A Secret Love Epilogue
A Secret Love: Epilogue
Reconciliation
The Challenge:
It’s the first Anniversary of an important event during the war, and two or more people are together.
+ It must be the first Anniversary.
+ The people must have been friends at some point - either in the past, the present, or both.
+ If a story, the response must reflect somehow on the changes of the past year.
Author’s Note:
I’m setting this story in the world of my other story, A Secret Love. In that story, Ginny had Harry’s baby while hiding out at the Dursley’s. If you haven’t read ASL, well… that doesn’t make much sense, but hopefully this little epilogue will still be understandable and enjoyable. The important event, of course, will be the baby’s first birthday ;).
Harry sat in the swing in the Weasley’s garden with his year old daughter on his lap. He swayed gently while Gwendolen squealed with glee. Though he’d had nine months to get used to being a father, he didn’t think he’d ever stop being amazed by this little girl on his lap. It was funny how completely she’d changed his life. Just a year ago the most difficult thing he’d faced was Voldemort. But he hadn’t known true terror until just last week when he’d found his baby girl teetering on the edge of the bureau, some six feet in the air. How she’d climbed up there remained a mystery to him, but he was certain he’d never been so afraid.
A year ago. Such a short span of time and yet so much had happened. A year ago he’d understood his place in the world and had been certain of his destiny. He’d known what he’d had to do, but like all young men, he’d had no vision of the future beyond his most important task. But the future had come anyway, as it often does when one is careless enough to survive the perils of their fortune. And with it had come a whole new set of challenges. Harry had made his peace with all of the Weasley’s save one.
Ginny had been the easiest to win over. Though he’d taken the time to apologise and to do his best to make up for the year she’d spent alone and afraid, she hadn’t required it. All she’d wanted from him was himself. And so he gave her what she’d wanted. They’d been married shortly after he’d come to collect her and Gwendolen from the Burrow. Ron had stood firmly by his side during the ceremony and Hermione had stood for Ginny. Mr and Mrs Weasley had been the only other ones in attendance. Arthur had glowered menacingly while his wife wept.
Ron had been more difficult, but he’d also seen through Legilimency what had actually transpired between his sister and Harry. Though neither of them had known that Ginny was pregnant at that point, the baby had been easier to accept than the sight of Ginny’s tears. They’d had an awful row, in the end only resolving it in the face of Hermione’s difficulties with her Auror studies. Of all of the Weasley’s, Ron understood the depth of Harry’s love for Ginny and had been beside him all through the past nine months.
Fred and George. Twins. They looked alike and seemed in perfect harmony with one another. It seemed only Harry knew how different they really were. Perhaps they got along so well because they complimented one another rather than mirrored each other. George had been quiet and aloof while Fred had raged at Harry. When his rant was finished and Harry had been sufficiently cowed, he’d let it go and accepted Harry as his brother-in-law. A member of the family. George had remained quiet and would not speak to or about Harry. Harry had had to corner him at Christmas. George’s rage had been silent and all the more furious for it. Still, the sight of his happy sister had done a lot to assuage his hurt.
It was Percy who drove home the meaning of family to Harry. The Weasleys were a unit and what hurt one, hurt them all. And Ginny, pregnant and alone at seventeen, had been more grievously wounded. It was a betrayal all to more devastating as Harry was oft considered to be a member of the family. Not that Percy had railed at Harry for hurting the family as a whole, for Percy had done that himself, but he’d lectured him on his duties as a husband and a father. Percy had offered his advice on the matter as he was an authority on the subject. Just look at his Penelope and Algernon. No, what had really tuned Harry into the lesson of family was the underlying hurt he sensed in Percy. So estranged from his family, for such a long time, and yet he’d felt the sting of Ginny’s wounds like they were his own.
With Molly, the unrest had all been his. A wise and experienced mother, her capacity for love knew no bounds. Like Ginny, she’d seen enough pain and just wanted to have all the ones she loved close by. Harry felt that it might have been easier if she’d yelled at him, but she didn’t. He’d earned her censure, but all he’d got was her praise and her love. He was a son to her, and she’d become the only mother he’d ever know. He couldn’t face her, so she’d finally pulled him aside herself.
“Harry, you have to forgive yourself,” she’d said. “A big piece of this is not your fault. I have no doubt that if Ginny had told you about the baby, you’d have been by her side and not left her for an instant. But war tears families apart and it tore you apart from Ginny for a while. She knew she had to let you fight. She knew how important that battle was.”
“Nothing is more important than Gwendolen,” he’d insisted.
Molly had nodded sagely. “Exactly. Nothing was more important than fighting that war so that Gwendolen and Algernon would have a chance to grow up in a peaceful world. We did not fight willingly or easily, but Voldemort gave us no choice. We had to stand up against his tyranny, for our children. You and Ginny share the blame of the night Gwendolen was conceived, but blame Voldemort for keeping you from them. Not yourself. And you can hardly be so angry with yourself for getting carried away. Gwendolen was worth it, wasn’t she?”
Harry felt his face flush at the memory. Everyone knew he’d had sex with Ginny just shy of her seventeenth birthday. The proof was in Gwendolen. The whole reason not to have sex so young and unprepared is that you might get the girl pregnant. And here was the girl’s mother telling him that it was all right that they’d ‘got carried away’ because Ginny had indeed got pregnant. And had Gwendolen. But Molly had also been right. Gwendolen made everything worthwhile.
Arthur hadn’t been quite so philosophical, but he’d accepted the end result just as readily. “You’re both too young for this,” he’d said. Harry had only remained silent. He didn’t feel young. “I know you’re old enough,” Arthur continued, “but she’s my only daughter and my youngest child. My other children all grown and I had no choice but to accept Ron’s part in the war as he was your closest ally. But Ginny? I don’t doubt you love her Harry, and I don’t doubt that you’ll be an excellent husband and father, but I’m disappointed for her. She should have had more time. You should have waited.”
Harry had felt a bitter cold seep into his soul at those last few words, but it hadn’t had time to take hold as Arthur had pulled him into his arms. “Don’t dwell on it, Harry. I won’t. What’s done is done and now I can truly call you ‘son’.”
Tears streamed down Harry’s face, for Arthur Weasley had made good on his word. Harry felt as much his son as any of the ones with red hair.
“Crying, Harry? Has fatherhood made you so sentimental, then?”
Harry looked up to see Bill Weasley standing before him. Bill had been the most difficult of the living Weasley’s to appease. All of the younger Weasley’s were Bill’s to protect and he did so fiercely. Harry stood and handed his daughter over to her uncle’s outstretched arms. Bill paid complete attention to his niece as she chattered nonsensically.
“Bill?”
“Hmm?”
Harry walked over to a stump and turned to face the trees beyond the house. Bill took Harry’s place on the swing and continued to amuse Gwendolen while Harry sorted through his thoughts.
“How do I talk to Charlie?”
“You did well with George, cornering him and making him fight you. Charlie’s a lot like that. He was mostly carefree and enjoyed a good joke, but you had make him talk when he was angry. It was like he didn’t know how to be angry, so he didn’t do it very often. And when he did, he needed help.”
Harry nodded slowly and sank down on the stump.
“I’ll take Gwendolen inside. You and Charlie should have it out, Harry. This has gone on long enough, don’t you think? It’s this precious angel’s first birthday. Her father shouldn’t be at odds with any of her uncles on such a blessed day. Corner him, Harry, get him to fight you. Then come on in and enjoy the party.”
With that, Bill left Harry to end his last row with the Weasley clan. Harry stood and paced around and suddenly the words came to him.
“You know, Charlie, this isn’t fair. None of it is. You shouldn’t have died for me, you know? If you’d let me be killed, I never would have touched her. You could have protected her from me. But no, you had to go and die. For my worthless life. I bet it seems worthless to you. You save me and then I turn around and hurt Ginny. God, she lived with my Aunt as her only companion for six months. Do you think I don’t know how awful that is? I lived with the bitch for eleven years!”
Harry took a deep breath and whispered, “I’m not sorry I lived, Charlie. I’m not. I’m sorry you had to die, but I promise you that Gwendolen will know you. I know it’s not fair. You should have at least had the opportunity to hit me. Ron did, but he didn’t even know about Gwen at the time. You’d have done it right, wouldn’t you have? You’d have knocked my block off. Ginny would’ve been angry with you, but it would have been worth it. All of your other brothers failed on that score, but you’d have made up for it. You’d have wiped the floor with my face and had me begging for mercy. And then we’d have been all right. But you’re dead and none of this is fair.”
Harry shook his head and stood up. “I suppose all that I can do is say I’m sorry. Well, I’m sorry Charlie. Now, I’m going to go on in there and celebrate my daughter’s first birthday. I hope you’ll join us.”
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