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As Hogwarts had begun its fall 1994 semester, the meal tables had expanded from seven to eight. As such, Lily had stuck to her plan of eating breakfast and lunch with Tracey, Daphne, and Astoria while eating dinner with Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Susan. Lily felt like she was the luckiest girl in all of Hogwarts to be part of not one but two very close friendship groups.

One dinnertime on September 9th, 1994, as Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Susan, and Lily were enjoying a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce along with a side of garlic breadsticks and Coca Cola Classic to wash it down with, Headmaster Lupin addressed his student body.

"It is my great pleasure, " announced Lupin, "To announce that, starting this October, Hogwarts will be hosting a mini student exchange program."

Everyone's ears perked up and all eyes in the Lily Potter Hall now fell upon Lupin.

"So, " explained Lupin, "This is an idea that was born out of the rejection of reviving the Triwizard Tournament. One thing Madam Bones and I are agreed on is that exposing the Hogwarts study body to foreign witches, wizards, and cultures. We just didn't think the Triwizard Tournament was the way to go about it. Madam Bones suggested a student exchange program to me. However, we both agreed that more time was needed to plan it out and that the program would start in the 1995-1996 school year. However, a few days before this semester started, Madam Bones got back to me and suggested an idea that would allow the program to begin this year. That idea was starting small. The way the student exchange program is going to work this year is this; Each month starting in October, Hogwarts will host two exchange students from the same foreign school for one month. Each month will feature a different foreign school as the exchange school. Each month, two Hogwarts students will also spend a month at that month's exchange school. Hogwarts students who are interested in spending a month as an exchange student at a foreign school should come to my office and sign up. I will be posting a schedule sheet telling students which exchange schools go with which month in my office tomorrow morning. The month of June shall not be part of the exchange program owing to end of year exams, including O.W.L.s for fifth years and N.E.W.T.s for seventh years."

"Yes, " interjected Hermione seriously, "End of year exams are extremely important."

"What kind of foreign culture do you want Hogwarts students exposed to?" asked Parvati Patil from her seat three tables away from Harry's group.

"Their food, music, literature, sports and different magical customs, " answered Lupin a nanosecond later.

"Is the two students per month limit to get your feet wet, evaluate the program and see if it is successful?" inquired Lily.

"Starting it as a mini program makes it much easier to deal with logistics at the beginning of the program, " explained, "And yes, there is a getting our feet wet and testing the waters aspect of this. If the program is popular and successful, it can be expanded later."

"Is it possible more magical schools will be established in the future?" asked Cedric Diggory from his seat two tables away from Harry's group, "While leaving the Lily Potter Hall after lunch on Monday, I overheard a boy explaining to his friends that he came to Hogwarts because there are no magical schools in his homeland of Kentucky."

"it's possible, but it would never happen in substantial number, " replied Lupin in a businesslike voice, "Many wizarding societies use home schooling. Perhaps Kentucky is one of those societies. However, if a witch or wizard does not have a magical school in his or her homeland, then he or she is legally free to attend a magical school in another part of the world. This often happens with muggleborns, whose parents can obviously not homeschool them in the Magical Arts. "

"Is there going to be an age limit on this student exchange program?" asked Ginny curiously.

"Ah, thank you for reminding me, Miss Weasley, " answered Lupin seriously, "Madam Bones and I have agreed that, at least for the first few months, only sixth years and seventh years will be eligible for the exchange program. We may loosen that rule over time but feel it's best if we start the program with older and more mature students, especially with only two coming and two going each month at the start of the program. "

"That's fair," came a spattering of voices throughout the hall.

"It is my sincerest hope that our guests will receive the warmest welcome you can offer them when they arrive, " said Lupin expectantly, "I'm sure you will all do whatever you can to make our exchange students feel comfortable here. The blanket ban on racial slurs and negative comments about people's physical appearances still applies. I will be particularly unhappy if I hear or find out that anyone has called or referred to any our guests as the offensive eight letter word that starts with M and ends with D or the offensive four letter word that starts with U and ends with Y."

Everyone in the Lily Potter Hall nodded in understanding.

"So, " explained Lupin, "In October, Hogwarts will be hosting two exchange students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France. Any sixth or seventh year Hogwarts student who would be interested in attending Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France as an exchange student may sign up in my office starting tomorrow morning. IMPORTANT; Signing up does NOT guarantee any student the opportunity of being one of our two exchange students to visit Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France in October. The signup deadline shall be the twentieth of each month for the next month. Starting on the twenty first, I will discuss the signup list with the staff and give considerable weight to the opinions of long standing Hogwarts teachers such as Flitwick and Sprout to determine who we feel is the best choice to represent Hogwarts abroad as an exchange student. These deliberations shall occur over five days from the twenty first through the twenty fifth of each month. On the twenty sixth of each month, the staff shall take a formal vote to ascertain which two students should be the Hogwarts students given the opportunity to be an exchange student and visit a foreign school for a month. The two lucky students shall be announced on the twenty seventh of each month. Exchange students will arrive at their exchange school as the calendar turns to the first of each month and return to their home schools as the calendar turns to the first of the next month. Any questions?"

There weren't as everyone seemed to understand.

"I'll leave you to it then, " said Lupin and he stepped away from the megaphone and resumed his dinner with staff.

"It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, " said Tracey.

"I'm really proud that Aunt Amelia thought of the ideas she did to allow the program to start so soon, " said Susan proudly, puffing out her chest.

The rest of dinner, Harry, Colin, Dennis, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Susan, and Lily all had fun theorizing exactly how the mini student exchange program would play out.

One thing was certain, they'd be having some interesting guests before long.

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