A/N Okay, first I want to thank everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. You guys ROCK! Second, I'm writing this chapter before I see the movie again, since I got complaints about the last chapter being to true to the movie. I admit that some parts were pretty much word for word, but I didn't think it was that bad. So I'm going to write this chapter the way I wrote Chapter 1, by having no idea if this happened in the movie or not! I hope you guys enjoy this, and I'm pretty sure that there is one more chapter left to this story..we'll see.
Thirdly (that was a long 'secondly') I'm thinking of doing another parody, but this time to Big Daddy. I love that movie!! Anyway, I'm not sure if I want to do it a Lily/James or Ron/Hermione. What do you guys think? Just review your suggestions or e-mail it to me, but make the subject something related to fanfics so I don't delete it.
Fourthly, for those of you who saw the movie, this chapter will pretty much be jumping around the place, but I'll make it work.
Fifthly...ENJOY!!
Chapter 8: Meet the Parents
James walked into the Great Hall the next day wearing his old, grungy clothes and his normal glasses. He looked around the Gryffindor table and saw Lily staring straight ahead. He quickly went over to her.
"Hey, Lily," he said. Lily gave him a small smile and went back to her staring. "Lily, look I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."
"James, it's no big deal," said Lily, softly. "We both got what we wanted. Barty is about to ask me to the Ball and Daphne is...well, she's acting normal towards you, though I don't think normal is a word to be associated with her." She gave a small laugh at her own joke.
"But still Lily," he started again, but was interrupted when Professor Dumbledore stood up and motioned for silence.
"As I'm sure you all know, The Founder's Day Ball will be held this Saturday." Several people cheered while others who knew what was coming, groaned. (A/N Since I have to sense of time while writing this story let's say today is Tuesday). "This means that this afternoon we will be expecting the arrival of your parents." Now everyone groaned. "And because Professor Kane here said that he doesn't trust the fact that you all told your parents about this important event," some kids were looking at Professor Kane with new found hatred, including Peter, Sirius, James, and Remus who 'forgot' to tell their own parents. (Partly because of what happens when all of the parents get together.) "I personally made sure that all your parents were sent an invitation..."
"That's perfect," hissed Sirius, a few seats down from James, "they won't be able to get here in time." Many murmurs of relief were heard throughout the Hall before Dumbledore continued.
"...last week. So you don't have to worry about your parents not making it on time." He gave a huge smile and sat down, while Professor Kane gave a low, maniacal laugh.
"Jerk," muttered James. He was about to tell Lily something else, when once again he was interrupted by the aforementioned jerk.
"Now, that we know your parents are going to show up," he said with a wicked smile, "we are going to need you delinquents," Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat, "I mean, we are going to need you students to be on your best behavior. That means no pranks, no parties, no contraband, no Mysterious Letter!" He looked around the Hall, making sure everyone got his point. "We don't need your parents thinking that their darling little angels are in school causing their teachers HEARTBURN and doing absolutely NOTHING but making me wish voodoo was real!" (A/N does this remind anyone else of that maniac teacher from Daria?) Everyone was quiet, staring at him like he had grown an extra head.
"I think he finally lost it," said Peter in a loud whisper. The Great Hall burst into laughter, but abruptly stopped when they saw Professor Kane give an evil grin that showed all of his teeth.
"I think I forgot to mention that punishment will be very severe this week. And with that said, Mr. Pettigrew you have a weeks detention and you will be cleaning the Great Hall. That means cleaning all the tables without magic or the house-elves' help. I'm sure Miss Edwards will love that." And she did. Daphne looked as if Halloween had come early. Professor Kane leaned back on his chair and put his feet up on the table. Professor McGonagall, mad that he punished one of her students, promptly pushed his legs off causing him to drag a few plates of food along with them. He heard a few scattered laughs. "Oh, well. That's more for Mr. Pettigrew to clean." he said. Upon hearing this the Slytherins started to make a mess throwing food on the floor and spilling drinks. The Gryffindor's were furious, but the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were edging down in their seats. None of them had ever seen any of the teachers as enraged as they were now, especially Dumbledore. He held out his wand and an angry flash of red shot out.
"Four hundred points from Slytherin, no Qudditch and no more Hogsmeade trips for the rest of the year," he said in a horribly calm voice. Some of the Slytherins were gaping at Dumbledore, while others were still happy about the fact that Peter was the one who had to clean up after them. "And you will all stay today and clean your mess, and all of the Great Hall. You have just given Mr. Pettigrew a day off, and I dare say Gryffindor the advantage to win the House-Cup." With that he sat down and gave a smile not so different from the one Professor Kane was giving.
"Thank God for the thick-headed Slytherins," sighed Peter. "If it weren't for the fact that they were blinded by ambition, they might have seen what was coming." The whole of Gryffindor Table was staring at Peter. They never knew he had that much insight on anything. James then turned to Lily for a third time, but this time was interrupted by Professor Sprout standing up.
"The Hogwarts Gazette will be having a special feature. Today's issue will be about the special The Founder's Day Ball, and how everyone helped to make it oh-so-special. So as a special treat, everyone will be receiving one of this special issue. So I hope you enjoy it and have a very special day." She sat down and Sirius started to make gagging sound.
"How many times can she say 'special' in a sentence?" he asked.
"I dunno, I usually get sick after the second one," replied Peter. Remus, however, was looking towards the ceiling waiting for something. James watched him closely and knew something was up. Whatever he wanted to tell Lily was completely forgotten. He looked up along with Remus and as if on cue, hundreds and hundreds of owls poured into the Great Hall, each holding a copy of The Hogwarts Gazette and delivering them to students and teachers. They all landed in front of each student and flew off the second the Gazette was taking from them. James looked at his copy and then at Remus. He had a peculiar expression on his face. It was that of fear, excitement, anticipation, and apprehension. It was the look every Marauder got before a prank was about to take place.
James leafed through the pages of the paper, and saw that it basically looked like it always did. The popular kids were shown doing all sorts of altruistic things and nothing of all the other conniving things they did. He heard all kinds of people talking and squealing or the occasional, "Oh my GOSH! I look so fat in this picture!" Just as he was about to burn the issue with his wand, the front page changed. There was no title, but there was a picture of an owl delivering a letter signed anonymous. It was the insignia of The Mysterious Letter, though most people had no idea what it was. The periodical was opened up and shrieks could be heard from all around the Great Hall. The only one who seemed oblivious to this was Professor Sprout.
Inside were pictures taken at Barty's party the night before. Students drinking and cheating on their boyfriends/girlfriends, wild dancing and inappropriate clothing. And just people making complete asses of themselves. There was even a picture of Bryan yelling at Bella when she obviously trying to help him. But what struck James as the ultimate payback, was a whole page dedicated to Zoe. There were pictures of her drinking, and kissing about 10 different boys. There was even one where she was trying to get Barty. The last picture on that page was of Zoe sitting near the toilet looking like crap having just thrown up whatever was in her stomach. James looked at Lily who was looking at Zoe with a triumphant smile on her face. Zoe, on the other hand, became pale, and so did everyone else who was featured in the paper.
James couldn't help but smile, not only at his friends antics, but at Lily's reaction. She seemed like she was waiting for her so-called friends to be caught doing something stupid. He turned a page and saw a bunch of pictures of himself. One was of him throwing up near the carriage, one of him hardly able to walk, then there was a few of him at a Quidditch game. People were wondering what the Quidditch game had to do with anything, but James knew exactly what it meant. He looked at his three friends and saw Remus looking straight at him. He gave him a small smile and then looked up at the teacher's table. Professor Flitwick was showing Professor Sprout what the fuss was about involving her 'special' issue. Her face turned pale and she quickly scanned the Great Hall for the culprit. Remus put on his hat and started to furtively make his way out of the hall. Unfortunately, Professor Sprout caught sight of him.
"NOT SO FAST, REMUS LUPIN!" she shouted across the hall. There was a short silence as everyone looked at him. He took a long look at everyone and ran out.
*~~*~~*
Lily walked into the courtyard and sat down next to next to some of her 'posse'.
"I just heard that Professor McGonagall gave Remus Lupin a month of cleaning out bedpans," said Richard.
"They should have kicked him out, or made him go into the Forbidden Forest," complained Diane.
"Have you ever talked to him? He's such a loser." piped up Rita Skeeter, editor of The Hogwarts Gazette. "I remember the first time he came to a meeting for the school paper. He had all these wild ideas, like actually giving the scores of the Quidditch games and things like who had a greater chance of winning. The weirdest was when he wanted to have the moon phases printed."
"Rita, Remus will grow up and win all kinds of awards for his ideas, while you'll be writing the gossip column for the Daily Prophet," countered Lily.
"Well, I guess it's easy for you to be a bitch now that Barty is back on the market," replied Rita.
"It's easy to be a bitch either way," said Lily. With that, she got up and left while the others were looking at her incredulously.
"On to more important things," said Richard, "how are we going to get rid of all those papers before our parents come today?"
*~~*~~*
James walked into the library and went to a secluded area in the back were he and his friends often hung out when they wanted to just be in each other's company and not talk at all. He stood behind a bookshelf and laughed at what he saw.
Remus had his head on the table, his dark blue hat still on. Peter and Sirius were trying to comfort him, but it didn't help much that they kept laughing.
"Cleaning out the bedpans isn't so bad," said Sirius.
"Yeah, at least it won't be so bad after the Ball. I mean, when these people start to party those bedpans are gonna fill like you wouldn't believe," giggled Peter while Sirius roared with laughter, earning them a 'shh' from Madame Pince.
"Going into the Forbidden Forest and tracking down a lost puffskin, I can handle," mumbled Remus to the table. He picked his head up and continued, "Cleaning the trophy room with no magic with ooze coming out of the walls every three second, no problem. But cleaning the damn bedpans," he banged his fists on the table, "how can it get any worst?"
"Just wait until your parents find out," said James, stepping out from behind the bookshelf. Remus let out a loud groan and dropped his head on the table again.
"Man, this is going to be hell," said Peter, "I can just hear my mom now." He mimicked his mom's high pitched voice, "'Peter Pettigrew, how dare you disrespect a teacher like that? I'm surprised they didn't suspend you! You just wait til you get home..' It's going to be worse than the time I got that Howler about being caught in Hogsmeade in my second year." They all laughed, while James hovered awkwardly near the shelf.
"Potter, if you don't want to sit down, then leave," came the muffled sound of Remus' voice. James looked at them and smiled. He sat down. Soon they started talking and laughing about Remus' prank and James' temporary insanity.
"I still can't believe you wore iron-pressed khaki pants," laughed Sirius.
"That was nothing, did you see his hair?" chuckled Remus.
"You looked like those mannequins at a department store," said Peter, trying to be the only one not laughing, but it wasn't working.
"Don't remind me," grumbled James, though he was smiling. Things were quickly getting back to normal.
"Now, on to more important things," said Sirius seriously (A/n I hate doing that). "What are we going to do when our parents come?"
"Do we know where they are staying?" asked Peter.
"I think it's Hogsmeade," said Remus. They all groaned. Now there was no way to escape to Zonko's or Honeydukes with their parents running around.
"Well, at least it's not in the castle," said James. They all agreed that that was for the best. Too bad life wasn't always that nice.
*~~*~~*
The Great Hall was full by the time James and his friends got there. Everyone was waiting anxiously for their parents to arrive. Some even donned awful clothing that their mothers had deemed as 'cute' just to impress them.
"Is it just me, or does Kane seem happier than ever?" asked Sirius. They looked up and, sure enough, Professor Kane looked as if Christmas had come early.
"Is anyone else scared?" asked Peter. They all nodded. Soon the students were all led to the grounds to meet their parents who were arriving by horseless carriage. They stepped out and immediately their parents made a beeline for there children.
"Hold on everyone! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" shouted James. He laughed as he saw his friends being mauled by their mothers, but felt a pang of jealously. His dad walked up to him and gave a weak smile. James was about 2 inches taller than his father, but they were still able to maintain eye-eye contact. Mostly because James' extra 2 inches was from his hair, the hair that his father was just itching to chop off.
"James," he nodded.
"Dad," he nodded back. They stood there for a second, before...
"JAMES!!" someone shrieked. After getting rid of the slight ringing in his ears to stop he turned and saw Mrs. Black running up to him.
"Hold on, son!" Mr. Potter laughed. Mrs. Black crushed James, knocking the air out of him.
"Oh, my dear boy, look at you! Skin and bones! All of you!" she said, eyeing the other boys. "I'm going to have to talk to your headmaster about your malnutrition," she rambled, still holding on to James who was losing air fast. "I mean, look at poor Remus. You'd think with his condition, they would take extra care of him.."
"Mom," whined Sirius.
"I remember when I first found out about that incident. Cried all night, I did. Poor little Remus," she wiped some tears from her eyes and the boys, and men, rolled their eyes. This wasn't the first time she went on like this. James, on the other hand, was turning purple from her grip on him.
"Let go of the boy already!" boomed Mr. Pettigrew, a very large, but joyous man. If it wasn't for his brown hair, he would have looked like Santa Claus. Mrs. Black reluctantly let go of James, and he was silently thankful for Mr. Pettigrew. "How are you doing, James?" he roared, slapping James hard on the back and sending him flying towards the ground. He was quickly picked up by Mrs. Pettigrew who pulled out a brush and started to wipe his clothes free of imaginary dirt.
"Filth everywhere! You shouldn't be rolling around on the ground. You and Peter both need to grow up," she huffed. When she finished, she put the brush away and pulled out a comb and started to brush his hair.
"Oh come now, Emma," laughed Mr. Pettigrew. "You know that boy's hair won't hold still." Mrs. Pettigrew thought about this for a moment and put the comb away in her purse. She turned and saw Peter.
"Oh, Peter, dear, you have dirt on your face!" She quickly pulled out a handkerchief and grabbed Peter's face. She wet the handkerchief with her tongue and started to scrub his face. He tried to pull away, but they all knew it was useless. She started to mumble about how filthy Hogwarts had gotten after she left.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if half of the dirt is caused by these 4," said a sour Mrs. Lupin. "An owl on our way here telling us how you embarrassed the whole school, Remus? Ooo, if I wasn't already on my way I would have sent you a Howler so loud it would knock you deaf for a year." Remus gulped; his mom could be very scary at times and he wondered if she wasn't a werewolf herself. Mr. Lupin put his arms around his wife and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave Remus a glare. The mothers left and started to mingle with others and compare the dresses they were wearing and what kind of shoes they brought with them. The 8 males shook their heads in disgust.
"Remus, don't take what your mom said to heart," said Mr. Lupin. "Besides that prank was priceless. I'm glad to see your living up to the Marauder reputation, son. Do you have any of the newspapers left?" he asked excitedly.
"Well, the house-elves took most of them already, the ones lying around, but I have a secret stash of them," replied Remus.
"Sweet," said the fathers.
"Well, the pranks are good, but what about Quidditch?" asked Mr. Potter. He was obsessed with Quidditch and wanted the boys to be involved in it. "When I was in school I was Head Boy, Captain of the Qudditch team, and prankster extrodinaire."
"I know what's the problem Rob," said Mr. Black. He faced the teenagers. "So boys, how's life in the romance department?" All four of them blushed while the three other fathers looked away. "Come now, I know you 4 have had some action considering who your father's were!" Now it was time for the dads to blush. Only Mr. Black seemed oblivious to all the embarrassment around him. "I remember when Julia found out about Remus' condition. Crying the whole damn night, but I knew how to keep her calm," he said in a suggestive tone. They, of course, heard this before, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing to have a guy that was like your dad talk about sex like it was nothing but having afternoon tea. "I know you've had to have had some girls, a little midnight rendevous in the Astronomy Tower, sneaking into the lucky girl's dorm..."
"Dad!" yelled Sirius, his face as red as a tomato.
"Alright, alright don't have a cow!" With that he left with the father's who were glad that that situation was over.
"Don't have a cow?" asked Remus. "What's that supposed to mean?" They all shrugged and walked back to the castle, a little ways behind there parents.
"Thank God they are going to be in Hogsmeade," sighed Sirius. "I don't think I could take another one of my dad's 'So how many hearts have you broken?' speech." They all nodded in agreement before they made it to the castle doors they were greeted by....
*~~*~~*
Lily went to the horseless carriage and waited patiently for her mom. Her mom had to be one of the coolest/freakiest mothers out there. Her mom, Evelyn, was very into the 70's sans the drugs. She was always surrounded by burning incense and aroma therapy candles. She always believed in magic, even before Lily got her letter. When she did get it, it just proved her mother's theory. Every summer Lily would perform some type of magic around the house, just so her mom would feel at ease. Evelyn never liked the rule that said the students couldn't do magic outside of school. She said it robbed them of their 'very beings'. Lily's father never believed in magic, but he loved her mother's free spirit, which is why they were married. When he found out Lily was a witch, he went out of his way to learn everything and anything about the magical world so as to understand Lily's situation a little better. Soon, however, he became so consumed with his travels and studies that he forgot about his family and everything else, but the magical world. Lily's mother sent out the divorce papers and he sent them back signed. Lily had never truly forgiven her father for at least doing it in person. And to make matters worst, James mother died, making James become more distant by the minute, and causing Lily to loose one of her best and greatest friends.
"Lily, dear," said a misty voice behind her. She turned around and gave her mother a hug.
"How was your trip, mom?" she asked, trying to ignore the fact that all the carriages left and her father hadn't shown up.
"Lily, he wanted to come, he truly did, but he got caught up at work," said Evelyn softly.
"Yeah, sure mom," Lily replied coldly.
"So how's school going dear? Any new developments with Barty?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Lily and her mom had the type of relationship equal to that of two best friends, but there were still secrets between them.
"I think its getting better now," she said, somewhat truthfully.
"And Zoe?" The look on Lily's face was enough to answer her question, but she wanted to know what happened. Lily couldn't tell her because then it would involve her telling everything about James and how she used him.
"And how is James? Are you two still ignoring each other's existence?" she said with a smile.
"Mom, do you even have to ask?" laughed Lily. She grabbed her arm and lead her towards the castle. Dumbledore had sent all muggle parents special glasses so they can see the castle and not a whole bunch of ruins. With Lily's help, her mom got pink tinted glasses instead of the normal black rimmed, Buddy Holly type glasses. They made their way to the castle doors and bumped into James and everyone else.
"Evelyn?" asked Mr. Potter.
"Robert? Is that you? Why I haven't seen you since summer. Where have you been?" she asked as Mr. Black ushered everyone into the castle save James and his father. He said something about Robert getting his 'mac on' which no one had any idea what he meant.
"The ministry has been hectic lately with that psychopath Volde-whatever on the loose. He's been causing mayhem and doing all sorts of unmentionable things." Mr. Potter took off his glasses and wiped then on his shirt. He put them back on and smiled. "Enough about the misery, how are you doing?"
"Oh the same as ever I suppose," she said airily. Mr. Potter laughed, while the two teenagers rolled their eyes. "James, darling, how are you?" asked Evelyn as she ruffled his hair.
"Oh, don't do that Evey," groaned Mr. Potter. "His hair is mess as it is."
"I love his messy hair. It's so wild and free," she sighed. James stifled a laugh at the expression on his father's face.
"So, Lily, have you thought about the Head Girl position much?" asked Mr. Potter.
"Well, right now, I'm concentrating on this year and the Ball and everything, but I'd love to be Head Girl."
"Well, I'd love James to be Head Boy, or at least on the Quidditch team."
"Dad, not again," James groaned.
"Sorry," he mumbled. There was an awkward silence that was ended by an owl landing on Lily's shoulder. She took the letter and read it.
"It's a letter from Dad," she said emotionlessly. "He wants to meet up with me at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow."
"Are you going?" asked her mother.
"No," said Lily simply.
"Lily," she said in a warning tone.
"Okay okay," said Lily. "I'll meet him, but I won't promise anything." With that she stormed inside and the others had nothing to do but follow her.
*~~*~~*
The tables in the Great Hall were magically elongated to accommodate all the extra people that arrived. Some parents were reminiscing about their days in Hogwarts while others were looking around in awe.
"Lily, when you come home I want you to put in a ceiling like that one," said Evelyn eyeing the enchanted ceiling. Lily smiled and nodded. She looked around and caught James' eye. She looked away quickly hoping no one else noticed. But someone did.
"Hey Jamsie-boy," boomed Mr. Black. "Who is that hot little number you got your eyes on there? You two keep looking at each other. Are you two together or something?" he practically shouted. James didn't know whether to feel sick with embarrassment or laugh at Mr. Black's choice of words. Lily, on the other hand, buried her face in her hands. Soon murmurs were heard throughout the Hall, and it was obvious what they were talking about. It wouldn't be long now before her mother found out.
"Lily, sweety," said her mother in a weird tone. Lily clenched her teeth for what was coming.
"Why is that teacher up there smiling like that? If I didn't know any better I swear he's planning something." Lily looked up and saw Professor Kane with the same smile he had before the parents arrived. She shook her head, wondering what was going inside his head. Professor Dumbledore stood up and greeted the parents.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. I hope you enjoy the Ball and your stay here. And I hope the students will be well behaved, as well as the parents," he glanced over at the Marauders before continuing, though he did see Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin giving each other a high five. "So have fun and enjoy the rest of the day everyone. Classes are canceled!" There was a wild cheer from all the students and some parents. Dumbledore went to sit down when Professor Kane whispered something to him. He whispered something back then sat down.
After lunch everyone got up and decided to show their parents around the castle. Lily took her mother near the lake and they sat down watching the Giant Squid stretch his tentacles.
"So Lily, what is this I hear about you and James Potter?" Evelyn asked out of the blue.
"What do you hear?" asked Lily. She couldn't have known that much by now.
"That you two are an item," said Evelyn checking Lily's face for any reaction.
"We're not an item," she said simply. "We went to a few parties, that's all."
"Well, that's good," said Evelyn. They lapsed into silence. The rest of the day was spent touring the grounds and the castle.
*~~*~~*
James left his father after lunch and went up to his room. After Mr. Black's outburst, he'd been feeling a little depressed. So he and Lily weren't a couple, big deal. He never wanted to be with her in the first place. She just wasn't his type. He kept telling himself this over and over again, trying to convince himself that it was all true. He lay in bed, staring up at the canopy of his bed. His dad came in the dorm and looked at James. 'He's been looking like that all day,' thought Mr. Potter.
"Son, are you stoned?" he asked.
"Are you serious?" asked James, his hair in his eyes.
"You've had a dazed look all day and you knocked down a whole bunch of suits of armor when you walked into them. And you haven't been out of bed since lunch and it's almost dinner."
"Then shouldn't the correct question be 'Son are you ill'?"
"Are you?"
"No," said James flopping back down. Mr. Potter was about to say something else when the door banged open and in bounced Sirius, Remus, and Peter. He gave them a nod and walked out the door.
"Bye Mr. Potter," sang Remus. He'd been in a happy mood ever since Zoe's parents found a copy of the Letter and told her off.
"Dinner in 10 minutes boys. Don't want your mom to worry again, eh Sirius?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Potter sir!" saluted Sirius.
*~~*~~*
Dinner passed by uneventfully, except when something on the table would explode and Mr. Lupin would get smacked on the head, courtesy of Mrs. Lupin. Just as the dessert disappeared Dumbledore stood up.
"Seeing as how you are all fed and ready to rest, I will make this announcement short." James was really starting to worry now as Professor Kane's smile grew wider and wider, as if he had the ultimate revenge under his hat. But that's not possible, the ultimate revenge would be... "We, the staff, feel that since Hogwarts is so big and spacious the parents will all be able to spend the week here so as to be closer to their children!" There was a loud groan from four particular boys, but it was quickly followed by those of others. Professor Kane stood up alongside Dumbledore.
"I hope everyone has a good week, I know I will." He gave a psychotic laugh and sat down.
*~~*~~*
(A/N I was gonna end it here, but there is one more parent to meet. Introducing....)
Lily went into the Three Broomsticks and saw the back of her father. He looked to be waxing his broomstick. (A/n if this fic wasn't pg-13 that might have sounded really bad :o)~)
"Hello Mr. Evans," she said coldly.
"That hurts baby," he said turning to face her. She gave a shrug and sat down across from him.
"You want something to drink?"
"No thank you," she said, looking out the window.
"Come on. One butterbeer. You know you can't resist," he coaxed. She gave an impatient sigh and nodded. He ordered two butterbeers and they sat in silence. The butterbeers came, and still there was silence. The butterbeers were gone, and still silence ensued. She was about to get up and leave when he asked if she wanted to take a walk. She really didn't want to go, but decided to go ahead with it anyway. He took her to a part of Hogsmeade she had never seen before. It was a little ways from the big hill and there was a big wall in there way. He took her hand and togther they walked through the wall. On the other side of it was a canyon of some sort. It was breathtaking sight. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down with his feet dangling. He motioned for her to do the same but she hesitated. What if she fell off and broke her nose or something? Then she would be a mess for the ball. 'Whoa! Wait a minute. Did I just think that? James was right, we are shallow.' She shook her head and sat down next to her father, still a little apprehensive.
"Don't worry, Lil. This canyon has an enchantment on it. If you fall you'll bounce back up." Lily nodded, not wanting to ask how he found this out. "So, Lily, any special guy in your life?"
"Not likely. I have major issues when it comes to the male sex. I wonder where that came from?" she asked sarcastically. He gave a heavy sigh and handed her a book.
"I want you to read this," he said. "It might explain me better than I can."
"Zen and the Art of Broomstick Care? This is supposed to explain why you are never home? Must be a hell of a book." She threw the book in the canyon and got up to leave. However, she forgot about the enchantment on the canyon and turned around just in time to see her father get whacked in the face with the book. She stifled a laugh and went over to see if he was okay. There was no permanent damage so she got up to leave when he called her back.
"There is this big Wizard Convention to teach Muggles and Muggleborns all about the ups and downs of magic. It's a once in a life time opportunity and I want you to go with me. It's this weekend, what do you say?" he asked hopefully. She threw him a glare and got up again.
"I'm kinda involved in something already. It's called the Founder's Day Ball, but you wouldn't know anything about it would you?" With that she stormed off through the wall hating her father more than ever. How dare he? Dumbledore sent every parent a letter. They all knew about it. He knew, but he thought that she would drop it all for him. Yeah right! Why should she when he never did?
On the other side of the wall an owl landed in front of Mr. Evans. He took the letter and saw that it was invitation to stay at Hogwarts and attend the Founder's Day Ball.
A/N I hope you guys liked it. I know I did. Now, I want to give a huge thanks to my beta-reader, googleduckie. So, here it is THANKS!
Thirdly (that was a long 'secondly') I'm thinking of doing another parody, but this time to Big Daddy. I love that movie!! Anyway, I'm not sure if I want to do it a Lily/James or Ron/Hermione. What do you guys think? Just review your suggestions or e-mail it to me, but make the subject something related to fanfics so I don't delete it.
Fourthly, for those of you who saw the movie, this chapter will pretty much be jumping around the place, but I'll make it work.
Fifthly...ENJOY!!
Chapter 8: Meet the Parents
James walked into the Great Hall the next day wearing his old, grungy clothes and his normal glasses. He looked around the Gryffindor table and saw Lily staring straight ahead. He quickly went over to her.
"Hey, Lily," he said. Lily gave him a small smile and went back to her staring. "Lily, look I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."
"James, it's no big deal," said Lily, softly. "We both got what we wanted. Barty is about to ask me to the Ball and Daphne is...well, she's acting normal towards you, though I don't think normal is a word to be associated with her." She gave a small laugh at her own joke.
"But still Lily," he started again, but was interrupted when Professor Dumbledore stood up and motioned for silence.
"As I'm sure you all know, The Founder's Day Ball will be held this Saturday." Several people cheered while others who knew what was coming, groaned. (A/N Since I have to sense of time while writing this story let's say today is Tuesday). "This means that this afternoon we will be expecting the arrival of your parents." Now everyone groaned. "And because Professor Kane here said that he doesn't trust the fact that you all told your parents about this important event," some kids were looking at Professor Kane with new found hatred, including Peter, Sirius, James, and Remus who 'forgot' to tell their own parents. (Partly because of what happens when all of the parents get together.) "I personally made sure that all your parents were sent an invitation..."
"That's perfect," hissed Sirius, a few seats down from James, "they won't be able to get here in time." Many murmurs of relief were heard throughout the Hall before Dumbledore continued.
"...last week. So you don't have to worry about your parents not making it on time." He gave a huge smile and sat down, while Professor Kane gave a low, maniacal laugh.
"Jerk," muttered James. He was about to tell Lily something else, when once again he was interrupted by the aforementioned jerk.
"Now, that we know your parents are going to show up," he said with a wicked smile, "we are going to need you delinquents," Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat, "I mean, we are going to need you students to be on your best behavior. That means no pranks, no parties, no contraband, no Mysterious Letter!" He looked around the Hall, making sure everyone got his point. "We don't need your parents thinking that their darling little angels are in school causing their teachers HEARTBURN and doing absolutely NOTHING but making me wish voodoo was real!" (A/N does this remind anyone else of that maniac teacher from Daria?) Everyone was quiet, staring at him like he had grown an extra head.
"I think he finally lost it," said Peter in a loud whisper. The Great Hall burst into laughter, but abruptly stopped when they saw Professor Kane give an evil grin that showed all of his teeth.
"I think I forgot to mention that punishment will be very severe this week. And with that said, Mr. Pettigrew you have a weeks detention and you will be cleaning the Great Hall. That means cleaning all the tables without magic or the house-elves' help. I'm sure Miss Edwards will love that." And she did. Daphne looked as if Halloween had come early. Professor Kane leaned back on his chair and put his feet up on the table. Professor McGonagall, mad that he punished one of her students, promptly pushed his legs off causing him to drag a few plates of food along with them. He heard a few scattered laughs. "Oh, well. That's more for Mr. Pettigrew to clean." he said. Upon hearing this the Slytherins started to make a mess throwing food on the floor and spilling drinks. The Gryffindor's were furious, but the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were edging down in their seats. None of them had ever seen any of the teachers as enraged as they were now, especially Dumbledore. He held out his wand and an angry flash of red shot out.
"Four hundred points from Slytherin, no Qudditch and no more Hogsmeade trips for the rest of the year," he said in a horribly calm voice. Some of the Slytherins were gaping at Dumbledore, while others were still happy about the fact that Peter was the one who had to clean up after them. "And you will all stay today and clean your mess, and all of the Great Hall. You have just given Mr. Pettigrew a day off, and I dare say Gryffindor the advantage to win the House-Cup." With that he sat down and gave a smile not so different from the one Professor Kane was giving.
"Thank God for the thick-headed Slytherins," sighed Peter. "If it weren't for the fact that they were blinded by ambition, they might have seen what was coming." The whole of Gryffindor Table was staring at Peter. They never knew he had that much insight on anything. James then turned to Lily for a third time, but this time was interrupted by Professor Sprout standing up.
"The Hogwarts Gazette will be having a special feature. Today's issue will be about the special The Founder's Day Ball, and how everyone helped to make it oh-so-special. So as a special treat, everyone will be receiving one of this special issue. So I hope you enjoy it and have a very special day." She sat down and Sirius started to make gagging sound.
"How many times can she say 'special' in a sentence?" he asked.
"I dunno, I usually get sick after the second one," replied Peter. Remus, however, was looking towards the ceiling waiting for something. James watched him closely and knew something was up. Whatever he wanted to tell Lily was completely forgotten. He looked up along with Remus and as if on cue, hundreds and hundreds of owls poured into the Great Hall, each holding a copy of The Hogwarts Gazette and delivering them to students and teachers. They all landed in front of each student and flew off the second the Gazette was taking from them. James looked at his copy and then at Remus. He had a peculiar expression on his face. It was that of fear, excitement, anticipation, and apprehension. It was the look every Marauder got before a prank was about to take place.
James leafed through the pages of the paper, and saw that it basically looked like it always did. The popular kids were shown doing all sorts of altruistic things and nothing of all the other conniving things they did. He heard all kinds of people talking and squealing or the occasional, "Oh my GOSH! I look so fat in this picture!" Just as he was about to burn the issue with his wand, the front page changed. There was no title, but there was a picture of an owl delivering a letter signed anonymous. It was the insignia of The Mysterious Letter, though most people had no idea what it was. The periodical was opened up and shrieks could be heard from all around the Great Hall. The only one who seemed oblivious to this was Professor Sprout.
Inside were pictures taken at Barty's party the night before. Students drinking and cheating on their boyfriends/girlfriends, wild dancing and inappropriate clothing. And just people making complete asses of themselves. There was even a picture of Bryan yelling at Bella when she obviously trying to help him. But what struck James as the ultimate payback, was a whole page dedicated to Zoe. There were pictures of her drinking, and kissing about 10 different boys. There was even one where she was trying to get Barty. The last picture on that page was of Zoe sitting near the toilet looking like crap having just thrown up whatever was in her stomach. James looked at Lily who was looking at Zoe with a triumphant smile on her face. Zoe, on the other hand, became pale, and so did everyone else who was featured in the paper.
James couldn't help but smile, not only at his friends antics, but at Lily's reaction. She seemed like she was waiting for her so-called friends to be caught doing something stupid. He turned a page and saw a bunch of pictures of himself. One was of him throwing up near the carriage, one of him hardly able to walk, then there was a few of him at a Quidditch game. People were wondering what the Quidditch game had to do with anything, but James knew exactly what it meant. He looked at his three friends and saw Remus looking straight at him. He gave him a small smile and then looked up at the teacher's table. Professor Flitwick was showing Professor Sprout what the fuss was about involving her 'special' issue. Her face turned pale and she quickly scanned the Great Hall for the culprit. Remus put on his hat and started to furtively make his way out of the hall. Unfortunately, Professor Sprout caught sight of him.
"NOT SO FAST, REMUS LUPIN!" she shouted across the hall. There was a short silence as everyone looked at him. He took a long look at everyone and ran out.
*~~*~~*
Lily walked into the courtyard and sat down next to next to some of her 'posse'.
"I just heard that Professor McGonagall gave Remus Lupin a month of cleaning out bedpans," said Richard.
"They should have kicked him out, or made him go into the Forbidden Forest," complained Diane.
"Have you ever talked to him? He's such a loser." piped up Rita Skeeter, editor of The Hogwarts Gazette. "I remember the first time he came to a meeting for the school paper. He had all these wild ideas, like actually giving the scores of the Quidditch games and things like who had a greater chance of winning. The weirdest was when he wanted to have the moon phases printed."
"Rita, Remus will grow up and win all kinds of awards for his ideas, while you'll be writing the gossip column for the Daily Prophet," countered Lily.
"Well, I guess it's easy for you to be a bitch now that Barty is back on the market," replied Rita.
"It's easy to be a bitch either way," said Lily. With that, she got up and left while the others were looking at her incredulously.
"On to more important things," said Richard, "how are we going to get rid of all those papers before our parents come today?"
*~~*~~*
James walked into the library and went to a secluded area in the back were he and his friends often hung out when they wanted to just be in each other's company and not talk at all. He stood behind a bookshelf and laughed at what he saw.
Remus had his head on the table, his dark blue hat still on. Peter and Sirius were trying to comfort him, but it didn't help much that they kept laughing.
"Cleaning out the bedpans isn't so bad," said Sirius.
"Yeah, at least it won't be so bad after the Ball. I mean, when these people start to party those bedpans are gonna fill like you wouldn't believe," giggled Peter while Sirius roared with laughter, earning them a 'shh' from Madame Pince.
"Going into the Forbidden Forest and tracking down a lost puffskin, I can handle," mumbled Remus to the table. He picked his head up and continued, "Cleaning the trophy room with no magic with ooze coming out of the walls every three second, no problem. But cleaning the damn bedpans," he banged his fists on the table, "how can it get any worst?"
"Just wait until your parents find out," said James, stepping out from behind the bookshelf. Remus let out a loud groan and dropped his head on the table again.
"Man, this is going to be hell," said Peter, "I can just hear my mom now." He mimicked his mom's high pitched voice, "'Peter Pettigrew, how dare you disrespect a teacher like that? I'm surprised they didn't suspend you! You just wait til you get home..' It's going to be worse than the time I got that Howler about being caught in Hogsmeade in my second year." They all laughed, while James hovered awkwardly near the shelf.
"Potter, if you don't want to sit down, then leave," came the muffled sound of Remus' voice. James looked at them and smiled. He sat down. Soon they started talking and laughing about Remus' prank and James' temporary insanity.
"I still can't believe you wore iron-pressed khaki pants," laughed Sirius.
"That was nothing, did you see his hair?" chuckled Remus.
"You looked like those mannequins at a department store," said Peter, trying to be the only one not laughing, but it wasn't working.
"Don't remind me," grumbled James, though he was smiling. Things were quickly getting back to normal.
"Now, on to more important things," said Sirius seriously (A/n I hate doing that). "What are we going to do when our parents come?"
"Do we know where they are staying?" asked Peter.
"I think it's Hogsmeade," said Remus. They all groaned. Now there was no way to escape to Zonko's or Honeydukes with their parents running around.
"Well, at least it's not in the castle," said James. They all agreed that that was for the best. Too bad life wasn't always that nice.
*~~*~~*
The Great Hall was full by the time James and his friends got there. Everyone was waiting anxiously for their parents to arrive. Some even donned awful clothing that their mothers had deemed as 'cute' just to impress them.
"Is it just me, or does Kane seem happier than ever?" asked Sirius. They looked up and, sure enough, Professor Kane looked as if Christmas had come early.
"Is anyone else scared?" asked Peter. They all nodded. Soon the students were all led to the grounds to meet their parents who were arriving by horseless carriage. They stepped out and immediately their parents made a beeline for there children.
"Hold on everyone! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" shouted James. He laughed as he saw his friends being mauled by their mothers, but felt a pang of jealously. His dad walked up to him and gave a weak smile. James was about 2 inches taller than his father, but they were still able to maintain eye-eye contact. Mostly because James' extra 2 inches was from his hair, the hair that his father was just itching to chop off.
"James," he nodded.
"Dad," he nodded back. They stood there for a second, before...
"JAMES!!" someone shrieked. After getting rid of the slight ringing in his ears to stop he turned and saw Mrs. Black running up to him.
"Hold on, son!" Mr. Potter laughed. Mrs. Black crushed James, knocking the air out of him.
"Oh, my dear boy, look at you! Skin and bones! All of you!" she said, eyeing the other boys. "I'm going to have to talk to your headmaster about your malnutrition," she rambled, still holding on to James who was losing air fast. "I mean, look at poor Remus. You'd think with his condition, they would take extra care of him.."
"Mom," whined Sirius.
"I remember when I first found out about that incident. Cried all night, I did. Poor little Remus," she wiped some tears from her eyes and the boys, and men, rolled their eyes. This wasn't the first time she went on like this. James, on the other hand, was turning purple from her grip on him.
"Let go of the boy already!" boomed Mr. Pettigrew, a very large, but joyous man. If it wasn't for his brown hair, he would have looked like Santa Claus. Mrs. Black reluctantly let go of James, and he was silently thankful for Mr. Pettigrew. "How are you doing, James?" he roared, slapping James hard on the back and sending him flying towards the ground. He was quickly picked up by Mrs. Pettigrew who pulled out a brush and started to wipe his clothes free of imaginary dirt.
"Filth everywhere! You shouldn't be rolling around on the ground. You and Peter both need to grow up," she huffed. When she finished, she put the brush away and pulled out a comb and started to brush his hair.
"Oh come now, Emma," laughed Mr. Pettigrew. "You know that boy's hair won't hold still." Mrs. Pettigrew thought about this for a moment and put the comb away in her purse. She turned and saw Peter.
"Oh, Peter, dear, you have dirt on your face!" She quickly pulled out a handkerchief and grabbed Peter's face. She wet the handkerchief with her tongue and started to scrub his face. He tried to pull away, but they all knew it was useless. She started to mumble about how filthy Hogwarts had gotten after she left.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if half of the dirt is caused by these 4," said a sour Mrs. Lupin. "An owl on our way here telling us how you embarrassed the whole school, Remus? Ooo, if I wasn't already on my way I would have sent you a Howler so loud it would knock you deaf for a year." Remus gulped; his mom could be very scary at times and he wondered if she wasn't a werewolf herself. Mr. Lupin put his arms around his wife and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave Remus a glare. The mothers left and started to mingle with others and compare the dresses they were wearing and what kind of shoes they brought with them. The 8 males shook their heads in disgust.
"Remus, don't take what your mom said to heart," said Mr. Lupin. "Besides that prank was priceless. I'm glad to see your living up to the Marauder reputation, son. Do you have any of the newspapers left?" he asked excitedly.
"Well, the house-elves took most of them already, the ones lying around, but I have a secret stash of them," replied Remus.
"Sweet," said the fathers.
"Well, the pranks are good, but what about Quidditch?" asked Mr. Potter. He was obsessed with Quidditch and wanted the boys to be involved in it. "When I was in school I was Head Boy, Captain of the Qudditch team, and prankster extrodinaire."
"I know what's the problem Rob," said Mr. Black. He faced the teenagers. "So boys, how's life in the romance department?" All four of them blushed while the three other fathers looked away. "Come now, I know you 4 have had some action considering who your father's were!" Now it was time for the dads to blush. Only Mr. Black seemed oblivious to all the embarrassment around him. "I remember when Julia found out about Remus' condition. Crying the whole damn night, but I knew how to keep her calm," he said in a suggestive tone. They, of course, heard this before, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing to have a guy that was like your dad talk about sex like it was nothing but having afternoon tea. "I know you've had to have had some girls, a little midnight rendevous in the Astronomy Tower, sneaking into the lucky girl's dorm..."
"Dad!" yelled Sirius, his face as red as a tomato.
"Alright, alright don't have a cow!" With that he left with the father's who were glad that that situation was over.
"Don't have a cow?" asked Remus. "What's that supposed to mean?" They all shrugged and walked back to the castle, a little ways behind there parents.
"Thank God they are going to be in Hogsmeade," sighed Sirius. "I don't think I could take another one of my dad's 'So how many hearts have you broken?' speech." They all nodded in agreement before they made it to the castle doors they were greeted by....
*~~*~~*
Lily went to the horseless carriage and waited patiently for her mom. Her mom had to be one of the coolest/freakiest mothers out there. Her mom, Evelyn, was very into the 70's sans the drugs. She was always surrounded by burning incense and aroma therapy candles. She always believed in magic, even before Lily got her letter. When she did get it, it just proved her mother's theory. Every summer Lily would perform some type of magic around the house, just so her mom would feel at ease. Evelyn never liked the rule that said the students couldn't do magic outside of school. She said it robbed them of their 'very beings'. Lily's father never believed in magic, but he loved her mother's free spirit, which is why they were married. When he found out Lily was a witch, he went out of his way to learn everything and anything about the magical world so as to understand Lily's situation a little better. Soon, however, he became so consumed with his travels and studies that he forgot about his family and everything else, but the magical world. Lily's mother sent out the divorce papers and he sent them back signed. Lily had never truly forgiven her father for at least doing it in person. And to make matters worst, James mother died, making James become more distant by the minute, and causing Lily to loose one of her best and greatest friends.
"Lily, dear," said a misty voice behind her. She turned around and gave her mother a hug.
"How was your trip, mom?" she asked, trying to ignore the fact that all the carriages left and her father hadn't shown up.
"Lily, he wanted to come, he truly did, but he got caught up at work," said Evelyn softly.
"Yeah, sure mom," Lily replied coldly.
"So how's school going dear? Any new developments with Barty?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Lily and her mom had the type of relationship equal to that of two best friends, but there were still secrets between them.
"I think its getting better now," she said, somewhat truthfully.
"And Zoe?" The look on Lily's face was enough to answer her question, but she wanted to know what happened. Lily couldn't tell her because then it would involve her telling everything about James and how she used him.
"And how is James? Are you two still ignoring each other's existence?" she said with a smile.
"Mom, do you even have to ask?" laughed Lily. She grabbed her arm and lead her towards the castle. Dumbledore had sent all muggle parents special glasses so they can see the castle and not a whole bunch of ruins. With Lily's help, her mom got pink tinted glasses instead of the normal black rimmed, Buddy Holly type glasses. They made their way to the castle doors and bumped into James and everyone else.
"Evelyn?" asked Mr. Potter.
"Robert? Is that you? Why I haven't seen you since summer. Where have you been?" she asked as Mr. Black ushered everyone into the castle save James and his father. He said something about Robert getting his 'mac on' which no one had any idea what he meant.
"The ministry has been hectic lately with that psychopath Volde-whatever on the loose. He's been causing mayhem and doing all sorts of unmentionable things." Mr. Potter took off his glasses and wiped then on his shirt. He put them back on and smiled. "Enough about the misery, how are you doing?"
"Oh the same as ever I suppose," she said airily. Mr. Potter laughed, while the two teenagers rolled their eyes. "James, darling, how are you?" asked Evelyn as she ruffled his hair.
"Oh, don't do that Evey," groaned Mr. Potter. "His hair is mess as it is."
"I love his messy hair. It's so wild and free," she sighed. James stifled a laugh at the expression on his father's face.
"So, Lily, have you thought about the Head Girl position much?" asked Mr. Potter.
"Well, right now, I'm concentrating on this year and the Ball and everything, but I'd love to be Head Girl."
"Well, I'd love James to be Head Boy, or at least on the Quidditch team."
"Dad, not again," James groaned.
"Sorry," he mumbled. There was an awkward silence that was ended by an owl landing on Lily's shoulder. She took the letter and read it.
"It's a letter from Dad," she said emotionlessly. "He wants to meet up with me at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow."
"Are you going?" asked her mother.
"No," said Lily simply.
"Lily," she said in a warning tone.
"Okay okay," said Lily. "I'll meet him, but I won't promise anything." With that she stormed inside and the others had nothing to do but follow her.
*~~*~~*
The tables in the Great Hall were magically elongated to accommodate all the extra people that arrived. Some parents were reminiscing about their days in Hogwarts while others were looking around in awe.
"Lily, when you come home I want you to put in a ceiling like that one," said Evelyn eyeing the enchanted ceiling. Lily smiled and nodded. She looked around and caught James' eye. She looked away quickly hoping no one else noticed. But someone did.
"Hey Jamsie-boy," boomed Mr. Black. "Who is that hot little number you got your eyes on there? You two keep looking at each other. Are you two together or something?" he practically shouted. James didn't know whether to feel sick with embarrassment or laugh at Mr. Black's choice of words. Lily, on the other hand, buried her face in her hands. Soon murmurs were heard throughout the Hall, and it was obvious what they were talking about. It wouldn't be long now before her mother found out.
"Lily, sweety," said her mother in a weird tone. Lily clenched her teeth for what was coming.
"Why is that teacher up there smiling like that? If I didn't know any better I swear he's planning something." Lily looked up and saw Professor Kane with the same smile he had before the parents arrived. She shook her head, wondering what was going inside his head. Professor Dumbledore stood up and greeted the parents.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. I hope you enjoy the Ball and your stay here. And I hope the students will be well behaved, as well as the parents," he glanced over at the Marauders before continuing, though he did see Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin giving each other a high five. "So have fun and enjoy the rest of the day everyone. Classes are canceled!" There was a wild cheer from all the students and some parents. Dumbledore went to sit down when Professor Kane whispered something to him. He whispered something back then sat down.
After lunch everyone got up and decided to show their parents around the castle. Lily took her mother near the lake and they sat down watching the Giant Squid stretch his tentacles.
"So Lily, what is this I hear about you and James Potter?" Evelyn asked out of the blue.
"What do you hear?" asked Lily. She couldn't have known that much by now.
"That you two are an item," said Evelyn checking Lily's face for any reaction.
"We're not an item," she said simply. "We went to a few parties, that's all."
"Well, that's good," said Evelyn. They lapsed into silence. The rest of the day was spent touring the grounds and the castle.
*~~*~~*
James left his father after lunch and went up to his room. After Mr. Black's outburst, he'd been feeling a little depressed. So he and Lily weren't a couple, big deal. He never wanted to be with her in the first place. She just wasn't his type. He kept telling himself this over and over again, trying to convince himself that it was all true. He lay in bed, staring up at the canopy of his bed. His dad came in the dorm and looked at James. 'He's been looking like that all day,' thought Mr. Potter.
"Son, are you stoned?" he asked.
"Are you serious?" asked James, his hair in his eyes.
"You've had a dazed look all day and you knocked down a whole bunch of suits of armor when you walked into them. And you haven't been out of bed since lunch and it's almost dinner."
"Then shouldn't the correct question be 'Son are you ill'?"
"Are you?"
"No," said James flopping back down. Mr. Potter was about to say something else when the door banged open and in bounced Sirius, Remus, and Peter. He gave them a nod and walked out the door.
"Bye Mr. Potter," sang Remus. He'd been in a happy mood ever since Zoe's parents found a copy of the Letter and told her off.
"Dinner in 10 minutes boys. Don't want your mom to worry again, eh Sirius?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Potter sir!" saluted Sirius.
*~~*~~*
Dinner passed by uneventfully, except when something on the table would explode and Mr. Lupin would get smacked on the head, courtesy of Mrs. Lupin. Just as the dessert disappeared Dumbledore stood up.
"Seeing as how you are all fed and ready to rest, I will make this announcement short." James was really starting to worry now as Professor Kane's smile grew wider and wider, as if he had the ultimate revenge under his hat. But that's not possible, the ultimate revenge would be... "We, the staff, feel that since Hogwarts is so big and spacious the parents will all be able to spend the week here so as to be closer to their children!" There was a loud groan from four particular boys, but it was quickly followed by those of others. Professor Kane stood up alongside Dumbledore.
"I hope everyone has a good week, I know I will." He gave a psychotic laugh and sat down.
*~~*~~*
(A/N I was gonna end it here, but there is one more parent to meet. Introducing....)
Lily went into the Three Broomsticks and saw the back of her father. He looked to be waxing his broomstick. (A/n if this fic wasn't pg-13 that might have sounded really bad :o)~)
"Hello Mr. Evans," she said coldly.
"That hurts baby," he said turning to face her. She gave a shrug and sat down across from him.
"You want something to drink?"
"No thank you," she said, looking out the window.
"Come on. One butterbeer. You know you can't resist," he coaxed. She gave an impatient sigh and nodded. He ordered two butterbeers and they sat in silence. The butterbeers came, and still there was silence. The butterbeers were gone, and still silence ensued. She was about to get up and leave when he asked if she wanted to take a walk. She really didn't want to go, but decided to go ahead with it anyway. He took her to a part of Hogsmeade she had never seen before. It was a little ways from the big hill and there was a big wall in there way. He took her hand and togther they walked through the wall. On the other side of it was a canyon of some sort. It was breathtaking sight. He walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down with his feet dangling. He motioned for her to do the same but she hesitated. What if she fell off and broke her nose or something? Then she would be a mess for the ball. 'Whoa! Wait a minute. Did I just think that? James was right, we are shallow.' She shook her head and sat down next to her father, still a little apprehensive.
"Don't worry, Lil. This canyon has an enchantment on it. If you fall you'll bounce back up." Lily nodded, not wanting to ask how he found this out. "So, Lily, any special guy in your life?"
"Not likely. I have major issues when it comes to the male sex. I wonder where that came from?" she asked sarcastically. He gave a heavy sigh and handed her a book.
"I want you to read this," he said. "It might explain me better than I can."
"Zen and the Art of Broomstick Care? This is supposed to explain why you are never home? Must be a hell of a book." She threw the book in the canyon and got up to leave. However, she forgot about the enchantment on the canyon and turned around just in time to see her father get whacked in the face with the book. She stifled a laugh and went over to see if he was okay. There was no permanent damage so she got up to leave when he called her back.
"There is this big Wizard Convention to teach Muggles and Muggleborns all about the ups and downs of magic. It's a once in a life time opportunity and I want you to go with me. It's this weekend, what do you say?" he asked hopefully. She threw him a glare and got up again.
"I'm kinda involved in something already. It's called the Founder's Day Ball, but you wouldn't know anything about it would you?" With that she stormed off through the wall hating her father more than ever. How dare he? Dumbledore sent every parent a letter. They all knew about it. He knew, but he thought that she would drop it all for him. Yeah right! Why should she when he never did?
On the other side of the wall an owl landed in front of Mr. Evans. He took the letter and saw that it was invitation to stay at Hogwarts and attend the Founder's Day Ball.
A/N I hope you guys liked it. I know I did. Now, I want to give a huge thanks to my beta-reader, googleduckie. So, here it is THANKS!