The Prince and the Pauper
(A Marauder Story)
Chapter Four: I'm a
WHAT?!?
The next day
passed uneventfully. The day after,
however, was Lily's 11th birthday.
Lily herself was walking to her next class, math. She was rather nervous, as she had forgotten
to study for a test. Too busy with her
anxieties about the class, she crashed into someone.
"I'm
sorry…." The words died in her throat.
Looking down at her was Ms. Doufahn.
"I was just
looking for you. Come, you have a
visitor," The matron explained in a soft voice.
Quite
surprised that she wasn't getting any D.E.s for running into Ms. Doufahn, Lily
nodded. When she got to Ms. Doufahn's
office, none other than Charles (Mr. Potter's butler) was waiting for her.
"Charles!"
Lily exclaimed, very surprised.
"Ah, Ms.
Evans!"
"Lily,
please," Lily responded, "And good morning Charles."
"Morning,
Ms. Lily. It seems that Mr. P. got a
letter concerning a private school that has accepted you for next year. He wishes to speak to you about it," Charles
explained.
"Wait,
wait, wait. When you said 'private
school' did you mean 'boarding school'?" Lily asked, all of a sudden looking
very anxious about something very different than a math test.
"Yes, Miss
Lily. In Scotland, I believe. Mr. P.
will explain everything at the Garden," Charles answered gently.
"Hold on a
second. Lily is one of my favorite
orph-I mean girls. I insist on going
with her," Madame Doufahn said sharply.
Lily was
pretty sure that wanting to go to Mr. Potter's with her was more about seeing
him rather than accompanying her, but she kept quiet.
"Very well,
ma'am," Charles patiently said.
"Good. Than
we'll be on our way," Ms. Doufahn sighed happily.
"Yes, to
the car then. Oh, and Happy Birthday,
Miss Lily," exclaimed Charles.
"Thank
you," Lily said, putting on a false smile.
She didn't even realize that she hadn't told him-or anyone besides her
roommates for that matter-when her birthday was. She still was a bit dazed.
A boarding school? She hadn't
applied to one, so how had she been accepted?
Sure, she hated the orphanage, but like it or not it was her home.
'I don't
want to leave Sari and the others' she thought.
Charles
escorted Lily and Ms. Doufahn to a black limousine that was waiting outside St.
Bernadette's.
"So
Charles, will James and Sirius be at the Garden?" Lily asked attempting to make
conversation.
"Well-" he
began.
"What's
'The Garden'?" Ms. D. interrupted.
"Mr.
Potter's house. Now, will James or
Sirius be there?" Lily snapped impatiently.
"Master
James will certainly be home, though Master Sirius wasn't there when I left, so
I can't really say, Miss Lily. Master
Sirius tends to come and go as he pleases.
The Garden is his second home, so to speak. He knows it better than I do and I've been there since before
Master James was born! Master James certainly appreciates his company if you
catch my drift," Charles answered her question.
"Well,
that's good! At least I can see James,"
Lily said.
"Who's
James, and Sirius? Who are they and why
does Lily know and not me? Inform me of these people at once!" Ms. Doufahn
demanded.
"Ma'am, Master
James is Mr. P's-" Charles began before being interrupted yet again by Andrea
Doufahn.
"Mr.
P? As his servant," she spat out the
word, "Shouldn't you have more respect? Or is that above you bloody American's
heads?" Ms. Doufahn asked maliciously.
(A/N: *makes cat
noises* Rude! Just a bit overprotective of Mr. Potter, don't you think? Oh, and
please don't think I have anything against Americans-I'm a New Yorker all the
way! Or against British people, this is just on nasty woman, k? Good! Okay, on with
the story)
"Well,
Madame, as I've known Edward Potter longer, and I'm closer to him than you'll
ever be, I clearly have an acception, now don't I? You know, Mr. Potter doesn't like nosy women! I highly doubt
you'll hear what he has to say to Miss Lily.
And, as I was saying, Master James is Mr. P's son," Charles frowned in
disgust. He sounded extremely angry
(and who wouldn't be???).
"Eddie-I
mean Mr. Potter has a son?" Ms. Doufahn asked incredously.
"Yes, he's
my age," Lily replied.
"Why wasn't
I informed of this?" Ms. Doufahn asked, recovering from her shock.
"Maybe he
doesn't trust you enough," Charles shot back, obviously still offended by the
orphanage's matron's words.
"You great
big prat! Why wouldn't Edward trust me? I'm his choice for the keeper of St.
Bernadette's, and I'll be his wife someday. I'm sure of it!"
"In your
dreams!" Charles laughed.
Before Ms. Doufahn could respond.
Lily coughed loudly. Both adults
jumped, having forgotten she was there.
Before either of them could say another word, they had arrived at Mr.
Potter's mansion.
"Well, I hope you all had a nice
ride over?" Mr. Potter greeted them.
At that Lily started to laugh but
covered it up with a cough (she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately).
"Why, hello
Ms. Evans! Happy Birthday! How are you doing this morning?" Mr. Potter asked
Lily, looking very happy to see her.
"Hi Mr.
Potter, I'm good. How are you?" Lily asked, though not with her usual spunk,
Edward Potter noted.
"Well, I'm
just great though I don't think you were truthful to me just a second ago," He
said.
"Lily! I
demand you tell Mr. Potter the truth!" Ms. Doufahn said, horrified.
"Calm down, Andrea. Lily is unhappy about something, it isn't a
problem," Mr. Potter said, laughing a bit, "So, what's the problem, Lily
honey?" He asked, kneeling before her.
He couldn't explain why, but he seemed so attached to her ever since he
met her two days ago.
I don't want to leave Sari and
Donna and Megan and 'Stasia and Traci…." Lily sniffed, trying to hold back the
tears that she knew were coming.
"Oh, Lily dear, if you do decide to
go you'll meet tons of new friends.
Let's not worry about that now, all right? Good. Which brings me to some serious business…"
Mr. Potter began.
"Did I hear someone say 'Sirius
Business?" a loud, giddy voice rang out.
Two dark-haired boys slid across
the hall's highly-polish marble floor.
"Boys!" Mr. Potter said sternly.
"Sorry, Ed, but I couldn't resist,"
Sirius smiled a hopeless grin. James
was in hysterics on the floor. Lily was
giggling too, cracking her first real smile since she found out about the
'boarding school' (though she really didn't know too much about that).
"Come on
now, Sirius, that puns getting a little old by now!" James said when he could
finally speak.
"Yeah, but
you know its still funny!" Sirius exclaimed in a winning way.
"Hilarious
as it might be, we have guests here Sirius," Mr. Potter said.
"Sorry
Father," James apologized, though he was still grinning.
"It's fine,
but greet our guests now," Mr. Potter responded.
"What? Oh!
Hello, Lily, Ma'am Doufahn. Pleased to
meet you, Madam. Nice to see you again,
Lily. Oh, and Happy Birthday!" James added.
"Happiest
Birthday Lily! In fact I'll sing you a song!" Sirius grinned evilly.
He cleared
his voice and sang:
Happy
Birthday To You
(doo-bi-doo,
doo-bi-doo)
You
Live in a Zoo
(live
in a zoo-a zoo)
Oh,
you Smell, smell like a monkey!
(pee-yew)
And
you-look
(oh you look)
Like!
(just, just
like)
One!
(o-----one)
Toooooooooooo!
(The lovely
insert parts were done by James, Sirius sang the main part!)
"Why! I
could kill you!" Lily said, a maniac grin on her face. She started to chase him, and skinny or not,
she was pretty damn fast, a whole lot faster than Sirius anyway. Mr. Potter and Charles looked on in
amusement, James was having hysterics (again), and Ms. Doufahn looked
embarrassed at Lily's behavior.
"Lily! Stop
that nonsense at once!" she exclaimed.
Lily
skidded to a halt. "Yes, ma'am"
Mr. Potter
cleared his throat.
"Time for
business. James, Sirius, go bother some other innocent souls. Charles, why
don't you take Andrea on a tour of the Garden? Lily and I have something very
important to discuss," He said, in a no-room-for-arguing kind of voice.
"Yes,
Father," James sighed.
"Don't give
me that, James! You were miserable
enough before Sirius was here, one would think you'd be able to come up with a
few things to do now!"
"Like
putting your socks in tonight's soup?" Sirius asked, smirking.
"Yes, like
putting my socks in tonight's-Wait!
No!" Mr. Potter said, realizing what he was saying. Charles chuckled.
"Go entertain yourselves. Oh, and
Sirius?" Mr. Potter asked.
"Yes, Ed?"
Sirius asked angelically, a look that really didn't suit him, Lily thought.
"Don't go
ANYWHERE near the food, understand?" Mr. Potter said, leaving no place for
disagreement.
"OK, Mr. P.
Come on, James, I've got an idea…" Sirius and James left the room whispering
excitedly.
"What am I
going to do with those two?" Mr. Potter murmured to himself.
"I'll go
take Ms. Doufahn on her tour, Mr. P," Charles announced.
"Good!" He
answered.
"Oh, Eddie,
don't you think I should be able to hear what you have to say to Lily?" Ms.
Doufahn asked in a silky smooth voice.
"No. Come,
Lily," Mr. Potter stated simply, leaving Andrea Doufahn gaping like a goldfish.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
When Lily
and Mr. Potter were safely secured in his office, Mr. Potter indicated for Lily
to sit down. When she did so, he took
out a thick parchment envelope with green ink written on it. The address clearly stated:
Ms. Lily Evans
2nd Bed
from the door, Room 5
St. Bernadette's Home
For Girls
London, England
(A/N: I'm not British, I don't know how they write
addresses in the U.K. so bare with me and pretend that's correct, k?)
"What's
that Mr. Potter?" Lily asked curiously.
"This,
m'dear, I you're acceptance letter into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry."
"What??? Is
this some sort of joke? There's no such thing as witches and wizards. And what
kind of a name is Hogwarts?" Lily asked, shaking her head as if indicating that
Mr. Potter was crazy.
"Well, I
don't know what kind of name it is, but as for the witches and wizard thing…"
he trailed off there, and carefully revealed a long, wooden stick from his desk
draw.
"This,
Lily, is a wand. 11½, Evergreen tree
wood, 1 dragon heartstring and fairly flexible, if I remember correctly. You see, Lily, you're a witch. I got this letter for you because, well….I'm
a wizard. I'm fairly important in the
wizarding world, actually. Head of the
Auror department at the M.O.M," he said proudly.
"M.O.M?"
Lily asked, looking dazed.
"Ministry
of Magic. Aurors are wizards and
witches who fight off dark, evil wizards….and witches too, of course. I'm quite famous as an auror, which is why I
have this huge mansion. But that really
is besides the point. The fact of the
matter is, you're a witch. You need to
learn how to use your powers, which is why you'll be going to Hogwarts. Best school of magic in the U.K, Hogwarts
is. A great place too. You'll love it there, I did."
"Wait a
tick. Who says anything about me going
to this Hogwarts place? And haven't you been listening? MAGIC DOESN'T EXIST!
IT'S MAKE BELIEVE!" Lily yelled.
"Is it?
Than how can I do this?" Mr. Potter asked, bemused. He quickly turned his desk into a tiger, a hula hoop, a giant
toothbrush, a bar of soap, a coffee mug, a French poodle, a pair of pink
polka-dotted underwear, and then a lily flower, which he handed to Lily.
"You see,
Lil, you're a witch, you have magic in your blood. No use denying it, it won't
go away. Magic is already part of your life, no matter how hard you try to hide
it. Which is why you'll be going to Hogwarts," Mr. Potter said in a
matter-of-fact tone (he's very commanding, isn't he?).
"So, I'm a
witch? And I'll really be able to do that thing where you change things?" Lily
asked in a daze, beginning to get excited.
"Yes,
you're really a witch. So is James.
Well, a wizard I mean," he added hurriedly, "And that magic was called
transfiguration. It'll take a while before you can do something like that, but
eventually yes, you will be able to do it."
"So, when
does Hogwarts start?" Lily asked, finally getting used to the idea of the magic
school.
"September
first. In a couple of weeks…what's
today, August 3rd? Yes, not too long now. You'll have to go to Diagon Alley. That's where you'll get your
school supplies. I'll take you and
James one week from now. Now listen,"
he all of a sudden got very serious, "You musn't tell anyone about magic! Not
Sari, not no one! Not even Ms. Doufahn! I'll take care of her, but you can't
let the muggles find out about magic, do you hear me?"
"Yes, sir.
What're muggles?"
"Non-magical
people, Lily, that's all. Well, I suppose you should be getting home. This will
give you a lot to think about. Now
remember, in a week we'll go to Diagon Alley.
Have a great birthday!" Mr. Potter smiled.
"Thanks,
I'll show myself to the door. Say bye to James and Sirius," Lily said.
And with
that she turned and waltzed out the door of the office, through the 'Forest of
Marble' (as she christened the Great Hallway) and out the front door to where
Madame Doufahn and Charles were waiting to take her home.
She could
tell that Ms. Doufahn and Charles were trying (and failing) to look natural,
but whenever one thought the other wasn't looking they'd shoot dirty looks at
eachother.
Lily
thought to herself: 'Wow, I'm a WHAT?!?" The realization just sinking in of
what this meant.
'I'm gonna
go learn magic? But I'm having problems with algebra!'
Author's Note: Hey everyone. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT FANFICTION.NET HAS BEEN DOWN
FOR SO LONG!!!! I was trying to get this chapter out LAST FRIDAY! Can you
believe how long this took? I can't! I was so upset that I couldn't update or
review anyone's fics for soooo long. *I was screaming at the computer trying to
get it to work* Anywayz, here's the FOURTH CHAPTER! I'm sorry about what
happened with the whole-messed-up-chapter-thingy-ma-bob. I'm pretty sure I fixed it, so hopefully
you're all not confused. Um…well, Lily
found out what she was (finally, I know).
Next chapter she'll go to Diagon Alley, and if I'm in the mood for a
long chapter she'll also get to Platform 9¾, though don't count on it, I'm not
that good. I'll try to get the next chapter up either tomorrow, or the day
after. *I was screaming all night at the computer trying to get it to
work* Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much
to those who reviewed! Muchas gracias! I'm sooooooo happy! ::fights back
tears:: wow, people like my stories…incredible…anywayz, thanx to:
Jilly_Chan *^* Of
course I wrote more! I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, I don't have a choice!
Thanx for reviewing!
Juliana Black *^*
Woo, slow down girl! You've got more now, don't kill me! Hope you luv this
chapter!
Lilygirl *^* one of
the best! Just one? J/K! Wow, I'm glad you thought it was so good! Hope this
chapter's gr8 too!
Fizzy *^* Wow, you've
reviewed all my chapters so far! I'm glad you think its super! Keep reviewing!
MagicismyName *^* I
was in the middle of your story when the comp. failed. Its great so far! Thanx
for reviewing!!!
Astri *^* I hope this
is soon for the chapter being out! Thanks for the wonderful review, hope you
check this chapter soon!
Black Sparkles *^*
Another one who's reviewed all my chapters so far! You're awesome!
Zipperhead3 *^* OMG, I
luv you! My story's on you fav. list! Wow! You're the 1st one that
did that as far as I know! Thanks ever so much!!! Hope this chapters good too!
Disclaimer:
You know the drill by now. All
orphans, Ms. Doufahn, actions/appearances of certain characters etc. are all
figments of MY imagination. If you
recognize something, guess what? ITS NOT MINE! Mwhahahaha! ::Coughs:: Ahem.
Anywayz, JKR owns all the good, impressive stuff, not me, sue me and DiE!
Thanks, As Alwayz, For Reading! Now Do Be An AnGeL and
review!*!*!
*Britz*
