Prompt Three: Any professors discussing “Jily”
*I have worked out the dates to the best of my abilities and I believe that this particular scene would have occurred on December 17th, 1977, and, not to give too much away about the plot and characters, the scene in Chapter 10 of The Prisoner of Azkaban, where the adults are talking about Sirius Black, happened on December 18th, 1993*
Arguments, Bets, and The Difference Time Makes
“A small gillywater please, Rosmerta.”
“And a cherry syrup and soda, with ice and an umbrella for me.”
It wasn’t a strange occurrence for Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick to have drinks at The Three Broomsticks when they chaperoned together. In fact, it was pretty normal for students to see them together, and even more normal for rumors to arise, but their relationship never went beyond friendship. They had overlapped years at Hogwarts, and it wasn’t as if they had kept up communication the years between they left Hogwarts and then came back to teach, but it was pretty hard to see someone and work with every day for ten of the twelve months of the year, without having some sort of companionship.
“Of course, dears, just a moment.”
The younger woman bustled around, collecting orders from each table, the customers mostly Hogwarts students, but Minerva also recognized some Hogsmeade villagers in the mix. It was a cold December day, the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas, and so, it was exceptionally busy. She supposed that it may actually be more than a moment before Rosmerta made her way back to them. So, she turned to Flitwick, wondering what insightful comments he would have on student dramatics today.
“Minerva, I know you don’t prefer to get involved in the relationships of our students, but you must have noticed the relationship between the James Potter and Lily Evans.”
While Filius was correct in stating that she didn’t like getting in the middle of student matters unless they escalated to an extreme extent, he was also correct in noting she had noticed the new relationship between two of the most exceptional students of their year. She had been, secretly, following their relationship since around their fourth year. It started with the outrageously public flirting of James to Lily, though Minerva suspected that it was more of a joke to James than it was to Lily, who Minerva had noticed trying to cover her blush on many occasions. Then, after the younger Black boy left, the relationship evolved to being around each other, nearly all the time. And finally, just two months ago, she knew for a fact that James had asked Lily on an actual date. Their relationship was like a soap opera to Minerva, but slower paced, and less plot twists involving secret siblings. She would never admit that she kept up with their relationship, not to Filius, who just loved blackmail.
“Yes. I suppose they have been getting along better these days.”
“Getting along better? Today, they’re having their third date.”
“Well, as you know, I don’t find that to be any of my business.”
That was a complete lie, of course. She knew that James had set up their first date, and that he had gotten them both into the Wizarding Wireless Radio Headquarters, and that they had been thrown out for making lewd comments about mandrakes while on air. She knew that Lily had planned their second date, which was reading erotic muggle fiction out loud to each other until one, James became beyond flustered, and two, they got thrown out. She also knew that Remus Lupin had planned their date today, and she only hoped that they would not get thrown out of yet another place.
“Admit it Minnie. You love watching young couples fall in love. Especially the unexpected ones.”
“They were not unexpected. There has been romantic tension between them for three years, Filius.”
Minerva clapped her hand over her mouth, regretting the fact that she had let Filius rile her up, and had admitted exactly how involved she was in some of her students’ personal matters. He smirked congratulatory at her, having finally won their long-standing argument, and called Rosmerta over.
“Rosmerta, you owe me five galleons. She admitted it before James and Lily graduated. And another five galleons for James and Lily getting together.”
“Well, at least I was right about the Meadowes and McKinnon girls.”
“You weren’t right about Lupin and Black though, I was.”
“I’m sorry that I thought they’d just keep pining for each other until they died, Filius. How was I supposed to know that they would actually get together after watching all that obliviousness?”
Minerva would have never guessed then that sixteen years later, she would be in almost the exact same spot, with similar people, talking about the same group of friends, having a drastically different conversation.
