If She Fell

If She Fell
Chapter 3: Like a handprint on my heart

disclaimer: I own nothing but bits and pieces of the plot. JK Rowling owns all the good bits.

Ginny and Harry sat across from each other in the small French bistro in Muggle London. The candles on the table cast a golden glow over Ginny’s porcelain skin and brought out the golden flecks in her bright brown eyes. Harry was mildly intoxicated looking at her, yet something nagged at him, something from the back of his mind. While he had Ginny here in front of him, he felt as if he didn’t have all of her in front of him. Not wanting to ask, nor wanting to appear to be pushy, Harry let the feeling slide. It was their first date. He was Hermione’s ex-husband. There were bound to be feelings of trepidation.

“Harry?” questioned Ginny’s soft voice, breaking him from his ruminations.

“I’m sorry Ginny, something about candlelight and good red wine seems to set me off into my own little world,” he said, shaking his head slightly.

Ginny smiled, “Are you back now?”

“Absolutely,” stated Harry, reaching for his glass of wine, “you were saying?”

“I was asking if you ever heard from Neville?”

“Longbottom?” queried Harry, “Actually, I just ran into him the other day. He’s been off researching some rare botanicals for potion and medicinal use. He’s back in London, but not for very long. I believe he’s planning on visiting Hogwarts to apprise Madame Pomfrey and Severus about some of his findings.”

“Really?” said Ginny, “Oh, it will be so nice to see him again. I’ve been thinking a lot about him recently. I’ve been thinking about a lot of our friends, those I haven’t seen much of since graduation. Padma Patil…”

“She just started a business with Parvati and Lavender. I think it’s a store or something,” said Harry.

“You’ve seen Lavender?” queried Ginny, “I’ve been thinking about her, too. I never really was all too fond of her, but Ron’s behavior had to have affected her.”

“He cheated on her, Gin,” said Harry, taking a large sip from his glass, “a lot.”

“I would be bitter…” said Ginny.

“It’s easy to be bitter when someone you love cheats on you,” stated Harry.

“Oh Harry, I’m so sorry…I’d forgotten about you and Hermione.”

“It’s fine, Gin,” replied Harry, “yeah, Hermione cheated on me with Snape, but I kinda cheated on her…with Quidditch. I actually let my career come before my marriage, which is just as bad. It’s a betrayal of a different kind.”

“You’ve become rather enlightened,” commented Ginny, perusing the menu.

“Seeing how different Hermione is with him, how quick she is to laugh and smile, and how rarely I saw that when we were together, I guess I understand what she was missing with me, and what I was missing with her. We married for the wrong reasons. Hermione was right about that.”

“I have to agree,” nodded Ginny, “whether one likes Severus or not, there is no denying that he makes Hermione happy.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Like Snape?”

Ginny shrugged slightly and smiled, “Yes, Harry, I do. He’s a good man underneath the bluster and glower. Of course, that’s not saying he doesn’t have his petty moments, we all do, but he generally comes around to doing the right thing. He got me through my medical potions certification with very little complaint and even less sarcasm, in spite of my Weasley-ness.” Ginny paused while she placed her order and waited for Harry to do the same before looking at Harry quizzically. “Harry, may I ask you something?”

“Of course, Ginny,” he replied, meeting her gaze.

“Are we going to talk about Severus and Hermione all night?”

Harry smiled shyly, “No,” he said, “So, tell me about your internship. Do you intend to remain at Hogwarts or work at St Mungo’s? And do you intend to have a career in mediwizardry?”

“Hermione and I have both been asked to stay on following our internships,” said Ginny, “we were slated for two year internships, I received word that I might get intern credit for the work I did during the war. I’m not sure about Hermione. I know that Poppy would like to retire soon. I assume that when she does, Hermione will be asked to be the head Mediwitch and I will stay on as well.”

“I see,” said Harry, “makes sense since Hermione’s always at the top of her game. She’d make a good head of hospital wing.”

“Yes,” said Ginny, looking down at her salad, “she would be the best choice.”

Harry failed to notice the slight look of sadness that crossed her face as she made her comment. ‘Just once,’ thought Ginny, ‘I would like to be the best choice for something.’

“So,” said Harry, smiling brightly at Ginny, “do you intend to make a career of stitching up students?”

“We don’t stitch, Harry, it’s barbaric. And if you mean do I intend to remain a mediwitch, the answer is yes. I want a career. I want something to call my own.”

“Even after you get married?”

“Of course,” stated Ginny, “I wouldn’t want to be with a man who wouldn’t understand that. I’ve worked hard to get through school, taking extra courses, extra certifications…I will be a mediwitch.”

Harry nodded. He could deal with that. He could deal with Ginny setting up a practice somewhere should they become serious. Perhaps even work for the National Quidditch team. Harry sat back as Ginny began talking about some of the cases she had treated at Hogwarts, smiling and nodding.

* * * * *

Remus sat at a back table in the Hog’s Head awaiting the arrival of Severus. He hated to admit his feeling when she saw Ginny leave for her date with Harry. She looked amazing. She was stunning. He wished he were the one escorting her this night. He wished he hadn’t treated her like a child following their only date. He wished he could have opened his eyes and seen her as she was, a beautiful, confident, intelligent woman. And now…now it might be too late. Damn Harry Potter. Remus could not remember ever having bitter feelings towards Harry, but tonight, the bitterness was out in full force.

“So,” a smooth voice broke his reverie, “here you sit, in a charming pub whilst the woman you desire is out with another.”

“Severus,” stated Remus, giving his companion a glare.

“Remus,” returned Severus, sweeping into the vacant seat across from Remus. He waved over Vera the barmaid and ordered two firewhiskeys. “You want to best Harry Potter, through trickery?”

“It’s the only way I could win against ‘the boy who’s pissing me off’”

Severus snorted, “Potter’s hardly a boy anymore, Remus.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I can’t win against him. Ginevra’s always carried a torch for him and I cannot compete with his fame.”

“Why would you want to?”

“Because, so help me, Severus, I believe that I am falling for Ginny.”

“And you would want to win her over based on deceit? That is so unlike you,” said Severus, sipping his drink.

“Yes, but it’s not unlike you. So, help me here.”

“You think I ‘won’ Hermione through deceit and trickery?”

“Didn’t you?”

Severus again snorted, “Good gods, no. Hermione is far too brilliant to be fooled by anything underhanded. And so is Ginevra.”

“Then why the bloody hell are you here? You said you’d help.”

“And so I shall,” stated Severus, leaning back in his chair, “a long time ago, Lucius Malfoy told me that love is often like war.”

“Well,” said Remus, knocking back his drink and ordering another round, “wasn’t he a romantic…”

“He wasn’t far off the mark. When two men are interested in the same woman, it IS a tiny private little war. How the war is waged is often what decides who comes out the victor.”

Remus looked at Severus quizzically, “What do you mean?”

“If you win by lies and games, you ultimately lose. The lady WILL find out, and the lady WILL leave you. You need to fight the good fight, fight with honor. Remus, what is the first thing you need to know about your opposition in battle?”

“His weakness.”

“And I know some of Potter’s weaknesses,” said Severus, toying with a napkin, “I’ve dealt with them myself.”

“And you dislike Harry enough to help me win another woman from him?”

“No. I just like Ginevra too much to let him subjugate her like he nearly did to Hermione.” Severus ordered another round, this time ordering the bottle, and leaned across the table, “Potter wants a stay at home wife and mother to his children. Oh, I’ve no doubt he will ‘let’ his wife work for a little bit, but ultimately, he wants a good Quidditch wife, one who will be at his beck and call and exist solely for him and their children.”

Remus stared at Severus in disbelief, “And he married HERMIONE expecting this?”

“Go figure,” replied Severus wryly, “and I’ve no doubt that’s what he hopes Ginevra will become.”

“But Ginny’s a mediwitch intern. I’m sure she would like some time to have a career before wanting children, and I certainly cannot imagine her sitting home doing her best impression of her mother. I mean, Molly’s a good woman and Gin’s like her in a lot of ways, but she’s not a Molly clone.”

“Exactly,” said Severus, “I wonder if we could bump off Arthur and get Harry and Molly together. She’s fertile enough for young Potter.”

Remus shuddered, “I think I need to Obliviate myself of that image, thank you very much Severus.”

“My pleasure,” replied Severus dryly, pouring them both yet another round. “What do you want from Ginny?” asked Severus, the firewhiskey loosening up his formality.

“I want to watch her achieve everything she ever wished for. I want to make her happy. I want to have children someday, but when SHE’S ready. And if making her happy means I stay home with the children, so be it.”

Severus watched Remus’ earnest face, a serious look on his. When Remus finished, Severus nodded slowly, then leaned back in his chair again and let out a snort of laughter.

“Good gods, Lupin, you are such a woman,” he said, choking on his laughter.

“Bugger off Snape,” said Remus, getting to his feet and weaving somewhat.

“If it means I stay home with the children, then so be it,” mimicked Severus.

“You are such a prat, Snape,” retorted Remus, “I should have eaten you back in school.”

“One more thing for you to hate Potter over, his damned father prevented that from happening.”

“You just would have given me indigestion anyway.”

“More than likely.”

“Well, sod off. I’ll get Ginny on my own,” stated Remus, stumbling slightly towards the door.

“Yes, falling on her might effectively trap her,” quipped Severus, grabbing the remainder of the bottle off the table and leaving a healthy amount of money on the table, “but eventually she’d escape and run to Potter.”

Severus followed Remus out of the Hog’s Head and into the quiet streets of Hogsmeade.

“Stop following me, Snape. Just let me plot this my own way.”

“I’m hardly following you when I’m going to the same place you are. And you couldn’t plot your way out of an empty flat in London.”

“I didn’t know who I was or where I was,” protested Remus, “I was hit with a curse and dosed with one of your potions, remember?”

“A STOLEN potion,” reminded Severus, swigging directly from the bottle and passing it to Remus, who took it and also drank from it.”

“So, how do I get Ginny?” asked Remus, slumping to the ground near the Shrieking Shack, “I need her, Sev. She’s embedded in my heart these days.”

“You ask her to dinner, you listen to her, you don’t grovel, and you let her see that you’re interested in her. You show her a good time, you respect her, and you take her home, making certain to ask her for another evening of her time. You keep her on her toes with little things. If Potter sends her a dozen roses, you hand her a single perfect stem. If he takes her to a fancy dinner in the best restaurant in Paris, you invite her on a picnic. You KNOW Ginny, Remus. Potter doesn’t. Not anymore. He will try to court her favor with the best of the best. You will court her with the things you know she will like. You actually have the upper hand here, not Potter,” stated Severus, before slumping to the cold ground next to Remus, “shall we take the shortcut through the Shrieking Shack? If I try to apparate, I will splinch something off and Hermione would be furious.”

“Just don’t tie me up again.”

“You’re not my type.”

“Tease,” commented Remus as the pair stumbled up to the old house. “Hey Sev?”

“What?”

“How’d you get so smart?”

“I married into it.”