Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.

The Pride Parade

"Where are you going?"

Rose Granger-Weasley froze, her hand hovering over the Floo powder bowl. Not now. Please not now, she thought. I was almost out of here! Well, there was no way out of this now. She had promised Al and Scorpius that if she got stopped, she would be honest with that person. No matter what they asked her, she would tell the truth. It was about time, after all. She turned around and plastered a smile on her face.

"Hey, Mum," she said, drawing out the words slightly. It was a bad habit she had when she was nervous. "I didn't know you were still home. I thought you and Dad went to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's place."

"We did," her mother replied. "Your father's still there."

Rose frowned. The way her mother spoke was a little unsettling; it was as if she was anxious. Unsure of what to say, they both stood awkwardly in the kitchen and stared at one another. The silence was painful.

"Mum, I—"

"Honey, are you—"

They spoke at the same time. Rose stopped midsentence in a panic. Am I what? Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mouth was dry. What was she going to ask? She coughed, trying to clear her throat.

"What?"

Rose's voice was a squeak. Her mother was already shaking her head.

"No," she replied wearily, "I think it might be best if you go first, Rose."

Rose didn't want to, but she had made a promise—and she always kept her promises.

"I will, Mum. I promise," she said. Her voice sounded surprisingly stronger than she felt. "I need to know that you will remain calm and responsible, though." She quickly tacked the last bit on the end.

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "I'm not your father, dear," she chided gently. "I think I can keep my emotions in check. Where are you going?"

There it was: the earlier question. The question she both wanted to avoid and also desperately answer. She took a breath.

"I'm going to the Muggle Pride Parade in London." The words jumbled together and left her tongue-tied.

"Are you going with anyone?"

She narrowed her eyes at her mother's question. It was far too pointed to not be specifically asked. Her mother—the great Hermione Granger-Weasley—was clever, but bad at hiding the fact that she knew information that someone else did not.

"Why do you ask?"

The words barely left her mouth when the fireplace roared to life and her father stepped out of the Floo, followed by Al and Scorpius. All three of them had varying degrees of stunned expressions on their faces.

"Well, that was something," Al said in a distracted tone. Scorpius mutely nodded before turning to Rose.

"Do they know?" she asked hesitantly. Al nodded.

"Yeah." Scorpius was the one to respond. "Dad took it really well, surprisingly. Did you tell them yet?"

Al hit his shoulder. "When would she have had time to say something to either one of them?" he asked dryly.

The two wizards devolved into a quiet but good-natured argument. Rose ignored them; it was familiar territory.

"Mum, Dad," she said, both her parents looking at her expectedly, "I'm just going to jump right in and say it. I'm pansexual, and I'm going to the Pride Parade with my gay cousin and his bisexual boyfriend."

Rose closed her eyes and waited for the hammer to fall, but it never did. Instead, she felt two sets of loving arms wrap around her in huge hugs. She opened her eyes to see that her mother and father were crying, but also had smiles on their faces.

"Uh, are you guys alright?" she asked, while awkwardly patting them on the back.

"We love you so much!" her mother proclaimed tearfully while hugging her tighter. "We are so proud of you."

"Uh huh," Rose said eloquently. Al snickered in the background.

Suddenly, her father let go and summoned a white bedsheet from the linen closet. A quick wave of his wand had it transforming into a shimmering rainbow flag. He handed it to her.

"Something for the parade," he said with a smile. "You guys have fun! And be safe!"

Rose felt her throat clench and tears streamed down her face. During all of the anxious nights she had spent wondering about her coming out—imagining what people would say and dreaming of the worst case situations—she had never fantasized about this. It was the best case scenario she was too scared to hope for.

With shaking hands, she took the flag from her father and held it tight against her chest. She could sort through all of the emotions later. It was time to go be herself and have fun.

Prompt (Pride Month — The Golden Snitch): (object) rainbow flag

Word count (not including title and author's notes): 800