another love; harry potter

forty

\ wherein life goes on /

THE SILENCE WAS deafening. 

I felt my heart pounding loudly as Fudge grumbled something under his breath before declaring that the questioning was over, and Kingsley led me and Harry back to Mr. Weasley's office in silence, where Mr. Weasley met up with us and then brought us back to...a house. 

Number 12, Grimmauld place magically appeared between eleven and thirteen, which I didn't question, and the three of us entered the house to see Hermione, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Remus, Tonks, and one other person. 

"Sirius Black!" I gasped, stumbling backward and gripping my wand. "Move, you guys! Don't you know this man- the mass murderer?"

"Pheobe-"

"What's going on?" I said, looking around, "why're you all acting like this horrible man is your- your friend?"

"He's not horrible-"

"And he is our friend."

"Memento," whispered a voice. I frowned at my godfather. 

"What are you doing?" he furrowed his eyebrows before pointing to my dad. 

"Who's this?"

"...my dad?" I blinked. "Oh- that's fantastic! It worked!" Remus chuckled relievedly as Sirius grinned widely. 

"It definitely worked."

"So- you remember, like, everything? Including while you were Obliviated-?"

"Yeah, Harry, I remember everything," I said, spinning around to face him. He grinned, but I didn't return it, grabbing his hand and pulling him up to my room. 

"Well, that escalated qui-"

"Oh, shut up, Potter," I said with a scoff, crossing my arms and shutting the door, pacing back and forth in my room as he sat down on my bed, watching me with a frown. 

"What's wrong?"

"Look, the Veratiserum- that made me say some stuff I didn't want to say, okay?" I said, avoiding his gaze. 

"But it's the truth-?"

"Yeah, but it's a- a bad truth."

"How's it bad?" I didn't answer for a moment, continuing to pace. 

"It's just bad. The timeline-"

"Oh, who gives a shit-"

"I do," I said bitterly. "I give a shit, Harry, even if you don't, okay? So- so maybe I admitted...that- but that can't and never will ever happen again, okay?" Harry scowled and walked up to me, standing right in front of me. 

"Stop pacing, it's ticking me off. And besides, I'm supposed to just go with this? I love you, and I don't give a damn if in the timeline, I have to end up with, like, Ginny-" he paused as I fixed my gaze at the floor. "It's Ginny, isn't it?" he said bluntly.