Better Late Than Never
folder
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
11
Views:
2,379
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
11
Views:
2,379
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The Breakup
11 months earlier
Harry sat on the couch with a bottle of Ogden’s Fire whiskey in one hand and a picture in the other. He took a swig and looked at the picture. He saw himself and a beautiful brunette standing next to him. They were smiling and periodically he could see the couple kiss or clink their champagne glasses together. We were so happy then. Harry remembered their wedding day and tears fell down his cheek. He threw the picture against the wall. It shattered into hundreds of little pieces.
Harry heard the door open and saw the brunette from the picture walk into the room. Harry looked away and angrily wiped the tears from his face.
“Harry?” she said softly. “I think we need to talk.”
Harry turned fiercely toward her. “What is there to talk about, Melissa? We have been married for seven years. I go out for a drink and I find you…” Harry clenched his teeth so hard he could hear his jaw crack under the pressure.
“Harry, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you find out this way.” She sown own next to him.
“You mean, you didn’t want me to find out!” he snapped and raised himself off the couch. “Why? Why did you cheat on me?”
“Harry, it just happened…”
“No, accident’s just happen. Did you accidentally sleep with him? C’mon I wasn’t born yesterday, you know!”
“Harry, you’ve just been… away.”
“Away? I’m an Auror for Merlin’s sake! You knew that when you married me!”
“But, Harry, the war has been over for three months and you still are never home. I was getting lonely.”
“You blame, your indiscretion on me?”
“No, I blame your friend.” Her voice was bitter and Harry’s face turned redder, if that was possible.
“You blame this on Ginny? I watched her husband die; she needs someone to be there for her. Hell, Melissa, if something happened to me who would you turn to?”
“My best friend,” she said humbly.
“Exactly! Your best friend! That’s what I am, her best friend. You knew my relationships with Ron, Hermione and Ginny were important to me. How can you blame her for this?”
“Harry, you are there with her and her children at the drop of a hat. You are never here for me.” Melissa stood up and got right in Harry’s face. “I am your wife! I am supposed to come first! I am supposed to be your life!”
“No, Melissa, you were my . No. Now, you are a selfish, manipulative bitch. You can go screw whatever-his-name-is and just leave me the hell alone.” Harry turned on his heels and went into the bedroom. He threw his trunk open and started tossing his clothes into it.
“What do you think you’re doing, Harold James Potter?” She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
“What do you think I am doing? I’m leaving. This is a day long in the making, Mel. You havenever respected me. You weren’t there for me when I was grieving for all the people I lost in the war. You didn’t want me to take the position in Scotland, or the position in America. Looking back on our relationship, I don’t know how I was so blind. It was always about you. It was what you wanted or nothing at all. Well, you know what? This is what I want. You have betrayed my trust and my love. You can just go to hell!” Harry closed his trunk and apparated out of the bedroom with a POP.
*
The ramshackle house in front of him held so many memories - the family Quidditch games in the paddock, Ron and Hermione’s wedding, his first real birthday… Harry’s eyes filled with tears as he walked to the door. He gently knocked and entered quietly.
“Oh, Harry, dear. Is everything all right?” Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a warm hug as he walked through the door.
“I’m leaving her,” Harry said through light sobs and tears
“Oh, Harry, what happened?” the woman led him to the couch and sat down beside him.
“I really don’t want to talk about it, yet. I just wanted to come by and say goodbye. I’m leaving for New York City tonight. I’m taking the International Wizardry position.”
“Are you sure, Harry? Arthur can see what he can do in his office.”
“No, Mrs. Weasley, I need to do this. I can’t be here, not right now.”
She embraced him once more. “You have to do what’s right for you. You know there is always a place for you here.” She kissed him softly on the cheek, tears falling slowly from her eyes. Harry nodded.
Harry reached in his pocket and pulled out two letters that explained in short why he was leaving. “I won’t have a chance to see them before I go. Can you see that these get to Ginny and Ron and Hermione?”
“Certainly, dear,” she said as she took the letters from him.
“Tell them I will write as soon as I get there. All right?” Harry stood up and grabbed his trunk just before Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in another strong hug.
“You be careful, dear.”
“I will.”
POP! And Harry was gone.
*
Present day
“ Harry, what happened with you and Melissa? You’ve never told me.”
Harry looked at Ginny. He didn’t want to tell her that she was the final straw in his marriage. So he just kept it simple. “She cheated on me. We had some problems before then. She had a hard time understanding my pain. I was an Auror, and Aurors weren’t supposed to have feelings. When the war ended, every feeling I wasn’t supposed to have came flooding at once. She didn’t stand by me. Instead she shagged some Muggle from her office.” Harry kind of laughed under his breath. He started to wonder why he was so worried about lunch with her, when he didn’t do anything wrong, except have feelings.
“Oh, Harry.” Ginny rubbed his hand between hers. “So Friday, you are meeting her to…”
“Get the final papers.”
“Are you all right?”
“Actually, I’m a lot better now. Thanks, Gin,” he said as he winked at her and smiled shyly.
Ginny noticed that her cas eas empty and went to the stove to fetch the teapot. “More tea?”
“Please, that would be great.”
Ginny came back to the table with the teapot and filled Harry’s cup.
“Gin, how did the conversation get turned around?” Ginny looked at Harry, confused. “I was asking you how you were doing, and then I am the one who spills my guts.” Harry smiled, “How do you always do that?”
“Six older brothers…” Ginny smiled.
“All right, seriously Gin. How are you?” Harry looked straight into her brown eyes. “You have a lot of stuff built up inside. Let it out, please.” Harry begged her to release some of the fear and anxiety he could see in her eyes.
Tears welled up as she spoke in a whisper, “I don’t even know why he was there, of all people, why did it have to be Colin?”
Harry sat on the couch with a bottle of Ogden’s Fire whiskey in one hand and a picture in the other. He took a swig and looked at the picture. He saw himself and a beautiful brunette standing next to him. They were smiling and periodically he could see the couple kiss or clink their champagne glasses together. We were so happy then. Harry remembered their wedding day and tears fell down his cheek. He threw the picture against the wall. It shattered into hundreds of little pieces.
Harry heard the door open and saw the brunette from the picture walk into the room. Harry looked away and angrily wiped the tears from his face.
“Harry?” she said softly. “I think we need to talk.”
Harry turned fiercely toward her. “What is there to talk about, Melissa? We have been married for seven years. I go out for a drink and I find you…” Harry clenched his teeth so hard he could hear his jaw crack under the pressure.
“Harry, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you find out this way.” She sown own next to him.
“You mean, you didn’t want me to find out!” he snapped and raised himself off the couch. “Why? Why did you cheat on me?”
“Harry, it just happened…”
“No, accident’s just happen. Did you accidentally sleep with him? C’mon I wasn’t born yesterday, you know!”
“Harry, you’ve just been… away.”
“Away? I’m an Auror for Merlin’s sake! You knew that when you married me!”
“But, Harry, the war has been over for three months and you still are never home. I was getting lonely.”
“You blame, your indiscretion on me?”
“No, I blame your friend.” Her voice was bitter and Harry’s face turned redder, if that was possible.
“You blame this on Ginny? I watched her husband die; she needs someone to be there for her. Hell, Melissa, if something happened to me who would you turn to?”
“My best friend,” she said humbly.
“Exactly! Your best friend! That’s what I am, her best friend. You knew my relationships with Ron, Hermione and Ginny were important to me. How can you blame her for this?”
“Harry, you are there with her and her children at the drop of a hat. You are never here for me.” Melissa stood up and got right in Harry’s face. “I am your wife! I am supposed to come first! I am supposed to be your life!”
“No, Melissa, you were my . No. Now, you are a selfish, manipulative bitch. You can go screw whatever-his-name-is and just leave me the hell alone.” Harry turned on his heels and went into the bedroom. He threw his trunk open and started tossing his clothes into it.
“What do you think you’re doing, Harold James Potter?” She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
“What do you think I am doing? I’m leaving. This is a day long in the making, Mel. You havenever respected me. You weren’t there for me when I was grieving for all the people I lost in the war. You didn’t want me to take the position in Scotland, or the position in America. Looking back on our relationship, I don’t know how I was so blind. It was always about you. It was what you wanted or nothing at all. Well, you know what? This is what I want. You have betrayed my trust and my love. You can just go to hell!” Harry closed his trunk and apparated out of the bedroom with a POP.
*
The ramshackle house in front of him held so many memories - the family Quidditch games in the paddock, Ron and Hermione’s wedding, his first real birthday… Harry’s eyes filled with tears as he walked to the door. He gently knocked and entered quietly.
“Oh, Harry, dear. Is everything all right?” Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a warm hug as he walked through the door.
“I’m leaving her,” Harry said through light sobs and tears
“Oh, Harry, what happened?” the woman led him to the couch and sat down beside him.
“I really don’t want to talk about it, yet. I just wanted to come by and say goodbye. I’m leaving for New York City tonight. I’m taking the International Wizardry position.”
“Are you sure, Harry? Arthur can see what he can do in his office.”
“No, Mrs. Weasley, I need to do this. I can’t be here, not right now.”
She embraced him once more. “You have to do what’s right for you. You know there is always a place for you here.” She kissed him softly on the cheek, tears falling slowly from her eyes. Harry nodded.
Harry reached in his pocket and pulled out two letters that explained in short why he was leaving. “I won’t have a chance to see them before I go. Can you see that these get to Ginny and Ron and Hermione?”
“Certainly, dear,” she said as she took the letters from him.
“Tell them I will write as soon as I get there. All right?” Harry stood up and grabbed his trunk just before Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in another strong hug.
“You be careful, dear.”
“I will.”
POP! And Harry was gone.
*
Present day
“ Harry, what happened with you and Melissa? You’ve never told me.”
Harry looked at Ginny. He didn’t want to tell her that she was the final straw in his marriage. So he just kept it simple. “She cheated on me. We had some problems before then. She had a hard time understanding my pain. I was an Auror, and Aurors weren’t supposed to have feelings. When the war ended, every feeling I wasn’t supposed to have came flooding at once. She didn’t stand by me. Instead she shagged some Muggle from her office.” Harry kind of laughed under his breath. He started to wonder why he was so worried about lunch with her, when he didn’t do anything wrong, except have feelings.
“Oh, Harry.” Ginny rubbed his hand between hers. “So Friday, you are meeting her to…”
“Get the final papers.”
“Are you all right?”
“Actually, I’m a lot better now. Thanks, Gin,” he said as he winked at her and smiled shyly.
Ginny noticed that her cas eas empty and went to the stove to fetch the teapot. “More tea?”
“Please, that would be great.”
Ginny came back to the table with the teapot and filled Harry’s cup.
“Gin, how did the conversation get turned around?” Ginny looked at Harry, confused. “I was asking you how you were doing, and then I am the one who spills my guts.” Harry smiled, “How do you always do that?”
“Six older brothers…” Ginny smiled.
“All right, seriously Gin. How are you?” Harry looked straight into her brown eyes. “You have a lot of stuff built up inside. Let it out, please.” Harry begged her to release some of the fear and anxiety he could see in her eyes.
Tears welled up as she spoke in a whisper, “I don’t even know why he was there, of all people, why did it have to be Colin?”