I'll Take it Shaken, Not Stirred

Chapter 13: Red

History: JKR should not be associated with this chapter, because the poor woman does not deserve association with something that gave me so much trouble. Out of legal courtesy, however, I will say that Ms. Rowling is the originator of everything even remotely good in it.

Note: This chapter is evil. I couldn't get it to flow right! I kept rewriting it, 'cos it was too sloppy, or revealing, or choppy, or just too stupid! Finally I just typed out alternate versions, remixed the good stuff, and read through the FOUR completed versions for my favorite. That's my excuse for taking so long to update! Hopefully, you'll enjoy it despite.

Recap: chapter 6: two newspaper articles are released: one on the attack at Hogsmeade, the other of death threats to the Minister of Magic. Lily and James speculate on whether the incidents were planned to occur on the same day (Sunday, September the first). Chapter 11: Suspicious Lily and James search Praedam and Silth's respective offices. The latter finds nothing, but Lily finds a mysterious box. But the situation leads to the logical, annoying conclusion that Praedam isn't a death eater, and there's no proof that Silth is.

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"That's the secret to life... replace one worry with another..."
–Charlie Brown (written by Charles M. Shultz)

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"Oh Come All Ye Dead...

(and living)

To (Professor) Horace Slughorn's Annual Christmas Eve Party

To take place at Eight O'clock in the Evening

On the Twenty-fourth of December, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Seven

In Professor Horace Slughorn's Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Please bring one deceased guest (ghost, poltergeist, etc. No Inferi, Undead, etc.)

You may also invite, if desired, one other guest (living)

R.S.V.P. by Owl

-Hogwarts Students may RSVP personally-

Enjoy a Very Merry Christmas

Sincere regards,

Horace P. Slughorn

-Order of Merlin, Second Class-"

The moment the invitations had arrived to those select students that Slughorn fancied to send them to, the Annual "Get an Invite to the Party" Flurry began. In other words, the sixth year girls became crazed with the idea of getting invited by a wizard- the best looking one who would take them.

Lily, being a mature (taken) seventh year, rolled her eyes and massaged her head at the whole business. As a matter of fact, the sixth year girls were generally getting on her nerves as of late. In addition to their own madness in the search of an escort, they seemed to expect Lily to share in it. Not once did any one of them seem to glance at the newspaper and see the three Ministry deaths (two of these had been of wizards in Elijah's department: The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes) at the hands of Voldemort.