"Not forest green like hers, but chocolate brown like hers"

Chapter 2

Both wizards turned towards the source of the voice, and there stood Harry, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. The weight of the revelation hung in the air, suffocating the room with an almost tangible tension.

"What did you just say?" he repeated, his voice a mixture of disbelief and urgency.

James glanced at Sirius, a silent exchange passing between them as they both realized that the moment they had been avoiding for years had finally arrived. There was no turning back.

"Harry," James stammered, his hazel eyes darting between her and Sirius. He hadn't anticipated this moment.

The room seemed to grow still, the air heavy with anticipation as the teenager waited for an explanation. Sirius, his expression a mix of concern and regret, remained silent, letting James take the lead.

James took a deep breath, the weight of decades of secrecy lifting and crashing down upon him simultaneously. "I'm not a normal portrait, son. I'm trapped in here.I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but we made an unbreakable vow."

The words hung in the air, a profound revelation that reverberated through the room. Harry's eyes widened in shock, his mind struggling to process the enormity of what he had just heard.

"What?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Sirius, unable to meet his godson's gaze, shifted uncomfortably. "It's true. When your parents went into hiding, we used black magic to protect you in case something went wrong. But something went wrong and your dad ended up trapped in the portrait and your mu—Hermione ended up, well you've seen it. We all made an unbreakable vow—Remus, Lily, James and Hermione—you were not supposed to find out like this."

Harry, despite the shock, took a deep breath, his Gryffindor courage steadying him. "So, I'm... Hermione's my mother?" he repeated, as if saying the words aloud would make them more tangible.

James nodded solemnly, his gaze never leaving his. Sirius, sensing the weight of the moment, stepped forward. "Harry, we're sorry for keeping this from you. We wanted to spare you the pain and the danger. It was—it's complicated."

A mix of emotions played across Harry's face – confusion, anger, sadness, and finally, a steely determination. "Complicated?" his voice wavered between disbelief and anger. "You think finding out my best friend is my mother is just 'complicated'? Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?"

James's eyes reflected the pain of years of silent observation and longing. "We made an unbreakable vow, Harry. We thought it would protect you, keep you safe. "

"Protect me?" Harry scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping him. "Protect me from what? The truth? I've been living a lie, and you think keeping this from me was protecting me?"

Sirius stepped forward, his expression earnest. "Harry, we know it's a shock, but you have to understand—we did what we thought was best for you. We wanted you to have a normal life."

Harry, his frustration boiling over, shot back, "A normal life? Do you have any idea what my life has been like? Voldemort, Death Eaters, the prophecy—none of that screams 'normal' to me!"

James, visibly pained, replied, "We didn't anticipate the return of Voldemort. We wanted you to grow up without the constant threat of his presence. We wanted you to have a chance at a life. A chance we didn't get."

Harry's eyes, a reflection of the storm within him, flickered between the two men who had shaped his life in ways he never could have imagined. The room seemed to close in on him, and he felt a deep sense of isolation, caught between the present and a past that had been deliberately hidden from him.