On June 4th, 2018, James Sirius Potter was sitting in his dorm room thinking of the 2018 Belmont Stakes that would be run that coming Saturday. The horse Justify had won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness which meant that he had a chance to become the second triple crown winner in four years if he could win the Belmont.
James thought to himself and asked himself if he thought Justify had it in him to be a triple crown winning horse. Some horses, like War Emblem, clearly didn't. Others, like American Pharoah clearly did, Justify didn't seem quite as obvious either way. But the more James thought about it, the more he liked Justify's triple crown chances. James was a huge horse racing fan and his heart of hearts told him that Justify was meant to be a triple crown winner. James decided to write to Lily.
James wrote:
Dear Lily:
Today I was sitting in my dorm room thinking about the Belmont Stakes and wondering about Justify. The more I thought about it, the more I liked Justify's chances of winning the triple crown. I just think he's cut from the right cloth. Do you have any thoughts on this year's Belmont Stakes? If so, then write me back with your thoughts.
-James.
Next morning James received a reply from Lily.
Dear James:
I'm not feeling Justify. While he ending up winning, he seemed a bit vulnerable at the Preakness. I have a gut feeling that is apparently the opposite of your gut feeling. I know I lost that bet with you on the 2015 Belmont Stakes that required me to give you an extra birthday present, but I'm actually much more confident I'm right this time around. While you proposed the extra birthday present bet last time and I agreed to it, I'd like us to make a juicier and spicier bet this time around and I'm willing to risk a lot to get a lot. I'll consider any proposal you throw at me.
-Lily.
"Well, " thought James to himself, "I'd have to take a big risk to do so, but this could be a great opportunity for me to gain something I've been wanting."
So, James wrote back:
Dear Lily:
As I'm very confident in Justify's chances on Saturday, I myself am willing to risk a lot to gain a lot. You want a juicy and spicy bet with a lot on the line? How's this: I will bet you my completed horse racing card collection against your completed chocolate frog card collection. If Justify wins the triple crown, you have to give me your entire chocolate frog card collection. If he doesn't, I have to give you my completed horse racing card collection. Let me know if you will agree to this bet by return owl. There will be no hard feelings if you decline the offer of this bet.
- James.
James sent the owl and awaited Lily's response which came the next morning.
Dear James:
I agree to the bet you offered in last your last owl. It's a high risk high reward bet for both of us that is also fair. That is what I was after. For what it's worth, my pick for Belmont is Gronkowski.
-Lily.
James was excited as the Belmont Stakes approached. He had a great feeling he'd be seeing a second triple crown winner in four years while winning a complete chocolate frog card collection into the bargain.
On Saturday, June 9th, 2018, James was in his dorm room glued to his tv, which was tuned to NBC, the station covering the Belmont Stakes.
James felt an excited sense of anticipating history as the Belmont Stakes began. And in the end:
"And they're into the stretch. And Justify comes roaring home to a ruckus Belmont Park with one furlong to run. Gronkowski and Hofbug trying to run him down. Vino Rosso is fourth. A sixteenth to go. Justify is still there. Justify from Gronkowski. He's just perfect. AND NOW HE'S JUST IMMORTAL! JUSTIFY IS THE THIRTEENTH TRIPLE CROWN WINNER!"
"YES!" screamed James at the TV, "Another triple crown winner! Totally awesome baby! My confidence in Justify was justified."
James was thrilled. It was awesome when American Pharaoh had won the triple crown. To have another triple crown winner three years later was thrilling. Justify might not be as elite as American Pharaoh as far as all-time horses went, but James was thrilled and delighted to get to watch another triple crown winner.
In James's excitement over Justify winning the triple crown, he'd forgotten the bet he had made with Lily.
He remembered it after receiving an owl from Lily on Sunday morning.
Lilly's letter actually had a few tear marks on it and read:
Dear James:
First, let me congratulate you on Justify winning that triple crown yesterday. It was a thrilling race and even I was screaming at the TV heartily cheering for Justify as he came down the stretch. Larry's Colmus's call "HE"S JUST IMMORTAL!" was so perfect. If I was this trilled and excited, I can't imagine how excited you must have been to see it after predicting it to happen. But there is an issue I need to address with you. After the adrenaline of the moment wore off, I was devastated when I remembered our bet. Not to diminish how much you love your horse racing cards, but my chocolate frog card collection is particularly special to me because of the time and effort I spent putting it together. I know that your horse racing card collection was a gift to you from dad. I know how much you love it, but to me there's extra meaning to me in my chocolate frog card collection because of the allowance money I spent on it, the time I spent buying and organizing the cards, and the years long pursuit of finding and tracking down the last few cards I needed to compete it, which just finished around Memorial Day. Look, I know what our bet was, and I know I lost fair and square. But I REALLY don't wish to part with my chocolate frog card collection after the time, effort, and pursuit I put into it. I therefore would like to make you the following offer: I will pay you one hundred galleons to "buy back" my chocolate frog card collection from you. If you accept this offer, then I will explain my plan for how and when I will pay you in my next owl.
-Lily.
James thought about this. Lily's offer was generous and worth considering. However, one hundred galleons seemed really steep and James did not want to take advantage of his sister, especially if she was upset. He did feel he should get something out of winning the bet but accepting the one hundred galleons felt really greedy to James. He knew what he would like however, so he wrote Lily back.
Dear Lily:
Lily, look, if your chocolate frog card collection really is that much of a prized possession to you then I won't try to take it from you. I can't relate to the reasons why your chocolate frog collection is such a prized possession to you because everything I own was given to me. Most of my spending money over the years has been spent on candy and beer. That said, I do sympathize with you over not wanting to part with a prized possession. While I do feel I should get something out of winning the bet, I am going to decline your one hundred galleon offer. The offer was generous, but it also had an aura of desperation to it. I don't want to take advantage of you while you're down and I don't want to be a greedy jerk either. I would like to make a proposal of my own: I will forgive you of your obligation to give me your chocolate frog card collection in exchange for a favor. That favor is for you to paint me a portrait of Justify like the portrait of American Pharaoh you made me for my eleventh birthday, You did such a wonderful job painting that portrait and I would LOVE to have a portrait of Justify to hang alongside of it. Let me know what you think.
-James.
Next morning, James received Lily's reply which read:
Dear James:
First, let me say that I really appreciate you showing sensitivity to my feelings and not taking advantage of me while I was down. While I honestly don't believe I would have regretted making the one hundred galleon offer had you accepted it, I really respect you making a point not to prey on me or my feelings. I would be delighted to paint a portrait of Justify for you and I accept that offer. That is a fair and reasonable solution for both of us. James, a big thank you for working with me to come up with a reasonable solution to this issue. I promise that the Justify portrait I now owe you will be completed by the time you return home from Hogwarts. I will hang it in your room next to your portrait of American Pharaoh. I can't wait to see you in a few weeks. Love always.
-Lily.
On July 1st 2018, as James got off the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station, he heard the patter of flip flops as a red headed girl wearing a white tee shirt, hot pink shorts, and hot pink flip flops came rushing up to greet him.
"JAMES!' yelled Lily happily as she threw herself into a tight hug of James.
"I am delighted to see you, Lily!" beamed James.
"The feeling is mutual, " smiled Lily.
When they got home, Lily carried James's trunk into his room for him as she always did when he came home from Hogwarts. Then James and Lily joined Harry, Albus, and Ginny for a dinner of spicy white boneless chicken patties, corn, mashed potatoes, and Budweiser.
After dinner, Lily said, "James, follow me to your room, but only look left at first."
James and Lily entered James's room and looked left.
The magnificent portrait of American Pharaoh Lily had painted for James three years prior was hanging in its usual spot. Next to it was in fact the portrait of Justify Lily had painted for James as per their final agreement.
"Oh, my goodness, " cried James when he got a look at the portrait of Justify, "I didn't think you could make a better painting than the American Pharaoh one, but you did. Honestly, this feels so real it feels as though you could jump onto Justify and ride him. Every detail, from the head to the body to the legs to the tail is perfect and so are Justify's surroundings. The words at the bottom acknowledging Justify as the 2018 triple crown winner are a nice touch too. Lily, thank you again. The amount of effort and detail that you put into this means more to me than I can say."
"If you like that, " grinned Lily, "You'll love what I made and put on your right hand wall."
Turning to the right hand side, James was rendered into a temporary stunned speechlessness when he saw what was there.
There was a beautiful, perfectly painted portrait of the GOAT racehorse Secretariat on what used to be an empty space of wall.
It was the most beautiful portrait James had ever seen. It was a perfect, frozen still shot of the moment from the 1973 Belmont Stakes in which Secretariat was famously "moving like a tremendous machine!" At the bottom of the portrait were the words When Secretariat Moved Like a Tremendous Machine. Everything about the portrait, from the physical appearance of both Secretariat and Belmont Park, to the perfect positioning and timing of the moment, was one thousand percent accurate. The accuracy, detail, and beauty of this portrait gave off a majestic aura.
"Oh, Lily" piped up James with tears of emotion running down his cheeks, "You did this for me? It's captures the moment at its heart and the detail, effort, and accuracy is beyond anything I've ever seen in such a portrait. "
"I wanted to give you a surprise when you got home, " said Lily sincerely, "I started working on this after I finished the Justify one."
James started sobbing uncontrollably and fell to the ground where he lay crying for a few minutes. When pulled himself up, he pulled Lily into a tight embrace and said, "I can't describe what this means to me. The thought, the effort, the portrait itself. The portrait will be one of my most prized possessions even in and of itself. But the thought and effort run more deeply to me. Lily, I'll never forget what you've done for me here. "
...
Two weeks later:
Harry, James, Albus, Ginny and Lily. had just finished a breakfast of pancakes, sausage patties, and Michelob when James called "Lily?"
"Yes, James?" replied Lily,
"After what you did for me in making that Secretariat portrait for me, I wanted to do something in return for you. I've spent some time over the last two weeks making it. Would you please go to your room while I bring what I have made for you to you?"
"Sure, " said Lily a nanosecond later.
Lily went to her room while James went to his room to retrieve the item in question.
"Lily, " said James once he'd entered Lily's room, "You know how I'm good at drawing like you're good at painting?"
"Yes, " said Lily simply.
"I have made a drawing for you I think you will like, " beamed James.
James retrieved a frame from under his shirt and handed it to Lily.
When Lily turned it over and saw what the drawing was of, her breath was taken away.
It was a perfect painting of the solar eclipse from August 21st, 2017 in Nashville.
"WOW!" said Lily breathlessly, "It really feels like I'm looking at a real solar eclipse."
"I know you're really into the sun and moon and such, " explained James, "I know how much you enjoyed this in a person when mom and dad took us on that trip to Nashville to see it."
"There won't be another total solar eclipse until April 8th, 2024, which will extend from Texas to Maine, " said Lily matter of factly, "I'm really grateful mom and dad took us to see that one. I know you're talented at drawing but I'm stunned at how realistic this is, Thank you, James, it really means a lot to me that you would put the time and effort into making something like this for me."
"It was hard to get right, " admitted James, "But I managed to do it and I'm gratified by how much you like it."
"I think I'll hang it up on my left hand wall, that's pretty barren, " said Lily cheerfully.
Lily hung up the drawing of the solar eclipse and looked at it admiringly.
"It's a great picture, " said Lily emotionally, her eyes watering, "But the thought and effort you put into it mean even more. Thanks, James."
"Consider it a justifiable reward after what you did for me, " said James with a smile.
And that, James and Lily just warmly smiled at each other.