𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 - the wizarding world

X. FACES FROM THE PAST

Lily's hair had darkened over the years and she'd gotten wrinkles in all the same places Oleander had them. Her eyes were as green as ever, something she had passed down to her son, which was a bit he had spotted the moment he had run into them at the village. What surprised him the most was how similar Lily and him still were in countenance, even after all these years apart. Though he reckoned genetics didn't really care about broken relationships and all that.

"Why are you here, Oleander?" Lily asked after a while of easy silence. She was staring mournfully into her mug, her finger playing with the edges, waiting for it to cool down enough to drink. She didn't make an effort to look up.

"I—" he hesitated, "I'm not sure. When I saw you at Hogsmeade... I haven't been able to shake this feeling," he admitted.

"What? The feeling of being a prick?"

"Yes," he answered honestly, his eyes not leaving Lily's, just in case she decided she was able to look at him without strangling him. "I am a prick and I deserve every nasty thing you want to throw at me. But I am so sor—" his voice cracked, "sorry, Lily. I realise I am too late with all this, the apologies, but I'll never stop trying. I'm sorry." He felt a tear trickling down his cheek. He didn't care to wipe it away.

"I understood, you know," Lily began, "At first. Why you left. You fell in love and it wasn't like my world was anything like yours," she said quietly. "Sure, it hurt that you blocked me out but I understood. But you didn't—" she cleared her throat, "You didn't come to their funeral, Oleander." Finally, she looked up and identical eyes met. "Even Petunia and her husband came. But not you."

"Lily," Oleander tried.

She cut him off, her voice rising, "Our parents, Oleander! Mum and dad died and I needed you and you weren't there!" She wasn't yelling, not yet, but the words cut Oleander like a knife either way. Lily took a deep breath and took a sip of her tea, calming herself down. She was crying now, too.

"I wasn't..." he started, his voice thick with grief. "My wife died," he simply stated, averting his eyes to the table. He heard Lily sigh faintly. "Ivy was nine at the time. We knew it was coming, but still... I grew distant from her. And then I got the news about..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"About mum and dad," Lily continued, revelation on her face. "Oh god, Oleander. I had no idea..."

"Yeah, well, that's not exactly your fault, now is it?" he said with a dry chuckle. "When I was finally able to pull myself together enough to take care of Ivy, the funeral had passed and I was too late. I guess I didn't think to bother after that. I'll never stop being sorry for that, Lils. I'm sorry for not being there for your wedding, or your son or... the attack."

Lily shook her head, the anger that had previously possessed her quickly leaving her. "That's magic business, Ollie. My responsibilities, not yours."

Oleander shrugged, swiftly drying his tears. "I reckon it is my responsibility, now."

"Ivy," she said, a delicate smile on her face. "I've got a niece..." she whispered, excitement nearing her voice. "Who's identical to me. Which we will speak with Dumbledore about, the old man always knows more than he's letting on..." she mumbled under her breath.

"You're telling me," Oleander said. "I've got nephew who destroyed a dark lord."

Lily chuckled. "Merlin, please don't start asking for autographs," she joked.

"I would never."

"What about Ivy? How old is she? And why didn't you sent her to Hogwarts, you prick?" she wondered and all the hostility had left her voice.

The two almost felt like they could actually be okay after all these years.

"Seventeen—Jesus. Yeah, her birthday was yesterday," he responded.

"They grow up fast."

"And still we wish they didn't," he said.

Oleander began telling Lily about Ivy, about her accomplishments and her shenanigans and just how proud he was of her. How quickly she had adjusted to France, about her best friend Henri—whom Oleander still didn't trust, the flirt that the boy was, and Ivy's unfortunate end at the Academy.

Lily, in turn, recalled her life after Oleander had left. About Harry and James, all of their closest friends; Sirius, Remus, the Meadowes' and the Weasleys, but also about the not-so-happy parts.