A/N: Hey guys, I'm really, really sorry for the late update, but my Beta Reader was busy, and well she has a life! Thanks Emily once again for your work.
Chapter 21 - Harsh truths
It took Ginny a couple of minutes for the realization to sink in. She had been so stupid. How come she had never realized it before? She had thought that Harry was having an affair. But she would never have expected that it would be with Hermione Granger... Much less that he'd actually be in love with her.
It was absurd. Someone was playing a cruel joke on her.
Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, and sat down on the confortable sofa in front of the one Draco was laying on. She wasn't going to leave things like this.
"Hey, Draco, let's see how drunk you are," she said briskly.
Draco smiled. "I'm not drunk at all, Ginny," he said, although his drawling told otherwise.
Ginny smirked. "Fine. Then let's have a little chat, shall we? You and me. Just like Harry and Hermione did."
Harry and Hermione, who were still talking to each other, suddenly seemed to come back to reality. They both turned to look at Ginny.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry, quietly.
Ginny's eyes sparkled dangerously. "Draco and I are going to talk, is all. The truth will come out, Harry, darling." Ginny glared at Hermione. "Remember when I asked you with whom you were cheating on me with?" she asked Harry, her eyes never leaving Hermione.
A second passed when no one said anything. Hermione swallowed hard. She didn't have time for this. She had to go back to the hospital.
"We'll talk about that later," Harry said. "Now is not the time. Daniel's fever has gotten worse."
"Hermione? Do you have something to say?" Ginny asked, ignoring Harry.
"Stop it, Ginny," Harry said, a little louder.
"Harry Potter, always the knight in the shining armor," Ginny commented, sarcastically.
Draco, who didn't understand anything, let out a strange laugh. "That was funny. All right, Gin, let's talk. I'm ready to go back to the company whenever you want me to."
"Draco, this talk won't be about work," Ginny said, waving her hand. "It's much more personal. We're going to talk about your wife and my husband."
Draco scratched his head, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Harry and Hermione?"
"Exactly. Harry and Hermione."
Somehow, Hermione was able to control the gasp that was threatening to come out of her mouth. Harry looked calm, and in that moment, she felt jealous of his ability to suppress his emotions. Draco, on the other hand, was staring at Ginny totally puzzled. He moved his lips, repeating Ginny's words. He turned to look at Hermione. And then, his features darkened, and a flash of understanding appeared in his reddened eyes.
"Harry and Hermione?" he choked. "That's insane."
"Well, I'm not surprised that we are the last to know about this," Ginny said, lighting a cigarrette. "After all, we are the ones they are cheating on."
"Bloody hell!" Draco yelled, standing up violently and tumbling. He leaned against the fireplace for support. "What is going on here!?"
Hermione was pale. However, she grabbed his arm. "Draco, let's go upstairs," she pleaded softly.
"So it was him! You were cheating on me with him!?"
"Draco..."
"You were sleeping with the big and famous Harry Potter!?" Draco yelled, his face gaining redness. "You lying bitch!"
He made a violent movement, and Hermione took a step backwards. Harry decided it was enough, and after giving a cold glare to Ginny, he grabbed Hermione by the arm and led her outside to the garden.
Ginny watched them go outside while still sitting on her sofa. Her hands were shaking. Draco stumbled back onto the couch and buried his face in his hands. Ginny looked at him with disgust, and then turned to look outside. There was no sight of Harry and Hermione.
How could he do something like that to her? How could Harry get involved with her worst enemy? The woman whose father had destroyed her life? And now, instead of being with her, Ginny, he was outside… comforting Hermione.
He was still her husband. She wasn't going to let him go away. She couldn't live without him. Even if he loved another woman, Ginny would never give him the divorce. She wouldn't let Hermione win. She was going to save her marriage, no matter what.
Draco, drunk as he was, could still feel a deep pain. He was completely humiliated. Hermione had chosen a man who had status and money, something that Draco Malfoy had always wanted, but had never been able to achieve. For a long time, he had tried to be like Harry Potter. He bought his robes in the same place and tried to be around the same people. But it wasn't enough for her...
He turned around to look outside, but couldn't see either Harry or Hermione. He spotted Ginny sitting in front of him, deep in her own thoughts, smoking her expensive cigarrettes. Right next to her, the bar was calling to him. He stood up, poured whisky on a glass and drank it in one sip.
"How long has this been going on?" he asked, cleaning his mouth with his sleeve.
Ginny shrugged. "Who knows? I don't think it's recent. Maybe since the war."
Draco groaned. "She was a virgin when I married her."
Ginny gave him a condescendant smile. "Who cares? The important thing is that they have a relationship right now. In front of our noses. So, Harry stayed with her at the hospital?"
Draco clenched his fists angrily. "And he told me he was going there to replace me!" He poured more whisky into his glass. "Why he had to chosen her? I'm sure he could get any woman he wanted."
Ginny's smiled faded. "She's not just any woman to him, Draco. He loves her," she said bitterly.
Draco snorted and sat down on the couch again. He loved Hermione. He had tried to give her a good life- to her and Daniel. But no matter what he did, he would never be able to compete with the great Wizard that was outside with his wife right now.
"Draco... I will remain married," Ginny said slowly.
He stared at her as if she was crazy. "Are you serious? Didn't you just see the same thing I did?"
"I don't care about that! I will never give the divorce to Harry. And he wouldn't dare to leave me. He feels too guilty... You should fight for your marriage, too."
"You know Hermione. She'll never stay with me if she's in love with him."
"Harry would never have her as his mistress. He's a gentleman. If I don't give him the divorce, he won't get involved with her," Ginny said, matter-of-factly, although she wasn't that sure.
* * *
Outside, Harry and Hermione were sitting on a bench, under a huge oak. Harry was looking at Hermione, with concern clear in his eyes. Her gaze was fixed in the floor. She looked weak and ill. She was shaking, and he didn't know if it was because of what had just happened, or because of Daniel, dying in the hospital.
They had stayed like that, in silence, for at least ten minutes. Finally, Harry decided he should say something.
"Hermione..."
She jumped a little and turned to look at him. Her eyes were sad and tired. "Oh, Harry, what have we done?"
He hugged her and she cried in his shoulder, while he stroked her hair. "We haven't done anything, Hermione, except being honest with our feelings."
"Yes, but we've hurt people in the process. We've been so selfish-"
"Selfish?" he interrupted her. "How much time we tried to fight this? I never stopped thinking about you for a single second. It was worse after Taxco. I've tried to suppress this, but it's impossible. You know that. It's too strong. You want to keep living this lie? You don't love Draco. I don't love Ginny. I love you."
"I know... I know, Harry," she muttered weakly.
He lifted her chin and looked in her eyes. "We'll get through this. You'll see, everything will be fine."
Hermione was too tired to argue that nothing was going to be fine with her son almost dying. Harry kissed her softly. At least she had him now. He kissed her eyelids and her jawline.
"I'm tired of lying," he whispered. "I want to speak the truth. I've got nothing to hide anymore."
Hermione would have loved to say the same. But she was hiding something from him, the truth about Daniel's origins. She backed away. "We should go inside... I have to go back to the hospital."
Harry nodded and they went back into the house. Ginny and Draco weren't in the living room anymore. Recluntantly, Hermione separated from Harry to go to her room.
* * *
As soon as she entered, she found Draco sitting on the bed, his hair falling down in his face. He didn't even move when she closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, Draco," Hermione whispered. She really was.
"Why don't you go to hell!?" he shot back, glaring at her with hate. He stood up and approached her. Hermione tried to suppress the fear that came over her when he stood in front of her. "So that's what you did there every night! How many times did you two leave the ward to go to some fancy hotel?"
Hermione closed her eyes, remembering all those endless hours sitting in the waiting room, when the only thing that kept her from going insane was Harry's company.
"He just sits there and waits with me," she said, after taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, right. So, tell me, is the little unfaithful witch staying with her husband or will she leave him for some rich asshole?"
"What about you and Chloe?" she retorted.
"Ah! I was wondering when you were going to bring that up! That was a mistake. You can't even start to compare it with what you have with him! Besides, it was your fault that I got involved with her! You were ignoring me!"
Hermione looked at him in disbelief and walked towards the bed. She needed to rest a little before going back to St. Mungo's. Draco went to the bathroom and came out five minutes later with his hair wet. He still looked drunk. Hermione had just closed her eyes, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to get any sleep. She wanted to go back and be with her son. She sighed and stood up. Draco was staring at her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"I'm going to the hospital, if you must know."
"Of course, with your lover," he said in a loud voice. "You're not going anywhere before we talk about this, dammit!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Please, Draco, keep it down," Hermione shushed him. She didn't want Harry or Ginny listening to this.
"I'm not going to shut up! Since when have you been sleeping with him?"
"The relationship isn't just that. I lo-"
"SINCE WHEN!?"
She took a deep breath. "Since France."
Draco looked taken aback. "France? When I met you?"
"I told you that Harry had helped me to get out of France-"
"You told me you were a virgin!"
"I never told you that, Draco. You assumed I was," Hermione replied angrily.
"You told me!" he yelled, grabbing her arm.
"Let me go! You're hurting me!"
"You always lied to me! Not to him! Even when you married me, you still were thinking about him all the time!" he cried. Hermione could smell the alcohol in his breath.
"You always knew that I loved you like a friend, Draco. You knew I wasn't in love with you," Hermione muttered. Her arms hurt, but his grip only got harder.
"The rich guy didn't marry you, so you had to fool me!" he said and pushed her away.
Hermione fell backwards and hit her head on the wall. Before either of them could do anything else, the door swung open and Harry appeared in the doorframe. He looked at Hermione sprawled about the floor, and then at Draco standing next to her.
He grabbed Draco by the collar and pushed him hard against the wall. With a murderous look, he took his wand out and pointed it towards Draco's face.
"How dare you hurt her?" he exclaimed. Draco looked terrified.
Hermione stood up. Her head hurt and she felt dizzy. She walked towards Harry and put a hand on his arm.
"Harry, stop, please..."
"I won't let him do this to you!" Harry said, still holding his wand.
"It's not worth your time. Please," she said, forcing him to look at her.
Harry's gaze softened and he dropped his wand's aim to the floor. Hermione sighed in relief.
"What an interesting scene," Ginny commented darkly, entering in the room.
Draco, who was shaking, tried to stand up, but he couldn't. "I think I need a drink," he muttered.
"You've drank too much already," Harry said.
"I'll get you one immediately," Ginny said, and with a flip of her wand she summoned a glass of strong liquor and handed it to him. Then, she closed the door so that none of the house-elfs could hear. "I have something to say to you," she said, looking at Harry and Hermione.
"Ginny, whatever it is, you can say it later. I have to go back now," Hermione said, anxiously.
"This won't take long. Then, you can leave with my husband to go wherever you want and spend the night together." She folded her arms. "I will never give you the divorce Harry. So, if you want to buy an apartment and have Hermione as your mistress, that's fine with me. But I'll still be your wife."
Harry looked at her with disgust. "You don't care that I end up hating you?"
"Hate is a natural reaction when you're guilty about something. My dad always said that."
"Daniel could be getting worse," Hermione interjected. She wanted to leave that house and go back to the hospital. She couldn't waste time on such an elementary subject as affairs at this point. Her child was dying!
"Is it clear what I just said?" Ginny said, looking at her.
"Yes, yes, it's clear!" Hermione exclaimed, not able to hold her anguish anymore. "Now please, leave me alone. I have to change these clothes."
"I'm sure that both gentlemen have seen you with much less than that," Ginny said and left the room.
Harry glared at Draco. "I won't leave you alone with her. Get out!" He grabbed his arm and pushed Draco out of the room. He gave one last look to Hermione and closed the door behind him.
* * *
Ginny was standing outside the room. Draco sat on the floor and Harry leaned against the wall, guarding Hermione's door. For a long moment, no one said a word. Then, Draco lifted his head and stared at Ginny.
"You've been trying to ruin our life for a long time, haven't you?" Although he was still drunk, his voice sounded a little more sober. "Putting all those temptations in front of me... You're the devil."
"So now I'm the one to blame," Ginny said.
"Why? Why did you put us high on a pedestal and then let us fall?"
"You're pathetic," she spat. She didn't want to have that conversation with Harry's cold stare on her.
"Why did you fire us?"
"Bad memory... Do I have to remind you of all of those bills?" Ginny said. She could feel Harry's eyes going from Draco to her. "We should talk about this later... Maybe there's a chance for you to have your job back," she added desperately.
Draco struggled with himself for a second. He was aware now that what he was saying was true. Ginny had done all of those things on purpose, he was sure about that. Going back to the company was tempting, but...
"You even sent those bloody lawyers..."
"I think you need another cup of coffee," Ginny interrupted, trying to drift his attention.
"What I can't understand is why. I always helped you when you needed me. Hermione got in big trouble when she gave you that money. She spent a long time working extra hours to pay back what they had loaned to her for you. I got you doctors for your son..."
"Son?" Harry asked suddenly. His gaze shifted and he looked at Draco. "What are you talking about?"
Ginny felt the air leaving her lungs. She couldn't breathe or think. She was so terrified that she was about to faint. "He's making it up, darling, please," she managed to say in a convincing voice.
In that moment, Hermione stepped out of the room. She looked at the trio, confused.
"Here comes the other woman," Ginny said, desperate to find something that could make Harry forget what he had just heard.
"What son?" Harry insisted, his eyes moving from Ginny to Draco.
Hermione, getting what was going on, felt her heart stop beating. She exchanged a look with Ginny. What could she say? What could she do? She didn't want to lie to Harry... But she could't tell him the truth either, or Ginny would take Danny away...
Draco, realizing what he had just done, put his hands over his mouth. But then, he stood up slowly. "What does it matter, anyway? He's still going to die in that hospital..." he said sadly.
Harry's jaw dropped and he turned to look at Ginny, who was frozen in her spot. "Daniel is your son?"
* * *
A/N: Evil cliffie, I know!! I'm sorry! But the next chapter is ready, so you won't have to wait that long ;)