A/N- This is the first story that I have uploaded on Portkey, so please bear with me if I have any problems. I'm not quite sure if the rating is correct please tell me if its not, there is mild language and very mild sexual references. Please tell me if you like it, or even if you don't (please give reasons why so that I can fix it) I welcome all constructive criticism as I believe that this is the only way I can improve!
Enjoy the first chapter!
Love, Lies and Jealousy.
Chapter 1
Harry walked into his apartment he shared with Ginny, opened his beer and switched on the telly. He'd had a long day at work and was all for a couple of relaxing TV shows and then an early night.
Ginny had a different idea.
Once Harry had finally settled on a TV show and reclined on the chair, he realised something was wrong. Where was Ginny? She usually greeted him as soon as he got home from work. Shouldn't she be cooking their dinner? It was 7pm; usually they ate at this time. Where was she?
Harry reluctantly got off his chair and climbed the stairs in an attempt to find her. This was very unusual. He drew his wand, his old instincts setting in as he stepped through the door to look in her study. Her Quibbler work which she usually sent off to Luna was still sitting on her desk, spread out and messy like someone had pushed it from the desk and left the mess for someone else to clean up.
Harry closed the door to Ginny's study and started to sneak even quieter towards his and Ginny's Bedroom. He placed his ear against the door… and heard… nothing…
Now his relationship with Ginny was nowhere near perfect but when he opened the door he in no way expected to see his beautiful redheaded girlfriend entwined, asleep, naked with none other than Draco Malfoy.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"
Harry just could not believe what he was seeing. Of all the low things… of all the people Ginny could have chosen to cheat on him with… Draco Malfoy!
Ginny heard Harry's explosion of sound and slowly sat up, displaying her nakedness to him. Harry looked next to her and saw and equally naked Malfoy emerging from sleep, with the beginnings of a smirk on his face.
"Harry…" Ginny trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I've been meaning to… tell you but… I… just didn't know…"
"How long has this been going on?" Harry cut her off.
"Well, you know… Harry… I never meant to hurt you… I just… just… Draco was there for me and I… umm…" Ginny stumbled, still not really knowing what to say to her boyfriend of 2 years.
"We've been going at it behind your back for about 3 months" Draco said honestly and brutally, with his trademark smirk. "And it was bloody fantastic!" Exclaimed Draco, trying to grab Ginny and snog her passionately.
"Draco, please…" Ginny attempted to say before Draco cut her off with his mouth.
"Whatever Ginny, I suppose you've made your choice" Harry said cruelly but strangely without anger. "I'm going to stay at a friends house. I'll be back in the morning while you're at work to pick up my things. Don't try and contact me, I don't want to talk to you."
Harry was so disgusted at the thought of her cheating on him with that slime ball that he stormed out of the house, into the rain without a thought of where he was going to stay the night.
Harry walked through the rain, thinking over his relationship with Ginny. How could he have been so stupid? He knew he didn't love her, but he thought she was his best chance at a loving family. He knew now, what he had always known subconsciously really, that he could never have married Ginny, he realised now why he had avoided her pressuring for him to propose.
When he started to think about it, he started to see the signs that Ginny had been cheating on him. He knew that it was the first time Ginny and Malfoy had slept in his and Ginny's bed because he would have known if they had. His magic was powerful enough to tell when to people's magic had been bonded like that. So he started to think of other occasions. He thought of all Ginny's petty excuses of having to go and buy more bread or milk, even though there was enough ready to be used in the muggle fridge Harry had brought Ginny. He thought about the trips she supposedly made to go and see friends, when later Harry ran into the said friends in Diagon Alley and them saying they had not seen Ginny since the week before. Even though Harry could see that Ginny was creating excuses and lies, he never thought she was hiding such a huge secret.
He supposed since he worked as a healer at St Mungos during the day and sometimes the night, Ginny would also have time to meet an unemployed Draco seen as she practically worked from home with flexible hours for the Quibbler.
Harry stoped walking, soaked from the rain to see where he was. He noticed that he had walked quite some distance in his haste to get as far away from Ginny as possible.
He was somewhat close to the Leaky Cauldron. He decided that this would be a suitable place for him to stay until he had sorted somewhere more convenient, perhaps with a workmate or something.
He briefly thought about going to stay with Ron and Hermione but quickly pushed that thought out of his mind as he knew since he hadn't really kept in contact with them since they had got engaged.
He knew Ron and Hermione were to be married in a few months, and he didn't know if he could stand being around them in such an important time in their lives.
He said a quick hello to Tom at the bar and asked for a room. He could tell Tom wanted to talk, probably about the "good old days when the great boy-who-lived defeated the darkest wizard of all time" but Harry was in no mood for talk, and mumbled a quick thanks and climbed the stairs to the shabby room.
The room Tom had given him was similar to the room Harry had in the summer before his 3rd year at Hogwarts. Harry smiled grimly as he remembered the monster book that had tried to eat his shoes.
Harry lied back on the lumpy bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to wish on sleep that did not want to come, he just had too much on his mind.
He started to think about the relationship Ron and Hermione shared and wondered if he'd ever find the love those two appeared to share. He supposed he wouldn't. He wasn't getting any younger. He was going on 25, and the most meaningful relationship he had ever had was an on and off one with Ginny since Hogwarts. He really thought Ginny was his last chance.
Harry sighed and grabbed his wand, muttered several security and silencing charms before muttering one that would send him into a deep sleep until late in the morning.
~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Unbeknownst to Harry, in the room next to him on a similar lumpy bed and in a room with similar grey concrete walls was one of the best friends that had just occupied his previous thoughts.
Hermione lay on her bed with her books laid spread out in an organised mess. She was frustrated that she had nowhere to prepare her work for the next day in this small room. She wished she were home in her comfortable library with her desk and large collection of books surrounding her.
Hermione sighed and thought back to the previous night and the strong discussion with Ron…
* Flashback *
Ron and Hermione were snuggling on the couch of their large home in Hogsmede planning their wedding. In the fireplace was an energetic Molly Weasley, excited at the prospect of organising another wedding.
"Well you know you will need lots of food to go along with all the guests, and I would be more than happy to do that for you" Molly said, taking on the role of organiser.
"But…" Hermione said trying to get a say in her own wedding.
"And of course we will have it at the burrow, what a perfect place. Ample room for the large amounts of guests you will be expecting." Hermione knew she would have to attempt to stop Molly before she went too far and decided the colour the bridesmaids would be wearing.
"Oh and of course, the bridesmaids would have to wear lilac as no other colour would possibly suit Ginny." Molly inputted "You were considering Ginny as a bridesmaid weren't you?"
"Of Course you were" Molly answered without giving Hermione a chance to respond.
"Now I think that lovely band Bill had at his wedding would be perfectly…"
"STOP" Hermione yelled, breaking away from Ron's embrace and standing up.
" I really appreciate you trying to help Mrs. Weasley, but you know this is MY wedding not YOURS" Hermione said this a little more forcefully than she fully intended.
"Oh... well of course dear… I'm sorry... I don't… I just think I'll be going then… umm let me know if you need any help dear" Molly was almost in tears and she directed the last bit to her son who had a shocked look upon his face.
Molly's face disappeared from the fireplace and Ron turned to look at Hermione who had collapsed on the lounge next to him.
"Why the HELL did you have to do that to my mother. You know she was just trying to help. She had even organised the FOOD." Ron said, quite angry about Hermione not being happy with his mother volunteering to cook at his wedding.
"Ron how can you always think about your stomach! Honestly!" Hermione said, starting to get riled up like one of their fights they used to have back at Hogwarts.
"I love the woman, but seriously she has to let me have some say in my wedding! A girl only gets married once!"
"But Hermione, she even offered to cook…"
"For GOODNESS SAKE Ron stop thinking about your stomach and look at the big picture. Sometimes I get the impression that you don't even WANT to get married to me, that your just in it all for the food that will be at the ceremony!" Hermione said angrily.
Ron was silent, thinking.
"Well Ron?"
"Well you know Hermione I've been thinking for a while now. All we ever seem to do these days is fight, maybe marriage isn't the best option for us right now…"
"Isn't the best option? Geeze Ron, you propose to me and then not even a month later you decide that maybe marriage isn't the best option for us?"
Ron was again silent, looking at the ground.
Hermione sighed.
"Well Ron maybe you're right. Maybe you and I shouldn't get married." Ron looks up into Hermione's crying face. "I love you Ron, I really do but we've had more fights over the last month about our wedding than we have had in over a year. Geeze, we even fight more than we did at Hogwarts! If we can't get on now, maybe we never will. Maybe you're right, maybe we should call the whole thing off" Hermione now had tears streaming down her face.
Ron just mumbled a "yeah" and then looked to the ground again, suddenly lost for words.
"I'll be staying somewhere for a couple of days until I make up my mind. I want you to think about it for a couple of days too. I want you to know that its not over, but you are free to do what you want, free to experiment with other girls if you want, do whatever you think you need to do to make sure you make the right decision."
Hermione then packed a light bag and apparated from the hogsmede home that her and Ron shared, to London where she would stay at the Leaky Cauldron until she decided what she wanted to do.
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione had been in her current job for only 2 years now. While Harry only had to complete 2 years of training to become a Healer, Hermione had to do 5. Now at the age of 26, she was a fully trained muggle doctor/ wizard healer. Now she wasn't just a healer, she specialised in muggle medicine. She treated muggles that had come in contact with a magical spell, or in recent cases, once of Fred and George's devices, which effects no one seemed to be able to cure but her. Once they were healed she organised their memory modification where she made sure that the muggles thought they had just stayed in a muggle hospital for a few days.
Hermione closed her books. She was currently writing a book for aspiring doctor-healers, as she liked to call them. It was hard work, but she hadn't been called the brightest witch of her age for nothing.
She neatly pilled up her work next to her bed and stretched luxuriously on the bed, something Ron usually liked to watch her do…
Oh yes, Ron…
Hermione still did not know what she wanted to do with her relationship with Ron. She knew that she loved him and him her, but was it enough to last? Also, she knew that she'd never be able to be the wife that Ron expects… one similar to his mother. She knew he expected a wife who was a wonderful mum to many children and a marvellous cook. She just loved her work too much to give it up.
Way too much…
~*~*~*~*~
Tell me if you like it, tell me if you don't.