[On Hiatus] It Was Meant to Be (A James and Lily Story)

Chapter 22

"I'm late! I'm late!" Lily cursed, as she flew down the stairs towards the Charms classroom.

She wasn't late for Charms, per se. She was late for meeting Professor Flitwick for her private lessons. This was her third lesson and she was getting increasingly frustrated. Professor Flitwick, bless his soul, was very patient with her. However, Lily needed to see results and so far, she had just managed to wiggle her wand from where it was sitting. She knew wandless magic was advanced, but Lily thought that she was talented enough to make some progress.

Lily flew into the Charms classroom, panting.

"You're late, Miss Evans," said Flitwick, glancing up at her from his desk where he was grading papers.

"I'm so sorry, Professor."

"Shall we get started?"

"Of course."

Lily placed her wand on the desk in front of her and walked towards the back of the classroom. She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on her wand and only her wand.

"Accio!"

Nothing. The wand stayed put on the desk.

"Miss Evans, remember what I told you. You must focus on the core of your wand. Think of your wand as an extension of your being. Your wand is a part of you. Concentrate deeply on just that. You must push out all other thoughts because they will merely be distractions."

Lily nodded and steeled herself again. She practiced summoning her wand for the next hour. She concentrated on her wand, but she found she couldn't. Her wand refused to budge today, even though she had tried multiple times.

"Professor, I can't!" Lily exclaimed, sinking into a chair.

"Miss Evans-"

"I give up! I can't do it! It's probably because I'm muggle-born," Lily conceded, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Miss Evans, that is the worst excuse I have ever heard. I told you that this would be difficult, did I not? You have to be patient and concentrate. Remember, you've done this magic before when you were underage. You just have to reach into those deep vestiges and channel that magic towards a cause."

"That's easy for you to say, Professor. You're one of the most skilled duelists of our time! I'm just a... nobody." She buried her head in her hands.

"Miss Evans, have I ever told you about my time at Hogwarts? I'm sure you know that I was sorted into Ravenclaw, but my school days were not as easy as I wished they would be. You see, Miss Evans, you and I have something in common. We were both persecuted for things outside of our control. You, of course, for being Muggle-born. But, I was bullied for being half-goblin."

Lily looked up at her favorite professor with surprise. Flitwick's short stature was a topic of interest to most of the students at Hogwarts, but Lily had never cared. She deeply respected Professor Flitwick for his knowledge and his kindness. In fact, Lily realized that Flitwick was someone she looked up to greatly.

"Anyways, Miss Evans, let's cut our lesson short today. I'll see you again on Thursday at 7 pm. Please don't be late."

Lily nodded and bid farewell to him, her mind churning with everything she had just learned. However, this only made her more determined. She knew that she would never quit until she had learned wandless magic.

Lily checked her watch and realized that she would be early to meet Dorcas in the library, so she ran up to her dorm to grab her Ancient Runes translation. She could work on it while she waited for Dorcas. She grabbed her sheath of parchment and her textbook, walking towards the portrait hole. She heard it open and in clambered James, all muddy from his Quidditch practice.