Coming Out

April of 1997

"Dad, It's not fair." Harry Potter lamented to his father one Saturday in April. The father and son duo were currently waiting for their wife or mother, Lily Potter to get home from her job as Healer at St. Mungo's before sitting down to dinner.

"What's not fair, son?" his dad asked him concerned. He knew his son was usually not a dramatic teenager and was wondering why he was being one now.

"Why don't I get to be gay?"

"I'm confused, what are you talking about. You are gay, Harry." James told his teenage son who had just came out to his parents two weeks.

"Dad, pay attention!" Harry told his father whilst glaring at him.

"Okay." James spoke putting his hands up in the air defensively.

"Remember how I told you how I was going to come out to my friends." Harry asked.

"Yes." James nodded his head slowly still not getting the point his son was trying to make.

"Well, I did."

"Continue, how did it go?" James asked him eagerly.

"Hermione named all of the books that she could think of on the LGBTQ community both wizard and muggle. She then went off to the library to look for them and right now she is making a list of the books I should read starting with what would be the most helpful and the easiest since she knows I'm not on reading for any purpose." Harry grinned in remembrance at his brightest best friend's reaction.

"Somehow I'm not surprised that was her reaction, it sounds like something she would say. What about the rest of them though?" James questioned his son

"Dean and Seamus are going to set me up with their ex-boyfriends. Although I'm not quite sure if I actually want to do that."

"Would this have anything to do with a certain blond boy you like but pretend not to?" James teased his son.

"How do you know about that?" Harry asked.

"Son, you are not exactly subtle." James answered smirking.

"Nobody else has noticed." Harry said.

"That may be but that's probably because they didn't raise you. I know when you're lying and covering up for something. They also didn't have your mother pointing it out to them."

"Of course, mom told you. I should have known; I can't hide anything from her."

"Nope, it's a curse we both have to live with. Now go ahead and finish telling me about your friend's reaction." James encouraged his son.

"Well, Luna just said that she knew all along and that's why the Nargles were always after me."

"Nargles," his dad asked confusedly.

"Little fairy like creatures usually found in mistletoe. I don't quite understand it though so please don't ask me." Harry said.

"Okay then."

"Ginny wrote her brother Charlie's muggle phone number and floo address adown for me. She told me to contact him anytime I needed to talk about being gay or simply needed to talk to someone who knows what I'm going through. Neville just simply said patted me on my back and said whoever you like is fine with me."

"Now, that's a friend." his father told him.

"I know." Harry said blinking away the tears coming to his eyes. He had wonderful supportive friends and parents.

"Harry, you have great friends. It sounded like all of your best friends support you." his father said.

"Yes except one."

"Ron. How did he react?" his dad asked.

"He told me I couldn't be gay." Harry answered as tears began to form on his face.

"Did he explain himself?"

"Yes. He said that there's nothing wrong with being gay or loving whoever you want. It was just I couldn't be gay. Apparantely the vanquisher of the Dark Lord, the boy who lived, and the Savior of the Wizarding world can't be gay." Harry lamented to his father who was starting to get angry at his son's words.

"Harry, you can be whoever and love whoever you want. NO ONE can and will stop you. As long as if I still have breath in me. I already know your mom, your godfather and Uncle Remus will also agree with me on that. Let no stupid words like that stop you from being yourself."

"I love you, dad." Harry told his father giving him a hug whilst crying.

"One more thing though before you go upstairs and wipe your eyes before your mother gets home and she thinks I was beating you or something. Son, Ron is your best friend and he has been since you were born. Just give him some time to cool down and you to and I guarantee you, he will apologize."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked while trying to stop sobbing.

"When Sirius first came out to me, I said some really hurtful things to him. I told him that he couldn't be bi because I didn't want him to get hurt so I begged him not to tell anyone. I had to realize that Sirius had to be himself and it was my job as his best friend to stand beside him and fight with him, not for him. I may have instantly regretted it the moment after I said it but it still took us six months to get our friendship back to the way it was. I don't want something like that to happen to you and Ron. We may be best friends and as close as brothers but that stupid mistake I made still sometimes hangs over us to this day." James told his son with tears now coming to his own eyes as he continued to hold his son wishing he could just shield him from everything bad in the world but knowing there were some things he had to face on his own.