Confusion
By Lauren G. (aka RowlingIdol)
Author's Note:
Chapter 29: Rumors & Rehab - Part II
"What is this shit?" Draco said, slamming down the paper on the counter.
"Where is he?" Harry frantically said. "I want to see him!!!!" Harry gripped the front of Draco's shirt and shook him.
"Harry calm down! You don't HAVE a son!" Ron said.
"Yes I do!!! I see him right there!" Harry said madly, pointing at the paper. Ron picked up the paper and scanned the photo.
"What's the meaning of this?" Ron angrily said to Draco.
"It's not his kid! It's my cousin!" Draco said.
"Bullshit! It's my son and I want to see him now!!!" Harry reeled back his arm and punched Draco square in the face.
ooooo
Hermione and Ginny, looking tired and worried, hurried into St. Mungos later that evening.
"What happened?" Hermione asked Ron, running up to him.
"Harry showed up at the bar and completely wigged out!" Ron said.
"Draco!" Ginny cried. She ran forward and towards Draco who was sitting on a chair with a bloody rag around his nose.
"He thinks he has a son, `Mione." Ron said quietly. He handed Hermione the paper.
"But this is Draco's cousin. Ginny was telling me about him this evening. That evil Rita Skeeter! I should turn her into the Animagus authorities right now!" Hermione said angrily.
"So what happened?" Ginny said, coming over.
"Harry thinks Draco's cousin is… His son. Like the paper claims." Ron said, showing his sister the paper.
"Oh dear…." Was all Hermione said at the look on Ginny's face.
"We didn't even DO that! I don't know why he'd believe this because it's impossible!" Ginny said. "Where is he now?"
"The `happy ward'." Ron said, referring sarcastically to the psych ward.
"He's gone ballistic." Draco said under his rag.
"What am I going to do?" Ginny said, scanning the article which covered everything from when Harry's said child was supposedly born and that it was main reason why Harry left Ginny at the end of his sixth year, because he didn't want Voldemort to kill his unborn child. It also went on to explain why Draco and Ginny got married. Apparently, no one else would have Ginny because she was an un-wed mother, and no one would have Draco because he was an ex-criminal, so naturally, they hooked up because of their un-wantedness.
"It'll be okay. We'll get through this." Hermione said, curling an arm around Ginny's shoulder. She straightened.
"Hold on… What were you two doing at a bar together?" Hermione said, pointing at Draco and Ron.
ooooo
The morning after, everyone was gathered at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley cooked up a storm. That's what she did when she was worried.
"Poor Harry. Rehab… Can you believe it?" Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head.
"I should send him cookies." Mrs. Weasley said, dishing out pancakes to everyone.
"Don't mum. He might think they're his kids too. And no one likes a cannibal." Fred said, spearing three pancakes with his fork.
"Fred you hush!" Mrs. Weasley said, slapping Fred's hand. "The things you say!"
"I can't believe he thought that was his kid." George chimed in. "Doesn't look a thing like him!"
"That vile Skeeter woman!" Mrs. Weasley said, sitting down so hard she made the table shake.
"What are we going to do about this mum?" Ginny asked. Mrs. Weasley sighed.
"I don't know dear… I'm so sorry." Everyone looked down sadly.
"What is your mother going to do?" Mr. Weasley asked Draco.
"I don't know. It hasn't been leaked that my aunt is in Azkaban. Also there has never been any public awareness about her son. We'd like to be left alone but it seems so hard to have that happen. If we go to the Prophet and tell them the truth about Leo, then I don't know what they would say about us."
"Maybe we ought to just leave it alone. Enough chaos has been caused already." Ginny said sadly. And sadly enough, everyone agreed.
ooooo
"You ready?" Draco called to Ginny.
"Almost." She called back. It was the night of the National Quidditch League banquet. It was one week since Harry had been sent into rehab.
Draco stood in front of his mirror and adjusted the collar of his gray Falcon sweater. It was required for all the Quidditch players to come in uniform, while their dates were to accompany them in formal attire of the teams colors.
"I hate this dress." Ginny said, coming out of the bathroom in a silvery gown with a black handbag.
"It looks fine. Imagine if you were wearing orange." Draco said, itching his neck.
"Good point. Then I'd look worse." Ginny said, sitting on the bed and putting on her shoes.
"I hate this sweater. It makes me itch." Draco complained, itching his neck.
"I have some lotion that I can lend you." Ginny said.
"Ew. Lotion is for GIRLS." Draco said.
"Ok fine. Scratch all night for all I care." Ginny said, standing up and walking towards the door. She opened it and Leo flung himself at her.
"DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THE SCARY LADY!!!!!!!!" He screamed.
"Now Leo!" Narcissa said, coming up to the door and taking a hold of Leo around the waist. "Draco and Ginny have to go to the Quidditch Banquet!"
"NO! NINNY NO GO!"
"No, Ninny must go!" Narcissa said, pulling him away.
"Yes. I'm sorry. Ninny has to go." Ginny told Leo, rubbing his hair.
"Have a good night dears." Narcissa said, picking Leo up and bringing him upstairs. Ginny turned back around and looked into Draco's room. He was itching his back with his wand.
"Don't do that, you'll curse your spine out." Ginny said handing him a bottle of lotion.
"Fine. I'll use it… Only because I don't know an anti-itching spell." Draco said, grabbing the lotion and heading to the bathroom.
ooooo
Later, Ginny and an itch-free Draco arrived at the Ministry of Magic for the Quidditch Banquet. One of the press confrence rooms had been changed into a ballroom. There were tables and chairs along the walls, a buffet table at the back, a dance floor in the middle, and a stage and podium at the front with the National Quidditch League logo displayed on it.
There were Quidditch teams of every color. There was orange, yellow, green, blue, red, gray, and even purple. Players would nod at other players as they passed as a sign of acknowledgement and a silent- We're going to crush you when we play each other - message.
"Look there's Hermione." Ginny said, pointing ahead to a woman in an orange dress with brown hair.
Ron was proudly strutting around in his Cannons uniform. He even had a little cape that went with the rest of his ensemble.
Ginny and Hermione headed off to get a table while the men went and got drinks.
"Have you heard about Harry?" Ginny whispered as they sat down.
"A little." Hermione sighed, adjusting her chair. "Ron went over there on Tuesday. Right now they're doing nightmare therapy on him."
"What's that? Are they sucking the nightmares out of him? I thought that was illegal."
"No no… Its sort of like a Penseive. They induce Harry into a deep sleep, and his nightmares are projected into the air in a thought bubble type way, and then the psychiatrist puts them into a box. If you rid the nightmares one by one, sleep will become much easier and the conscience will be clearer of what is fact and what is fiction. His nightmares were haunting him so much it clouded his thoughts. Probably explains how he believed that article."
"Makes sense." Ginny said as Draco and Ron returned with drinks.
"Did you see him?" Ron was badgering Draco.
"Yes. I saw him." Draco replied annoyed.
"Saw who?" Hermione asked.
"Marton Riley! He's the next Ludo Bagman!"
"You mean he's the next con-artist of the century?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not that Ludo Bagman. The Quidditch Ludo Bagman! Really really great player. It's a shame he's on the Flaming Fireballs. Not to fond of the team." Ron said, sitting down. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes.
ooooo
After many speeches and much clapping, the band started to play and the guests got up to dance. Hermione immediately grabbed Ron and whisked him away so fast Ginny though she was going to pull his arm from his socket.
"Some people are giving us `looks'." Ginny told Draco who put his arm around her shoulders.
"I know. Just ignore it." Draco said. He looked around the room.
"Are your parents going to attend the opening game?"
"I'm not sure. I've asked if they would go but Mum's not so crazy about Quidditch as everyone else is."
"Hmmm." Draco said. "Well, they have a little less than a month to decide, and I need to let coach know how many people are attending."
"All right." Ginny said, snuggling up to Draco, causing him to blush.
"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?" Ginny said, poking Draco in the side.
"I didn't know you wanted to dance." Draco said.
"Of course I do. I'm a girl." Ginny said. She stood up and Draco followed.
"Not by your brother." Draco said, taking her hand and leading her to a spot off to the side of where everyone else was dancing. He took her hand and put his other hand on her waist and pulled her close.
ooooo
It was the first Friday of September and the first Quidditch match was three weeks away. Training had kept Draco busy, and Ginny had the day off from working at the Ministry. Hermione was working as well. She thought about going to visit her parents, but her mother had told her she was going to be out for tea with some of the Social Circle witches. Ginny sighed and got out of bed and went to change.
An hour later, Ginny had decided what she was going to do that day.
"Umm.. Yes. Hello." Ginny said to the witch at the visitation desk at St. Mungos. "I'm here to see Harry Potter. Which room is he in?" Ginny asked.
"The recreation room. Go on ahead." The witch said, sliding her a pass.
"Thank you." Ginny said. She hurried down the hall and went up a flight of stairs and to the recreation room. Inside, Harry was sitting at a table with a Muggle chess set in front of him.
"Mind if I join you?" Ginny whispered. Harry looked up and looked back down. He nodded. Ginny pulled out the seat on the opposite side of the table and sat down. Harry moved a piece.
"So how's it going." Ginny asked calmly.
"Fine." Harry replied. He moved another piece.
"I just wanted to see how you were. Hermione and I have been worried." She said.
"Thanks. I'm…. I'm feeling better." Harry said, becoming more open to Ginny.
"Did you hear that Tonks and Lupin adopted a puppy? They brought it by the Burrow the other day."
"No… I didn't hear. They had talked to me about it though." Harry said. "Actually Tonks told me she wanted a puppy and they just argued in front of me about getting one."
Ginny giggled as she took Harry's rook.
"That sounds like them." She replied.
"So um… How is the manor and all that." Harry asked.
"It's been nice. Sort of quiet. Draco has been training for the first Quidditch Match."
"Does he like it?" Harry questioned.
"Yeah… He likes it a lot. Do you know if you could make it?"
Harry shrugged.
"If I'm out. They want to go through a couple more therapy sessions before I'm released. Making sure I can handle myself."
"Oh… Okay." Ginny said.
"Ginny… I'm sorry about the whole… Mess I caused." Harry said finally.
"Oh Harry. Don't worry about it. It wasn't you who caused it. It was Rita Skeeter. You know how she can be."
"Yeah…. Yeah I do." Harry said, smiling a little.
"I think we have more in common than you think Harry." She said.
"Like what."
"Like us both knowing how it feels to be picked on by Rita Skeeter."
Harry chuckled softly.
"Thanks for coming Ginny. It really made me feel better." Harry said.
"You're welcome." Ginny told him smiling.
"Or maybe the fact that I just won made me feel better." Harry said, checkmating her and smiling wider.
"True." Ginny said, laughing.
"I'm sure mum will make a huge dinner when you're out." Ginny said, grabbing her purse, getting ready to go.
"That sounds good already." Harry said.
"Try to make it to the match, okay?" Ginny said. Harry nodded and began to set up the chess set as Ginny left.
As Ginny exited St. Mungos, she thought back on all that Harry had been through. She gave her head a little shake to get the thoughts out of her mind. Besides, she had other things to worry about now.
ooooo
Author's Note- This one was a little harder for me to get out than the last two. I had to switch some things around because they were just plain boring and not interesting to the storyline at all. Hope you like it. There will be more, I assure you. Please R & R.
-->