Lily stepped out into the alley and was surrounded by a mob of people. She was in shock. She had expected something strange, but not something as strangely wonderful and exciting as this.

She turned around to look at her mother. She gave her a look full of awe (of pure awe), and had the gift returned.

"Mum, I…" Lily trailed away. "I never thought it would be as cool as THIS!" she screamed to her mother as all of the witches and wizards swarmed around her.

Lily continued to jump up and down until she started to tire. Stopping, she looked expectantly at her mother Rose.

"Well, Lily…" She cleared her throat. "I think I'm just as, or more surprised, actually, as you are." Lily squealed and clung onto her mother. The two girls embraced for a long while right in the middle of Diagon Alley.

center /center

James Potter walked out of Flourish and Blotts with his arms laden with books. As may know, James was not the type to read a lot, but these books were different; they were about becoming an Animagus.

James just loved the subject idea of being able to turn into an animal at will. He had been around it often because his father was an Animagus; a rather large hawk. James loved to listen to the stories that his father told, sparking his interest in the subject.

James had been wandering around the store with Peter Pettigrew, a good friend of his, when he came across a shelf that had books on becoming an Animagus. So, naturally, he had picked them up and bought them.

Now, James, Peter and their mums were in the Apothecary.

"Mum, can we please go to Quality Quidditch Supplies?" James begged.

"No, I want to go to Ollivander's!" Peter whined.

"Now, stop! Both of you!" James' mother reprimanded. "We'll go to both, but first we need to go to the Apothecary and Madam Malkin's. They're closest, and I don't want to back-track."

Both boys submitted to the gaze of their mothers, wishing that they were elsewhere.

center /center

"Where are we supposed to go?"

"I have no idea, Lily," Rose replied to here daughter. Both daughter and mother stood side by side, just taking in the sight before them.

After a while, the two of them decided that they should probably try to find out what they were supposed to do. So, they set off down the alley.

As they passed all of the shops, Lily suddenly remembered something. "Oh, mum! It said something in the letter about all of this!"

Lily pulled a squished up envelope out of her left pant pocket. She unfolded the crumpled piece of parchment and started to skim. Once she found what she was looking for, she read it to her mother. "All right. 'When you reach Diagon Alley, you must walk along until you see a tall, marble building. That is Gringotts, the wizard bank. You should go in and exchange Muggle money for wizard money. One of the goblins will assist you in your business. You may then proceed to purchase all of your school supplies.'"

"All right, then. We just walk along the street." Rose did so, and turned to face her daughter, "and go to a marble building."

Lily gazed at her mother and uncertainly said, "Er…mum?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"Erm…well, look behind you." Rose turned on her heel and gasped. Standing before her was a huge, magnificently white building: Gringotts.

Mother and daughter stood next to each other, gaping.

Once they had recovered from the shock of seeing the bank, the two ladies looked at each other, and wordlessly went to go into the wonderful building.

They strode up to the building, and stopped in front of a set of double doors that were twice the height of any normal man.

On the side of the doors stood a short creature with very long fingers.

"Mum…it never occurred to me that the letter meant…real goblins…"

But before they could marvel one second longer, the gold and scarlet clad goblin bowed them through the doors.

Once Lily and Rose had passed through the tall doors, they came upon another set of doors with words engraved on them. They said:

center Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there. /center

Lily looked at her mother with worry in her eyes. These goblins were a little creepy. That bit about finding more than treasure…what did that mean?

Two goblins opened the doors for the ladies, and they stepped in. There was a large room with a high counter on both sides with goblins sitting behind them. They were all working with some form of money or with customers (which were also considered money by the goblins to a certain extent).

Lily started to walk toward an available goblin when her mother grabbed her hand. "Dear, erm…oh, never mind."

"Mum, are you nervous? Because if you are, it's all right. I know what I'm doing."

Lily gently slid her hand from her mother's grasp, and strode right up to a goblin.

She stood in front of the goblin and cleared her throat politely.

"May I help you?" questioned the goblin. Lily beckoned her hesitant mother over to her and started to make the exchanges.

center /center

"Come i on /i mum," groaned James. "How long does it take to go to a robe shop and the Apothecary?"

"Oh, be quiet, James. I'm almost done. Now, there," she finished. "Now we can go to the wand shop."

"All right. I suppose that's okay. But I want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies after."

"We'll see. It depends on how you behave." James sighed.

Mother and son walked out of the Apothecary followed by Peter and his mum.

Peter would have been bouncing off of the walls, but there weren't any in the street. He was very excited to get his wand.

Once the foursome reached Ollivander's, they stepped into the dark and musty shop.

Standing at the counter was a man with piercing grey eyes. Those who had seen him before still feel uneasy when they were around him. No one (except for Dumbledore, of course) felt exactly 'at home' around Mr. Ollivander. Anyone would attest to that.

Mr. Ollivander came out from behind the counter and walked up to the group of Potters and Pettigrews.

"Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Pettigrew, what a pleasure to see you again. I trust that both of your wands are still in perfect working order?" Both women nodded their heads in assent to answer Mr. Ollivander.

"Good. Now, young Mr. Pettigrew, come here." Peter walked hesitantly up to Mr. Ollivander.

Mr. Ollivander took out a tape measure and started to measure Peter.

If it had been anyone else that was measuring Peter from top to bottom, everyone would have been laughing hysterically. But since it was Ollivander, no one was laughing.

When Mr. Ollivander was finished with Peter, he left him and went to the back of the shop.

He came back moments later with a stack of long, thing boxes. Peter gasped, excited, but was soon quieted by a look from his mother.

Mr. Ollivander set the boxes on the counter. He motioned for Peter to come to him, and pulled the box on the top of the pile.

He opened the box. "Hold out your wand arm, Mr. Pettigrew."

Peter did as he was told, and was handed the first wand he had ever held in his life.

center /center

"Hogwarts, Dear?" a homely old witch asked Lily.

"Yes."

"Come right this way, please." Rose and Lily followed the lady. i Maybe this lady is Madam Malkin /i , she thought. i It would make sense. /i

"Stand right here, please." Lily stood on a stool, and was immediately bombarded with a robe. It flew over her head, and the witch who Lily thought was Madam Malkin started to pin the robes.

On a stool next to Lily stood another girl. She had black hair that fell down to the middle of her back. Her skin was olive colored, and she had baby blue eyes that shone with excitement.

"Hello," the girl said. "My name is November Wu."

"I'm Lily Evans."

"Pleased to meet you."

center /center

James looked at Mr. Ollivander. It had all been fine and good when Peter was getting his wand, but now it was James' turn.

James gulped and walked forward.

"All right, Mr. Potter. Time to measure you up," Mr. Ollivander informed James.

He measured James, and when they were done, he handed him a wand.

James waved it, and nothing happened. Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand out of his hand, and gave him another wand.

This process continues for around six or seven wands. Mr. Ollivander pressed another wand into James' hand.

James felt a tingling in his arm. He knew before he even waved it, that his was this wand.

center /center

"Mum, I think we've been everywhere except the wand shop." Lily looked over to November so that she could have a confirmation. November nodded.

Lily and November had quickly become friends. They had many things in common. They liked the same music bands, even though November was pureblood. They liked all of the same foods. They were perfect friends.

The two girls' mothers had also been fast friends. They found that they had all of the same problems in their homes and they both loved to cook.

The four women walked down the street chatting. They were all excited for wands – mothers and daughters alike.

When the girls reached the shop, something burst out of the door. It hurtled into the street and brought Lily and November down on top of each other.

It got up, and grabbed Lily's and November's upper arms so that it could help them up.

Once the girls were done brushing themselves off, they looked at the thing.

It was a boy. He had messy black hair and a huge grin plastered onto his face.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Lily looked at him with her mouth gaping. She couldn't believe him! Who would come barging out of a shop and run into someone and just expect them to forgive him?

Lily closed her open mouth. She was fuming. i Who does he think he is? /i she thought.

"Apologize to him, Lily," Rose ordered.

"Sorry," she muttered automatically. She couldn't believe that her mother was making her apologize for something she didn't do!

"Er…that's okay," the boy said uncertainly.

"What's your name, dear?" Rose asked the boy kindly.

"James Potter."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Mrs. Evans. And you've met my lovely daughter, Lily."

"Yes, she is lovely," James murmured to himself.

"What was that?" Rose inquired frowning slightly.

"Er…I said that it was nice to meet you too. Erm… I've got to go. My mum's waiting." He pointed to a figure across the street.

Rose looked, and called a "sorry" across the many people.

Mrs. Potter waved her apologies off and beckoned James over to her.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Evans…girls," he looked at Lily and November.

Lily glowered at him as he left. She knew she was going to hate him for the rest of her life. She just knew it. She knew he was going to bother her at school about it, and she didn't want her year ruined. They were definitely going to butt heads.

Lily entered the wand shop. Mr. Ollivander measured her, and sorted through all of the wands.

They got to a wand that sent a shiver up and down Lily's spine. She waved it. Gold and red sparks shot out of the tip. This was her wand.