Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition round 10. The challenge for this round was for each team to pick a character that represents them and write about them. The prompt for Chaser 2 was to write about a platonic relationship for that character. The Kenmare Kestrals chose Minerva McGonagall. My optional prompts were: Sentence: S/he tried to remember who had talked him/her into this, Harmony, & "Every fairytale needs a good old fashion villain." ― James Moriarty, Sherlock. Enjoy!
The Halloween Party
Professor McGonagall was the last person you'd expect to find preparing for a party. In fact, Professor McGonagall was known to frown upon the idea of any frivolous get-together because it simply created the opportunity for her students to misbehave. And yet, there she was, overseeing the decoration of the Gryffindor House common room for a Halloween party that would take place later that evening. "No, no, no!" she scolded a suit of armor that had been enchanted to help. "The tables are to be set up over there by the windows so the students still have access to the fire!" she explained.
As she watched at least a dozen suits of armor setting up tables, chairs, and other various decorations, she tried to remember who had talked her into this. The meeting had been held in her office several months ago…
Minerva looked up from the pile of first year Transfiguration essays as she heard a knock on her office door. "Come in!" she called, straightening her back and glasses as the door swung open. Whoever she had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been her.
"Lily, dear!" she cried with a genuine smile gracing her lips. "How lovely to see you; do come in!"
Lily Evans nee Potter smiled as she closed the door and crossed the room to give her old professor a well-deserved embrace. "How are you, Minerva?" she asked fondly as she sat down in the chair facing McGonagall.
Minerva sighed as she glanced around at her papers. "Busy," she said finally. "The students always seem to get restless this time of year. How are things with you, dear?" she asked with another wry smile. "How are James and your son?"
"James is lovely," Lily chuckled. "He told me to send his love. I offered to bring him and Harry along, but James said something about still being afraid of you."
"As well he should be," Minerva laughed. "That boy…oh my…and now there will be another one! I do hope he picks up on your habits, Lily."
"I wish I could say he was," Lily laughed. "But he is so like his father at times I swear…perhaps that's why I insist on having Harry with me when I go out: to try and rub off on him."
Minerva laughed with her before falling silent for a moment. "Now, what can I do for you, Lily?" she asked.
"Well, Minerva, I heard you were canceling the Halloween party this year," Lily admitted.
"Ah yes, well, it's true," Minerva said simply. "There were no parents willing to fund it or attend it, and I certainly cannot do it on my own, nor do I have any wish to."
"Oh but why?" Lily asked. "I remember that party from when I was here! It was the perfect distraction from school work at just the right time. You mentioned that the students always get distracted right around now; well, the party used to take care of that. I remember my last year here when James and I went together as King Arthur and Guinevere…it was so lovely. At least, it was right up until Sirius showed up as Lancelot, and the two of them started a sword fight in the middle of the common room."
Minerva shook her head and smiled; leave it to those two boys to come up with something like that. "Still, you know how I feel about frivolity, Lily," she pressed. "I simply have no tolerance for it unless it is properly structured."
"What if you had a parent willing to help?" Lily suggested. "I would be happy to help with the decorations and set up despite the fact I have no children here yet."
"Lily, dear, you were always too generous, but I don't know…" Minerva trailed off.
"Oh come on, Minerva," Lily insisted. "You know the students love it, and I'll do the set up and clean up. I'll even chaperone if you need me to, just please have the party."
Minerva sighed and smiled indulgently at Lily. "Alright then…you did always have a way with getting what you wanted, dear. I'll schedule the party."
Lily beamed. "Thank you, Minerva. I'll take care of everything else!" With that, she waved and left the office.
Shaking her head and chuckling, Minerva smiled to herself. Lily had always been one of her favorites while she was in school, and once she had left, the two of them had remained in contact and had developed a friendship well beyond most of her students. It was small wonder she had relented and allowed the party simply because Lily had asked.
During her musings, the portrait hole had opened to reveal Lily already dressed as Morgana Le Fe and carrying a box full of decorations under her arm. "Here I am!" she called. "Sorry I'm late," she added when she was next to Minerva. "I couldn't get Harry to finish eating, and James wasn't helping much."
"I understand," Minerva smiled. "All I got done was the general set up, so you aren't late."
Lily grinned and began to charm her decorations all over the room until the small space positively glowed orange and purple and black. Enchanted grinning pumpkins gleamed at the windows whileenchanted bats flew lazily across the ceiling. Streamers that had been charmed slowly spun down from the ceiling in shades of purple and black blended in harmony. Minerva nodded approvingly as the common room slowly became the perfect party space.
With a last flick of her wand, Lily turned to smile at Minerva as though waiting for the final approval. "It's perfect, Lily," Minerva praised. "I'm sure the students will love it. May I ask one question: why did you choose to dress as Morgana Le Fe?"
Lily chuckled. "Why, every fairytale needs a good old fashion villain," she quipped with a smile.
Minerva shook her head at the wit of her former student.
The party was a tremendous success. Not one student could find one thing to gripe about from the decorations to the food to the music. And to Minerva's relief, there had been no behavioral problems whatsoever. When all the students had been herded off to bed, she turned to Lily was a tired expression. "Thank you for everything, dear."
"It was my pleasure, Minerva," Lily replied genuinely. "I wish I could stay longer, but I promised James I'd be home in time to help put Harry to bed. Merlin knows what those two have done to the house by now."
Minerva laughed and hugged her fondly. "Be safe, Lily," she advised softly.
"I will," Lily replied solemnly. "We will come through this, Minerva. I promise, you will teach Harry when he comes here in ten years."
"I pray you are right, dear," Minerva replied.
With a wave and a smile, Lily disappeared through the portrait hole.
That was the last time Minerva McGonagall saw Lily Potter. The day following the party, she sat as a cat upon a muggle wall waiting for Professor Dumbledore to tell her the rumors were false; there was no way that Lily and James had died the night before. However, Dumbledore brought no such tale. Lily Potter had died at the hands of Lord Voldemort shielding her son from his wrath.
Ten years later, Professor McGonagall led a line of first years up to the front of the Great Hall to be sorted. As Harry Potter climbed the stairs and sat upon the stool, Minerva raised her eyes to the ceiling and smiled through a tear. She had not held a Halloween party since that night, but Lily's promise had come true: Minerva would indeed be teaching Lily's son afterall.