A/N: Just to clear up any confusion, yes, this is a Lily/James fic; this is just the prologue, which centers around Harry. The actual Lily/James story will begin next chapter.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the author. I am merely the overly-obsessed reader.

A Different Picture

Full Summary:

When Harry Potter dove into Severus Snape's memories at age 17, he thought that he had learned the full story of his parents' relationship. It all made sense: Snape had loved Lily and that's why James hated him, and Lily had turned to James after Snape turned to the Dark Arts. The missing pieces in the puzzle were found, and the picture was complete.

But what if that picture was all wrong? What if there was actually even more to the story, even more pieces to the puzzle? And what if, when all of the pieces to the puzzle were found, a completely different picture was made?

Join Lily Evans and James Potter in the summer of 1977, as they discover tragic secrets and begin to unintentionally learn how to be there for each other.

Prologue: The Wedding

Harry Potter hadn't ever thought that he would see this day. In fact, there had been a time in his life when he was absolutely positive that he wouldn't. It was a little unnerving for him to stand there on the altar in the garden of the Burrow, clad in dress robes, when he himself had once thought it impossible.

The fact that it was now possible, that it was now actually happening, made Harry Potter very, very happy.

Harry's breath caught as Ginny appeared, in a white Muggle dress, at the end of the aisle, and he was sure that the same thing had just happened to every man in the room. She was so incredibly beautiful. It wasn't right. He didn't deserve her! He remembered how gorgeous Fleur had looked on her wedding day. There's no competition, Harry thought incredulously. Ginny was a thousand times more beautiful.

As Harry watched her approach, guided by a tearful Arthur Weasley, he didn't even stop to notice that the only ones on his side of the aisle were friends. Not a single blood relative was present. But it hardly mattered. He was getting a family now—he was getting Ginny! The thought made his heart want to explode through his chest.

He didn't even notice Petunia and Dudley Dursley silently make their way into the back row.

As the ceremony continued, words spoken long, long ago by Albus Dumbledore kept repeating themselves in Harry's mind. The pair had been standing in front of the Mirror of Erised, and Dumbledore had said softly to Harry:

"The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he was."

Harry wished that he were in front of that mirror once more, for he was sure that if he looked in he would see a black-haired man with a radiant smile on his face, happily standing next to a beautiful redheaded woman in a white dress.

Had Harry looked into the mirror in that moment, he was pretty sure he would have seen himself, exactly as he was.

Several hours later, the reception was in full swing. After an extremely enjoyable round of toasts, Harry and Ginny had spent the reception, for the most part, being constantly cornered by well-wishers. Harry was pretty sure that he had talked with every single person present.

Ginny was in the bathroom, and he was feeling strangely lonely without her. He hoped that it was a good sign that he couldn't seem to stay away from her for more than a few seconds.

His eyes scanned the crowd, all laughing and talking.

There was Bill, sitting at a table and holding his daughter Victoire while he narrowed his eyes at Viktor Krum twirling Fleur around the dance floor.

Next to Bill were George and his wife Katie. Katie was roaring with laughter, which was not unusual when she was in George's presence, and George was smirking proudly while he talked, as if he knew that only he could make her laugh that way.

Luna was the last person sitting at the table, and she was gazing dreamily into space, her lips moving slightly as if she was mouthing the words to a song.

A little ways away from the table, Percy was standing with Penelope Clearwater at his side, chatting up the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shaklebolt, who looked like he desperately wanted to get away.

On the dance floor, Ron and Hermione were dancing together, and, from the looks of it, bickering, as usual. However, when Hermione's face began to grow dangerously red, Ron's face softened and he smiled. After saying something that appeared to calm her immensely, he placed a tender kiss on her lips, and all was forgiven.

Mrs. Weasley was just a few feet away from the dance floor, holding three-year-old Teddy Lupin and looking down at him lovingly. When she saw Harry looking at her, she looked significantly down at the baby boy, looked at Harry, and mouthed with a twinkle in her eye, "Soon". Harry blushed, smiled at her and looked down at his hands. He was silently agreeing.

Mr. Weasley was a little ways away from his wife, talking animatedly to Perkins, who was confined to a wheelchair. Together, they were curiously examining a bottle of Muggle Champaign, and, from the looks of it, trying to have a competition to see who could get the cork out without using magic. As Arthur Weasley picked a fork up off the table to try, Harry had half a mind to go and explain how to do it properly, but decided against it. Let them have their fun, he thought. He knew that Arthur would ask him later, anyway.

In fact, the only people in the room that didn't look as if they were enjoying the party were two blonde haired people that were sitting in the corner in stony silence. Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He had sent his Aunt Petunia an invitation, but hadn't really expected her to come. 

Harry was happy that they were there, but he knew that he would have to go and talk to them, and the thought didn't lighten his mood. Begrudgingly, he made his way over to them to get the awkward talk out of the way while Ginny wasn't there. He didn't want to spoil her day with talk of his unpleasant childhood.

As he approached, they looked up at him. Dudley wore a shy smile that Harry had never seen, and it complemented his looks. Harry noticed that Dudley wasn't at all the unattractive boy he used to be. He was still big and burly, like Uncle Vernon, but he wasn't overweight anymore. He was muscular, and healthy. His blonde hair was a pretty color, and his face was average-looking. He looked good.

Aunt Petunia was pursing her lips as always, but looking strangely nervous. At first he thought that she looked the same as she always had, but as he got closer he noticed the lines around her mouth and eyes and streaks of grey in her hair. She was almost an old lady now, and she looked like she was going to be the type of old bat that you didn't want to cross.

Harry pulled a chair out across from them and sat down. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Dudley spoke.

"Er, I guess congratulations are in order, Harry," he said with a kind grin, sounding more civilized than Harry had ever heard him.

"Thanks, Dudley," Harry said genuinely. He had always had a hatred of his cousin, but Dudley had been extremely decent to Harry before he left years ago, and he was certainly making an effort to be kind now. Harry supposed that Dudley really wasn't that bad. He would never enjoy the years he spent as Dudley's punching bag, but people could change.

"These people, here…this life you've made for yourself…it's good. It's cool that you did, Harry," he said.

Harry smiled at him. It was refreshing to see the light in Dudley's eyes that hadn't been there as a child. It gave Harry a strange kind of hope.

Dudley, who had, Harry noticed, been trying to catch the eye of Susan Bones, got up quite suddenly as she beckoned him over. "I'll catch up with you later, Harry, alright?" he asked.

"Sounds good," Harry said, and Dudley left.

It was suddenly just Aunt Petunia and Harry sitting at the table. Another awkward silence swept over them. Harry saw Ginny return. She scanned the crowd, no doubt looking for Harry, and eventually their eyes met. She saw that Harry was sitting with his aunt, and gave him a questioning look that Harry took to mean "Do you want me there?"

Harry smiled warmly at her and shook his head.

She nodded, and smiled back at him. Then she turned and pointed to a table on her right, indicating that that was where she would be.

Harry turned back at Aunt Petunia, and found her looking at Mrs. Weasley as she played with Teddy Lupin. Mrs. Weasley was in the middle of a peek-a-boo game, and Teddy could barely control his laughter.

Aunt Petunia turned away with a pained look in her eye and looked over at Ginny, who was now giggling with Hermione while Ron danced with little Victoire and Bill took his turn twirling Fleur around the dance floor.

"She's pretty," Aunt Petunia said suddenly, her eyes fixed on Ginny.

"Er, thanks, I guess," Harry said.

"You've done well for yourself, Harry," she said, looking directly into his eyes. Harry was momentarily paralyzed with shock. She had never done that before.

Harry nodded, momentarily unable to speak. She sighed.

"You've done well for yourself despite a terrible childhood. And I realize that that is my fault."

Harry nodded again, looking away. What she said was true; he wasn't going to lie to her to ease her guilty conscience. She was silent for a very long time, and when she spoke again, it was in an almost hysterical whisper.

"You have no idea how much I regret treating you that way, Harry. No idea."

Harry looked up to see her looking down at her hands, tears in her eyes.

"You must think me a terrible person, treating you so terribly all because of old animosity between me and Lily. I still can't believe I did it, carried a grudge with me from the time Lily was ten years old."

"Eleven," Harry automatically corrected. "We go to Hogwarts when we are eleven."

Aunt Petunia furrowed her brow. "I didn't mean the fight over Hogwarts…" she muttered, trailing off. Harry was instantly both confused and interested.

"Then what, Aunt Petunia? What did you mean?"

"I can't believe that you still don't know," she murmured, staring into space. "But then again, nobody…not even Vernon or Dudley or…" She took a shaky, steadying breath. When she spoke, her voice was trembling.

"Harry, I think it's time for me tell you about...about…I wouldn't tell you this, but I think you need to understand the real reason I hated your mother so much and the real reason I treated you the way I did, and I…I…I just think it's time." she took another deep breath. Harry could tell it was hard for her to say what she was about to say.

"It's time for me to tell you about Violet."