Being Minnie's Daughter

Chapter 78

Lily's POV

I turn around and grab Alice's hand. "Did you see that goal?"

She laughs and shakes her head, untangling herself from the blanket wrapped around her and Frank. "Of course, I saw that goal. We all saw that goal!" She hops over the bench and lands softly next to me. She wraps her arm around my shoulder and grins. "Don't look now but James is staring at you."

I laugh and shake my head. "Like that's anything new. He's been doing that since we were twelve."

"I don't know... He looks happier now." She smirks, "It's like he's actually able to spend time with you without you grumping at him."

I laugh and shake my head. "Don't be ridiculous Alice. I didn't grump at him back then." Her face drops into a glare. "I just didn't spend time with him at all."

Laughter bursts out behind me and I turn around to see Frank laughing. "Oh man, you should've heard all the complaining we heard from him about you ignoring him or him getting so exciting when you actually responded."

Alice grabs my arm, forcing my attention back to her. "I'm glad we have a slightly smaller year than the rest of them but not too small. It would've been so rough if Frank had to live with those damn Marauders."

I grin, "It's so odd. There are what 7 boys and 5," I pause for a moment remembering Marlene, "well now 4, girls in our year in Gryffindor?"

I see Frank nod out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah, something like that. Those boys I live with are nice but so quiet."

Alice smiles, "Well that's what happens when you live with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Terry Arekian."

I shake my head. "I still can't believe they considered the possibility of having to put some first years with you boys if we got more than 10 Gryffindor boys this year.

"What's more insane is that there were only 5 Gryffindor boys. There are so few first years here," Alice says softly since most of those boys are probably sitting somewhere near us.

"It's because of the war." Frank says quietly. "They would rather homeschool their kids than risk sending them to Hogwarts. Mum was thinking about keeping me at home this year."

"And you were able to change her mind?" I ask. Frank's mother, Mrs. Augusta Longbottom, is one of the scariest people I have ever met. She is laser focused and damn well terrifying if she doesn't get her way.

Frank shrugs, "She knows I want to be an auror and I need to graduate from Hogwarts for that to happen, so she relented."

I sigh, "Is that what we all are going to become? Aurors so we can fight this war?"

"I am," Alice nods.

"James and Sirius are too."

A loud cheer echoes around the stadium. I glance over and realize Mack is holding the snitch. "Well that's the game. Ready to go in?"

Alice nods, "Frank, are you waiting for the boys?"

He shakes his head. "Nope, let's go to the Great Hall. They can meet us there."

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I shake my head leaving the Great Hall with Frank, Alice, Mary, and Mackenzie. "What is taking those boys so long?" I look over at Mackenzie who joined us a good half an hour ago.

She shrugs. "Emmaline and I were the first to leave the locker room and go back to the dormitory to shower. But I thought they were right behind us."