A/N: Hey, I'm back! Sorry if I took a while—I've just spent the last week positively DROWNING in finals and final projects…At last it's all over and I'm enjoying the first day of our three-week summer break. Enjoy:)

Chapter 10

"Soak that bandage in the bubotuber juice!"

James rushed to the medicine shelf, grabbing the bottle of goldish-green liquid.

Healers and aides at St. Mungo's were advised not to use the Summoning Charm to get what they needed unless it was absolutely urgent and necessary. With all the activity going around inside the hospital, you never knew who you might accidentally wallop. Sliding a cloth bandage into the juice, James hurried it back to Healer Smethwyck.

The heavyset wizard pressed the bandage against the swelled, bumpy arm of a young witch.

"The phlox ointment!"

James got the tube, and as Healer Smethwyck patted the patient's arm dry with a soft towel, he slathered on the gelatinous, blue potion. The swelling slowly went down.

Healer Smethwyck mopped at his forehead as they waved the girl and her parents off. "Good job, James! I've not had a more efficient and adept Trainee Healer since Doris Kelp in 1890! She went off to work in Africa—fine goal, to be sure, but I had hoped she would stay on to succeed me…But no matter! That's the past! Shall we celebrate your first formal Healing with a cuppa at the lounge?"

James agreed heartily.

xxxxx

Lily breathed in deeply as she entered the Charms classroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for her orientation as a teacher. Who'd've thought that she would be back there not even a week after she'd left it?

Professor Flitwick let out a squeak that the students had always perceived as excitement. "Miss Evans! You're here already! 'Course, I shan't be surprised…"

"I'm eager to return, Professor," Lily responded happily. The Charms teacher had always been a wonderful mentor to her.

"There's no need to address me so formally now," Professor Flitwick remarked. "You're a teacher, like I am. You may call me Filius."

"I imagine that this was the only part of your appointment Mr. Black found advantageous," interjected Professor McGonagall, who had come striding into the room with a roll of parchment.

"As always with regards to him, Professor, you are not wrong." Lily laughed. After having spent seven eventful years rife with pranks, detentions, and the occasional threatened expulsion, the Transfiguration expert knew the Marauders like the back of her hand—perhaps even more so.

"It is a relief indeed to know that you have not heeded his advice to call me 'Minnie'."

Professor Flitwick guffawed. "That's a good one, Minnie. I'll make sure to mention it at the next staff meeting."

Professor McGonagall snorted. "Go ahead, Doc."

Lily felt more than a little surprised and embarrassed as right in front of her, her two most-respected professors duked it out—with Disney.

"Don't look so appalled," remarked Professor Flitwick when he noticed his former student's expression. "We've spent a rather large amount of time together, and while teachers we may be, we do 'cut loose' once in a while—let our hair down."

"For those who have hair," supplied Professor McGonagall.

Professor Flitwick ignored her pointedly.

"This makes it so much easier for me to call you Minnie," Lily quipped without thinking.

The two professors stared at her.

"Hark! Is it James Potter come to manifest before us?"

Lily attempted to backtrack. "I'm sorry—I didn't—"

Professor McGonagall shook her head and gave a martyred sigh. "We should've known."

xxxxx

They showed her into the teachers' lounge after a long day of touring. Professor Flitwick brought over three cups, and with a tap, filled them with hot, steaming tea.

The professors had spent a good few hours familiarizing her with the castle's security measures. They had revealed to her the codes of certain emergency exits, and Lily had to hide a smirk when it was revealed that the Marauders still knew a good more secret passageways.

"Tomorrow, we can get started on the lesson plan," promised Professor Flitwick as he downed his tea.

Lily agreed heartily.

xxxxx

Nicole was staring around at the smallest greenhouse she had ever been in.

Adrian reappeared, carrying a pot. A mass of apple-green vines whipped about.

"Is that a Devil's Snare?" she inquired.

He nodded. "A mutant Devil's Snare, actually. It was found a couple of weeks ago in my dad's neighbor's shed."

"Did you know how it got there?" She edged forward to peer at the plant.

"No." He suddenly pulled the pot back as its vines shot out. "Easy. Sorry, it's very temperamental."

"It looks to be still quite young."

"And territorial, and wary of strangers. It took most of those two weeks for this little plant to stop trying to strangle me." He chuckled. "It's my top priority as of now."

"Have there been any displays of unusual behavior? Unusual for a Devil's Snare, at least…"

"Not really. But then, as you said, it's still young."

The vines whipped around Adrian's arm. "Oh—it's getting cranky. I had better put it back before it gets too agitated. Go ahead—you can look around." Taking care to remove the vines from his limb, he took the pot to the back of the greenhouse.

Nicole busied herself by going around. She noted a Venomous Tentacula, bubotubers, a box labeled Devil's Snare, and other plants she knew were labeled dangerous in Herbology circles. However, amidst these were puffapods, large tropical flowers, and young Mandrakes—all of which glowed with good health. She was deeply impressed by Adrian's work—and what it revealed of him. Only a gentle man could cultivate such a peaceful atmosphere even amongst such potentially-dangerous plants.

"Can you start tomorrow?"

She jumped in surprise as his deep voice interrupted her examination of a brilliant pink flower that twitched as it slept.

"What?"

He repeated himself. "You have a presence here that I feel will be very beneficial—for me and the plants."

She nodded when his amber eyes sought her eagerly. "OK…you'll see me."

xxxxx

"Any more owl in this?" quipped Sirius as Lily set a platter on the table.

She stuck her tongue out at him, but grinned when James instinctively paled.

Remus sat down, chewing the end of a quill in his mouth.

"Moony, I know you're hungry, but in case you don't know this, eagle-feather quills aren't exactly edible," James pointed out.

"I'm thinking, Prongs—which is something I'm still not sure you can do very well…"

"Now, now, chum, there's no need for such language," James shot back calmly as he brushed some invisible lint from his old scarlet Gryffindor Quidditch robes. "Just because I hung you by your ankles…"

The whole table burst out laughing, except Remus.

After Sirius and Remus came home earlier that evening, Sirius had immediately broken the news about Remus's secret novel-writing, and James had hung him upside-down while he read the manuscript.

"Don't worry, Moony—I don't think the girls laughed too hard at your book-patterned boxers," Sirius said cheerfully.

XXX

A/N: If any of you thought the professors were OOC, well, one thing I've learned from my high school days is that teachers are never what you think they are—they can really surprise you when they're not in a classroom. :)

The spell James used on Remus is indeed Levicorpus.

To my reviewers:

Arista Ramabra- Thanks! I'm sorry for the lack of humor—I'm still trying to find my footing in this story, you see, and I'm kind of just letting it flow… :)

Wilty- Wow, I'm touched :blush:

God bless, y'all!