A Thin Line

Girl-to-Girl Chats

Twenty-eight-year-old Molly Weasley hugged Professor McGonagall like old friends. The Gryffindor graduate and mother of an ever-expanding family currently having five boys (two of them being extremely naughty newborn twins whom the Marauders were interested in tutoring in the ways of troublemaking) had come to revisit Hogwarts and help with some of the sixth and seventh graders.

"Ah, I remember when you were just the eager little Molly Prewett being sorted into Gryffindor!" McGonagall beamed. "How are your sons doing?"

"Very well, thank you. As soon as I told Bill and Charlie about Hogwarts they became excited; Bill's eight and Charlie's six, they've already made eleventh-birthday cards to each other and are saving them for when they each turn eleven. Percy's only two, he doesn't know much about Hogwarts. I'll tell you what, though, when Fred and George come to Hogwarts you'll need to reinforce many rules of yours. For generations Weasleys have been getting into Gryffindor, and if Fred and George do as well, you'll have to watch out. They're just newborns and they're inseparable troublemakers already."

"I have my ways of knowing when trouble's about, Molly," McGonagall smiled. "By the way, now you are no longer a student you are allowed to call me Minerva. Just thought you should know."

"Oh, thank you. Goodness, I should have brought Arthur, he'd like seeing this place again. Beings back many good memories."

"Anyway, for this first week I was thinking you should spend some time with some very good Gryffindor girls who might want to talk to you," McGonagall said.

***

"Boys, hm?" Molly asked as she began noticing how often Lily was being asked out.

"More like a boy," Lily replied. "It's just one. He's James Potter, the pureblood that thinks he's better than everyone else - not that I have anything against purebloods, it's just him and his personality. I can't deny he's a looker; he has girls staring at the back of his head every lesson. But why can't people see what I see? Deep down he's an awful person. He hexes people for fun, Molly. Why?"

"Has he always been this way?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, although it was worst between second and fourth year," Lily nodded.

"Is it just him, or ... ?"

"No, he has a little gang. First there's a certain Sirius Black, the Keeper and Co-Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team; he's just as bad as Potter. They're quite alike, really; both ugly on the inside, handsome on the outside. They also both play Quidditch, probably because they think girls like it. They aren't too wrong, most girls I know only watch the games to see them. Potter's the Chaser and other Co-Captain of the team, by the way. Then there's Peter Pettigrew. He doesn't talk to me so I wouldn't know about him, but it's kinda hard to see what he's like. His friends trust him but he laughs whenever Black and Potter hex anyone. Pettigrew just seems like the type to go along with his friends. And finally, the best one of the, all, Remus Lupin. Remus is really, really kind, he's the sixth year male Gryffindor Prefect. I have no idea why he's friends with the other three but he seems to think they're quite good. It confuses me. But Remus isn't a looker because of his scars - don't ask, I'm not prepared to explain my theories on how he got them since he'd kill me if he found out - and he studies hard for exams so most people ignore him, which is really mean."

"Well, listen to me, Lily," Molly began. "Other than being a mother, I work part-time for a group called the Order of the Phoenix assembled by Albus Dumbledore against You-Know-Who's forces, and -"

"If you're fighting against Voldemort, why do you still say You-Know-Who?" Lily asked.

Molly sighed, running a hand through her red hair not too different to Lily's (though it was shorter and curlier). "Well ... old habits, you must understand, sweetie. Anyway, we're in the midst of a war. I take it upon myself to remind you to try and be friendly with everyone, even if they do hex people for fun. I can't imagine the guilt and pain if the last thing you said about James or Sirius before they were murdered was that they were awful people."

"They won't be murdered," Lily said. "If anyone's not gonna end up dead after the war, whoever wins, it's gonna be purebloods. Black's even more protected, his whole family thinks the things Voldemort's doing are right."

"Sirius isn't a blood-thirsty Slytherin," Molly mentioned.

"Look, Molly, I appreciate your help, but I don't think you can change my mind on any of this stuff," Lily said. "However, this Order of the Phoenix - once I graduate from Hogwarts, do you think Professor Dumbledore would let me join?"

"I am sure he would be greatly pleased, but listen, Lily -"

"Then that's that," Lily finished.

Molly sighed again. Though kind, Lily Evans was a stubborn girl who would not agree to being pushed around or persuaded into doing things against her own will."