Ozo June 15th, 2006, 6:00 pm Tapping & Rapping
Tap! Tap!
Tap! Tap!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A young lady of about 16 looked around the bed. What was that tapping sound?
Tap! Tap!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The door was locked; the table had nothing other than books; the cupboard held special things like the Monster Book of Monsters – this sound seemed different.
She noticed the window.
Aaah! It’s an owl.
She had received the School owl and the owl carrying her OWL results just a few days ago.
The owl didn’t even seem like Suzanne’s.
She let the owl in and settled on the bed. It glided in and perched on her lap.
The strange snowy white owl had a golden thread around its neck that made it look quite royal.
She undid the parchment and deciding to give the cute owl a few Owl Treats that were meant to be given to the School owls and Booboo (her friend Suzanne’s owl), she opened the box of goodies.
“Lily!”
That was her mother’s voice.
“Lily dear, we are off.”
“Coming, mum!” she answered, gave the owl a few goodies and dashed downstairs to bid her parents goodbye.
Her father worked as an executive in the Fire Dept and her mother was a physician.
Naturally, they seldom had holidays.
Zoooooooooom.
The car was off.
Lily climbed up the staircase humming her favourite tune and thinking of the queer owl.
DUMM!
Lily was knocked off the steps. She landed with a thud on the couch which had fortunately been placed at the foot of the steps.
Petunia shrieked -
DUMM! (another one!)
Petunia was her elder sister and her room was on the landing halfway through the way to Lily’s. As Lily had been walking absent-mindedly, Petunia, who had been peeping out of her door, had accidentally knocked her off balance.
And neither taking notice of the pain caused by it nor seemingly feeling sorry for what she’d done, Petunia had disappeared into her secure room.
Lily gently patted the sore parts of her body thinking of the changes that had come over her surroundings and consequently over her.
Herself and Petunia were just a year apart by birth. The two of them had been the closest of friends one could imagine of their age. They shared everything including their room.
That fateful day, on which the owl had arrived from Hogwarts, a strange thing had happened. Petunia’s facial expression had changed and eventually, she had changed.
The power of the one word called ‘change’!
Her father had always said –
‘Nothing in this world remains the same, dear. There is an exception though. Change. Yes, whether we like it or not, changes occur. They occur regardless of what might result out of it.’
That fateful day, she had not just turned 11, she had turned into a more understanding, more responsible Lily. She had grown overnight.
It had been as though the world had turned over! For one thing, Lily was a witch and could do Magic; Petunia was no longer her friend.
Ever since, Petunia either ignored the very existence of her previously best friend and still little sister or threw bashful remarks at odd intervals. This had passed on and on for over 5 years now.
Sigh.
Lily opened the door and took the parchment.
##
\_/
Thank You for having patiently read till here.
Comment please. (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=3837795#post3837795)
Ozo June 16th, 2006, 7:09 am OWLs and owls
The letter was from Remus Lupin.
It read thus –
Dear Lily,
Hope you are fine.
Thank You for the help provided before the exams. Your notes on Potions proved extremely useful.
The OWL results announced earlier were just as expected. I have scored ‘E’ in Herbology ; ‘O’ in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions (which would not have been this easily obtained without your invaluable help) Transfiguration and Arithmancy; ‘A’ in History of Magic and Divinition.
James and Sirius have obtained ‘O’ in all the subjects while Peter has scored ‘E’ in all except Arithmancy, History of Magic and Divinition wherein he has obtained ‘A’.
We are planning (the four of us are at the Potters’ Manor) to go to Diagon Ally on Monday. It’d be great if you could join us.
Send your reply with the owl.
Convey my regards to your parents and sister.
Hoping to hear from you.
Remus Lupin.
Remus was ever the calm and clever type. He was always level-headed inspite of all his abilities and capacities. This made Lily like him. Being prefects, both of them had known each other for more than a year now. They shared a strong bond of friendship.
‘The notes – they were nothing! He has worked hard and now he is attributing his success to my notes!’ She smiled inspite of herself.
Potter and Black – all ‘O’s!
Ofcourse, they would get all ‘O’s. They are the ‘brilliant twosome’ as everyone calls them!
Humph!
Poor Peter! He was finding Arithmancy difficult even halfway through fifth-year!
Being in Potters’ home –
Could this owl belong to Potter?
Ooooooooh!
No wonder it looks quite Royal!
Puff! Puff!
If that arrogant git hears this, his head would become heavier still.
Trip to Diagon Alley?
She decided to ask Suzanne first.
The problem was that Lily didn’t have an owl and would have to wait till Booboo came.
Her parents had promised her a cat if she got the expected OWL results. She’d get it at Diagon Alley.
She took a parchment and wrote the reply –
Dear Remus,
I am fine here and hope to hear the same from you.
Congrats on your results!
My wishes to Peter, Black and Potter too.
My OWL results are :
Arithmancy-----------------------O
Care of Magical Creatures------O
Divinition-------------------------O
Defence Against the Dark Arts-O
Herbology------------------------O
History of Magic-----------------O
Potions---------------------------O
Transfiguration------------------E
Regarding the trip to Diagon Alley, I have to ask Suzanne about her plan. I shall inform you as soon as her owl comes.
My sis is as warm as ever if not hot as chilly!
Dad and mum send their love.
Do convey my regards to the elders at home.
Love from
Lily Evans.
P.S.: The owl is very cute.
Don’t let Potter see this if the owl is his!
She stroked the owl for a while and sent it with the parchment tied to its leg.
She watched as the snow-white mass turned into a tiny shining speck and finally merged with the sky.
##
\_/
I shall not be able to post for a while.
Meanwhile, could you please comment? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=91078)
Ozo June 22nd, 2006, 10:30 am Memories & Worries
Lily was arranging the school books in order when Booboo arrived.
Suzanne was terribly ill. She was suffering from Faiblaspirit. Caused by extensive thinking and emotional breakdowns, it made one’s mind weak.
She sent Booboo back to Suzanne with words of comfort that only a true friend can give.
A day later, the snowy white owl was back with a note inviting her.
Lily felt sorry for having to reject a call that had come twice.
No Suzanne.
To Diagon Alley with the quartet all by myself?
No.
It’d be fun.
It wouldn’t be complete.
She made up her mind and sent the owl back too explaining her reluctance.
She was supposed to be cleaning her room. But, she couldn’t concentrate on her work at all.
Suzanne had been her best friend ever since her first year. They had shared everything from sobs to laughs.
Suzanne didn’t have any siblings. Her parents were Aurors working for the Ministry of Magic and that meant that she was alone with the house-elf for company. If there was ever a time when Aurors couldn’t spend time at home, it was now for there was one Dark Wizard in the open. He was threatening the very existence of humanity!
Suzanne and Lily had had a few fights in their earlier years but had somehow revived their friendship. That had only strengthened the bond.
Poor Suzanne!
The house-elf would take care of her.
But, Suzanne needs someone like a parent or a friend at times of misery and house-elves can’t express that much of emotions.
Anyway, Suzanne can’t come to Diagon Alley in this state. You could have accompanied the four of them.
For goodness’ sake! We are not even close friends!
Don’t lie to yourself.
It’s just Remus … and … Peter. Not Black. Not Potter.
You enjoyed their company last year.
Yes! But, I don’t enjoy it anymore.
Don’t be an idiot!
No. No. Just leave me alone.
~~
After supper, Lily informed her parents about Suzanne’s illness. Her mother suggested that she visit Suzanne.
Her father offered a drive by the car the next morning before setting off to his workplace. He could drop her at Suzanne’s home.
Lily was utterly thankful to her parents. She kissed them goodnight and went to bed.
Try as she might, Lily couldn’t sleep. The prospect of paying a surprise visit to her ill friend made her all excited. She could talk with Suzanne for hours and hours. The mere presence of Lily would possibly change Suzanne’s mood!
All of sudden, just as a storm breaks out to bring the peace of a seaside street to an end; Lily was possessed by the memories of her past year.
##
\_/
Hi! That's all for now. :)
Candies or rotten eggs? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=91078)
Ozo June 25th, 2006, 1:51 pm The Past & the Present
The previous year had had a lot of surprises for Lily.
For one thing, she had become a prefect.
For another, she had discovered that Severus Snape, a grouchy and extremely touchy boy was a boy, that is to say, a normal boy at heart.
Lily had been interested in Charms & Potions right from her first year. In fact, she was one of the favourites of Prof.Slughorn, the jovial Potions master. Severus Snape was the other favourite student.
In the beginning of the OWL-year, Prof.Slughorn had asked his two favourites to brew a Potion to be exhibited at the ‘International Magical Potions Display’, which a very few had had the privilege to join. The two of them had not only participated but also established the name of Hogwarts once again in the Magical Community by answering 6 of the 7 questions put to them by the squad members.
Lily got to know a lot about Severus and they had become friends. They had not been what anyone could call ‘friends’ since they seldom seemed to chat! They spent a few hours in the library on a weekly basis and took adjacent seats in their Potions classes as also the praises poured on them by their proud master.
Severus had shared a few secrets with Lily and Lily, being a ‘loyal & very sensitive’ friend, had ‘kept them secret’.
Lily had also been friendly with the Remus Lupin, another Gryffindor prefect, and through him, Sirius, James & Peter. Remus proved to be a very good friend and he was very clever too. Peter was clever too though he had been overshadowed by the rest of the group. Sirius & James were extremely brilliant and that made them extremely arrogant. This, consequently, drove Lily mad as she couldn’t stand heavy heads.
James Potter had seemed to have a liking for Lily though she had tried her best to act normal. This had somehow caused the foursome to see Snape as a fiend. Lily and Snape had been disturbed in the library most of the times. They had blown balloons of sticky fluids and burst them out in the library. The four of them, to be more precise, the troublesome twosome had taken pains to humiliate Snape as much as possible.
A week before the OWLs, Snape had stopped talking with Lily and he would flee from the classrooms even before lily had had the time to get up from her place let alone approach him. He had ceased to sit with her in Potions classes. Later, she had come to know that James Potter was the reason behind it.
After the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL, during a refreshment session (James Potter & Sirius Black had been degrading Snape; James Potter had gathered the guts to ask Lily out in front of the whole school), Lily had defended Snape when noone else had. Snape had snapped at her to keep herself out of his way and James had been appalled by her stingy replies.
The journey back home had been no good at all as Suzanne had fallen ill again and James had approached Lily to apologize. Lily had not spoken to him as she could not think that he would ever change. But, Remus had assured Lily that James would change for the better. She had just nodded her head and gone back to cheering Suzanne.
All through the summer, she had been confused about her feelings for James Potter as she had been drawn to him by his innocence (he displayed it at times) & his intelligence (he displayed it all the time). But, she hated his heavy-headedness as also his conduct with Snape around.
Suzanne had been falling ill every now and then.
Thinking about Suzanne’s illness, Snape’s current situation, Remus’ assurance, James’ owl and her soon-to-be-bought cat, Lily drifted into a sleep and dreamt about a snow-white cat that talked to her about James’ good qualities and had Potions tips; Suzanne was feeling much better and the cat seemed to tell her to give the tips to Snape!
##
\_/
Whew! That's a very long post.
Review here. (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=91078)
Ozo June 26th, 2006, 9:16 am A Friend to pet & A Pet to befriend
Lily was dropped at the Adlers’ place by her father.
Mrs. Adler welcomed her with a warm hug.
“Hello, Lily!”, she said, “It’s been a long time since your first visit”.
Lily smiled and inquired about Mr. Adler.
“He’s at work.” She began gravely.
“We have got to work overtime. Another Death-Eater attack. This time on St.Mungo’s. The Ministry is in need of volunteers too!”
*****
Half-an-hour later, Lily was in Suzanne’s room.
Suzanne’s health had improved considerably and her mood became better with time.
The two of them chatted on and on.
They had just started on Transfiguration when Dinny, the House-elf, entered with munchies.
“Dinny is pleased to see Miss.Evans!”
“Hello, Dinny!”
“Oh miss! Oh, miss! Little mistress is being ill miss. She is wanting you, miss!” Dinny’s eyes seemed to water at this point.
“You had better check the kitchen, Dinny” said Suzanne ending the conversation.
Suzanne never liked to be talked of that way; she was always on about people pitying her and stuff!
Lily tried her best to cheer her mood and ended up talking about Sirius Black and James Potter.
“Did you know, Lily – Sirius has run away from his home!” said Suzanne.
“He-wh aaa?!”
“I know. It’s astonishing.”
“He never was - a Black! I’ve heard he never felt at home there.”
“Yep. He is at the Potters’ now.”
“Won’t they be in trouble?” she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
“Yes, ofcourse. They would. But, they are aurors, aren’t they? They can manage everything.”
“But, aren’t the Blacks supporters of the Dark Lord?”
*****
“Ooooh! Did you see that, Lily? Comet Two Sixty! Fastest broom of the season!”
Lily and Suzanne were at Diagon Alley, accompanied by Mrs. Adler as they couldn’t afford to come all by themselves ‘in the present circumstances’ as per Mr. Adler!
“Wonder who the Quidditch Captain is, this year!” exclaimed Lily.
“I bet it’s James Potter.”
“And I bet – Gryffindor loses the cup this year!”
Inspite of the grim mood of Diagon Alley and the stringent security measures, this remark brought a smirk playing on their lips and they entered the Apothecary in a much better frame of mind.
They bought the necessary ingredients and reached ‘Pets To Pet’
The assistant showed them in when they said they wanted a cat.
There were cats of all colours from jet black to pure white, sizes ranging from that of a big rat to that of a tiny tiger! Lily, completely awed by it, took a lot of time to settle on a single cat. At last, she selected a medium-sized pure white cat with black stripes giving the impression that it wore the skin of a zebra.
*****
##
\_/
You've been reading till this!
Spare a few more minutes! (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=91078) :)
|