August 19, 1977
6:44 p.m.

Dumbledore knocked on the classroom door and only waited a moment for it to be flung open due to the aggressive amount of magic used.

He got the fact that she was frustrated, she had the right to be, but that's how things were in times of war. Frustrating. Yet, you must get up, try again, and keep going, even when you are losing.

Minerva McGonagall was completing tasks at what you would call a brisk pace, but only because she had to. Inside, she was feeling rather sluggish and didn't want to do anything.

Before Dumbles could open his mouth to address the situation, she spoke first, in a determined nature.

"I know what we mutually agreed to, but I've decided to quit my job as professor and become an Order member full-time. Starting with completing this mission at the Smith home."

Dumbledore laughed because the idea of Minnie quitting her job was preposterous, she was the last person you'd think would do that.

"I'm serious, Albus! This is my formal notice that I will not be at Hogwarts as a professor starting tomorrow!" Her nostrils flared as she set her suitcase on the ground, which had had an enlargement charm placed on it.

"No," he said like it was set in stone.

"No?"

"I refuse your notice because you, simply, are not quitting. Instead, you will go to the Smith house tonight into tomorrow, inform them you must take a leave until the Spring, and then you will come back here and prepare for students."

"What about Lily?"

"Miss Evans will be fine for the time being, there are aurors everywhere, Minerva, surely you would already know that. Besides, here's your student list for each class."

Monday
James Potter
Marlene McKinnon
Remus Lupin
Mary Macdonald
Alice Fortescue
Severus Snape

Tuesday
Sirius Black
Lily Evans
Elizabeth White
Craig Geyer

"Only one who's not a Gryffindor, what a shame!"

"We do not know what Mr. Geyer's house is yet, Albus, do not make assumptions."

...

August 20, 1977
4:30 a.m.

Lily opened her eyes to some rustling noises coming from the corner of her bedroom. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the pitch black surroundings, but even as she did, she wasn't sure she was seeing things correctly.

She had yet to clear her room of boxes, which were stationed in every corner except the one her bed occupied. Over the summer, Lily had feigned away from caring what her room's appearance was.

As the rustling noises grew, Lily threw her unruly hair up into a bun and momentarily forgot she was a wizard. Her wand lay untouched as she crept over slowly towards the lamp on the other side of the room.

Many things happened at once. Lily pulled the lamp cord, which turned on the lamp, three screeches were heard where the rustling was coming from, and then Lily screamed.

Jumping onto her bed in defense, she grabbed a broom and pointed it at the three raccoons looking at her.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

They seemed intrigued by her, almost captivated by something that wasn't trash or each other.

Minnie stormed into the room with tired yet alert eyes and her wand at the ready.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a bewildered expression for this was not what she had been expecting this early in the morning.

"What am I doing? What the hell does it look like? Trying to get rid of these bloody raccoons!" Lily screeched, which if James had been there in that moment, he would've compared to the raccoons.

"Are you a witch or not?" Minnie calmly replied, using her wand to freeze the raccoons in place and simultaneously send them to New York City, where there was much more trash to feast on.

"Sorry about that," Lily said sheepishly, stepping down from her bed in the process.

"That's alright, I'll be leaving now. See you on September first."

Before Lily could ask why she was leaving, where she was going, or how she was going to get there, Minnie left her room taking the broom with her.

...

August 20, 1977
11:32 a.m.

Marcus knocked on Marlene's bedroom that had been blasting the Monkee's music for the past half an hour. Over the music the only thing you could hear were their voices singing and a faint voice in your head warning you to turn back.

"Yes?" Marlene stuck her head out between the door and wall with a flushed face, presumably from dancing around the room like a lunatic.

"The doorbell rang, it's for Mary and Julia."

"Well then, it's settled! They leave and you have to be my dancing partner!"

I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me

Just as the next song on the record came on, Mary and Julia exited with equally wide grins and Marcus was pulled inside the room.

Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams

At first, Marcus stood there awkwardly, like a tree in the middle of a corn field, but Marlene forced him to sign along. Which gradually turned into Marcus dancing around the room as well.

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer

Annie bounded into the McKinnon household, hugging Julia rather tightly and then completing the handshake they had made.

"Do you want some biscuits girls?" Eve McKinnon asked with the brilliant smell of fresh biscuits wafting out of the kitchen.

"Do you even have to ask?" Julia and Annie ran off as Eve followed them.

However, Mary did not follow them, she went outside with Remus, who had been visiting specifically for her.

They had planned just to take a walk and talk about life on that Sunday afternoon.

"So, what's been happening on this fine Sunday so far?" Remus asked with a wide grin.

"Well, aren't you happy today! I've been having a literal dance party with Marlene and Julia. What about you?" Mary replied with a slight chuckle at Remus' mood.

With no sarcasm in sight, he took her hand in his and they started to skip down the street.

"I woke up so early I didn't have to even talk to my parents, which is a win for me. Then, I apparated over to the Potter's and absolutely destroyed Sirius in a game of exploding snap. After which I apparated here with Annie going side-along," he paused for a moment to pick a dandelion out of the ground and place it behind Mary's ear.

"Interacting with Annie is legitimately interacting with a mixture of Lily and James."

"Have you seen her play quidditch? She's absolutely brilliant at it!"

"James' quidditch skills and Lily's sass! What an amazing combination!"

...

August 20, 1977
2:38 p.m.

"I've raised posh rich boys," Euphemia sighed as she saw Sirius, James, and Fleamont sharing a cup of tea in the middle of the day.

"To be fair, you only half raised me, but there are no excuses for James," Sirius responded, flicking James with his pointer finger in the process.

"Fine, I'll admit that I'm a spoiled rich boy, does that make you happy?" He said sipping his tea in a very polite manner, proving his mum's point.

"The happiest," she said sitting down next to Fleamont with the crooked grin that James had inherited. "Top five things you're excited for?"

Top five was a Potter tradition ever since Sirius had come to permanently live with them. It began when Euphemia was trying to console a very panicked Sirius and nothing seemed to be working. So, instead of asking questions about his past, she asked him what he was excited for in the future.

"Welcome Back Prank," Sirius said with a smirk since they had spent the entire morning planning one out.

"Quidditch!" That was always James' first answer, what else would you expect?

"Okay, number two?"

"The Welcome Back Feast!" Euphemia rolled her eyes at Sirius.

"You act like we don't feed you."

"Annoying Minnie," James answered to another eyeroll of his mother's.

"I'm surprised she's still friends with me at the rate you two are going!"

"It's alright she's used to it," Fleamont said with a wink at his children.

...

August 20, 1977
4:30 p.m.

Michelle placed two turkey and cheese sandwiches onto the counter, her's with mustard and pickles.

"That's like the weirdest craving I've ever heard of! Pickles and mustard? Together? No thank you!" Alice smiled before she bit into her sandwich.

They sat at the table in Michelle and Terry's flat in London, with the latter out in the two with Frank.

"I'm telling you, as soon as I have this baby, my eating habits will go back to normal. Anyway, I've been wondering..." Michelle continued with a smirk on her face. Alice beckoned her words quicker with her hands.

"What's the future look like for you and Frank? Are you going to get married?"

"Well, he gave me this promise ring along with this whole speech about how one day he would make me Mrs. Longbottom. I cried. The girls think he's going to propose soon, but I'm not sure," she said with a smile.

Whenever she thought about Frank it made her smile, Alice was so glad that they had started dating last October. It made her happier more than anything had before.

"I'm not surprised by your answer, he's perfect for you."

...

August 20, 1977
6:46 p.m.

Marcus had spent the entire day in Marlene's room, with varying activities. Between dancing and coloring in coloring books, they had done it. Now, Marlene was giving him a makeover.

"I cannot believe I've never done your makeup before! What the actual fuck? This color looks so good on you!" Marlene said applying pink, purple, and blue eyeshadow creating a ombré look.

"We should have done this way sooner! Also, I think there's something going on between Dorcas and Myles!" He wriggled his eyebrows.

"I saw those two together while I was school shopping with the girls, but it definitely looked like they were more than friends! He's hiding something!" She turned to grab her black liquid eyeliner.

At the same time this was happening, Annie was telling Julia all about Hogwarts, since her sister hadn't gotten the chance to.

"There's Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. Most of the people you've met are in Gryffindor, but the other houses are good too."

"But didn't the Slytherins hex you?" Julia asked with wide eyes.

"Some Slytherins are bad and have not-so-good ideals, but the entire house isn't bad. My friend Albert is a Slytherin and he's nice."

"What house do you think I'll be in?"

"I'm not sure, only the hat can sort very well," and even though that was her answer, she was deeply hoping that Julia would be a Gryffindor.

...

August 20, 1977
9:00 p.m.

By the time Remus and Mary returned to the door, night had fallen around them and her arms were growing quite cold. Yet, her spontaneity had not left along with the sun.

"Remus?" She said as they reached the door.

"Yes, Mary," he arched an eyebrow and grabbed the wilting dandelion from earlier on in the day.

"What would you say if I asked you to be my boyfriend?" She took a leap, she just hoped he would catch her and she wouldn't fall.

"I would say yes," he said without much thought.

"Well then! Do you want to be my boyfriend?" She asked this time with much more confidence and a shit-eating grin.

"It would be my honor."

"Look at us! Being like normal teenagers!" Mary practically screeched.

"We are far from normal, Love, but I wouldn't change a thing."

...

Author's Note:

And I'm back with yet another update! Yay go Teddy!

The song was I'm a Believer by: The Monkees! If you hadn't known already, I am a big Monkees fan.

I'm actually in love with the dialogue in this chapter and I hope you are too because I've spent the last (almost four days) three days developing it! Crikeys I need to sleep...

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy🤖