Lily,
I don't know why you think it necessary to hit boys at school, but you'd make your dear old dad very much happy by refraining yourself from doing so in the future.
Having said that, I must add here how very disappointed I am in you, young lady. And so is your mum. You know the rule, Lil. You stir up trouble at school, you have to do as you're told for a month. Now I won't ask you to give up anything this time seeing how Neville has already done the job for me by suspending you from Quidditch. But I want you to go to the library everyday, even during each game and during your Hogsmeade weekend, study extra hard for that Potions test I know you have coming up, and at least attempt to get a respectable in it this time. Seek help from Albus or Rose if you need to. But, Lil. You must try. Neville will keep tabs on your progress.
I love you, Lilybub. But sometimes you exhaust your old man so much.
Be good. Eat your green vegetables. Tell Albus to write us soon. Tell him that we need to speak. Mum sends her love.
Dad.
PS: Go easy on Albus. He didn't have anything to do with this. Also, just so you know, things could've been much worse for you if I'd let mum handle this. So take time to remember James' howler and thank your lucky stars.

Lily sighed and held back the tears from falling. She missed her dad. Lily had lived alone with her parents for a whole year after Albus left for his first year, and that year had changed her so much as a child, because she had almost gotten used to being the only child around. And that gave her the opportunity to be spoiled rotten by her father as much as he could.

To say that Harry Potter was fond of his daughter would be a massive understatement. He had done everything for Lily which he had not had as a 10 year old. He had given his full attention to her for a whole year, something he couldn't give to James or Albus, because he was too busy. But since things were quieter at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it gave Harry enough time to take Lily to her muggle school, her ballet class which she excelled in, her piano lessons, even some of her playdates with the muggle children who lived two streets away. Ginny taught all their kids how to play Quidditch, but only Lily knew how to ride a bike, because Harry had taught her how during that year. She was the only Potter child to have spend the most time with their father, something Albus resented her and Harry for.

She wasn't surprised by the letter's content. She had it coming. But she felt a slight pang of guilt, guilt that came from a part of her heart which harboured a deep seated desire to exceed her father's expectations in every way. But she brushed it off quickly, replacing it with a conscious feeling of righteousness. Macmillan deserved every punch he got and more. And if that gave her a few detentions and a Quidditch suspension, so be it.

As she left the Great Hall towards her first class, she opened the second letter that she had received today, written in crisp handwriting of James Potter.

It wasn't much of a letter as it was a note, containing only a few brief sentences that made Lily roll her eyes:

You make me proud, Little Lil. Keep up the good work. No matter what they say, sometimes you've just got to rely on your fists. Kick Allie's whiny arse for me for being such a wuss, making my sister fight his battles. Such a shame.
Your Favourite Brother,
James Potter II

James had begun calling himself James Potter II somewhere around three years ago. It was so pretentious and so James. She was extremely fond of her eldest brother, but if he weren't her brother, she might have given him at least a few kicks in the rear end by now, not that she had shown much restraint in the aspect. Kicking James under the table was her favourite game at home. But that was a story for another time.

Lily folded the letters carefully, and put them away in her pocket. Writing to her family required a sound mind, which she was not in possession of this particular morning. Halfway to her walk towards the class, she was joined by a very distraught Hugo Weasley, wheezing because of the dash he had to make in order to catch up with his cousin.

"You walk-" Hugo said, taking another hasty breath, "You walk mighty fast for being such a tiny little bird, Lily."

"What happened to you, Hughey? Why are you wheezing like an old man?" Lily asked, then added as an afterthought, "And how many times do I have to tell you that girls don't like being referred to as 'birds'."

Hugo decided to ignore that last bit with a derisive swat of his hand. "I was trying to catch your eye since breakfast but you were too busy running away with your blasted letters. Here." He handed her a packet which looked frightfully foreign.

Lily raised a brow at him. "Well? What is it?"

The look that passed over Hugo's face made Lily highly suspicious. She had an inkling that she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"It's a book. Give it to Lorcan when you see him." He said hurriedly, as he tried to evade a third year out of his way.

"What?" This was getting way past her power of comprehension.

"Right. Look I don't have the time to explain everyth- GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU LITTLE BUGGERS!" Hugo yelled at a group of younger students getting in his way. Then looked back at Lily,"I know you can't stand the bloke, and I would ask Rose to do it, but she is busy with Quidditch. Just give it to Lorcan when you see him in the library today, alright?"

"Why on earth would you think that I am seeing Lorcan in the library?"

"Of course you will! You have to go to the library till our Potions test, don't you? And it's not like you have to worry over tomorrow's match and stay for practice with-" he stopped abruptly, then said, "Look Lily. I am already late for Divination. And you have...somewhere to be too, right? Just give the bloody book to Lorcan tonight, and tell him that my mum sent it for him. I would do it but I have a Chess Club meeting tonight I cannot get out of." And with that, he went on with his running frenzy again.

What in the name of Merlin was that? And how did he even know about her Dad's punishment? Lily was beyond confused. And angry at almost everyone and everything at this point. It was barely 9 in the morning, and already her day wasn't looking any better.

She sighed and entered the class with a dejected expression.

***
Things weren't much better in the DADA classroom of Sixth Years, either. Professor Provost had instructed them to write an essay on the Patronus Charm, since he was busy grading papers of first years.

There had been a collective sigh of relief by the students when they were informed that it won't be a practical lesson today, but a practice in improving their writing abilities. Fridays weren't a good day to study. Particularly not this one.

Scorpius kept on with writing his essay quietly, so did Rose on the other end of the room, albeit a bit less quietly as she noisily rummaged through her textbook and another extremely magnanimous tomb of unknown identity for some answers. Albus, however sat on his seat next to Scorpius, leaning back comfortably with his hands folded neatly over his parchment with a finished essay, brooding over Merlin-knew-what, but from the looks of it, it had something to do with Professor Provost. Behind Albus, Bartholomew Nott was snoring softly for the last twenty minutes, while Roman Nott was doodling an animated Flobberworm on his parchment. Stephano Zabini was admiring one Amelia Claufield with a peculiar expression on his face. Amelia Claufield, oblivious to being an object of observation to Stephano, was twirling a lock of her black hair around her quill absentmindedly as she gazed out of the window.

To say that it was a lazy and unproductive hour, would be an understatement. But to be terribly honest, that was always the case whenever there was a Quidditch match so close. The teachers knew better than to expect anything from their students, particularly Provost, who was the youngest of the teachers (only 28, as rumoured around by Hogwarts Herald), understood the Quidditch fanaticism quite well. He never attempted to burden his students when he knew that it would be a complete waste of his own time and energy. But his students saw this as some form of kindred-ship; a teacher after their own hearts. And Sylvain Provost loved his students and his job.

Although, as he heard one of his students sighing for the two hundred and twenty eighth time that day, he didn't feel the love for his job quite as ardently at that particular moment. He decided that it was time to wake this lot from their stupor.

"Alright. I had planned to wait till the hour was over to say this, but since it is quite clear that every single one of you would rather twiddle your thumbs and snore," he glared at Bart at this, "than go over one of the most important spells you will learn this year, I have decided to prepond my announcement." He paused and threw a careful glance at Albus before beginning again with, "As some of you may know, we are going to have a guest lecturer every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday over the next month starting ten days from now. All of you probably know him as the Saviour of the wizarding world, and-"

At this, a frantic murmur started around the room. Some of them even pointed towards Albus, who was looking paler by the second for some reason. Scorpius Malfoy was looking at his friend questioningly while swatting away Bart Nott's poking finger at his ribs. Rose Weasley had finally decided to close her books as she was now gazing in the general direction of the Slytherin boys with concern.

"SILENCE!"

After they were somewhat pacified, Provost began with, "Among other things, is coming to teach you the Patronus Charm. He is considered an expert on the subject. I learned from him in my days at Hogwarts as a student, and I cannot help but emphasise that this is a wonderful opportunity for you all; especially the students who wish to make a career as Aurors. I expect you to take full advantage of the knowledge he possesses and behave like the good young witches and wizards I know you are."

"Well?" Scorpius had tried to reign in the question as long as he could, but as the two boys made their way through the corridor, he decided that he'd had enough.

"Well, what?" Albus retorted with a very sore expression on his face.

"When were you going to tell me that your Dad was coming to school?"

"Never."

When Scorpius just raised his left eyebrow in response, Albus mumbled, "I didn't know he was coming at all, alright? Now leave me be. I have to find Lily."

Scorpius stood in the busy corridor, staring at his best friend's retreating form.

"What-" came a breathy voice from behind him. "What did he say, Malfoy?"

It looked like Rose Weasley had been running.

"Nothing. He went to find Lily." Scorpius said absentmindedly.

"Is he alright then?"

"I don't know, Weasley. But I think not." Scorpius sighed.

"Poor Albus. He must be feeling terrible right now."

***
Terrible was not the only word he would use to describe his feelings. Betrayed? Yes. Neglected? Sure. Angry? Indeed. He knew that he had said things to his dad over the Summer that he wasn't particularly proud of, but he wasn't completely wrong. It upset him that Harry was still holding it against him. He hadn't wrote to Albus once since the start of the term.

But you haven't written to him, either.

No. He wasn't going to write. Let him see how he hurt you when he comes to Hogwarts.

He didn't know where these antagonizing feeling were coming from. It was unusual for Albus Potter , but he ignored it and continued with the task at hand. After rummaging through all of Hogwarts, at last Albus found his sister sitting alone by the Black Lake under a tree, throwing pebbles in the lake, looking like her mind was elsewhere.

It wasn't a scene one would be presented with every day, because everyone who knew Lily Potter, knew this much about her: she was never alone. In fact you could always bet on her being surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls; a factor that had always made it difficult for Albus to get to his sister.

"Mind if I sit here?" Albus asked nonchalantly.

Lily only shrugged in response, gazing intently at the waves made by the pebble that had just hit the water.

Albus made himself comfortable by resting his back against the tree trunk. Lily and her pebble throwing was still going on, so he decided to join her in that activity. And soon it turned into a silent game of who could throw the pebble farthest. At last Albus lost the game.

"You have a good arm there, Lil. Ever thought of playing Beater?"

"You and I both know that you let me win, Albus." Lily said dejectedly.

After that, neither of them spoke for a while. It was typical of Albus, Lily thought. He would do anything to make other people feel better, whether it was by losing a petty sibling game, giving them sweets or just plain listening to them. It often made her wonder why Albus couldn't get along with their dad. They were so much alike.

"I got a letter from Dad today." Lily broke the silence, "He said you didn't tell him about my detention."

"No. I didn't."

"Why? I thought you were keen on tattling on me, Al? Isn't that what you usually did with James? Telling on him every chance you got? Why stop now?"

"Is that what you think of me, Lily? That I tattle on you guys? Because it is not true!" Albus exclaimed, hurt apparent in his green eyes behind his black rimmed glasses, then began quietly, "It was different with James. He teased me relentlessly. Making fun of me for being too tall, for being in Slytherin, for being friends with Scorpius, for being bad at everything I did when I wasn't. I couldn't stand it. And why should I? But I didn't want to stoop to his level. So I had only one choice for retaliation. I had to inform our parents of the tales of his heroics. I had to expose him every time he stirred up trouble. And I am not one bit sorry for that. He had it coming."

Lily was surprised to hear such a venomous statement coming out of Albus' mouth. The nice, quiet Albus. Everyone thought that of him. Sure, people were skeptical about him for being a Slytherin, something Albus was painfully aware of. People sometimes went so far as to judge him for being a spitting image of their father, and yet not having done anything remarkable to fit that profile. It was ridiculous. But to the people who knew him remotely well, he was the quiet boy. The secretive boy who kept to himself, played a bit of Quidditch, was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts. A perfectly harmless boy, who always had a shoulder to cry on ready for whoever may need it, and yet refused to deal with his own issues. There were hidden depths to his quietness that were haunted by his own insecurities. Not many people knew that about him. Not even everyone in their family. Albus' bitterness came out only for James for being such an arse, and for his father for being who he was. Nobody hated being a Potter more than Albus. But he had never been this upfront about it before today.

Apparently Al wasn't done yet as he again started with, "Look, Lily. I am sorry you feel the way you do, but I am not your enemy. I am your brother. And it's my responsibility to make sure that you stay out of trouble. Out of limelight. Because believe me, you don't want a bad reputation for yourself. Being an infamous Potter is worse than being a famous one. You don't know how hard it is living under constant scrutiny if you are different from what you are supposed to be. People won't ever let you forget who you are."

To say that Lily was a little out of her depth here would be an understatement. After a moment, she quietly said, "This is the most I've ever heard you talk, Al. I didn't know that you felt so strongly about all this."

Albus didn't say anything. He just looked at the lake blankly. A little bird flew touching the lake's surface, causing little ripples in the process.

"Is that why you hate Dad so much? Because of all the attention his name brings to you?"

"I don't hate Dad, Lil. Why would you think so?"

"I heard your row with Dad this summer, Al. My room is right across from yours, you know. And since your voice has changed, you sound a lot louder than you think you do."

Albus gave her a half smile at that. "Dad and I have our...disagreements, Lil. That doesn't mean I hate him. What I hate are the consequences of who he is. That doesn't mean that I blame him for it. How can I?"

Well. Lily wasn't so sure that Albus was very much conscious about his resentment.

"Then why were you fighting this Summer?"

"I thought we were talking about you, not me."

"Oh, come on. Stop being evasive. Tell me."

Albus rolled his eyes at Lily's unwavering insistence. "It wasn't what you think. We were fighting because...well," Albus hesitated, then decided that he needed to talk to someone about this. It might as well be his sister. "Do you know anything about the internship program?"

"Yeah. You have to take one in your choice of career right? James went to that Quidditch Summer camp two years back.."

"Yes, well. I wanted to do mine at Dad's office."

Lily didn't know that Al wanted to become an auror. But she decided not to comment on that. "Then why don't you go for it?"

"It's a bit complicated."

"Why?"

Albus remained quiet, as if to decide whether he should say something or not. But he must have felt that for once he was the one in need of a sounding board, instead of it being the other way around.

"Dad refused my application."