Chapter 3
Lily was sitting in her living room with Pandora when the flames from the floo network roared to life. She looked up to see who it was, and was surprised to see James walking through. “James? what’re you doing? You remember we're going to be over in like two hours for dinner with Harry.” she says, slightly confused.
“Lily, Pandora, I need you guys to come over now. Please. It's Harry. I..I don’t.. I don’t know what's wrong but he’s hurting and I don’t know what to do. Reg and I were hoping he had told you both something but I don’t know. I don’t know how to fix this if I don’t know what's wrong.” James rambled in one breath, anxiously ringing his hands.
Pandora quickly gets up to console James. “Hey, James, calm down. Take a deep breath for me. It's going to be okay. We will figure this out.” Pandora tells him in her soothing voice. She puts her arms around him, and he latches onto her in a hug. After a few moments, his breaths seem to come at a more even rate, and he pulls away.
“Okay, okay, I feel better. Thanks Dora.”
Lily’s mind raced, as she stood up from the couch. "James, just take us to him. We’re going to figure this out, I promise. And as for him telling us anything, no he hasn’t. But this is a delicate situation, we don’t want to push him, or know things before he’s ready for us to know.”
James nods in understanding, relaxing slightly at Lily’s words.
She grabbed her wand before heading toward the fireplace with James and Pandora following her close behind. Pandora and Lily share a concerned look before stepping into the swirl of green flames.
———————
They arrived in the Potter-Black living room, stepping out of the Floo into the tension filled room. Regulus was leaning near the window, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. At the sound of their arrival, he turned, relief flashing across his face.
“Thank Merlin,” he muttered, striding toward them. “He is still in his room-” Regulus cuts himself off as he sees Harry emerge from the starwell. Everyone in the room turns to follow his gaze and see Harry, looking haggard and solemn.
“Harry, darling?” Lily asked gently.
Harry paused at the bottom of the stairs, his hand gripping the banister tightly as if it were the only thing holding him up. His eyes flickered over the group gathered in the living room, and for a moment, it looked like he might retreat back upstairs. But then he sighed and stepped fully into view.
“I didn’t want you all to come,” he said, his voice low and tired. “I’m fine. You didn’t need to make a big deal out of this.” he pulls his sleeves down over his hands, fidgeting with them slightly. A move that didn’t escape Sirius or Regulus’ notice. They share a quick look at each other and mutually decide to bring it up with him later.
Lily moved toward him, her expression soft. “Sweetheart, you don’t look fine,” she said gently. “We’re worried about you. Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to go through it alone.”
Harry’s gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders tensing, his hand scratching at his forearm almost imperceptibly. “It’s not that simple, Mum. There’s nothing you can do. I just... I just need some space.”
Pandora exchanged a glance with Regulus, her voice calm but firm. “Harry, we’ll give you space if that’s what you need. But we can’t pretend there's nothing happening. At least let us try to help, or at least be an ear or a shoulder.”
Harry hesitated, his hand twitching at his side. “It’s not something you can fix,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I don’t even know how to explain it all without sounding crazy.”
Lily stepped closer, her heart breaking at the sight of her son so clearly in pain. “You don’t have to explain it all at once,” she said. “Just start wherever you can. Or don’t—if you just need us to sit with you, we’ll do that too. Whatever you need, Harry.”
He looked up then, his eyes glassy and rimmed with exhaustion. “It’s like... I feel like I’m supposed to have everything together, you know? For you, for Dad, for Reg. For everyone. But I don’t. I can’t.” His voice cracked, and he pressed his lips together, shaking his head as if angry at himself for breaking down.
Regulus crossed the room and placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder, his touch grounding. “You don’t have to hold everything together, Haz,” he said quietly. “Not for us. Not for anyone. It’s okay to let go. It’s okay to not be okay.”
Harry’s face crumpled at those words, and he let out a shaky breath. Lily stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He stiffened at first, then melted into her embrace, his breaths ragged.
Pandora reached out and gently placed a hand on Harry’s back. “You’re allowed to be human, Harry,” she said softly. “We’re here for you, no matter what.”
The room fell into a quiet stillness, the weight of Harry’s emotions filling the space. For the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to be held, supported by the people who loved him most. And in that moment, though the answers were still unclear, the burden felt just a little lighter.
With a heavy sign, Harry started explaining what had happened.