𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 | 𝑶𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑨𝑻𝑬 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝒙 𝒐𝒄

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐬

⭒๋⭑

I want you to try to decipher the song

Love is the world's infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood

-

Tony Kushner, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

─────▕⃝⃤─────

At the end of the day, I was spot on. During that shopping afternoon at Diagon Alley, the rain began to fall right at lunchtime. Not something usual for that time of the year, a few years back. However, since the Dark Lord consolidated his power almost fourteen years ago, the skies have grown darker and the days stormier.

Peering at the drops trickling down the window panes of the manor, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened in another life if Dumbledore hadn't been murdered, if Regulus Black had succumbed to fear and abandoned his mission.

The price we would have paid lingered as a shadow in the corners of my mind. Would James still be alive? Would Lily have never been taken by the Death Eaters? Would Peter still have betrayed the hideout and handed Lily to her death?

"Tell me a story, please," Harry asked, interrupting my thoughts. I smiled sweetly as I tucked the covers around him, turning him into a cozy cocoon in bed.

The only source of light in the room was a lamp charmed with fairy light, its glow reflecting on the walls adorned with paintings of tiny stars on the ceiling.

Andromeda and I had painted those stars by hand, a task that earned us many laughs and hair stained with paint.

On the floor lay a few drawings Harry had scribbled during the afternoon, prominently featuring a funny depiction of Sirius in his animagus form.

After stepping away from the bed, I fetched the Tales of Beedle the Bard book, returning to lie down beside Harry. This way, he could hold the book and admire the drawings while I read the story. The beautiful white owl, acquired by Andromeda for Harry that afternoon, slept soundly with its head tucked under its wing.

He named her Hedwig, as he found the name very beautiful. Everyone agreed, and Nymphadora declared that Harry was better at naming than Andromeda, which resulted in a pillow fight after afternoon tea.

The sound of rain, like a gentle symphony, mingled with my voice as I read from the book. My left hand stroked Harry's hair with gentle, lazy movements.

Gradually, his eyes began to grow heavy, and I realized he was nearly drifting off. With a tender smile, I closed the book and placed it back on the bedside table.

I rose quietly, watching Harry for a moment before leaning in to give him a soft kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, dear," I whispered, slowly stepping towards the door.

However, I had barely crossed the threshold when a sleepy voice replied, "Goodnight, Mum."

I froze, hand still on the doorknob, and my heart raced painfully in my chest. I withdrew slowly, my mind shrouded in a dense fog, almost not noticing when I finally reached my own room.

"Darling?" Andromeda called, approaching and placing her hands on my waist. "Is everything alright?"

"Harry called me 'Mum'," I responded with a choked voice. Emotions intertwined, and I felt like a whirlwind of mixed feelings.