Walking Down Memory Lane

Potions, N.E.W.T.S and Surprises

The following morning Severus made the trip to Knockturn Alley and acquired the only thing he thought could get around their name problem. He returned home and sent Dumbledore a message that they needed to talk.

Later that afternoon Dumbledore appeared in the guest house, "Severus." He greeted.

Severus smiled, "Albus, I have found a solution if you should allow it."

Dumbledore looked intrigued and confused, "A solution to which problem?"

"Lily's name." Severus smirked.

Dumbledore was now very interested, "What have you came up with?"

Severus stood and left the room, he returned and handed a blue feathered quill to Dumbledore, "This. It's a quick quote quill. I assume you know how they work?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, I am aware but you must know I can not permit her to use this for her test."

Severus laughed, "Sir, I do not wish for you to allow her to cheat the enter test, just her name. She can simply dictate her chosen name to it, once it writes Lily Evans, she can conveniently break it and request an anti-cheating quill like everyone else. You simply need to charm it to look like the others and tell her how to dictate to it before the test. She can pretend to hold it as it writes her name. Problem solved."

Dumbledore held the quill looking at it and thinking, "I suppose we have no other choice. The anti-cheating quill will not allow her to write Evans, as that is not true. This will write whatever she says. She must break it somehow before answering any questions though, I hope you bought more than one."

"I bought 12 just in case." Severus laughed.

"Very well. I will inform her of this plan tonight after I charm them to look like the others, she will have to be quick in swapping them out." Dumbledore warned.

"She's quite sneaky when she needs to be, she would never admit it but she is part Slytherin." Severus smiled. Severus gave Dumbledore all 12 quills and bid him goodbye. His mind was finally at ease; she wouldn't be throwing away her future for him.

Lily accepted the agreement of using the banned quill to only write her name on her written tests. She was cursing Severus in her mind for being so damn brilliant. She had planned on leaving that week without taking them but no, her impossible husband found an answer like always.

The nights leading up to the awful N.E.W.T.S, Sirius had become ill suddenly. Lily could hear Remus talking to him through the bathroom door, "Sirius, are you ok?"

"No! I am not bloody fucking ok!" Sirius moaned in agony.

Lily went to Remus and whispered, "How long has he been like this?"

Remus let out a long sigh, "Several nights, I'm starting to get worried. He refuses to go to Madame Pompfrey."

Lily nodded and whispered, "Tell Idgie to hide, I'm going to get her."

Remus looked relieved, "I will, thank you."

Lily went to the hospital wing and returned with the woman who could cure anything it seemed. Madame Pompfrey could hear Sirius's moaning before she even entered their quarters, "Why have you two waited so long to fetch me?"

Remus and Lily looked guilty and ashamed, "He wouldn't let us."

"Rubbish!" the woman barked as she walked over to the bathroom door bellowing, "Sirius Black! You open this door at once!"

"I'm fine ma'am. I just ate some bad food at dinner." Sirius yelled back not wanting to let her in.

"Sirius, do not add a punishment for lying on top of this now open this door at once!" Sirius grudgingly opened the door and Pompfrey entered.