December came quickly, bringing a fresh foot of snow outside Hogwarts. The Marauders were outside, throwing snowballs at each other.
"Why do we even do this?" James complained after getting hit by a dozen snowballs by Sirius. "He beats me every time!"
"You also say that every year, Prongs," Milo said with a sigh. He was finally becoming comfortable calling people by their nicknames.
"Yeah, and Echo just complains about everything every year," Capella joked.
"Oh, shut up!" Milo shot back. "I do NOT complain!"
"Yes, you do," Lily said with a laugh, hitting Milo with two snowballs.
"I really need to show you how to throw them magically," Sirius said to Lily. "You can hit people with many more of them that way. Watch me!" He sent twenty snowballs Lily's way. They covered her entire head and stomach. The other Marauders burst out laughing as Lily glared at Sirius.
"You better teach me that charm, and I assure you, I WILL get you back for that!" she stated matter-of-factly.
"Oh, we'll see about that," Sirius responded confidently. "Challenge accepted!"
After the snowball fight, the Marauders headed inside and went to the Room of Requirement. They didn't usually hang out in the Room of Requirement, but they wanted hot chocolate, and they couldn't have any in the library.
"It is too bad there's no real place for students from all houses to hang out outside of class hours," Remus said thoughtfully.
"Yes, it is," Alice said with a sigh. "There really should be a way for all students to hang out whenever they want to."
"You're correct," Mary agreed. "If we are going to be serious about uniting the houses, there needs to be a way for students to hang out whenever they want. And, it shouldn't be supervised by professors like events are."
"It could probably be supervised by house-elves, because they will probably only tell a professor if someone's bullying someone else or something," Lyanna suggested.
"But let's make sure the house-elves wouldn't be visible, because that would put a damper into everything," Capella added. "Especially for people who are Muggle-borns or raised in the Muggle World like some of us were, it would be very uncomfortable to see house-elves just watching us all the time."
"Agreed," Lily said with a nod and a smile.
"And there should be snacks available all the time!" James said excitedly.
"You are absolutely right, James!" Sirius agreed.
Mary rolled her eyes. "What is it about boys and food?" she asked with a shake of her head.
"Er, boys aren't the only ones who eat a lot!" Sirius defended himself and James. He pointed at Capella. "She eats a lot too!"
"Hey, I do NOT!" Capella snapped.
"Oh, I dunno, I remember you eating two helpings of the feast on Halloween, then three helpings of desserts," Regulus reminded her. "And should I even tell everyone all that you had to eat at the first Yule Ball you attended?"
Capella's face was red from embarrassment. "No, no, you don't need to," she mumbled. "Alright, fine, I eat a lot."
"Regulus, really?" Alice asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, I do roll my eyes a lot," Regulus joked. "I picked it up from Uncle Aslan."
The group laughed. James cleared his throat. "So, we will have snacks, right?"
"Yes, yes, we'll have snacks, I am sure," Remus said with a laugh. "But where will we be able to find a place for everyone to hang out?"
"Well, not in here," Milo pointed out. "Not everyone knows where this room is. Besides, if you want privacy, you are never going to get that with the whole school knowing where it is."
"How about the Great Hall?" Sirius suggested. "It's already a public place, and it fits all the students in there just fine already. Plus, that would be the perfect place for games, snacks, or whatever else."
"Even if students are just talking to each other," Lyanna piped up.
"Exactly," Milo agreed.
"So, who will be the one to bring this up to the staff?" Lily asked quietly. "Do you think they will even approve of this idea?"
"I will talk to Grandmother and Grandfather about it," Sirius offered.
"And I can talk to Minnie about it," James said with a grin.
"James..." Lily warned. "You know she doesn't like being called that."
"Oh, fine," James said with a sigh. "You're boring. Alright, I can talk to McGonagall about it. She likes me! I'm her FAVORITE student!"
"Oh, shut it!" Capella snapped. "She doesn't have a favorite! You know that, James. However, you could definitely talk to her about it. Just, make sure to be professional about it."
"Hey!" James cried. "I'm ALWAYS professional!" Everyone laughed.
"What about the time when you couldn't even be professional when you were showing us how to greet pure-blood Heirs in Magical Studies?" Lily asked, giving James a knowing look.
"Hey, that was a long time ago!" James defended himself. "Anyway, alright, I'll talk to McGonagall, and I'll be formal."
"And I can talk to Professor Flitwick about it," Lily offered. "I think he'll love the idea of students hanging out more."
"I think Milo should talk to Slughorn," Sirius said with a grin, staring at Milo.
"Why me?" Milo asked curiously.
"Because you two often talk after class about potions and all that," Sirius pointed out. "So it would make sense for you to be the one to talk to him about our idea."
"Alright, fine," Milo muttered, not looking pleased in the slightest. "I'll do it, I suppose."
"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed. "Then we know who we're talking to!"
"Hey, who will be talking to Professor Sprout?" Lyanna asked.
"Er, what about you, Lyanna?" Regulus suggested. "She's your Head of House, and you're one of her best students."
"Oh yeah, that's true," Lyanna said with a smile. "Good point. Alright, I'll talk to her. I have Herbology tomorrow. We're doing stuff with Mandrakes tomorrow."
The others shivered. "I remember that lesson," Capella said with a nervous laugh. "I almost put on my earmuffs crooked, but thank Merlin for Professor Sprout. She noticed."
"How in the name of Merlin did you manage to put them on crooked?" James asked with surprise in his voice. "They're easy to put on!"
"I know, I know," Capella said with a sigh. "But I somehow managed to do it wrong."
"Well, it looks like you're not as good with Herbology as your sister is," Mary teased.
"Oh, shut up!" Capella exclaimed with a glare in Mary's direction. "You are impossible!"
Lyanna cut in before an argument could break out. "Don't worry, everyone. I know what to expect from tomorrow's lesson. I read all about it in my Herbology textbook," she reassured the group. She smirked. "And don't worry, Capella. I will do my very best to forgive you for not being great with Herbology."
"Aww, thanks!" Capella said with a smile. "You're the best sister ever!" Everyone laughed at that.
"We'll see if you're still saying that in an hour," Lyanna replied with a smirk. Capella rolled her eyes.
Andromeda appeared outside of the home of Marius and Ilaria Black. She had received a letter from Ilaria detailing her losing her magic when she was younger, and asking if there was a way to get it back. Two other healers had come with her, both specialized in magical strain and the rare cases where someone lost their magic. There was Healer Sláine Ní Uiginn, who was from Ireland. She was ranked number one in Ireland for her knowledge and experience in her field. There was also Healer Yurino Aotsuki, who was from Japan. She had been a healer for 20 years now, and had been awarded the Healer of the Decade award in 1970.
Andromeda rang the doorbell. Healer Aotsuki raised an eyebrow. "What is that?" she asked curiously.
"A doorbell," Andromeda explained quickly. "Muggle and Squib households use it a lot." The door opened to reveal Ilaria.
"Oh, hello Andromeda!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "How wonderful it is to see you! And who do you have with you?"
Andromeda smiled. "These are two healers who specialize in cases like yours," she explained. "This is Healer Sláine Ní Uiginn."
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Black," Ní Uiginn greeted her politely.
"Oh, please, call me Ilaria," Ilaria said with a laugh. "Mrs. Black makes me sound old."
Everyone laughed. The other healer stepped forward. "My name is Yurino Aotsuki, and I have been a healer for twenty years," she introduced herself. "It is very nice to meet you, Ilaria."
"It is very nice to meet you too, Healer Aotsuki," Ilaria said with a smile. "Come in, come in!" She led everyone into the kitchen. "Does anyone want some tea?" she offered. Everyone accepted. Ilaria set to work getting the tea as the others sat down at the table.
"So, I told Healer Uiginn and Healer Aotsuki about your inquiry," Andromeda began. "And they think there might be a way to get your magic back." Ilaria gasped, nearly dropping the cups of tea she was carrying over to the table.
"Wait, what?!" she exclaimed. She sounded shocked. "But, I... I didn't actually think there would be a way. Healers told me there wasn't a way."
"But that was years ago, Ilaria," Healer Uiginn reminded her gently.
"Yes, healers find new techniques and new cures all the time," Healer Aotsuki added softly. She was known for being soft-spoken.
Ilaria looked like she was about to start crying right there at the table in front of Andromeda and the two specialists. "Oh, thank Merlin," she said quietly. "What would it entail?"
Healer Aotsuki smiled. "There are actually two ways of doing it, but my first question will be the one that will tell us which approach to take," she explained. Ilaria looked puzzled, but didn't interrupt. "I know you have been told that you are a Squib, but do you have ANY magic left? Any at all?"
Ilaria hesitated, then spoke cautiously. "Well, I've never tried, because I was told I'd never be able to use magic again. I mean, I'm a Squib now, so..."
"I see," Healer Aotsuki said thoughtfully, then exchanged a look with Healer Ní Uiginn.
Healer Ní Uiginn cleared her throat before speaking. "I believe," she began, then gave Ilaria an encouraging smile. "You should try to use magic. Nothing big, maybe just a lighting charm or something that a first year student can do."
"But, but I don't have a wand anymore!" Ilaria exclaimed. "And how am I supposed to use magic if I'm a Squib?"
"Squibs can use tiny bursts of magic every once in a while," Healer Ní Uiginn reminded her. "Your husband can, if I am not mistaken."
"Yes, but for him, it's more about Herbology and Potions, where you don't really need magic," Ilaria answered.
"But Herbology and Potions is a type of magic in itself, and many Squibs use it because that is about all that they can do," Healer Aotsuki said with a smile. She took out her own wand and handed it to Ilaria. "Try it. Try the lighting charm." Ilaria hesitated. "Do not worry. The worst that can happen is it doesn't work, and we'll go the other route to get your magic back. There is a way to do it either way, but this will tell us which approach to take."
"Alright," Ilaria said with a sigh, raising the wand. "Here goes nothing." She recalled what she had learned on the very first day of her first year. "Lumos," she said clearly. To her surprise, the wand lit up. It was a very dim light, not very strong at all, but it was something. She smiled widely. "Merlin's beard! it... it worked!" she exclaimed.
Healer Aotsuki smiled. "Then it's clear what you need to do."
"What? What do I need to do?" Ilaria asked excitedly.
"You need to retrain your magic."