The summer passed quickly. One day, toward the end of July, the three friends received their Hogwarts letters. To no one's surprise, Lily's arrived alongside Jane and Narcissa's at breakfast, for she had spent the night at the Bennet home once again. They had not even opened them when a second owl swept into the kitchen to drop another letter on Jane's plate.
"I recognize that owl," she said. "It is a letter from Charlotte."
"So soon? Well, open it, and read it aloud."
Dearest Jane and Lily,
My father is to take me to London on the 15th of August, and you are all invited to come stay at
Lucas Lodge the night before. Narcissa as well, if she likes; I am sure Alice would enjoy her company. We can all go to Diagon Alley together.
Do say you'll come; I have some marvellous news and wish to tell it in person.
Yours,
Charlotte
P.S. I hope you do not mind the single invitation. I figured Lily would end up at the Bennet's
in the next few days, assuming she is not there now, of course.
"News?" Jane asked after she finished reading the letter. "I wonder what it is."
Lily smiled. "Do you indeed, Jane? Do not forget this is Charlotte's last year. I suppose she has been made Head Girl."
"Of course! That would be wonderful for her. I do not know who would deserve it better! And she has wanted it so."
"Head Girl?" scoffed Narcissa. "Why would anyone want that? It's such a dull, boring job, always patrolling the halls and having to be an authority figure. Only nerds ever get made Head."
"Narcissa!" Jane sounded scandalized on behalf of her friend.
"Well, it's true!" she argued. "Look at the past Heads; all they ever did was study, study, study. Prefects, too! I would much prefer a Ball."
Jane and Lily exchanged looks across the table. "Being made Head is very honourable, Narcissa," Jane said. "It is not just about those who do naught but study. They must also have proven themselves responsible and trustworthy."
At Narcissa's derisive snort, Lily finished buttering her toast as she casually put in, "And in any case, you would not be able to attend any of the Balls held at Hogwarts this year. They are for Fourth Years and up only, so you would do best to do a bit more studying of your own."
Though she opened her mouth to argue again, Mr Bennet cut the conversation off. "Not at breakfast, girls," he said over the top of The Daily Prophet. Jane's father was a decent Wizard, though her mother a Witch of so little talent she often joked that she may as well have been a squib. Oddly, the family had always lived, for the most part, as Muggles, Mr and Mrs Bennet feeling that their children should learn to about life in both worlds. There were exceptions, however, from the family owl and the subscription to the Wizarding newspaper to the fact that Mr Bennet once worked for Gringotts as a Curse Breaker, though he was now retired from that position. He now trained new recruits for the Bank before they were sent off into the world to hunt up treasure.
After they had finished eating, Jane brought up the issue of going to the Lucas'. "May we go to London as invited, Father?"
After a silent exchange with his wife, he nodded. "You and Narcissa have my permission, though it is up to Mr and Mrs Evans to say whether Lily is allowed as well."
Lily shortly ran home to ask. Approval was given, so she returned to Jane and they replied to Charlotte's owl. Two weeks later, they used the Bennet fireplace to flu over to Lucas Lodge. The Lucas' lived on the other side of the county, which would not have been so great a drive, but as both families had Wizarding blood, using the Flu Network was much easier.
When they arrived an instant later, Charlotte and Alice, Charlotte's younger sister by a year, were waiting.
"Lily! Jane!" Charlotte exclaimed, embracing them both. "It is so good to see you."
Lily sneezed. For some strange reason, flu powder gave her the same symptoms as hay fever. "As soon as I am able to see through these watery eyes of mine, dear Charlotte, I daresay I shall think it is good to see you as well!" The three girls laughed, Alice joined in hesitantly as well. Narcissa rolled her eyes, and dragged Alice up the stairs. They saw little of the two girls outside of meal times and the trip to and from London. It was apparent that Narcissa was filling Alice in on all sorts of mindless gossip she had somehow gathered over the summer holidays.
Alice, though not without ability to make decisions of her own, followed along where Narcissa wished to lead the conversation without much bother. They were not close friends, in or outside of Hogwarts, but Alice's timidity and shyness made her an ideal ally for Narcissa. Neither were capable of being in the other three girls' company for long periods, Alice out of her great awe for Lily's bold wit and Narcissa out of complete lack of connection with any of them.
Once, in private, Lily questioned Charlotte about the nature of the younger girls' friendship. "I know this will likely sound rude," she said, "but Alice is not likely to allow Narcissa to drag her completely into her world of giggle-ridden brainlessness, is she? You know the hold Professor Trelawney has on Jane's sister; I'd hate for the same to happen to yours."
Charlotte smiled reassuringly. The concern was not completely without merit and spoken without malice. And it was a genuine worry of Lily's, having spent many years resisting, and running in terror from at times, Sybil Trelawney's influential powers. "Do not worry so, Lily," she replied. "Alice has other friends at Hogwarts to keep her in check, and she is far too intimidated by boys to engage in such flirtations as Narcissa. Besides, she also holds you in high regard and, should things ever get out of hand, the mere hint that you would find such behaviour disappointing in the slightest would be enough to pull her out of it."
Lily blushed in response, but was satisfied and let the matter drop without further thought.
Charlotte's news was, indeed, that she had been made Head Girl. Jane and Lily had news as well, for Jane had been made Prefect of Ravenclaw. She did not feel this was nearly as congratulations worthy as Charlotte's news, but they celebrated the night away regardless with gossip of their own and many cups of tea.
The one subject they all still had no more to say on was that of the mysterious Mr Sirius Black. Even as Head Girl, Charlotte would be given no special information and her father, who held a minor position at the Ministry of Magic, either knew nothing or was not telling. Lily was the only one who was particularly interested; she felt any information in advance might help in avoiding whatever plots Professor Trelawney may have devised in the summer months. However, since there was nothing new to be revealed, they filled each other in on their own lives, Lily entertaining them with stories of her odd Muggle family -- namely her odd Muggle sister.
In short order, the visit was over and Jane, Lily, and Narcissa were on their way back to their homes on the other side of Hertfordshire. The final two weeks of their summer holidays flew by even more quickly than the previous two and a half months, and it was with great anticipation that Lily pushed her cart through the wall between platforms Nine and Ten at Kings Cross Station.
