Chapter Eight
January 1979
"Good, Mr.Lupin, I'm glad you showed up. I'd like to ask you something. You know Lily Evans?"
"Yes Professor"
"Well, she's been falling really behind in ALL her classes. I know she's a good student, it's just that she doesn't seem to WANT to do well. I was hoping that you'd be her tutor. I know it's a lot to ask…"
"Oh, well," Remus paused. "You know, with my, um, illness…"
"That can be worked around."
"Alright, if that's so, I'd be glad to be her tutor."
"That great. Now here's where I was thinking you should start…"
Four days later Lily awoke to the quiet twittering of birds. Yawning she stretched her arms above her head and smiled. This was her favorite time of day, when you could watch the sun rise in the sleepy silence of the morning. Rising she slowly went about her normal routine and was soon seated on her bed in uniform, french braiding her hair as she gazed thoughtfully at the salmon-colored horizon. Today was Friday, and after dinner her tutor would be waiting in the unused classroom on the charms corridor, it was the one across the large portrait of Sir. Zarknoff, a muggle knight who was quite famous for his knowledge of herbs and thought to be the teacher of Helga Hufflepuff herself (Helga was quite gifted in Herbology and Potion making). Drawing her mind away from the random history she'd picked up during her third History of Magic Lesson, Lily reached under her bed to pull out the Transfiguration, History and Potions book to place over her skates. Swinging her heavy bag over her shoulder she headed down to the Great Hall wondering what was for breakfast.
Clutching a large napkin of toast in her hands, Lily jogged up the stairs to her ice rink. A passing Ravenclaw prefect looked at her disaprovingly, but said nothing. On the sixth floor she came across Filtch who was polishing a large statue of armor. They locked eyes and he glared. She smiled at him. Eyeing her suspiciously he watched her until she was out of sight. Finally at her rink she quickly strode the three wall lengths and entered through the door. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and went to change into her leotard. She couldn't wait to get started. Today was the review day of everything she'd learned so far. If she managed this she might get to start working on a dance, a real dance! Grinning she stepped onto the ice, today she was going to fly!
Lunch came and went without Lily noticing. Around three o' clock she was panting over at the card table, pouring herself a glass of water from the jug that always seemed to appear whenever she was thirsty. A grilled cheese sandwich was also there today. Smiling in amazement she ate it while looking over her card. It often added coach-like comments along the edges. At the moment it was telling her to keep her head up and shoulders back more consistently. Like in any dance, posture was extremely important on the ice.
'You lean forward on the leaps. Don't aim for distance, aim for height. Try to hit your head on the celling.'
Nodding to herself Lily finished off the sandwich and got back on the ice. Warming back up she practiced posture as she went through some basic routines. Soon she was back in the swing of things, stopping every once in a while to look back at the card for more advice. Lily was almost done with the card when the dinner bell rang. She wasn't particularly hungry, and she only had a little bit more to do! Slightly angry with herself for the breaks she had taken during the day, she pushed on keeping a wary eye on the time so she wouldn't miss her tutoring session. McGonagal would be furious.
Almost there, in about five minutes Lily would have to start getting ready, but she was almost done with the card! Just that one jump, and she'd been working on it all week. She had gotten it only last night, it should be simple. Minutes passed and Lily knew she almost had it. The card was still telling her to get her posture straighter on the complicated leap. Deciding to shorten her shower Lily kept going. Soon the card comments switched to tell her her arms were too stiff. The Charms corridor really wasn't that far away, she could spare a few more minutes. The comments were getting more and more picky and Lily knew she'd almost gotten it. She'd keep at it until she won. What did a few minutes late matter anyways? She often skipped whole class periods. The tutor wouldn't mind.
Fifteen minutes later and significantly late Lily had mastered her jump. Grinning like a maniac she began her cool down. Lily was drenched in sweat. She couldn't go any where without a shower! Deciding a five-minute shower really couldn't hurt too much as she was already almost a half hour late, Lily hurried into the changing room.
The hot water felt so good on her tired body. Soon the five-minutes became fifteen. Once Lily stepped out of the shower and wiped the fog off the clock she knew it really wasn't worth it to go to the lesson any ways. It would be over by the time she got there. Feeling a bit apologetic, Lily shrugged the negative feelings from her mind. How mad could McGonagal get?
'I know school is important, and really, I did try and make the tutoring lesson today. It's just, I need a little more time to work on skating. Once I get better I'll have more time for school.' But would she ever be satisfied with anything less than perfection?
Scowling angrily Remus Lupin stormed into the common room and over to the side table where his friends sat. James looked from their game of chess up as he approached, Sirius swiveling around on his stool. Peter was immersed in his book. "Hey, Remus, what's wrong?"
"That - that JERK set me up! She promised McGonagal that she'd be there but oh no! She'd rather do what ever the bloody hell she does when she skips class than come and spare me the time of day. I am so - so ANGRY!" he fumed, nearly shaking with rage. "So there I am, sitting in the freezing cold class room, waiting so I decide to experiment with those frickin' warming spells and I mess up, so Flitwich comes in and LAUGHS at me for making a mistake attempting to warm myself up because I'm freezing cold, sitting in a bloody ice box waiting for that jerk to appear!"
James, Sirius and even Peter, having looked up from his book at the noise, stare at him. "Remus, you just swore. A lot." Sirius informed him. Remus glared. James and Sirius glanced at each other, mischievous smiles on their faces. Still glaring Remus sat down next to Peter.
"You have no sympathy." Remus sighed, his anger already gone. "So, how far are you guys on the History essay?"
"Miss. Evans!" barked Professor McGonagal, striding angrily towards her seat at the Gryffindor table. "Detention! Be in my office at 8 o' clock sharp on Monday! If you don't come this will go strait to the headmaster!" The kids around her stared, Lily blushed. Picking up her bag she decided she was done with breakfast. The heavy weight of her skates comforted her as she exited the staring hall. She had the whole weekend to skate, so if she worked hard enough she could probably cut back a few hours on some of the week days. Speedily she strode to her ice rink, her smile widening with every step.
Monday came far too soon for Lily's liking. Bleary eyed Lily stumbled around the dorm getting dressed and looking for her books. She'd spent twenty eight hours in her rink room and had not managed to change the card. It had been a review day, and the picky room was just not satisfied. But, underneath her annoyance, Lily new that the hard work would pay off. She would be amazing - someday.
In the end, Lily tripped down the stairs without a shoe, her tie in a jumbled knot and her hair unbrushed. Dazedly she stumbled through a group of four boys, not even noticing their cries of protest. Yawning, she tripped exiting the portrait hole, and lay on the ground a full minute, cursing her sore body. Catching sight of a clock on the way down to breakfast Lily switched directions. It wouldn't do to be late to Charms with McGonagal in such a foul mood.
Lily made it to class just in time. Snagging a middle-row seat, she thumped her books to the ground and went to pull out her Charms book. However, it was not there. And as she slowly began to wake up, she realized her left shoe was missing too, and that her tie wasn't nice, nor was her hair in any fashion proper for public viewing. Groaning, Lily put her head on her desk and tried to pretend she was still in bed, wonderfully comfortable, and well rested. Professor Flitwick would have none of that however. With a flourish of purple sparks his wand emittted an awakening fog horn noise, and Lily pulled her head up. Class had begun.
It was a horrid class, Lily decided not five minutes into the lesson. Professor Flitwick, perched upon his massive pile of books, was jabbering on and on in a squeaky little voice about spells and theories Lily had never heard of in her life. Then again, she had skipped the last five Charms classes, so that's probably why. Opening her book, Lily decided she ought to skim a bit of the chapters she was supposed to have read to get an idea of what he was talking about.
"Miss. Evans," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Please pay attention while I am talking, or I must ask you to demonstrate." Scowling Lily shut her book, crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. Whatever he had to say, it wasn't worth her time. As he lectured, Lily's mind quickly wandered back to the rink. She needed to pass that card. It was only a review for Pete's sake! She should be able to master it easily! But she knew the card was right, it was always right. Her jumps were not graceful enough her turns not percise enough, her movement not fluid enough. She would do it though, she'd pass the card if she had to drop school completely! Then again, she needed the school to use the rink.
BONG! The Hogwarts bell woke Lily from her thoughful daze, and with the rest of the class she stood up and left, heading with the Gryffindors to History of Magic. Once inside the class Lily lay her head on her bag and fell asleep, she didn't even care if she snored.
At eight o' clock sharp Lily was sitting down in a chair before Professor McGonagal's desk. She had attended every class durring the day and wasn't sure what to expect from her head of house. "Miss Evans," she began abruptly. "I told you to meet your tutor on Friday, in room 523 at 8 o' clock, correct?" Lily nodded. "You knew this, and yet you did not feel it your responsibility to be there, on time and ready to learn?" Lily didn't respond. McGonagal scowled. "I am very displeased with you. I have treated you with respect and have not put childish restrictions on you but you have shown that it is nessicary. You have skipped far too many classes, and your grades are far from acceptable. From here on out you are going to be a modle student, understand? You will attend every class, you will turn in all your work, and you will be at every tutoring session on time. If you are late to any class, skip any class, fail to turn in an assignment or meet with your tutor, you will serve a week of detention with me. Do you understand?" Her voice was dangerously sharp and Lily felt herself nodding her head rather fervishly. She stopped immediatly.
"Good. For you detention tonight I need the gum scraped from beneath the desks, the rats need fed, and I have essays that need to be filed. Here, use this putty knife to get off the gum." Scowling, Lily took the offered implement and walked to the nearest desk.
Drooble's Best Blowing gum was not made to come off of desks, Lily quickly decided. The sticky pink substance clung so stubbornly to the wood that it was only when the last clinging strand was wrestled free, that the goopy glob could be removed. So, understandibly, it was nearly two hours of aching labor (her knees, already sore from falling and over-practice, were killing her for kneeling on the floor, and her arms were unused to so much pulling, yanking, twisting, and prying) that she was able to stand before McGonagal and ask where the rats were kept.
It well past Midnight when Lily finally began trudging up to the Gryffindor common room, Professor McGonagal's hall pass note clutched in her tired hand. "Whangdoodle," she told the fat Lady.
"What are you doing up so late?!" she squaked.
"Detention," Lily muttered, waving the crinkled note in her face. The Fat Lady pursed her lips, but let Lily without further complaint. The stairs to the dorm looked far to long. Instead Lily curled up on the couch before the fire, and swiftly fell asleep.
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