Life Begins at 40
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and all the characters in it belong to J.K. Rowling. This story is a work of imagination and is directed solely at readers of this website. No infringement of any rights is intended and no criticism of J.K. Rowling or her work should be considered to be stated or implied.
Part 4. An Argument with Ginny.
Harry couldn't put his hypothesis about Ginny's reaction to Ron and Hermione's break up to the test immediately that evening. He got home to an empty house and a hastily scribbled note, attached to the refrigerator door, saying that Ginny had gone to the Burrow and that there were plenty of "ready meals" that he could heat up if he was hungry.
He had a simple supper on a tray in the living room, while watching the evening news and was just clearing away his dishes when he heard the front door closing and Ginny's footsteps dragging down the hallway, before coming to rest in the kitchen doorway.
"Hi Gin," Harry said, glancing over his shoulder while he continued drying a plate; but he froze as he took in the frown on her face and the slump of her shoulders, hands pushed deep in her coat pockets.
"When did you find out?" she asked accusingly.
Harry understood her question immediately and decided that honesty was probably the best policy. "Well, Ron told me last night in the pub, but…"
"And I don't suppose it entered your head to tell your wife, who also happens to be his sister," she interrupted. "No, I had to find out tonight, in front of Mum and Dad."
"Ginny, Ron asked me not to tell you. He said that he wanted to break the news to you himself," Harry pleaded.
"Oh well, that's alright then," Ginny replied sarcastically. "Do you always do what Ron tells you? Don't you have a mind of your own?"
Harry was silent for a moment, waiting for Ginny's obvious anger to subside. She seemed ready for a fight and Harry knew that it could be dangerous to provoke her when she was in this type of mood. Ginny had always had a fairly fiery temper and could often say or do things in the heat of the moment that she would regret later. "How was Ron?" he asked softly when he deemed it to be safe.
"How do you think? He's devastated. What a bitch that woman is."
"Steady on Gin, it isn't all Hermione's fault. At least Ron doesn't seem to think so."
"Don't you dare take her side," Ginny retorted angrily. "I thought that Ron was your best friend."
"Well, they're both my friends. I just think that we should stay out of it and let them work it out by themselves. Anyway, Hermione is your friend too."
"Oh grow up Harry, can't you see what's going on? Are you really that thick? How can Hermione be my friend, when she has always wanted what I have? Don't you realize that precious Hermione has always been jealous of me? That's what this is really all about. Come on, even you must see that."
"What are you talking about?" Harry was genuinely perplexed.
"Oh Harry, it's you that Hermione is after. She always has been. Don't you remember how she used to follow you and Ron around all of the time at school? Why do you think that was? She was overjoyed when Rita Skeeter wrote those articles about the two of you in fourth year. They enabled her to indulge her fantasies to the full. Didn't you wonder why she was the only one who stuck by you when your name came out of the Goblet of Fire?"
"She was my friend," Harry responded hesitantly.
"And what about Ron, wasn't he your friend as well?" Ginny countered, exasperation in her voice, as if trying to explain two plus two to a retarded five year old.
"Well, yes he was," explained Harry, "but Hermione was different."
"Of course she was different." Ginny jumped on this response like a cat pouncing on its prey. "She fancied you, that's why she was so different. Why can't you see it? It's so obvious. Don't you realize that I saw her kissing you at Kings Cross at the end of that year. She couldn't have been much more obvious, unless she'd unzipped your fly on the platform. Just imagine how disappointed she must have been when she found out that you were still mooning around after Cho the next year. Then once that was over, you moved on to me. Hermione must have been devastated that you always just treated her like one of the boys."
"Hold on," Harry saw a weakness in Ginny's argument that he could exploit. "Hermione was really pleased when we got together and you said that she gave you advice."
"Oh wake up Harry! She pretended to be pleased; she pretended to give me advice. Ron told me that she let slip to you that I had gotten over you, when she knew that I hadn't. How friendly was that?"
Harry was dumbstruck. He couldn't take in what Ginny was saying. The facts sounded about right, he knew, but Ginny's interpretation of them was way off base. It had to be.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Ginny's voice, now taking on a more pleading tone.
"Look Harry, you can't have it all ways. Ron is my brother. That's family. That counts for more than some friendship with a love sick girl from your teens. I don't want anything more to do with Hermione Granger and I expect you to be willing to support me."
Harry was speechless. He was staggered by the intensity of Ginny's reaction and the turn that events were taking. He couldn't believe how quickly his peaceful evening at home had degenerated into this potentially disastrous confrontation.
"Ginny, it's not that simple. Ron, Hermione and I were together all through school. If Ron and Hermione can stay friends, why do we have to behave differently? Anyway, you're wrong about Hermione. She never fancied me; it was always Ron that she liked."
"Oh Harry, don't you see?" Ginny exclaimed desperately, "Hermione used Ron to keep close to you and now that she's finished with him she is going to try and break us up next. Look what's happening already. I bet she didn't waste any time coming crawling to you with her side of the story. Did she?"
Harry thought back to the urgent lunch time meeting. Hermione wasn't as manipulative as Ginny was making out. She couldn't be. She had just always turned to him when she was in trouble.
Ginny understood Harry's silence. "See, I knew it! She's got her hooks into you already, hasn't she? It's always the same. I am so fed up of arguing with you about her; it's ruining everything. Harry, you're going to have to make a choice. It's me or her. I'm not putting up with sharing you any longer."
Harry clung to the edge of the kitchen sink, staring at the bubbles slowly fading in the washing up water; dissolving along with his sense of normality, as he struggled to hold on to the view of relationships that he thought he understood so well. How had it come to this? He couldn't just cast aside his friendship with Hermione; not when she was relying on him to support her.
Ginny didn't need to wait for any words to confirm what she suspected. "I see. It's like that then," she said bitterly. "You shouldn't have to think about this Harry. I'm your wife for Merlin's sake! How could you do this? Look, if you can't make a simple choice after all that we've been through together…all that we've meant to each other, then I think that you should just leave. I don't want you around at the moment."
The coldness of her voice shocked Harry more than the words that she had spoken. "But Gin, can't we…"
"Just go Harry. Get out; I'm sick of you!" Ginny screamed and then ran from the kitchen and up the stairs as she struggled to hold in the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.
Harry stood in the centre of the kitchen, still holding his dish cloth. He felt stupid and lethargic. He couldn't fully comprehend what had just happened. He took a few paces across to the bottom of the stairs, where he could hear Ginny now sobbing up in their bedroom. What should he do? He ought to go up and try to comfort her. But wasn't that what always happened when they argued? Ginny cried and he caved in. What would it really achieve? They were just continually going round in circles, covering the same old ground; particularly where his relationship with Hermione was concerned. Wasn't it time to finally break the pattern?
His hand reached automatically for the banister rail and his foot moved on to the bottom step. Then with a sudden decisiveness he turned, grabbed his coat from the hook in the hallway and went out into the cold winter night. He didn't really have a clue what he was going to do or where he was going to go. He just felt that something had unexpectedly changed and he needed to take advantage of the opportunity that it presented. Suddenly, becoming conscious of the coldness of the night air, Harry wondered if there might be a room free at the Leaky Cauldron and directed his thoughts towards its friendly, welcoming atmosphere.