Life went on in the Potter household and soon the Mother’s Day fiasco was well behind them. Instead, disaster of another type was brewing. More specifically, Lily was planning to inform Augusta of her and James’ decision to register Harry at the local primary school and to request permission to do the same for Neville. She wasn’t expecting things to go well.
They didn’t. To say Augusta was reluctant to grant such permission would be an understatement of epic proportions. Fortunately, Lily had had the foresight to send the boys next door and cast a Silencing Charm to prevent sound from escaping the house. Thus, they were spared having to hear the argument.
It had started off civilly enough, with Lily saying, “James and have I have decided to send Harry to a Muggle primary school. We were wondering if you’d consider sending Neville as well.”
“Absolutely not! Why can’t you just have them home-schooled? My son was, as was I before him, and my parents before me. We all turned out fine. I’m willing to pay for a tutor for both boys, if that’s the issue.”
“It isn’t, but the boys need a chance to socialize with other children their own age. So far, they have only themselves and Colin. What’s going to happen when they go to Hogwarts?”
“But, Muggles?”
“It would be ideal, no? The Muggles don’t know who he is. I’d also like Harry to know something of his Muggle roots. Besides, being able to blend in with Muggles is a good skill to have.”
“I disagree. Neville is safer in the house. That’s what’s important.”
“How can you ignore the importance of…”
The argument continued in that vein for quite some time. The gist of it being that Lily was adamant that her son would attend primary school for the social and life skills it would provide and refused to accept Augusta’s offer to finance home-schooling for the boys. She was also rather insistent that Neville go to school with Harry. Augusta, on the other hand, stoically refused to consider allowing her grandson to be educated outside the home. In fact, by the time James got home from work, the argument had become so heated that he was only able to get a word in edgewise by silencing them both with a wave of his wand.
Making sure they were both unarmed and not going anywhere, he addressed Augusta, “Neville is like a son to both Lily and me and we, like you, want what’s best for him. However, you’re right, in that his schooling is your choice, to do as you choose. But, Lily’s right too. Harry is our son, and our decision to have him attend Muggle primary school is non-negotiable. You’re welcome to make your own arrangements for your grandson, provided you’re willing to deal with the inevitable problems that will crop up when Harry starts to make friendships that he can have no part in.”
Turning to Lily, he added, “I assume you left the boys next door. I’m going to go get them. I expect you both to be calm and act civilized by the time I get back.”
They were calmer, when he returned, but still not sufficiently so that the boys couldn’t tell that the two women had been arguing. The fact that Augusta left almost immediately, rather than staying for dinner, only served to drive the point home. As Augusta hugged the boys goodbye, before stepping into the fireplace, James turned to his wife and asked, “You okay, dear? You know you shouldn’t be getting yourself worked up like this.” She just glared at him. He let the subject drop.
On the other hand, the boys refused to let the subject drop that had caught their interest (what Lily and Augusta had fought about), despite Lily’s flat out refusal to tell them. She was holding out in hope that Augusta would change her mind and she wouldn’t have to tell them that Harry would be starting school in September, but Neville couldn’t go with him. She could already picture the look on the older boy’s face as she tried to explain; she could visualize the strength and confidence that had been slowly growing in him --since the night he’d witnessed his parents’ death --shattering in an instant… Her reluctance was understandable.
Fortunately, she was spared that particular agony. Augusta returned two days later and reported willingness to send Neville to school with Harry, if it wasn’t too late. She had her conditions, of course: the Fidelius Charm would stay up, the boys were not, under any circumstances, to bring any classmates home, and the school authorities were to be informed that Neville was at risk of abduction and be given a list of authorized persons who were allowed to pick him up from school. She left the explanation for the last condition up to Lily since she knew more about Muggles and could probably come up with something more believable.
It took a while for the details to be worked out; documents supporting the existence of a nasty custody battle involving an abduction risk had to be fabricated. Finally, a week after the original argument, Lily sat the boys down to inform them that they’d be starting school in a few months and to lay down the rules. There was to be no talking about magic, no doing magic, no talking about being able to talk to snakes, no talking to snakes, no inviting friends over, no going over to the homes of classmates, no talking to strange adults, no talking about Neville’s scar, or Voldemort or the Fidelius, or their living arrangements, or…
The first morning of school, Lily dropped the boys off at school, reminding them as she did of the most important rule, “Now remember boys, it’s a Muggle school -”
Or tried to, seeing as Harry cut her off, “Yeah, yeah, no magic, Mum, we got it.”
“It’s not like we can control it anyways,” added Neville.
“Can we go now, Mum?”
“Not just yet, boys. I have something to discuss with your teacher, so I’m coming with you today.”
Harry frowned. “We’re not babies. We can go by ourselves.”
“And you will, tomorrow. Today, I’m coming with you. Come along.”
So, Lily escorted them to class and reinforced Augusta’s rules with the teacher. She kissed both boys one last time and told them to be good. And then she was gone.
Much to her chagrin, however, before the week was up, they’d broken just about every rule on the list…
A.N. Well there you have it. This chapter and the next few that follow have been a long time in the making. Please review. I’d like to thank all my reviewers for their support as well as my pre-beta Mistri Tonks' Admirer, and my beta Arnel.