Lily strode down the hall and up to Dumbledore's office. She knocked quietly and waited. She knew the old man was going to be busy this morning, but she felt he deserved ample warning. Four exasperated young men could be hard to deal with. She knew from experience.
She heard the kind voice of the headmaster telling her to enter. She stuck her head into the doorway and was surprised to see Professor McGonogall and the infamous Mr. Snape in Dumbledore's office.
"Excuse me," Lily quickly apologized and was backing out of the room when she heard the headmaster's kind voice inviting her back in.
"How may I help you, Professor Potter?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
Lily was slightly flustered, but managed to recover before anyone noticed. She placed her right hand on the doorknob and leaned into it pleasantly and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I had a husband that didn't get to bed until this morning and three exhausted boys on my living room floor when I left for work. I just expect you'll be having a few visitors and I wanted to give you fair warning."
Dumbledore's eyes gleamed in understanding and amusement, and he winked at Lily, who took it as dismissal, grinned and shut the door behind her. She began to head down the stairs when Professor McGonogall came out of the office. Lily waited for the older woman to catch up before resuming her walk towards her classroom.
"They're upset," McGonogall began without preamble.
"They're concerned," Lily replied tactfully.
McGonogall gave Lily a look that showed she caught the understatement.
"Okay," Lily responded truthfully, "I haven't seen James this mad...ever. And I agree with him. I trust James' judgement almost as much as I distrust Snape."
"I understand," the older woman replied. She patted Lily on the arm and they sat off in different directions toward their respective classrooms.
McGonogall took her time walking because she was early. And she was surprised upon entry to find the familiar faces of Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Oh boy!
"Hello," Remus greeted. "I hope we're not intruding, but the door was open and we let ourselves in."
Normally the stern professor would find it difficult to let down her little wall of disdain, but for Remus, she just smiled. The boy had a way of looking so innocent. And although his former professor knew perfectly well the atrocities he could cause, she couldn't help but love him.
"We've been up all night listening to Pr–um–James and Sirius rant, and we needed a break," Peter added with a pinched grin.
Professor McGonogall silently assessed the boy, and although he had grown since their last meeting, it had not been an upward expansion. Unlike the other boys, he was not a frequent visitor at Hogwarts.
James and Sirius were up here every other day it seemed, the help the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the one they'd been members of just a few years ago. And Remus made it a point to come as often as he could. But Peter had found school very difficult, and was no doubt relieved to be free of the strain.
"Hello boys," the professor greeted with a terse nod. She had no doubt what the boys had come for, but waited for them to reveal it themselves. "Did you come to see me?"
"There's actually an ulterior motive to our visit," Remus confessed. "We're here to see Dumbledore."
"I see," replied the noncommittal McGonogall.
"Yes," Remus continued with a slight frown, "it seems that one of our former classmates is about to become a working neighbor to you and our dear friend Lily. We just wanted to make sure that our friend would be receiving the same treatment from the new addition that you yourself would expect."
She just waited.
"It would be a great deal of assurance to ourselves and a certain Mr. Potter if you would keep your eyes and ears open," Remus prompted. "Lily's rather independent and we fear that she might not fully realize the possible threats."
"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew," McGonogall responded firmly, "I assure you that the threats you presume to expect are not an issue at this time, and should they become so, James Potter would be the first to know."
She was touched by their concern for Lily.
"That is all we request," Remus bowed his head slightly, right hand firmly on his chest in thanks. "Thank you for the kind re-emphasis of the safety measures the school has always taken to protect its students and its faculty."
And with that incredibly rehearsed speech, the boys exited the room, grinning at their performance.
The conversation left Professor McGonogall's head in a whirl. Surely the boys didn't feel any real threat in Snape. Dumbledore wouldn't put anyone at serious risk.
What scared her was that she found herself questioning.
