Snitches get Stitches

Harry was sweating through his clothes. He nervously reached up to flatten down his hair and gave himself a final look in the mirror.

Remus insisted that Harry shouldn’t wear any wizarding robes, show that he was perfectly thriving within the muggle world. Harry had on a black suit jacket with matching pants, a white shirt buttoned beneath it. Harry had hesitated before ultimately deciding to leave his contacts in and his glasses at home.

They made Harry an exile, they took his wand and gave him a criminal record. If they wanted to see that Harry didn’t need their approval to continue living his life within the new confines he had, then they would get it.

Remus had been working for the last week to ensure that Harry had ‘legal representation’ and his friend Tonks found Harry a lawyer. It was her mum, Sirius’ cousin, but she did file a claim for Harry to be tried as an adult.

Because it was a trial.

Harry Potter was actually going to go stand for trial as a death eater.

If Harry wasn’t so terrified, he would laugh.

Remus, Fred, and Andromeda Tonks waited downstairs for Harry. Remus had on a suit similar to Harry’s, Fred wore dress pants and a top, and Andromeda had on a black robe with a badge on the front, identifying her as legal representation.

Harry had initially told Fred that he didn’t need to go, but it was Remus that suggested it wouldn’t hurt to have Fred show up with him. Apparently even if the world was ready to believe Harry had went bad, the Weasley family was well-known to oppose Voldemort and his followers.

“Ready?” Remus asked when Harry entered the kitchen. The blinds were all drawn to give them privacy and a silver statue of a wizard sat in the middle of the table.

Harry hesitated and glanced uncertainly at Andromeda. They had gotten to know each other the last week while they prepared for the hearing, but her resemblance to one of the followers that tortured Harry was still unnerving.

“We have to portkey?” Harry asked. He had to repeat himself when his voice came out too croaked to be understood, and Remus grimaced even while he nodded.

“Unfortunately, it is the simplest way,” Remus said. “I procured the portkey though, it is set to take us just outside the Ministry.”

Harry relaxed a bit knowing that Remus was the one to get the portkey. Harry was supposed to trust Andromeda - and she had been nothing but kind so far - but Harry trusted Remus a hell of a lot more.

“Just… hold on.” Harry took his phone from his pocket and his thumbs hovered just above the screen. If things went south and Harry went to Azkaban, what did he want to tell Mandy last?

I love you. You’re beautiful, perfect, and you have made me so happy.

The text to Dudley was easier, Harry didn’t even have to think it over.

If I go to prison, don’t tell your parents. I’d hate for them to be right.

Dudley already had been caught up on all the recent drama. Harry told him about Fred showing up, about getting admitted to a hospital and then broken out. Dudley had been scarily pale when Harry told him about being shot, but he laughed his stupid arse off when Harry told him about the new tattoo.

He quit laughing when Harry told him he had to go to court again, there wasn’t much amusing about that.

“Ready,” Harry said. He powered off his phone and stuck it in a drawer in the kitchen. Nobody else looked nervous, but they weren’t the ones that were about to face a criminal trial for the second time.

Remus stood up and grasped Harry’s shoulder tightly. Harry felt guilty that he looked up at Remus and wished Sirius were there. If Harry went to Azkaban… he’d never get a chance to see if their relationship could be fixed.

“You’re going to be fine,” Remus assured him. “We go, you prove your innocence, we come home.”

“And then I will stop by the bank and meet you here,” Andromeda interjected in her cool and elegant voice. She stood up as the statue on the table began to glow. “Mister Potter, quickly now.”

Fred nodded at Harry and tried to smile reassuringly, but he looked a bit too green for Harry to feel comforted.

Harry took a deep breath and then reached out for the portkey while Andromeda grasped Fred by the elbow and the four of them were jerked away from the place Harry had began to feel safe at.

There were crowds of people lining the halls of the Ministry. They stared at Harry with mixtures of distrust, openly angry, and a few looks of sympathy.

Harry’s palms were sweating so much and his trousers weren’t absorbing any of the moisture at all.

“I’m going to be sick,” Harry murmured to Remus. The more that people stared at him, the more certain Harry felt that he was going to end up in Azkaban.

Remus had his chin held up and he met the eyes of every single person that stared at them or whispered behind their hands.

“If you throw up, aim it toward them,” Remus said. Harry wanted to laugh, since he was sure Remus was mostly joking, but he couldn’t.

Fred rudely shouldered away the crowd blocking the lifts and Harry followed between Andromeda and Remus to climb on. The instant the doors closed and Harry had a modicum of privacy, Harry bent over with his hands on his knees to let out a heavy breath.

Remus rubbed Harry’s back and whispered soothing words while everything blurred in Harry’s vision and a buzzing filled his ears.

All those people were there to see Harry go to prison. They didn’t just hate and fear him, they were actively hoping Harry would be arrested.

A little over fourteen years ago they had toasted Harry’s name and praised him for a feat he never should have been credited for. And then they saw a mark on his arm - a mark Harry never asked for - and decided that everything that reminded them of Voldemort had to go.

If Harry didn’t go to prison, he would never return.

Remus guided Harry to stand up straight just before the doors slid open. Harry only had a moment to suck in a shuddering breath before he was being attacked.

It was Andromeda who kept Harry from falling backward and only the familiar scent of hair lotion kept Harry from shoving his attacker away.

“This is absurd!” Hermione was crying as she hugged Harry tightly. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you! But I can’t believe they’re doing this!”

Harry abruptly grabbed Hermione back and hid his face in her frizzy poof of a ponytail - proof of her stress - and held one of his best friends in the world as tightly as he could.

“How’d you know to come?” Harry asked her hoarsely, relieved that she was there at all.

Hermione sniffled and then pulled away so she could smile weakly up at Harry.

“It’s in the news,” she told him. “I asked Professor McGonagall to let me miss classes to be here and my parents approved.”

“You skipped classes for me?” Harry asked, his heart soaring. From Hermione? That was practically a declaration of love.

“Of course,” Hermione said. She glared past Harry at someone and Harry was amused to see her lip curl up in annoyance. “Ron would be here as well, except Molly was afraid that she would have a second missing son if he left the school.”

Harry wanted to ask what was with Hermione’s hateful look for Fred, but Andromeda cleared her throat and interrupted their reunion.

“Quickly,” Andromeda said. “We cannot be late.”

Hermione held Harry’s hand and quoted the laws to him while Andromeda quickly led them through the corridors toward the chamber Harry had been in once before.

Just before the entered the chamber, Harry sent Remus a desperate look.

“Is it really hard to become an animagus?” Harry asked him.

“Exceedingly,” Remus said. He put one hand on both of Harry’s shoulders and squeezed them. “You will not go to Azkaban,” Remus said. “You will swallow the dose of Veritaserum, Andromeda will ask you the questions. They will vote to clear you of all charges, and we go home.”

“And if I go to Azkaban?” Harry asked.

“Then I’ll light a car on fire, shove it through the entrance, and break you out,” Remus said lightly with a curve of his lips. “Come, let’s get this facade over with.”

Harry took a deep breath and let himself be guided in the chamber with Hermione on one side, Remus on the other, and Fred and Andromeda behind him.

They weren’t much, but they meant everything to Harry.

Harry had to sit alone in the metal chair in the middle of the room while Remus, Hermione, and Fred joined the spectators. As soon as Harry sat, the chains magically wrapped themselves around him, restricting Harry from moving and causing his lungs to stop working.

Andromeda warned him it would happen, Harry had tried to mentally prepare himself. It didn’t matter though because with the weight of all the silent members of the court on him and the chains holding him in place, Harry was going to faint.

They’re going to kill me…

They’re going to kill me…

“Harry.” Andromeda smacked Harry lightly on the face, causing a lone voice in the background to cry out indignantly.

“Focus,” Andromeda said, her face right in Harry’s. Her voice was quiet, not carrying, and her eyes looked so like Sirius’ but with a warmth that Harry hadn’t seen from his godfather in so long.

“Look just over my shoulder,” Andromeda told Harry. “Do you see my daughter? With the pink hair?”

Harry blinked a few times and then tried to do as Andromeda told him. He looked past her for Tonks, Remus’ ‘friend’, and it only took a moment to find the bright splash of pink in the crowd of grim and solid black. Tonks caught Harry’s eye and winked before her nose turned to a pig nose and she smiled widely.

“Focus on her while they read the charges,” Andromeda said. “Let me speak and you watch my daughter flaunt her gift.”

Harry nodded tightly and stared hard at Tonks while Professor Dumbledore stood up in the center of the bench of Wizengamot members. Andromeda said that Dumbledore had defended Harry’s innocence within the Ministry, but that as Chief Warlock that he still had to show up for the trial.

All Harry knew was that there would be one person to vote to keep him from prison. And there were fifty one members of the Wizengamot.

“We are here today on the ninth of November to try Mister Harry James Potter for the following crime of working for the imprisoned wizard named Tom Riddle. Harry Potter, do you understand the charge being levied against you today?”

Harry kept watching Tonks while she flashed her hair a variety of colors and then grew a multicolored beard. Andromeda told Harry he wasn’t supposed to talk and Harry was willing to follow any demands that were made to keep him from prison.

“He does,” Andromeda said calmly from beside Harry’s chair. “I would like the record to reflect that I, Andromeda Black-Tonks, am here as Mister Potter’s legal council, procured at his request. As was approved prior to this, due to my client’s immense fame and lengthy list of potential enemies, I will be asking the questions from the court after administering a dose of Veritaserum to my client.”

“Veritaserum?” The woman from Harry’s first trial with the monocle, Madam Bones, stood up with a puzzled frown. “Mister Potter is fifteen, do we have a legal guardian to consent to approving the use of Veritaserum today?”

Harry had to actually bite his tongue to keep from speaking out. It was kind of them to worry about his rights as a minor then, pity it came fourteen years too late.

“Mister Potter is being tried as an adult, which means that his legal status as a juvenile within the court is null,” Andromeda said politely. “While I personally find it abhorrent to try the Boy-Who-Lived as an adult, nevermind the charges being brought, this is my client’s preference.”

It was good that Andromeda spoke for Harry. He wouldn’t have been able to say all of that in such a respectful way.

“Understood, Mrs Tonks,” Dumbledore said politely. “If there are no objections then, I would ask the court recorder to bring out the Ministry approved dose of Veritaserum.”

“Which I will be checking,” Andromeda said, just as polite.

Harry was all but glaring at Tonks while he could see Percy Weasley approaching him from the corner of his eye. Percy didn’t seem as keen on seeing Harry in court that time, but Harry was still embarrassed and furious to be in such a position.

Tonks started changing her appearance to mimic others and Harry nearly grinned when she made herself look like Remus with a green mohawk. There was a moment of fuss through the court when Andromeda insisted on casting a spell to ensure it was only Veritaserum being administered to him.

Once Andromeda was satisfied that Harry wasn’t being poisoned, she moved before him again.

“Do not fight the fog this will fill your mind with,” Andromeda murmured when she held up a dropper. Harry had been coached on what it would feel like, Andromeda had even given Harry a drop a few days before and kept Fred away from him until it passed through his system.

It was uncomfortable, being in a fog and unable to control what words came from his mouth, but Harry would do almost anything to get the chains off his body.

Harry held his tongue out for Andromeda and it only took a few seconds for the fog to take over.

“Harry, have you ever worked for Lord Voldemort?”

“No.”

“You bear the dark mark on your left arm, did you ask for that?”

“It’s not the dark mark.”

A pause. Murmurs in the crowd. Cries that Harry was a liar.

“Harry, will you show the court your left arm?”

“I can’t. It’s chained down.”

Someone laughed and then Harry’s left arm was freed.

“Your arm, if you wouldn’t mind, Harry.”

Harry was focused on nothing, everything was a blur beyond Andromeda, and he held out his arm so she could pull it free from his jacket and then roll up the sleeve.

“Harry, can you explain the changes on your arm from the last time you were here?”

“Is this necessary?!”

“Quiet.”

Harry was already talking, answering Andromeda’s question.

“I felt sick seeing the mark on my arm and my friend offered to help change it.”

“Did you change it to hide any voluntary tie to Lord Voldemort?”

“No. I changed it because I hated it and never wanted it.”

“Tell me about that?”

Harry’s voice was dull and monotone while he described being forced to take the mark. None of the emotions that battered him when he thought of the week he spent in captivity were present, just a numb feeling while he answered truthfully.

Nobody interrupted Harry as he described the terror of being captured, the pain of the torture. Harry spoke about being held down and how much he had screamed when they branded him through every layer of his arm. When Harry began to reach the end where he had been rescued by Snape, Andromeda stopped him.

“Harry, for the record, have you ever had any desire to join the group of witches and wizards known as death eaters?”

“No.”

“Have you ever had any desire to work for Tom Riddle, the wizard commonly known as Lord Voldemort?”

“No.”

“Is there anything else you wish for the court to know?”

“I’m insulted to be here and I won’t forget it.”

The court had to wait for the Veritaserum to clear Harry’s system before they could vote. Harry’s awareness returned slowly, the fog from the Veritaserum cleared and Harry saw that there were a lot more sheepish expressions in the crowd of Wizengamot members.

Harry felt the urge to scowl at them all and he only stopped when he remembered they hadn’t voted yet.

Dumbledore stood up in his grand purple robes and smiled at Harry.

“All in favor of charging one Harry James Potter with conspiring with Tom Riddle as a death eater?” Dumbledore asked.

Harry’s eyes were quick while they swept side-to-side, looking for anyone whose hand even twitched upward.

“And all in favor of clearing Harry James Potter of the charge?”

Not every hand went up, some members abstained from voting altogether, but enough went up that Harry knew it was the majority.

“Mister Potter, you have been formally cleared of the charges brought against you today,” Dumbledore said with a kind smile. “I wouldn’t presume to speak on everyone member’s behalf, but I for one am terribly sorry for what you went through and what we forced you to relive today.”

Harry stood up as soon as the chains were removed and rubbed his arms while a few members of the Wizengamot started a round of applause that echoed around Harry when the others all joined.

Harry looked at them all for a moment and then turned his back on them and left the courtroom.

As Lip would say, fuck them.

Harry and Hermione had a tearful goodbye - Harry was tearful, Hermione was ranting about the ignorance and injustice he had faced again.

And then as quickly as Harry could, he found Remus and begged with just a look to be taken home. Remus only made Harry wait long enough to embrace Tonks, whisper something to her that made her blush, and then thank Andromeda profusely for all she did for Harry.

Harry would have thanked her as well, but he was in something of a daze as Fred shouldered witches and wizards away so Harry could leave the Ministry.

Not guilty.

Harry had been so caught up in the results of his previous trial that he truly thought he would be going to Azkaban that day.

Not guilty.

Not.

Guilty.

Harry was beaming in relief when they made it back to Chicago. Their crummy neighborhood had never been so beautiful to Harry.

“I didn’t think I’d make it back,” Harry said as they walked through the backdoor to the kitchen. The entire past week seemed like a blur from a nightmare- Harry had spent as much time with Mandy, Mickey, and Ian as he could, hating that Lip seemed intent on avoiding Harry.

“I told you so,” Remus said, also beaming.

“It’s hard to look much like a death eater with all those flowers on your arm,” Fred teased Harry.

Harry was so happy to be free of the charges that he actually laughed aloud. Since they talked, Fred had been decent company. Harry didn’t bring Mandy to the house or Fred to her house, but Fred had smoked with Harry and Ian a few nights ago without any lingering awkwardness.

“I’ve got to go find Mandy,” Harry said with a smile. “Oh, and text Dudley… I might have given him a grey hair.”

“Bring Mandy for dinner,” Remus said. “Invite the whole crew! I’ll go get steaks to grill, we’ll celebrate properly.”

“Yes!” Harry turned around and hugged Remus tightly, so bloody relieved that he was there.

As much as Harry had wanted Sirius that morning, it was Remus who was there for him. It was Remus who found Harry someone to represent him. Remus who found Harry clothes to wear. Remus who… Remus who just everything.

“I can never thank you enough,” Harry said as he hugged Remus.

“We’re family, you don’t have to thank me now.”

Harry was walking on clouds on his way to Mandy’s house.

It was such a relief for the entire experience to be over with. Andromeda had told Harry he couldn’t be tried again for the same charges without ‘substantial and nonexistent new evidence’ and Remus told Harry that he never had to go back.

Andromeda had Harry’s bank key and went to bring back the contents of his vaults for him, so Harry could decide what to do with it. Remus suggested he open a muggle bank account, Fred said they could go to an American wizarding city and get the money exchanged.

Harry didn’t have any real desires one way or another, he just wanted to spend the rest of the day appreciating the fact he wasn’t in Azkaban.

When he made it to the Milkovich house, Harry found Mandy was already on the porch. She was wrapped up in a thick blanket and Harry called out her name as soon as he saw her.

“Mandy!” Harry waved cheerfully, so bloody relieved to see her.

Mandy looked up at him, but she didn’t smile and she didn’t stand up. Harry didn’t mind though, he probably hadn’t been the most attentive boyfriend recently.

“Cleared of all charges!” Harry told her as he bounced up the steps to her porch. Harry had told his friends that he had to attend court that day for a vandalism charge in Surrey. Remus was the one who suggested he tell them it was an ‘internet trial’ and that Harry only had to fly back if he was charged.

Remus sort of had a plan for everything.

“Good,” Mandy said quietly, not meeting Harry’s eyes. “I’m glad.”

Harry’s cheer took something of a nosedive at Mandy’s restrain. He hadn’t been very attentive, but Mandy had given him a ‘good luck hummer’ the night before, so he didn’t think they were having a row about it.

“Mandy?” Harry stood uncertainly before her. He had kind of expected a hug, a smile, something.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish this last week,” Harry said earnestly. “That’s all over now. But Remus is having a cookout thing, do you want to come?”

Mandy finally looked up at Harry and he didn’t like the dull look in her usually lively eyes.

“Harry, we need to talk…”

Lip ignored Frank’s presence after Shiela let him inside her house. It pissed Lip off to no end that Frank was still cozying up to Shiela, living off her goodwill, but he had more important things to deal with.

Like his dick that desperately needed attention.

Karen wasn’t at the top of his ‘call when horny’ list since the bullshit at the pumpkin patch when she pulled some ‘girl-power’ shit with Mandy and took her side. But if Lip’s dick was getting hard for a dude, then it was time to do some begging until Karen could remind him that he liked tits, vaginas, chicks in general.

Fucking Ian had spent the last week giving Lip little smirks and smug looks that had Lip dying to black his brother’s eye. If Ian thought Lip was a fucking homo because he got drunk and did something stupid, then Ian should give up his dreams about the military and get in line for disability pay. Lip thought Harry might have kept it to himself, but he forgot that Harry flaunted his sexuality as carelessly as he did his whore.

Lip went down to the basement that Shiela led him to and stopped at the bottom to check out the destruction.

It was a nice, finished, basement. As far as Lip knew, Karen’s dad Eddie had been staying there. It was set up as a kind of cool bachelor pad, before Karen apparently fucking destroyed it.

“Uh… you pissed at your dad or something?” Lip asked, looking around at the destroyed furniture and the insults spray-painted on the walls.

Karen was in the middle of ripping apart one of Eddie’s shirts and she paused long enough to give Lip a manic smile.

“Me? Pissed? Not at all,” she laughed. “Why would I be pissed? Because my daddy called me a whore in front of his friends?”

Lip figured that was a good enough reason for Karen to be pissed, even if she kind of was a whore. She was the one who first sucked Lip off for tutoring and offered to fuck Harry for no reason other than she loved dick.

“Clearly I missed some good shit,” Lip said with a shrug. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Karen said as she went back to destroying her dad’s clothes. “I mean, I’m just a whore, right? Who cares if I have fucking feelings?” Karen ripped the shirt down the center and tossed the scraps on the floor before laughing again. “Do whores even have feelings?”

“Dunno, you’d have to ask Mandy,” Lip grinned.

Sure, Karen was acting like a psycho, but Lip just wanted a good fuck to knock his dick straight, no pun intended.

“What do you want, Lip?” Karen asked, pausing her path of destruction for a moment. “Did you come here to get laid? Is that why you’re here?”

“Am I an asshole if I say yes?” Lip asked. It wasn’t like they were friends, they were just two people who liked to fuck each other. They hung out other times on occasion, but rarely did they ever not fuck.

“Of course not!” Karen said. She turned on the bed she had been kneeling on and fluttered her lashes at Lip. “Why else would anyone come here? I should hang a sign, right?”

Lip began to get the distinct feeling that he was not going to get laid.

Karen raised her hands to her tank top and started pulling it off, showing she was braless beneath it.

“A sign might be overkill,” Lip quipped. He didn’t step any closer, Karen was kind of in a stabby mood and all Lip wanted was to get laid.

“You’re so right,” Karen said. She cupped her breasts and lowered her eyes coyly. “Who needs a sign when the ENTIRE CITY THINKS I’M A WHORE?!”

“Who cares what everyone thinks?” Lip scoffed. “Who cares if you like dick? I’m not going to complain.”

Karen’s chest was heaving and there was crazy shining from every pore on her face.

“Get the fuck out,” Karen hissed suddenly. “I know I’m such a FUCKING EASY LAY but you can fuck someone else, Lip Gallagher!”

“Woah!” Lip held his hands up innocently. “Karen, I just said you liked dick, I’m not the one who called you a whore.”

“You’re the one who came over here for an easy fuck!” Karen screamed. She grabbed her chest and squeezed. “All you wanted was to come feel me up, stick your dick in, and leave, right? RIGHT?”

“What the fuck do you want from me?” Lip asked, completely out of his element with the psycho behavior. “You want a ring or some fucking promise of love?”

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” Karen screamed. “GO! GO FUCK YOUR LITTLE GAY CRUSH IF YOU’RE SO FUCKING DESPERATE!”

“Fuck you,” Lip snapped. “I’m not the one who called you a whore. But, pro life tip? Maybe if you didn’t fuck every person with a dick then nobody would call you a whore!”

“FUCK YOU!” Karen shouted. Lip had to duck when she threw an alarm clock at him. “FUCKING HOMO!”

“Psycho slut,” Lip countered. He had to charge up the stairs before Karen could throw something else at him.

Chicks with daddy issues were fun and games until they went from slutty to psycho.

Lip stuffed his hands in his jeans and begrudgingly made his way back home. He hadn’t been home much the last week, anything to stay the fuck away from Ian. It didn’t help that apparently Harry’s ex-boyfriend had moved in next door and kept shooting Lip the shittiest looks when they saw each other.

If that fucker wanted to take a swing at Lip, then Lip would happily lay his ass out.

The closer Lip got to his house, the slower he walked. He could hear music playing from either his place, Harry’s, or Kev’s and he wasn’t in the mood to party.

Everything fucking sucked. It was getting colder out, Fiona was so distracted by her fight with her dumbass boyfriend that she forgot to pay the electric bill and Lip had to find the extra cash to keep them all from freezing to death in their sleep. Ian was being a little bitch, Karen was having a psychotic episode, and Harry…

Lip actually paused when he practically tripped over Harry. It was as if Lip let him pop up in his mind and then Harry popped up on the sidewalk with his back against the tree in the tree strip. Harry’s legs were stretched out and it was only after Lip tripped over him that Harry looked up at him.

“Hey,” Harry said flatly. His eyes were swollen and red-rimmed and there was a half empty bottle of booze in his hands. He held it up and pointed the neck toward his place. “Remus has food and booze, it’s a party if you want to join.”

“You look like you’re partying,” Lip said. He backed away from Harry and sat down on the concrete ledge that went around Harry’s front yard.

“Yeah.” Harry let out a joyless laugh and seemed ten shades to the wind already. “I was cleared of all charges.”

“I didn’t know you were being charged with anything,” Lip said, a little guiltily. It wasn’t Harry’s fault that Lip’s dick got confused. And Harry might have told Ian about it, but he hadn’t been weird. Lip was the one who had been avoiding him.

“Back in England,” Harry said flatly. “I’m a free man now. In more ways than one, I guess.”

Lip raised an eyebrow and watched as Harry took a long drink from the bottle.

“You’re hitting that bottle a little hard,” Lip said evenly. “Shouldn’t you be back there enjoying the party?”

“I can’t,” Harry said simply. He looked at Lip and then down at his lap. “Mandy just dumped me.”

“No shit?” Both of Lip’s brows rose and he considered that. Last he heard, Harry and Mandy were going hot and heavy. Ian - who never learned when to shut the fuck up - said they were even using the big ‘L’ word for each other.

“Yeah. I guess… she just…” Harry looked up at Lip so fucking pathetically with big sad eyes. “Why’m I not enough? I thought- she said she loved me.”

God damn it.

The last thing Lip wanted to do was give Harry some sort of romantic pep-talk when his siblings were calling him a fag and his fuck-buddy thought he was gay for his regular-buddy. But Harry looked fucking miserable and nobody else was around. It wasn’t like Lip could just leave Harry there to give himself alcohol poisoning.

“Did she say why she ended it?” Lip asked curiously. Mandy seemed perfectly happy to hang off Harry’s arm, drag him around like a fucking accessory, and sit on his lap at lunch at school. It made Lip sick to see, especially recently when Mandy had been glaring him down.

“She said- she said that she wants to see other people,” Harry said sadly, tripping over his words. “Just like that.”

“Huh.” Lip reached out for the booze after Harry took another drink and Harry was too drunk to offer any real fight as Lip pulled it from his hands.

That was fucked, even if Lip thought Harry was able to make a clean getaway. Harry had been a hell of lot better to Mandy than any other asshole in their neighborhood would. She probably just missed the freedom to fuck any dude she wanted.

“I love her, Lip,” Harry said. His eyes were watering up and Lip really hoped he wasn’t going to actually cry. “I loved Sirius too. He left, Mandy left. Y’think Remus’ll leave next? ‘Cause he said we’re family so he’ll probably leave.”

“I mean, maybe,” Lip agreed. Everyone left eventually. Monica left, Frank left. Fiona would probably leave one day and Lip would be next to take up the mantle.

Lip a drink and hated that Harry’s go-to drink was always Fireball. Harry liked the taste of cinnamon, he said it made him think of Christmas.

Lip also kind of hated himself for knowing that about him.

Harry let out another dry laugh and leaned against the tree trunk.

“I dunno what I did wrong,” Harry said plaintively, blinking at nothing. “I told her I love her and she told me to leave.”

“That’s fucked, man,” Lip said. He took another drink and then looked away when he realized he was staring at Harry’s mouth.

Why the fuck did Lip try and kiss him?

“She blocked my number,” Harry sniffled. “I don’t know what I did.”

“Dude, you probably didn’t do anything,” Lip told him. “The chicks around here are fucking crazy. Don’t let some shit Mandy Milkovich said get in your head.”

Harry raised his hand toward his mouth and Lip laughed when Harry looked down and seemed shocked that his bottle was gone.

“Dumbass,” Lip grinned. Harry was having a shit night and so Lip sat beside him, praying to God that nobody saw them.

“Thanks, mate,” Harry said when Lip passed him the bottle.

The two of them sat with their backs against the tree, sharing a bottle and eventually a bowl that Lip had saved to share with Karen.

“You’re better off,” Lip eventually said once he was stoned and buzzing. “Fuck her, dude. And fuck-” Lip burped and Harry snickered drunkenly. “And fuck Sirius,” Lip said firmly.

“I liked fucking her,” Harry sighed. He tilted his head over and laid it down on Lip’s shoulder. “She had a great arse.”

Lip laughed and didn’t even bother pushing Harry away. The guy was having a shit day and it wasn’t like Harry was trying to fuck him, he just wanted a shoulder to lay on. And Lip’s dick was behaving itself—

“You’ve got a great arse too,” Harry slurred.

It took a moment before that comment seeped through Lip’s brain and then he jumped up as if Harry’s head was burning him. Harry was so fucking drunk that he just landed on the grass, apparently out cold.

It wasn’t Ian and his fucking comments or Lip’s lack of getting laid that fucked with Lip’s head, it was Harry and the way he didn’t have any personal boundaries. Harry just said stupid shit like that and grinned all happy around Lip and it was fucking with Lip’s head.

Lip grabbed the bottle from Harry’s slack hands and then whistled loudly toward the party still happening in the backyard. Someone needed to drag his drunk ass inside and Lip sure as hell wasn’t going to do it.

Lip was going to go get some fucking answers from Mandy about why she dumped Harry. If she took him back, then Harry wouldn’t say stupid shit to Lip anymore, Lip could find a new fuck-buddy, and life would go on like usual.

Mandy answered her door after Lip beat on it with his fist for a few minutes. Lip was drunk and pissed, Mandy just looked pissed.

“What the fuck do you want, Gallagher?” Mandy asked angrily. She slid out the front door and shut it behind her while she glared at Lip.

“Why the fu-uck would you dump him?” Lip asked. He pointed the bottle he emptied on the walk toward her and laughed. “Was the dick bad?”

“I bet you’d love to fucking know,” Mandy hissed. “He’s single, now’s your chance.”

“‘M not a fucking fag,” Lip scoffed. “You’re an idiot. He loves you. He’s a good person. You think you can do better? You?”

Mandy’s face darkened and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

“Thanks, I’m fully fucking aware that I’m trash,” Mandy sneered at him. “I don’t think I can do better, he can.”

“Obviously,” Lip agreed. Harry was funny as fuck, willing to do some crazy shit. He had pretty eyes and a nice ass. Harry could do a lot better than Mandy fucking Milkovich.

“But he wants you,” Lip said to Mandy, trying to keep the queer from his own thoughts. Harry said he loved her and Mandy just broke his heart.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Mandy said. “Get the fuck off my porch. Run off to Harry, maybe add your middle name to his arm.”

“You sound jealous,” Lip said. He swayed on his feet while he tried to light a cigarette and nearly burned his nose. He lit the cigarette though and he smiled triumphantly when he got to take a hit.

“And you’re drunk,” Mandy said. “Just go, please. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Waaaaah,” Lip whined unsympathetically. “Harry was crying. So if you dumped him just to fuck a bunch of dudes then you’re a fuckin’ bitch and never deserved him.”

“I didn’t dump him to fuck anyone!” Mandy snapped. She shoved Lip and he was drunk enough that he damn near fell off the porch.

“You’re an ass!” Mandy yelled at him.

“And you’re a whore,” Lip yelled right back. “You used him and then threw him away!”

“I DID NOT FUCKING USE HIM!”

“YEAH? YOU SURE AS HELL SEEM LIKE IT!”

“I AM PREGNANT, YOU GOD DAMNED IDIOT!”