Early November, 1975
Quidditch was a rough game, but not for the players. But for the people who watched.
For the entire month of October and now the beginning of November, Lydia has been getting significantly more depressed. It seemed all she could think about was Peter and she kept on wondering why he ignored her. (I was wondering why he was so clueless as to why she was upset in the first place) Marlene and I weren't getting annoyed, but we wanted Lydia to be back to her optimistic self. So, Lily, Marlene and I advised a plan.
Nothing wanting to go to Sirius, I made Lily go to James. So we planned it that both Peter and Lydia would be at the Quidditch game with Ravenclaw against James (Gryffindor, really, but if I was being honest, James was the team).
Us four girls sat together as the Ravenclaws cheered, their team getting more points. Seated just behind us were Remus and Peter. When during the first half of the game Lydia and Peter wouldn't talk, I decided to switch it up. Therefore, I asked Peter if I could sit next to Remus, making it so that Peter was only one chair away from Lydia.
"Thanks for agreeing to do this," I told Remus.
"More like thank you," Remus replied. "Peter has been down in the dumps since they stopped seeing each other. He felt betrayed that she started to ignore him."
"But he ignored her first," I said, not really sure what was going on between them.
Remus sighed. "He wasn't, actually. James was with his family all summer and Sirius's parents dragged him and Reg somewhere. Peter was keeping me company."
"Bur he couldn't write even one letter?" I asked in disbelief.
Remus bit his lip and I could tell he was hiding something. I wanted to know, to help Lydia, but it was clear how uncomfortable Remus was. And so I dropped the subject by saying,
"I hope this works." I smiled. "They are really a cute couple."
Remus nodded in agreement and looked over my head. "Speaking of couples..."
I turned to find Sirius join the audience, a really pretty redhead at his side, wearing a dress I would never wear in this weather. They sat down together and I couldn't look at them when they kissed. Instead, I focused in the game, but just knowing that they were there...
"You okay?" Remus asked, slight amusement in his voice.
"I'm fine," I lied, planting a smile in my face.
The rest of the game went smoothly. Gryffindor somehow won making me wish I paid attention more. As everyone filed out of their seats, I was pleased to see Lydia and Peter talking. I thought they were finally making up. I nudged Remus and pointed to them, causing him to smile as well.
But then, when we left the quidditch field and it became quieted, it soon became clear that Lydia and Peter were yelling at each other. Mind you, I never saw a Hufflepuff angry so it was pretty traumatizing. And then Lydia, sweet, sweet Lydia, pushed Peter to the ground, screamed something I couldn't understand and then rushed off in tears.
Lily rushed off after her and Marlene glared at Peter before doing the same. Meanwhile, Remus and I shared a look of disappointment before going our separate ways.
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Early December
When a new week began, we were told that each student would have career meetings with the head of their houses. At meals I would overhear other students saying how great theirs went, but I couldn't help but feel anxious about mine.
As the weeks went on, Lily had hers and as did Lydia, but neither really said much. When Marlene had hers, she said it went spectacularly and that I had nothing to worry about. Remus told me the same, but I wasn't sure about anything.
When my turn finally came, I entered McGonnagal's office very shyly. Before leaving the dorms I made sure I looked presentable, with my hair brushed and my unifom perfectly worn on me. The only thing I couldn't fix was my tie, which I had messed up on my way to my career meeting. However, I was confident it wouldn't affect anything. It was just a meeting that I was overreacting about.
"Have a seat, Ms. Kaiser," McGonnagal said, placing her quill down and holding her hands on her desk before facing. When I sat down, she added, "Have a biscuit."
Frowning with confusion, I looked at the bowl of biscuits and hesitated. When McGonnagal repeated herself, I complied. After I had finished a biscuit, McGonnagal held up a paper she had on her desk and adjusted her glasses.
"By looking from your grades," she said. "I see that you are very...average at almost everything, save for Defense against the Dark Arts. You were doing well last year, but it seems your grades have gone down again."
"What are my changes at finding a good job?" I asked, hoping she would tell me the cold hard truth.
McGonnagal sighed, placing the paper down and looking at me in the eye. "Ms. Kaiser, you have a lot of opportunities in terms of jobs. All that you need is to pick something and stick to it, especially when you have your O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S. So tell me, what would you like to do?"
I froze before saying, "Why, Professor, that's an excellent question."
McGonnagal regarded me for another moment. "Have another biscuit and next week we'll have another meeting. Hopefully by then you'll have a better idea of what you want to do in your life."
I took a biscuit and took a bite, hoping she was right.
