a/n: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I am really impressed with myself at how this chapter came out. This chapter basically wrote itself last night and my beta got back to me very quick with some great comments which I will post below:
b/n: "Wow!!! I think it was perfect! I'm gonna have to use that old phrase: 'Its amazing what you can do if you set your mind to it'. after the stars I couldn't think of any changes to make!" - Roxy Black
Months had passed and tension was still lingering in the air. No one had taken Harry’s decision easy, but none would object to it either. Everyone knew that Harry’s decision was for the best, but they were all blinded by their own feelings and hesitations. Pain had been bottled up for the greater good, but under their skin, each of them still had something to hide.
As the days passed after the fateful revelation, Ron’s mind raced and he doubted his ready acceptance of the situation. As much as he loved Hermione, he was still finding it hard to be around her without the emotional pain devouring his very existence. He hadn’t told any one that he still couldn’t handle the fact that his best friend had slept with his girl; or, that he wasn’t prepared to be a father, especially not for a child that wasn’t his.
***
Heading up to the common room after a late breakfast, Ginny fell into step with Hermione. “You ate well today!” she said approvingly.
“Thankfully I don’t have the morning sickness anymore,” Hermione said with her first smile in months.
“And you haven’t put on that much weight,” Ginny added with a sneaky smile.
“Again, that’s thanks to the morning sickness, but now that’s it’s gone I’m beginning to worry.”
“Don’t worry Hermione,” she said with a reassuring tone, “the school year is almost over and then things will be a lot easier.”
“You’re right Ginny, and thanks for...for everything.”
Hermione smiled and Ginny held back a grimace. Hermione may have been her best friend, but inwardly, she was still a threat. Ginny looked over her shoulder to see if Harry was finally catching up. Seeing him only a few meters away, she glanced back towards Hermione, and then turned, fixing her eyes on a point on the wall.
Harry and Ron soon caught up and walked with them all the way to the common room for a well deserved Sunday afternoon off. Ron felt a flutter in his stomach seeing a smile on Hermione’s face; it was the first he had seen in a long time. Everyone was so caught up in their own thoughts, that none saw the determined expression on Harry’s tired face.
***
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE LEAVING???” Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs.
She slammed her fists into the ground, making two small craters. She really wanted to hit him, but she knew she couldn’t. Her eyes burned as she stood up to look him in the eye. The lake was a peaceful background, unfitting to the outrage and distress that was unfolding before it.
“Is this about Hermione?” she asked through gritted teeth when he didn’t answer.
“No,” he said quickly, not wanting to upset her more, “well not directly at least…” The moment he said it, he knew it was a mistake, but he didn’t want to lie to her, not now.
“WHAT?” she screamed again, “What do you mean ‘not directly’? You told me she meant nothing to you, she was only a friend. You told me I was the only one you cared for.”
Harry attempted to place his hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away from her. He looked at the ground, not wanting to look into her eyes. This was becoming harder than he imagined and he wasn’t prepared for it.
“Ginny, please understand,” he begged, finally looking up again, “I have to defeat Voldemort. It’s my destiny.”
“But why now?” she asked desperately, “I’ve only just gotten you back in my life. I don’t want to lose you now, especially not when we have so much to work through.”
He wiped her streaming tears from her cheek with his thumb and with the other hand, lifted her chin slightly to look deep into her watery eyes.
“That is exactly the reason I have to go now. We can never be happy as long as Voldemort is alive, no matter how many problems we work through,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “and with the baby coming soon, the world needs to be a safer place. Gin, you are the one that told me that Voldemort might use the baby to his advantage if word got out. I only want to prevent that from ever happening, by getting rid of him now.”
Ginny nodded simply, trying to stifle her sobs. Harry knew she was hurt, but he knew this was something that had to be done. He had gone over his plan every night for the past months, barely getting any sleep. He only had one more thing he needed to tell her.
“Ginny, I want to tell you something I have never told anyone else...”
Ginny stared imploringly into his eyes as he took a deep breath for courage.
“I love you.”
At first she couldn’t speak. Ginny knew he had never been able to say those words before, he had never known love. She stepped closer to him, his warmth enveloping her body.
“I love you too Harry, I always have,” she whispered. As Harry embraced her body tightly, she added, “Just promise me one thing before you go...”
“What’s that?”
“Promise me you’ll come back to me,” she pleaded, looking into his eyes again for answers.
“Ginny, you know I can’t promise that. All I can do is pledge my undying love to you and promise you that if...”
“...when...” she interrupted.
“...if...” he said sternly, continuing, “I make it home, you’ll be mine forever.”
He kissed her softly on the forehead and pulled from her grasp.
“I have to go now,” he said softly, “Keep an eye on the baby for me, and be there for Ron. He needs you more than he realizes.”
Ginny nodded before dropping to her knees on the soft grass. Her body was shaking so much she couldn’t stand any longer. Harry blinked back the pain of seeing her that way and turned to leave.
Neither had noticed Hermione striding across the grounds. Before Harry had walked very far, Hermione caught a glimpse of Ginny crying, balled up on the ground. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she had a clue.
“Harry!” she called out, catching the attention of both of her friends.
When Harry turned around, Hermione didn’t notice the scowl Ginny had given her at calling his name. She walked as fast as she could over to him, the extra weight she now carried, straining her legs. Standing next to him, she looked from him to Ginny. Before she could ask either what happened, Ginny’s sobs prompted Harry to speak.
“You know what I have to do,” he stated more than he asked.
Hermione nodded as he continued.
“I have to make the world safer for all of us. We have to think of more than ourselves now,” he paused as she nodded again, “This is my gift to the baby Hermione; a gift of a safer world where we don’t have to constantly look over our shoulder.”
“I don’t know what to say Harry, except, thank you. Whether you are the father or not, you are a great man, and a great friend. No matter what happens, please remember you are, and always will be, one of my best friends.”
She gave him a friendly embrace, and before letting go, Harry whispered in her ear his final request.
“Keep Ginny sane for me. And if I don’t return,” he paused with unease, “you know what to do.”
Hermione released him and nodded. As Harry turned and walked away, Ginny knew she couldn’t watch and stood shakily, heading for the castle. Hermione never noticed her exit as she watched Harry walk silently to the front gates.
Standing alone her eyes never left him, as the sun set and the sky around her become a hazy pink and orange. It was a poetic exit for a brave man. As Harry closed the gate behind him and Apparated, Hermione felt a small jump in her stomach.
Hermione began to cry profusely at the dull twinge she felt. It wasn’t something she had felt before, however, she instantly knew what it was. When she watched her best friend leave, the possible father of her child, she felt her baby kick for the first time. The emotions she felt were more than she could handle and she broke down right there, next to the calm lake.
a/n: Ahh...the poetic exit. I loved that line. I have to admit I was going to write poetic end, but I had a feeling you would all think I was going to Harry off. No need to worry about that right now. I don't know how long my next chapter update will take, but keep checking my livejournal writer's blog (link on author's page) for news on my updates, new stories, and more. Thanks to all my fans, without you this story would be nothing.