The Small Print
By Siriusly Amused
Author's Note:
If you have not read my fic, 'Anthem': Then ignore this AN, glance at the disclaimer so you know that I have one, and enjoy the fic. Also…it might be best to avoid reading 'Anthem'; it might confuse you with this fic.
If you have read my fic, 'Anthem': Keep in mind that this fic is merely based off of 'Anthem'. It has a few characters from the first one, but I've also added characters, renamed characters, etc. I've also changed the plot. The theme is still the same (estranged father/son relationship), but I've added a new plot and little plot bunnies and…yeah. I think you'll enjoy this fic…I'm just telling you that it's different so that I don't get reviews saying, "Hey, this fic is different."
Disclaimer:
Why do I even bother with these nowadays? You guys know perfectly well that I'm not JK Rowling -bows- and that I don't own Harry Potter. Let's see…what else do I need to disclaim. Um…the rating for this fic is either a really strong T or a soft M. The first two chapters are more K, but by the third chapter, there will be strong language and angst and all that fun stuff.
Chapter One:
The Potter Child
"Ginny!"
"In here."
Twenty-year-old Harry Potter walked briskly across the cozy kitchen and dining room of his small home and entered the living room where he found his girlfriend, Ginny, sitting on the couch, hunched over a rather large text book. Her long, red locks were pulled back into a messy ponytail and most of her front layers had fallen from the hair tie's grasp and hung over her face as she continued to hover over her book.
"Ginny, guess what!" Harry exclaimed, flailing his arms excitedly. His sudden arm movements caused a spasm of pain to ripple through his already sore muscles. Even after a year of being in the Auror Academy, Harry still found himself getting sore from the rigorous exercises. He winced and brought a hand to massage his tender shoulder.
"Hmm?" Ginny asked, finally raising her head to look at Harry. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked exhausted. Harry made a mental note to put her to bed as soon as he told her the big news.
"Ron is going to propose to Hermione…tonight!" It took all that Harry had not to shout it out. His best friends, the two people who had his back ever since he was eleven, were going to get married. They were going to live happily ever after, and Harry couldn't have been happier for them.
A small smile crossed Ginny's pale features. "Really?" she asked, her voice quiet and tired.
"Yes!" Harry said, flailing his arms once more and pacing the room in his excitement. "He showed me the ring today on our break. It's perfect! Not too flashy, just a small diamond on a silver band, but I don't think a big, honking diamond would suit Hermione anyway. He told me all about his plan. He's going to take her to that nice Muggle restaurant she likes and he said that he'll even dance with her if she wants. WITHOUT COMPLAINING!" Harry shouted the last two words for emphasis. Everyone knew that Ron loathed dancing. "Then he's going to take her to the Chudley Cannon pitch--he wanted Hogwarts, but it's September so school's back in session and he doesn't want pimply teenagers barging in on him. I told him that the Chudley Cannon pitch isn't exactly romantic, but he insists…" Harry stopped his rambling when his eyes fell on Ginny. She was still sitting cross-legged on the couch, her book in her lap, but her eyes were no longer focused on Harry or the book. She seemed to be in a different world entirely. And she looked worried.
"Ginny? What's wrong?" Harry asked softly, crossing the room to sit on the edge of the coffee table and take Ginny's hands into his own. "I thought you'd be thrilled."
"Oh, Harry, I am. I'm really, really thrilled. They deserve their happiness," Ginny replied, snapping out of her trance and attempting a smile.
"Then what's wrong?" Harry asked, furrowing his brow. Ginny hadn't been the same lately. It was as if her studying to become a Charms teacher was draining her of all her energy.
"Harry, I…" Ginny stopped and her eyes flickered towards the window.
"I didn't see any paparazzi in the bushes when I came in," Harry mentioned, noticing her movement.
Ginny quickly grabbed her wand. "We can never be too careful," she stated, performing a quick silencing charm around the room. Harry wondered what was up that she needed to use the silencing charm. He gazed at her quizzically once she finished. She merely sighed and tightened her grasp on his hands.
"Harry, I'm pregnant." She said it with a straight face, her brown eyes gazing into Harry's green ones. Harry merely stared back for what seemed like an eternity. The statement just wasn't computing in his head.
"Pardon?" he asked at last.
"I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant?" Harry repeated.
"Yes."
"As in, my child is in your uterus right this moment?" Harry continued.
Ginny sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. Harry released her hands and brought his own hands up to run themselves through his ever messy mane.
"I'm going to be a father," he whispered to himself.
"Yes, you are," Ginny stated, adjusting her position on the couch and continuing her reading.
"A father," Harry repeated. "I need to sit down."
"You are sitting down, Harry."
"Then I need to lay down. Or get a stiff drink."
"I gave all the alcohol that was in the house to Mum," Ginny announced, not looking up from her book. "The caffeine too. I'm not taking any chances with this baby."
"YOU THREW OUT THE COFEE, YOU MAD WOMAN?"
"Harry, keep your voice down! The silencing charm I cast was a weak one due to my pregnancy making me tired; people can hear you if you shout. Honestly, I thought you grew out of your yelling stage after your fifth year!"
"I had coffee after my fifth year!"
Ginny smirked and closed her book (Complex Charms). "Listen, Harry, we need to get a few things straight before we tell everyone…"
"Does anyone know?"
"I've only told you so far, though my mum might have suspected something after I handed over the fire whiskey. Anyway…" Ginny continued, taking a deep breath and tucking stray locks of hair behind her ears. "First, I need to know if you want to be the father of this baby. If you want to leave, that's fine, but I'm having the baby."
Harry nearly choked on his own spittle.
"How can you even ask that?" Harry sputtered. "Of course I want to be the father! Do you honestly think that I wouldn't want to be a part of every aspect of this child's life?"
Ginny smiled. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled momentarily.
"I didn't think that, Harry. I just needed to be sure."
"Women and their bloody need for reassurance," Harry muttered under his breath. Ginny playfully hit him upside his head.
"Well, with that taken care of, I'll move onto the next issue." Harry cocked his head to the side inquisitively. Ginny took a deep breath; she seemed to be gathering her strength to tell Harry this next issue.
"I think we should move." She said it so quickly that it took Harry a moment to process it.
"Well, yeah…" he agreed once his mind registered what she said. "This place isn't big enough for three people. We'll give it to Ron and Hermione as a wedding present. It can be their little love nest until they have little ones of their own. And I'll buy some land not so far from here and build a big house on it. Two stories…maybe three, mind you I want twelve children."
"No, Harry," Ginny said softly, her eyes gazing at the floor.
"Fine, ten then. Trelawney predicted twelve, but when have I lived up to her predictions?" Harry paused and thought about his own words. "Well, besides that one…"
"No!" Ginny said much more loudly, causing Harry to stop his ramblings. "We need to move far away! Where no one can find us…"
"What?" Harry asked, confused.
Ginny nodded to the paper lying next to Harry on the coffee table. It was the Daily Prophet and on it's front page was a picture of Harry from earlier that day. He was getting a cup of coffee to go from a shop in Diagon Alley on his way to the Auror Academy. Harry had grown so used to the media tracking his every move throughout the years that he barely noticed when they were taking his picture these days.
"Do I really look that tired in the morning?" Harry joked, gazing at his picture.
"Harry, I don't want our child to grow up famous," Ginny stated.
"That'll be kind of hard. I've been trying to lose my fame for years."
"Which is why we need to go someplace secluded," Ginny continued. "I'll start showing in a couple of months; we'll need to have a place by then. Once we're alone, we can think of how we want to raise our child."
"We'll be completely cut off from the world?" Harry asked.
"Well, my family will know where we are and will more than less likely visit often," Ginny replied, leaning back against the sofa cushions. "Hermione too…though I guess Hermione is my family now," she added with a slight smile.
Harry opened his mouth to say 'mine too' when he realized that he wasn't technically married to Ginny. He suddenly felt as though a bucket of ice was dumped in his stomach.
"Shit," Harry cursed under his breath.
"Harry?" Ginny asked, concerned.
"Your brothers are going to kill me."
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It always amazed Ginny how much her family had grown over the past three years. Bill and Fleur were married and had a beautiful 2-year-old boy named Phillip. Charlie was engaged to Christine, a red-headed beauty that he had befriended in Hogwarts and had recently caught up with. Percy was…out of the picture…but doing well and engaged to Penelope from what Ginny heard. George was seeing Katie, though there were no plans of an engagement; and Fred was married to Luna Lovegood. No one was quite sure how that couple had come to be, but Luna was one of the family now and the happy couple were expecting their first child. And of course there was Ron and Hermione, but to be honest, Ginny had thought of Hermione as her sister ever since she was thirteen.
Her siblings and their significant others were situated around a beaming Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the living room. The Weasley parents had invited their children over for a big Sunday dinner. These Sunday dinners were becoming quite common for the brood.
Harry and Ginny arrived at The Burrow last and told everyone that they had a special announcement to make after dinner. Ginny watched her family members' reactions with amusement. As soon as the words, 'special announcement,' were out of her mouth, all five of her brothers shared knowing grins, Mrs. Weasley clasped her hands to her chest as her eyes filled with tears of joy, Mr. Weasley proudly clapped Harry on the back, and Fleur, Christine, Katie, Hermione and Luna all brought their heads together and started whispering excitedly.
Dinner was a happy affair, though it passed all too quickly. It seemed as though each and every member of her family had eaten in record time in an attempt to get to the announcement. Ginny was dragged into the living room before she could even ask what was for dessert. Her family was gazing at her expectedly, all of them smiling widely. Hermione and Luna were sitting on the floor together (seeing as there just wasn't enough furniture in the room to hold everyone). The two women were whispering excitedly about what color their bridesmaid dresses would be at Ginny's wedding. That only made Ginny's smirk wider.
"Quiet, you two," Ron shushed from his position on the couch. "I want to hear their big announcement!" Ron and the rest of Ginny's brothers exchanged proud grins.
"Well," Harry started, putting an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Ginny and I…"
The entire Weasley family leaned forward expectantly.
"That is, we're…" Harry was tensing under their stares. Ginny sighed.
"I'm pregnant," she stated calmly.
Ginny watched, amused, as her family's faces turned from proud grins, to opened mouth surprise, to grimaces. Ron was the first one to spring up and hit Harry. The other Weasley brothers (Bill and Charley included) weren't far behind. Harry spent the rest of the night with an ice pack on his face.
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Trouble in Paradise?
We all want to see our hero, Harry Potter, happy, writes Daily Prophet reporter, Jessica Taylor. He seems happy dating the beautiful Ginny Weasley, but trouble may have reared its head in paradise. Reports of an argument in which Harry shouted, "You threw the coffee out, you mad woman?" were heard by passersby outside of the couple's home during the early evening hours of September 15th. Several days later, they were seen leaving the home of Ginny's parents. Harry sported a badly bruised face and speculation indicates that a fight between The Boy Who Lived and Ginny's brothers took place. Has Harry Potter really found the love of his life, or will he jump into the dating pool soon? Only time will tell.
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"Get out of my way!"
Harry sipped his cup of coffee and stared across the room as an apparently grumpy Draco Malfoy entered it. Ron turned toward Harry and rolled his eyes at Draco's behavior as the blonde man stomped to the small refrigerator and gazed into it.
"Who the hell drank all the milk?" he asked to no one in particular, slamming the refrigerator door behind himself as he whipped around to glare at other Auror students.
"Who died and made you Head Auror-in-Training?" Ron asked vindictively, his blue eyes filled with animosity for his former schoolmate.
Draco Malfoy had risked his life during the final year of the war and had helped Harry find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. His good deeds had allowed him to be pardoned by the Ministry for his actions during their sixth year, but that did not mean that either Harry or Ron had forgiven him. Both continued to blame the blonde for Dumbledore's death.
Draco's angered glare fell upon his two former schoolmates. "Pansy's pregnant!" he shouted suddenly, shocking Harry and Ron with both the news of his impending fatherhood and the fact that he was sharing it with them. "She's pregnant with my child so I thought I'd do the noble thing and ask her to marry me and she said no!" Draco continued, rambling away as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. "She's joining some feminist cult. She doesn't want to get married. She doesn't even want to have the baby! She's going to…to…"
"Abort it?" Harry supplied, his throat going dry as he placed himself in Draco's shoes, imagining how he would feel if Ginny suddenly decided to give up their child.
Draco turned toward him, desperation showing in his eyes. "Why do I not have a say in whether or not my child lives or dies?" Draco asked in a fierce whisper before turning back to add sugar to his coffee. "And why the hell won't she marry me? I'm ridiculously good-looking!"
Ron shook his head and rolled his eyes at the comment, but Harry looked pensive.
"Ron?" Harry asked after a moment of silence. "Could Hermione maybe help Draco out?"
Both Draco and Ron spat out the coffee that they were drinking in shock. Harry jumped away from the spray, gracing his best friend and his…whatever…with an odd look at their behavior.
"Hermione help the ferret?"
"Granger help me?"
Harry blinked. "Well, yeah. I mean, she's the head of that new branch in the Ministry. The one dealing with rights and stuff. I know she mostly deals with elves, centaurs and giants, but surely fathers have rights too."
"Why would the Mudblood help me?" Draco asked, sidestepping Ron who made a move as if to punch him.
Harry gritted his teeth, nearly ready to take it all back. "She'd help you if we," he indicated himself and Ron, "asked her to. And if you want us to ask her, you better stop using that name!"
"All right, all right!" Draco said nearly at once, raising his hands in an effort to qualm Harry. "I'll never say the word again…if she helps me."
"Harry," Ron stated, looking Harry fiercely in the eye, "we don't have to help him."
"Ron," Harry replied, meeting the fierce gaze, "Hermione will become pregnant with your child some day."
The three were silent for several minutes as Harry and Ron continued to stare at each other with narrowed eyes.
"Oh yes, the wedding of the year…" Draco stated conversationally between Harry and Ron after the silence became too much for him. "Congratulations, Weasley. I've always known you'd get with the Mu…with Granger," he hastily corrected himself.
There was a brief silence where Ron and Harry continued to gaze ardently at one another, as if they were talking to each other telepathically, and Draco merely stood between them.
"Am I invited to the wedding?" Draco asked at last.
"No," Ron replied quickly. He sighed. "But I'll ask Hermione to help you with your…child problem."
Harry sighed in relief, Ron looked as though he were about to vomit, and a slight smile pulled at the corners of Draco's lips. The blonde one seemed as though he didn't know what to say; his mouth continually opened and closed as if he were about to thank Ron, but couldn't bring himself to utter the words. Luckily for all three men, the bell sounding the end of their break tolled and they trudged back into their exercises with the rest of their fellow Aurors-in-Training.
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"You want me to help Draco?" Hermione Granger asked, barely believing her own voice. She gazed into the mirror that she was standing in front of to see the man she considered to be her soul mate and the man she considered to be her brother nod stupidly back at her over her shoulder.
Hermione, the other two thirds of the trio, and Molly Weasley were standing in the cramped living room of Hermione's apartment. Typically, the living room was spotless, but it had morphed into a disaster area over the past week. With two of her bridesmaids being pregnant, Hermione had decided (and Ron, who didn't care much either way, agreed) to have the wedding as soon as possible.
Bridal magazines, business cards of caterers, and a guest list that could be rolled across the entire room littered the floor. Hermione herself stood on a stool, clad in a lovely white gown that Mrs. Weasley was making for the wedding. Mrs. Weasley hunched behind Hermione, randomly sticking pins into the dress.
"Um, Mrs. Weasley? The bodice is a bit tight," Hermione mentioned, blushing slightly whilst turning her head to glance down at the woman behind her.
"Call me Molly or Mum, love," Mrs. Weasley replied, continuing her work of sticking pins into the dress. "And you have a wonderful figure that deserves to be shown off on your special day."
"Yeah," Ron quipped, smiling slyly at Hermione. "Absolutely wonderful figure."
Hermione turned her head to give Ron an odd look. It was as if she wanted to scold him, but was prohibited by the large smile breaking through her scowl. Molly straightened and smiled at her youngest son.
"You like the dress then, Ron?" Molly asked, brushing her red locks off of her sweaty forehead.
"It's beautiful," Ron replied, leaning against the wall and staring at Hermione.
Mrs. Weasley smiled playfully and bent over once again to fuss over Hermione's dress. "If you like this, Ron, just wait until you see what the girls and I picked out for Hermione to wear on the wedding night!"
"MOLLY!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked. Ron quickly turned a marvelous shade of magenta. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Could we stay on the subject please?" The Boy Who Lived asked exasperatedly.
"Yes," agreed Ron. "Let's go back to talking about Hermione's wonderful figure."
"We are not talking about my figure!" Hermione stated, blushing slightly.
"We're talking about helping Draco Malfoy!" Harry announced. Saying the words 'helping' and 'Draco Malfoy' in the same sentence was a weird experience for Harry.
"Oh," Hermione and Ron said simultaneously, their faces falling.
"Harry, we don't have to help him," Hermione added quietly, echoing Ron from earlier. "Right Ron?" Hermione asked, gazing at the red-head. Ron, who didn't look happy about helping Draco, merely shoved his hands into his pockets and gazed down at his feet. "Ron?" Hermione asked again.
"I wouldn't help him," Mrs. Weasley piped in angrily, jabbing a pin roughly into the fabric and pricking Hermione slightly. "Sorry, Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley apologized when Hermione jumped. "That boy is a menace to society and his spawn…"
"You're a woman," Harry interrupted, scowling and pacing the room.
"Pardon?" Mrs. Weasley asked, straightening.
"I think what Harry means, Mum," Ron chimed in, looking up from his shoes, "is that, women get to choose whether or not they have children. Imagine what it would be like if we lived in a world where men got to make that decision. What if you got pregnant and Dad decided he didn't want a kid and you were forced to abort it whether you wanted to or not?"
Both Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were silent as they stared at Ron.
"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said at last, glancing between Harry and Ron. "You boys are putting yourselves in Draco's shoes. Imagining what it would be like if you were forced to give up your child." Mrs. Weasley glanced sternly at Hermione. "You're not pregnant too, are you?"
"Of course not!" Hermione assured her soon to be mother-in-law before turning a warm face back to Ron. "Oh, Ron!" she exclaimed, jumping off of the stool and running into Ron's arms.
"So will you help him then?" Harry asked as Hermione was pulled away from Ron by Mrs. Weasley and placed back on the stool.
"Yes, of course," Hermione replied, smiling brightly. "However, I think it would be best to leave the Ministry out of this. The legality of abortion has been disputed in Muggle courts for ages now, and let's just say it isn't pretty. But Pansy is easily persuaded, especially when we offer something she wants."
"But what does Pansy want?" Harry asked, frustrated.
"Well, in our Hogwarts days, she wanted Draco," Hermione replied, smoothing out her dress while she thought. "But you said Draco proposed and she turned him down?"
"Yeah. Draco said she joined some feminist cult or something."
To Harry's surprise, Hermione issued a short laugh. "I've heard about that cult. It's a bunch of Death Eater's daughters trying to take over the world."
"Is it something we should be concerned about?" Harry asked, his save-the-world attitude coming into play.
"No, they're all bimbos," Hermione replied shortly. "They spent their entire start-up fund on pretty uniforms."
"Which means they need money," Harry realized.
"And Draco's loaded," Ron added, a bit bitterly.
"Problem solved," Hermione concluded with a wave of her hand. "Honestly, Mrs. Weasley, does the bodice need to be this tight?"
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Fairy Tale Wedding
Harry Potter's two best friends have tied the knot in what is being called the wedding of the year, writes Daily Prophet reporter, Jessica Taylor. The lavish ceremony held last night, October 5th, in the gardens of Potter Manor (the home Harry inherited from his family but does not live in due to it being too 'big and fancy' for him) boasted a guest list of nearly 300 people. "It was supposed to be friends and family only," the happy groom revealed. "Then we realized just how many friends we have and how big our families are," he added with his trademark lopsided grin.
The beautiful bride, dressed in a ravishing hand-made gown, her hair falling across her shoulders in romantic curls, added, "I originally wanted a small, private wedding, but I'm happy with the number of guests. Quite frankly, the whole world could have shown up. I'm too happy to care."
There were five groomsmen (Harry Potter was the Best Man and four of Ron's brothers stood up with the happy couple) and five bridesmaids (Ginny Weasley being the Maid of Honor). The men looked very handsome in black dress robes and the bridesmaids all wore matching lavender dresses that were gathered just under their chests, the need for it being to hide Luna Weasley's slightly rounded belly (Luna is carrying Fred Weasley's first child).
Though the main focus of the wedding was, of course, on the bride and groom, many people could not help but stare at a different couple. Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, seemed to be in their own little world at times, sparking speculation over whether or not they'll be the next to get married.
"I haven't heard anything about them getting married," remarked Harry's long time friend, Seamus Finnigan. "They're just letting Ron and Hermione have their moment. Can you imagine Harry and Ginny's wedding though? If this one is the wedding of the year, Harry's will be the wedding of the millennium!"
Yes, Mr. Finnigan. Yes it will be.
-------
"Which is exactly why we're not getting married anytime soon," Ginny stated, folding the newspaper and placing it on the countertop in her new kitchen. She and Harry had moved into a quaint cabin, hidden in a forest deep in the heart of Scotland, mere days after Ron and Hermione's wedding. Harry looked up from unpacking a box of kitchen supplies and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"You know," he said, blushing slightly. "We could always do it in secret."
"What? Get married?" Ginny asked, unconsciously rubbing the slight round of her stomach that had just appeared within the week. Harry nodded. "Harry, you know that nothing with you is secret," Ginny replied. "No one in our family or close circle of friends is qualified to perform a wedding, and I'm sure we won't be able to find someone who is qualified and will keep our secret. Besides," Ginny blushed, "What if I kind of want the fairy tale wedding that Ron and Hermione had?"
"You want three hundred people and the press at your wedding?" Harry asked, shocked. "I always thought you'd want a smaller wedding, Gin."
"Well, I want everyone I love to be at my wedding, so that gives me the same problem that Ron and Hermione had. We've had so many people befriend us and help us throughout the years. Let's face it, Harry, we just have a lot of friends."
"And a lot of enemies," Harry reasoned.
"Yeah," Ginny agreed, her hand unconsciously going to her stomach again.
"Which brings us here. To figure out what to do about…" Harry trailed off and nodded toward Ginny's stomach. "I've been giving this a lot of thought, Ginny, and I think the only way we can keep our child completely safe from prying eyes is if both of us just disappear."
"Just…stay here in this cabin for years?" Ginny asked, her brown eyes wide.
Harry nodded.
"We wouldn't be completely alone," he added hastily. "Like you said, your family knows where we are. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Ron and Hermione build a cabin close by and raise their kids here as well. They like to follow me, you see."
Ginny laughed outright by his comment; her laughter filled the kitchen. "You're right," she stated between giggles. Harry smiled at her.
"And in time we could probably tell, like, Neville and a handful of other trustworthy friends. Lupin and Tonks of course. Other than that, we'll just disappear for everyone else. Until…" Harry paused, his brilliant eyes looking down at his trainers.
"Until?" Ginny pressed, drawing the word out questioningly.
"I really want our child to go to Hogwarts," Harry announced, almost apologetically.
"Of course, Harry," Ginny replied, her eyes warm as she left her spot and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "I think if we do our job as parents right, our child will be stable enough to be introduced to fame at eleven and keep a level head. Besides, after a decade of hiding, I think both of us will be ready to go back into the real world anyway."
"It's settled then," Harry said, giving Ginny a quick peck on the lips. "Except for the whole marriage thing. I know you want a big, fairy tale wedding, but we can't do that now. And we can't just not get married. What would our child think of non-married parents? He or she will need stability."
"So what are we going to do?" Ginny asked. "That still doesn't change the fact that we don't know anyone trustworthy who can perform a wedding ceremony."
"Well, the Dursleys sometimes went to church. We could use a Muggle vicar. Just have a few people witness it. Then, just before our child goes to Hogwarts, we'll come back into the Wizarding World's limelight and have that big, fairytale wedding you want."
Ginny smiled. "Sounds like a plan. We'll have to wait two weeks before we find this Muggle vicar though."
"Huh?"
"Ron and Hermione need to be there and they don't come back from their honeymoon for another two weeks."
"Right," Harry said breathlessly. "Two weeks." He looked nervous.
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Parvati Patil could not remember the last time she ran so fast. Her robes billowed around her and her bracelets jingled on her wrists as she dodged faceless shoppers in Diagon Alley, hurtling toward her bright and flashy destination. She had to warn them. She very well may lose her job in the process, but she had to warn them; they were her friends.
Finally, she burst through the doors of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Her eyes frantically shot around the store, searching for the tell-tale red hair.
"Parvati?"
Parvati turned suddenly and ran right into a broad chest as strong arms steadied her. Looking up, Parvati saw that she had ran right into George Weasley. The twin's playful smirk was distorted into a look of concern as he stared down at her.
"George!" Parvati stated in a frantic whisper. "I need to talk to you somewhere private!"
George nodded silently, took her hand and led her into a side room, closing the door behind them and quickly casting a silencing charm. "What is it?" he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Harry and Ginny are in hiding together, aren't they?" Parvati asked urgently.
George didn't answer. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Parvati was a journalist, and though she wasn't at a high enough level to be writing about Harry (she was still writing little reports on Hogwarts Quidditch matches), she was still a reporter, one whose paycheck could escalate by getting the scoop on someone as prominent as Harry.
"I think it's good that they're hiding. I don't want to find them or badger them about their lives," Parvati explained, only slightly hurt that George was suspicious of her; she had been a gossip in their school days after all. "But, George…they--the press--can track him!"
George's eyes widened in shock.
"I don't know how," Parvati continued. "All I know is that it's slightly time consuming and they only do it when they haven't seen him for awhile. It takes them approximately one hour to pin point his exact location! They're thirty minutes into it now," she continued. "They know that he's in Scotland. Northeastern Scotland, I believe."
"Shit," Fred swore as he began to pace in the room. His pacing didn't get him very far; they were in a small, cramped storage room. His robes brushed Parvati every time he passed.
"I tried to tell them that what they're doing isn't ethical, but they only threatened to fire me if I didn't shut up. So I came here," Parvati continued, watching in amazement as the wheels in George Weasley's mind turned. "George," Parvati grabbed the red-head's shoulders, forcing him to stop pacing and look at her, "get Harry out of where ever he is. They can't track Ginny."
George stared at her seriously. "You'll lose your job," he stated evenly. A knock on the door followed by a muffled voice sounded but both George and Parvati ignored it.
"I can't work for a company that treats my friends like this anyway," Parvati replied, she was vaguely aware of how close she and George were.
A genuine smile broke across George's face as he engulfed her in a hug. Their embrace was short-lived, however. The door burst open to reveal a bemused Fred and a livid Katie.
"What the hell is going on here?" Katie shouted. Half the store was peering at the sight. George's eyes skimmed over his girlfriend before locking onto his twin.
"Fred, we need to talk privately," he said quickly, leaving the closet and grabbing a hold of Fred's arm, leading him to their office.
"Don't you dare ignore me, George Lucas Weasley!" Katie shrieked, following the brothers.
"Katie, this is family business!" George said firmly, stopping to glare at his girlfriend.
Katie's mouth suddenly opened in a shocked and angered surprise. "Then maybe I should dump you so you can marry Parvati seeing as she obviously already knows what this family business is about!"
"Katie…" George started, attempting to explain, but it was too late. Katie hurled a trick wand at him and stalked out of the store.
Fred, who had a confused look fit for Neville on his face, looked from the door, to Parvati, to his twin.
"Fred. Office. Now." George stated, his face completely red. Fred immediately went into the office. George's eyes found Parvati. He mouthed 'thank you' before disappearing in the office behind Fred. Parvati wasn't quite sure what he was thanking her for.
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Ron sat back and watched as his best friend destroyed his childhood memorabilia. For once, he felt that Harry had every right to throw a fit and break things. Harry yelled at the top of his lungs and randomly threw things at a wall while Ron and Hermione sat calmly on Ron's old bed. Ron had a comforting arm around Hermione while she silently cried onto his shoulder.
"It's not fair!" Harry said furiously, as he finally sank down upon a stack of old comic books and ran his hand through his hair. "It's just not fair!"
A mere hour ago, the twins had collected Harry from his secluded cabin and brought the messy-haired 20-year-old back to the Burrow. Ron and Hermione, who had just returned home from their honeymoon the day before, were having a cup of tea with Molly and Arthur when a livid Harry and downtrodden twins Apparated into the kitchen. Harry had stomped up to Ron's old bedroom without saying a word. Ron and Hermione followed while the twins explained what happened to their parents.
"What are you guys going to do?"
Ron snapped out of his reverie and looked at Harry who was now gazing at the couple through red-rimmed eyes.
"Do about what?" Ron asked.
"Your children. Well…future children. Are you going to let the world know about them?"
Ron and Hermione both nodded. "We're not half as famous as you are, mate," Ron replied softly. "Our children will just have to put up with the press being at really big events."
"Harry, I know what you're thinking: Stop it," Hermione said at last, her voice cracking. Ron looked at her, surprised. Hermione met her husband's eyes. "He's thinking about staying out of his child's life," Hermione explained.
"Harry!" Ron scolded, glaring at his friend.
"I can guarantee that Ginny's thinking the same thing!" Harry shot back, standing up suddenly and pacing the room. "She's made up her mind; our child will not grow up famous. At least not until he or she is eleven."
"Well it won't work, Harry," Ron reasoned. "It'll be too easy for the press to figure out that the baby's yours. Ginny could stay in hiding by herself, but she'd go crazy being secluded in the woods like that."
Harry looked at his friends with sad eyes.
"That's why she'll hide someplace else. Someplace that's a bit more…populous."
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"So tell me, Gin, why America?"
Ginny stopped stuffing sweaters into a suitcase and gave an exasperated sigh before turning around to face Ron, a vein throbbing above her right eye. It was mid-November, she was three months along, and she had just staged a breakup with Harry (hiding her belly in a large winter coat) at the Three Broomsticks--needless to say that she was grumpy.
"Because it's big, Ron," Ginny answered, reaching out a hand to take the sweater that Ron was holding and placing it into the suitcase. "It's big and it's full of people with short attention spans. Besides," Ginny continued, cutting Ron, who had opened his mouth as if to say something, off, "According to Witch Weekly, Americans are less fascinated with Harry than the rest of the world."
Ginny waved her wand in her nightstand's direction and a battered copy of Witch Weekly zoomed into her awaiting hands. She quickly flipped to the middle of the magazine and read:
"Though American wizards are eternally thankful to Mr. Potter for defeating He-Who-Shall-Never-Be-Named-Again, and despite American witches voting Harry as the sexiest wizard of the year--" Ginny paused and looked up at her brother, "you came in seventh, by the way--the general consensus between Americans is to let the boy live his own life. 'Harry Potter has done some truly wonderful things in his twenty years of living, but I grow tired of having to flip through stories about what kind of coffee he drinks,' says one American reader. 'Of course I want to hear about any great deed he does, but I don't give a hippogriff's rear end as to whether or not he wears boxers or briefs.'"
Ginny closed the magazine and gave Ron a look that seemed to say, 'See? I'm making the right choice.'
"Did they really vote me seventh?" Ron asked, reaching for the magazine. Ginny sighed again, handed the magazine to her brother and closed her suitcase before glancing around her room one last time. The room hadn't aged with her; she still had a fairy lamp on her nightstand and a stuffed kneazle on her bed.
A warm hand appeared on her shoulder. Turning her head slightly, Ginny saw that Ron had given up on the magazine and was now gazing at her concernedly.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, his blue eyes boring into her.
It was not what Ginny wanted. Ginny wanted Harry's fame to disperse so that he could help her raise their child without the press poking their heads into their living room window. Sadly, that wasn't an option. Ginny nodded and Ron pulled her into a hug, surprising her by placing a soft kiss upon her head.
"We're going to be there for you, Gin," he stated, resting his chin upon her hair. "We're going to help you raise your child."
Ginny's lips twitched; she wanted to say something, but couldn't think of words to express what she was feeling so she merely continued to hug her brother until he released her and took the suitcase into his hand.
"Ready?" he asked gruffly, seeming slightly embarrassed over their little bonding scene and jerking his head toward her door.
Ginny nodded and the two slowly made their way down to the kitchen where they were both shocked to find Parvati sitting at the kitchen table, looking a bit apprehensive.
"Parvati!" Ginny exclaimed, her hands immediately going to her stomach in an effort to hide her slight bump.
"It's okay, Ginny," Parvati said, rising slowly from the table. "I know."
There was a moment of silence before a loud thud sounded from Ron dropping the suitcase, closely followed by him stating something about killing George.
"No, Ron! Please!" Parvati exclaimed, raising her hands in a stopping gesture. "We can explain."
But before anyone could do any explaining, George entered the room carrying a large suitcase, a distraught Fred tailing him.
"I can't believe that you didn't consult this with me!" Fred whined, throwing his arms up dramatically. "This is a life-changing decision and you just tell me it minutes before it happens! What happened to my twin?"
Ron and Ginny were both sending confused looks to George and his suitcase.
"George, what's going on?" Ginny asked softly, her brow furrowed as her eyes went from George, to his suitcase, and back again.
George glanced at Fred before turning back to Ginny and launching into an explanation. "Fred and I have decided to open our first Muggle branch of Weasley Wheezes in America. You know how we've been testing some products on Muggles to see their reactions? They love the stuff and half of them don't care how it works and the other half can't figure out how it works. We were originally going to open our first Muggle shop in London, but circumstances have changed. Gin…we want you to be the head of our American Muggle branch."
There was silence in the kitchen as Ginny blinked and Ron's mouth opened in shock.
"Me?" Ginny asked softly.
Both twins nodded.
"Look, you're raising your child in a Muggle neighborhood and he or she will be attending a Muggle school, so it would be best for you to have at least a semi-Muggle job. Problem is, you don't have a higher Muggle education needed for a Muggle job; and a good deal all your Charms studying will bring you when you're working with those machines that Muggles use…those com-pu-ters," George explained, stumbling over the word 'computers'.
"Plus, it's good for us because we need the managers of our Muggle branches to at least know about the Wizarding World," Fred added.
"Not to mention this is a good way for us to keep an eye on you," George continued.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Ginny broke in, raising her hands to silence her brother. "Thank you, guys. Really, this means a lot to me and I'll be happy to accept the position, but that still doesn't explain why Parvati knows I'm pregnant or why you have a suitcase, George."
Fred shot his twin a dirty look before sitting down at the table moodily. George seemed unfazed by Fred's actions and smiled brightly.
"Well, Ginny, starting up a new business is hard, stressful work and we want you to stay as far away from stress as possible while you're carrying our little nephew slash niece. Not to mention we'd just feel more comfortable overseeing the beginning ourselves, so I decided to move over there for a few months."
"What?" Ginny and Ron both asked, shocked.
"It's perfect!" George continued. "You'll have family close by, and I can help you during your pregnancy and when the baby's born. Not to mention we really do want to oversee the beginning of this branch. Fred's just grumpy because he's--well--to put it bluntly, tied-down."
"I can't take my pregnant wife outside of the country and away from her family," Fred mumbled at the table. "George and I had talked about getting our over-seas Apparating license and just Apparating over there during the day--which I still plan on doing!" Fred added, turning to Ginny earnestly. "This whole George actually moving for a few months to a year just came out of nowhere."
Ginny patted Fred's shoulder reassuringly. "I understand why you have to stay, Fred. You're starting a family here; you should stay with them. And George," Ginny turned to the other twin, "I really appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to follow me. I can take care of myself."
"We know that, Gin," George stated. "But I've already made up my mind. And that's why Parvati knows. I'm taking her with me." George sent a warm look to Parvati.
"I didn't realize you guys were so serious," Ron stated from his spot in the kitchen corner.
George and Parvati quickly exchanged glances, smiling slightly.
"He's divorcing me!" Fred wailed from the table, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically.
"I am not, you daft git!"
Ron and Ginny shook their heads as the twins launched into a slight argument.
"Harry's not here," Ron commented softly as the twins raged on.
"I told him not to come," Ginny replied. "If he was here, I may not leave."
Ten minutes later, the twins had reached some sort of understanding that no one else understood and George, Ginny, and Parvati were ambling into the fireplace, bidding Fred and Ron goodbye before Flooing to Ginny's new home.
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Harry's Heartbreak
Many have speculated that the 'it' couple, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, would eventually breakup. Nevertheless, one cannot help but feel disappointed at the split. Earlier today, the couple argued over what appeared to be their previous disagreement over coffee in the Three Broomsticks. The argument cumulated to a mutual agreement to call their relationship off.
'Harry must be devastated,' one Daily Prophet reader mentions. 'I definitely wouldn't mind cheering him up though.'
This seems to be the thought that is going through nearly every witch's head seeing as a crowd of no less than one hundred and fifty females has gathered outside of his home.
As for how Ginny is taking the break up, no one knows. When questioned over what Ginny will do next, one of the girls standing on Harry's front lawn stated, 'Ginny who?'.
End Author's Note: So there it is…my very long chapter one. It's basically just the exposition of the story. Now I feel as though I should address a few things. Firstly, my weird pairings. See…I was going to pair Fred with Angelina, but then I thought, "I always pair those two together! Let's do something fun!" and before I even realized it, I was writing Luna's name in place of Angelina's. And I was like, "Well, that's a weird pairing!" but they're actually kind of fun to write…and now that I'm on Chapter Three, I have their daughter (yes, they have a girl) all developed, and she's so much fun as well. As for the George/Parvati--that came out of nowhere! He was paired with Katie, and then that fight and the flirting happened and before I knew it, I was writing George/Parvati. I am merely a servant to my muse. Anywho, the next thing I should address is the Draco/Pansy/abortion thinger. See, one day I was in my poli sci class and we were on the subject of the legality of abortion and I was absolutely shocked at how many guys there were in the class who felt strongly that men should have a say in abortion. So I guess that's where that came from. Lastly, Ginny's reasoning that Americans are less star struck. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I was watching something on TV once and the TV told me that we Americans are apparently less interested in the British royal family than the rest of Europe (and possibly the world? I dunno…). Anywho, it's not important really. The majority of the story takes place in Britain.