Author's Note: Damn. Damn it. I knew that I would forget at some point! Sorry :(
[Alice Longbottom]
Friday, September 19, 1980
Harry, it was lovely to see you today! I visited Lily, and she was kind enough to let me write in your Wizarding book. I brought Neville with me of course. I believe the two of you are becoming fast friends. Or at much as babies your age can, I suppose. We will have to organize more get-togethers in the future, it's been great to see Lily again.
We were close in school, but I haven't been able to see her as much since, and writing letter just isn't the same. Part of the absence has been the war. But it's not just that, we also both have more responsibilities than we did before. And then I haven't seen Lily at all since you and Neville were born. It's funny that you two were born so close together.
The weather was lovely today, so Lily and I took the two of you out into the backyard at your house. It's really pretty out there. Not as beautiful as it was in the spring, but still very nice. Your mother is a wonderful gardener, Harry. I only wish I had half her skill. Frank has it, though, with his fascination with herbology. You'd be a very lucky young man if you inherited your mother's skill. That's probably connected to how good she is at potions. It's not hard to admit I don't have her ability.
As your godmother, I think I ought to tell you about your parents a little bit, Harry. Now you've probably heard about your father quite a lot, if not through this book, than by your godfather, but I don't know how much people have told you about your mother.
Now you probably think of your father as the classic prankster and your mother as the golden Prefect, but school wasn't that simple. Yes, Lily had a reputation for following the rules, but she was most strict about the anti-bulling ones. The younger children loved her, and she mothered them terribly. But while not as much as your father, thank Merlin, she did break the rules occasionally.
Just a little tip, Harry, your mother had two weaknesses at Hogwarts, and they both caused her to stay up past curfew now and then. One was the Library. She still goes back occasionally, to visit the librarian, and to read a couple more books. I swear, she wants to read them all. But the second was the Prefect's bath. Have you been in there, Harry? It's probably a toss-up whether you become a prefect, but everyone has to try the bath at some point. It's heavenly. It's actually more of a hot tub than a bath tub, though.
Well, anyway, your mother would stay up later than she should have sometimes. This one night, Lily had been studying all day for exams, which were in about a week or two. So after she left the library (a couple hours after it closed) Lily decided to go to the Prefect's bath. Unfortunately, on the way there, Lily ran into Filtch, the new caretaker. He was very suspicious, but Lily told him that she was patrolling for a student who she had discovered was out of bed during curfew. The student, you ask? None other than James Potter himself.
It was hilarious. He believed her of course, who wouldn't? So while he was looking all around the school, Lily was able to relax in the Prefect's bath. And the best thing was that James really had been out that night! He was caught, and no one ever suspected Lily.
I'm sure you have stories of your own by now, Harry. Who knows, they might include Neville! Not that I'm saying that I expect you two to be best friends. For all I know, you might be in different houses!
Well, I have to wrap this up, Harry, but it was great to write to you. In return, Lily is writing in my Neville's Wizarding Book. It was great to see you. I don't know when I'm going to visit again, and whether I'll be able to write in your Wizarding Book then, but I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon.
Love,
Alice.