And we get to know what Lily's new job at the Ministry of Magic is going to be.
LILY VI
The Ministry of Magic was a sight to behold for every newcomer who walked into its Atrium. Lily had come to the Ministry of Magic in the past, but it felt like it was in another life. So after she dialed the right number in the red telephone box and it brought her underground, she stood in awe for a moment when she emerged into the Atrium. The floor was made of dark wood, polished so clean that her sister would be jealous and probably ask how they made it shine. Golden stars and other symbols were sprinkled over the blue ceiling. Fireplaces on all walls allowed wizards and witches to come and go as they pleased. The Fountain of Magical Brethren occupied a large central place in the Atrium, displaying a couple of wizard and witch being admired by a centaur, a goblin and a house-elf. Although this statue was proof of the hypocrisy of wizards, no one could deny the art behind it or the impression it left on all visitors.
Lily walked through the crowd, looking for the security desk where she would be registered. She finally found the sign she was looking for and headed towards a wizard wearing blue robes and reading the Daily Prophet. He put down his journal when Lily approached.
"I was told to come here for search and wand registration," she told the man.
"Step over there," he said grumbly.
This man didn't seem to enjoy his job. He used a golden rod to check on her. Lily knew it would detect any undesirable object on her, magical or not.
"Wand," he asked in the same voice.
Lily gave him hers and he placed it on a brass instrument. It vibrated and a sheet of parchment came out of it. He read it.
"Ten and a quarter inches long, unicorn hair core, been in use for twenty years. That's it?"
"Yes," she answered.
He gave her back her wand, but just as she was about to leave, he stopped her. "Wait. Have we met before?"
"No, I don't think so."
"You're sure? Your face looks familiar to me."
"Maybe I have a pretty common face."
She didn't give him the opportunity to think further and left. Lily was unsure about whether people would recognize her as Lily Potter when she would walk into the Ministry, but no one seemed to notice her in the crowd so far, and she preferred to keep it that way.
She didn't want to be late for her interview. It was written in plain sight on the silver badge she pinned on her robe. Lily Evans, Interview. She headed through the golden gates at the end of the hall, then took one of the lifts on the other side. It was filled to the brim by wizards and paper aeroplanes. The lift moved on, stopping at several floors, each housing a different department of the Ministry. Lily waited patiently until she arrived at level two. Then she got out at a place where the floor was very similar to that of the Atrium. The sun and blue sky were visible through windows, despite the fact they were underground. Definitely, magic could do wonders. Lily turned left at a corner, then went through a pair of heavy oak doors.
On the other side of those doors, she was met with an open area filled with cubicles, a man or woman sitting in each of them. It was the Auror Headquarters. Conversations and laughter came from every side, as memo aeroplanes crossed each other's paths in the air. Lily didn't need a lot of time to find her destination. She wandered through the cubicles, ignoring the looks some of the people cast at her and arrived just in front of Rufus Scrimgeour's office. In front of the door, a small man with glasses and an Asian look was writing feverishly on a scroll of parchments on a desk while two other feathers wrote by themselves on other parchments in the air.
"Excuse me, I have a meeting with Mr Scrimgeour," she told me the man.
"Your name?" he asked, not lifting his eyes from his parchment. But at the same time he was asking, and before Lily could provide an answer, a man opened the door of Scrimgeour's office, but it wasn't Scrimgeour.
"Mrs Potter!"
The words of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, echoed through the area. In an instant, all conversations died out and complete silence fell. Lily rolled her eyes. So much for trying to get unnoticed.
"Mr Scrimgeour and I were waiting for you. Please, come in."
Lily turned around the desk, trying the best she could to ignore all the eyes staring at her, including that of the man who just asked her name, his eyes now round. The Minister welcomed her all smile, which she found quite annoying. The other person in the closed office was sitting behind his desk, and his attitude was the extreme opposite to Cornelius Fudge's. Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office, looked at her over a file that clearly bore her name.
"You may sit, Mrs Potter," he told her.
"If you don't mind, Mr Scrimgeour, I prefer that people call me by the name I had at my birth, Lily Evans."
"As you wish. I will call you Mrs Evans from now on." He laid the file on the desk, still open. "This interview starts now. The Minister has insisted that he attends this reunion, although I'm not sure how useful it would be," the Head of the Auror Office declared while looking at Cornelius.
"Well," Fudge began, all smiling and relaxed, "this is not every day that someone like Mrs P... Evans applies to follow the training to become an Auror."
This was why Lily had come here. She started the necessary proceedings almost a month ago, quite late to start the training in January, but there was still enough time left for her to be accepted into the program. It was McGonagall who advised her on this path when she visited Lily before Halloween, and Dumbledore supported this idea as well.
"For now, this is just an application," Scrimgeour specified. "This interview will determine once and for all if Mrs Evans will be accepted for training."
He returned his attention to Lily's file on his desk, and for a long moment he said nothing. Cornelius Fudge was still behind, Lily feeling his smile he tried to make reassuring on her back. She waited, uneasy, for Scrimgeour to tell her something. It was him, not the Minister, who would decide if she was accepted in the end.
" Lily Jane Evans Potter," he began. "Born on January 30, 1960, at Cokeworth, in the Midlands. Parents: Harry Joseph Evans and Elizabeth Jane Addleton Evans. Both Muggles. Both dead. Married to James Potter on September 30, 1978. Husband died on October 31, 1981. You have a son, Harry James Potter - as if we need to specify it - born on July 31, 1980. He is currently a first-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You have an elder sister, Petunia Jane Evans Dursley, a Muggle, who is also married to a Muggle, Vernon Dursley, who is the owner of a..." Scrimgeour seemed to read very carefully. "... drill-making company called Grunnings. They have a son, your nephew, Dudley Dursley, who was born on June 23, 1980. He is currently studying at an establishment called Smeltings Academy. No known magical powers. Do you confirm that these information are accurate and that, to the best of your knowledge, you have no other relatives?"
"I confirm," she said.
"You attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1971 to June 1978. Ten O.W.L.s and ten N.E.W.T.s. Head Girl during your final year. Then three years of unemployment, during which several reports in the Ministry support that you worked for Albus Dumbledore to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We have traces of four encounters where you faced the Dark Lord himself and survived. During the fourth, your husband was murdered, you were heavily injured and your son somehow managed to survive a Killing Curse. Following this, you were awarded, along with your husband posthumously, the Order of Merlin First Class, for acts of outstanding bravery and distinction. Then ten years of inactivity follow up to this day, which you mostly spent in the world of Muggles, working as a secretary for a company, and during which you seldom used your magical powers."
"I had no choice," Lily pointed out. "I was living among the Muggles. I had to limit the use of magic if I didn't want them to find out who I was."
"Which is in complete agreement with all the laws of Magic," Fudge added. "Mrs P... Evans had an exemplary behavior while living among the Muggles."
"Perhaps, but this is not the question," Scrimgeour countered. He closed the file and looked straight into Lily's eyes. "Normally, Mrs Evans, we recruit people who have just come out of Hogwarts. We require excellent academic credentials from applicants, but we also expect of them professionalism, determination, and complete dedication to their training."
"And Mrs Evans has all of them, Rufus," Fudge said. Lily was beginning to get annoyed at the Minister defending her all the time. What was he doing here in the first place?
"I can't argue with the grades, though she obtained them almost fifteen years ago. And she would also be our only candidate with a child."
"My son is spending ten out of twelve months of the year in Hogwarts. It will not be an issue," Lily stated.
"Perhaps, but we rarely accept in training people of such an age, Mrs Evans. And considering you spent almost ten years barely using magic..."
"Mr Scrimgeour, do I have to understand that you do not want me to start training to become an Auror?"
"This is not what I said, and this is not what I think. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm looking for reasons to accept you in the training program, Mrs Evans, not to refuse you. So, why should we accept to train you to become an Auror?"
Lily thought about it for a moment. "My experience. You said it yourself, most of your applicants are just fresh out of Hogwarts. They are seventeen or eighteen-years-old. Most of them have no experience of the real world outside. What they know, they learned it in their books. My learning... happened in the field, when I was fighting Death Eaters, Dementors, Inferi, Werewolves, even Voldemort himself." She heard Fudge swallowing behind her. Scrimgeour remained without reaction. "You've been an Auror yourself, before you headed this service, Mr Scrimgeour. I'm sure you would agree with me that the best training to fight dark forces happens in the field."
Scrimgeour seemed to scrutinize her. Lily hoped her answer satisfied him. If it did, he gave no sign of it.
"I agree with you, but your experience is old of ten years," he finally said.
"Come on, Rufus," Fudge said with a nervous laugh. "This is Lily Evans Potter. You realize..."
"I totally realize who she is, Fudge. But I'm not giving her a free pass just because she is the Mother Who Lived." He turned back his attention to Lily. "Do you understand what you are getting into, Mrs Evans? I know that many people believe you are capable of becoming an Auror for the Ministry, judging by the recommendation letters your former teachers and friends - Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn, Alastor Maugrey - sent to us. This is three years of training. Half our applicants don't make it past the first year. One in four make it through the final examinations, and only a fifth of initial applicants become Aurors. We're talking about an intensive training program, both theoretical and practical, with long hours. This is a full-time job, and few people make it through. Are you really ready to dedicate the next three years of your life to this, and then the rest of your life to fighting evil forces?"
He stared straight into her eyes. Lily sustained his gaze and leaned forward so he could see her very well. "I do. Anyway, if I don't succeed, all you'll have to do is kick me out of training."
Scrimgeour stared at her some more time. But finally, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he nodded. "Very well. Lily Jane Evans Potter, you are accepted in the Auror training program starting this January."
Fudge applauded behind. "Good news. I knew we would come to our senses."
"The training starts next week for you, Mrs Evans. You'll have some paperwork to fill. My assistant outside will give you everything you need."
"Thank you, Mr Scrimgeour," she said.
They shook hands. Lily did everything to remain calm during the interview, but the truth was that she was nervous like it almost never happened. Now she felt more excited than ever.
When she turned, Fudge was there, and shook her hand as well. It was hard for her to avoid it, the way he placed himself right between her and the door. "It will be a pleasure to have you working for the Ministry, Mrs Evans."
She found him a little too enthusiastic, but at the same time, she didn't feel like sending him away. She was elated and relieved to have been accepted. She excused herself pretty quickly and left the office. Outside, she had the distinct impression that the Aurors had stopped working while she spoke with Scrimgeour, and that even some of them had approached the door, maybe to hear what was being said, as a few were walking back to their cubicles when she came out. Even the assistant looked like he hurriedly sat back in his chair. She turned around his desk to face him.
"Mr Scrimgeour said you had some forms for me to fill," she asked the Asian man.
"Yes, here it is." He handed a pile of parchments to her, his hands shaking. "You can fill them right there," he added while indicating an empty cubicle right next to him.
All Lily had to do was to sign her name at the bottom of most of those papers. Some were discharges, others were commitments to pay training fees, and there was also an ethical code of conduct in two copies she had to commit to follow. When she was done reading and signing everything, she handed back the parchments to the assistant. He checked them very nervously.
"Everything is in order," he declared. He then seized another small pile of parchments. "You'll find in this plans and schedule of your training, along with a list of what will be necessary, and even suggestions for additional resources that might be useful. Welcome to the Auror's training program, Mrs Potter."
"Evans," she corrected, verifying everything he just gave her. She had the impression to be back to school, something that was strange for a woman who had left it over ten years ago. She could already imagine a thousand ways she and Harry could laugh about it.
"Huh, excuse me, Mrs Evans... But your son, he is at Hogwarts, isn't he?"
"He is," she confirmed. "First year."
He nodded. "I have daughter there as well. Second year. She told us about the Quidditch match where he played as a Seeker. You must be very proud of your son."
"I am." When she thought about that Quidditch match, a mix of pride and worry invaded her as she remembered how her son barely held up to his broomstick.
"They might face each other this year. My daughter is a reserve for the Quidditch team of her own House."
"Oh yeah? Well, maybe we'll meet each other at a game, in this case." She finished verifying that she had everything. "Thank you, Mr..." She realized that she didn't know his name.
"Chang. Gen Chang."
"Thank you, Mr. Chang."
Lily turned on her heels and proceeded through the alleys between the cubicles. She rolled her eyes in exasperation as she felt gazes on her again. She had almost forgotten why she left the world of magic in the first place.
"Mrs Potter." She was called before she left the area. She turned to face the person who just called her. He was a tall black man, well-built, bald, with a few gold earrings. He offered his hand for her to shake it. "Kingsley Shacklebolt."
Lily shook it. "Lily Evans. Have we met before?" His face or the name sounded familiar to her.
"No, Mrs Evans. But I knew your husband. I met him a few times."
James must have mentioned his name a long time ago. "Nice to meet you, Mr Shacklebolt."
"You can call me Kingsley. I wanted to show you something before you left." He stepped aside to let her see the inside of his cubicle. Then he pointed a pile of files on the left of it. "Those are the cases on which I'm working. Look at the top. It's my priority file."
Lily took a closer look. She met a face she would never forget. A face she would hate until the end of her days. She whispered the name. "Peter Pettigrew." Wormtail.
On the photo, he looked like rat. She never realized before how similar he looked as a human to the rat he could become. This man was their Secret Keeper when they hid from Voldemort, and he betrayed them. Then he tried to send Sirius at Azkaban in his place. He almost succeeded. When Lily recovered from the attack and she was told that Sirius had been arrested, she told Dumbledore the truth immediately. They had let everyone believe Sirius was the Secret Keeper, so that the whole attention would be on him, while Wormtail would be the true Keeper and would just have to remain hidden. If only they had chosen Sirius or Dumbledore...
Sirius was lucky Lily survived. Had she not, he would have ended in Azkaban for the rest of his life. Bartemius Crouch sent people to prison without a trial in these days. Wormtail even killed twelve people with a single spell, then disappeared after changing into a rat, leaving Sirius, who had just found him and tried to kill him, to take the blame. As soon as Dumbledore heard the truth from her, he contacted the Ministry of Magic and told them everything. However, there were still the twelve people he supposedly killed, with over fifty eye-witnesses claiming he had killed these people and Peter. It took all Dumbledore's influence to convince the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to even listen to his version of events. After Sirius was allowed to do so, and after the Ministry tested his wand and found out he never cast the spell that killed all these people, he was released, and research began to find Wormtail, just like the other remaining Death Eaters. But over an entire month had passed at this moment, which Sirius had spent in Azkaban, already under the control of Dementors who deserted Voldemort's disciples en masse after their master disappeared. Ten years later, Wormtail was still running, and they had no idea where he might be.
"I just wanted to tell you that this is not a cold case," Kingsley Shacklebolt told her. "He might have disappeared a long time ago, but we are still looking for him. We're going to find this monster."
"Thank you... Kingsley," she said in a low voice.
They nodded to each other, and she walked away, for good this time. She hadn't thought of Wormtail for a very long time. He had vanished, nowhere to be found. Once, when Sirius and Remus had come home, she had heard them talking about him, giving him the most horrible names someone could imagine. He had been their friend since school, since their first year at Hogwarts. Lily didn't know him as well as they did, but she hated him no less than they did. It was his fault that James died ten years ago.
As she went back to the lifts, she thought how she didn't anticipate that becoming an Auror might entail working on Wormtail's case, or at least to hear about it. Some former Death Eaters and other Voldemort's disciples were still free, after all. Wormtail was only one of them. The lift brought her back to the Atrium and Lily left the Ministry of Magic. When she would come back next week, she would be an Auror apprentice.
Tell me what you think of Lily's new profession.
Please review.
Next chapter : the second Quidditch match, from the perspective of someone who hates Quidditch