Silver Lining

Chapter 2: Shopping

Lillie, not quite sure what to think, looked for the list that she had been promised. The further down the list she read, the more astonished she looked until the painting on the wall told her to stop looking so gormless. This made her jump out of her skin: she didn't think she was ever going to get used to talking paintings. She glanced down at the list again just to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

First years will require the following items:
3 sets of black robes
1 black or dark blue cloak with silver fastenings
1 pair of formal shoes
1 black pointed wizard's hat
2 grey or white jumpers (optional)
The standard book of spells Grade 1
1000 magical herbs and fungi
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Essential Defence Against the Dark Artsby Arsenius Jigger
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
1 wand
1 set of brass scales
1 standard thick-bottomed cauldron (pewter)
1 pair of dragon-hide gloves
House scarves, ties and emblems provided on sorting
Students may bring their own clothes, chess sets, gobstones and other recreational items for personal use
(Please note that first years are not permitted to bring their own broomsticks to school.
First years may bring an owl, a cat or a rat.

"Is this a joke?" she asked the painting; despite everything that had happened to her, she could not help but feel sceptical, a trait she had inherited from her mother. "Is Hogmoles or whatever it's called real?

"A joke!" cried the portrait, sounding offended like he always did when she asked questions, "Are you telling me that you've never heard of Hogwarts?"

"No," replied Lillie, feeling like she was about to get shouted at, but instead the man in the portrait fainted.

It was a few minutes before he came back round and when he did he asked Lillie with a hint of disbelief, "Are you a muggle?"

"That's what that Dulcia woman called me. What does it mean?"

"Well I never! A muggle in Selwyn Mansion, who would ever have thought?" exclaimed the painting and Lillie thought he was about to faint again but he remained conscious.

For the next half-hour or so, she spoke with the man in the painting. She discovered that his name was Barnabas, as well as what muggles were, and he told her a bit about the wizarding world but when he asked why Lillie was there, Lillie gave an involuntary squeak and refused to tell him, she did not want the whole world to know that she was an orphan if, she was in fact an orphan.

Their conversation was interrupted when Dulcia slammed into the room and exclaimed in an uncharacteristic and unsuitable voice that they were going shopping. She proceeded to snatch the list out of Lillie's hands and stalked out of Lillie's room.

"You should probably go with her," Barnabas advised.

Lillie didn't want to go, she was starting to like Barnabas, but she took his advice and scurried after Dulcia who was just turning round the corner at the end of the corridor. They were already outside by the time Lillie caught up with her and Dulcia didn't even look at her great-niece but grabbed her arm. At once Lillie felt like she was being squeezed through a tight tube. This time when the sickening feeling stopped they were in the middle of a busy street.

"You're train leaves tomorrow, so we're staying there tonight," she pointed at a very fancy looking hotel, and then she pointed at a shop and told Lillie, "You go there and get the robes and I'll go get your books." With that she walked away leaving Lillie alone in a strange street.

Lillie peered hesitantly at the shop that Dulcia had indicated, Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions, and then at the other shops around her. "Where am I?" she muttered to herself. The passers-by gave her strange looks and Lillie realised almost immediately why, everyone around her was wearing robes, black, scarlet, green, one woman was wearing a set of bubble-gum pink robes; Lillie felt quite out of place in the pair of white hospital pyjamas and slippers.

Feeling a little scared she half-ran into the shop called Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions. The moment she stepped through the door a shop assistant stepped in front of her, she looked at Lillie with one eyebrow raised a little but a second later she smiled. "Hogwarts?" she asked. Lillie nodded, "Of course," said the shop assistant, "follow me."

Lillie was led past long racks of different coloured robes, to a small fitting area at the back of the shop. The fitting area wasn't all that different to the fitting areas in normal department stores, with pins, measuring types and scissors piled up in one corner. There was already a boy standing there, about a year or two older than her, he was standing on a stool with overlong robes on pinned at the sleeves chest and hem. The boy himself was relatively tall with golden-brown hair and tanned skin.

The shop assistant then brought out a stool for her to stand on and soon she was in a similar state to the boy. The shop assistant then wrote down the measurements of the two of them and bustled off to find robes the right size.

"Are you going into your first year at Hogwarts?" asked the boy next to her turning to face her.

"Yes," said Lillie. Realising that she sounded a bit rude she quickly added, "Are you?"

"Nah," said the boy, with a wolfish grin, "I'm in second year. So, what house do you think you'll be in?"

Lillie had no idea what this boy meant by houses. "Err… I don't actually know what the houses are."

"Oh, you must be a muggle-born, I'm sorry I didn't realise," the boy said, flushing slightly.

Barnabas had called her that. "Yeah, I am. I do know a bit about Hogwarts and magic and that kind of stuff. Just not houses," said Lillie, a slight pleading note creeping into her voice.

The boy gave a short laugh, "OK, let me explain. When you get to Hogwarts you will be sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw."

"How do they sort you?" inquired Lillie.

"You try on a psychic, talking hat," said the boy. Lillie raised an eyebrow sceptically. "I'm not joking," added the boy with another laugh.

"A psychic, talking hat?" asked Lillie incredulously and the boy nodded before continuing

"This hat finds out what kind of a person you are and chooses the house depending on what it sees. If you are brave or bold, you go to Gryffindor. If you are cunning or sly, you go to Slytherin. Hufflepuffs are hard-working and loyal. Or if you're clever and awesome, you get into Ravenclaw."

"I'm guessing you're a Ravenclaw, aren't you?" asked Lillie. He nodded. "Well I don't consider myself any of those things so I don't really know which one I'll get into."

At that point the shop assistant came round the corner with a bag for the boy; he took a few strange gold coins out of his pocket handed them to the shop assistant who went over to the till. As he was leaving he turned back to Lillie and said, "If you're going to Hogwarts, you might want to get some extra robes as well, otherwise you'll look completely out of place." He then turned on his heel and left.

Lillie was a little taken aback by this. "Thank you," she called after him.

When the shopkeeper next came back around the corner Lillie asked for an extra two pairs of robes. She was taken to an aisle with a sign 'Girls 10-15' hanging over it and was told to take her pick. She ended up choosing a bright blue one with an orange sash and one white one which was much less eye-catching which she would probably wear more often.

"That'll be fifteen galleons please," said the shop assistant.

Lillie froze, she had no money and she didn't even know what galleons were. At that moment, however, Dulcia entered the shop and for once Lillie was actually happy to see her. Dulcia paid for the robes and then beckoned Lillie to follow her.

By then, it was getting quite late and Lillie thought that they would be going to the hotel, but Dulcia said, "All you need now is a wand, though I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't let you have one."

"A wand!" Lillie breathed excitedly.

She led Lillie over to a shop called Ollivander's and sons (and grandsons). She pushed the door open and led the way inside. Once inside, Dulcia sat down on an old stool and gave Lillie a rush shove towards the counter.

There was a man behind the counter and he took out a measuring tape and pulling out a long, thin, wooden wand of his own, he set it to measuring Lillie all over. During this uncomfortable process the man asked Lillie several questions, including her birthday, favourite colour and her middle name; he scribbled down the measurements and Lillie's answers on a sheet of parchment which he handed Lillie.

"We're done here," said the man before pointing at a door beside Lillie. "Go through there and give this to my brother.

In the next room, Lillie handed the parchment to another man who was waiting behind another counter. He scanned it quickly and disappeared behind another door, when he returned he was holding about twenty long thin boxes. He picked up the first one muttered something Lillie couldn't hear and then handed it to her. She opened the box and inside lay a long wooden wand. She reached to take it out of the box, but the moment her finger touched it the box was snatched out of her hand by the man.

The same thing happened with the next wand, and the next one and the one after that. Eventually all the wands in the pile were gone. The man sighed and he looked back down at the list. Maybe Dulcia was right, maybe she wouldn't get a wand. Then he gasped and dashed out of the room returning a minute later with another box. He handed this one to her and this time he didn't snatch it straight back, she picked up the wand and looked at it. It was different to the others, a different colour; it started to feel warm in her hand.

The man spoke audibly for the first time, "14 inches, quite long. Flexible with a core of bicorn tail hair, very unusual indeed, good for charms I would imagine and perfectly fine for everything else. As you can see, it is made from the wood of a silver birch.

Lillie stared at the wand awestruck; she had barely heard what the man had said, she returned to the first room. Dulcia paid for the wand, and they left the shop. Dulcia took the wand and put it in one of the shopping bags hanging off her arm and when Lillie protested but Dulcia slapped her.

They walked the rest of the short journey in silence and the only words she heard Dulcia say were, "I have a reservation under Selwyn."

Dulcia had of course booked to separate bedrooms and she pushed Lillie into her room before walking away to find her own.

The room was perfectly comfortable: her bed was covered in a white duvet and a purple quilt but despite all this, Lillie barely slept that night. She thought about the events of the past week. At first she cried even more. After that disbelief and incredulity seeped through her veins. Magic can't exist don't be ridiculous. Then she started to feel excited. I have magic powers;I am going to a magic school, I wish Milo could see this, he'd love it. At the thought of her younger brother she felt guilty for feeling happy. She missed him so much; she missed all of them so much, what would she do without them? Once again she felt sobs forming in her throat and tears ran from her eyes.

At last, she drifted into an uneasy sleep: very sad, quite excited, slightly guilty and extremely confused.

Author's Note:

Okay, now I've redone this chapter too, all I have left to do is chapter 3, I think it's alright from then on.

As always thanks to Facetaker and AnimeFlowerGirl.

Finally to those who haven't read this before please review, and those who have read this, please review again and tell me if you think it's better.