Slughorn's Praise

Knock, knock. "Come in." Slughorn was marking essays. He looked up and saw the student he admired. "Oh, Lily, you're here, my dear girl."

"I've come to hand in the essay you assigned, sir." Lily placed the parchment she had prepared neatly on Slughorn's desk.

Slughorn smiled and gestured for Lily to sit down, then began reading her essay. The further he read, the brighter his little eyes became, and the more genuine his smile grew. His relaxed expression gave way to one of amazement.

The essay contained no fanciful speculation or needless elaboration. Rather than glorifying Felix Felicis as an all-powerful form of fate-altering magic, it explained the fundamental nature of the advanced potion clearly and logically.

Lily drew a precise distinction between improving one's luck and tampering with fate. She thoroughly analyzed the exacting standards for brewing the potion and the strict requirements concerning the lunar phase and heat. More remarkably, she went into detail about the backlash of psychological addiction and the harm caused by magical deterioration, which the vast majority of students completely overlooked. Her arguments were measured yet perceptive, combining academic depth with a reverence for magic.

For a second-year essay, its scope and insight far surpassed those of many fifth- and sixth-year students.

Slughorn slowly set down the parchment and looked at the red-haired girl before him, his voice full of sincere admiration. "Wonderful, Lily. Truly outstanding."

He leaned forward slightly and gave his assessment in earnest. "I assigned this advanced topic only to hone your and Severus's talents a little. I never expected you two, as second-years, to grasp the deeper pharmacology and risks of Felix Felicis. But you did it, and even more perfectly than I imagined."

"Many more experienced wizards are fixated on the extraordinary luck Felix Felicis brings. They do nothing but praise its miraculous effects while ignoring its backlash and drawbacks."

He gently tapped the paragraph on the parchment about psychological addiction. "What's most precious is your clear-headedness and reverence. You've seen through to the essence of magic: luck is never a shortcut bestowed by a potion. Solid ability and a steady mind are the true foundation. That kind of character is far more valuable than even the finest brewing skills."

He had never cared much for blood status, seeking out only truly gifted students, and Lily was exactly the kind of genius he prized most.

Lily's academic thinking was clear and perceptive, measured and flexible. She was exceptionally clever, yet showed none of the ruthlessness that came with a desire for quick success.

"The whole essay is rigorously reasoned, its evidence solid, its arguments original yet cautious." Smiling, Slughorn picked up his quill and wrote a full-marks comment at the end of the essay with great care, his handwriting rounded and elegant. "Full marks, thoroughly deserved."

He paused, then added, a note of expectation in his voice, "Your talent and understanding in Potions are the most outstanding I've seen in recent years. Your future achievements in the field will surely be limitless."

Lily's ears turned slightly red. She had not expected Slughorn to think so highly of her, and she felt embarrassed. "Thank you for your approval, Professor. I'll keep working hard."

Slughorn nodded in satisfaction and carefully put away the parchment, convinced that this Muggle-born girl would become one of the prized pupils he would take pride in.

Lily closed the door to the Potions Office, thoroughly pleased. Snape was standing outside, apparently waiting to go in. "Severus, are you here to hand in your homework too?" Snape nodded. He had indeed come to hand in his essay and had not expected to run into Lily again by such a coincidence. "Have you been all right lately? Has anyone in Slytherin given you trouble since what happened last time?"

Lily was referring to how he had slipped away as soon as he saw Avery and the others in trouble. "No. I still have some standing in Slytherin. They need my talent for Potions."

Snape was proud of his talent. "That's good. I was worried they'd ostracize you. If anything happens, you must tell me. We're good friends." Seeing Snape raise a hand to push open the office door, Lily hurriedly added, "Oh, right, if you're free at Christmas, come celebrate with my family."

At the thought of how James would surely be green with jealousy if he learned that Snape could spend Christmas with the Evans family for a second year running, Snape was secretly thrilled to have found another chance to annoy Potter. Sometime, he would bring it up to needle Potter and make the arrogant, stupid Potter suffer a little too.

After watching Snape enter the Potions Office, Lily turned and ran toward the tower. She still remembered being surrounded by several Slytherins near the dungeons last time. Although she had won an overwhelming victory in the end, she needed to keep a low profile for a while. She did not want those Death Eaters-in-training to put her on their must-kill blacklist for beating up Slytherins. Staying alive was more important.

On the day before the Christmas holidays, Lily had already packed and was ready to go home with Petunia for the break. The common room was filled with the joy of the approaching holiday, and everyone was discussing the new things they would do over the break.

Sirius leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed, irritated. He had originally planned to apply to stay at school, but he had received a stern threat from his mother, Walburga, ordering him to attend the family Christmas dinner.

To persuade him, Walburga had even brought up his uncle Alphard, asking only that Sirius stay by Alphard's side throughout the evening for appearances' sake. Sirius did not want his uncle to suffer his mother's harassment on his account, so he could only compromise.

"I really don't understand why you have to go back when your family's such a mess," James said, sprawled beside Sirius's sofa in bewilderment.

"Because I'm worried that mother of mine will threaten my uncle, of course."

Sirius swore he would never go back the following year, not even once. He was sick to death of the Black family's rules.

"I don't get it. Don't you have a younger brother? Isn't having him there to represent the family enough? Why do they have to drag you back too?"

The mention of Regulus made Sirius even more irritated. Ever since Regulus had entered Slytherin, the two had barely spoken all term. Whenever Regulus spoke, Sirius felt as though he had already been assimilated by pure-blood glory and rules, and it disgusted him for no particular reason. He would rather James were his own brother. Their personalities were so alike; how wonderful it would be if James were his real brother instead.

"Ah, come to my house next holiday, then. Remus and Peter too—all of you come to my house." As James invited Sirius, he did not forget to include the other two Marauders. On the day the Christmas holiday began, fine snowflakes drifted around Hogwarts Castle, and the holly in the courtyard was covered in silvery frost. Students from all over the school, dragging trunks of every size, crowded toward the castle gates and boarded the carriages bound for King's Cross Station.

Lily wore a scarf and had cast a Warming Charm on herself to keep from catching a cold. Petunia walked beside her, carrying a suitcase. "In a few hours we'll be home. Mum said she's baked plum pies, and there's a whole plate of toffee too."

"That's wonderful. We'll have hot pies as soon as we get home." Lily was eagerly looking forward to the holiday. Even if she lay around at home all day doing nothing, Mr. and Mrs. Evans would not scold her. They would only worry that her schoolwork had been too demanding and tired her out, and would leave her to enjoy her lazy moments instead.