I'll Take it Shaken, Not Stirred

Chapter 16: The Tempest

History: JKR may be associated with all the things you like about this chapter. The rest is probably mine.

Recap: The Minister is assassinated and a new one is chosen. James and Lily argue but get over it surprisingly well (but not for long :-P)...

One Last A/N: This whole thing is sort of like a countdown to New Years, thus the frequent day dividers. Love to reviewers!

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"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." –Helen Keller

There was a New Minister of Magic.

It occurred to Lily, while she sat cross-legged on the floor in a corner of her sleeping dormitory on Boxing Day, that Julian Turnus was the only Minister of Magic she'd ever known. She'd been eleven at her introduction to the wizarding world, and Turnus had already risen to the position by that time. Somehow, the name "Virgil Harkiss" didn't sound quite the same with the title.

It was Sunday morning, and about eight o'clock at that. The Early Edition had just arrived and Lily, being in her dormitory rather than down at breakfast, was delivered to by the owl where she now sat, rather than down in the Great Hall. The other girls in her dormitory were still asleep, except for Eden, who was absent from the dormitory all together, as was usual. She was undoubtedly out running, despite the snow covered ground and thirty-five degree temperature.

The newspaper owl had gone now and the newspaper itself was discarded across the room. Lily still sat in her corner, staring at a piece of parchment in front of her and thinking of all sorts of things that had nothing to do with said parchment. These things included the new Minister.

Lily had promised Alice that she would write on this insignificant piece of parchment and have the whole thing finished with by the end of the day. However, the parchment, as well as Lily's head, was left blank at the moment. She couldn't write on it. She didn't know what to say.

With a sigh, Lily picked up the quill from where it rested on a book ("Advanced Potion Making") with the inkwell. She dipped the quill in the well and tried again. She got a little further than before.

"Dear Elijah,"

Lily paused and leaned back against the wall, twirling the quill thoughtfully.

Nope. Nothing.

The matter of Elijah was one that had avoided Lily expertly in the last few days... or perhaps it was the other way around. Somehow or another, though, Lily had been most unbothered lately by thoughts of her boyfriend... if he could really be called that more.

The night before, just after Alice had reminded her that she had to write to the bloke at some point, Lily had spent a good deal of time wondering what her "status-" so to speak- was regarding Elijah Trent. They hadn't exactly broken up, but they were hardly on good terms. What should she refer to him as, though?

And then Lily reprimanded herself.

It was all so superficial, thinking about things like that now. The newspaper she'd tossed onto the desk was so much more important than the parchment she'd positioned in front of her. Yet, she'd promised Alice that she would write to him. Maybe it was important. Maybe it mattered, just a little, about the individual, even in times like these. Maybe (most likely) when she told herself it didn't matter whether she wrote to Elijah right now or not, she was only giving herself excuses, because she didn't really want to write it yet.