The Hogsmeade Wars

A strained silence hung over the small office. Cole Pawloski rather hesitantly asked Lily question after standard question, but failed to receive anything but very short, terse answers. He could not imagine why a girl who so obviously disapproved of this shop would attempt to land a job here, but, as he had done with the others, he humored her.

"Do you come to this shop often?" he asked, already having a vague idea of what the answer might be.

Lily herself was not sure if she was trying to bomb this interview. She had weighed the prospect of a steady pay against spending extended periods of time in the same room as Potter or Black, and she simply did not think that her mind could shut itself against their consistent idiocy. Still, her old habit of always doing her best was lingering within her brain, tapping on her skull, trying to override her firm dislike of the two male applicants.

"I usually stop by on Hogsmeade weekends," she said, but the side of her that didn't want the job was not to be ousted. "But it's not a priority."

The two sides were now having an outright war. One part of her wanted to get the job, to show those two buffoons that being an idiot didn't make you special, that anyone could learn how to handle a Puking Teddy Bear; but she still didn't think spending a summer listening to their Marauder rubbish was good for her sanity.

Lily hoped the conflict in her mind wasn't manifesting itself in her outward expression, because if it was, her face would be contorted into a very ugly shape indeed.

Pawloski frowned and looked at her intently.

"Miss Evans, are you trying to impress me at all? Or are you wasting my time?"

Lily looked at the floor. "No, Mr. Pawloski." She hesitated, wondering if she should go on. She decided that she might as well get everything out into the open now, before her initial summer plan was ruined altogether.

"You see, the two boys you already saw... I don't much care for either of them, and, truth be told, their both a bit... idiotic."

Pawloski nodded in complete understanding - or, at least, that's how it appeared to Lily. But she could see something else playing about his expression. Was it... amusement?

"Ms Evans," he said through a small smile, "I mean no offense, but... Did you know that you were applying for a position in Zonko's Joke Shop? Half the people who come in here are borderline loony. I might also tell you that over the years we've hired more potential pyromaniacs than you would believe. People like James and Sirius... they don't faze me much. And if you can't cope with a bit of healthy joking, I'm not sure you're right for the position."

Lily couldn't help smiling along with him. She supposed her had a point, and a pretty valid one at that.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's not that I can't deal with them... It's just that I don't like to if I can help it. I guess I really do want this job, or at least I did until they showed up."

The manager shrugged. "Well, I'm sure you're a very capable girl, Lily, and I think I even like you better than your friend, Ann Marie. I just need to know..." He leaned across the desk, to leave a better impression on her. "Are you up for a bit of madness? Think it over for a moment."

He leaned back in his chair and fiddled with a quill while watching her. She didn't look at him, but did as he said, and considered. She supposed she was up for it, and maybe this would be a good learning experience. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

She sighed heavily, looked up at Mr. Pawloski, and extended her hand resolutely. "I'm up for it, sir."

Pawloski nodded, and assumed his businesslike manner once more. "I figured as much, Lily. I will contact you soon to let you know if you have been accepted."

"Okay, thank you."

She got up and left, looking vaguely confused.

Pawloski lingered a moment in his office before going out and closing shop. He couldn't pretend that this wasn't an easy decision, over all. Still, the only thing he knew for sure was that this was going to be an interesting summer.