Chapter 12 - Your Cheating Heart
Harry's heart sank upon seeing Ginny. He really did not want to deal with her right now but perhaps it was about time that they finally had it out with each other. But he didn't want to have Lily be a witness to an ugly scene between her parents.
"Where is Lily?" Harry asked.
"Lily? She's still at Mum's." Ginny said crossly, as Harry entered the kitchen through the back door. Harry walked into the living room and saw a couple of suitcases packed by the sofa.
"Going somewhere?" Harry asked.
"Maybe," Ginny responded, her arms crossed. "Did you have a nice time today with Hermione? "
When Harry tried to speak, Ginny put up her hands. "Don't say anything, Harry. No matter what you say it's going to be a lie. I know you were with her today because I saw you dropping her off at her back door."
"We went flying." Harry said quietly.
"Oh, is that what you're calling it, flying?" Ginny snorted. "I went to see Ron this afternoon and he told me what happened between the two of you the other day, no wonder you didn't invite him for dinner. He told me that he accused you of having an affair with Hermione but you denied it. Swore on your parents graves, he said."
Harry stood up, angered. "For the last time, I am not having an affair with Hermione! We went flying today in Hyde Park that's all, just so we could spend an afternoon without worrying about unjust accusations of infidelity from our spouses!"
"Harry, when I asked you what you were doing today, you told me that you were going flying by
yourself. But I knew you were lying, I saw you and Hermione the other night after dinner. You took her hand and
asked her if you two were still on and she smiled and said she was looking forward to it. So you willingly lied to me
about your plans."
"I can't believe you were eavesdropping!" Harry exclaimed. "The only reason I didn't tell you about meeting Hermione was that I knew she was becoming a sore subject and I didn't want another argument, especially in front of Lily."
"Sore subject is right. But you still lied about seeing another woman!"
"Hermione is not another woman! She's my best friend and she's going through a tough time right now, I
just thought a nice day of flying would help take her mind off things."
"Nice try, Harry. But I happen to know that Hermione hates flying, she always has. She's afraid of heights."
Harry shook his head. "Not anymore, she's not. I took her up today on my Firebolt and sure, she was scared at first but she got used to it and she really enjoyed herself."
"You mean the way I used to enjoy myself when we went flying, Harry?" Ginny sneered, shaking her head. "You know I bought that broom for us, to maybe rekindle our romance. I didn't expect you to take another woman out on it!"
She took a breath and tried to calm herself. "You know, whether you realize it or not, taking a woman on a broom ride is an intimate, romantic thing. It's what we used to do on our dates, or have you forgotten?"
Harry shook his head sadly. "No, Gin. I haven't forgotten."
Ginny was close to tears. "Then why don't you ever take me flying anymore? You barely touch me and we haven't made love in months. Am I that disgusting to you? Is it because I've gained weight in the last few years? Is it because I no longer have my long hair?"
Harry shook his head. "No, it's not because of the way you look."
Ginny sat beside him. "Then what is it? Do you not love me anymore?"
There it was. The question. While it was hard admitting it aloud earlier with Hermione, that was nothing compared to having to answer his wife of sixteen years.
Harry took a look at Ginny's pleading brown eyes, which were full of tears. The pain of rejection he saw there was unbearable and he looked away.
"You know what?" Ginny said quietly. "You don't have to say anything. I already know what your answer is."
Harry felt unbelievably guilty. "Ginny, I'm so sorry."
He watched her as she stood up and walked towards her packed bags.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked, feeling numb.
"I'm going to the Burrow for a few days." Ginny announced calmly. "Then I'm going to pull Al and James out of school for a while and bring them there and break the news to them."
"But what about me?" Harry asked. "Shouldn't I be there to tell them, too?"
"No, I don't think so. Harry, you forfeited your rights to your children when you cheated on me today."
"Forfeit? Ginny, this isn't a Quidditch match! These are my children you're talking about! And I didn't cheat, I swear..."
"Yeah, I know on your parents graves." Ginny finished for him. "Well, even if you aren't sleeping with Hermione, you are cheating with your heart, even if you won't admit it."
"Ginny, please don't take my kids from me." Harry pleaded, thinking this had to be a bad dream.
"I'm sorry but I won't expose them to their cheating father. You'll be hearing from my lawyer."
Before Harry could say anything else, she picked up her bags and was gone with a pop.
++++
Hermione settled into her bubble bath with a book, looking forward to catching up on her reading. She really didn't like living alone, but indulging in a nice long soak was one thing she could do now that Ron was gone and the kids were away at school. With a guilty sigh, she thought of Rose and Hugo, who were still oblivious to their parents' split.
She tried to distract herself with a cheap romance novel, something that she did every now and then, but she was not concentrating on the words in front of her. Instead her mind traveled back to her afternoon in the park with Harry. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much or just enjoyed herself.
She closed her eyes and once again she was astride Harry's broom, soaring above the park and then over London, holding onto him. She could still feel his soft cotton t-shirt (and the muscles of his back) against her cheek. Her arms were around his trim waist and she could still feel his belt buckle and the rough denim of his jeans beneath her clasped hands. She felt powerful and free and could sense every little turn of the broom under Harry's direction.
It was a heady (and she had to admit, slightly erotic) feeling she couldn't wait to experience again. Harry promised her that he would take her again soon, before she started her new job. While she was looking forward to her new position, Hermione sadly realized that she would be away from her best friend for weeks at a time.
Hermione then remembered how he stared at her after the ride. He had a faraway look in his eyes, one that Hermione had known she had seen before, but vaguely recognized. She had memorized so many of Harry's looks over the years that she could often tell what he was thinking or at least identify his moods. But this look was different and haunted her.
The doorbell rang, shaking Hermione from her thoughts. She groaned and reached for a towel to dry herself off. She put on her bathrobe and slippers and ran down the stairs.
She looked through the peephole and saw a miserable looking Harry on the other side of the door. Something must've happened with Ginny.
Hermione opened the door and Harry stood there looking helpless.
"Harry? What happened?"
He shook his head. "It's over. Ginny's gone."
She stood aside to let him in. He took in her appearance; she was wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe and slippers. Her hair was up and damp.
"Were you in the bath?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Sorry to interrupt you."
A vision of a naked, soapy Hermione came unbidden into his brain. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to drive the thoughts away. This was not the time for that.
"It's okay." Hermione replied. "Do you want something to drink?"
"I could use a Firewhiskey, if you have."
Hermione shook her head. "I think Ron drank the last of it. I only have non-alcoholic beverages. Water ok?"
"Water's fine."
Hermione went into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water while Harry sat on the sofa. Had it only been two days ago that he had come over here to comfort Hermione after Ron left? Now it was his turn.
She returned with the bottle, handed it to Harry and sat next to him. Harry proceeded to tell her what happened, but was careful to leave out the accusations of infidelity. He didn't want to bring that up now, mostly to protect her, but also because of the stray thoughts he was having.
"So Ginny's mad that I lied about seeing you today, and now she wants to keep me away from the kids. I can't believe she's being that petty. I mean, can she legally do that?"
"Well, I'm not trained in family law, but I do know that the courts tend to favor mothers. Fathers are lucky if they wind up with partial custody or visiting rights. And if Ginny paints you in a not so flattering light, the judge might be swayed."
Harry groaned. "Just great. And it doesn't matter if I've been the model father. I have always put my kids first and spend as much time with them as I can. I read to Lily almost every night…..I mean I used to read to her every night." Harry said bitterly.
Hermione saw his despairing look and took his hand.
"Harry, I just realized something. People still love you because you brought down Voldemort all those years ago. What judge would deny The Great Harry Potter custody of his kids?"
Harry snorted. "Yeah, some hero, I got lucky that Voldemort's curse rebounded on him and that I had the Elder Wand, which I wouldn't have had if it weren't for you."
Hermione smiled. "You're being too modest. Anyway, those little details don't matter, to the general public, you are a hero who suffered a great deal growing up and a judge would be crazy to deny you your children only to face the wrath of an angry public."
"Maybe you're right. But I need to get myself a good lawyer at any rate."
"I know just the person. Do you remember Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw? He's a fantastic family lawyer and I'm sure he would represent you. I know he's very active in father's rights."
"Yeah, I read about him in The Daily Prophet, you think he would help me?"
"I'm sure he would. I was going to contact him to see if he could recommend a good divorce lawyer for me, so I'll ask him to get in touch with you when I talk to him."
"Thanks, Hermione." He squeezed her hand.
"You're welcome, Harry."
They were quiet for a few moments. Hermione turned to Harry. "A sickle for your thoughts?"
Harry sighed. "This all seems so surreal. Who would've thought that after all of these years that we are divorcing the Weasleys? When I married Ginny and you married Ron we were one big happy family, weren't we? What the bloody hell happened?"
"Well, I suppose one big happy Weasley family wasn't all it was cracked up to be, was it, Harry?"
"I suppose not." Harry looked down at their joined hands. "Well, at least we have each other."
Hermione looked up at him. "Yeah, we do. We're lucky." She paused. "Hey, have you eaten dinner?"
Harry shook his head. In spite of the emotional turmoil, he was a bit hungry.
"Why don't I order some Chinese takeaway? Meanwhile, why don't you go over to your place and pack some overnight things, you can stay with me for a while. I would imagine that you don't want to be in your house all by yourself, do you?"
Harry hadn't considered being alone in his big, empty house. He imagined that Hermione probably didn't want to be alone in hers either.
"No, I guess I don't. But I don't want to impose on you."
"It's no imposition, really. I would love the company. You can stay in the guest room and you can use the kids' bathroom."
"Sounds great. Thanks, Hermione."
She let go of his hand, stood up and headed for the kitchen. "What do you want me to order?"
"Just order whatever you like and I'll share."
Harry got off the sofa and headed to his house to pack some things. He was looking forward to staying with Hermione, it was certainly better than being by himself in the house, haunted by memories of his marriage to Ginny and missing his kids.
Hermione was right, in spite of the hell they were both going through, they were lucky to have each other. She was his rock, and he supposed that he was hers as well. It had always been like that.
Harry sighed, knowing that his renewed sexual interest in Hermione could not have come at a worse time. He vowed that he was not going to let his impure thoughts ruin the best friendship he ever had, even if it was going to be a challenge for him to live under her roof and try not to think about her that way. He couldn't dare risk it, because he needed her now, more than ever.
TBC
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