Chapter 22 - The Quiet before the Storm
Later that evening, Harry went in to check on James as he settled into his old bedroom.
"James?" Harry knocked on the door.
"Come in, Dad."
Harry opened the door and saw his son at his desk, scribbling on a piece of parchment with his quill.
"Writing a letter to Sam?" Harry asked knowingly. James had told him at dinner how much he missed his new girlfriend and how his mother was keeping him from contacting her.
James nodded. "Yeah, I bet she's worried about me. She's the anxious type."
Harry nodded and was reminded of someone very dear to his heart.
"Well, you can send your letter to her once Hedwig II comes back. I sent a note to your mum to tell her that you are okay."
"Did you tell her that you're sending me back to Hogwarts in a couple of days?"
"Yes, but I made sure to let her know that it was your decision to return to school. I also advised her consider sending Al back as well."
"I hope she lets him come back." James agreed. "He's bored out of his mind, no matter how many toys she buys him. It's not good for him to be away this early, since he's still making new friends and finding his place."
Harry sighed as he didn't want his youngest son to miss out on his formative days at Hogwarts.
"I hope your mum realizes that she's depriving him of his education and starts making sense."
"Mum make sense?" James asked, rolling his eyes. "You haven't had to spend the last few days with her - she's mental! She acts like nothing is wrong but whenever Lily, Al or I ask about you, she would always say that you're too busy to see us. It's always the same stupid answer."
"I don't know what to tell you James." Harry shook his head and headed for the door.
"I'm going to turn in soon. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."
"Hey Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want me to write a letter to the judge, too?"
Harry was instantly touched by his son's offer.
"You don't have to, James."
"No, but I want to. I want the judge to know that I want to live with you when I'm not at school. You're a great dad, and I want to make sure that he knows it."
Harry nodded and smiled, his heart warmed by the thought of spending more time with James. "Okay, but don't
bash your mum in the letter, just tell the judge why you want to live with me - and not just because I'm letting
you write your girlfriend."
James grinned. "Okay, I think I can do that. `Night Dad."
"'Night, son."
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Ginny was still beside herself over James' sudden departure. After a tense dinner, she put Al and Lily to bed, in spite of their incessant questions of what had happened with their older brother.
After several minutes of sidestepping, she wound up telling them the truth, that she and James got into an argument and he ran away to his father's. Al got angry and said that he wanted to leave too, but Ginny ignored his tantrum and told him to go to sleep.
She entered the living room to find her parents in deep discussion. Molly and Arthur looked up when she walked into the room. Molly was holding a letter in her hands.
"Ginny, dear this came for you a few minutes ago. It's from Harry."
Ginny's heart stopped for a moment. This was the first direct contact he had made with her since their split. What could he possibly want to say to her? Was he writing to tell her that James was okay or could he maybe want her back?
She took the letter from her mother's hand and opened the envelope to read what her estranged husband had to say. She sighed as she scanned the contents, it was definitely the former.
Ginny-
I'm writing to let you know that James is safe with me. I'm sorry you and he argued but he told me he couldn't take it anymore. He will be spending a day or two here and he will be returning to Hogwarts via Floo midweek. I want to make it clear that this is his decision - he feels he is missing too much work and also his friends. Please do not try to change his mind or force him back to Burrow - it will only make things worse.
I also hope that you will allow Al to return to Hogwarts as well. It's not fair for him to be missing school, considering that this is his first year. He will have to work very hard to catch up if he spends any more time away.
I also have to say I am very disappointed by the interview you gave to the Prophet, not just because of what you were accusing me of, but the potential damage this could do to the children. James has already seen it and I would be willing to bet that Hermione and Ron's children have seen it as well, given how the papers circulate around the school.
I sincerely hope that this was something that was engineered by your lawyers and not something you truly wanted to do. I had hoped that our divorce could be settled amicably but it looks like you want to go in a different direction. I am truly sorry that it has come to this.
I will see you in court on the 18th.
Harry
Ginny angrily crumpled the parchment in her hands and threw it into the fireplace.
"What did he say, dear?" Molly asked, looking worried.
"He's sending James back to school. He thinks I should let Al go as well." Ginny said bitterly, not wanting to discuss what Harry had said about the fallout from her interview.
Arthur looked at his wife questioningly. "Well, maybe Harry's right."
"You're taking his side?" Ginny spun around and glared at her father.
"No, honey, of course not." Arthur said, holding up a placating hand. "I just don't see what good
it's doing Al staying here while he falls behind in school. It's his first year and it'll be very difficult
for him to catch up."
"Al's smart, he'll catch up." Ginny asserted. "I just want to keep him out a little while longer to protect him from the teasing. I'm sure people like Malfoy's son would be terribly nasty to him."
"Ginny, you can't protect him forever." Arthur said. "Besides he has his older brother and his cousins there. They'll help him through."
"I have to agree with your father," Molly said. "Al is getting bored here and as the weather gets colder, there's less outdoor playtime and Quidditch practice. He should be with his new friends and getting his education."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why can't you both support me? You're my parents!"
"Ginny, listen to me." Molly implored. "We want to support you and we feel very badly that your marriage is ending. We've already told you that you can stay here with us as long as you like and we've agreed to help out with your legal bills. But we think what you've been doing has been affecting the children negatively. They need normalcy right now. And for Al and James, that means Hogwarts. We should also resume home schooling of Lily."
"And what about what I need?" Ginny asked tearfully. "I need my children around me, they're all I have left of this marriage! It's obvious that Harry doesn't want me anymore."
Molly got off the sofa and approached her cautiously. "Ginny, I know you love the children. But you are forgetting that you have us and your brothers and their families."
She paused. "But right now you are hurting your relationship with the kids by holding on too tight. Merlin knows I've been guilty of that, too. But I think the best thing to do is let them go for a while. And Lily will still be here with us."
Molly put an arm around her only daughter. "Listen to your father and me. You've been a parent for nearly
fifteen years, let us parent you for a while. We love you and want the best for you."
Ginny turned to her mother and started to cry on her shoulder. "I've really messed things up, haven't I? What if I lose the kids?"
"Oh baby, you won't lose the kids. No judge in their right mind would deprive a mother the right to see her children."
"But you didn't read Harry's note, he alluded that he's going to play dirty."
"Well perhaps he's only doing that because he feels he has no choice." Arthur said. "You have to remember that Harry doesn't have a large family to fall back on. The children are all he really has, and I know he will fight tooth and nail to keep them."
"I wonder what he's going to do." Ginny pondered. "I wish I knew what he was planning. I don't want to be unprepared for our hearing. I should call Gloria and strategize."
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In the weeks leading up to the hearing, Harry felt as if the momentum was going in his favor. And Ginny seemed to be showing common sense by allowing Al to go back to Hogwarts on the same day as James. She had not given any more interviews to the paper so with little new raw material they wrote speculative articles about what might occur at the hearing and what each side might be preparing.
The Daily Prophet also continued to print letters that people had written in the aftermath of Ginny's interview. A few letters were in favor of Ginny, but the response was overwhelmingly in Harry's favor. Luna had even written a nice endorsement in The Quibbler but Anthony decided not to include the message from his fellow Ravenclaw, saying her paper lacked credibility.
Harry was especially touched by a letter that his niece had written in his defense. While not an official character reference letter, Anthony thought they should add it to the file and would make a nice compliment to Ron's letter as well as James' and Teddy's.
To the Editor,
I was very disappointed by your decision to print an interview with Harry Potter's soon to be ex-wife, who happens to be my aunt. My mother is Hermione Granger Weasley, the supposed `other woman.' I can assure you that there was no adultery and the locket was a gift between good friends. My mother still proudly wears that locket, which carries pictures of my brother and me.
As for my uncle, people know him as the great wizard who defeated Voldemort, but to me he is just Uncle Harry - a kind and caring man. He has always been a devoted father to my three cousins. They tell me he's the kind of dad who never misses a Quidditch match and reads to them at bedtime and puts their needs ahead of his own. He has also babysat my brother and me when we were younger and I always felt safe and cared for in his presence.
My Aunt Ginny is a very proud and stubborn witch but she is not evil. I am sorry that she has let her lawyers manipulate her into giving this interview under the pretense that the public would support her. What upsets me the most is that she did this interview without thinking how this might affect her children.
As a Hogwarts student, the Daily Prophet is common reading material, along with our textbooks. The interview is now grist for the gossip mill around the school. I'm starting to put up with some nasty comments about my mother and I shudder to think what my cousins will have to deal with in the coming weeks as you continue to cover this story.
Shame on you, Daily Prophet!
Rose Weasley, Hogwarts Student
Harry wondered if Hermione knew what her daughter had done on their behalf, without any prompting. He was certain that if Hermione knew, she would be very proud indeed.
He hadn't heard from Hermione since her arrival in America. He scanned her itinerary, which was pinned to the refrigerator door and noted she was due to visit Greece while the hearing was taking place. He saw that Bulgaria was next on her schedule. With a jealous twinge, Harry thought of Hermione's upcoming dinner with Viktor Krum. But he had nothing to worry about, right?
A/N: The hearing will finally happen in the next chapter! I'm hoping to wrap this one up in the next couple of weeks or so but we'll see where the story takes me!
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
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