Craving the Fame by Harry85

Rating: NC17
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 05/05/2008
Last Updated: 10/05/2008
Status: Completed

Follows DH (not that it will matter much for the story) apart for the epilogue. Harry and
Hermione are married with three kids, but they fall into hard times and are forced to leave their
house. Who will help them, and will he/she have his/her own agenda? Warning: some gore inside.




1. Prologue
-----------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapter One: Prologue**

“I can't believe it!” Harry Potter whispered, nervously running his hand through his black
hair.

“What is it?” Hermione Potter, his wife, asked him as she prepared breakfast for themselves and
their three children, Mark, ten years old, Fabian, eight year old, and Alexandra, the youngest,
only four years old.

The three of them would soon wake up and trudge into the big kitchen of the house.

“You might want to sit for this” he gravely said, and Hermione, worried, followed his
advice.

“Basically, our investments in the Muggle world are going worse and worse. You know about the
economic crisis that is currently menacing most of the industrialized countries of Western Europe
and U.S.A., right?”

Hermione nodded.

“That caused the companies we invested in to lose huge amounts of money, and while the Goblins
have done their best to minimize the damages, three quarters of our vaults have slowly emptied”

Hermione immediately realized the gravity of the situation. “We should have withdrawn from those
investments months ago when the Goblins gave us the first warnings” she sighed. The two of them had
faith in the Muggles and thought the weakness of their economy was only temporary. They were sorely
mistaken.

“The worse part is, right now we don't have enough money to guarantee we can finish to pay
for the house” Harry told her. “Knowing me personally, Ragnok has decided not to take it from us
yet, but we have one month time to raise two hundred thousand Galleons before the next meeting of
the Gringott's Council. Once the matter comes to the attention of the Council, there's
nothing he can do to help us”

“Harry, we need to find a solution!” Hermione said, but the discussion was soon ended by them
hearing steps in the hallway signalling their children were arriving. The two adults exchanged a
glance to say they would continue talking about it later.

--

*One month later*

“Brother Goblins, the monthly meeting of the Council has started. The Muggle economic crisis has
caused many of our customers to lose great amounts of money, and there are some situations that
should be assessed.

One of those regards Harry Potter and his family. It is my understanding that the family vaults
right now can't fulfil the payment of their house, is that true, Ragnok?”

The Goblin reluctantly stood up and nodded. “They have however managed to raise more than half
the needed sum, if we could just give them more time…” he suggested, but the glare from the Chief
Goblin quieted him.

“Our policy has always been of maximum severity, Ragnok. You know that very well. We can't
afford our reputation to be diminished by acts of compassion, and believe me, I don't want to
do this more than you do, Mr. Potter is a famous member of the Wizarding World. But rules are
rules, and we must respect them. We must take their house. Now, onto the next matter…”

--

It was so that two days later, five people nervously knocked on the door of a big, imposing
manor in the countryside, hoping someone would answer them, and hoping the answer was positive.

-->



2. Attempts at Seduction, Part I
--------------------------------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapt****er Two: Attempts At Seduction, P****art I**

When Ginny McTrodden, formerly Ginny Weasley, spotted who was knocking on the door of her and
her husband's home from behind their house elf Stender, she grinned and went to greet her old
friends.

“Harry! Hermione!” she squealed, hugging them both. “It's so good to see you! Come in, come
in!”

The two smiled nervously at her, and once the kids were playing in the living room, the two
adults explained their situation to Ginny.

“We are sorry to ask you this, Ginny” Harry said, “But Ron and Luna's flat is obviously too
small for eight people living in it, and the same goes for Neville's. We truly have no other
choice”

“Oh, nonsense, Harry. You don't have to justify yourself. You and your family are in a time
of need and what are friends for if not for helping each other in dire situations?” Ginny said,
contemporarily fluffing her hair.

“Well, but don't you need your husband's approval to let us live here?” Hermione asked,
frowning.

“Who, Albert? No, he will be fine with it, as long as I approve” Ginny haughtily said, and
Hermione felt a wave of disgust for her friend. She at times wondered how she and Ginny managed to
remain friends when the redhead had changed so much from the little girl she first knew.

But after all, Hermione guessed she might have changed with the years herself, and not having
realized it.

A few minutes later, Ginny was giving them a tour of the manor, and pointing out which rooms
would be theirs, a sudden excitement bubbling inside her. This was the perfect occasion for
her.

Of course, she was rich thanks to the marriage, but she was not famous. Only being Ginny Potter
could make her famous like she craved, and while being married to Albert and spending lots of money
was fun, now she had Harry forced to live in her house. A chance she must not let slip through her
fingers to seduce him and convince him to leave that bookworm and marry her.

How could he have preferred Hermione over her perfect looks in the first place she couldn't
fathom, but this was clearly a gift from fate to help her get what should have always been
hers.

“Harry, this will be your room” she said, showing him a nice guest room, well furnished. It
would have been perfect, if only it had had a double bed.

“Er, Ginny, there's only a bed here” the raven haired wizard gently protested, and the
redhead looked at him apologetically, while on the inside she was grinning.

*“Of course, there's only one bed, otherwise I couldn't try to seduce you if you slept
in the same room of Hermione!”* she thought, but instead she said, “I'm truly sorry, but we
don't have double bed guest rooms…”

“Oh, well, we can always transfigure it” Harry shrugged, and took out his wand. Ginny scowled
but no one noticed.

However, Harry's spell didn't affect the bed. Ginny almost squealed as she
remembered.

“Oh, yes, how could I forget. Albert said we shouldn't transfigure the furniture, if we need
something we can just buy it, so he made sure everything was transfiguration-proof. He says he
doesn't want me to think he's not willing to spend money for my sake”

Hermione almost snorted. Ginny was wearing some really expensive robes, and saying she
wasn't going cheap on her husband was an understatement.

The tour continued, and Hermione was a bit miffed that her room was on the opposite end of the
corridor from Harry's, but sadly in the middle there were the bathrooms. Ginny had planned it
well, putting them on that floor when she could have given them a double bedroom on the top floor.
Now she just had to seal it before any of the Potters could find it and wonder why she kept Harry
and Hermione separated when they could have had that room.

--

That night at dinner Harry, Hermione and their three children who had been quite satisfied with
their new rooms but were still a bit sad for losing the house where they had grown up, and where
their memories lay, met Albert McTrodden for the first time after a long time.

He was a rich wizard of Scottish origins, but born in France, where his father, Philippus
McTrodden had met Jeanne Ducourt, a stunningly beautiful blonde woman, who was also one of the best
Healers in France.

The two had met at a conference in Marseille, as Philippus was a Healer himself at St.
Mungo's, even if his family inheritance would have permitted him to enjoy the pleasures of life
without having to work.

Albert had chosen to not follow his parent's path in Healing, but he was a successful
Herbologist, which was why Neville had recognized his name when Ginny had announced their wedding.
From the little Hermione knew of him, Albert had been experimenting on some new varieties of
magical plants in his personal greenhouse near Manchester. Well, the greenhouse was on the
propriety of the house so he was never far away from home, but far enough that if some accident
happened, those in the manor wouldn't be threatened.

Dinner was overall pleasant, and Ginny and Albert were the perfect hosts. After dinner Harry
asked how come they didn't have children, and there was a bit of tension before Ginny explained
that she felt she was still too young to be a mother.

Truth was, she had no intention of giving Albert a child, because she still hoped one day she
would be married to Harry. Only then she would have babies, only Harry's.

--

For the following two weeks, life continued quite normally. Harry and Hermione would head to
work in the morning, and Albert too, leaving Ginny home with the kids and the house elves.

That left the redhead with plenty of time to plan how to get Harry. She knew she shouldn't
freak him out too soon, so she settled for a flirtatious nature, wearing dresses that while not
vulgar, exalted her curves, especially her boobs, exposing her cleavage quite a bit.

Ginny also knew Hermione wasn't stupid, and if she stepped out of line the brunette would
annoy her to no end, thus Ginny decided to slip a Confusing Potion in her food, so that her “enemy”
wouldn't be aware of her advances toward Harry. As for Albert, their marriage was loveless, at
least on her part, and he knew it but claimed he was content enough to be married to her. Clearly
he lived in the delusion that one day she would love him back.

Poor lad.

However, if Harry noticed her flirting with him, he didn't show it at all, and the fact
frustrated Ginny quite a bit. Deciding to step up her game a notch, that night she slipped Hermione
a Sleeping Draught, so that the brunette excused herself early. The children were already in bed,
and Albert claimed he had something to research so he closed himself in the library. That left
Ginny and Harry alone in the living room, chatting.

Both were sitting on the couch, and Ginny moved closer.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her, but resumed sipping his Butterbeer.

“We don't see you often anymore” he pointed out. “Well, we didn't before this whole
ordeal” he corrected himself, earning a giggle from Ginny, “but you know what I mean. The Weasley
dinners, you don't attend them anymore”

She shrugged. “Mum keeps pestering me about grandchildren, and I don't want to hear about
it” she said, moving even closer, their shoulders now touching.

Harry decided she might have had too much to drink, and that a retreat was a good course of
action, so he excused himself, standing up.

Ginny followed suit, and smiled sweetly at him.

“Good night, Harry” she whispered, before kissing him hard on the mouth, pushing herself against
him.

It took Harry a moment to shake himself from the shock, and he immediately pushed her away.

“Ginny, what the hell do you think you're doing?” he angrily said.

The redhead just raised her wand. “Obliviate!” she whispered, erasing the memory of the kiss
from his mind.

“Good night, Harry” she said, before heading to her own bedroom. Her first attempt had gone
awry, but after all, she hadn't pushed her luck too much. She still had a few cards to play,
and hopefully they would have the desired effect.

-->



3. Attempts at Seduction, Part II
---------------------------------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapter Three: Attempts At Seduction, Part II**

It was a couple days after the night of the attempted kiss, and Hermione had sent an owl that
she would be late because there was an emergency at St. Mungo's, and to not wait for her
because she didn't even know if she would be able to come home that night.

That gave Ginny an idea for the night. She just needed to make sure of a couple things, and then
Harry would be hers.

Through dinner, everyone chatted amiably, the kids had perfectly adjusted by now to the new
house, and Harry noticed they seemed to like Ginny too. Not as much as Hermione of course, the
brunette was their mother and no one could ever replace her in their hearts, but they seemed to get
along well with Ginny, considering they had never met her before this emergency.

After dinner, Albert asked Harry if he wanted to take a look at the plants in the green house,
and not having anything better to do, the raven haired wizard accepted. Mark and Fabian were
playing Exploding Snap in the living room while Alexandra watched them, giggling madly at every
explosion.

Ginny left them alone, and readied herself for the deception she would soon be playing at.

--

It was after midnight that Harry finally went to sleep, having tried to wait for Hermione, but
realizing he needed his rest for tomorrow, as it would be a long day of work for him too.

Sighing, he changed to his pajamas and slid under the covers in his bed, missing the warmth of
his wife terribly. But there was nothing they could do, until they could afford a new house for
themselves.

Gringott's had been clear, they would not be able to get a new house before their vaults
were again full, ensuring even a little loss of money wouldn't stop them from having the
Galleons needed to keep paying for the house.

Turning in his bed, he finally managed to fall asleep, his dreams filled with a certain brunette
who was currently still working at the hospital.

A couple hours later, Ginny slipped into his room, after making sure no one else was awake in
the house. She was wearing only a see-through pink nightdress, which would have left very little to
the imagination if the house wasn't so dark. But darkness was what she needed to accomplish her
mission.

Padding to Harry's bed, she gingerly sat on the empty side, and cautiously slipped under the
covers.

She moved closer to him, and Harry reflexively wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her at
him.

“Mione” he mumbled, and Ginny rolled her eyes. “Yes, it's me” she whispered, hoping his
sleepy brain wouldn't recognize her voice.

She could see him smile thanks to the moonlight slightly peering in from the window, and then
she kissed him.

Believing she was Hermione, Harry kissed her back, stroking her sides with his hands as he
pulled her even closer, his hands wandering under her nightdress, meeting her bare skin.

Ginny's breath hitched, her heart pummelling in her chest. She was about to get her wish,
thanks to his sleepy condition and a little deception on her part.

She moaned lightly when his hands met her hardened nipples, his hard-on rubbing on her thighs,
and kissed him with a furious passion, excited because she was just a step away from realizing her
dream. She had cast a Conception Spell on her belly before going to his room, to make sure she got
pregnant when they had sex.

She was sure that he would do the honourable thing and divorce Hermione. Surely Albert would
divorce her once he found out she was cheating on him. Harry wasn't person to leave a mother
and her child on the streets. Plus, she could always alter his memories and make him believe he had
willingly shagged her, knowing it was her and not Hermione, thus making him feel guilty for
cheating on his wife.

Yes, it was going to be perfect.

Only, as sleepy as he was, Harry perfectly knew every inch of Hermione's body by now, and he
especially knew about the scar she had on her chest after Dolohov's curse back in the
Department of Mysteries.

When his fingers skimmed through the valley between Ginny's breasts and he didn't find
the scar, his eyes flew open, recognizing the redhead in the faint light coming from outside.

“Ginny!” he whispered furiously, pushing her away, and making her fall on the floor with a loud
thud.

“Ouch!” she cried, rubbing her arse on the point where she had landed, and glaring at him.

Harry, however, wasn't a man to be intimidated, and was glaring right back, angry at her
deceiving ways.

Ginny knew what she had to do, since she had been busted. She should wipe his memory again, but
she was also afraid that too many Memory Charms might damage him like had happened to Lockhart, and
that she didn't want.

“Get out” Harry growled, and grabbed his wand to make clear he would hex her if she
didn't.

“Don't forget it's thanks to me you aren't living on the streets, Harry” she
haughtily called. “I can always send you and your family away”

Harry's eyes flared with anger. “That's why you are still breathing, Ginny” he hissed,
and the redhead was scared of his expression. She made a beeline for the door, leaving him alone,
both of them cursing under their breaths as Harry slipped back under the sheets and Ginny walked up
the stairs to her own room.

--

The redhead was quite disgruntled the next few days. She and Harry kept ignoring each other, and
of course Hermione noticed, but Harry didn't tell her what had happened. He didn't want his
wife to worry that something like that might happen again. He knew he could deal with Ginny on his
own, and if she made another attempt at something like that, he would take measures and take his
family away from that house. Where to, he didn't know, but he would find a solution, if things
became unbearable at the manor.

Ginny, for her part, was fuming, because she had wasted another opportunity and made Harry angry
at the same time. She needed a foolproof plan, but Imperius wouldn't work. Harry had already
proved he could resist it.

A love or lust potion maybe, but it took time to brew one, and there was no guarantee that it
would work. After all, Harry had resisted the Veela charms too, he was really resistant to any mind
control, and while those potions acted mainly on the physical aspect, they also contained a part of
mind control to get the body to respond in a certain way.

With Harry already on the lookout for anything strange coming from her, it was going to be
difficult to slip him one, anyway.

However, she didn't really have many other options, so she set to brew a lust potion. That
was the most important, because coupled with her Conception Charm it would ensure she would get
pregnant and the rest would fall into place. She could always slip him a love potion later.

It took her two weeks to finally have it ready, now she just needed to find a good opportunity
to slip it to him.

Hermione being away for a couple nights for a conference in Paris was all Ginny needed, and that
night she made sure a big dose of lust potion was in Harry's drinks and food.

When they were all reunited in the common room chatting after dinner, she could see the potion
having an effect on him and inwardly smiled. He would sneak a peek at her, and she had consciously
chosen a very revealing dress that night, but then force himself to look back at Albert, who was
speaking.

When finally her husband left, she moved to sit near him on the couch, and he moved away.

“You can't deny it, Harry. I know you want nothing more than to shag me senseless, I've
seen how you looked at me. I dare say you undressed me with your eyes” she huskily whispered in his
ear, pushing her body as much as possible on his own.

“I…I don't know what you're talking about” he stammered, fighting the potion
effects.

“Oh, how sweet. You want to remain faithful to Hermione, but you can't deny much longer what
your body is telling you, Harry” she said again, nibbling on his earlobe, her left hand sliding
down his leg to settle on his swelling crotch.

Harry gulped, but willed himself to not give in. Mustering all the willpower he had, he gently
pushed her aside, and hastily retreated to his room, locking himself in with the strongest charms
he knew.

Then, he collapsed on the bed, exhausted by the fight with himself he had just barely won.

-->



4. Attempts at Murder, Part I
-----------------------------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapter Four: Attempts at Murder, Part I**

While Harry hastily retreated to his room, Ginny remained there on the couch, wondering why he
was resisting her so much. Sure, he was a honourable man and he wouldn't cheat on his wife, but
there must be something else driving him to resist even a lust potion, apart for his uncanny
ability at resisting mind control.

She just needed to find out what it was, and then remove it, somehow.

With that thought, she sighed to herself and went to bed. At least, this time he didn't know
what had happened had been her fault, and she could continue her attempts at getting him and most
of all the fame being his wife brought.

No doubt Hermione had been ecstatic to marry him because of that, the little slut.

But Ginny would make sure things went the way they were supposed to, with the redhead by
Harry's side whenever he was in the press. She would give him a family and make him happier
than Hermione could. Ginny had always suspected that the brunette wasn't exactly skilled under
the sheets, while she…well, she had had lots of different lovers through the years, before her
wedding but also after.

What Albert didn't know didn't hurt him, right? So yes, Ginny was confident she was much
better than Hermione in the sack, and Harry would love to shag her for hours, and she would be more
than happy to carry his children.

As she mused about it the next morning at breakfast, a sudden thought struck her, like an
epiphany.

The children! He was resisting her because of the children!

How stupid of her not to think about it sooner. Of course a divorce would hurt the three brats
and Harry would never hurt his kids, not after all that he had gone through in his own
childhood.

That had to be the reason, and so she should take those three annoying little things out of the
picture, of course without having anyone know her responsibility in it.

But how? A kidnapping could work, but for how long? Aurors might find them and that would lead
back to her. Not exactly the best way to win Harry's heart, letting him know she was the cause
of his children being taken away from him.

She had to make sure they weren't able to testify against her, or anyway to provide a link
to her that would get her in trouble.

She had to kill them, shut them up forever. She had never liked the three of them anyway, they
were all too serious, their only redeeming quality is that they both love Quidditch, but that was
not enough to stop her from getting rid of them, after all, nothing or no one was going to stand in
the way of her winning Harry's heart!

If she really was to do it, she needed a well developed plan, one that was foolproof.

Smirking maliciously, the redhead retreated to her chambers to plot her moves toward finally
becoming Harry's wife. Of course, she could kill Hermione too, and make things easier, but she
wouldn't.

She wanted to see the brunette's face when Harry willingly chose Ginny over her, and for
that Hermione had to stay alive. She could kill her later, after the wedding, and make it appear to
be a suicide.

--

A couple nights later, when everyone was fast asleep already, Harry having been the last to go
to bed as he stayed up late chatting with Hermione who had just returned from her business trip,
Ginny silently slipped out of her room, wand in hand. Paddling through the corridors, she reached
the room where little Alexandra was sleeping in.

Casting a Silencing Charm on the room, she neared the bed, and watched with fascination the
little girl breathing steadily, her chest rising and falling, completely unaware that her young
life was about to be broken.

Raising her wand, Ginny aimed it at the little girl's neck, and whispered,
“Sectumsempra!”

Then, she waited, watching with morbid interest as the little girl's eyes shot open from the
sudden pain and the difficulties of breathing, her own blood slowly choking her, burbles coming
from her throat as she tried inhaling, the red puddle at the foot of her bed quickly enlarging,
those brown orbs looking at Ginny pleadingly, asking for help, but the redhead just leaned on the
wall, watching the show, until the little girl's heart stopped and she was dead.

Then, Ginny walked out of the room and down to the living room, where she created a bit of
mishap, turning the couch backwards, destroying a small table and a window, then she cast a
Stinging Hex on her own cheek, resembling the effect of a slap, and finally bound herself in tight
ropes and cast a silencing charm on herself.

It was uncomfortable but it would make the situation much more believable when she would be
found, her story being that someone had entered the house and when she spotted him he disarmed her,
slapped her hard, and silenced her as she was to call for help, and finally bound her.

“He was really large, bulky, and he was much stronger than me physically, I couldn't do
anything” she cried over Albert's shoulder while retelling her story to the Aurors the next
morning. She had previously destroyed some precious objects to simulate a robbery, with them
missing her story was believable.

She cast a glance at Harry and Hermione, silently crying together in a corner, hugging each
other and trying not to break down completely, supporting each other in a moment of such pain and
despair.

The redhead felt a flicker of guilt at causing Harry so much pain.

“I'm sorry, Harry, but I need to free you from the ties binding you to that…that…that cow,
and if this is what it takes, then I'll do it with no regrets” she thought to herself, while
the Aurors took away the tiny body of the deceased Alexandra Potter.

--

For a few weeks Ginny kept quiet. She figured she needed to give Harry the time to adjust to the
loss before continuing her plan, both with the seduction attempts and the murders of his other two
children. It wouldn't do to have him free from his ties to Hermione if the sadness of losing
his three children drove him crazy. Ginny knew Harry loved them very much, and vowed to give him as
many babies as she could once they were married, to repay him for this pain she was inflicting on
him.

Besides, Harry and Hermione had become extremely protective of Mark and Fabian since the murder
of Alexandra, and that made Ginny's job more difficult, as she absolutely couldn't get
caught.

She needed time to plan her next move with accuracy, and in the meantime let Harry grieve a bit
before administering the next blow.

-->



5. Attempts at Murder, Part II
------------------------------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapter Five: Attempts at Murder, Part II**

During the “break” she took from attempting the murders of Harry's children, Ginny thought
hard about how to kill Mark and Fabian without raising suspicions.

Considering how much the boys liked Quidditch, and their young age, she devised a perfect plan,
or so she thought, involving a broom accident, which would result in the death of one of the two
brothers. Fabian, being the youngest of those two, would be the target because him losing control
of his broom might be more believable than Mark.

While the boys were in Fabian's room playing chess, Ginny jinxed Fabian's broom, much
like Quirrel had done with Harry's in his first year.

It would be only a matter of time before the brat lost his grip on the broom and the fall would
hopefully be fatal.

Now she just had to wait for the weather to get better, they had had an exceptionally rainy
couple of weeks lately. Surely the kids would love to go flying once a sunny day came around.

--

Just like Ginny had expected, three days later, the sun shone in the sky and Fabian and Mark
were eager to mount their brooms and fly. Harry reminded them to be careful while Hermione clearly
didn't approve of those two flying when so young.

“Mum, don't worry, we will be fine” Mark said with a grin, and the brunette couldn't
help her face softening, and ruffling his black unruly hair, just like his father's.

Finally, the two adults left for work, and Ginny sighed. There will be hell to pay once the
accident happened, but at least she would get another one of the brats out of the picture.

For half an hour, Fabian was completely in control of his broom, and Ginny scowled, watching
them from inside, wondering if maybe she had messed up the jinx, but then his movements started to
become more jerky, with hasty turns, and the broom not responding perfectly to his commands.

The boy was a bit upset at that but worked hard to keep the broom under control.

“What's wrong, Fab?” Mark called

“I dunno, Mark. The broom doesn't want to do what I tell it” Fabian answered, while harshly
pulling it to the left so that he could follow his brother.

“Maybe you should go back down to the ground” the older brother suggested, but Fabian shook his
head.

“No, it was fine a minute ago, I'm sure whatever it is will go away just as quickly as it
started” Fabian confidently replied, but just as he finished that sentence the broom suddenly
shook, almost trying to push him down off it, and then started pointing upwards, toward the
sky.

“Fabian! Come down here!” Mark said, following him. Ginny watched the scene from inside, smiling
smugly to herself.

The broom kept raising up in the sky, and Mark was having a hard time keeping up, but he wanted
to be close in case his brother needed help, which at the moment seemed quite probable.

If only he could get nearer, he could pull Fabian on his own broom and then go back to the
ground…

The younger brother was holding on the broom for dear life but it seemed to want to shake him
off, and the little guy made the big mistake of looking down. Realizing just how high he had soared
up in the blue sky, he panicked, and loosened his hold on the broom handle, feeling it slip from
his grasp.

A violent shake tore his grip away, and the next thing Fabian knew was that he was falling at
breakneck speed toward the ground.

Mark looked horrified at his brother falling from his broom and dived trying to catch him. It
was desperate and he hoped to make it, because from that height Fabian would surely die otherwise.
They had already lost their little sister, he didn't want to lose his younger brother too!

They were nearing the ground at high speed, and Ginny hoped maybe Mark would crash on the ground
too. That would be too perfect, two deaths in one single attempt.

When Mark realized he wouldn't be able to reach Fabian in time without slamming himself on
the ground, survival instinct kicked in and he pulled his broom up, closing his tear filled eyes,
not wanting to see his brother's destiny, wishing he could save him somehow.

Unbeknownst to him, he performed accidental magic, cushioning his brother's fall as best as
he could.

The crash was less disastrous than he had imagined, and when he dared to look, he could see
Fabian still on the ground, holding his right side, his eyes shut, but his chest rising and falling
just a tiny bit.

He was in bad shape, but alive, at least for the moment.

Running inside the house like mad, he called Ginny to help him, and the redhead had to act like
she truly cared, bringing the boy to St. Mungo's, and alerting Harry and Hermione.

While the Healers were working on the boy, Ginny was witness of a heated argument between the
two.

“I told you not to buy them real brooms before Hogwarts!” Hermione shouted.

“Fabian has had it for a year now, and he never had an accident. Mark has been flying for three
years and similarly, never got a scratch” Harry countered.

They kept arguing back and forth for a while, before Harry stormed off, Disapparating away.
Ginny wondered where he had gone, but hopefully their fight might escalate into something
bigger.

Well, you can't fault a witch for hoping, right?

However, panic ran through her veins when Harry returned, twenty minutes later, Fabian's
broom in his hand, and he occupied himself casting charms on it.

Ginny knew it wouldn't take him long to find out it had been jinxed, she could only hope he
wouldn't be able to figure out by whom.

“It's been cursed” Harry said, just as predicted, after five minutes of analysing the
object. “The same jinx Quirrel used with me in our first year” he said to Hermione. “This explains
the fall, and proves it's not a matter of flying or not” he said, with a pointed stare at
Hermione, who only scowled at him, but let it go for the moment.

“What I want to know is who would want to harm him?” Harry mused, “Seems strange that after
Alexandra being killed now Fabian has been targeted too. Who's next, Mark?” he thought aloud,
and Ginny knew killing the oldest would be really difficult. And, she had yet to complete the job
regarding the other brat.

--

The healers decided to keep Fabian in the hospital for some days to be able to monitor his
conditions. The broken bones had been mended, but they needed to make sure the child was ok.

Harry kept eyeing her suspiciously all night, and Ginny knew she had to distract him from the
idea she might be behind the events of the day, and the only thing that would distract him long
enough was to kill Mark that night, or so she reasoned.

When the manor was completely silent, Ginny crept into the boy's room, wand in hand, and
pointed it at the boy. “Avada Kedavra!” she shouted, and the green light hit the body. A moment
later, she heard a male angry voice behind her.

“Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!”

Ginny fell face first on the floor, and felt someone turning her. Her eyes widened when she
realized Harry was the one turning her, his green eyes flaring with hatred.

“I suspected it was you after Fabian's broom was jinxed. Who else would have had access to
it, if not you, Albert or your House Elves? But Albert is always out of the house in his greenhouse
during the day, and the House Elves would not take the order to kill someone, it's against
their nature” He explained. “You might wonder why didn't I stop you before you cast the curse,
well, that's simple. What you hit is nothing else than a book Transfigured into Mark's
body, while he is safely sleeping in my room. Then I hid in the corner with my cloak on, and just
as predicted you showed up. Your wand will be the evidence used against you to get you a life
sentence in Azkaban” he continued, spitting on her face.

“I never thought you could stoop so low, Ginevra. Your family will be devastated by this, not
that you care about them anymore” he sarcastically remarked, before binding her and grabbing one of
his Auror Portkeys to the Ministry, his other hand holding Ginny's shoulder as they disappeared
in a flash.

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6. A Trial and Comforting Each Other
------------------------------------



**Disclaimer:** Not mine, unfortunately. JK Rowling owns it all…

**A/N:** My reply to the “Flowers in the Attic” challenge by What Contented Men Desire, here
you can find it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26767
Hope you will enjoy, it's kind of dramatic at times.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

**Craving the Fame**

**Chapter Six: A Trial and Comforting** **Each Other**

The Killing curse cast by Ginny's wand would have been evidence enough to land her in
Azkaban, but since the end of the war, trials were guaranteed to anyone, to avoid any fiascos like
the one involving Sirius Black. Harry had been one of the most active supporters of that new
law.

So it was a week after Harry caught her, a week that she spent in the Ministry cells, that Ginny
had to present herself in front of the Wizengamot. Harry, Hermione, Mark and Albert were in the
spectator part of the room, with the other Weasleys.

Molly was in tears, and Arthur looked down at Ginny with huge disappointment. Harry felt his
heart break for them, but there was nothing he could do. Ginny had chosen her path herself.

Hermione was hugging him tightly, tears falling freely at the thought that someone she thought
of as a friend would attempt to kill one of her children. And if Harry's guess was accurate,
had already killed one.

“Ginevra Molly McTrodden, you are here to respond of the charge of using an Unforgivable, and of
murdering Alexandra Potter” Kingsley, who was still Minister, started. “How do you proclaim
yourself against these charges?”

“Innocent, sir” Ginny haughtily replied.

Murmurs erupted in the room, Ron had a murderous expression on his face and if Aurors didn't
stop him, he would have probably attacked his own sister right there.

“Mrs. McTrodden, your wand has already been proven to have cast a Killing Curse. You proclaim
yourself innocent from the charge of using an Unforgivable. How do you explain this?”

“Someone else used my wand”

“Your claim will have to be verified, Mrs. McTrodden. This means, Auror Harry Potter,
responsible for the arrest, is called to testify”

Harry stood up from his place and walked to the chair prepared for him. Another Auror poured
three drops of Veritaserum down his throat, and then he was questioned about the night of
Ginny's arrest.

As other confirmation of him telling the truth, his memory of the night was shown. That would
have been enough to sentence Ginny, but the other charges needed to be verified, so she was dosed
with Veritaserum, given that her lies had convinced the jury she couldn't be trusted without
it, and then she was questioned about the murder of little Alexandra.

She confirmed how she killed the little girl and then feigned the break in, and in another few
minutes the trial was done.

Ginny was sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban, and on her way out she endured the insults of her
own brothers, while Arthur glared at her, all the while comforting Molly. One had to admit that the
redhead took all the insults with her head held high, and proudly walked out of the room to be
taken away to the prison. Some might even admire her for it.

--

Albert filed for divorce that same day, and then decided to leave England. He claimed that he
couldn't remain in the place where his hopes of a loving marriage were shattered so badly, too
many memories of the time he had been married to Ginny haunted him in the Manor, and he would
return to France to continue his research in another greenhouse he used now and then, which was
situated on the grounds of another manor owned by his family.

He decided to gift Harry and Hermione with the one in England, saying that he very well knew it
couldn't repay them for their lost child, but at least it was his way of saying he was sorry
for not understanding what a loose cannon Ginny was.

That night, once Mark, and Fabian who had returned from St. Mungo's, were asleep in their
rooms, Harry and Hermione snuggled close on the couch, both lost in their thoughts.

“It's all my fault” Harry finally sobbed, tears spilling from his emerald eyes. “I should
have realized how desperate she was, and taken you and the children away from here sooner” he
said.

Hermione hugged him tightly, letting him know she didn't think that way, and that she would
never leave his side.

“It's Ginny's fault, not yours, Harry” she whispered, burying her face in his chest. He
told her about the attempted seductions, and how he could have realized Ginny was growing more and
more frustrated at her failures.

“But you could have never guessed she would stoop so low as to kill someone, and our children in
particular, just for that reason” Hermione reasoned, and Harry sighed.

“How is it that you always manage to make me see reason even when I stubbornly want to punish
myself?” he joked, and she smiled weakly at him.

“That's what I'm your wife for” she remarked, and he chuckled, kissing the tip of her
nose.

“That's true” he admitted, pulling her close.

The pain of the loss of Alexandra would take a lot more to heal, and probably never would
completely vanish, but Harry knew that with Hermione on his side he could face anything, she was
his strength and he liked to think he was hers.

With that belief, he knew they could look to their future with optimism, and that nothing would
ever tear them apart.

“Let's go to our room” he huskily whispered in her ear as he picked her up from the couch,
his hands grabbing her bum as he carried her upstairs, their mouths fused in a long, heated kiss,
tongues clashing as they climbed step after step, until Harry pushed their bedroom door open and
lay her on the bed, kissing down her neck, and slowly unbuttoning her blouse, kissing her
shoulders, while she buried her hands in his unruly black hair, moaning slightly at his
ministrations.

Hermione quickly disposed of his shirt too, tossing it away after pushing it down his shoulders,
and moved to his trousers, while he was fumbling with her bra.

Finally unhooking it, Harry kissed her left nipple, taking the quickly hardening nub in his
mouth, and caressing the other one with his left hand, pinching, tweaking it, making his wife moan
and writhe under him.

Finally, she pushed his trousers down his legs and quickly got of his boxers too, grasping his
hard manhood, and making him hiss in pleasure.

The brunette still couldn't get enough of his reactions, knowing it was her who elicited
them, and started stroking his shaft, making him groan, as he fumbled with her belt, and then
pushed her own trousers and panties down her legs.

“You're so beautiful” he murmured against her skin as he kissed his way down to between her
legs, where he found a slight dampness already waiting him. As he started going down on her,
Hermione gasped at the feeling of his tongue on her clit, and then plunging inside her folds.

“Harryyyy!” she cried, and was suddenly glad for having silenced the room while he was carrying
her to the bed.

He smiled against her cunt, and plunged in once more, making her grab the sheets frantically, as
the waves of her orgasm rolled through her.

“I need you inside me, now!” she growled, and he was more than happy to oblige, pushing himself
in to the hilt, and developing a rhythm, first slow, and then growing faster and faster, until he
couldn't hold it anymore and exploded inside her, collapsing on her side and pulling her
close.

“I love you” he said, kissing her softly.

“I love you too” Hermione sleepily murmured against his lips as he covered them both with the
sheets.

Just before falling asleep, Hermione thought that even with the troubles that sometimes being
his wife brought, she wouldn't dream to be anywhere else, and snuggled closer, finally letting
her body get some needed rest as her eyes fluttered closed and a contented smile graced her lips,
even in the midst of the sad happenings of the last few months.

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