Chapter 2 – First Day On The Job

As the first chimes from the desktop clock brayed, Lily Potter's first instinct was to pull the covers over her head tighter. I still have time.

Sensing her reluctance to rise, the chimes increased in volume. Lily shut her eyes and mumbled wordlessly, trying without success to jinx the clock without benefit of a wand. You can't make me get out of bed!

The stubborn clock refused to give up. It clanged, bonged, and made a noise akin to a hundred flutes each screeching a different note. Steam poured from its sides as it began bouncing up and down on the table.

"All right, you demon," she sighed. Pulling the covers off, she brushed a strand of dark auburn hair clear of her eyes and reached for her wand. With a tap on the head, the clock instantly fell silent. Now Lily got up and walked towards the bathroom. Involuntarily she began to hop, as the floor was very cold.

Washing her face clean, Lily stared into the mirror. A long lean face, mouth hanging slightly open, stared back. Her shoulder-length hair was twisted and tangled. She laughed softly: "You're not going to impress looking like that!" Taking her wand, she twirled it over her head, which put her hair into a much neater affair, and brought some color to her somewhat pale cheeks.

Now presentable, she rummaged her closet for the proper attire. Lily chose a dark brown business set, a smooth combination of robes and Muggle-style dress that was in fashion these days. Slipping on some sandals, she picked up her Reporter's Codex and pocketed her wand. Before leaving her bedroom, she paused.

Maybe I can sneak out the window, Lily mused. No doubt the rest of the family was waiting downstairs to see her off, but she hated the idea of drawing attention to herself. Unfortunately, the sudden call of her mother foreclosed that option.

"Lily! Breakfast's ready!" She said nothing, a satisfying if childish act of defiance. Then she yelled again: "We're all waiting!"

And that's that. "Coming," she replied, as she went downstairs.

Walking into the dining room, a veritable cornucopia of food worthy of the feasts at Hogwarts was arrayed before her, as did her parents and brothers. Appreciatively, she said: "Thanks Mum, but you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Her mother looked at her bemusedly. "That's what I said to them, but they would hear nothing of it."

Lily's mouth fell open in amazement as she sat down. "Since when did you guys learn to cook?"

"You'd be surprised at our hidden talents," James replied as he began eating.

"The pleasure's ours," her dad said, his voice muffled with a mouth full of sausages.

"Can't start nosing into other people's business on an empty stomach," Albus said with a wink.

Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed some toast. Ginny Potter said sharply: "Albus!"

"Just kidding," he mumbled quickly. He had an impish grin on his face, which she could tell meant that he was joking. A good thing, because sometimes I wonder—

"So do you know what your first assignment is?" James asked conversationally.

"Not exactly," Lily replied. "It's a relatively new publication, but Mr. Albertsworth has big plans, so I'm sure it'll be for the public's interest."

"Who knows, maybe he'll send you after Dad," James said wryly.

"If so, I don't stand a chance," her dad said with a smile, pushing up his glasses as bent over and ate some cereal.

Ribbing from Albus Lily was used to, and could handle, but James' words seemed out of character. To her, it was almost a challenge, causing her to well up within. Without showing anything, she said calmly: "I'm sure our readers will love to know about what's going on in the magical herbs business," she said flatly. "You never know who's putting what into the soil these days. Didn't some witches recently get some shriveled hands from a bad batch of gobbleroot? Why would that happen?"

Now Albus' mouth fell open in mid-bite. James looked stricken, which suggested he might have been joking after all. But she wouldn't back down. "I know perfectly well what you all think about what I'm doing," she said forcefully. "You don't have to worry, I know perfectly well what my responsibilities are as a reporter." Getting up, she added: "Have a good day, everyone," as she began to head for the front door.

Her mother said nothing, perhaps understanding now was not a good time to criticize. Both her brothers got up in protest, apologetic, but she had nothing to say to them.

"Lily, wait. We're sorry."

She froze in mid-step. Turning, she faced her dad, Harry Potter, who had stood up as well.

"What did you do, Dad?" she said.

Smiling, he said: "Maybe nothing. But I know you still think we all disapprove of your career choice. We don't—well, I don't. We're just concerned that you do well."

Her anger faded, replaced by a desire to engage him, as she so often had done in the past. "No concerns at all?"

He shook his head, sending his long, grey-flecked black hair waving about. "Your job is one of the most important of all. Nothing is more important than telling the truth; after all, if your colleagues had done that before…"

Shrugging, his voice faded, and everyone was silent. Her mother then said: "Just make the right choice, Lily," as she came up to her. "We trust you, but a reminder never hurts."

Finally the tightness in her chest lifted. "Thanks, Mum." They hugged, and soon she was surrounded by everyone hugging her.

"No hard feelings, Sis," James said with a smile.

"Leave no stone unturned," Albus said, rubbing her head. "Just so you know, the robes business is completely on-the-up."

"Thanks all. Okay, thanks, I need to go now!" Gently she wiggled free. "Don't you all have to go to work soon, too?"

"No worries," her dad said.

"Bye." Waving, she exited the front door and Apparated away.

Surrounded by many passing wizards and witches walking about on Diagon Alley, Lily made her way to the doors of The Wizarding Weekly. As she entered the lobby, a large balding man with a long grey mustache was standing in front of her.

"Morning, Miss Potter!" boomed Thaddeus Albertsworth, the prideful but skilled Chief Editor of The Wizarding Weekly.

"Good morning, Mister Albertsworth," she said energetically. "Where do I start?"

"Just what I wanted to hear," he said. "Come, follow me." With a come-hither gesture, he turned and walked away. Lily followed after him, looking left and right at the various people scribbling away on long scrolls.

"How is this, Sir?" a young goblin said, holding up a parchment with the afternoon news update.

Stopping, he peered down, running his index finger silently over the page. "Change the headline to 'Gold Market Collapsing?', 'Falling' is too weak. And use the other picture of Mrs. Ranzit, the one with the feathered hat. Otherwise it's good. Good work, Lantek!"

"Thank you, sir," the goblin said, waddling away. She followed him up a flight of stairs and into his office, a large room filled with scrolls of every length lying about. A portrait of Elisha Macaroy, a famous editor of The Daily Prophet and the mentor of her boss, looked down with a sere expression.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. Lily sat.

"So," he said breezily, wheezing a bit. "How's the family?"

"They're all fine," she said easily. "My younger brother's come up with a new set of designer robes that he says will be a smash hit this fall."

"How about your other brother—Albus, is it?"

"James," she corrected, "my older brother. He's fine, too, although I don't know how much longer he wants to stay in the farming trade. Some of his Handtrees attacked his employees a while ago, and they're still trying to settle things."

"And your mum?"

Lily sighed. "Getting ready for Quidditch pre-season." Before he could say anything, she said: "My dad's doing well, too, good health, sound mind. Sometimes he makes noises about retiring from the Ministry, but none of us believe it."

"What do you think?"

She smiled. "I think I've talked enough about my family. Don't you?"

He nodded sagely. "I didn't mean to pry, Miss Potter. The point is, a reporter has to be observant, and your own inner circle is a good place as any to exercise one's powers of observation."

Lily frowned. "Do you suggest to all your reporters to spy on their loved ones?"

"No, but you always have to keep your eyes open. I'm sure that's nothing new to you, yes?"

"Nothing new," she repeated. Inside she winced, for she was indeed a careful observer and listener of her family. He must have seen that in me. That, or he wants a Potter in his hat. He wouldn't be the first; far from it.

"Very well, to business," he said brusquely. "What beat do you want to be on?"

Finally! "I would like to help cover Ministry affairs," she said immediately. "I know you may have questions about whether I may have any conflicts of interest, with my dad, uncle, and aunt-in-law working for the Ministry of Magic, but I can assure you—"

"No," he interrupted her, holding up a massive hand. "I have more than enough reporters covering the Ministry beat. I had something else in mind."

"Such as?"

"I want you to start out in the Entertainment Division." She stared blankly. "Your first assignment is to do some investigative work on one Marla Parkinson. Do you know who she is?"

"No," she said tightly, even though she knew perfectly well who she was.

"Well, she's a famous magical model, very beautiful, your brother would know all about her."

Lily bit her lip, itching to tell him what she really thought. "Besides being attractive and very well-dressed, what exactly has she done that is newsworthy?"

"Well, our readers would like to know more about her, she's being considered for a role in the conjuredrama of The Warlock's Hairy Heart. She's avoided all contact with the press lately, and people want to know what's going on."

Lily did her best not to lose her temper; she was a calmer witch than her mother, but when provoked she could explode with the best of them. "I think personal affairs are not the concern of the general public, but I might be old-fashioned. Why do you think differently?"

"I'm not asking you to dig into her privacy, but entertainment is a serious business these days." He grimaced. "It's a strange thing, I admit, something of a contamination from the Muggles if you ask me, but reality is what it is."

Lily sighed. When Albus learns about this, I'll never hear the end of it. 'Public interest' indeed! Of course, she could simply quit, and pick up a freelance writing job, but chances were, any other publisher would rather she write a tell-tale book about her family than anything she wrote about the news of the day.

"Am I going to have to chase stories about the affairs of famous witches and wizards for the rest of my career?" she asked wearily. "Or will I ever have a chance to do something more important?"

Albertsworth's eyes narrowed. "Miss Potter, I know very well you do not want to receive special treatment because of your background. Understand that the wand works both ways," he said coolly. "You must prove yourself from the beginning, just as every young witch and wizard starting off their adult lives. What I ask of you is no different than what I would have asked any young reporter in your steed."

Suddenly she felt chastened. "I'm sorry, Sir, you're correct."

A smile came back to his face. "Very good. And yes, I do promise to assign you to areas more according to your interest in the future. But we can't always have what we want, and sometimes we must do what is required first, no matter how unpleasant."

"All right, where do I begin?"

He got up, rummaged through some scrolls on his desk, then pulled out a tightly-rolled one tied together with a red ribbon. "Here is some background information. Lily, normally I would ask you to do some investigative reporting for an article, but given your talents and background, I think it's very possible for you to get an interview with Miss Parkinson straightaway. See if you can arrange that first."

She opened the scroll and began reading it. "All right, I'll get started."

"Very good! This article is not time-sensitive; you have until the end of the month to finish it, unless current events require."

"I understand. Good-bye, Mister Albertsworth."

"Good hunting, Potter." She left the room.

Lily Potter left the Wizarding Weekly building to get lunch. She was still a little upset and disappointed with the mundane nature of her first assignment, but Albertsworth's words still echoed in her ears. I'll do this, this time, but that's it. No matter what was required or expected, however, there were things she would not do. I will never be like—

—There was a small pop, and a woman suddenly appeared alongside her.

"Morning, Miss Potter. Care for a little chat?" For a moment, Lily didn't know who the middle-aged woman was. She had wispy blonde hair, unusual glasses—

—Then it hit her. "You!"

"Me." Rita Skinner grinned. "How's the family?"

"None of your business," she said curtly, walking past her. Skeeter hurried to stay alongside her.

"Come on, Lily, I know you're a reporter now, I can give you some pointers, teach you all my tricks. You're just starting off, you're going to need a mentor."

"If I want to be a nosy, unethical, prevaricating busybody, who's willing to lie to curry favor with those in power, I'll contact you. Until then, leave me be."

Skeeter grabbed her arm. "Come on, give me a chance! I admit, I may have gotten a few details wrong, but I got a lot right, too! We could be great together, your youthful energy plus my experience—"

"This is your last warning. Let go of me or else!"

"Don't you want to know the whole truth?" Her face became an ugly sneer. "You should know, your father hasn't told you everything—"

Pulling out her wand, Lily screamed: "INJUNCTIVUS!" There was a sudden flash, and Rita Skeeter was hurled thirty feet away, landing on the other side of the street. Numerous people in the area turned to see what was going on.

Lily kept walking. Behind her, Skeeter had transformed into a bug and was flying after her, but when she got within ten feet, there was another bang, and this time Skeeter was nowhere to be seen. Lily grinned wolfishly. Sometimes being a daughter of the head of the Auror Office—and the man who defeated the Dark One—has its privileges. If Skeeter tried to get close to Lily one more time, the Injunctivus Curse placed on her twenty years ago, as punishment for her harassment of the Potter family and slander of Dumbledore, would Apparate her straight to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Then she'll have to deal with Aunt Hermione!

Feeling better than she had for a long time, Lily made her way to a local lunch shoppe. Over a hearty stew, she began reading and planning how to attack her assignment.