Chapter 3-Diagon Alley
"Lead the way, Jennifer!" Lily exclaimed as the exited Oliver's Café.
"Please, call me Jenn," Jennifer replied with a warm smile.
"Okay, Jenn it is. You can call me Lil."
"Unless you'd think it appropriate to call me Man, I suggest we just stick to my full name." Mandy quipped.
"I agree," Lily replied with a smile.
"Me, too! May I make a suggestion of my own now?" Jenn questioned.
"Go ahead," Mandy urged her.
"Let's start shopping! This money is burning a whole in my pocket!" All three giggled and set off for the shops. First in line was Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. They entered the shop together.
Madam Malkin was a perky, little witch that didn't waste a moment before leading each girl up onto a stool.
"Hogwarts?" All three nodded. Madam Malkin disappeared into the back room for a moment, then emerged carrying 3 sets of black robes.
"These are about your size." She handed each of them a set of robes, then added, "Madam Jenkins will fit you."
An extremely tall witch slipped the outfit over each of their heads, and within minutes, each was the perfect fit.
Eager to continue their shopping, they hurriedly paid, then left the shop.
"What a height difference!" Jenn laughed when they got out.
"Where shall we go next?" Lily pondered aloud.
"How about we each go and buy an owl. They're awfully useful. They deliver your mail and are very clean and tidy."
"We might as well. I think I've developed a certain bond with the owl species." Lily giggled to herself.
"Huh?" Mandy looked clue less to Lily's inside joke. So did Jenn, for that matter. So, Lily explained all about the morning's strange events. By the time the story was over, both girls were laughing hysterically.
"Y-you talked to an owl!" Jenn sputtered between giggles.
"And you thought you had a stalker!!" Mandy finished off for her. They continued to laugh.
"It's not THAT funny," Lily defended herself.
"YES-IT-IS!" Mandy managed to get out. However, Jenn looked as it a blinking light bulb should appear above her head, as her laughing ceased.
"Wait, that means today is your birthday!"
Lily nodded shyly. She was never one to make a big deal out of her birthday.
"Oh, well in that case, screw the owls-more laughter-well, not literally!!! But, let's treat Lily to ice cream instead!" Mandy suggested.
"Instead of screwing the owls?" Lily smirked.
"Oh……just, C'MON!" Mandy rolled her eyes in a huff and pulled Jenn and Lily toward Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor.
* * *
Once they had gotten their ice cream, they sat down at a table near the window so they could view the Hogsmeade shops while eating their frozen yogurt.
"Jennifer Ryan," a haughty voice from behind them replied. All three turned to see a prissy girl of about 13(who was dressed like she was about 16)staring at them, arms crossed.
"Paige Alston," Jenn addressed her curtly.
"God, Jennifer, do you have no manners? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Paige asked, eyeing them disapprovingly.
"Lily Evans, Mandy McQueen, this is Paige Alston. She's going into her 3rd year at Hogwarts. Our father work together." Jenn said this all in a phony-polite manner. It was very obvious that she didn't like(well, actually detested would be a better word)Paige.
"It's nice to meet you." Paige addressed them in a way that notified Lily and Mandy of the exact opposite. Lily and Mandy remained silent.
"What, are you MUTE?" Paige rudely questioned in response to their silence.
"Maybe they are just DEAF to everything you say." Jenn glared at Paige icily. Paige ignored her, and spoke to Lily and Mandy again.
"You are clearly muggle, but I suppose you'll at least…SCRAPE by at Hogwarts."
Since Jenn had already explained to them both what the term "muggle" meant, Lily and Mandy perfectly understood Paige's insult. Both were torn between being offended or being intimidated by that statement. Lily quickly decided that she had no desire to remain in this girl's presence.
"Please excuse us, but we were having a much more enjoyable conversation before you strutted over here." Lily fixed Paige with a mocking smile.
Paige scoffed and remarked snidely, "Lily Evans, was it? Well, Lily Evans, as you'll soon learn at Hogwarts, its considered a valuable thing to be in my good graces…and I can assure you from this moment on, that you will certainly NEVER be." She turned on her heel and walked right out of the ice cream parlor. As Lily turned her head to watch Paige walk off, her eyes took notice of a much more appealing site. Standing on the corner was a handsome boy her age. He had messy black hair and bright, periwinkle, blue eyes. Lily found herself very drawn to him, until…………….Paige came up behind him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Lily noticed that he smiled when he saw her. Paige then whispered something into his ear and quickly ushered him away.
"Lily!" Mandy broke her reverie by poking her on the arm.
"Um….what? I mean, yes?" Lily turned her attention back to her new friends, who were now staring at her suspiciously.
"Well, as I was saying, just ignore Paige. She's horrible and there's just no getting around that. Although, I have heard that she is quite popular at Hogwarts."
Lily remained silent. She didn't want to admit to herself that Jenn's statement had disturbed her.
"So, shall we go get out pets now?"
"Sure!" Jenn responded.
"Okay," Lily agreed lamely.
So, they left the restaurant and headed for Eeylops Owl Emporium.
* * *
A half an hour later, they were completely done their shopping and decided to rest on a wooden bench outside of Oliver's Café to wait for the adults.
"So, what are you guys naming your pets?" Lily asked.
"Merlin," Jenn, who had bought a kitten because she already owned an owl, replied.
"I like that. I'm going to name my owl Dizzy." Mandy answered.
"I think your parents had that same idea when you were born!" Lily earned herself a punch on the arm. Her, Jenn, and Mandy had definitely bonded in the last hour and a half. Lily was certain that Mandy and Jenn would be her best friends at Hogwarts.
"Anyway, I'm going to name my owl Jade."
"Cute." Jenn complimented. As those words were spoken, Merlin suddenly jumped out of her arms and started hissing violently.
"Honora!" Two girls' voices shouted. It turned out that Merlin was hissing at another cat. The cat's owners, identical twin girls, hurriedly scooped up their pet.
"Oh, god, I am SO sorry." One of them held out her hand and said, "I'm Natalie Greene and this is my sister, Elisabeth." From their honey blonde hair, to hazel eyes, they were head-to-toe identical.
"I'm Lily, and this is Jenn and Mandy. Merlin, there, is Jenn's cat." Lily intoduced them. Jenn and Mandy waved from the bench.
"We are truly sorry about that," Liz flashed them an apologetic smile.
"It's alright," Jenn assured her.
"Are you 3 starting at Hogwarts this year?" Natalie asked.
"Yup!" Mandy answered for their group.
"Us, too!" Liz exclaimed excitedly.
"Are you from a wizarding family?" Jenn asked.
"We're purebloods." Liz replied.
"We're muggle." Lily gestured towards herself and Mandy.
"I can hardly wait until school starts!" Jenn enthused.
"Me either!" Natalie agreed.
The girls continued with idle chitchat until the adults came out of the restaurant and said it was time to go. Lily bid farewell to her new friends and promised to write them until they were reunited at King's Cross Station.
With that, Lily left Diagon Alley with a smile on her face.
Disclaimer: I own……..Mandy, Jenn, Natalie, Elisabeth, Paige, Merlin, Dizzy, Jade, Madam Jenkins, and the plot.
Author's Note: Any speculation about Paige and mystery guy? Hehehehe…their relationship will be revealed in Chapter 6, but I won't tell who mystery guy is in that chapter…although, I'm sure everyone knows already!
Spoilers about Chapter 6: 1. It's called Passing The Time…
- It reveals some things about Paige.
- James and Sirius are hinted at in it.
- Gives some info on Mandy and Jenn's families.