"Hey there, Lilyana, Prongsie! You two look like you've seen Snape
exotically dancing in the hallway. What's up?" Sirius took a short glance
at the pair who'd just arrived for dinner and turned back to poking his
fork at Peter.
Dana looked up. "Hey Lils, Siri's right. Did you see anything bad-"
She was cut off by Clara. "Did anyone important die or something?"
Remus asked James in a low voice, "Did I a-attack anyone?"
James stared at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head. "Of course not, Moony."
He quickly changed the topic to his favorite sport of all: Quidditch.
"We need replacements, Padfoot. One of our Chasers graduated last year. We have to hold tryouts soon."
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, Prongs. How 'bout Lily? She's pretty good from what I've seen."
He was referring to the time when James had invited his friends over for the summer to one of his mansions, the one that included a Quidditch pitch.
"Lily Flower, think about it ok?" James caught sight of her face and knew she was about to decline.
She shut her mouth and nodded. Lily checked her watch and announced she had to go to McGonagall's office. She left them, promising Clara and Dana she'd meet them later in their Common Room.
~*~
Lily made her way down the staircase leading to the second floor from the Great Hall for her meeting with McGonagall. One of her favorite paintings, Anne Boleyn, greeted her.
"Hello, Lily! What brings you about here at this time?"
"Oh, hello, Anne! I'm just going to Professor McGonagall's office for a word or two."
"Well, I wouldn't want you to be late, now, so why don't you just go on ahead?"
"Thanks, Anne. Nice seeing you. I'll try to drop by sometime later. Bye!"
She continued on her way along the torch-lit corridor and stopped when she reached her office.
Before Lily raised her hand to knock on the door, it opened and the stern young professor stepped out.
"Miss Evans. I was expecting you. Please, come in my office," she extended a welcoming hand and gestured to her office.
Lily timidly walked in and sat down on one of the armchairs before a desk. She leaned forward and saw pictures of a pretty young girl with blond hair and grey eyes. 'Wow, she was really pretty when she was small,' Lily thought.
"Straight to the point, Miss Evans. Well, you have done exceedingly great on your schoolwork this month," Lily beamed at this compliment, "So well that you have done better than any fifth year in their work. You have potential, Professor Dumbledore and I feel it."
She cleared her throat and said, "Do you understand what I'm saying, Miss Evans? We, the Headmaster, I and most of your teachers think that your fourth year courses, both required and non required are not challenging you enough anymore. We are promoting you to fifth year, Miss Evans."
Lily sat there, gaping like a fish out of the water, her mouth groping for words. Did she just hear right? Did she, Lillian Rose Evans, just get promoted to the fifth year?
"Well, Miss Evans?" Professor McGonagall waited for the surprised girl's answer.
"Professor McGonagall! This is such a big honor! I read in Hogwarts, a History that no one has ever been promoted to a higher level in-"
"Six hundred, eight nine years. Yes, I'm very much aware of that."
Lily thought of all the opportunities and downsides to this promotion. "I'll take it, Professor!"
Unexpectedly, the teacher smiled and said, "I wasn't expecting you to decline. Any questions?"
She had a million questions in mind. She managed only a few." Where will I sleep? There are no spaces in the fifth year girls' dormitory, I know."
"Well, one of the girls is moving to Beauxbatons at the end of October. You may either stay in your current dorm or move to the fifth year's dorm. Any more inquiries?"
"Well, would I have to take on any more classes? I already took all the three extra required."
"Professor Dumbledore will let you find out in due time. Now, off to bed." McGonagall shooed Lily gently towards the door.
"And Miss Evans? Please give us your answer as to where you will sleep in five days. Good night."
Lily closed the door behind her with a million thoughts swirling about in her head. 'Wow! Me, a fifth year?' 'Did I really just get promoted?' 'What will Clara and Dana say?' 'Should I stay in my dorm or move to the fifth year's?'
She reached the seventh floor and headed for the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was nowhere in sight. Lily sighed and decided to sleep for a while.
~*~
Lily was awoken from her nap by a pair of footsteps. She checked her watch and groaned. Ten thirty five. She looked up and saw-
"James?"
"Lily Flower?"
"Why're you all dirty and messed up?"
"Oh, nothing. I just came back from a duel with Snape in the Trophy Room."
"What?!"
"Well, I slipped a Dungbomb in his pumpkin juice whe you left for dinner and he challenged me."
"Who won?"
"Lily! I did, of course!"
"Sorry, sorry...who was your second?"
"Remus."
"Oh. Where is he?"
"Er, Hospital Wing. He got hit by Malfoy with a Furnunculus hex."
"Tsk, tsk. You really should stop pranking Snape."
"Why? He's a slimy, dirty, greasy-haired git with a pipe shoved up his-"
"I don't want to hear it! So, where d'you think the Fat Lady went off to?"
"Probably to visit her friend Violet. Say, what did McGonagall want?"
"I almost forgot! Guess what?"
"What?"
"I got accelerated to fifth year?"
"Wow, Lily Flower! That's great!"
"Yeah, did you know one of the fifth year girls is moving to Beauxbatons?"
"Really? Who?"
"McGonagall didn't tell me."
"Hey, look the Fat Lady's back."
Indeed she was. She came chattering through the portrait with her friend Violet in tow.
"Oh, Vi! You should've seen it, it was marvelous!"
"Don't look now, but you've got two students waiting for you."
"Rubbish!" Turning to James, she said, "Password?"
"Gigglebberries." She swung open and they stepped into the Common Room.
Dana looked up. "Hey Lils, Siri's right. Did you see anything bad-"
She was cut off by Clara. "Did anyone important die or something?"
Remus asked James in a low voice, "Did I a-attack anyone?"
James stared at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head. "Of course not, Moony."
He quickly changed the topic to his favorite sport of all: Quidditch.
"We need replacements, Padfoot. One of our Chasers graduated last year. We have to hold tryouts soon."
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, Prongs. How 'bout Lily? She's pretty good from what I've seen."
He was referring to the time when James had invited his friends over for the summer to one of his mansions, the one that included a Quidditch pitch.
"Lily Flower, think about it ok?" James caught sight of her face and knew she was about to decline.
She shut her mouth and nodded. Lily checked her watch and announced she had to go to McGonagall's office. She left them, promising Clara and Dana she'd meet them later in their Common Room.
~*~
Lily made her way down the staircase leading to the second floor from the Great Hall for her meeting with McGonagall. One of her favorite paintings, Anne Boleyn, greeted her.
"Hello, Lily! What brings you about here at this time?"
"Oh, hello, Anne! I'm just going to Professor McGonagall's office for a word or two."
"Well, I wouldn't want you to be late, now, so why don't you just go on ahead?"
"Thanks, Anne. Nice seeing you. I'll try to drop by sometime later. Bye!"
She continued on her way along the torch-lit corridor and stopped when she reached her office.
Before Lily raised her hand to knock on the door, it opened and the stern young professor stepped out.
"Miss Evans. I was expecting you. Please, come in my office," she extended a welcoming hand and gestured to her office.
Lily timidly walked in and sat down on one of the armchairs before a desk. She leaned forward and saw pictures of a pretty young girl with blond hair and grey eyes. 'Wow, she was really pretty when she was small,' Lily thought.
"Straight to the point, Miss Evans. Well, you have done exceedingly great on your schoolwork this month," Lily beamed at this compliment, "So well that you have done better than any fifth year in their work. You have potential, Professor Dumbledore and I feel it."
She cleared her throat and said, "Do you understand what I'm saying, Miss Evans? We, the Headmaster, I and most of your teachers think that your fourth year courses, both required and non required are not challenging you enough anymore. We are promoting you to fifth year, Miss Evans."
Lily sat there, gaping like a fish out of the water, her mouth groping for words. Did she just hear right? Did she, Lillian Rose Evans, just get promoted to the fifth year?
"Well, Miss Evans?" Professor McGonagall waited for the surprised girl's answer.
"Professor McGonagall! This is such a big honor! I read in Hogwarts, a History that no one has ever been promoted to a higher level in-"
"Six hundred, eight nine years. Yes, I'm very much aware of that."
Lily thought of all the opportunities and downsides to this promotion. "I'll take it, Professor!"
Unexpectedly, the teacher smiled and said, "I wasn't expecting you to decline. Any questions?"
She had a million questions in mind. She managed only a few." Where will I sleep? There are no spaces in the fifth year girls' dormitory, I know."
"Well, one of the girls is moving to Beauxbatons at the end of October. You may either stay in your current dorm or move to the fifth year's dorm. Any more inquiries?"
"Well, would I have to take on any more classes? I already took all the three extra required."
"Professor Dumbledore will let you find out in due time. Now, off to bed." McGonagall shooed Lily gently towards the door.
"And Miss Evans? Please give us your answer as to where you will sleep in five days. Good night."
Lily closed the door behind her with a million thoughts swirling about in her head. 'Wow! Me, a fifth year?' 'Did I really just get promoted?' 'What will Clara and Dana say?' 'Should I stay in my dorm or move to the fifth year's?'
She reached the seventh floor and headed for the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was nowhere in sight. Lily sighed and decided to sleep for a while.
~*~
Lily was awoken from her nap by a pair of footsteps. She checked her watch and groaned. Ten thirty five. She looked up and saw-
"James?"
"Lily Flower?"
"Why're you all dirty and messed up?"
"Oh, nothing. I just came back from a duel with Snape in the Trophy Room."
"What?!"
"Well, I slipped a Dungbomb in his pumpkin juice whe you left for dinner and he challenged me."
"Who won?"
"Lily! I did, of course!"
"Sorry, sorry...who was your second?"
"Remus."
"Oh. Where is he?"
"Er, Hospital Wing. He got hit by Malfoy with a Furnunculus hex."
"Tsk, tsk. You really should stop pranking Snape."
"Why? He's a slimy, dirty, greasy-haired git with a pipe shoved up his-"
"I don't want to hear it! So, where d'you think the Fat Lady went off to?"
"Probably to visit her friend Violet. Say, what did McGonagall want?"
"I almost forgot! Guess what?"
"What?"
"I got accelerated to fifth year?"
"Wow, Lily Flower! That's great!"
"Yeah, did you know one of the fifth year girls is moving to Beauxbatons?"
"Really? Who?"
"McGonagall didn't tell me."
"Hey, look the Fat Lady's back."
Indeed she was. She came chattering through the portrait with her friend Violet in tow.
"Oh, Vi! You should've seen it, it was marvelous!"
"Don't look now, but you've got two students waiting for you."
"Rubbish!" Turning to James, she said, "Password?"
"Gigglebberries." She swung open and they stepped into the Common Room.
