Broken Ever Afters

Chapter 1

Lily Potter curled up in the large armchair and watched all the people go by. It seemed like everyone was crying. Mum was crying, Aunt Hermione was crying, Uncle Ron was crying, all the guests were crying, Ced was crying. Ced was always a crybaby. Her older brothers had disappeared somewhere. Probably nowhere good. James and Sirius were getting into even more trouble since...that night.

"Lily, darling, have you eaten anything?" Aunt Angelina looked worried. Lily shook her head. "You need eat. How about some tea?" Lily shook her head again. Aunt Angelina moved on to where Mr. Creevey was sitting.

Lily noticed Sirius on the edge of the crowd. She shivered. She'd never expected her favorite brother to look like someone to be scared of. His black hair reached past his shoulders and he needed to shave. His jeans were torn but you couldn't tell because his dragonhide boots came up to his knees. A black t-shirt completed the dark outfit.

James was worse. He had been drinking since Dad had died. Mum didn't know. She didn't know about Sirius's tattoo or Remus's nightmares or Ced's stealing either. But Lily did. Lily watched. And listened. To everyone.

She knew that Mum was worried about money. She knew that Uncle Ron wasn't eating. She knew that Aunt Fleur was sick. She knew that Mr. Finnegan and his wife were getting a divorce. She knew that Sirius's girlfriend Cass Patil-Thomas was the only thing keeping him from leaving. She knew that Ced had stolen five galleons and two silver bracelets from Madame Parvati. She knew that Remus carried a knife. She knew that James was gay.

Lily burrowed deeper into her chair and closed her eyes, listening.

"Such a shame. Harry was so happy."

"Is there more tea?"

"I hear they caught Rabastan Lestrange."

"Poor, poor Ginny."

"Fleur, dear, why don't you lie down?"

Conversation swirled around her and she drifted into a deep sleep. Aunt Hermione noticed her there, and wrapped a blanket around her thin shoulders.

~

Remus gazed at the happy family waving at him from the photograph. It was hard to believe that it was his family. They were all smiling and laughing. It had been taken Christmas morning at the Burrow last year.

Mum sat in an armchair with Ced in her lap, smiling contentedly. Ced showed off his new broomstick. Lily threw a handful of ribbons up in the air and laughed as they rained back down on her, getting tangled in her long red hair. Sirius lounged, his slow smirk spreading across his face. James laughed at something Sirius had said, his hazel eyes sparkling. Remus, himself, sat on the floor grinning at the camera, for once forgetting to try to achieve his older brothers' cool. And Dad. No, he couldn't look at Dad. Not yet.

Remus sighed. The way things were going; he didn't think they'd ever be that happy again.

"Remus?" His cousin, Katherine stood in the doorway. She was Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's second oldest, which made her 19. Older than James. "Are you all right?"

"I guess."

"It's hard."

"I guess."

"The Woods are here. Do you want to come down and see Alex and Margaret?"

"No."

"OK. There's sandwiches if you get hungry."

"OK."

She left, closing the door behind her. Katherine was all right. In the days when James still talked to Remus, he had said that Katherine had been popular at Hogwarts. He could see why. She was nice.

~

"Sirius, are you in here?"

"Hey, Cass."

Cass Patil-Thomas settled her petite frame into the chair next to his. Her interesting mix of dark skin and thick black hair showed her parent's heritage. Her brown eyes bored into his soul. She got that from her Seer mother. She got her calm temperament from her father.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No. Stay. I don't mind."

"All right." She moved her chair closer to his and pushed up the sleeve of his t-shirt so she could see the tattoo of a griffin on his upper arm. She gently touched her lips to it.

"Cass." He turned and kissed her mouth. She buried her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss.

~

Lily woke with a start and looked around. Outside the house it was dark and inside only family remained. Another day was almost over.