Love, Lies, and a Secret.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
AN: Just a few things first:
*No, Harry and Hermione are not siblings. James only registered her. They know about it? No. Actually, almost no one knows about it.
*Harry knows Hermione as Hermione Granger. Something happened in the past and she was raised by the Grangers.
*Lily and James are Harry's parents.
* The story starts with H/G and H/R but you'll see that things aren't well.
*Don't fear, this IS an HHr story.
Thanks to Anne Pendragon for taking the first look and Michelle Moonshine for the beta!
Chapter 2: A big (and happy?) Weasley family
The Burrow
September 19, 2000
Harry was sitting on the couch. Ginny, his girlfriend, was by his side, her arm wrapped around his waist. She was talking to him about something…a new dress robe she saw at Madame Malkin's or something along those lines but he wasn't paying attention.
His green eyes were wandering around the room. It was full of people: the Weasleys, Neville, Luna, Remus and Tonks, Susan, Lisa Turpin, his Auror partner…and many other friends. They were all there celebrating Hermione's twenty-first birthday.
They all seemed so happy…except Hermione.
And Harry knew why.
It was because of her parents. They weren't there. They weren't there because of the simple fact that they were Muggles and Muggles couldn't see or go to the Burrow.
Harry remembered very well the day when Ron broke the news about the birthday party.
*~* Flashback * ~*
"You did what, Ronald?" she had asked with angry disbelief growing within her.
"I organized you a birthday party, sweetie! All by myself!" Ron had answered with a smile, oblivious to her irritation. "I already invited all our friends!"
"At the Burrow…"
"Of course, at the Burrow! Where else? Hermione, what's the matter?"
Harry shifted uncomfortable on the couch, absently facing the newspaper he was pretending to be reading. He really hated witnessing Ron and Hermione's rows.
"You know what, Ron? Do whatever you want! I am really tired right now! I am off!"
"Herms-"
"Bye, Ronald," she said firmly. She then turned to Harry, "Good night, Harry," she said softly.
After she left Ron and Harry's apartment, Ron turned to Harry, "What just happened here? Why couldn't she be happy? What's the problem with the Burrow? I mean, I thought she liked it there!"
Harry let go of the paper and with a deep sigh he tried to explain, "Yes, Ron, Hermione likes the Burrow but that's not the problem."
"So, what's the problem then?"
"Her parents, Ron!"
"What about her parents?" Ron seemed confused. "You are making no sense, Harry!"
"Ron!" Harry yelled in annoyance. "Her parents can't go to the Burrow! They are Muggles, Ron! She wants celebrate her birthday with them too!"
"Oh," was all what Ron could say and Harry knew that his redheaded friend wouldn't ever completely
understand Hermione. At least not like he did.
*~* ~* End Flashback*~ * ~*
Harry shook his head to rid himself of the memory. He continued to look around…until he saw Hermione. She was with Ron,
looking extremely bored. He was talking with some friends from Ministry and Harry knew exactly what he was talking
about: Quidditch! Oh Ron, you will never learn!
The boy-who-lived, no, the man, watched as Ron subconsciously tapped at the left pocket of his robes.
Oh no, Ron! Please, don't do what I think you're planning to do!
Harry's eyes left Ron's hand as he turned his gaze to Hermione. She was looking at him. And Harry knew that she also had seen Ron's movement. She looked…about ready to explode.
She looked at Ron and said something in his ear. He smiled and nodded. She smiled at him, looking slightly fierce, and left the room to the backyard.
Even if no words were exchanged between the two of them, Harry knew that Hermione needed to talk.
"Ginny, I need to go to the loo," Harry said to Ginny, interrupting her boring ramblings about Wizards' fashion.
"Oh? Oh! Of course, love," she replied smiling at him. "I'll just chat with Luna and Susan, okay?"
"Okay, Ginny," Harry responded absently while he rose from the couch.
~*~
Harry found Hermione pacing nervously around the bench in the backyard. When she saw him, Hermione promptly stop. With her hands on her hips she asked, "Please, Harry, please tell me he won't do what I think he will do!"
Harry ran his hand nervously through his hair and smiled weakly, "I really don't know. He didn't say any-," he stopped, remembering something. Hermione caught that.
"What? What did he say? What happened?"
"Er," replied Harry, uncomfortable. "He came home the other day complaining about how diamonds were expensive…"
"Oh, god!" she cried in despair, her hands covering her face. "He's going to do it, won't he?"
Harry just grinned weakly.
Hermione took of her hands from her face and look at Harry with determination, "You can talk to him, Harry! You can tell him to not do it!"
"Hermione-"
"No, Harry! If he proposes to me I… you know very well what I will do!"
"You will say no."
"Yes! You know that, he knows that! We have already talked about this so many times! Why can't he understand?"
"He loves you, Hermione-," Harry tried to say.
"And love him but I don't want to marry right now! I-"
"Why? Why, Hermione, why don't you want to marry me?" asked Ron who had just appeared by the doorway, interrupting her.
"Ron-"
"Why?! Please, tell me Hermione! Are you ashamed of me? Is that it?"
"No, Ron! And you know that!" she cried, not noticing Harry leaving silently to return to the party. She took a deep breath, "You know that I don't want to get married right now, Ron. Why would you do that? Did you want to ambush me? Did you want to ask me in front of everybody so that I wouldn't have the nerve to turn you down?"
"Maybe." He shrugged. "I want to marry you, Hermione! You are already twenty-one. How much time do we have to wait?"
"The time that I need in order to finish my training at the Ministry, the time for us - me - to collect enough money to buy a house! I already told you, Ron! I want to focus on my career first!"
"Career? You won't need a career after we get married," Ron muttered, but unfortunately, Hermione had heard him.
"What did you say?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.
"Nothing."
"No, I heard you very well, Ronald Weasley! You said that I wouldn't need a career after we get married! Why is that? You don't want me to have a career, Ron?"
"Hermione, love, you won't have time to go on with a career and take care of our house and our children…"
"I can't believe you, Ron! You want me to be a housewife! I won't be a housewife!"
"What's the problem with that? My mum is a housewife! A good damn one!"
"I AM NOT MOLLY WEASLEY, Ron!" she shouted, red with anger. "I LOVE HER BUT I AM NOT HER!"
"But Ginny won't work either when she marries Harry."
"Ginny is a silly little girl, Ronald! Harry wants her to have a job! Why can't you be like him? Why can't you support me like he does? Why do you have to be this prat?"
"Oh, I knew it! It always comes back to Harry! Harry, the saint!" Ron was really angry now.
"No, Ron, stop twisting everything I say! He isn't my boyfriend…you are! But he knows me better than you do! You even forgot about my parents before planning this party!"
"I already said I was sorry!"
"I know, Ron," Hermione replied, a little more softly this time. "But Ron, even if I didn't have a career we- we still don't have, you know, enough money, to start a family."
"But we could work around that, love!" Ron pleaded. "I know I can pay for a flat and-"
"Ron! Married people don't live in a flat! And you know that the Sports Department doesn't pay you enough to rent a decent flat!"
"But mine and Harry's flat isn't bad."
"It's Harry's flat, Ron! You don't pay a single Knut to live there!"
"So, that's it! This career thing is just bullshit! You don't want to marry me because I am poor! Because we won't have much money!"
"No, Ron…but I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side complaining about why you don't have enough money!" she said angrily walking away and back to the party.
When Harry saw Hermione returning he knew that something was terribly wrong. Her face was red and he could see that she was fighting the urge to cry. However, before he could do or say anything, Ron appeared, shouting in anger, and causing everybody to look at him. "You know what, Hermione Granger? The way things are going…you will be thirty years old and still a bloody virgin!"
Without saying a word, Hermione walked towards her boyfriend, slapped him across the face, and Disapparated.