It's been scientifically proven that the smell of books can be addictive, and Lily Evans was definitely addicted. That rich, musky smell, slightly sweet, slightly acidic… She couldn't get enough of it. She liked the smell of new books, too; fresh and slightly woody, just waiting to be read. It would be fair to say that she was addicted to everything about books, not just their smell. Which is what made her so excited to get up that morning; it was her first day as a sales assistant at an amazing bookshop, The Ink Blott, filled with thousands of books that would feed her addiction.
Some of her enthusiasm left her when she sat up and felt how cold it was outside of the cosy confines of her bed. She'd moved up to Scotland to attend university because it was an amazing school, but she really wasn't a fan of the climate. She pulled her duvet tight around her for a moment, then let it go and jumped out of bed before she could change her mind. Because it was early on a Saturday morning, neither of her housemates were in the shower, and she was able to praise anyone or anything that might be listening for the hot water that revitalised her. As she rinsed conditioner out of her red hair, however, she realised she'd have to get out of the shower soon, and would be even colder because she'd be wet. Fuck. She needed to move somewhere warmer.
On the bus ride to work, her excitement began to creep back in. A new job, starting university, she felt like she finally had control over what happened in her life, and she loved it. On Monday she'd be beginning her degree in English Literature, and her new job was perfect for her. Well, she thought, I suppose I should wait until I've actually started my job before I say that. She finally arrived at the bookshop, took a moment to collect herself, and opened the door, instantly smiling as she was greeted by that wonderful smell.
"Lily! Nice to see you," smiled Remus, a thin, fair-haired young man of eighteen, the same age as her. She'd only met him briefly when she'd been told that she'd gotten the job, but he seemed nice. His smile felt genuine, and it calmed her nerves a little.
"Remus, hi!" Lily automatically smiled back at him, and felt like Remus was just someone who made things easier just by being around. "Is Mr. Snape here?" Mr. Snape was the manager of The Ink Blott, and while she should be grateful to him for giving her a job, there was something about him that made her feel uneasy. On paper, he seemed fine; mid-thirties, dark hair, businesslike, perhaps a bit quiet, but not unusually so. But there was something about his presence, Lily felt like she didn't want to get on his bad side.
"Oh, Mr. Snape isn't here right now," said Remus, sipping a cup of tea. "He'll be here at about ten; he actually doesn't spend that much time in the shop, so you won't really see him that often. I've been working here part-time since I was fifteen, so Mr. Snape feels like I can take care of the day to day stuff. But don't worry, I'll be nice to you." He winked at her and gestured her to follow him. "I suppose the first thing to do is give you a tour. Want a cup of tea?"
Beautiful might not have been the perfect word to describe the shop, but that's how Lily saw it. Thousands of books stacked on shelves, tables, dressers, even on the floor. The shop must have originally been a house, because it was made up of several rooms, rather than having the open plan design of high street shops. Some rooms were higher up than others, and so there were several sets of small stairs, each about five or six steps, throughout the shop. There were chairs for people to stand on to reach books on higher shelves, or just in case someone found a book they particularly liked, and wanted to peruse it in the shop. In one such chair was an elderly man, who looked to be in his late seventies or early eighties, if Lily had to guess. He had long silver hair and a beard to match, and was reading "How To Knit a Cat: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for Sixteen Frisky Felines" through a pair of half-moon spectacles.
"Sixteen frisky felines, Albus? Sounds like a lot to handle," said Remus, before turning to Lily and gesturing to the man in the chair. "Lily, this is Albus Dumbledore, a man who spends more time in this shop than I do. Albus, this is Lily Evans, it's her first day here."
Albus stood up; Lily noticed he was wearing Ugg boots. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Evans," said Albus, giving a slight bow. There was something in his voice that made it sound like he was smiling, as if there was something he could see that no-one else could. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you as you spend your time here."
"Thanks," replied Lily, slightly baffled by this man, but definitely in a good way. "So, you're going to knit yourself… sixteen cats?"
"I think I'll start with just one." Albus sat down in his chair and picked up his book again. "I love to knit, and I think I could do with a little companion to confide in."
"That poor cat; I don't think I could handle all of your secrets, Albus," said Remus. Lily wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
Lily spent the morning with Remus, helping him stack shelves and learning how to serve the customers. It wasn't very busy, but Lily decided she preferred it that way. She was able to read or chat with Remus when she wasn't needed by a customer, and that suited her just fine. The only thing that bothered her was that Mr. Snape hadn't shown up. She looked at the clock again; it was ten to one.
"Don't worry," said Remus, following Lily's gaze to the clock. "Snape has a habit of appearing when he pleases; he'll probably show up this afternoon." Lily couldn't decide if that made her feel better or not, but Remus' next sentence definitely lifted her mood: "You can take your lunch break now, if you'd like."
If Remus said anything else, Lily didn't hear it over the tinkle of the bell as she opened the door and left hurriedly, pulling on her coat. God, she'd been hoping it'd be a bit warmer, seeing as it was the middle of the day. No such luck. But she didn't care, Lily had one more thing to be excited about: her sister. Petunia was a year older than Lily and about to go into her second year of university, studying Textiles. She and Lily had never gotten on, but Lily hoped that now that they would see each other regularly but wouldn't be living under the same roof, they would be able to bond without fighting about whose turn it was to clean the bathroom. Petunia worked in a coffee shop called Café Presto, and it just happened to be around the corner from Lily's new job, according to her parents. It wasn't why she'd applied for the job, of course, but she felt that it was definitely a good thing. Lily could visit this coffee shop all the time, and she and her sister would be able to bond. She saw the shop's sign and eagerly opened the door, expecting to see her sister behind the counter, returning her grin.
That's not Petunia, thought Lily.