Lily's Real Colors
Back at Hogwarts Harry didn't wait before he walked out, determined to find Lily and have a real conversation.
Harry walked around the halls for a bit before heading to the dungeons, assuming that Lily would be in Snape’s quarters. He reached the door, and took a deep breath.
Harry knocked on the door and waited for the Professor to answer.
“Yes?” asked Snape as he opened the door, grimacing when he saw Harry.
“Hi, Professor,” Harry greeted him. “Is Lily here by any chance?”
Severus looked at him for a long moment, not answering.
“Yes,” he answered eventually.
Lily peeked over his shoulder.
“Oh, Harry,” she smiled. “Can I help you?”
Harry swallowed.
“Can I speak to you in private?” he winced when he remembered his uncle asking the same thing.
Lily agreed, and they went into the quarters. Harry looked around curiously. Even when Snape taught his Occlumency it was in the classroom. He’d never been in his room.
“James didn’t send me,” Harry clarified before starting. “I just want to know what your plan is?”
Lily shrugged.
“We’ll get a divorce whenever he wants,” she said. “It can be today for all that I care about. After that we go our own ways. I don’t hate him, he’s a nice guy, but at the same time he’s not my type. Like, even as friends, he’s not my type.”
Harry’s blood boiled.
“You can’t just use people and dispose of them when you’re done,” he seethed. “Even if you want to get divorced, this is not the way! They care about you. James cares about you.”
“I’m sorry, Harry, but care isn’t everything.” Lily didn’t sound particularly sorry. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“No. Have a good day,” Harry grumbled, realizing that he won’t get her to apologize, and left.
He headed for his godfathers’ quarters, frustrated. Sirius was in the kitchenette, making hot chocolate and humming quietly, Harry jumped and sat on the counter next to him.
“She’s such a fucking bitch,” he said angrily. “I went to talk to Lily. She doesn’t give a flying fuck about my dad. She said she’ll go get the divorce whenever he wants. How the fuck does she think that is okay?”
Sirius poured hot chocolate into two mugs.
“You’re not going to class?” he asked, bringing the mugs to the table.
Harry shook his head and pulled one of the mugs towards him, taking a bite of a fresh muffin from the plate on the table.
“Where are these from?” he wondered, admiring the taste.
“The kitchens,” Sirius replied, sitting and taking a muffin as well. “Now, what did Lily say?”
Harry gave him a quick summary of the short conversation he had with Lily, and Sirius sighed.
“We need to tell James. He’d probably want to get the divorce over with,” he assumed. “Let’s go.”
They stepped out of the fireplace in the living room and waited for James and Regulus to come.
“What did she say?” James asked anxiously.
Harry swallowed and told him.
“All right,” James didn’t seem extremely bothered. “Can you tell her to meet us at the ministry in an hour?”
Harry complied. After he spoke to Lily he went to Remus’ classroom. He opened the door and greeted the class politely before casting a muffliato on the students. He gave Remus a rundown of what had happened.
“So when you’re done, if we’re not in the room or at my dad’s, you should come to the ministry,” Harry concluded.
“Will do,” promised Remus.
Harry went back to the house and found the others waiting by the living room with popcorn, and a playing TV screen.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Harry asked incredulously. “You need to be in the ministry to get your fucking divorce in thirty minutes. Why are you not doing something about that? Are there any documents you need? Paperwork?”
James chuckled.
“Harry, chill out. We don’t need anything. I asked for an hour so we can chill together a bit before we go there,” he explained.
Harry sat down.
“Sounds good,” he said.
***
They met Lily at the marriage department at the ministry. She came with Snape. A muscle twitched in Harry’s cheek in annoyance. The whole process was pretty fast, but what caused problems ended up being a ‘Daily Prophet’ reporter.
“What made you get a divorce?” he asked eagerly.
Lily gave him the middle finger and walked off with Snape towards the floo area.
“Let’s just leave too,” suggested Sirius.
Harry shook his head.
“It’s none of your business,” he told the reporter. “I’ll just tell you this: My family’s situation is personal, and while we’re going through things, I ask for privacy and respect from the public.”
The reporter grimaced.
“That’s it?” he asked.
Harry nodded.
“Have a good day,” he bid the man politely, already walking towards the floo system.
When they got home Sirius gave Harry a look, wanting an explanation.
“I’m too public to not give a statement. He would’ve made a whole thing out of my silence.” Harry sighed. “Hopefully they’ll leave us alone now.”
James sniffled.
“I’m divorced,” he said.
Sirius and Harry’s attention snapped to the man on the couch. James had his face buried in Regulus’ shoulder, trying his best not to cry.
“You’re free,” Regulus muttered. James sniffled again.
“I still feel miserable,” he announced. The others chuckled.
“Take your time, Prongs,” Sirius said. “We’re all here.”
Harry sat next to his father.
“Do you want to go out, maybe drink or something,” he suggested. “Both to celebrate and mourn.”
“You should really go back to school, you know,” James mentioned, causing Harry to make a face.
“You’re not supposed to be a responsible adult,” he complained. “You’re twenty one. Remus and Sirius can be the annoying ones.”
“Hey,” Sirius protested. “I’m not annoying. That’s only Moony.”
“You can’t talk shit about me when I’m not here to defend myself,” Remus said from his place by the entrance to the room.
“But you are here,” Sirius blinked up at him innocently.
Remus rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.
“Since when were you here?” Regulus asked suddenly. “We didn’t hear the floo or an apparition.”
“I got here a minute before you,” Remus answered. “I was just in the bathroom. And then I heard Harry say my name so I stayed quiet to see what else you were gonna say about me. I guess I was right to hide and eavesdrop.”
Sirius snorted.
“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t say it to your face.”
Remus sputtered.
“You’re my fucking boyfriend,” he complained. “Be a little nicer.”
“You’re the fucking boyfriend,” Sirius smirked.
Harry cleared his throat loudly.
“I did not just need to hear that,” James mumbled disgustedly and Regulus nodded.
“So, James, it’s over?” Remus asked. James nodded.
“She came, we signed the papers, and we left,” Harry elaborated a little more.
“My next class is starting in ten minutes, I’m going back,” Remus said. “I think Harry should be back for dinner before more rumors start spreading.” Harry groaned, but didn’t disagree.
***
At dinner Draco stood up, looking around and locking his eyes for a moment with Snape.
“I would like to congratulate Professor Snape for his new partner,” he announced. Everyone turned to the teachers’ table and stared at Snape and Lily. The man smiled tightly and slightly bowed his head. Harry pulled Draco back down.
“What was that?” he whispered angrily.
“They deserve some humiliation.” Draco shrugged. “The rumors would anyway start, at least we get to embarrass them a little extra before.”
After dinner Snape approached the couple.
“Care to explain what your dear boyfriend did?” he asked Harry, ignoring Draco.
Harry smiled sweetly.
“Everyone was confused. He just told them what was going on.”
“Fifty points from Gryffindor,” Snape spat and turned away, his robes swishing.
Harry started laughing.
“He asked me so that he can take points from Gryffindor and not Slytherin.”
“How are you finding it funny?” Draco fumed. Harry shrugged.
“You gotta admit it’s miserable how desperate he is for his house to win,” he giggled. Draco rolled his eyes.
“You’re stupid.”
“And you love me.”
Draco sighed dramatically and pecked Harry’s cheek.
“Can’t argue with that. Wanna come to my room?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Harry pretended to throw up.
“I told you a million times already,” he said exasperatedly. “You’re amazing at a lot of things, and you’re attractive as fuck, but you can’t flirt to save your life.”
“I won’t stop trying, and at some point I’ll manage.”
Harry chuckled and took his boyfriend’s hand.
“Whatever you say, Babe.”
***
James was sitting on the couch, waiting for Regulus to come back downstairs with the book he wanted to read. Ever since Regulus found the library upstairs he spent hours every day looking for good books, and reading them eagerly. Regulus showed up in the living room, eyes already glued to the first page of the book.
“Reg,” James complained, reaching out to his friend. “I’m bored and cold.”
Regulus rolled his eyes fondly and sat next to James, allowing him to pull him in for a cuddle.
Sirius stumbled out of the fireplace suddenly, laughing hysterically.
“Guys, Draco is awesome!” he recounted what happened at dinner, wheezing with laughter. “I wish you saw Snivellus’ face.”
“Go Draco,” James cheered. “I can’t live peacefully when I know Snivellus is too.”
“Isn’t that a bit disgusting?” Regulus asked hesitantly.
“It kind of is,” James admitted. “But he bullied Harry just because he’s my son. He deserves my hatred.”
“I do regret treating him like that back in school,” Sirius mumbled.
“He bullied you first for being a blood traitor and Remus for his scars,” James objected. “I definitely bullied him on purpose. He can’t mess with my friends.”
Regulus made a face.
“I don’t know how much I agree with you,” he said honestly. “But yeah, he is a bad person.”
“Agree to disagree?” James asked carefully. Regulus bit his lip hesitantly.
“But then we’re disagreeing on something,” he whispered.
“Disagreeing isn’t bad,” James and Sirius said together.
“It’s part of every relationship,” James continued and Regulus blushed. “If we agree about everything, something is fake. No two people are the same. Ever.”
***
By breakfast the next day the whole school was drowning in rumors and theories. Harry pretended not to notice all the looks and whispers, but that wasn’t possible anymore when he went to class and Cormac McLaggen waited for him there, hands folded.
“Are you serious?” he asked Harry. “You need drama so bad that you make your parents divorce and your mother to date Snape?”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“You’re fucking with me, right?” he replied tiredly. “Why would I do that? Even if you’re right and I want drama, why would I do it in a way that some people now think I’m the villain?”
“Either way, it’s because of you,” Cormac spat. “They were happily married before they died. They were legends. Now that you’re here, they divorced.”
Harry took a deep breath.
“Believe what you want,” he said quietly and went to his seat.
“Don’t walk off like this,” Cormac fumed. “Coward.”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“What do you want me to do, for fuck’s sake?”
Cormac glared at him.
“Just kill yourself.”
The classroom went silent.
“What did you just say?” Draco asked dangerously, raising his wand. Cormac turned and left, mumbling about unfairness and discrimination in the school.
When the classes were over Harry and Draco went out to the lake. When they got there Draco pulled out snacks and drinks and handed some to Harry.
“You didn’t tell me you had an undetectable extended bag,” Harry sputtered.
“I learned how to make one yesterday,” Draco explained. “In a really cool book in the library.”
They lapsed into a companionable silence, enjoying each other’s presence.
“Good evening,” said a feminine voice behind them. The two turned to see Lily. “Why are you out?” she asked. “I thought I’d be the only one here, it’s quite chilly.”
Harry smiled at her.
“Hi Lily. We’re just here on a little date,” he chuckled. “We also thought we’d be the only ones.”
Something crossed Lily’s face.
“Is… is something wrong?” Harry asked hesitantly, not sure if he’s interpreting the look correctly. She looks disgusted.
“I just didn’t think Severus was serious when he said it,” she answered. “You really are a faggot though.”