Meet and Greet [Jake, Husk]

[Lily Potter]

Lily put down her Quill and turned to the two boys. It seemed as if they had both given up on doing homework, so she might as well too. Soon they wouldn't have anything else to say, right? She decided just to talk to them. It couldn't be that hard. The chances of her talking to them again and becoming friends were slim. She might as well just converse with them.

"Yeah, what are you? Pureblood, Half, Muggle-born. You too, Jake. I'm sure you two know what I am. The whole school does." Lily said the last part in a sad tone. It annoyed her that everyone knew her history without her even telling them. Everyone knew who her dad and mom were. Although her mom was a little less known. She was still famous for being Harry Potter's wife if nothing else.

She still gave them both the benefit of the doubt at first. She always did. There might be a chance one of the was a muggleborn and didn't know who her father is. She could dream, couldn't she?

[jeneraljames]

Husk thought it was funny that he always became an object of interest when people found out he was American, and a Southerner at that. He decided to answer Jacob's first question first. "Yeah it's still a little weird for me, but I'm pretty much used to it now."

He thought about the other question. Even after the Second Wizarding War was fought, blood status was still a frequent topic. "I'm muggleborn. My father is in the US Military, and my mother is a military spouse. I honestly don't know much about your father or mother Lily. I know their famous, what their famous for, and that's it. I never really bothered getting absorbed in all that."

[aero]

Jake wasn't surprised when Husk said he didn't know who Harry Potter and Ginny Potter really were. His uncle had told him that when Harry was really young, he didn't know about Lord Voldemort and the deaths he had caused.

"I'm pureblood," Jake said, avoiding their eyes, "Neville Longbottom's my uncle." That was it. That was all he was going to say. They would know about Uncle sooner or later anyways. It was just his parents they didn't need to ever hear about. He quickly glanced toward Husk. "US military? Sounds exciting," he said even though he had no idea what that meant really. He was just trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

He looked at Lily then, "And the Harry Potter story is hers to tell." He wasn't going to tell Harry Potter's past when his daughter was sitting right there. Plus, it was more her and her father's story than his even if his uncle had had a huge impact in the war.

[Lily Potter]

Lily's eyebrows burrowed at Husk's answer. If he was a muggleborn, then she supposed he wouldn't know much. That was fine with her. Maybe she would actually be able to tell someone her story without them thinking they knew it already.

"Right. Sorry. I just kind of figure everyone basically knows. I'm a pureblood. But my grandmum was a Muggleborn." Lily explained. "I've grown up in Godrics Hallow. Something my dad said was important to him." Lily didn't know exactly why she added the second part. But for some reason she did.

"Your uncle is Neville? My dad talks about Neville all the time. They were in the same year and house. My dad said they were pretty close in their later years, not so much in the beginning." Lily had met Neville before, but she didn't remember. It was when she was little apparently. So she wouldn't remember.

[jeneraljames]

It amused Husk that he was the only muggleborn out of the three of them. He figured both were pureblood before they told him. There was something about the way they held themselves. Even with Lily's shyness, her speech and the way she held herself had a little bit of pride to it. Husk could tell that Jacob didn't know what the US military was. He smiled and told him, "My dad's a soldier. He protects all of us, even us here in the wizarding world. He fights in the muggle wars, and most of those are usually instigated by wizards."

He paused for a second. He had to gather his thoughts because there were so many questions going through his mind. "So, what's it like to grow up in an all-magic community? I know that even though my community wasn't magic there was always something interesting happening. In the military community you just never know who'll be alive from one day to the next. So, nothing is really taken for granted."He didn't know why he was relating that to them. It was something that he rarely even related to his muggle friends off-base.

[aero]

Jake smiled a bit. His uncle loved to tell stories about Harry Potter. It was practically a hobby- other than studying Herbology of course. He nodded at Lily, "That's what Uncle Neville told me too. Around the same, anyways. I think they still talk a lot although he's never come around to the house." Jake silently cursed. He wondered if they'd pick up on his slip up about Jake practically living in Uncle Neville's house because his was unbearable. His smile quickly faded and he focused on Husk's question instead.

"I think it's a lot like muggle lives except that we have to hide our magic. We wonder how Muggles do it most of the time- some of their inventions are incredible. They're very advanced. As wizard-born families, we pretty much use magic for everything, well, the adults do anyways. For example, while Muggles camp outdoors and in a cold tent, our tents are expanded into four or five rooms, maybe even two stories. It's really interesting." Jake loved talking about things he had learned in class- Muggle Studies. It felt like he had actually gained some knowledge which made him a complete nerd according to some of his friends but he didn't care. What was the point in just letting your knowledge waste away? I

[Lily Potter]

Lily listened to both of them talk. Jacob's answer kind of seemed like he had read it somewhere instead of actually knowing. Lily actually knew.

"My parents were big on keeping some kind of muggle stuff in the house. So I always had those kind of things. But other than that living in an entire wizard town is pretty cool. No one has to hide it. Unlike London, or anywhere else."

Lily had lived on both sides of the fence. Since her parents split up she lived in both kinds of communities. But she didn't want to tell them that. She didn't feel comfortable with that yet. She had barely gotten used to it herself. It was different.

"I've always thought Soldiers were amazing. Fighting the muggle way like they do. They're brave. They all should be in Gryffindor for that. For standing up for what they believe in like they do. It's amazing."

[jeneraljames]

Husk laughed a bit when he heard Jacob talk about how they didn't know how muggles managed without magic. "You know, you can't miss what you've never had. But if you think about it, muggles have technology, and that's their own type of wizardry." It really was amazing what humans, even muggles, had been able to do. Then he thought again. It was hard being muggleborn, because not only did you know about magic, but you knew of technology, and you missed the technology. Even if you had the magic to substitute for it, you still missed a lot of the technology there was.

When Lily talked about her parents keeping with both muggle technology and magic, Husk smiled. "That's kind of what it's like for me, except I only get muggle technology during the summer. I don't typically go home during Christmas Break, so I don't get it then." Then she spoke of her admiration for soldiers. If it was possible, Husk smiled even wider. He was proud of his dad, and he always had been. He thought about what he was about to say for a minute before he spoke, "Even though I'm a wizard, I still want to follow his footsteps. I'm going to be an Auror, so I can help protect the wizarding world as he protects the muggle one." It was his dream job. It was part of the reason he worked so hard to get good grades.

[aero]

Jake listened to what Husk said about muggles and their technology and kind of like their own magic. "That's true," he agreed, "But they'd be blown away by the real magic if they discovered it"

His mind shifted to what Lily said about the soldiers. "Not all of them should be in Gryffindor," he argued slightly jokingly. He thought all of the houses were good so he didn't really take the argument too seriously. "I doubt they all go to war by choice. I've heard of some type of thing called a 'draft'. What's that about because I think it connects to what I just said..." He paused for a second.

"But I agree. Being an auror would be great. I mean, I'm more of a books and paper kind of person but I've always kept the option of auror open." Uncle Neville had taught him a few spells before he'd even started Hogwarts so he was doing a little more than decently in the class.

"You're a fifth year so these O.W.L's will help you get into the right courses to become an auror."

[Lily Potter]

Somehow the topic switched to Aurors. Lily didn't hate the topic per say. But it wasn't her favorite. Then again, anything that had to do with her dad or mom wasn't her favorite. She guessed it was because she was still upset from the divorce.

"My dad's an Auror. Has been since the second war. Apparently he's always wanted to be an Auror. But joined after the war to help round up all the Death Eaters that escaped after he defeated Voldemort."

Lily hated hearing it out loud, even coming from her own mouth. But it was already said and done with. Not like she could take it back. Not like they didn't already know. Husk said he had known about the Wizarding War.

"Personally. I want to be a Healer. I want to help people. I want to be able to make a miracle happen and say that I did it. I think it would just be the best feeling in the world." Lily smiled as she thought about it. She hoped she could be a healer. She just had to keep her grades up. She wanted nothing more than to actually become a healer.

[jeneraljames]

Jacob's knowledge about a draft surprised Husk, especially with his apparent lack of knowledge about the military in general. "Yeah, the draft is involuntary. All male US citizens have to sign up after turning 18. It gives them the ability to bring you in as a soldier against your own will." Then he heard Lily's opinion on being an Auror. He understood that some people didn't want to be stuck in their parent's shadow, and he felt bad for bringing the subject up.

When she mentioned she wanted to be a healer to help people, he smiled. His original assumptions hadn't been wrong after all. She really was a shy, caring little girl, but he had to correct her on the part of helping people. "You know there's more than one way to help people. Being a Healer is but one way. Still, it's a noble profession to follow."

[aero]

Jake was nodding as Lily talked about what she wanted to be. She seemed like this was going to be her final decision in what she was going to do and he admired it. He definitely had respect for Healers. Not many people always wanted to be in the profession because they'd prefer to be out there doing magic.

"I think that would be a great profession," he said smiling at Lily, "You seem to really want to do it and not many people I know are as adamant about being a Healer as you." He looked at Husk and what he had said about Healers not being the only people that had a professions that would help people. Jake racked his brain for other jobs that wizards did. He had a few ideas but Husk seemed to be specifying about a job in particular.

"What other jobs are you thinking about?" he asked.

[Lily Potter]

Lily could feel her cheeks getting red when both of the boys smiled at her explanation of what she wanted to be when she grew up. She didn't know why it was a big deal. It was what she wanted to do since she was little. She would always play healer with her brothers until they got too big for that and wouldn't play anymore.

"I know it's not the only way. But I feel like it's the most direct. Healing people when their sick or injured is direct help. I know that probably doesn't make much sense...." Lily looked down. Suddenly more shy that she was a minute ago.

"Healing is the only thing I've ever thought about doing really. It's the only thing I want to do." Lily told them the truth. Sure. When she was little she had briefly considered an Auror. But it sounded too cliche. Going after the same job her dad is in. Just because it's her dad. She didn't want that. She wanted to make herself known as Lily, and no one else. She didn't want to be compared to anyone. Even though she knew that was impossible.

After Lily finished talking she turned her head away and let her cheeks become even more red. She had been holding it off because she didn't like people seeing her blush. She hated it really. But it was the price she had to pay for being as shy as she was.

[jeneraljames]

The question Jacob posed was an unexpected one. He had to pause and think about his answer before replying, "Well, I wasn't really thinking about any job in particular. But I guess maybe I wasn't even thinking about jobs in the wizarding world. I was thinking about what I could do in a muggle profession with my magic." He let Jacob's imagination take what he said and he could determine what it meant.

When Lily spoke he listened intently. "You're right. It is the most direct way. You think a lot like I do then. I like directness, because it cuts out all the crap." He felt Lily's attitude change after talking, and then he closed his eyes. He knew saw for a mere second that she was blushing, and he didn't want her to become even shyer. He hoped that by letting her blush without watching would keep her a little less shy.

When he assumed she had finished blushing, he opened his eyes and thought about how he had come to be here. "You know...it still amazes me that I'm here. I mean, magic really didn't exist back when I was growing up. Otherwise, my dad would have never been deployed, my best friend's dad would have come out of that ambush alive, and the damn wars would've ended. If someone could've done that, I'd have believed they were magic." These thoughts were self-pity and Husk knew it. He hated himself for it, and he chastised himself for it in his thoughts. He just hoped that the other two wouldn't pick up on the bitterness in his tone, even if it had been almost completely obvious.

[aero]

Jake didn't say anything about Husk's first reply regarding the muggle professions. He was thinking about what the Gryffindor had last said- about his family. To be honest, he was rather surprised that Husk had shared this so quickly. They had only started talking half an hour or so ago.

He decided to answer what Lily said while still thinking about what to say to Husk. "Well it's a great goal. I'm sure you'd make a fantastic Healer." He was only being nice and he made sure not to mention that she could have easily gotten any Healing skill from her lineage.

He turned to Husk thinking carefully. "I'm sorry about your...family," he said quietly. He couldn't deal with this kind of stuff. The emotions were nerve racking for him and he didn't like to think about it. "Muggles...um...." he didn't know what to say so he just shut up instead of making things worse.