It might have been better to have Ainsley refer to The Ultimate University of Wizarding Healing as "here" in reference to it after her first mention or two, but I was trying to make her letter read somewhat formally in reflection of the serious environment she is now in.
On the night of Sunday, September 5th, 2021, Lily was sitting on her bed in her room around 8 P.M. Hogwarts time causally reading the most recent edition of Quidditch Through the Ages when she heard a knock on her door.
"Who is it?" asked Lily simply.
"James, " came the voice of James, "May I please come in?"
"But of course, " said Lily warmly, going over to the door and opening it to let James in.
James entered Lily's room with an uncomfortable look on his face and went and sat down next to Lily on her bed.
Taking a deep breath, James said uneasily, "Lily, I have news for you and you're not going to like it. I have made a decision that I know you will feel hurt by. But, at the end of the day, this is a case where I owe it to you to be honest with you. I have resigned from being Quidditch commentator and will not be calling your matches this year."
James had expected to see a hurt look come across Lily's face when he gave her this news, but what he saw on her face instead was an uncertain look.
"Are you still going to come to the matches?" Lily asked James.
"Yes, " said James briskly, "I'm going to sit in the stands and cheer you on from the Gryffindor section. I'm going to sit next to Albus in the stands during the matches."
"That's wonderful, " said Lily glowingly, "My two brothers can sit together in the stands as I help bring another Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor. That's a beautiful thing."
James felt a mixture of surprise, relief, and joy at Lily's reaction to his news.
"All the same, " inquired Lily, "Why have you resigned from being Quidditch commentator?"
"It's a practical decision, " said James in a businesslike voice, "Planning classes as part of my job being Wandmaking teacher is going to take up some of my time. I don't know about past Quidditch commentators like Lee Jordan, but I always practiced my commentating throughout the year. I needed to find some time to do lesson planning and such for the class I am teaching and decided to make some time by dropping practicing commentating. I know it's easy to say that practicing Quidditch commentating shouldn't be necessary, especially for someone with as much experience at it as me. But I don't feel comfortable continuing to do it without approaching it the same way I've always approached it. Furthermore, I also wanted to give someone new a chance to do the commentating. "
"Do you know who that someone is?" piped up Lily.
"I selected her myself and Professor Kirke has already approved her as our new Quidditch commentator. She will be only the second girl to ever be a Hogwarts Quidditch commentator," answered James.
"Luna Lovegood is the only girl to have commentated a Hogwarts Quidditch match and she did so only once, " remembered Lily, "But who is the new commentator then?"
"COME!" cried James.
At that, Courtney came into view and entered Lily's room.
"Courtney will be the new Quidditch commentator?" said Lily happily, "That's a great opportunity for her."
"I'm very gratified that James would recommend me of all people to be the new Quidditch commentator!' said Courtney sincerely.
"I know how much it's meant to me these past couple of years to be able to call Lily's matches, " James told Courtney.
Catching on, Courtney piped up, "OOH! I will be calling Stephanie's and Samantha's matches!"
'There's no way for me to explain to you, " said James matter of factly, "Until you've experienced it for yourself, what it feels like to call your sister's matches when your sisters are playing well and winning."
"I'd eventually like to play for Gryffindor, " said Courtney, "But, as Wesley decided to name Hugo as the replacement Chaser for the departed Ainsley without holding a trial, there are no open spots on the team this year. But being the Quidditch commentator will be a fantastic way for me to still be very involved with and very close to the Quidditch season. And, yes, I will absolutely practice my commentating."
"I personally do believe that the Quidditch commentator should practice his or her craft though I too don't know if that's historically been the case, " said Lily cheerfully.
"Lily?" inquired Courtney, "Do you agree with Wesley's decision to give the vacant Chaser position to Hugo rather than hold a tryout?"
"I do," said Lily happily, "Hugo clearly performed great in his tryout last year and was just slightly beaten out by Devon. It would have been different if there had multiple positions open. But, with only one spot to fill and a known strong player available, I agree with Wesley's decision to name Hugo the new Chaser."
"I see it the same way, " said Courtney matter of factly, "Being commentator is a great way for me to get my feet wet with Hogwarts Quidditch and I'm really looking forward to it."
"Congratulations, Courtney, " said Lily glowingly.
Courtney smiled at Lily and left again.
James now addressed Lily and said, "I'm relieved you didn't feel hurt by my dec-"
"James, you're making the right decision, " said Lily firmly, "Your responsibilities as a teacher have to come first. You're doing the right thing by making that your priority, just like you did the right thing in postponing your first class. And honestly, I'm happy for you that you can sit in the stands and root on Gryffindor as a fan. Plus, while you were a GREAT commentator, I think it's good to get some fresh blood in the commentator's booth. Your six year run was unusually long."
"It will be interesting for everyone to hear a new voice, " admitted James, "I chose Courtney as my successor because I knew she was someone who would appreciate the opportunity and because of her sisters being on the team."
"You've made a great choice, James, " smiled Lily, "We'll see how it goes."
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Much love from Arizona for all your support! :) -Michael Happy August!