ACT FOUR: Part One

                                    

                                          
Chapter Notes 
hello, hello! 
warnings for this chapter: there is a brief altercation where someone who is queer (and experiencing internalized homophobia) gets into an argument with lily (a very stupid thing to do, and don't worry, she's a girlboss about the whole thing). there are no slurs used, but he makes it clear that he thinks badly of queer people (he's wrong), calls it unnatural (it's not), and makes the comment that lily is a freak (she isn't, and she handles it). no one is harmed and, like i said, lily is a complete badass about it. just wanted to warn for those of you who would (rightfully) find it upsetting, because it is an unfortunate reality that many queer people face comments like this to this day, and in a way, for me personally, it was extremely validating to write lily standing up for herself, as she should. 
it's only a brief scene, and there are no other warnings for this chapter, really. just a lot of wholesome moments between a lot of queer people to more than make up for it. also, regulus and james are super cute in this chapter. oh, and dorelene, too. ;) 
enjoy! 
See the end of the chapter for more notes
James looks up when Remus comes stumbling out of Sirius' bed-hangings, one eye squinting, his hair a mess and a rather visible mark high on his neck. Through the brief flutter of the curtains, James can see Sirius lying on his front, drooling on his pillow, completely shirtless—possibly starkers beneath the sheet that thankfully covers him from the waist down—and sleeping like he's all tuckered out, mouth slack. 
This is not an abnormal occurrence anymore. James doesn't think Remus and Sirius have spent a night not in each other's beds since Valentine's Day, just a little over a week now. It seems to have, as James predicted, eased a lot of the previous strain between them. This is partially just because they're both insatiable, from what James can tell. He knew shagging would solve all their problems. He loves being right. 
"Morning, Prongs," Remus mumbles through a yawn, dragging his fingers through his hair as he shuffles towards the loo. 
"Morning, Moony," James replies. 
Peter and Sirius aren't going to be waking up for a while, he suspects, so he goes back to writing to his parents. As promised, he's making sure to talk to them, and he finds that writing down his thoughts has actually helped. He hadn't realized how stressed and tired and worried he was, constantly, until he found the feelings slowly starting to ease. 
In the aftermath of what happened with Regulus and Barty, they've all been trying to find their footing again, Sirius and James especially, as well as Regulus and Barty, from what he's seen. Sirius has been visiting with McGonagall practically every day; Regulus has also apparently been writing letters, some that he burns, and some meant for Effie and Monty; Barty has been noticeably jumpy, has even hexed a few people he thought were drawing their wand on him, but his friends have seemed to help, and he's been going to Flitwick to learn to infuse his clothes with protective charms, apparently, which seems to have helped ease his mind a lot. 
Understandably, Regulus' friends have been monopolizing him and Barty, hovering and never quite leaving them alone. Sirius, too, has been seeking out Regulus more frequently than before, which has helped ease his mind. 
There's been a clear shift in the students as well. Sometimes it takes something serious and scary to remind people what really matters at the end of the day, and the idea of death brings most people a sense of discomfort. It's also gotten around that James yelled at people, which has left some of the more impressionable rather chastised. 
It's an ongoing discussion in the halls, in classes, in the common rooms. Students everywhere are talking about it, arguing for or against why being queer, at the end of the day, isn't actually a problem. James can't tell which side is winning, but it always warms him when he hears people, now more than ever, defending those that are queer. While he doesn't think it even needs debating, he can appreciate the change that's taking place within the castle where people will actually talk about it, as if it's not as taboo as it's made out to be.