"I'm sorry Amy, " said Harry apologetically, "But I'm not really up to doing anything today. Tomorrow, I will be ready to do things again. Today, I'm feeling much better except for the soreness, but I just don't feel like doing anything yet. I'd prefer to spend the day in bed either reading or talking. "
"We respect that, " said Amy patiently, "This process has to somewhat be on your terms."
"What I'd like to happen today, " said Harry quietly, "Is I'd like Sirius to tell me more about my parents."
"I can do that, " said Sirius fondly.
Amy, Susan, Hannah, Heather, Amelia, and Healer Operate all nodded in understanding.
"Harry, " suggested Sirius, "Why don't I start and if you have anything specific you want to ask me you can, okay?"
"Okay, " said Harry simply.
"Now, I told you before that James was the top of the year in Transfiguration, " said Sirius proudly, "But I didn't give you more specifics. James, while an O student in all fields of Transfiguration, was a master at both Conjuring Spells and Vanishing Spells."
"Conjuring Spells and Vanishing Spells are some of the most difficult magic known to exist, " said Amelia wryly, "I could never get the hang of them at all."
"You're not alone, " sighed Heather, "I sucked at Conjuring Spells and Vanishing Spells even more than you did."
"I could do partial Conjuring Spells and Vanishing Spells, " said Sirius matter of factly, "I was certainly better than Remus, Lily, Heather, or Amelia. But I never mastered them. Never even came close to mastering them. Partial was as far as I ever got even on small objects. James was by far the best I ever saw at it."
"How good was he?" asked Harry curiously and eagerly.
"James's Conjuring Spells and Vanishing Spells were so good that he could conjure and vanish animals as large as hippogriffs, " said Sirius proudly, "To be able to do that is unheard, expect for James."
"It's so awesome that my dad was the one who was able to do so, " said Harry excitedly.
"To actually see him do it was a wonder to behold, " said Sirius reminiscently, "In their seventh year, James won ten galleons away from Lily in a bet when she bet him that he couldn't conjure a hippogriff and he conjured a beautiful stormy gray hippogriff. James always had an affinity for hippogriffs with stormy gray coats. "
" I love hearing these kinds of stories, " said Harry in a satisfied voice, "So, on mom's side, you've said Charms and Potions were her best subjects and that she was the best in her year at them. Is there any particular potion she was especially good at making?"
"I don't know for sure, " said Sirius honestly, "But there is one story involving Lily and potions that you'll definitely want to hear."
"Share it!" piped up Harry eagerly.
"In our sixth year, then Potions teacher Professor Slughorn announced that he was offering a bottle of Felix Felicis, otherwise known as Liquid Luck, to the student who made the best potion with the potion being brewed that day being Draught of Living Death, a powerful Sleeping Potion. Slughorn warned the class that never had a student produced a potion of sufficient quality to claim the prize. Well, Lily made a potion so perfect that Slughorn said it was easily the best potion ever made by a student, going as far to say that one drop would kill them all, " Sirius told Harry.
"My mom was the first student to ever win this prize?" said Harry in an awestruck voice.
"The first and the last, " said Sirius fondly, "No student ever won it again after Lily and Professor Slughorn is long since retired."
"Hearing these stories sets my heart aglow, " said Harry meaningfully, "Learning these things about my mom and dad gives me the opportunity to be proud of my parents even if they didn't live long enough to tell the stories themselves."
"And today was a perfect opportunity for me to share these stories with you, " smiled Sirius.
"Is there anything in which my mom and dad were equally skilled that say, they might go five and four against each other in a competition involving that skill?"
"Swimming, " answered Sirius, "In our day it was common for large groups of Hogwarts students to have swimming contests of various kinds. James and Lily often went one and two in those swimming contests, one of them barely beating the other for first."
"Nice!" smiled Harry,
After Harry and Sirius called it a day on such discussions, Harry turned to his three besties.
"Amy, Susan, and Hannah, " said Harry gratefully, "Thank you for being so patient here. I'm sure stories about my parents aren't of much interest to you three, but you were willing to be patient and listen to Sirius tell them because you all knew how much I wanted to hear them. "
"We did hear some pretty cool stuff in those stories, " cooed Amy.
"Yeah, " agreed Susan, "I'd have never imagined conjuring a hippogriff."
"Nor winning Lucky Potion as a prize, " added Hannah.
Harry smiled.
"All the same, " said Harry, "I still want to thank you for understanding and accepting that I wasn't up to doing much today. I'll be ready to do things tomorrow but today I didn't want to do anything but talk and read and I appreciate you going along with that without complaint. "
"But of course, " said Healer Operate, "You're the recovering patient, not them. "
"Their keeping me company is a godsend, " said Harry, "But I'd like to read for the rest of the day."
So, Harry, Amy, Susan, Hannah, Sirius, Heather, Amelia, and Healer Operate, who had previously read The Magician's Nephew and then The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, now pulled out their copies of The Horse and His Boy and spent the rest of the day reading it.