A/N: Did you enjoy last chapter? I hope so! I personally love Lily's gran but maybe I'm a bit biased. Anyway...
Enjoy :)
Chapter 4: Diagon Alley
The summer holidays reached their 4th week and with that came a professional looking Barn owl bearing a thick and strangely heavy letter with the address written in emerald ink. The back was sealed with a wax seal of a crest. This letter arrived on the Evans' kitchen table during the early hours of the morning so only Lily and her father were awake. Mrs Evans continued to snooze upstairs whilst the other two residents of the house steadily made their way through their bowls of Weetabix. Lily had returned from her grandmother's just last night and so she was a little tired. She yawned frequently between mouthfuls of cereal but habit had awoken her at 7 am that morning.
The owl flew through the open kitchen window and held out its leg. Lily took the envelope and, in her sleepy state, attempted to read its contents.
Dear Miss Evans,
The school term will resume on September the 1st and your ticket is attached. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have been chosen as Head girl for this coming school year. This is an extremely important and responsible position but I have the upmost faith that you will succeed. You will receive further instructions alongside the Head boy on the Hogwarts Express, which leaves and precisely 11 o'clock. Please wait in the Prefect Compartment.
I wish you an enjoyable remainder of the holidays and look forward to seeing you in the new school term.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
The envelope also included a second letter with her booklist, which she scanned quickly, and her Head girl badge. The badge was the Hogwarts crest but had a gold band across it that was engraved with the words Head Girl. Happiness flickered inside her and she showed it to her father who hugged her across the table.
'Congrats, Lily!' He beamed at his daughter and ruffled her hair. 'Head girl… That's brilliant!'
'Thanks.' She smiled back before returning to her breakfast.
'D'you want to celebrate?' Mr Evans asked, his eyes shining with pride.
'No… It's okay. I'm probably spending today with Marlene if she's free so we can buy our school things.'
'Kids, always going out with their mates.' he muttered jokingly and Lily didn't hear him as she stood up. She washed up her crockery and headed to her bedroom. Pulling her red leather notebook and a pen towards her, she wrote a message inside it.
Lily: Got your Hogwarts letter yet?
Marlene: Just now. You?
Lily: Same. Are you free to go shopping today?
Marlene: Fuck yes! My Aunt and Uncle are driving me fucking mad.
Lily: 12? Leaky Cauldron?
Marlene: See you there!
Lily: See you.
She replaced her stationery and set about choosing clothes to change into. Lily opted for a pair of black high waisted shorts and a t-shirt that had a joke about particles on it. This she wore with a pair of black converses and then she applied minimal makeup. For the next few hours, Lily read a book called War With the Newts. Although it contained lots of offensive language, the book had a way of drawing the reader directly into the story and discussed many political issues. Mrs Evans poked her head in to congratulate her daughter on her Head girl title but she was the only visitor. Time passed quickly as Lily read and soon the time was 11.45. She put down the book and grabbed a handbag. Making sure her purse, school supplies list and wand were inside it, she went downstairs and waved goodbye to her parents, who were drinking tea in the garden. In the hallway, Lily spun on the spot and Disapparated.
She rematerialized in a smoky pub and scanned it quickly. It didn't take her long to find her dark haired best friend; she only had to follow the sound of raised voices. Marlene was arguing with a man at the bar who had, it transpired, groped her.
'And you think my nice arse is open to blokes like you?' she thundered at a slimy-haired man.
'Marls.' Lily addressed her best friend as the man spluttered.
'Hey, Lil.' She engulfed her in a one arm hug, momentarily distracted. Then Marlene glared back at the man. 'You can piss off with your fucking oily hair to the fat fryer you were born in!'
'Marls, let's just go.' Lily mouthed an apology to the barman, who'd been looking at Marlene in annoyance, and ushered her out into the courtyard behind the pub. With her wand, she tapped the third brick on the left and an archway began to form. They walked through this archway and on to an alleyway lined with shops. It wasn't particularly crowded and those walking on it were generally in a hurry.
'So… Did you get it?'
'Get what?'
'Yes, you fucking did! You're bloody Head girl, aren't you?' Marlene thumped Lily on the back as they walked towards Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
'Maybe.'
'Fucking shit balls!' Marlene exclaimed. 'My best mate's gone and fucking got Head girl! Just think of the possibilities… All the rules I can break without a single bloody detention!'
'Marls, I don't think that's true…'
'Are you getting your own dormitory? If that's true then you're sharing with me. I'm not fucking sharing with the other girls in our dorm without back up.'
'There's nothing wrong with them, Marls.' Lily shook her head as they reached the bank. A Goblin bowed as they entered and the two passed through the large silver double doors into a high-ceilinged room with a giant hanging chandelier. The walls were lined with counters that had more Goblins behind them serving people or counting valuable gemstones. They made their way to one of these counters and Lily went first, exchanging her Muggle money for Wizarding coins. Then it was Marlene's turn and another Goblin was summoned to take them through a second set of doors and to a dingy corridor with a single rickety cart in it. All three of them climbed in and the cart rattled off. The journey to Marlene's vault did not take long and Lily remained in the cart as the Goblin and Marlene clambered out and towards a large metal door. Marlene put a miniature gold key in the lock and the door swung open with a slight creak. Inside the vault was a vast sum of coins and Lily fiddled the fastening of her necklace. She held it so far in front of her that the charm dug into the back of her neck.
'Now Edward'll be in you forever.' Marlene whined as she returned with her purse full of coins. 'Who wants that dick inside of them?' The cart made its way back. 'NO OFFENCE, LIL!' she yelled over the sound of the wheels against the track. Lily waited until they were outside once more before she answered.
'It's only an imprint on my neck.' Lily chose to ignore her best friend's question.
'You're shitting me!' Marlene burst out and a few people turned to look at her. Lily turned slightly pink at the attention the two received from her friend's eruption.
'About what?' she asked warily.
'You didn't even fucking complain about having him inside you!' She looped an arm around her. 'Lilykins, just admit you hate shagging good old Eddie.'
'Ed is perfectly nice.'
'Soooo nice he got you that fucking bullshit necklace.' The two entered Abbott Apothecaries and Lily began examining some dried black beetles. 'Who the fuck makes their girlfriend wear a necklace with their name on it?'
'Didn't you have one in first year with George on it?' Lily pointed out.
'That was first year!' Marlene wailed and threw one of the beetles at her. 'What did I know?'
'It's not a horrible necklace.' Lily said fairly and replaced the beetle. 'It's silver which goes with a lot of things.' Marlene snorted. 'Let's just buy our potions ingredients.'
A few hours later and the two girls only had their uniform left to purchase. Both had grown over the holidays and new clothes were definitely in order. Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasion was empty except for the owner and a shop assistant who both leapt into action as Marlene and Lily entered.
'Good afternoon, dears.' Madame Malkin, the owner, bowed slightly as they walked over to the counter. 'Hogwarts robes?'
'Yes.' Marlene nodded impatiently. 'And we need dress robes.'
'We do?' Lily asked blankly.
'Yes, we do. Sluggy's Christmas Party, remember?'
'Oh, I was just going to wear my robes from last year.'
'Lil, how are you supposed to make your relationship even the tiniest bit exciting if you refuse to change things up?' Marlene asked in despair and turned to Madame Malkin. 'Just show her some dresses.'
'Nothing too short.' Lily called after her and the shop assistant as they rushed off to fetch as many dresses as they could carry. They returned with school uniforms and some dresses for both Marlene and Lily. Marlene went with the shop assistant and Madame Malkin indicated that Lily should follow her. They went to a stand at the back of the shop and focused on the school uniform first. Madame Malkin draped a set of black robes around her and set about taking in parts of the material.
Once the school uniform was fitted, they moved on to dress robes. Madame Malkin produced an emerald dress. Lily pulled it on and stared in the mirror. It was tight-fitting and had a slit up the side. The neckline came down lower than Lily felt Edward would think appropriate for his supposed future wife.
'I'm not sure I can wear this.' Lily said apologetically.
'But you look so beautiful in this! And it's not too short.'
'It's lovely, I – I just don't think my boyfriend would like me wearing it.' Lily often hated herself for the way she dictated parts of her life for Edward. It was the fear of losing something stable that kept her from ending things between them. She had lost someone in the past who she felt would always be friends with. When that constant was been lost Lily had coped but then her grandfather died the same month and it was almost as though Lily had cracked. It was then that Lily had kissed Edward. They had bumped into each other in Diagon Alley during the summer holidays before 6th year and Lily ended up spilling everything to him. The kiss between them had been the most romantic occurrence in their entire relationship but ever since then Edward had been her new constant. He wasn't unpredictable and Lily could spend hours with him without being required to say much.
'I'm sure it will spice things up between you.' Madame Malkin prompted but Lily shook her head.
'No, thank you.' They went to the counter and Lily paid for her school robes. Marlene hung back muttering with Madame Malkin for a moment before paying for her things and then the two girls headed out of the shop.
They wandered back towards the Leaky Cauldron and chatted aimlessly.
'The Foulmouth Falcons suck. There's no way they'll beat Puddlemere.' Marlene argued.
'I don't know a thing about Quidditch.' Lily said and linked arms with her best friend.
'Puddlemere are the best team in the fucking league.'
'You probably want to stay away from Ed on match day.' Lily told her friend.
'He's a fucking Falcon?' Marlene paused for a moment. 'I knew it!'
'Is that supposed to mean something?'
'I would say it means he's a wanker but Potter and Black support Puddlemere so I can't.'
'Marls!' As Lily reprimanded her friend, four figures appeared up ahead; the Marauders, as the four of them were known, strolled down the street. Marlene's fists curled slightly, which Lily noticed, so she ushered her into the nearest shop. If Marlene disliked James Potter then she absolutely hated Sirius Black and was often heard wishing him a painful death. The reasons for Marlene's hatred were known by none except herself, Lily and Sirius, who, for all he claimed otherwise, knew exactly why. Sirius' pretended ignorance meant that Marlene hated him even more. Needless to say, Lily was wise to direct her best friend away from him.
The shop they had entered was in fact a witches' lingerie shop and Lily's lips twitched upwards as she realised this. The walls were lined with mannequins dressed in scandalously bright undergarments and in one corner was a shelf bearing an assortment of masks. In the centre was a mix and match table of bras and knickers. Marlene walked over to a rack of corsets and pulled out a black and purple arrangement.
'Try this.' she instructed and shoved it in Lily's face. Lily took the garment unenthusiastically and headed over to a row of changing rooms with vivid red curtains. She took the first cubicle on the left and Marlene waited outside as Lily struggled into the corset inside it. There was a loud thud that made Marlene jump in shock and then clap a hand to her mouth to stop herself swearing in the middle of the shop. The thud had come from Lily as she'd fallen backwards tying her corset.
'It's on.' Lily said and a second later she stepped out with a self-conscious tread. Marlene nodded with an evil grin.
'You should wear that round Edward.' The shop bell tingled and Lily darted back into the changing room as Marlene cackled.
The two eventually left the shop arm in arm and headed into a nail parlour as Marlene insisted she wanted some false nails and that Lily could do with a manicure.
'I still think you should've bought that corset.' Marlene said as they sat down in front of two heavily fake-tanned witches. Both had peroxide blonde hair that was extremely harsh on the eyes. Lily smiled politely.
'Can I have a gel manicure, please?' Lily asked.
'What colour?' the witch serving Lily responded in a bored tone.
'Neon orange.' Marlene answered for her and Lily glanced at her best friend in exasperation. 'Excitement, Lil. That's what you fucking need to make everything with Eddie great.'
'Thanks, Marls.' The peroxide blonde witches set to work. Marlene and Lily had been best friends since their first day at Hogwarts; the two had really hit it off during the welcome feast, though they'd spoken beforehand, after it had become apparent that the other Gryffindor girls in their year, although friendly, were slightly too boy orientated for their liking. From that moment onwards, they had been inseparable and stuck together through thick and thin.
'You're done.' Lily looked at her nails and smiled appreciatively at them. Although she would never personally have chosen such a loud colour, they did look good. However, Edward had invited her to a family dinner and she was worried neon orange wouldn't be appropriate. Then again, she had a wand and a large number of colour changing spells at her disposal.
'Thank you.'
'Stop being so fucking polite.' Marlene groaned as they paid and walked back out onto Diagon Alley.
'Maybe you should try saying thank you once in a while.' Lily suggested nudging her playfully.
'Keep that perfect appearance bullshit for when you're with Edward.' Marlene complained and looped an arm through Lily's. Marlene didn't like Edward. She didn't really like many people but she put up with Edward for Lily's sake, though that didn't necessarily mean she was polite to him. For all her disregard of the boy, she really did try to support his relationship with her best friend.
If the two girls hadn't had their nails done then they would never have bumped into the four boys Lily had so meticulously attempted to avoid. But they did and therefore the meeting occurred. As the two walked, they heard a loud wolf whistle from behind.
'Bloody hell!' Sirius called from behind them. 'Nice arse, McKinnon!' Lily groaned silently as Marlene spun around looking murderous. She stormed up to Sirius and he stepped back a little despite his widening smirk at the fact she had reacted.
'You want a fucking fight?' Marlene hissed venomously.
'I was simply commenting on what was before me.'
'Oh, you're so fucking good at that aren't you?' she snapped and cracked her knuckles. 'Lil, the precious prick's good at commentating!' Lily stood warily behind her best friend, not wanting to be pulled into the fight nor wanting to stand by and let it happen.
'I'm so glad you can appreciate my skill set.' he said smoothly. 'Really, McKinnon. I think you're overreacting. If you ask me, it was simply a compliment.'
'No one was asking you!' Marlene snarled and Lily put a restraining arm in front of her.
'Marls.' Lily said with a warning tone.
'Well, it's lucky we ran into you, Evans.' James said, cutting through any comments either Sirius or Marlene were about to make. 'We're throwing a party in the last week of the holidays and we were wondering if you and McKinnon wanted to come. Most people in 5th and upwards'll be there so you'd be missing out if you didn't.'
'Will there be drink?' Marlene asked, instantly forgetting about Sirius at the prospect of a party. 'I'm not coming if there's no drink.'
'Obviously.' Sirius scoffed. 'What kind of parties d'you think we throw?' Marlene chose to ignore his comment and kept her focus on James.
'We'll be there.' she answered and then began ushering Lily away from the four boys. Lily waved goodbye to be polite and momentarily caught Remus' eye. An unspoken conversation passed between them and he nodded in understanding before following his fellow Marauders. Lily turned to Marlene.
'I don't know if I can go. Ed might not-'
'Edward'll be there so stop fussing.' Marlene interrupted. They continued to walk in silence until they reached the brick archway.
'How about we get ready at mine?' Lily suggested as they hugged each other goodbye.
'Good idea.' Marlene ruffled her hair and then both girls Disapparated to their separate destinations.
As Lily rematerialized in her bedroom, she went to her door and called out that she'd returned. Then she closed the door and began searching her wardrobe for what she could wear for dinner at Edward's house. She decided on a floral-patterned dress in a vintage style that had a skirt which came out slightly. Slipping it on, she pulled out a curling wand from her cupboard and plugged it into the socket. The she seated herself beside it and in front of her full-length mirror. Once the curling wand was heated, Lily set about giving her self curls and this she did for about 30 minutes, until every last strand of her deep red hair was curled. After that, Lily charmed her neon orange nails to a much more subdued dark teal. She grabbed her handbag just as the doorbell rang and as Lily made her way into the landing she could hear her father talking to Edward.
'So, you're Lily's boyfriend?' he asked.
'Yes.' came Edward's short reply. Lily hurried down the stairs and hastily hugged both her parents goodbye. Only once the front door was shut did she greet Edward.
'You look nice.' she told him with a smile.
'Thanks. It's a Muggle designer shirt. I believe it's Armani.'
'Expensive.' Lily murmured but continued smiling nonetheless. 'Are we driving to yours, then?'
'Petal, do you really think we'll be driving to Southampton from here when we have to be there in two minutes?' he asked her and she shook her head. Then, Edward held tightly onto her arm and they apparated to his large family house. The McClaggen house was built of grey granite and was an extremely imposing building. It had a wrought iron fence all the way around it and the windows, although large, all had heavy curtains in them that blocked all light from entering or leaving the house. 'Impressive, isn't it?' Edward had taken Lily's silence for awe rather than unease. 'My family have lived here for 500 years.'
They walked up to the front door and Edward knocked. It was opened at once by a House Elf dressed in a pillowcase, which took Lily's bag and disappeared before she could thank them. They walked through the hallway and into a large dining room with Edward pointing out portraits of long deceased ancestors as they went. They reached the dining room and Lily took in the three people waiting for them. The tallest was Edward's father, a pompous looking man with the exact same hair as his son. Next to Mr McClaggen stood his wife, a haughty woman dressed in a salmon pink dress that instantly reminded Lily of her sister. And the final person was a girl of about 15 with mousy brown hair, which was tied in a braid. Her face was saddened and there was a great air of defeat around her; this was Edward's younger sister.
'You must be Lily.' Mr McClaggen said and shook Lily's hand. Mrs McClaggen kissed her on both cheeks in greeting and Edward's sister simply stood behind her parents. Lily smiled at her kindly.
'It's nice to meet you.' she said politely.
'This is my sister Lydia.' Lily nodded at the younger girl who looked timidly back. They all took their seats and a moment later four House Elves came scurrying in carrying delicious looking dishes. Once all the food had arrived, they placed some on their plates and began to eat. Lily sat in between Mrs McClaggen and Edward.
'So, Eddie, I had a word with the Minister today and he says he could get you a good spot once you finished school.' Mr McClaggen said after he swallowed a mouthful of chicken.
'Thank you, father.' Edward answered. Lily focused her attention on her food, feeling as though she wasn't meant to be there. For the briefest of moments, her mind wandered towards what Marlene and Remus might be doing at that precise moment but Edward's hand caressing her thigh brought her back to reality. She attempted not to look uncomfortable and allowed him to continue as Mrs McClaggen asked her about ballgowns.
'I personally prefer a variety of pink tones.' she was saying. 'They bring out my complexion most wonderfully. What colour do you favour?'
'Green, I suppose.' Lily answered. 'It doesn't clash with my hair.'
'Yes, green would suit you. Lydia can't wear green – it makes her look sickly. Doesn't it, darling?'
'Yes, mother.' Lydia mumbled in response and looked at her plate. Lily immediately felt sorry for her and attempted to compliment her.
'I think lavender would look wonderful on you.' she said and Lydia glanced at her in surprise.
'Perhaps.' Mrs McClaggen agreed disdainfully and ate a little more of her food.
'I saw you have a large garden.' Lily directed this comment at Lydia. 'Maybe you could show me some of it after dinner?'
'Lydia's health,' Mrs McClaggen began irritably, 'does not allow her to leave the house. Edward can show you the gardens.' Lily nodded and returned to her plate. Lydia was home-schooled and her parents hadn't let her leave the house in several years due to her health. She didn't have a sickly complexion, Lily noted, nor did her skin seem like that of someone who hadn't been outside in a long time. They rest of the meal passed with little conversation and once the plates had been collected, Mrs McClaggen and Lydia stood up. 'Lily, let us leave the men and head into the drawing room.'
'Yes, of course.' Lily hastened to follow the two females out of the room and was silent as they entered a room filled with luxurious sofas and chaise lounge. By the large curtained windows was a gilded table with a chess set atop it. 'Would you like to play a game of chess?' she asked Lydia, who nodded.
'Ladies do not indulge in such activities as chess.' Mrs McClaggen scolded. 'It is a game for men. Women are better occupied with other tasks such as needlework.'
Lily apologised and seated herself on one of the sofas in defeat. It was clear that she had a lot to learn before she could be the perfect wife of a pureblood Minister for Magic.
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