Chapter 28 – Life Goes On

Chapter 28: Life Goes On

The weeks and months following the divorce were a surreal period for Ginny and Harry. The Prophet had published a short, sensitively-written article, breaking the news of the famous couple's split without citing the reasons involved and featured a brief quote from Ginny asking for privacy at this troubling time. Most people offered their sincere condolences whenever they saw either of them, and it felt like there had been a bereavement, except it was a marriage that had died, not a person.

Deciding on what to do with the house and what was best for the children was one of the hardest parts of the whole process. Ginny decided to move out of Godric's Hollow nearly straight away, taking Lily, Al and Nyx the Kneazle with her, initially staying at The Burrow for a while in order to get her head together. James stayed behind with Harry at Godric's Hollow. Although it tore at Harry to have Al and Lily taken from him, he knew it was Al's decision to stay with Ginny and that a baby should be with its mother. Harry wasn't too bothered by Nyx's departure, however. He'd never been a feline fan and James had always wanted a Crup.

Between them, Harry and Ginny agreed that they should stay civil for the sake of the children and that they would meet up once a week, so that the children could spend time with their siblings as well as their other parent. Both of them knew this would be awkward to start with, but it was the only way they could see of being fair to the children.

In practice, it actually worked quite well. As the months went on, the dedicated "family" time helped both parties to build up a kind of friendship with each other. Strangely, without the albatross of their failing marriage around their shoulders, Harry and Ginny found that these weekly afternoons were actually enjoyable and that they could relate to each other on a platonic level much better than they ever did as a couple. It was a chance to play with the kids, go out and have fun and feel like a family. Ironically, this meant that the children were getting far more quality time from their busy parents than they ever did whilst they were still together.

Harry eventually gave in to James and bought him a little Crup. James was absolutely delighted, and decided to name him Conan, much to Harry's amusement. Although the first few encounters involved lots of hissing and barking, Conan and Nyx actually became playmates as time wore on and tolerated each other well, in a reflection of their owner's rediscovered friendship.

Harry found that single life was not as depressing as he'd envisaged it might be. Work was still busy, so that provided one distraction. But he'd grown up alone and so it didn't take long for him to adjust to his own company again. He found he was popping over to Ron and Hermione's more than he did before, the benefit of which meant he could take James round to play with Rose whilst he caught up with his oldest friends. Ron and Hermione had been fantastic throughout, even though Harry knew it was difficult for them to stay impartial given their closeness to Ginny. Sunday night was Quidditch night, and Harry and Ron would take Rose and James to see the Chudley Canons, getting a chance to have a glass or two of elf-made mead in the process. Once he was back in the stalls, Harry couldn't believe he'd been away from seeing regular Quidditch games for so long. Aside from watching the odd international match here and there, it was as if he'd surrendered his enjoyment of Quidditch for the sake of Ginny's career and the kids. Attending games on a weekly basis helped to reignite his love of the sport, even if the Canons were as hopeless as ever.

It was amazing the amount of people from his past Harry and Ron bumped in to at the Quidditch over the coming months. First, there was Lee Jordan, who hugged Harry so hard he felt like his ribs had cracked. Lee invited the pair of them to his birthday party at the end of June, and told them most of the old Gryffindor crowd would be in attendance. Then there was Justin Finch-Fletchley, the semi-aristocratic Hufflepuff, who had insisted on buying drinks for the duration of the game, much to Ron's delight. And last, but not least, there was Cho Chang.

Harry was surprised by the butterflies that had flooded his stomach at the sight of the Wimbourne Wasps' Seeker. Yes, Cho was his first crush, and yes, she was still as beautiful as ever, with her shiny, poker-straight black hair and soft, blossom-blush skin. But to have had such a physical reaction to her, after all this time, and so relatively soon after his divorce, sent his head into a spin. They had chatted and laughed, without it ever feeling clumsy or forced, and before she went, she touched his arm and told him she was sorry things didn't work out with Ginny, giving him a sad smile and leaving him with dozens of questions, not to mention even more butterflies.

Meanwhile, for Ginny, life was also taking a surprising turn. It was abundantly clear that she could not simply jump from one relationship straight into another. Severus had said he had never wanted to be a father and even though her children were an inescapable part of who she was, Ginny was not about to foist them on to someone who wasn't ready for the responsibility. It wouldn't be fair on anyone, most of all her children. In addition, Ginny's realisation at the hospital that she'd never actually spent much time on her own really started to dawn on her. Staying at The Burrow was a bit of a cop-out in some respects, but Arthur was still working at the Ministry and Molly was always busy doing something, whether it was chores, baking or looking after her various grandchildren, that it didn't feel like Ginny was being crowded at all. In fact, Ginny had more time to think and get used to her own space by being in The Burrow as she had child care on tap 24/7.

This meant that her relationship with Severus had time to grow at a slower pace. Indeed, it actually felt like they were "dating" as they would only see each other a couple of times a week. Severus would often invite Ginny over to his little cottage for the evening and cook dinner before they'd cuddle up in front of the fire, or else they would take a walk along the harbour, strolling and discussing the news items of the day. Ever since Ginny had revealed her true feelings for Severus, they had decided to be completely honest with each other. Ginny had told Severus all about her fears about rushing in too soon, having never been single since she was a teenager, and about her concerns regarding the children. Severus admitted he was still getting his head around having children in his life and that he was not used to his personal space being taken up, but agreed there was no rush. He never pressurised Ginny for anything physical and for the first few weeks, Ginny was grateful. Not only did Ginny have to adjust to a new life, she had to adjust to a new lover too. Not that she found Severus to be unattractive; they still had the same spark and chemistry as they'd had when he'd been disguised as Alfric, but it still took some getting used to.

Months later, Ginny and Severus came to an unconventional agreement regarding living arrangements. Severus put an Undetectable Extension charm on his cottage, essentially creating a whole separate cottage which was divided from Snape's by a single locked doorway. He'd also cast a Muffliato charm over both cottages so complete privacy was ensured. Ginny moved in with Al, Lily and the Kneazle, finding it to be comfortable and relaxing. Al loved the fact he was so near to the sea, and they'd often to down to the beach at the weekend to collect shells and explore rock pools. There was a cat-flap installed between the two cottages, so Nyx could come and go between each area as she pleased. Severus had always had a soft spot for felines and many times Nyx would sit on his knees, purring contentedly, whilst he read the latest issue of Potioneer Magazine.

Through this unorthodox way of living, Ginny was given the independence she'd never had, whilst Severus kept his solitude and personal space. Whenever one partner wanted to see the other, they'd have to knock on the door like a visitor would and be welcomed into the other person's living area. It may not have worked for everyone, but it worked for them.

One of Severus' main fears was being thrust into the role of a father, as he'd admitted he'd never wanted children. The separate living quarters helped in this respect, but as time went on, he found himself getting more and more used to their presence. Lily was a happy baby who was growing up faster every day. And Albus was a serious, thoughtful and well-behaved child who had a keen thirst for knowledge. It surprised no-one more than Severus to find that they formed a deep bond. Maybe it was Lily Evan's green eyes that the boy carried, along with her blood, or maybe it was the fact he'd saved the child's life. Either way, there was a mutual respect between them that grew as time went on. Severus was never going to be a doting kind of surrogate father, but he found himself able to give advice and to teach his "step-son" in a practical way which made up for any lack of displays of affection.

Then there was the matter of Severus' identity. He was still not willing to let the world know who he really was, even though they were now together as a couple, and Ginny was forced to accept that she would have to keep their relationship a secret for the time being. It actually felt a little bit illicit and naughty, and it was another facet of their otherwise unusual and recusant relationship. However, Ginny hoped that as Severus gained confidence and was exposed to more of the Wizarding world through her, that he would one day be able to stop hiding away and be able to embrace his true identity, in the same way that she had.

It was amazing, Severus mused one night as the kids were in bed and Ginny had crept through to his quarters to snuggle by the fire, just how his life had come to this. He felt so indescribably happy that the sensation often made him suspicious of what else was round the corner. After all of the terrible things he'd been through in his life, from his abusive upbringing and bullying at school, to losing Lily and the horror of his Death Eater days, and then to Lily's death and his incarceration by honouring her memory which almost resulted in losing his own life, Severus never thought he'd be able to experience happiness in the purest sense of the word. And yet, here he was, with a beautiful woman and an unconventional family, feeling like he'd earned his reward from all his years of torment and anguish.

Life isn't fair, Severus had once told Harry. He still believed this to be true, but he also knew something else. That, no matter what happens, life will always find a way. Life goes on.