(Second Week of July- Year 1)
Three – The Invitation
"In follow-up to the Death Eater attack more than two and a half weeks ago, we have some new news. Two of the three surviving Muggles, which had been in the care of Muggles Ward at St. Mungo's, just suffered from a spat of hysterics, ending in death. Their unstable condition was believed to be a side-effect of the Unidentified Spell placed upon the 5 non-magical victims by an group of unkown Death Eaters. The sole surviving Muggle is currently undergoing therapy, and administration at the Hospital hopes to have him Obliviated and back home in a matter of days (presuming that the horrible fate suffered by the others does not strike him as well).The Ministry of Magic would like to use this broadcast as another warning to all magic-folk alike- be on the lookout for anything suspicious that may help lead to the capture of You-Know-Who or any of his minions. Any information anyone has to give will be considered, and will aid the Ministry greatly. Which makes me wonder- why on earth haven't they caught this guy, yet? I mean- it's about time! How many more Muggles or Wizardfolk have to get killed or hurt before they catch on to the trail of this guy? They act like they know everything, and now this guy shows up and- oh? What is that? Oh. Well, it appears they listen to the WWN at the Ministry, too. In that case, we'll put some lovely music back on and wish those working their dragon-ends off to find these dark wizards good luck… ahem…so, yes, here's the ever-popular Rhonda Ragdool with her hit, 'You're Riddikulus'…"
Lily snapped off the WWN in aggravation. It seemed as though she could not read the paper, or listen to anything, without winding up hearing about the latest attack, newest victims, or recent discoveries involving Voldemort. It was dreadful enough to think about- and yet, everyone was obsessed with keeping it on the top of their minds.
"Lily! Petunia's on the phone! Care to talk?" Her mother yelled up from downstairs. Lily let out a snort of contempt. She highly doubted that Petunia even wanted to talk to her. Her older sister always had been a sour apple when it came to magic, and now she was off with her husband, Vernon. Dreadfully dull- just as Petunia had always liked it.
"Tell her I'm kind of busy, okay mum?" Lily called back. She had better things to worry about than her stubborn sister. Much better things to worry about…
Like… whether or not she would ever get the job she wanted. Being a Healer wasn't exactly amazing for most people, but it was such a perfect occupation for her. She had excelled in all of the necessary fields, and had turned in her application to St. Mungo's ages ago. Lily still had yet to hear from them. It irritated her incredibly, when at the end of each day she forced herself to fall asleep without any replies by owl, yet again.
Better things to worry about, such as… whether or not her boyfriend James would ever truly grow up. I mean, sure. He had been Head Boy with her- he had proved to her that he could be responsible, that he was capable of loving someone other than himself. He had changed immensely since their first year. Lily loved James- loved his friends (who had become hers), loved his family (who had accepted her as one of their own), and loved the way he could make her smile and feel safe (no matter what). But he was still sending her Nose-Biting Teacups and Screaming Yo-Yo's every now and then. She felt so strongly about James- but when she tried to picture moving in with him, she feared not being able to stand his pranks and mischievous tendencies. Lily knew it was good to laugh and always keep your inner child- but there was a certain point to it all…
And then… there was the trouble in the magical world. More and more attacks against Muggles, or against wizards who disagreed with Voldemort. Some of the things he had done were so awful; people were beginning to stop using his real name, for it only caused panic and distress! Just the thought of someone that dark, that disastrous, and that evil made Lily want to squirm with anger.
Suddenly, through her bedroom window swooped her barn owl. She held a worn-looking envelope, which she dropped into Lily's lap before heading into her cage for water.
"Hello, Artemis," Lily greeted as the owl hooted contentedly. "Maybe this'll finally be from St. Mungo's!"
However, as she turned the thick package over, she saw an unfamiliar seal. A bird rising out of fire, stamped in scarlet ink, held the yellowing envelope shut. Lily's eyebrows furrowed inquisitively. What was this?
She peeled it open, and removed the letter within.
Whatever it was, it was most definitely not from St. Mungo's…
The writing was in neat ink, familiar to Lily. Despite her current worries, a smile managed to cross its way on her face. Albus Dumbledore had wrote her.
Professor Dumbledore had been the single most influential wizard she had had the grace of meeting. He had been the Headmaster of Hogwarts- the single place that had impacted, and completely changed, her would-have-been average life. Dumbledore had wisdom beyond anyone Lily knew. That along with the fact that he was also incredibly powerful, while still kind and selfless and good, lead almost everyone to venerate the aging wizard.
Sure she had just graduated a prized student, but why would Albus Dumbledore be writing to her now? Lily finally allowed herself to read…
Dear Miss Lily Evans,
You have been cordially invited for a sit-in with me (Albus Dumbledore) and my colleagues. The circumstances at which will be discussed are not to be written down here, for fear that your owl may somehow be intercepted.
I would ask that you please report to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (by way of Hogsmeade- carriages will be waiting to escort you and selective others safely to the school) on Friday, July 7th (two days time) at approximately 5:47 PM. You will be greeted and dinner will be had before our meeting shall commence.
This is truly a great honor, which we hope you accept. You have been chosen as one of the most trustworthy and talented witches and wizards of your generation, as have a select few of your peers (some of whom I know you are familiar: a Mr. James Potter, Mr. Sirius Black, Mr. Peter Pettigrew, Miss Marlene McKinnon, and Miss Dorcas Meadows).
Please, I must ask that you do not let known of these plans to anyone but the aforementioned. It is imperative that this matter is kept secret.
Thank you for your time, and I do hope you are enjoying your first summer as a fully-qualified witch, Miss Evans.
Sincerely,
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Albus Percival Wulferic Brian Dumbledore
Lily stared inquisitively at the letter. What could this possibly be about? What could be so confidential that even Albus Dumbledore would not write it down, should Artemis have been intercepted?
She reread it, hoping to find any clues. Although she could not discern anything yet, a flood of honor flushed through her. Albus Dumbledore selected her- trusted her enough- to invite her to this meeting… thing…
She took out her wand (glad to finally be able to use magic outside of school- one of the real perks graduating had offered) and summoned her planner. No matter what, she would not miss this meeting on Friday.
As she wrote down the date, a flurry of owls stormed through her window, all in one flock.
"Great, just what I need… neighbors complaining about you all…" Lily muttered as one by one, the owls dropped off letters from James, Dorcas, Marlene, one large, heavy envelope, and the Daily Prophet. Sure enough, her three friends had apparently received similar invitations…
Lily- I just got an invitation from Dumbledore! It says you got one, too? Any clue as to what this is about? Well, I guess I'll get to see you on Friday, then, if not sooner. Mum really wants to get together with your parents again, if they don't mind. Well- love you! Speak to you soon! – James
Lily smiled at her boyfriend's warm letter. She wouldn't have been able to imagine going to this thing without him, let alone her best girl friends of seven years… Why did he have to be so immature at times! Ugh!
Lils! You got one, too, didn't you! Isn't this exciting! I wonder what it could be for. I can't wait! What an adventure, huh? This is so thrilling! Dorcas
Dorcas' letter at least got Lily's mind off of what she was to do with James. The upbeat and energetic Dorcas had never been one for too many words. A Muggle-born, as well, Dorcas was (although a bit light-headed at times) very dedicated to her duties and friends. Lily continued…
Hey, Lily! Well, Dumbledore sent me this letter inviting me to something on Friday. You got one too, right? I've got a few theories as to what it could be for, but all of them are pretty stupid, or at least my family thinks they're stupid (I sure hope it's okay I've told them- I mean, they are my family…). Anyways, let me know if you've figured it out- or else we'll just wait and see on Friday! Did Mungos's reply yet? Did I tell you that I got accepted as an intern for the Wizengamot! It's wonderful! I really hope you got the job! See you around! – Marlene –
And then there was Marlene… Lily shook her head in amusement. Marlene was an even greater worker than Lily. It had come as a surprise when Lily had been chosen, instead, as Head Girl. Marlene's family was ranked top amongst the many magical households, and Lily's friend lived up to- if not exceeded- her bright sisters' accomplishments.
Having read each letter- Lily was glad to hear that they were just as curious as she. She was so anxious to go- she had no idea how she'd be able to wait until Friday!
She turned her attention to the thick envelope (ignoring the newspaper whose irritating headline she could see already- 'Voldemort Still At Large!') and her heart raced to see that it's return address was St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!
Lily clawed it open quicker than a kneazel!
Dear Miss Lily Evans,
Congratulations! You have been accepted onto our staff of Healers- we expect you to come to our month of training, which starts August 27th. There, you will experience different variations of healing hear at St. Mungo's, before deciding where you would like to be a Junior Healer (and later full Healer). Your salary and duties will be decided upon after a personal conference following training month. We hope you enjoy working with us! If you have any questions, feel free to owl our office here! Have a nice rest-of-summer! Stay safe and healthy!
Head Healer,
Lulabelle Iris
A thick packet of information sat, waiting to be read.
Her spirits were suddenly soaring. Not because of the job, however. Well, yes. That was it, too! She was enthused at the thought of starting Healing work in September! But, even more so, the thought of what awaited her friends and herself on Friday evening seemed to be haunting her brain.
A feeling had overcome her, suddenly. As though something wonderful was to happen, and she felt that it had to do with Friday's invitation.
"Lily!" Her mother called up again, in a frustrated tone. "Please come talk to your sister! She and Vernon are going on vacation, and you might not get to talk to her again for a few weeks!"
Lily rolled her eyes. Couldn't her mother see that she and Petunia had never got on?
However, she was in such a good mood, she decided to humor her mother's wishes. Lily's last thoughts before she grudgingly went to stiffly converse with her sister were, Not even Petunia's boring news can bring me down…