The night of Friday, September 18th, 2020, would see Lily receiving a piece of unusually timed mail.
It was dinnertime at Hogwarts and James, Hugo, Devon, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily were all sitting in a row at one part of the Gryffindor table.
As Lily and company all chowed down on hot dogs and onion rings, washing them down with Coca Cola Classic, a cotangent of six Hogwarts barn owls swooped down over them and dropped a long thin package directly onto Lily's lap.
Lily felt immensely curious about what could be in this package, and she abandoned her dinner to open it.
Inside the package was a racing broom. This particular racing broom happened to be the newest broom on the market. It was the ZoomBroom. The ZoomBroom had been introduced over the summer and was fairly rare as its production was still in the early stages.
The ZoomBroom outshone the best of the old Firebolt models by more than three times as it had an acceleration capacity of 0 MPH to 500 MPH in ten seconds, an incredible 50 MPH per second. The ZoomBroom also was the most lightweight broom ever invented. It was magnificent to look at as well in its glossy bold black color.
Though the ZoomBroom cost over a thousand galleons, the Potters could afford them. However, their rarity had prevented them from procuring even one as Quality Quidditch Supplies only got about one in per week and there was always some wealthy Quidditch fanatic to gobble it up quickly.
Let here it now was in her hands, a ZoomBroom, the best broom ever made.
"I can't believe my good luck!" said Lily ecstatically, "This is the best broom in the world and it's rare and now I have one. This is totally awesome baby!"
"Do you know who sent it?' asked James nervously.
"No," said Lily matter of factly, "No note or letter came with it. It would be nice to know who sent it so I could thank him or her for it, but the bottom line is I now own the best broom in the world and I'm on cloud nine!"
James shot a nervous look at both Hugo and Devon, who both returned the uncomfortable looks. James, Devon, and Hugo all knew what the other two were thinking.
"I can't wait to see you ride your new ZoomBroom Lily," said Stephanie eagerly, "You pretty much glide on air on any broom as it is so..."
"Combine the best flier at Hogwarts with the best broom in the world," grinned Samantha with anticipation, "It's going to awesome to watch Lily ride her ZoomBroom."
"Hey, Lily, when are you planning your first ZoomBroom ride?" asked Ainsley briskly.
"Tomorrow morning after breakfast," said Lily with anticipation in her voice.
James, Devon, and Hugo were becoming more and more uncomfortable.
Why would someone send Lily something that nice and that expensive and do so anonymously?
It was always possible that a family member/friend of Lily's wanted to do something really nice for Lily without taking credit for it. It was also possible that a Gryffindor supporter who wanted Gryffindor to have every advantage possible but didn't want any limelight himself or herself had sent it.
But it seemed and felt more likely to Lily's boys that something sinister was going on here. Brooms could always be cursed or tampered with and there would be plenty of people out there who would have motivation to do so.
There could be someone who wanted to gain fame by killing Harry Potter's daughter. Sending a cursed broom anonymously would be a way to succeed in doing so and the murderer could take credit for the crime later.
Then there was always the possibility that someone mean and nasty who just didn't like Lily, such as Phillip Edgecombe, wanted to see her get hurt and sending her a tampered broom gave them a good chance of seeing that happen.
And, of course, they couldn't dismiss the possibility that a hardcore Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff fan just wanted to put the Gryffindor Seeker out of commission to improve their own house's chances for the 2019-2020 Quidditch Cup.
With so many possibilities, James, Hugo, and Devon gave each other looks that told each other quite plainly, "We are not going to let Lily ride that broom yet."
Lily put the ZoomBroom down and finished her dinner with the rest. Apple pie was served for dessert.
After dessert, Lily picked up her new ZoomBroom and galloped back to the Gryffindor Common Room tailed by Ainsley, Samantha, and Stephanie.
James, Hugo, and Devon, however, did not leave the Great Hall after dessert. Instead, they approached the staff table.
James, Hugo, and Devon saw their Head of House, Professor Longbottom, and James spoke to him.
"Professor Longbottom?" asked James urgently, "Can we have a word? We have a serious concern, and it needs immediate attention."
"I'll come speak to you at the Gryffindor table," said Professor Longbottom.
Professor Longbottom followed James, Hugo, and Devon to the Gryffindor table and took a seat opposite them.
"What is your concern and why is it so urgent?" asked Professor Longbottom intently.
"We're worried about Lily," said James uneasily, "She was sent a ZoomBroom anonymously and we don't want her to fly it right away as it is impossible to know who the sender was or what his/her intent was."
"It's always possible that an enemy of the Potter family wants to kill Lily and by doing it anonymously avoid getting in legal trouble for it," said Hugo in a worried voice.
"Or that someone wishes to gain fame by killing Harry Potter's daughter," added Devon with concern in his voice, "Going about it in an anonymous and discrete way would ensure a greater chance of success and the person could take the credit and get the fame later."
"And we can't discount the possibility that a Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff fan hopes to hurt Gryffindor's Seeker in the hope of damaging Gryffindor's chances in the Quidditch Cup this year," added James.
"So, you think the ZoomBroom is cursed?" asked Professor Longbottom.
"We have to take that possibility seriously," said James firmly, "There are other possibilities. However, we have to assume the worst. I do NOT want Lily riding that broom unless it is checked out first."
"Nor do we," chorused Hugo and Devon.
"Very well then, I will take the ZoomBroom and see to it that it gets checked out. If it is jinx/curse free, then Miss Potter may have it back," promised Professor Longbottom.
James, Hugo, and Devon all let out immense sighs of relief and all four of them headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Upon entering, they found Lily sitting on a sofa with her new ZoomBroom spread across her lap just taking it in with a huge grin.
Samantha, Stephanie, and Ainsley were all admiring the ZoomBroom as well, looking at it with wide smiles.
"So, this is it?" Professor Longbottom asked Lily, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Dursley have informed me that you were sent a ZoomBroom anonymously."
"Indeed," said Lily simply.
"Miss Potter," said Professor Longbottom calmly, picking up the ZoomBroom, "I am going to have to take this. It must be inspected for curses and jinxes before it may be ridden. If it proves curse/jinx free, then you may have it back."
Professor Longbottom quickly left Gryffindor Tower to avoid any potential argument with Lily.
"Devon, James, and Hugo," said Lily gratefully, "Thank you. Thank you for looking after me and taking your concerns to Professor Longbottom. Your concerns are valid, and you did the absolute right thing in intervening. Better safe than sorry. I was so taken in to get a ZoomBroom that I would have done something rash and retarded if Devon, James, and Hugo, had not stepped up. If the ZoomBroom does turn out to have been cursed or tampered with, I may well owe my life to Devon, Hugo, and James."
"I can't be too critical of you for being taken in Lily," said Ainsley gently, "But you are very lucky to have such a good support system. Well, we all are. I may not be as close with Devon, James, and Hugo as you are, Lily, but I am one thousand percent confident that if the ZoomBroom had been sent to me that they would have helped me in the same way."
Devon, Hugo, and James all smiled at Ainsley, very appreciative of her faith in them.
"We absolutely would have," confirmed Devon, James, and Hugo.
"I would have been even more taken in that Lily had the ZoomBroom been sent to me," said Stephanie in an honest and humble voice, "You know I'm more passionate about Quidditch than anything else."
"Considering that you were wearing Quidditch robes when we all first met on the Hogwarts Express and considering that your most common wardrobe when not wearing your school uniform is Quidditch robes, I'd say that's pretty clear," observed Lily.
"And don't forget that Stephanie made a Quidditch themed Jack O Lantern during our Charms class on Halloween," remembered Ainsley.
Stephanie smiled at the mention of her Jack O Lantern, as she was also a Halloween junkie.
"I'll always be the best Keeper in the world no matter what broom I'm on," piped up Samantha, puffing out her chest.
"How do you think you would have reacted to being the recipient of the ZoomBroom?" James asked Samantha.
"I would have been ecstatic, and my first thoughts would have been about how high into the sky I could get on it. I'm the second best flier at Hogwarts right now behind Lily. But, if I were in Lily's position right now, I'd be freaking out," admitted Samantha, "My WORST fear is the fear of death and I'd probably be playing in my mind what might have happened if I had ridden the ZoomBroom after someone had messed with it. I'd be imagining all these dark possibilities in my mind. I'd be shaking like a leaf right now if I were Lily."
"I do remember that your boggart was your own dead body, Samantha," acknowledged Lily.
"I will honestly never understand how EVERYONE'S boggart is not his or her own dead body," said Samantha bluntly, "That said, the only thing I can actually see myself doing that would seriously jeopardize my well-being is, you guessed it, ride a cursed or tampered with broom I'd gotten as an anonymous gift because I was taken in by it. It's very fortunate that we have people like Devon, James, and Hugo in our group to look after us like this. "
"That's what having a good support system is all about," recognized Lily, "Having other people to look after you when you have failed to look after yourself."
The next week passed uneventfully.
The inspection of the ZoomBroom was finished on Friday evening. Professor Longbottom sent owls to Devon, Hugo, James, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily to meet him on the Quidditch pitch on Saturday, September 26th, 2020, at 6 a.m. Hogwarts time.
When Devon, Hugo, James, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily arrived on the Quidditch Pitch the next morning, Professor Longbottom was holding Lily's ZoomBroom and had a very serious expression on his face.
"Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lily" said Professor Longbottom clearly, "It is time for me to inform you all of the results of the inspection of Lily's ZoomBroom,"
There was a minute of tense silence and Professor Longbottom said slowly, "Miss Potter, I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that a Hurling Hex has been discovered on your ZoomBroom. The good news is that Professor Flitwick will be able to remove the Hurling Hex and after he does so you will be allowed to keep the ZoomBroom. An Investigation is also being opened as to who sent you a jinxed ZoomBroom and why. Before Professor Flitwick removes the Hurling Hex, I want to demonstrate its effects."
Everyone felt a nasty sense of foreboding. Professor Longbottom was the only person present who knew what a Hurling Hex looked like. Even people who grew up in Wizarding households were mostly ignorant about the ways brooms could be tampered with. Only those witches and wizards who went on to play Professional Quidditch and people in certain positions of authority ever learned about this.
Having no idea what to expect but knowing it would be terrible was casting a grave feeling amongst the octet of students present.
Professor Longbottom pulled his wand out of his right hand pocket and cried "Accio dummy!"
A dummy came zooming into Professor Longbottom's hand and he explained, "I'm going to use this dummy to demonstrate what would have happened if Miss Potter had ridden this broom without us inspecting it."
Professor Longbottom attached the dummy he had summoned to the ZoomBroom and used a Levitation Charm to start the ZoomBroom airborne. When the ZoomBroom had achieved a height of fifty feet, it suddenly gave a very violent shake of its own accord and ruthlessly tossed the dummy off. The dummy hit the ground hard and broke into many pieces.
Devon, James, Hugo, Ainsley, Stephanie, Samantha, and Lily herself all got the chills at that.
"Yikes!" said Lily in a bone chilling voice as she shook like a leaf, "So if I would have ridden the ZoomBroom in its current state, it would have bucked me off and I would have died?"
"It is highly unlikely that even a witch's or wizard's magic could save his or her life from a fall of that height and suddenness, even with a soft landing surface," answered Professor Longbottom uneasily, "There is a 99% chance you would have died had you flown this broom without us inspecting it."
"Wow," said Lily shakily, "I came very close to flying that broom without it being checked out. Lucky is a severe understatement to describe how fortunate I am to have escaped my own carelessness."
Lily took a minute and a nanosecond to compose herself. When she had gotten over her chills, Lily was overcome with a new emotion, and she burst into heavy and constant tears. Upon the formation of these tears, she went up and hugged James, Hugo, and Devon in turn.
"D-Devon, J-James H-Hugo," said Lily as she was overcome with emotion, "T-thank you. I am forever indebted to all three of you. You l-literally s-saved m-me from myself by g-going to Professor Longbottom and n-not letting me d-do anything r-rash or s-stupid."
"That's what having a good support system is all about," said Ainsley as she gave James a proud nod and smile, "Sometimes being a loyal and loving family member and/or friend means having to look after people when they don't realize they have to look after themselves. That's why Lily is so lucky to have people like James, Hugo, and Devon in her life."
Lily nodded.
"Well said, Ainsley," agreed Lily in a very heartfelt voice, "It's chilling to know how close I came to doing something retarded. But it's also a special feeling to know that people like James, Hugo, and Devon care so much about me that they are constantly looking after me."
"Big sis," said James in a sincere voice, "I love you with all my heart and as I said before, I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't gone to Professor Longbottom with my suspicions and something had happened to you."
James and Lily exchanged a very genuine hug that went on for several minutes and then Hugo spoke up.
"To my closest cousin and BFF," said Hugo meaningfully, "We've been best buddies since we were babies. I can't imagine my world without you. I think I also speak for James and Devon when I say that when we went to Professor Longbottom, we were only doing what any truly loving and caring person would have done."
James and Devon both nodded.
"Absolutely," agreed Devon, "I know how devastated I would have been if we wouldn't have gone to Professor Longbottom and something terrible would have cost Lily her life or gotten her seriously hurt. This devastation would have also been magnified by the guilt I would have felt as I shared James's and Hugo's suspicious feelings from the beginning."
"By the way," said Lily matter of factly, "Let's not worry about the investigation right now because it does us no good to speculate. Let the adults do their jobs and when they have more information for us, we'll confront it then. For now, the important thing is that, thanks to James, Hugo, and Devon, I'm alive, safe, and healthy."
Devon, James, Hugo, Stephanie, Samantha, and Ainsley all nodded in agreement at that.
As Lily found out, sometimes having the right support system made all the difference in the world.
A/N: This and the previous chapter were inspired by two events from the books: Harry receiving the Firebolt anonymously in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Bode being murdered via an anonymous plant in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I always thought Hermione was right to be suspicious of the Firebolt in POA under the premise that any anonymous gift should be viewed suspiciously (The murder of Bode via an anonymous gift in OOTP is proof of that.) I was also disappointed in POA that Harry was angry with Hermione over the Firebolt. Considering everyone's belief at that time that a mass murderer was after Harry, it made sense that the suspicions of a smart and logical person like Hermione would be roused by an anonymous gift to Harry, especially a highly desirable and expensive one. Hermione did the right thing by going to McGonagall and making sure Harry didn't fly the Firebolt without it being checked out first. The fact that the Firebolt proved to have nothing wrong with doesn't change the fact that Hermione did the right thing by insisting on caution with an anonymous gift, especially a really expensive one. I was always disappointed in Harry's character in that instance for being angry with Hermione for caring about him and trying to help him.