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

Chapter 3

"Hypothetically speaking, if Hermione manages to get James out of the portrait, what are we going to do with him?"

The grandeur of the dining room cast a warm glow upon the polished mahogany table, adorned with fine china and silverware. Candles flickered in their holders, creating dancing shadows that added an air of intimacy to the room. Remus, Sirius, and Harry sat around the table, engaged in a conversation about the upcoming school year.

Sirius, his fingers delicately caressing a crystal goblet filled with a rich red wine, reclined with a casual air. His dark, mischievous eyes gleamed with an impish light. "He has Potter Manor at his disposal. He can use it," he proposed nonchalantly, the flickering candlelight dancing in the depths of his gaze.

"Technically, the manor is Harry's." Remus countered with a measured tone, " Besides, Prongs is twenty-one, not thirty-six. Plus, he's technically supposed to be dead to the world. We can't have him wandering around Diagon Alley at his leisure."

"We can say that he is my cousin. We look almost identical; no one would suspect. Plus, he could come to Hogwarts with me and Mione." Harry chimed in, clearly excited at the prospect of having his father around

A burst of laughter erupted from Sirius, the rich timbre echoing in the grandeur of the room. "Prongs is definitely not going back to school. He's to fucking lazy for that. At least that's how it was until he fell in love with your mother and spent hours and hours in the library."

"I wasn't lazy," James' voice interrupted from the portrait, prompting everyone's attention. "I just preferred to be doing other things."

"Other things, like chasing Lily or playing pranks on the rest of the school?" Remus raised an eyebrow at the portrait, eliciting a mischievous smile.

The portrait stuck out its tongue at his best friend and directed an affectionate smile at his son. "Don't let these two idiots lie to you, son. They're jealous because I got to marry the most amazing girl in all of Hogwarts."

"I resent that comment," Sirius retorted, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. "I married Moony."

"Nah, wrong on both counts," Remus interjected with a sly grin. "Mia and I married you two for your money and status. We saw two idiotic purebloods the first day and thought, 'Shit, this is convenient,' and the plan worked." he raised his hand, as if waiting for a high-five, but it hung awkwardly in the air.

The room embraced a poignant hush as Sirius crossed the space to envelop his husband in a comforting hug, while Harry and James observed in respectful silence.

"It's... It's normal to miss her, Moons," Black empathized, offering solace to his tearful husband.

"It's hard to see her and see that she doesn't remember anything, any of us," Remus confessed tearfully. "She was... she's my best friend. I miss her, Pads."

"If Mione can get Dad out of the portrait, is there a way for her to recover her memories with you?" Harry asked, his eyes reflecting a profound sadness.

"It's not that easy. We don't know what your mother did — we don't know what happened when she time-traveled. Maybe she blocked her memories of her previous life, or the time travel erased them. We don't know. I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius apologized to his godson, his hand gently stroking his husband's hair in a soothing gesture.

"And that's why lads, I need to get out of this portrait. I need to get out to make my wife fall in love again and make her remember that the only man she's going to need in her life is me," James redirected the conversation as he paced the painted room frustratedly. "Actually, Hogwarts seems like a good idea to me."