A twenty-two-year-old Lily Evans walked up the clean white steps of Gringotts proudly. She had suffered through five years of Hell for this day. Ever since she was a Fifth Year at Hogwarts and went to career advice with Professor McGonnagall, she knew that this was what she wanted; To be a curse breaker.
Lily was dressed smartly in a knee length pure black skirt. She had a crisp white button down shirt, covered by a dark gray blazer. Her three-inch black heels added to her height, a measly 5'2". A large green tote was slung over her shoulder, holding her never-ending paper work. Lily's long curly red hair was pulled back in a perfect bun, not a hair out of place. To top off this look, Lily had her frameless reading glasses perched on her nose, making her vibrant green eyes appear even larger.
Any onlooker might have thought that this woman was a pushover. 'A pretty girl like her, there was no way that she could actually work for herself. She hasn't the brains or the strength to make it in the real world. Perhaps she should take up modeling.' That was what Lily heard all throughout her life. But if there was one thing that Lily couldn't stand, it was those ditzy air-headed models. She should know, her mother forced her to associate with them quite frequently.
Janice Pillari-Evans was of a very high social status. Coming from a poor family, she was only concerned about wealth. When she met the wealthy Christopher Evans at college, she did all she could to get his attention. The two married once they had graduated, Chris entranced by her beauty and Janice attracted to his money.
Janice herself became a model, retiring after giving birth to her first daughter, Petunia. Barely a year later, another daughter was born, Lily. It was Janice's dream to raise proper ladies, marry them off to some rich blokes, and then have them become models. Petunia was fulfilling those dreams so far. She was always prim and proper and was engaged to a walrus, Vernon Dursley. Unfortunately, Petunia did not have the looks for a model, so she was satisfied being a simple housewife.
Since Janice could not make Petunia a model, it was her life's ambition to turn Lily into one. Sadly for Janice, Lily was the exact opposite of Petunia. She was rude towards her mother, always claiming that she cared about no one but herself. When they were children, Petunia was found having tea with the neighbors while Lily was out playing baseball with the boys. Petunia loved dressing up in the most beautiful and expensive gowns, while Lily preferred a sweatshirt and jeans.
Lily figured that it was because of her mother that she was so ambitious. Determined to be the exact opposite of her mother and sister, Lily strove for abnormality all through her childhood. She had been so excited when accepted into Hogwarts. She was able to piss of her mother, be different, and escape all at once.
While at Hogwarts, Lily was probably the hardest worker there. She was top of all her classes. One day, she thought about joining the Quidditch team. She told her current boyfriend, Amos Diggory, this and he laughed at her, saying, 'Oh, Lily! Don't be ridiculous. You're too small, too fragile. Leave sports to the men.' Just to irk him, Lily tried out for Beater, the most aggressive spot, and made it. Then she dumped that loser on his sorry ass. That was seven years ago, when she was a fifth year.
Lily was now a fully-grown woman, in both the Muggle and magical worlds. She was able to make her own decisions, only meeting her mother when threatened to be disowned. Lily sometimes considered taking her mother up on these threats, but she loved her father too much. He actually cared about her. She was tougher now than she was in Hogwarts, yet even more beautiful.
For the past four years, Lily had been training in Egypt for a job position at Gringotts. Anyone in the magical world could tell you that this was the most challenging job easily. For the human workers were not trained only as bankers, but as Aurors and Healers also. For some, it was odd that they had to go through Auror and Healing training, but it actually made sense. Gringotts was the only wizarding bank in the world, making it a huge target. The employees had to be trained for all circumstances, including a robbery. Nice people do not rob banks, so they had to be trained to handle Death Eaters, just like the Aurors. Healers, like all other people, were forbidden to go anywhere but the lobby and their own vaults, so the workers also had to be capable of healing themselves.
The first year of training focused completely on the mental side. This was your mathematical part. The trainees were given the most difficult arithmetic problems possible and were tutored by the greatest mathematicians of the modern world, both Muggle and wizard. The stress of the first year was unbelievable, with a test at least once a week. Their final exam for the mathematics portion had been to calculate the amount of stone bricks used in a pyramid. This might seem easy, but the time limit was three minutes. Also wands, parchment, and ink were forbidden – the math had to be done in your head.
Those that passed the first year moved onto the next, Healer training. Many said that this was actually the easiest part of training. The hopefuls spent a year brewing potions to different poisons, having to learn the difference between Veritaserum and Nuritaserum. One could make you tell the truth, while the other would slay the drinker to pieces, agonizingly slow. They learned to mend bones and recognize different illnesses.
The brilliant minds were truly put to the test during the three years of Auror training. This was based basically on your physical fitness, wit, and how you were during emergencies. Some of the smartest witches and wizards ever did not reach their full potential because they failed the Auror training portion. The bankers-to-be ran daily laps, learned interrogation skills, and practiced every spell known. To tell the truth, their training was harder than the actual Aurors'. The bankers would be in charge of not only their customers' lives, but also their fortunes.
All the training was done in Egypt, which is about ten times hotter than Britain. Additionally, the normal Healers and Aurors in training got to go home to their nice warm beds after each night. The Gringotts trainees shared tents with another person on the hard, hot Egyptian ground. The program started out with about fifty-five hopefuls from around the world. Lily was one of the eleven that made it, and was the only Brit.
So as you can see, Lily was extremely proud that she had made it this far. She had seen countless amounts of her colleagues fail, going home with empty hands and heavy hearts. Lily and her pupils that had passed were about to be rewarded greatly though. Around the world, young bankers were about to learn the many secrets of Gringotts. It was one of the most exciting jobs possible. The pay wasn't bad either – 200 galleons a week. Lily's instructor had always said 'The elite get paid in a league of their own.'
Lily stopped at the top of the steps and took in her surroundings. She had always thought that Diagon Alley was brilliant. With the numerous shops, the dazzling lights, and the constant hustle and bustle, it was truly that place that never slept.
Lily turned and pushed the heavy door open. She walked over to the front desk, where about a dozen goblins were working. "Excuse me, Mr. Galeesh," she said with a quick look at his nameplate. "I'm the new worker, Lily Evans."
"Ah, Ms. Evans," Galeesh replied in his scaly voice. "Mr. Murano is expecting you. Go through the third door on your left and you will come to a corridor. Make the first right and that is his office."
"Thank you," she said, but the creature appeared to have lost his interest in talking.
Following Galeesh's instructions, Lily found herself facing a white door with Carlos Murano – Head of Gringotts, Britain inscribed on it. 'Okay, so this guy's my boss,' Lily thought to herself. 'Best make a good first impression.' She straightened the invisible wrinkles on her skirt and gave her hair a quick pat. Taking a deep breath, Lily brought her hand up and knocked hardly on the door three times.
There was some scurrying behind the door and a deep voice called out, "Just a minute!" Several seconds later, a Hispanic looking man opened the door. He had thick, curly black hair with grays blended in here and there. His eyes were black, yet friendly looking. The man's nose looked as if someone had tried to break it several times, giving it a squashed sort of appearance. Underneath that nose was a massive mustache. It, like his hair, was black with some gray hairs. He looked as if he was about 5' 10", and was a little plump.
"You must be Ms. Evans!" he said as a smile appeared on his face. Lily also noticed that he spoke with a soft Spanish accent that was barely there. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he continued as he stuck his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Carlos Murano, head of Gringotts."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Murano," Lily said as she shook his hand firmly. "As you already know, I'm Lily Evans."
"Lily, please!" he said energetically. "Call me Carlos! We've all went through the same training, I just did it about thirty years earlier."
"Yes, Carlos," she said.
"Now I'm terribly sorry to cut our first meeting short, but I'm about to be late for a meeting with the Minister. This corridor is all offices of the workers, humans and goblins alike, so just pick one and I'm sure that they will help you. If you're uneasy about goblins, just pick a human. It's rather easy to tell which is which by the names on the doors. Bye!"
Lily stood, staring at the door for several moments. She was so shocked that anyone would be able to move that quickly. 'Then again,' she thought to herself, 'he's head of the only bank in wizarding England.'
Following Murano's orders, she walked a bit more up the hall. Stopping at the next door, she read Anthony Dolocelli – Curse Breaker. Not nearly as nervous as before, she raised her hand and knocked.
Lily's eyes widened as the door opened. Standing before her was an extremely handsome Italian man. He appeared to be nearly a foot taller than Lily was, standing at probably 6'1", and seemed to be very well built. He had pure black hair that fell gracefully just below his eyebrows. The fringe barely covered his eyes, which were the color of deep chocolate.
The two of them must have gaped at each other for a full minute until the man spoke. "You…you…h-here? What do you want?" he said rudely after stuttering.
Lily snapped out of her daze by these harsh words. "What?" she said, taken aback. How could one of her colleagues be this…mean?
"You heard me!" he snapped. "What do you want?" Still shocked by his rudeness, Lily said nothing. "Come on," he said impatiently. "I haven't got all day, so are you gonna talk or what?"
Finding her voice, Lily said, "I'm Lily Evans and I was wondering if –"
But Anthony cut her off. "Look, this is an employee only area, so get lost." With that, he slammed his office door right in her face. Lily could have sworn that she heard him muttering, "Stupid girl…disturbing me while I'm working…"
So shocked that anyone could be that unpleasant, Lily stared at the door for several moments. She kept standing there until she heard the door on the opposite side of the hall open.
Turning around, she saw a pretty brunette standing opposite of her. She had light brown hair and light blue eyes. Lily noticed that unlike her, she was dressed very casually. She was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, along with a pair of running shoes. She was also somewhat pleased that they were about the same height; She wouldn't be the only petite person around here.
"Hi, can I help you?" the girl asked.
"Yes, I'm Lily Evans, the new curse breaker," Lily answered. "Can you help me out today?"
To Lily's surprise, the girl squealed and gave her a huge hug. "Thank Merlin you're here!" she exclaimed. "For the past two years, I've been the only woman working here! You have no idea what it's like, not having another girl to talk to!"
The girl stepped back, still beaming. "Anyway," she continued, "I'm Taylor Scarlet, and it's a huge pleasure to meet you. I'd be more than happy to show you around today. Let's go find your office!"
They walked down the long hall a bit. After passing Aiden McHugh, they came to a door that read Lily Evans – Curse Breaker. "Oh my god," Lily said, touching where her name was inscribed. "I get my own office already?"
"Well yeah," Taylor said with a bit of humor in her voice. "You've gone through all the training, so you're just the same as everyone else. Let's go inside now!"
Lily pulled out the key that she was given after finishing the training program and put it into the door. With a click, it swung open, revealing a huge office. "This is mine?" Lily asked incredulously. The office was plain, having only a desk and a small table. It was obviously meant for her to decorate to her will.
Taylor sighed. "Yes, we've gone through this already. Now let me tell you some things." Here, she pulled out her own wand and pointed it at the door, shutting it. "Silencio," she muttered. "Now, you're way over dressed. They don't care if we come in in our pajamas, as long as we get the work done. Also, Carlos has a strict no relations policy."
"What do you mean by that?" Lily asked confusedly. "Does that mean we can't be friends with our other workers?"
Taylor laughed. "You know, Evans, you're really funny. No, we can't shag our other workers. I fucking hate that rule, other wise I'd be in Tony Dolocelli or Aiden McHugh's pants in a heartbeat."
"I met Dolocelli, but who's McHugh?" Lily asked.
"McHugh has the office next to yours, lucky bitch. He's a nice Irish bloke. It's okay though, Tony has the office across from mine, so I get to see him often enough. Aiden and Tony are great friends, you can barely see them apart."
"Is Dolocelli always so…mean?" Lily asked nervously. "And is Aiden mean too?"
Taylor gave a small sigh. "So you've encountered 'Dolocelli's Wrath?'" she asked. Lily nodded. "Tony's a great guy, but he's a really hard worker. He can be pretty uptight sometimes, which is a shame with a body like that. Aiden is much more laid back and likes to joke a lot."
"Anyway, enough about men," Taylor said. "Where did you get trained?"
"Egypt," Lily answered.
"Merlin, you get trained in Egypt and you're next to Aiden? Some girls get all the luck!" Taylor said, pouting slightly.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked. "Doesn't everyone get trained at the same place?"
"Nope!" Taylor said. "They have a five year rotation. Siberia, Egypt, Antarctica, the Bermuda Triangle, and Peru. I was trained in Peru."
"What's so bad about Peru?" Lily questioned. "Sure, there are lots of mountains, but other than that what's the big deal?"
Taylor gave a somewhat dark chuckle. "You've never been to Peru, have you?" Lily shook her head. "Not only is it a huge rallying point for South American Death Eaters, but there are also giants there, the only colony in the Western Hemisphere. Every other day we were attacked, either by the Death Eaters or the giants. I feel really bad for Aiden and Tony though. They started the year before you did (the year after me), and got trained in Siberia. They had to deal with the cold and Siberian Ice Dragons. Those things make the sphinxes you played with look like kittens."
"You had it easy, like I said," Taylor finished. "Imagine spending five years in Antarctica!"
"Where'd you go to school?" Lily asked Taylor.
"Beauxbatons," she replied.
"Oh! Parlez-vous français?
"Naturellement! Vous ne grandissez pas en France et ne parlez pas la langue!" Taylor said rapidly.
The two girls laughed lightly. "Anyway, where did you go?"
"Hogwarts, of course!"
Taylor smiled and said, "You must know my cousin then. James Potter?"
Lily's eyes widened at the name. "Know him? I dated him all throughout seventh year!"
"You're the infamous Lily!" Taylor cried out. "What ever happened between the two of you? James told me that the two of you split, but he never mentioned why."
Lily sighed and said, "That's another story for another time."
Picking up that she didn't want to talk about it, Taylor said, "Okay, let's go and meet some new people! Well, new for you, old for me."
Hello! I know that I really shouldn't be starting a new story, but this idea has been swirling around in my head for awhile. I'm not sure if I'm going to switch this to my main story, or keep updating A Missing Spark more. What do you think? Remember to review:)
Isabel
