Chapter 24 – Cards On The Table

Chapter 24 – Cards On The Table

Spring arrived in a flurry of yellow daffodils and sporadic showers, but in Ginny's heart it was perpetual winter. Not even the noticeably lighter mornings and evenings helped to cheer her mood. Life seemed cold and grey, even as the bright blossoms bloomed in her garden at Godric's Hollow.

One windy Wednesday afternoon in March, Ginny came home from work to find a curled-up scroll of crisp, yellow parchment standing proudly on the dining room table. On closer inspection, she saw with a swoop of dread that it was wax-sealed with the unmistakable black crest of Devi & Deed, the wizarding lawyers.

Unfurling the parchment with shaking hands, her eyes scanned the Decree Nisi, trying to take in the contents. One paragraph, however, stood out above all others.

The Wizengamot hereby acknowledges that on the fourteenth of March two thousand and nine, Harry James Potter filed a claim of divorce against his wife of eight years, Ginevra Molly Potter, on the grounds of repeated adultery.

The words made Ginny's head spin. So this was it; Harry was really ending their marriage. In her heart, she knew they could not carry on avoiding each other and having forced conversations through their children forever, but to see the divorce papers in front of her made the whole situation feel very surreal.

Was she sad? Ginny could not answer this. She'd spent so many weeks feeling miserable that it was difficult to know how she felt about the ending of her marriage. So much had changed in her relationship with Harry that it almost seemed like divorce was inevitable somehow, even without her infidelity forcing the issue.

Ginny didn't know a great deal about wizard law, but what she did know terrified her. In order for adultery to be proved to the Wizengamot, the other party involved in the act must confess to the affair alongside herself in court. And that would be an absolute disaster for Snape, who had so carefully constructed a life for himself outside of the public eye, and it would probably destroy his fragile reputation for good. Even now, there were those who did not see that Dumbledore's death was necessary in Voldemort's downfall and who believed it was good riddance that Snape had "perished" during the Battle of Hogwarts. Despite Harry's best efforts to defend him, some people still only viewed Snape as a Death Eater, which was enhanced by his infamy during his time as Headmaster, as well as by those who knew him by reputation, and by people whose lives had been devastated by the acts of Death Eaters. The revelation that Snape had survived the battle and had been "hiding" would be more than enough proof of his guilt to them. Add adultery into the mix and Ginny could see that he would in all probability be sent to prison quicker than you could say Azkaban.

But Ginny could not let that happen. It was her fault that she'd unwittingly coaxed Snape out of hiding, and she felt she was completely to blame for the infidelity. She'd given him her word that she would not betray his secret. She had to stop Harry from naming Snape somehow. It seemed unfair to Ginny that Snape had given so much of his life already, and might have yet so much more to lose if Harry went through with the divorce. She wanted to protect him and spare him the embarrassment and the possible ramifications from their liaisons.

Harry returned home just over an hour later, and Ginny's blood ran cold as she heard him whistling cheerfully in the hall as he kicked off his boots. She waited for him at the kitchen table, looking pale and tired with the parchment spread before her.

Harry sauntered in, looking his wife squarely in the eye.

‛Ah. So I see you've had some post today,' he said, in a tone which suggested he was enjoying Ginny's discomfort very much.

‛Harry... Please...'

He raised his eyebrows questioningly at his wife to continue. Would she beg him for forgiveness? Would she demand a second chance? Or would she crumble, admitting she was foolish to ever have looked at another man? Harry had his responses to each of these reactions carefully thought out and was looking forward to using them.

Ginny drew a breath before starting. ‛I agree that we can't go on like this. And I agree that we should get a divorce.'

Harry's eyebrows shot up even higher. This, he was not expecting.

‛But please, don't go through with the adultery claim. Not for me, but for Severus.'

Harry looked at his wife incredulously. ‛What an earth are you talking about?'

‛If your claim goes through, both Severus and I will be hauled in front of the Wizengamot. It's no more than I deserve, but Severus has done nothing to warrant that. He's spent his whole life since the war avoiding the wizarding world; he doesn't deserve his anonymity to be broken like this.'

Harry's green eyes flashed at this. ‛Maybe he should have thought of that before he had sex with you.'

Ginny winced at the guttural way Harry pronounced the word sex, as if it were filthy and contaminated. ‛In case you have forgotten, Severus saved our son!' she shot back. ‛And he also gave you the clues you needed to defeat Voldemort! Now tell me, is this how you'll repay him? By risking getting him put into Azkaban, just because you are angry with me?'

Harry faltered. She was right, of course. It wasn't really Snape he was angry with, it was her. In truth, he hadn't considered the ramifications the divorce proceedings would have on Snape. All Harry wanted was vindication; Ginny had betrayed him, and he wanted justice for that betrayal. He wanted everyone to know she was guilty. But Harry hadn't realised the repercussions of naming Snape; his former teacher would indeed find himself in an even worse situation if he were thrust into the spotlight out of the blue. Quite why Ginny was concerned about that, however, was another matter.

‛What do you care about what happens to Snape, anyway?' he scoffed. ‛Don't tell me you're in love with him?'

Ginny's chestnut eyes were heavy with emotion as she gazed back at her husband. Harry noticed she seemed unable to speak, and eventually Ginny simply nodded.

Harry felt like he'd been hit by a Bludger. Ginny, in love with Snape? Had the world just gone completely crazy? He let out a disbelieving bark of incredulous laughter.

‛I know it's insane,' Ginny cut in, before Harry had a chance to say anything. One hand ran through her hair in agitation. ‛I don't know how it happened. But that's not what this is about, Harry. I don't care if you take out a double-page spread in the Daily Prophet, telling the whole world that I cheated on you. But Severus does not deserve his life to be destroyed by this.' She looked pleadingly up at her husband, who turned away with a sigh.

Harry rested his hands on the sink, staring out of the window into the garden. How did his life come to this? Even before he had been born, his life had been inextricably linked with Severus Snape's. And the man had saved his life, and then that of his son's. Maybe fate demanded a payment for all that Snape had done for him. And just maybe, that payment was in the form of his wife.

‛There is a way round this,' he eventually muttered.

Ginny held her breath in anticipation of what was to follow.

‛I'm still divorcing you on the grounds of adultery. But I will name Alfric O. Nobel instead.'

Ginny sagged in her chair. This was not ideal; Snape would still have to go to court with her, albeit in his Polyjuiced form. And surely, he'd despise her forever more for the indiscretion and embarrassment. But it would conceal his identity and his anonymity, and that was the main thing. It was too much to expect that Harry would change his mind regarding the grounds for their divorce and name it as "irreconcilable differences," and certainly she did not deserve any lenience. At least she had succeeded in convincing Harry that Snape shouldn't be the fall-guy for Harry's anger.

Ginny let out a shaky breath. ‛Thank you,' she whispered hoarsely.

Harry's eyes flashed again. ‛You don't have to thank me. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Snape,' he spat.

Ginny nodded, glancing down at her hands sorrowfully.

‛You'll be hearing from the Wizengamot shortly to confirm the hearing.' He paused, a nasty smile forming on his lips. ‛You might want to let Snape know. It takes a while to brew Polyjuice Potion, if I remember correctly.'

And with that, Harry left the kitchen, leaving Ginny reeling at the thought of having to tell Severus about the mess they were now in.

Author's note: Life has been very busy, I appreciate all of your patience and support. The story WILL be finished at some point!