Mud, Cats and Sparks

Lily walked through the streets of Diagon Alley in complete and utter shock. Her small bag was weighed down with what she now knew as galleons, sickles and knuts, and was ready and willing to spend them. She had never seen this much money in her entire life, yet she had come by more than she could imagine in the short time of twenty-four hours. Lucius didn't seem to enjoy Lily's company all that much, but Lily wasn't interested in the slightest. Owls flew every way in the sky, landing on people shoulders and dropping letters into peoples hands and pockets. Children laughed as they bought icecreams and sweets, and threw things at each other that usually ended in sparks flying, someone's hair catching on fire, or someone being covered in mud. After Tereiah showed them through Flourish and Blotts book store, then Olivanders for wands and Madam Malkins robe store, he and Julianna left Lily and Lucius in the Menagerie and went off to look around on their own.

"So, your Father, he was at Hogwarts?" Lily asked casually as she petted a snowy owl's beak.

"Yeah. He's nothing like the rest of our family though. He's given us a bad name," he grumbled as he teased a wolf spider with the tip of his new wand.

"How so? He seems nice enough to me," Lily asked as she let the wolf spider walked on her handand halfway up her arm. Lucius looked from the spider to Lily, then back to the spiders tank.

"That's exactly it. He's nice. Too nice. He's a Malfoy, not a damn Potter. He's a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor. He's a pureblood, but he talks and acts like the mudbloods," he trailed of as an iguana jumped onto his shoulder. Lily had no idea what Lucius was talking about, but nodded in the right places and he didn't notice. Lily picked out a pure black cat and a woven basket to carry her in, and headed for the door just as Lucius started arguing with the store owner.

"Why can't I have it for cheaper? Do you realize who my father is?" he said as he glared at the old woman. Lily put down the basket on the floor and walked over to Lucius, looping her arm through his, and pulled him out of the shop.

"Hey, get off me!" he shouted as soon as he got outside. Lily pulled away and picked up the basket, as well as her bag and ran up towards Julianna, as soon as she came into view.

"You children have fun?" Tereiah asked happily as he handed them both an icecream. Lily nodded as she showed her mother her new pet, Lucius stayed silent as he walked along side his father. The four of them made their way back to the busy London street and said their goodbyes. During the long bus ride home Julianna asked multiple questions about Lucius and what Lily thought of him. Lily answered the best that she could, and avoided most questions with a murmer or a change of subject. Back at the house Lily took all her things to her room and locked them in the small cupboard that Ervine had given her. A slight mewing sound was coming from the basket and Lily opened it, as the kitten pounced out and curled up in her lap.

"What should I call you? Anything in particular that you like?" Lily asked as she laughed. She always had a fascination with animals, and usually ended up talking to them as if they were human. This fascination usually ended up in Lily being teased by Petunia, and having to watch the animals be kicked around and dressed in clothes until Petunia grew bored. The small kitten purred and nudged her head against the door to the little cupboard that her school things were in. Lily opened the door quickly and pulled out everything that was inside. The kitten immediatly pounced on the wand and a yellow spark flew threw the air and hit the wall above her bed.

"Wand? no..Feather? Birch?" Lily said, puzzled at what the young cat was trying to say. The kitten pounced again and a purple spark flew at the door, bouncing off and disintigrating mid air.

"Sparks?" Lily asked happily. The kitten jumped into Lily's lap and purred, almost uncontrollably it seemed. Lily hugged her new friend and she curled up in between the sheets of her bed.

"Sparks?" Lily asked sleepily as her eyes began to droop. "I don't know what's going to happen, but as long as we stick together, we're going to be ok." Minutes later the two were sound asleep, listening to the sounds of the trucks drive past the window.
The months past quickly as Julianna taught Lily and Sparks all they could learn from any regular person. Lily had memorized all of her books and Sparks was learning how to read Lily's thoughts, and talk to her without a voice too. The morning of September first finally came around and Julianna was as excited as a person could possibly be. Lily was as nervous as she could possibly get, and was hoping that she wouldn't have to sit with Lucius on the train. As Julianna helped her pack her things into one large trunk, Petunia sulked in the corner. She refused to eat and threw a tantrum everytime someone mentioned something about Hogwarts. After finally giving in to the temptation of some chocolate mud cake which sat at her place at the table for an hour, she ate it all in one bite.

"You know Hogwarts isn't real right?" she snarled at Lily as she sat silently on the floor, Sparks curled up in her lap.

"If you say so," Lily responded without looking up at her sister.

"They are just filling your head with so much junk that you won't even realize it's an orphanage. It makes the trip easier, I heard them saying. If you don't know where your going, then you can't be angry at them," she said bluntly as she cut herself another piece of cake. "Witch school sounds so much better than orphanage, don't you think?

Lily stopped herself from getting angry and stood up, forcing Sparks to fall onto the floor. She walked out the back door and out into the yard where she sat on the back step and cried. She sat there for an hour, Sparks cried beside her the entire time.

"Why Sparks? Why are they doing this to me," Lily whispered between sobs.

"I....I...love you..." Sparks told Lily as she climbed into her lap.

"I know, I know." Lily said as more tears began to flow. A door creaked open behind her and Julianna, dressed in a second hand robe sat down beside her daughter and put her arm around her.

"Don't worry Sweety, we'll see you on the holidays," she laughed as she scratched the top of Sparks head. Lily pulled herself away and forced herself to look at her mothers face.

"Why...why didn't you tell me the truth?" she whispered, holding back the tears.

"The truth? That's all I have told you Dear," Julianna said, stunned at the accusation. Lily sighed as she leant back on her hands, Sparks nudged her chin with her nose.

"Petunia heard you and father talking. Why don't you want me here? Why did you have to much up such a huge lie? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" she said, unable to hold back the tears. Julianna held her daughter close and sighed.

"I don't know what Petunia's been telling you, but none of it is a lie. Hogwarst is real, you have the books yourself. Sparks is almost human around you already, and that wand of yours works wanders in your hands. I couldn't fake all that even if I tried," she smiled warmly.

"Really? You're not just trying to get rid of me?" Lily said as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Oh, of course not. We'd never get rid of you," Julianna laughed as she stood up. "Come on, it's time to get you to your train. Come on Sparks!"