Lily gazed around Flourish and Blott's in awe. There were so many books! "I could go mad in here," she murmured.
Slughorn beamed at her. "A bookworm, are you?"
"If I wasn't before, I certainly will be now, what with all of these to get through," Lily indicated the many shelves.
Slughorn chuckled. "Oh, m'dear, you only need what's on your booklist! And those books I mentioned the other day would help, as well." He steered the redhead over to a prominent bookstand, where resided several copies of 'Muggle To Magic – The Transition Between Our Worlds' by Eldred Worple. "An old student of mine wrote this – it's very comprehensive." It was also rather heavy.
Next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Another girl was standing on a stool. Slughorn waited outside. Through the window Lily observed many people stop by him and have a little chat. He certainly gets around.
"Hello," said the girl. "Are you starting at Hogwarts this year?"
"Yes," Lily replied, as she was prompted onto another stool by the assistant. "Are you?"
"Yes," the girl confessed. She had a Mediterranean appearance and a well-bred accent. "What's your name?"
"Lily Evans. You?"
"Esperanza Castilla," the girl replied. "Peri for short. Where do you live?" Peri added as she dropped her arms and shook the sleeves down. Madam Malkin pinned them up again.
"Surrey. Where do you live?" Lily lifted her arms so that the assistant could pin the bottom hem to a safer length.
"Angelsea," Peri replied.
"That's you done, dearie," Madam Malkin informed Peri.
Peri jumped off the stool and looked up at Lily. "Meet you on the train?"
"Er, all right." Train? What train? No one's mentioned a train!
"Ah, Lily, you have your robes? Florean, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is Florean Fortescue, grandson of the late Headmaster. Florean is Head Boy this year. Lily will be a first year," he added to the tall blond boy, who smiled haltingly at Lily. "Well, m'boy, I'll see you at Hogwarts, then." Florean and Slughorn shook hands and the boy slipped past to re-enter the Leaky Cauldron.
"Where to now, sir?" Lily asked.
"The apocathery," Slughorn replied, pointing to the nearest one. "Two old students of mine co-own this one. They have the highest quality ingredients here."
He has a lot of old students. Either Hogwarts is huge, or he's been teaching for a while. And his students like him. He must be a good teacher.
"Ah, Professor Slughorn," A thin young man bustled out from behind the counter. "So good to see you!"
"And you, Gidgeon. How are you and Fabian?"
"Fine, fine. Our sister Molly is pregnant again, though. Just going through morning sickness."
Slughorn beamed, evidently thinking of the potential student he could guide to success. Then he remembered what he was there for. "Ah, Gidgeon, could you see about finding Miss Evans here the Potions ingredients for first-years?"
As Gidgeon bustled around gathering spine of lionfish and porcupine quills, Slughorn examined Shrivelfigs and Lily pondered why Slughorn had introduced her as 'Lily' to the Head Boy and as 'Miss Evans' to the shopkeeper.
After buying Potions ingredients, Slughorn led Lily into a variety of shops. After buying stationery, they made their way to Ollivander's."
"Best wands in Britain," Slughorn declared. Another of his ex-students?
Mr Ollivander was too old to be an ex-student of Slughorn's; in fact they looked to be about the same age. Lily decided that they must have been old school chums. Mr Ollivander greeted them in what Lily considered to be an unnecessarily creepy manner. A boy about her age was sitting on the one chair in the shop, but he gave it up for Slughorn.
"Now then, Mr Potter," Ollivander said to the boy, "why don't you try this wand? Miss Evans, I need to measure you."
Lily stepped closer to the measuring tape apprehensively. How was she supposed to know what it was made of?
"It's all right," Potter grinned. "It doesn't bite."
Lily rolled her eyes, then realised with a start that Ollivander was flitting around the shop, picking up wands, and that that tape measure was measuring her left pinkie by itself.
"Are you a Muggleborn?" Ollivander called.
"Yes, Lily answered. Slughorn had already explained to her about the issue of 'pure-blood'. Potter blinked. Lily noticed he had hazel eyes and very messy black hair.
"Which hand do you write with?" Ollivander asked, handing Potter another wand. Potter had barely taken hold of it when Ollivander snatched it back, muttering something about it being 'All wrong, completely wrong.'
"My right," Lily answered. What does it matter?
Ollivander took a while deliberating between two wands on a low shelf, then took them both out and handed one each to Lily and Potter. "Here Mr Potter. Mahogany and length. Pliable, excellent for Transfiguration. Miss Evans, wood and length. Strength, especially suited to Charms."
Charms? Transfiguration? But the wand in Lily's hand had grown quite warm and begun to vibrate. Where's the battery in this thing?
As Lily and Slughorn left the shop, Lily brushed accidentally against Potter and a boy who was just coming in practically ran smack-bang into Slughorn.
"Well, I do believe that that is everything you need," Slughorn declared, so they made their way back up Diagon Alley. As four different people greeted Slughorn at once, Lily saw Peri exiting the apocathery Slughorn had taken Lily to.
HPHPHPHP
Lily had enjoyed her first foray into the wizarding world. Robes were certainly more comfortable than she had expected, and she was really looking forward to reading the books she had bought.
Petunia, Lily's older sister, was not so impressed. She looked the younger girl up and down disparagingly. "Didn't Mum and Dad give you enough money to buy a black cat and a broomstick?" she enquired scathingly when they met on the garden path, before sweeping past to enter her boyfriend's car. Lily didn't understand how Petunia could fit, even with her skinny frame, in the same car as Vernon the Human Whale. But Petunia's insult stung a lot, mainly because she knew Lily was allergic to cats.
HPHPHPHP
James was used to Diagon Alley as his family often shopped there. What he wasn't used to, was a beautiful girl brushing up against him in a wand shop. In fact, he was so unused to it, that he almost ordered a salad foccacia in the Leaky Cauldron instead of his usual bubble'n'squeak.
"Are you all right, Jamsie dear?" Mrs Potter asked, placing her hand over his forehead to fell for a temperature. She was, after all, a Healer.
"I'm fine, Mum," James replied dismissively. "And don't call me Jamsie!"
Mr and Mrs Potter exchanged amused glances. Calling their son, 'Jamsie,' always provoked this reaction.
A.N: Oh, dear, I can't believe how bad my writing was. Peri will become Lily's best friend, just so you know. Reviews are always appreciated.