Albus Dumbledore had come to a conundrum. He had thought it over for three hours already, yet he still hadn’t gotten anywhere. Perhaps ... but then ... maybe if ...
It was no use. He rubbed his temples. The Pensieve was in front of him, several ghostlike figures rotating around inside it. He had to pick two of them, but ... it was so difficult. Somehow this decision felt monumental. The fate of lives seemed to rest on this one choice he made ... it had to be the right one.
He got up from his desk, and paced around his office for a while. He observed some of his more exciting twiddly bits of junk, and looked out of the window at the empty grounds, appreciating for a moment how the bright sunshine glittered on the lake.
“Dumbledore,” drawled the painting of Phineas Nigellus. “May I make a suggestion?”
“Not right now, if you please,” he replied, and went to sit back down again.
“All right. Suffer in silence. I’ll just pretend to sleep some more,” the portrait sighed, woefully.
“You do that.”
For ten more minutes, Dumbledore stared at the figures. It was almost a relief when there was a knock on the door, and Minerva McGonagall entered.
“Good afternoon, Albus,” she said, her voice clipped and business-like. “I was just revising the letters for the students, when I noticed that I had no information regarding this years Head Boy and Girl. I have all the Prefects, a lively lot, but I’m sure they’ll do well. But as for the Heads ... you do know who you’ll appoint this year, don’t you?”
Dumbledore smiled, and indicated the Pensieve, wearily. “I was just thinking on that very subject, my dear Minerva. You see, they’re all so promising this year, with so much potential to go far. But I’ve narrowed it down somewhat. You see, what with everything that’s happening, they need to be strong. They need to be able to lead. They need to get along, naturally, otherwise the other things wouldn’t matter. And, of course, they need to have good grades, they need to understand rules.”
McGonagall paced over to the Pensieve and looked at it more closely. She suddenly went very white. “Merlin, is that ... is that Sirius Black? Albus, what are you thinking?”
“He knows how to get along with girls,” Dumbledore reasoned, a twinkle in his eye that McGonagall did not trust. “And he has exceptionally good grades. He has shown admirable strength in the face of his parents rejection, and, of course, he has a lively aspect in his personality that a Head Boy needs.”
“Well, when you put it like that, of course, it’s fine, but he’s Sirius Black, Dumbledore, you’ve seen what he and his friends are capable of ... and, is that ... is that James Potter, too? He’s no better! You can’t seriously be thinking of giving the job to either of them...? You must remember the incident with Professor Squidd last year, and those squirrels ... the staff room smelt like vinegar for weeks!”
Dumbledore chuckled to himself, and McGonagall looked exasperated. He calmed himself, and looked at her carefully. “You see, Minerva, you have to know the rules very well in order to break so many of them in such clean sweeps,” he said, the twinkle returning to his eye. McGonagall fell back into a chair almost involuntarily.
“Wh “ What about Remus Lupin?” she asked, in a state of shock.
“He’s here, on the list, but I can’t help wondering if he has the same leadership quality as the others ...”
“If, Albus, by ‘leadership quality’ you mean talent for inappropriate behaviour and the ability to anger and frustrate whoever they please with one well crafted sentence, then you should appoint one of them immediately. However ...”
“By ‘leadership’, Minerva, I mean the ability to lead. These two are extremely popular, as I’m sure you have noticed. The right incentive, and they would be wonderful at the job.”
“Well, they don’t have to be Gryffindor,” McGonagall muttered, hopefully leaning forward and studying the ghostly figures. “Severus Snape always gets good grades, and one or two Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws may have what it takes ...”
Dumbledore shook his head. “Now that we have begun to discuss the topic, Minerva, I suddenly feel even more sure that our Head Boy lies in Gryffindor this year. Perhaps, as I said, with the right incentive...?”
“What sort of incentive could boys of seventeen possibly have?”
Dumbledore smiled, playfully. “Perhaps, the heart of a fair lady?”
“You’re not going to ... please, Albus, tell me you are not going to pick a Head Girl based purely on what James Potter or Sirius Black would find attractive. I know you have some genius ideas at times, but ...”
Dumbledore smiled again at her words. “I will also base the decision on the girl’s grades, ability and strength, Minerva, I promise. Tell me ... James has always had a little thing for Miss Evans, has he not?”
“No more than a boyish infatuation, I’m sure,” she replied, narrowing her eyes a little.
“And she’s always been a model student, has she not?”
“Of course, apart from that one episode last year involving the march about House Elf Rights ... but, Albus, put yourself in her situation. You must have noticed that Potter’s feelings are not returned. Imagine, for a moment, how horrified she will be at this decision “ if, indeed, a decision has been come to.”
“I believe it has.”
“And what if it doesn’t work? What if Potter continues in the same way he always has, and he and Evans fight for the whole year? How can they supposedly ‘lead’ the students if they cannot even have a civil word with each other? You are putting your entire vision of a strong, cooperative partnership in jeopardy, Albus. Just, please, think about it for a moment.”
Dumbledore sat back, his fingers steepled. The figures in the Pensieve changed, so there was only James Potter and Lily Evans, rotating round and round.
Eventually he sat forward again, smiled assuredly, looked his Deputy-Head fiercely in the eye, and said passionately, “But what a partnership it would be!”
McGonagall sighed. “Very well,” she said, and stood. “I’ll finish and send the letters in time for the post tomorrow morning. I will put a note on their letters ... let them know who they will be working with.” As she left the room swiftly, she muttered to herself, “I’m afraid poor Evans may never get over the shock,” and Dumbledore chuckled.
The next morning, many miles away, Lily Evans was eating some toast in the Kitchen, her long, wavy red hair scraped back in a ponytail in an optimistic attempt to tame it. An owl swooped to the window, and she opened it carefully, passing it her remaining food as a reward. She took the letter, and weighed it in her hands. It was thick, and she smiled, but didn’t let herself hope just yet.
She went over to the kitchen table, and poured the contents of the letter onto it in one sweep, her eyes shut tight. When she dared open one a crack, she saw a bright red Head Girl’s badge shining up at her. She shrieked in delight, and jumped up and down enthusiastically. She had been so sure, after that incident with the protest march she organised last year, that all hope was lost. At the time, of course, she didn’t realise that it was against the rules for students to ‘take matters into their own hands’ that way. She picked the badge up, and beheld it for a moment, in all its glory. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Maggie Higgins’s face when she saw this ... Lily had been worried that her competitive rival would get the ultimate prize this year, and then where would she have been? Of course, she and Maggie got along well, they were friends, but when you have two spirited, academic girls who just naturally seem to compete with each other, a little bit of friendly satisfaction was quite justified.
Her mother walked into the room. “What’s that, sweetie?” she asked.
“I’ve been made Head Girl!” Lily cried, hugging her mother, who was overcome with pride for a moment.
“Let me see the letter,” came a disgusted voice. Lily looked up to see her sister, Petunia, standing in the doorway, appalled. As she read the letter, her face got more and more sickened, but Lily didn’t want to let it ruin her moment of happiness. Petunia looked up. “Who’s James Potter?” she asked.
Lily’s face went white, her heart and jaw dropped, and every feeling of pleasure suddenly left her immediately. “Wh “ where does it say that?”
Petunia, seeing an opportunity to cause her sister discomfort, began reciting the words in a trill voice. “The position of Head Boy will be filled this year by Mr James Potter. You will be expected to supervise the Prefects, represent the student body respectably, and fulfil all the necessary requirements, which will be briefed to you upon arrival. You will be expected to work together as a team for the entire year, and “”
“All right, Petunia, that’s enough,” Mrs Evans said, taking the letter away as her younger daughter went from white to a pale green. “Lily, dear, would you like to sit down a minute?”
Instead of sitting down, she let out a piercing scream that was heard up and down the street, and sent Petunia running upstairs, hands clasped over her ears.
In the panic of an extremely distressed daughter, Mrs Evans set down the parchment on the table hurriedly, not noticing the bottom of the letter, where there was a small note added hurriedly by the Deputy Head.
P.S. Lily “ I’m so sorry.
Meanwhile, in a large house far away, James Potter was also sitting at his kitchen table, reading through his own letter for the sixth time. His best friend, who had been living with him for a year now, walked through in a silk black dressing gown, tied around the middle. James glanced up.
“Tell me you’re wearing something under there,” he said, imploringly.
Sirius winked at him, and replied without hesitation, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
James shuddered involuntarily. “It’s ten in the morning, Padfoot, and I’ve just eaten Breakfast. There are some innuendoes that I just don’t need.”
“What have you got, anyway? Is that from Hogwarts?”
James shook his head. “I have no idea.”
Sirius took the letter, and read through it, muttering parts out loud to himself. “Blah blah ... pleased to inform you ... yadda yadda ... list of books ... boring boring ... Head Boy?” He collapsed into peals of howling laughter, and James glared at him, not really seeing the funny side. “What are they, nuts? I always suspected old Minerva was smoking something, but this takes the biscuit! Speaking of biscuits, I came down for food, not your Head Boy-ship melodrama. Where’s Kinky?”
“Stop calling her that!” James snapped. “It’s Koochy! And as for that ... that mistake, I think I should just send the badge back. I mean, McGonagall may be crazy, but she’s not that crazy. This has Dumbledore written all over it ...”
“That’s fascinating, Prongs, and if I was listening I would offer you a word of advice, but I wasn’t, so I won’t. Now where’s your House Elf?”
“Why don’t you just call her?”
Sirius looked stumped for a moment, the shrugged. “Kinky!” James rolled his eyes, and went back to reading his letter.
“I is presuming you is meaning Koochy, sir,” the House Elf said, appearing and giggling girlishly “ or, as girlishly as an elf with flappy ears and an onion shaped nose could.
“Yes ...” Sirius mused thoughtfully, and stroking his unshaven stubble. “Yes, I was wondering whether some breakfast may be in order, my sweet one ...”
Koochy giggled again, and James gave them both a dark look. “I could be making you lots of breakfasts if you is wanting me to, sir.”
“Would you, Kinky? Would you?” Sirius asked, putting on a look of pleading, but his eyes twinkled playfully. She nodded enthusiastically, and disappeared with a loud crack.
“Her name ...” James growled, “is Koochy. Please do not flirt with our House Elf, Padfoot. It’s just weird.”
“Let me see that letter again,” Sirius said, sighing. “There must be something good about this to stop you moaning ...”
“What could possibly be good? You know what this means, Padfoot? This means the three R’s of torture! Rules, Regulations and Responsibility! This means giving detentions, and sticking to what McGonagall says, and studying hard, and being in charge, and being mocked as a ridiculous rule keeper, like we’ve mocked so many before me! This means no more pranks, no more mischief, no more fun!”
“This means a year of working with Lily Evans by your side,” Sirius told him, after ignoring the long rant and reading the letter instead.
“That’s exactly what I’m “ what?”
Sirius raised an eyebrow sceptically. “How much of this did you actually read?” he asked. James shrugged.
“I never got past the words ‘Head Boy’,” he said.
Sirius snorted with laughter. “Well look, it says Evans is the Head Girl, and you will be expected to work as a team.”
James turned away, bashfully. “You’re just saying that,” he muttered.
“It’s right freaking here! Look!” Sirius slapped the letter down on the table and pointed at the offending paragraph.
“Well ... maybe it’s time we did stop fooling around so much ...” James said, more to himself than Sirius.
At this point, Koochy reappeared, balancing several over the top breakfast selections on her arms, and even her head. “I was not sure what sir would be wanting,” she said, concentrating on balancing all the plates.
“Kinky, babe, you are a Goddess amongst elves. I would be most honoured to eat one of these delectable looking dishes ... or maybe even all of them.”
“You is teasing poor Koochy, sir,” she said, giggling again.
“I am not. You are truly gorgeous, doll,” Sirius told her, winking.
“Good grief,” sighed James, looking incredulous. “Why did I ever invite you into my home?”
“Because you love me, you ridiculous rule keeper,” Sirius quipped, tittering to himself.
“I hate you and you smell bad,” James muttered, darkly, but he kept eyeing the words “Miss Lily Evans” on the parchment, and trying to not to smile.
It might be a good year, after all.
AN: Hee hee, just a random bolt of inspiration lightning that hit me when I either read or wrote the words “Head Boy” in a fic ... I don’t even remember which. You can’t just let these things lie, right? Originally it was just the Dumbledore scene, but then I felt it needed more of an ending, so I went to Lily, and once I wrote Lily I just had to write James ... which, naturally, led to Sirius flirting with a House Elf ... lots of logic there ... Anyway, I hope you liked it! Please review!