This is all Lily Pre-Hogwarts. It doesn't really have much importance to the story, just James and Lily meeting. If you want - you can skip this chapter.

First Harry Potter Fanfic, so stick with me. I hope this will be good.

Summary: Lily Evans, top-of-class, red hair, green eyes. James Potter, second-in-class, black hair, Lily Potter's nemesis. From aquaintances to enemies to competetors to possibly something more. Fate's hand reaches out and intertwines the paths of James Potter and Lily Evans, follow them through the ups and downs of Hogwarts and teenaged wizards and witches. With hormones and mixed signals anythings bound to happen.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, only a few in this story that I created.

YOU MAY SKIP THIS CHAPTER. PRE HOGWARTS

HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a lists of all necessary books and begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

I read the letter in confusion, looking up at the strange woman before me. She was wearing an emerald cloak and had her black hair pulled back in a tight bun under her tall black hat. Her sharp features were tense behind her glasses and her lips, pursed, despite the lack of stress on the situation. She held herself very strictly as she watched me.

I gripped the parchment tightly as I reread it, disbelief echted across my face. Was this a prank? I glanced up from the letter at the woman, searching for an explanation possibly hidden within the lines of her face.

"I am Professor McGonagall, I teach transfiguration. I understand your confusion, which is why I am here. No, Ms. Evans, this is not a practical joke." She said tersely, reading my expression. She took a step backwards towards the tan sofa behind her and set her hat upon it. I looked at her apprehensively, wondering what magic trick she was going to try to befuddle our minds with.

I very nearly ripped the parchment in two when she shrunk robes and all, twisting and transforming, until she sat before them just as stiffly as she did human but as a cat. With a dark coat and markings around the eyes that could have resembled glasses, there was no mistaking that she was the cat. A sigh let slip from my lips. This was no practical joke. I stood up from the cushy armchair and walked forward, with clear intentions, and much confidence.

"I believe you." I said quietly. "Tell me more, please." She seemed to smile slightly as she returned to her human form, which may have been more unnerving than the original transformation. She readjusted her robes, smoothing them down.

"I am pleased to hear this." She motioned for me to sit back down, and she seated herself on the sofa next to her hat as she proceeded to explain the world of witchcraft and wizardry.

That was nearly a year ago, from today. She had shown us more magic and explained the basics of Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Today I was in Diagon Alley, to buy my supplies for the approaching school year. I only had a few months left.

"Where to first?" My mum asked me. We had just exchanged muggle money for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. I had become accustomed to saying muggle and it now rolled off my tongue easily, however much still foreign.

"I would like to get my wand." We walked down the uneven cobblestone streets, absorbing everything. Frog spawn, Quidditch, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Butterbeer and Firewhiskey. My eyes kept getting wider as I passed each store. What seemed to be a book store was so crowded with books that they were stacked outside the store and in sixfoot high stacks in front of windows, with titles about things as ridiculous as Tales of Beetle and the Bard and Beginner's Spellbook, also Quidditch through the Ages.

We passed Eoroy's Owl Emporium on the way, loud screeches were issued every few moments and you could see owls swooping in front of the window often. I was still baffled by why wizards would want to maintain owls as pets, a rather slow method of transportation, no matter how charmingly quaint.

Men and women in cloaks similar to that of Professor McGonagalls' were running up and down the streets, or perhaps standing infront of a shop advertising a sale on chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. It was very easy to become sidetracked when walking among such magnificent sights. Who wouldn't stop dumbstruck if you heard a passerby scoff as the price of unicorn hair?

With a glance throught the window of Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, I caught sight of a jar of bat spleen next to the jug of eel's eyes. Parcels and letters had been sorted into piles and an owl had just landed on the counter with a letter clamped firmly in its beak! I wish I had a camera to take pictures of everything, maybe I could even make them move as pictures on the covers of books did.

I was shocked that this kind of a civilization was able to remain hidden from muggles for so long, it was similar to a secret society. It was a secret society, one I was about to become part of. My heart pounded as I realized that I would get to live in this incredible world for the rest of my life. I would be able to work magic like I saw witches and wizards doing here on the walk. I would be able to make potions to change my appearance, make someone fall in love, sleep forever. The possibilities were endless. I felt extraordinarily special among these others like me, a bit arrogant possibly.

When we finally reached Ollivander's (which was right next to the pub, The Leaky Cauldron) my eyes were the size of dinner plates and I was walking like a zombie trying to comprehend all of the information I had just heard or seen. Above the door read a peeling gold sign, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.. Could he possibly be that old? I heard a bell jingle as my father and mother opened the door ahead of me, just as stunned. My mother was tall, with red hair, which was who I had gotten it from. My green eyes were all my father's. She took a seat in the ancient chair by the door. My mother had raised me to be strong and independent. She was going to let me take control of this situtaion, she'd given me the maximum amout of money to spend on what I needed. She didn't want me to use her as a crutch. And I was proud of the fact that she knew she could trust me to not be unreasonable about the spending of the money.

The entire place looked slightly rundown. Behinds a dusty counter was a long hall of shelves filled with shoe boxes from floor to ceiling, some were hanging out. There were also upturned boxes on the floor as well as the counter. It looked as though someone had ransaked the room.

"Who do we have here?" A voice called from behind the rows of shelves, faintly I saw the outline of a man walking towards us from deep in the store.

"Lily Evans," I said timidly. My father put a comforting hand on my arm, but didn't add anything. He went to stand by my mother as the man emerged from the long hall. The man looked very withered and older, he had big eyes, and thinning silver hair tangled that pointing in every direction, and I felt compelled to believe that he had in fact been making wands since 382 B.C.. This must be Mr. Ollivander. I almost took a step back when his eyes rested on me. They flicked to my parents again, who were uninvolved in the situation and seemed approving.

"Lets see.." Mr. Ollivander murmured coming forward with a tape measure. My hands were shaking with anxiety. How was he going to know was I going to have to do something? What if it didn't work and this was all a mistake? What if he decided I didn't deserve a wand and asked me to leave? In all my worry, I hadn't noticed that Mr. Ollivander was now searching the shelves, humming, and the tape measure was now measuring my ear all by itself. I jumped backwards and let out a little squeak as the tapemeasure seemed to be looking at me disapprovingly. I let it countinue to measure, watching it apprehensively.

"Ah-ha!" I heard Mr. Ollivander cry from the hall of shelves. As if emerging from the mist, Mr. Ollivander bounds forward, holding a box. He pops the lid open and offers it to me. I stare at it dumbly. It looked to be maybe a foot and it was a light wood wood.

"Well, give it a wave." He demanded. "Twelve-and-a-half inches, cherry." My stomach tightens as I realize that this is going to be my first wand. I will be able to preform magic with this!

I reach to grab it out of the box and my fingers had barely brushed the wand when he muttered, " No, no, no. Put it down." I thought I had done something wrong until he pranced towards his shelves, cheerful as any hundred year old man.

He leaves the box on the counter as he searches for another one. From the shelf right behind him and pulls out another wand, much shorter than the first.

"Hmm, 9 inches, mahogany." He lifts the lid off and unwraps the wand, handing it to me.

"This one is very pretty." I say hopefully, as I take the wand.

"Ay, but the wizard does not choose the wand, the wand chooses the wizard!" He shouts joyously. What an enthusiastic man!

Already, knowing what to do I wave it in a big arch, mistake. All the boxes on the ends of the shelfs fly off, crashing to the floor. "I'm so sorry." I gush, "Let me hel-" I stop, the man is laughing. His head thrown back in utterous joy! He waves off my attempts to help repair his shelf. He snatches the wand out of my hand, but not in a rude way. More with anticipation of finding the right wand.

Scores of wands later, I am beginning to see why his shop is such a mess and how increasingly frustrating it is to find a wand! Maybe we should have saved this one for last. Nonetheless, I am having the time of my life and Mr. Ollivander seems to be too. He is beaming, eyes scrunched together with laughter. Every time one of the wands doesn't work and another part of his store is torn apart, he laughs even more maniacly than the time before! My parents were enthralled by what the wands were doing.

"WAND NUMBER 84!" He shouts. Yes, I really had swished that many wands. Imagine what his store looks like! "I think this will be the one! Gut feeling." He explained.

Slowly as if building suspence he lifts the top of the box. He paused. "This is a very special wand. Unicorn core, and blessed by the unicorn. It will give light to only he to whom the wand belongs.

In the box was a wand. It had a silvery almost imperceptible glow about it. Strands of silver and unicorn horn danced together, picture perfect. I lifted the weightless wand out of the box and felt its glow inside myself. I felt the power course through me as I lifted it. As if the raw power itself was sprinting through my veins igniting every single ounce of power until everything in me burned with the desperate heat of a raging inferno. The feeling was inexplicable and one that would stay lodged inside of me forever. The feeling made me recall moments for the whole of my life when I had unknowingly preformed magic, but on a much smaller scale. Wind whips around my head as I desperately channel the wands power and mine into the least destructive thing I can think of on the turn of a coin. I turn as the wind settles around my head, with a prideful smile on my face that reaches my eyes from an inescapable happiness, to Mr. Ollivander who was beaming just as big as I was.

"Brilliant!" Mr. Ollivander exclaimed. "Never have I seen anything like it. And I remember every wand I ever sold!" He was in awe, completely, and so was I.

"Its such a beautiful wand, thank you so much Mr. Ollivander." I gushed, thrilled with the wand. He shrugged it off, simply nodding and smiling.

"I hope it will do you good use, Ms. Evans." He replied, sitting in another creaky old chair behind the counter.

"How much will it be?" I asked him, dreading the answer. At the mention of money he seemed to age a few years. His eyes dimmed a bit and he sank back into his chair.

"For this wand," He looked at the wand, then at me and back to the wand, "I'll have to say thirty Galleons."He sighed uncontently.

I gaped at him. Thirty Galleons? He couldn't be serious! Most wands only cost five to fifteen Galleons; this wand was more than twice the price. That was nearly one hundred and fifty pounds! That was ridiculous. I considered asking if two wands could choose the same wizard, but decided against it. I already felt a connection with this wand and I was compelled to never set it down. I didn't want to leave it here to be found by some careless buffoon. It was such a beautiful piece of equipment, like a slice of a silvery moon.

"I can deal with twenty four Galleons, but I simply can't spend any more than that, as beautiful as this wand is." I said after more careful deliberation. "I could pay you overtime. In installments?" Lily asked desperately.

He thought about it for a few moments. He glanced at the wand then back at me. "Okay. But you better be the best charms student Hogwarts has ever seen, okay?" I had expected him to argue with me, an incredible wand like that but I sensed he liked me, and wanted to cut me some slack. Glad that I had saved money, I was slightly miffed that I didn't get the opportunity to show off my incredible wagering skills. I dug around in the sack of coins finding the Galleons. With a pang, I felt how few Galleons were left, and I still had to buy all my books. I could not be as greedy with anything else.

I handed the Galleons to Mr. Ollivander, and without even counting them, he merely threw them into the pocket of his gray, shabby robes. From under the counter he pulls an emerald cloth with gold and red weaving around the edges with the Ollivander insignia on the corner and delicately wraps it around the wand a few times, before placing it in a yellow and purple box, again with the Ollivander insignia on it. Heart pounding and arms twitching at the purchase I reach across the counter and take the bag from Mr. Ollivander.

"Thank you, sir." I say. He does not reply, but smiles and nods, shrugging it off again. My mother gets up from the creaky chair and exits behind me with my father on her heels. He's a very go with the flow kind of guy, but I knew he was bursting on the inside, too.

"Let me see, Lily." My mother squeals like a girl. I laugh and slid the top off the purple and yellow box in my hands. My mother stares from afar. "Wow, Lily, that's gorgeous. You can really do magic with that? With all his muttering about the wand chooses the wizard. Can they think?" She gushes questions, my dad a few seconds behind her.

"Yes, I don't really think they can think on their own, but I think they are still extraordinarily smart for an inanimate object. Did you see the wind?" I asked my father and my mother, proudly, hoping they had. It would be the final proof that this was not all just some really crazy prank.

"Yes but we weren't quite sure what it was. Was that you?" Of course, random wind would confuse anyone. I take the wand out hoping for the earlier gush of power, but am disappointed with only a faint but strong surge to my elbow. I didn't know any spells yet so nothing happened, soon enough it would though.

"Yes, me and the wand." I quickly realized that we were stopped still in the middle of the road, earning a few annoyed glares from people who had to try to maneuver around us. I tugged on my father's arm, dragging him to the side of the street, my mother following.

Wrapping my wand up in the emerald cloth, I placed it back in the box.

"I think you spent too much on it." Mum said criticisingly. She was a penny pincher. We'd never had a lot of money and lived frugally. My mother was right.

"I agree, it was expensive, but I am going to be using it for the rest of my life. It's practically indestructible, and its exquisite and exotic. I love it." I replied. "So rather than buying several not-so-good ones, and in the end amounting to the same cost as one good one to begin with. I just start out with the latter." My father nodded.

"That makes sense. Where to next?" My father asked me. "Cauldron, potions, books?"

"I think the most efficient thing to do would be to get the cauldron so that I can carry everything else in it. What do you think?" My mother nodded along with my father. I pulled out the list of required supplies to make sure that I knew everything we needed to get.

Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

UNIFORM: First year students will require: Three sets of plain works robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS -All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

OTHER EQUIPMENT 1 wand 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) 1 set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales

Students may also being an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Cauldrons, here we come." I said. At last we started to walk back toward the muggle-wizarding money exchange counter, to Flourish and Blotts that we passed earlier. The cheerful looking store, crammed with people was much harder to maneuver in than I had assumed. But for easier pickings, they had sorted the books that Hogwarts students needed by grade level so I only had to go and pluck the top book off the stack and dodge and weave my way to the counter! The cauldron we had picked up earlier already contained my phials telescope and scales, not to mention the wand I had aquired recently.

Several of the stores we had to go into were rather spooky, the potions shop for one, Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, a rather smelly shop, though a small fault could easily be overlooked for the wonders within. The man at the counter had leered at every single person who came through the door with black eyes. The store was similar to most of the stores we had walked through todady. The walls were tan paneling with stone floors, there were about ten aisles filled from ceiling to floor with some of the standard potion ingredients. There were also barrels scattered randomly on the floor and suspicious looking claws and fangs hanging from the ceiling. On the opposite side of the stores from the aisles was the counter, behind which were more scarce ingredients, or more scary and more -the-less, it may have been my favorite store.

We spent about an hour in there alone, though I could tell that my parents were itching to get out I simply couldn't pull my self away. I looked at every ingredient and read their description, retaining many of them for future use. I had leaned across the counter and scrunched up my face reading the small descriptions for the more dangerous potions behind the counter. I spent another fifteen minutes, idley flipping though the potions books that leant against the back wall. Potions about blood-replenishing, deflating, hair-raising, which some of the more gruesome potions were. No matter how ghastly they were, it was enchanting (no pun intended).

I had already known why they, I guess I should start saying 'we'; I had already known why we kept our world secret, but as I thumbed through these pages of potions, it reinforced my reasoning. Can you imagine the chaos if muggles knew what was possible with our magic? Muggles would be insane with greed, desire for beauty, desperation to save a loved one with the tools we had. We would be studied and stalked (however hard those may be for a muggle). It would turn into a heirarchy. It was merely much easier this way, and may I say a bit more exciting.

Finally I had to tear myself away from the store with the realization that my parents would probably appreciate it if we finished before nightfall. We had a hour drive to get home.

"The only thing left on the list is uniform. I say a shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions not far from here that seemed to be rather popular. I don't mind a wait for good quality, are you okay with that?" I asked them stepping outside into the sun, now with my potion ingredients and scales.

"No pain, no gain." Dad says in an attempt to be smooth. I scoff and laugh at the same time, weird effect.

"Nice, Dad." I grin at him, "You're nearly as smooth as 40-grit sandpaper."

My dad, who has experience in construction, also the reason I know what 40-grit sand paper is, cracks up. Mum just rolls her eyes at our antics. We casually banter our way to Madam Malkin's and are pushed into the store by the overwhelming number of people rushing to get down the street.

As I enter the store infront of my parents, I'm surprised to see that it isn't quite as busy as it appears to be from the outside, there are a few parents waiting in chairs by the main entrance area, where I am now, and only one boy. I take a step further into the store to let my parents by, and glance at myself in the mirror right next to the door.

I take a good look, saying to myself, 'You are a beautiful, smart, and confident witch. You will be able to do this.' Withdrawing from my glance at my inner appearance I take a look at my physical body.

I have lusterous, deep red hair, that curls into thick long curls. My hair is about to my waist and my eyes are green. I'm about four foot six inches, very short but to be honest I didn't mind. I would never be a model, but being short was fun! From a third person perspective, I have to say that I am very pretty. I am a bit too young to be thinking about my appearance but every girl does. I have pretty much flawless skin, though that could change. Acne, I don't have yet, echh. I have small feet and slim, strong legs. I do happen to have a bad habit of biting my nails, which are stubs, but feel I faired very well on the appearance scale.

I walk up to the woman standing in front of a rack of hangers, hung with cloth lengths.

"Excuse me, do you work here?" She was tall with black hair cropped short at her shoulders in a staight bob. She turned around with a smile on her face and I realized that we was probably three year older than me, minimum. But what struck me most were her eyes, so unique and extraordinary. They were a deep shade of violet. Gorgeous. She was very pretty and had a dark tan.

"No. I'm babysitting my brother." She said, dissatisfied, miffed with the arrangement. "But if you just sit down, Madam Malkin will probably be done in a moment and then you can go. She's rather quick. Are you a first year?"

"Umm, yah. You? Oh well, I guess not if you're watching you're brother..." I trailed off.

"I'm a fourth year, that's my brother, James." She rolled her eyes at him, "He can be a bit immature. If you're headed to Hogwarts, which I'm assuming you are, you will learn quick enough." She grinned at me.

"Oh, well. Here she comes, Madam Malkin. I'd better go. It's nice to meet you. I'll be seeing you." I nodded my head at her, before drawing Madam's attention. She grabbes my arm roughly and the boy named James' pulling us into the back room full of mirrors.

James was a tall, a few more than we, skinny boy. He had jet black hair that was sticking up in the back and glasses. He wouldn't sit still, shifting from foot to foot as if waiting for something. Being rather irritated from his ill distributed balance, I broke the silnce.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans." I said clearly. He glanced at me a moment before responding.

"James Potter." He replied cheerfully.

"Pleasure to meet you." I said politely.

Oh, if only I knew.

"Are you headed to Hogwarts?" I asked James after a few moments of awkward silence, trying to keep the conversation rolling. I wanted to have at least one friend before I got on the train and this boy seemed nice enough.

"Of course." He said egotistically, maybe not...

"Yah, me too." Though I felt like I was adding it as a side comment because he hadn't really asked.

"Yep, I'm gonna be in Gryffindor, home of the brave." (A/N But that's the US! Ha-ha.) He said enthusiastically.

"I'm assuming you're referring to the houses of Hogwarts?" I asked curiously. He looked at me for a moment, and then nodded. He glanced at the floor scuffing his tennis shoe on the silky hardwood sullenly.

"You're a muggle-born, aren't you?" He asked me, though already seemed to be aware of the answer. I was offended by his apprehension, not to mention his previously displayed cockiness; McGonagall had mentioned some people's dislike of muggle-borns but told me it was nothing to worry about. Imagine, the first person I meet being prejudice against me.

He looked stung, "No! I'm – Don't be offended, but feeling a tad sorry for you. Some people can be really rude about it. So, no, I'm certainly not prejudice, despite me being pureblood." He said defensively. So, he was a pureblood.

"Oh, sorry, I kind of jumped to conclusions. So you're pureblood?" I asked, once again it was awkward. Well, what a controversial topic to stumble across for a first impression. That's me, opinionated.

He shifted from foot to foot. "Um, yah, Potter." At the time, I didn't realize that the name should have meant a lot more to me than it did. It was one of the most respected magical names. "So, which house do you want to be in?" He asked. These Potters don't seem to like sticking to one subject too long. As he began to tell me which house he wanted to be in Madam Malkin reentered the room with cloth and draped it over both of us cutting and sewing the fabric onto both of us at the same time.

"Well, I think either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be good. I know I'm not going to be in Slytherin. And Hufflepuff seems a bit bland if you don't mind me saying." I said. I had been well informed.

He nodded once more, "Yes, I have to agree. I see it quite the same way you do. I think I would do quite well in either though." Like that didn't sound arrogant. "Family would be a bit irritated if I ended up in Ravenclaw, would break tradition." He snickered, "But I'd like to end up in Gryffindor." He seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the subject.

"Do you have older siblings who have been?" I asked him. I wish I had older siblings who had gone, so I wouldn't be walking totally unguided. Sometimes it is good to have a slightly beaten down path to look for.

"Yes, quite a few. I have one older sister, I do believe you've met her. I have three older brothers, yes, I am the youngest. There's Pete, Logan, and Jeff. Pete's married and we only visit each other about once a year for a family reunion, just within the immediate family. Jeff's just finished his last year of Hogwarts. I missed him by a year, but he's started off working as a diplomat for goblins and wizards, though, unfortunately that jobs' not going anywhere any time soon, too much strife between our races." Controversial topic #2. "And then Logan is going to be three years out of Hogwarts this year. He's an auror. I'd like to be an auror, too. Again, don't see him too much." He seemed to have an admiration of his older brothers'. I would never admire another sibling, Tuney or Petunia, had become very cold and rude since Professor McGonagall came to our house. I missed the old Tuney, but didn't linger on it. It was too depressing, for there was nothing I could do to make her like me again.

"What's an auror?" I asked him honestly. I recall hearing it or reading it somewhere but I couldn't quite recall.

"An auror is a wizard who fights dark magic, or wizards who use dark magic, you chase them places and defeat them. Then you take them to Azkaban, the wizard prison." He tacked the last line on assuming that I didn't know what Azkaban. Usually I would have been offended by the assumption that I didn't know something, but in this case I truly didn't know.

"I might like to be a journalist, well that was when I was looking into muggle careers. I have many more options now that I know I'm a wizard." I said, "But it's not very definite. I really like potions." He crinkled his nose, it was cute I admit.

"Ew, potions." He said, "I much prefer Transfiguration. Taught by Professor McGonagall." Professor McGonagall?

"Stalemate. So why are you doing you're school shopping so early?" I asked him. The conversation flowed smoothly with no effort what-so-ever.

"Well, I was already meeting a friend, and told my mum I'd get some shopping done along the way. You?" He asked me, as Madam Malkins put the finishing touches on his robes.

"I want to read all my textbooks before I go to school." He looked at me a bit dumbfounded. I sighed, I got a lot of this. I was a nerd, and a bit of an overachiever. We didn't say much else until Madam finished our robes. As soon as he'd paid for his robes, he had raced outside to greet a black haired boy, who had been waiting. I didn't much like the arrogant boy, he was a bit too self-righteous. But I'd rather go to Hogwarts with an aquaintance than an enemy, so I hadn't expressed my dislike of James too early. I hoped I wouldn't have to see much of him at school.

"Okay, what kinds of robes will you be requiring?" Madam Malkins asked me, quill poised over a form. She began filling in all of the employer chart sections.

"Standard Hogwarts uniform please." I said, politely.

She nodded. "Is that all you will be needing?"

"Yes ma'am." I said maturely. My sister, Petunia, had always said that when I talk to adults that I talk differently, more maturely. She said that I used big words, and inunciated.

"These robes will be sent to Hogwarts, and the set that I just sewed will be going with you so you can wear them on the Hogwarts Express. Okay?" She told me, sounding as though she had said it a hundred times before, which mind you she probably had, more than a hundred times. I handed her the knuts and watched my robes fold up of their own accord. They floated over the counter and placed them selves infront of me, while she finished the form and sent it flying off. That was still going to take some getting used to.

My parents were still sitting in the chairs by the door when I came back into the main room.

"All done?" My mother asked me. I nodded solemnly, sad that this wonderful day was coming to an end. With all the miraculous, strange, scary, enthralling things that I had seen here today, I was even more excited than I had been to go to Hogwarts. I picked up my heavy cauldron, placing my robes within, as I walked to the door of the store.

"Their going to send all the other sets of robes to Hogwarts for me." I informed them. We were walking back towards the money exchange booth, still dodging quick moving shoppers. I shrugged the cauldron from one arm to the other, feeling the blood rush to my hand. The cauldron was rather heavy.

"Here, Lily want me to take that?" My father offered, extending his hand. I groaned in relief as I handed the cauldron over to my dad.

"Thank you so much, Dad." I gushed, rejoicing at the feeling in my fingers. I grinned now that I could look around at some of the other shops without obstruction.

"Whoa." He grunted under the weight of the cauldron, clearly reassessing his previous estimates of my strength. We walked for a few more minutes down the long twisting main street of Diagon Alley, until the booth was in sight.

"LILY EVANS?" I heard a familiar voice from my left call out.

I twisted my torso in the direction of the voice. No way!

"TAISIE?" I screeched. (A/N Taise like TAY-ZEY) It couldn't possibly be her. See, last summer I had gone to a summer camp for two weeks. My parents thought I wasn't getting enough socialization, as they would say. And the camp was okay, but there I met Taisie, and we clicked. By the end of the second day, we were best friends. And had the exact same schedule. Don't know how that happened. Whistle carefreely... cough. We didn't break any laws, to say the least. We went horseback riding together, fell into the same lake, ruining my only pair of jeans. We watched movies together when we were exhausted, and gossiped about crushes and other irrelevant things like that all night. Neither of us had a cellphone, and we hadn't thought to exchange numbers, too caught up in the moment, and we parted grieving the loss of each other.

"What are you doing here?" She called as she jogged across the traffic.

"I didn't know you were a witch!" I cried at her, thrilled to be seeing her. I threw myself at her just at the same moment as she did. We collided painfully in the middle.

Stumbling back, we laughed until we were capable of hugging with a little less enthusiasm. "I can't belive you're here. Have you finished your shopping yet?" She asked me.

"Umm, yeah. I take it you've just started." I grimaced in unhappiness.

She nodded. "What school are you headed to?" She asked her fingers crossed infront of her chest.

"Hogwarts..." I said slowly. She screeched again and we embraced once more.

Taisie sat back just looking at me. "Wow. You have no idea how much I missed you."

"Oh I do." I replied, "But you don't have to anymore because, we're going to the same school!" I said in a sing-song voice.

"Sit next to each other on the train?" We both said in unison, then we smirked at each other.

"You know it." Okay, now it's a bit freaky.

"Here come meet my parents." I said, dragging her by her arm towards Mum and Dad.

"Oh, I'm meeting the parents. Watch out." She said in a deep voice, imitating a boyfriend. I laughed.

We reached my parents, and I pushed her infront of me, watching my parents carefully. "Mum, Dad, this is Taisie." Their eyebrows perked up, until they had dissappeared in both my mother and father's hairlines.

"The Taisie? From camp?" They asked a bit excited. I had talked about her a lot.

"The one and only." She answered for me.

"We've heard a lot about you. I hope you're going to Hogwarts." My mother told her.

"Yes, ma'am. I've told my parents quite a bit about Lily, too. Speaking of which, where are they?" She glanced around before her eyes settled on a young couple who stood by the door of Flourish and Blott's. "There they are. I'd like you to meet them."

We maneuvered our way across the traffic to Taisie's parents.

"These are Lily Evan's parents." She said motioning to my mother and father. "We will leave you to it." She walked a few yards away from them with me.

"Why didn't you tell me at camp that you were a witch?" Taisie asked me lightly.

"I didn't know. I'm a muggle-born." I told her this cautiously, I was beginning to realize that I shouldn't be giving out this information on first encounters, some people were prejudice against it, a bit more so than I had expected. Or they may just be plain arrogant, I thought, thinking back to the Potter boy I had met in Madam Malkin's.

"Oh. I'm halfblood, Mum's a muggle, Dad's a wizard." She told me tossing a lock of her long black hair over her shoulder. Taisie was quite a bit taller than me, by at least five inches. She was going to tower over everyone at school! She had straight, black hair, and a pale complexion. It contrasted shockingly with the dark hair, but somehow she made it look not awkward. We were both pretty, just different kinds of pretty.

"Professor McGonagall came to our house to tell us about it." I informed her. She was unfamiliar with the protocol of informing muggle-borns of their capabilities.

"My dad had mentioned her before. She's supposed to be a very good teacher, they are all supposed to be, but very strict too. Ugh." She huffed. I rolled my eyes at her, I had more appreciation of disipline than she did.

"Come on, you know me. I think that's how a teacher's supposed to be." She crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Nerd. Anyways... You should come shopping with me." She proposed. "Yeah. We can set our parents up with a table at a restaurant and we can take the reigns!" She said enthusiastically.

"Sounds good, I'll go ask my parents." I said, turning back toward our parents, who were now engaging in small talk.

I waited until there was a break in the conversation, and opened a door for Taisie to pop in, figuratively speaking.

"Hey, Mum. Can Lily and I go do my shopping while you hang out here with her parents?" She had never really been one to beat around the bush.

Mrs. Marcus, that was Taisie's last name, considered it a moment. "I guess if its okay with her parents." She said. Taisie nodded at me conspiciously.

"Hey, Mum? Can I go shopping with Taisie?" I asked her. I didn't tack on the 'alone' part yet, not the right time.

"Yeah, sure. I'm going to jump the gun here, and assume you weren't planning on including us in that trip?" She laughed clearly as I shifted from foot to foot, ringing my hands. "I think thats okay." She smiled at me, then looked at Mrs. Marcus, "Did they run this by you?"

"Run what by us?" Mr. Marcus asked.

"Um, shopping on our own, Lily and I?" She said cautiously. Her father frowned.

"Can I trust you with the money?" He asked her, unsure.

"Yes," She said, que puppy-dog eyes. She was pulling out all the stops.

Hesitantly, Mr. Marcus extends the bag. "This is you're chance. You're gonna have to be responsible with money when you get to Hogwarts, so this is you chance to show us you can be responsible. Okay?" He told her sternly. Her smile flickered for a half a second, then she was nodding and agreeing. I don't think she had planned on being responsible. In her mind, I was sure she saw this as her last chance to be wild with money before she wouldn't have any access to stores for a whole year.

"Yes," She cried quietly, as we walked quickly away from them towards, Slug and Jiggers Apothecary, the store I was anxious to show her, though I was unsure if she would appreciate it as much as I did.

In the end, she didn't love the store near as much as I did but, she cared about me so she acted unbored for the entire time we were there, nodding at all the right times and not spacing out. I showed her some of my favorite ingredients, several of which ripped gasps from her at their source or use. She liked the ones with pretty end results, things like unicorn hairs and other dainty things. Eventually we, well I was torn away from them once again and we paid for her ingredients, which were packed neatly into a box, and walked back out into the sunshine.

Taisie wasn't a very practical person, so getting a cauldron first made no sense to her, and she rolled her eyes at my feeble attempt to persuade her to purchase that first. She wanted to get her wand. I didn't argue after she told me that for I had wanted to do that first also, and I didn't want to be hypocritical.

We started the long walk to the other end of Diagon Alley, where Mr. Ollivander's was located. Halfway there, I caught sight of the black hair boys again. They were peaking around the corner of a closed, rundown building, seeming to see someone they quickly pressed their backs agains the alley-way wall. I ignored them and kept walking.

"Taisie!" Someone called infront of us. I squinted to see who had called the name. The source of the shout was a pale girl with dark hair with deep red streaks in it, who was running towards Taisie in a frothy skirt and a loose top, with a belt between the two.

"Vivian?" Taisie gasped. "I should have known I would be seeing you soon!" She wrapped her arms around the girl when she got close enough. Well, we were all meeting old friends today.

"Yes, you should have. You have known since We were three that you would see me again now!" The girl called Vivian said, exhuberantly. She noticed me standing there awkwardly, "I'm Vivian, the vivacious one." Vivian smiled widely at me.

"Sorry, Lily. This is Vivian, my cousin, she can be a bit over enthusiastic sometimes. I don't get to see her a lot. Our parents don't get along." Taisie explained laughing.

"Yep. I'm gonna be in the same year as you and Tay." She cried pulling us both in for a hug. "Have you done your shopping yet?" She asked us after we were released from her tight grip.

"I have but we were just getting started on Tay's." I told her, "Would you like to come?" I offered politely.

"Yeah, of course. Let me get rid of my brother." She turned on her heel and started off towards a lost looking boy who looked to be about the same age as Vivian, with similar features.

"That's Vivian's twin brother. He looks a bit lost, I don't think he's ever been to Diagon Alley." Taisie told me. "She pretends like he's annoying, but they are best friends. He's actually older than her, born a few seconds earlier, but you must've heard the whole 'girls are more mature than boys' speech, she's really quite into that one."

About half way there the boy saw her, frowned and was going to walk over to her, but he quickly tripped over thin air. It looked a little suspicious. Well, it didn't but as soon as he fell, I heard cackling from nearby. Upon further inspection, I realized it was the two boys, James and his friend, who had their wands out, leaning against the wall laughing. James' friend glanced over his shoulder, looking in the vacinity of Vivian's twin, and burst into another round of laughter. My cheeks flared with anger.

I stalked over too them. What right did they have to torment innocent people? With no provacation, they just jinx him! What is their problem? Those arrogant toerags! They seemed to straighten up when they saw me coming, slipping their wands into their back pockets. James ran his fingers through his hands.

"Did you just jinx him?" I stormed at them. James glanced at his feet momentarily, not meeting my eyes.

"What's it too you?" The other boy said cockily.

"Why? What on earth did he do to you?" I practically yelled. I saw Taisie come up beside me, rocking back on her heel glaring at the pair. She, too, looked rather pissed. With a quick glance over my shoulder I saw that Vivian was helping her brother to his feet, completely unaware that we were no longer in our previous spots.

"We don't need a reason." James' friend said. I saw James grimace.

"Lily, we're just kidding arou-" He tried to soothe me.

"Wait, you know her?" The friend looked at James. I opened my mouth to explain the circumstances, of which James and I were not friends. I didn't want to make enemies before I even got on the train, but it was practically tattooed to the inside of my eyes, to fight for the underdog. Or in this case the unaware, passerby, who got caught up in obnoxious boys' games.

"Yeah, we met a little while ago." He explained.

"Well, tell her to chill then." He said rudely, James gave him a look.

"Serious..." James said. Okay, that didn't make any sense. Whatever, I was done listening to their bickering.

"Why did you-" I started in.

"Tay, Lily? Where'd you go?" I heard Vivian shouting for us.

I didn't say anything else to the boys, just glared at them befor whipping around and stalking back toward where Vivian and her brother were standing, Taisie hot on my heels.

"Where'd you go? Oh, never mind. Tay, Lil, this is my brother Aaron. He's gonna be in our year, too. We're twins." She told us quickly, motioning to her brother at the appropriate times.

"This is my favorite sister." Aaron said, jabbing a finger at Vivian, wrapping his other arm around her shoulder. Aaron was three or four inches taller than Vivian probably, and was about the same height as Taisie. He was a monster compared to me, nearly a foot taller! He too had dark hair, but his had blue streaks in it, though they seemed to be coordinated. The streaks were in the same area of hair on both of them. His skin was pale, but he seemed to have a slight bit more of a tan than Vivian or Taisie. They all had large eyes, either a dark shade of blue or a similar shade of aqua. Despite being related by blood to Vivian and Aaron, and having a similar complexion, there was no possible way then anyone could look more alike than Aaron and Vivian. They had the exact same facial structure, except that Aaron's was a bit more masculine, and he was built like a boy, where as his sister, was femininely sturdy. But that didn't take away from her rambuctious personality.

"Hey, Aaron. I'm gonna go shopping with the girls, can you handle this on your own?" She asked him. But before recieving an answer the took each of us by the wrist and tugged us towads Mr. Ollivanders, who was suprised and worried to see me again, curious as to if there was something wrong with the wand, which I assured him that there wasn't anything wrong with the wand. Vivian and Taisie were much easier, as far as wand shopping goes. I had been in the store for more than an hour and a half, while here they both got out in under half an hour. But it left much more time for other types of shopping.

Two and a half hours later.

"Holy Merlin. My arms are going to fall off." Vivian moaned. She had been carrying her cauldron around for the past hour while the robe sizing and other miscellaneous stuff had been taken care of. I had offered to carry the cauldron for a while, but she declined the offer, ceasing to complain for a few minutes. We were currently walking back towards Tay and my's parents. While shopping, I had chatted with Viv, and gotten to know her well. With Tay, as I had gotten into the habit of calling her, bridging the two of us, we had become fast friends, resigned to the fact that we were going to be seeing a lot of each other. Maybe resigned is the wrong word, something more upbeat would work perhaps.

The sun was setting and it was dark. The street lamps had come on of their own accord, and we were enjoying strolling the streets, which were now much less packed, at a leisurely pace.

Luckily, we had gone the rest of the outing without spotting either James nor his audacious friend. We had eventually conveyed the story of what had really happened to Vivian with her brother. She looked angry, but had decided that her brother probably didn't want her getting involved in his battles, even if he didn't know they were going on. She asked us not to confront James and his friend again. We had reluctantly agreed.

Upon arriving at the area where we had left our parents and finding them nowhere, we searched hung around, 'looking' for them 'intensely' before stumbling upon the in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

We approached the table where our parents were talking and I was thrilled to see that out parents' were so intensly concentrating on their conversation that they hadn't even noticed us approach.

"Hello." Tay said, making her mother jump a few feet into the air.

"Taisie, you mustn't scare us like- Vivian?" Her mother asked rapidly, leaping to her feet in an instant. "Dear, hello. How have you been?" Tay had explained the situation to me earlier. Her mother had no problems with her niece and nephew, but she just couldn't for the life of her get along with her brother and his wife, so it made it difficult for Vivian and Tay to be friends, but now that they would be at the same school every day for several years, they were hoping to repair their previously strong relationship that had been hard to maintain with arguing parents.

"I'm fine. Yourself?" She asked politely, but ill-at-ease.

"Good, thank you. How are your parents?" Mrs. Marcus asked smiling, though the smile looked very forced.

"Okay..." Vivian responded awkwardly.

Sensing a lull in the conversation, my mother jumped in.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Mrs. Evans, Lily's mother." My mother volunteered. Mrs. Marcus sat back down in her chair, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. Her husband leaned across the arm of his chair to massage her shoulder closest to him.

Thankful for the turn in the conversation, Vivian jumped at the chance. "I'm Vivian Tyler, Taisie's cousin. I just ran into them, while doing my own shopping."

"I take it you're going to Hogwarts with them." Mum nudged the conversation along, helpfully.

"I'll be in the same year." Vivian told her.

My mother smiled, "Well, at least you'll know some people before you get on the train." She said to me. And some people I'd rather not know, I though thinking about James and 'friend'.

Mr. Marcus chose this as the time to join the conversation, "Girls, did you get all of your supplies?" We nodded vigourously. "Well, let's see these wands of yours then!" He demanded jokingly. We all quickly retrieved our wands. Mine was in my cauldron that I had left with my parents, and I pulled it partialy out of the purple case and emerald cloth, feeling the now familiar shock of holding it, while the rest of the parents admired Tay's wand, Vivian, too was still retrieving her wand. Vivian and I had already seen her wand and expressed slightly reserved compliments, because she had already heard all of them when she first recieved her wand. Next, Vivian and I showed them our wands, and they all 'ooo'ed and 'aaahhh'ed in the appropriate places.

"Oh, there's a waiter. We should probably order what we want before the restaurant closes." My mother chimed. There were nods and murmurs of agreement, and my mum quickly flagged down the waiter.

We ordered ice cream sundaes all around, and the waiter sent our order flying off via paper airplane. We spent the next few minutes telling the parents of our trip and soon our ice cream arrived. I was about to take the first bite of cold ice cream with steaming hot chocolate syrup, when I heard a nearby meow. It sounded young and it sounded like it wanted food. I stuck the spoon in the ice cream, and started clicking my tongue to attract the cat.

What I hadn't realized was that the moment it meowed, my parents exchanged a glance.

"Lily," They called me from my cat tracking.

"Yeah?" I asked still looking around, behind me for the kitten.

"We were gonna give it to you when you first got here but she was sleeping but apparently not anymore." I turned around confused, just as my mum lifted a kitten from a large cardboard box beside her that I was dissappointed I hadn't noticed earlier. The kitten couldn't be more than a few weeks old. It could probably fit in my cupped hands. It had long fur, and was a tabby cat, in my opinion the most beautiful, with the orange and the white mixing together.

"This is kind of your going away present. Got her for a steal." My father told me, "Take care of her."

"Oh Merlin. She is so cute!" I gushed. I reached forward to pick her up. Her fur was softer than I could have imagined and when I grabbed her warm belly and lifted her up, the way her legs dangled was picture perfect. I hugged her to my chest so I could feel her purring contently. "What should I name her?" I asked them. I received several suggestions, none of which I felt really clicked.

"Machiko!" Vivian sprang up. I had to admit Machiko had a little ring to it.

I stroked the soft fur on top of the kittens head. "... Machiko." I murmured to her mulling it over on my tongue, she continuted purring as she had since I placed her in my lap. "Machi. I will call her Machi, short for Machiko." Everyone smiles.

"It's a rather odd name. You won't have to worry about that one being seen twice." Mr. Marcos said, grinning at me.

It was almost ten by the time we finished our ice cream and decided to turn in. My parents were exhausted, and still had to drive home, I didn't envy them. I shifted every thing around in my cauldron, and arranged the robes like a bed and tucked Machi firmly in the folds, so I would be able to carry it, easier. I wasn't worried about the robes they would get washed again before I wore them.

I bid goodbye to all of the Marcus's and Vivian, who immediately set off in search of her brother. Her mom had said it was okay for her to stay out a little bit late, that there was nothing to worry about in Diagon Alley, as long as she and her brother didn't go anywhere near Knockturn Alley. Having the fear of Merlin inspired in them had driven them to extreme safety precautions. Viv had sent a letter every hour telling her mother what she was doing and when she expected to be home. We waved goodbye to her as she turned into a quidditch store, probably having spotted her brother, a large quidditch fan.

I pulled myself out of the chair, and dragged my feet following them to the Leaky Cauldron, which was still teeming with people, and out to the front where we had parked our car. I laid down in the backseat, setting the cauldron on the floor and lifted Machi out of it. I cuddled with her until she curled up in my neck and we both fell asleep for the remainder of the long drive.

Okay thank you to all readers. I hope you liked it. The cat is a supporting character. I'm going to develop the academic opinions of several of the people once they get to Hogwarts. Aaron is part in the story but is not very important, and probably won't be part of the main plot. I hope you all liked this chapter. Again is it moving too fast, should I spend more time on some things than others. Let me know! Review! Review! Review!

-Scarlet4562