I know I'm supposed to be working on "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sprog", but I cannot get this out of my mind. OotP to me held the definitive explanation for the way this series turned out and this particular story has just not gone away since I realized it. This picks up at the Epilogue, so there is H/G but bear with me because I can only deconstruct JKR's mess by using her own words. I hope that makes sense to you eventually in this story. Rest assured H/Hr WILL prevail, even though it may not seem like it at times.
As always JKR owns all of this. If I owned it, we wouldn't need to be pointing out the atrocious error of her ways. I own only this idea. Please Read and Review!
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He watched sadly, hand still held in the air as the Hogwarts Express turned the corner and faded from sight. Albus had hung out of the window waving frantically to his father until the last possible moment. When he was certain he could no longer be seen by his son, he dropped his hand with a pang in his heart and felt a warm hand slip into it immediately.
"He'll be fine."
Ginny's voice was a little louder than was probably necessary. He turned to her quickly ready to voice his certainty of that fact, but his eyes landed immediately instead on a man leaning against the barricade to his left. He knew his identity straight away, even though he was trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, and his insides began to boil.
His posture stiffened quickly as he eyeballed the man angrily and turned roughly on the spot. "Come on, let's go."
Ginny's eyes followed his easily, landed upon the man in the corner and widened. "Is that a reporter?"
Harry merely grunted in response and reached for his little girl's hand. The sooner they found Ron and Hermione and left, the better. He hated the way these reporters, even after all of these years, still found it necessary to cover every single detail of his life. Even his youngest son's first day at Hogwarts it seemed.
Ginny stalled for a moment, staring at the man intently before glancing back towards her retreating husband. With widened eyes, she quickened her pace and angrily whispered, "Wait!" to his back. Harry seemed to snap out of his focused trance and turned so abruptly that Ginny almost collided into him. She drew herself to her full height and gave him a look that most certainly said she couldn't believe he not only didn't realize she hadn't been right beside him, but that he couldn't possibly have thought to do it at a worse time.
"Sorry," was all he mumbled before craning his head back towards the crowd. "Where're Hermione and Ron?"
A slight frown continued to tug at Ginny's features as she gently took Lily's hand in her own. "I don't know. They were right beside us before you decided to go barreling through the station."
"I was not barreling, I was just…" he stopped short and sighed, deciding instead to train his eyes on the crowd bustling past them now. He was certain they had just been standing there.
"Oi, you lot!"
Harry's head craned towards the sound of Ron's voice and suddenly easily recognized his tall lanky frame above most of the others around him. Hugo and Rose were both now on their way to Hogwarts, and he was certain that both he and Hermione would want to probably grab a bite to eat and reminisce or at the very least, wallow together.
"There's my girl!" Ron bustled up to the trio easily, bending to scoop a laughing Lily onto his shoulders as he pulled alongside them. "I hate how crazy it gets in here sometimes."
Harry eyed him for five seconds before turning his eyes directly back towards the sea of parents and family walking past. Ginny tugged on Lily's shoe with a smile on her face as she and Ron began to follow the crowd. Harry took two backwards steps before halting in confusion. "Where's Hermione?"
The top of Ron's head flashed around Lily's small blue jeaned leg before he continued his forward march. Ginny's pace quickened.
"Left already, mate. Apparated out after the train left. Said she had a meeting, I think? I can't remember." Harry was slightly pushed forward by the crowd and he turned hastily to catch up to the three in front of him.
"Already left? I mean…"
Ginny was digging inside her opened purse and didn't bother looking up with her reply. "How's Luna, Ron? I didn't see her here today."
Lily gave a whoop of laughter as Ron ducked her beneath a hanging sign. He chuckled lowly before turning sideways to his younger sibling. "She wanted to come see off Hugo and Rosie, but had a deadline to meet. She said goodbye to them this morning, though."
"When are you two coming round for dinner, anyway?"
Harry suddenly felt his insides squirm as if something slimy was trying to make its way towards his throat and tugged at the collar of his shirt timidly. He hated those moments when he was so blatantly confronted with his two best friend's separation. He had always hated being in the middle of their fights in school, and being on the slacking end of their divorce wasn't any better. They both seemed happier, he supposed, but he wasn't exactly privy to most of their lives anymore and that fact bothered him in a way he couldn't describe. Take for example today - apparating out after barely muttering a hello to him? It was further proof that Hermione was more elusive and distant from him than she had ever been.
The thought gave him a distinctive nauseous feeling, as if he was about to lose a lunch he hadn't even eaten. And even though his best friend, daughter and wife were beside him, he felt an incompleteness that had nothing to do with his sons leaving for school.
He took one last look around the crowd and felt himself almost willing a head of brown to pop into his vision. A sigh escaped his lips as they reached the barrier and he watched Ron and Lily maneuver through it easily. Ginny didn't even look back as she grabbed his arm tightly and tugged him through with her.
"So," Ron beamed as he lifted a giggling Lily from his shoulders and placed her gingerly on the ground. "We grabbing a bite, then?"
"Huh?" Harry's brow scrunched in confusion as he stared at the two adults staring back at him. Ron smiled at him in understanding and clapped him on the shoulder.
"He'll be great, mate. He's got James and Hugo and Rosie to look out for him, and you know they're gonna get into just as much trouble as we did in school."
Harry felt the tiny grin tug at the corner of his lips as he gripped Lily's hand once more and began the slow trek towards the turnstiles. "A little less, I hope. No trolls or basilisks or…"
"Murderous egomaniacs?" Ron chuckled.
Ginny merely frowned.
"You know what, Ron? I've actually got some work to do at home. I should probably take a rain check on lunch." Ron's face fell momentarily before he shrugged and eased his way into the sunlight outside of the station.
"But, you and Luna will come round for dinner tonight, yeah? We'd love to have you both, right Harry?" Ginny's voice was even, but Harry could hear the small probing tone as she griped his arm and snuggled into it. Her slightly widened eyes, when he looked at her, left no room for doubt.
"Of course. Round 7, then?"
Ron smiled widely. "I'll have to ask the Missus." He paused only briefly to lean down eye level with Lily and leaned conspiratorially in. "And I might just bring along some things from the shop for say… a hug?"
The small dark haired girl squealed in delight and threw her little arms around her uncle's neck. He winked at Harry as he stood, fished his keys from his jacket pocket and started towards the separate end of the parking lot. "Look out everyone, non-qualified driver coming through."
Ginny laughed lightly as Harry tugged his own keys from his jacket and rounded the driver's side of the dark SUV. He heard Ginny's sigh as he opened the car door and began maneuvering the mess his eldest children had left in the back seat. Lily climbed eagerly in and began pulling her own toys from the pile as if terrified Harry was going to include them in the move to the hatch. Harry turned smiling green eyes towards his baby girl and leaned forward. "Let's not forget to buckle up, now."
"I know, Daddy." He could hear the exasperated eye roll in her voice as she fastened the belt around her waist and couldn't suppress the grin that spilled across his features.
"Well, then. I'll just leave you to it."
Popping the back door closed, he slid into the driver seat quickly and watched from the corner of his eye as Ginny mirrored his actions. His own belt tugged firmly around his waist, he leaned forward to turn the ignition as Ginny tossed a glance between the seats. "Lily, I want you to pick those toys up."
The engine roared to life as he pulled easily out of his spot, and reached for his visor to block the sun's rays from his eyes.
"What did I tell you before? If you leave those just lying about anywhere…" her voice dropped slightly as she pointed a finger back towards the girl, emphasizing every word. "You will lose everything."
Harry's hand froze mid tug of the visor, his mind suddenly decades away on the floor of a demolished Ministry and something indescribable seemed to meld into place in his gut. Suddenly, simultaneously confusing images danced in his vision of red laughing eyes and Hermione's concerned face.
"Harry?"
He shook his head quickly and spun to face the red head beside him. "What?"
Ginny's brow creased heavily as she stared at him and then pointed out the windshield. "The line's gone."
He huffed a sigh, the fleeting thought so important a moment before now seemingly gone. With a final tug of the visor into place, he gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and nodded.
"Right."
With a final glance at his smiling daughter in the rear view mirror, Harry Potter sighed, pulled onto the lane and began the long trek home. Ginny's eyes remained trained on his hardened face for a moment's time before turning to gaze out of the passenger side window with a frown.