don’t know Al, you should write to him and ask," Harry said with a smile.
"Yeah I will. It’s just, he says that house feels big and empty anyway, and now there’s one less person and everyone will be upset…" he trailed off.
"Professor Malfoy did ask if you’d like to spend some time there later on in the holidays, to keep Scorpius company," Harry told him. Albus beamed.
"That’d be great. I could make sure he’s okay, keep his mind of things, help him with his homework."
"I’m sure he’ll be glad for that last one," Harry chuckled. "I’ll talk to his dad next chance I get," Harry said as he shut his trunk, shrunk it and placed it in his pocket.
"Thanks dad," Albus said as Harry led them back down the stairs.
It took Harry a further half an hour to say goodbye to all of the Weasleys, Lily holding his hand as he said goodbye to everyone.
When he’d said goodbye to the kids he walked into the kitchen where Ginny was standing by the floo. She smiled at him briefly before glancing away.
He purposefully walked toward her and placed a kiss of her cheek. "Write to me, Ginny. And come and visit if you get the chance," he said. "Have a good Christmas," he added when she didn’t make any affirmative response.
"You too," she responded. As there seemed to be nothing else coming he grabbed a handful of powder and threw it into the fireplace.
"Professor Potter’s quarters, Hogwarts," he called and stepped in, disappearing with a swirl of green flame.
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