Before the Boy Who Lived

A/N: Somebody shoot me. Please. You'd honestly be doing me quite a favor. I'm sorry for not updating...again. (I seem to be making a habit of this, don't I?) I can't believe that it's only October and I've already had five or six major projects, no less than ten tests and more quizzes than I can count. Eighth grade stinks. And that doesn't even count all the homework they're piling on us, (so this is how it feels to take O.W.L.'s...) the work I get from the yearbook, the FRENCH and LATIN or other extremely complicated songs I'm supposed to memorize for Chorus, my CCD work, helping my little brother with HIS work/ CCD work, chores, junk I have to put up with from friends/ family, ARGH! It's driving me crazy, I know it. Don't worry, if the men in the white jackets take me away in their van, at least I'll have more time to update. :) Sorry in advance that the last chapter disappointed some of you, and thanks to those who gave the criticism. Hope this chapter's better. And remember, if you want to blame somebody for the lateness of this chapter, blame the cosmos or who ever decided to make my life a living heck recently. If you want to blame somebody for the crappiness of this update…well I guess you can blame that on me. Review and tell me what you think, yes?

Disclaimer: Sure I own it, sure I do. And Pete Wentz is my boyfriend. (Fall Out Boy ROCKS!) :rolls eyes: I wish!

Dedications: My friend Becca because I feel like it. :P

Chapter 6: Be My Escape

"And I've been housing all this doubt

And insecurity

And I've been locked inside that house

All the while you hold the key

And I've been dying to get out

And that might be the death of me

And even though there's no way of knowing where to go

I promise I'm going because

I got to get out of here

I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake

I got to get out of here

And I'm begging you

I'm begging you to be my escape."

(-Be My Escape, Relient K)

Once again, I could be found lying in bed late at night, staring at the ceiling. I couldn't sleep. My mind was still restless with thoughts of magic, Hogwarts, and Hagrid. None of this seemed possible. It was like waking up from a dream and not knowing what was real.

How could I, of all people, be a witch? I was nothing special...and if I was a witch, why wasn't Petunia one too? Sure, things like this would happen in fairy tales. The hero saves the damsel in distress, or the poor little girl finds out she's a princess. But let's be honest, since when has any of that actually happened in real life? The idea was just so overwhelming.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my throbbing temples. Then I was startled out of my thoughts by a sound so soft, I almost didn't here it.

"Lily...you awake?" Laney whispered from across the room.

Sitting up, I turned on the lamp beside me and looked at my cousin through sleepy eyes. "Yeah," I sighed with a yawn, "What's wrong Soldier?"

Laney looked down and started tracing the stitching of her comforter. "I can't sleep. I was thinking."

Crawling out of bed, I went over and sat next to her. "About what?" I asked, brushing her hair behind her ear.

Suddenly, she looked up, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you Lily!" she cried, "You're going away, and you'll forget all about me. And then I'll be all alone."

I pulled her into my arms and tears trickled down her cheeks. Between the shock of finding out that I was a witch, and the happiness that I might actually be getting another chance at life, I had forgotten all about Laney. She was so little...what would she do without me? I had always been there for her, through thick and thin, and now she would just be loosing another person she loved.

"You're right babe," I muttered sadly into her hair, "maybe I should just tell Hagrid that I don't want to go---"

"No!" Laney protested suddenly, "I…I want you to go."

When she saw my confused look, she continued, "You should go. You're supposed to, I know it. And then, maybe, I'm a witch too, and when I'm as old as you, I can go to Hogwarts too!"

I smiled at her. Laney always was looking on the Brightside of everything that came her way. I admired her for that. I was still worried about her, but then, I got an idea.

"How about this Lane: I promise that if I go to Hogwarts, I'll write to you every week."

Her face lit up faster than a Christmas tree. "Really! And you'll tell me all about it! You promise?"

"Yep," I agreed, "but you have to promise me something too."

"What?" she asked, her face dropping a bit.

"I want you to stay close to Liza, and don't get into any trouble with Jake, or Petunia, or any of their friends, or Kerri, got it?" I explained.

"Sure! But even if I did, I could take 'em," she boasted, waving her fists wildly until she accidentally fell over onto her pillows, making me laugh quietly.

"I'd be just like you; you're so brave!" she added, clambering back onto my lap.

With a smile, I told her, "Well don't go picking fights with people so you can show off. I'm only brave when I have to be."

After a moment of silence, she tugged on my sleeve. "You know what?" she whispered secretly.

"What?" I whispered back.

"I'm not scared of them."

"Why is that?"

"Cause..." she paused, "they'll be even scareder that I'll tell you. You can turn them into frogs!"

We both giggled at that, and I got up to tuck her in. Getting back in bed, I leaned over to turn off the lamp.

"Night, Soldier."

The next morning, we were all sitting around the table at breakfast. Well…most of us were anyway. Since we didn't have any big enough chairs, and he was so tall to begin with, Hagrid was actually sitting on the floor. My dad was a little concerned about that.

"But are you sure---", Dad tried.

"I told yeh, I'm fine!' Hagrid continued stubbornly.

"But I insist---"

Dad was cut off by a high pitched yell from my dear stepmother. The cause, of course, was the barn owl that just swooped through the mahogany French window and was now perched quite comfortably in Kerri's hair.

"Get it out! Get it out!" she wailed, waving her arms wildly and scarring the poor bird.

"Hold still," Hagrid urged as he waved a massive hand at the owl, "Come 'ere you ruddy thing."

The owl hopped across the table and gave Hagrid his letter, leaving as quickly as it had come. Hagrid read it quickly, a look of worry crossing his face as his beady eyes skimmed back and forth.

"Oh dear…one o' the threstrals is ill…" he mumbled.

"One of the what?" Jake asked rudely.

"Threstrals. They pull the carriages at Hogwarts."

Then he turned away from Jake, who apparently didn't like being talked to like a two year old, being told that two plus two equaled four, and looked at me.

He continued, "Steel, one o' the main pullers, he won't let nobody near 'im but me. And he's really sick, so if he don't get help soon…"

"Well then Hagrid, you have to go back!" I insisted sincerely.

Hagrid looked torn between doing just that and what his conscience told him to do. "But what about your books?" he moaned, putting a hand over his eyes.

Dad looked at us with a look that he usually reserved for board meetings. "I'm sure we can work something out," he proposed, "Why can't Liza or I just take her?"

Hagrid shook his shaggy head. "Muggles can't open the gate ter the Alley, an' Lily don't have a wand yet. Besides, yeh don't have the right money, an' yeh don't know where to go, an' all that…"

I spoke up again, sounding remarkably like my dad. "Well, how about you take me Hagrid, show me around, tell me what I need to do and such, and then go back to Hogwarts. I'm sure Dad or Liza can give me a ride home later this afternoon."

He sat there and thought for a minute. "Well, if it's all right with yer dad…"

So I looked pleadingly between Dad and Liza.

"Why not?" he agreed, chuckling as I shot into his arms for a hug.

So, about an hour, a long (stressful) train ride, and a bag bursting with more money from Dad than I thought necessary later, Hagrid and I were in the middle of London, standing in front of a small pub that no one else appeared to see called The Leaky Caldron.

"This is it?" I asked, taking in the pub's cramped appearance and peeling black paint.

Hagrid gave me a secretive smile. "You'll see. Things ain't always what they seem."

Still a little unsure, I followed Hagrid inside. I took in the pub through the smoky haze of air. All sorts of people were sitting around the tables, and there was a friendly, family- like atmosphere that was hard to find almost anywhere else. I decided then and there that I liked the Leaky Caldron.

"Hello, Hagrid!" a voice called from somewhere across the room.

"Hello, Tom! How've you been?" Hagrid returned.

I turned to see that he was talking to the old bartender, who couldn't have more than three teeth left in his mouth, but was nonetheless grinning brightly.

"Can't complain. The usual, I gather?"

Hagrid shook his head a bit reluctantly. "Nah, I best be off. Hogwarts business, yeh know."

Tom nodded sympathetically and waved us off as a pair of hags walked up to the bar, and Hagrid led me away toward the back of the room.

We were in what looked like a closed off courtyard, with old red brick walls on each side of us and an old rubbish bin as our only companion. I looked to Hagrid for some sort of explanation, only to find him staring at the mall and muttering to himself.

"…left then up…nah…it's down then right…nah, that isn't it neither…why can't I ever remember that ruddy pattern?"

Eventually, he must have found out what he'd wanted, because he whipped out his umbrella and started tapping bricks on the wall. Things were getting stranger by the minute.

"Hagrid are you sur---oh my…" I trailed off. The wall had opened.

It had just opened, like a door…a solid brick wall. I was completely floored.

Hagrid winked at me. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, Lily," he said softly, giving me a little nudge forward. We walked a little bit down the cobblestone road, Hagrid mentioning things here and there while I tried to soak everything in.

Soon, we were at the steps of a huge white building. I looked over at a small brass sign next to the bottom step. "Gringotts," I read aloud.

Hagrid nodded. "Yep. That's Gringotts, the wizard's bank. An' you'd be mad ter try an' rob the place."

Together, we trotted up to a pair of bronze doors guarded by a…I didn't really know what it was. The creature was shorter than me, with very long fingers and feet, and a pointed, clever face, wearing a suit of gold and scarlet.

It bowed to us as we walked through the doors, and as soon as we were out of earshot, I hissed, "What was that thing, Hagrid?"

Another one of Hagrid's little grins appeared as he explained, "Tha' thing would be a goblin."

My eyes widened. "A goblin!"

"Aye. Clever little buggers. Yeh never want ter get on their bad side, if yeh can help it. They can hold a grudge, that's for sure."

We quieted as we approached a new set of goblins standing in front of a pair of silver doors. There was an inscription on them that read:

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.

The warning sent shivers down my spine as the two of us walked through the doors and into a giant marble hall. It was bustling with witches and wizards walking about, led by goblins through the many doors leading off the hall, while other goblins sat at tall counters, weighing bags of coins and sparkling gems.

I followed as Hagrid trudged over to a desk marked: EXCHANGE. The goblin sitting there was scribbling so furiously in a ledger that ink had splattered all over his long nose. He didn't even notice us standing there.

So Hagrid cleared his throat—loudly. The goblin didn't look up.

Hagrid cleared his throat again, and still got no reply from the goblin. He tried again, and by the fourth time, the goblin looked up with an annoyed glare.

"Yes?" he spat.

For some reason, Hagrid grinned broadly at him. "Hullo. We'd like ter exchange this," Hagrid grabbed the money from me, "for normal money. Please," he added as an afterthought.

The goblin surveyed me strangely over his long nose. "Of course…Just a moment."

And with those long, sharp fingers of his, he snatched up the money and disappeared behind the counter. He popped up again in almost an instant, lugging with him a leather pouch bursting with gold, silver, and bronze coins.

"Your—money—sir," he panted as he pushed it toward us.

As I pocketed the heavy bag, Hagrid gave the goblin a quick nod of thanks, and we were on our way. Once we were out in the bright early afternoon sun again, Hagrid looked down and patted me on the shoulder in a fatherly way.

"Well Lily, I should be goin'. Have ter get ter Steel after all…"

"Of course," I agreed, nodding sincerely.

"But I have ter tell yeh one more thing. First, stay outta Knockturn Alley and places that lead off the main road here, they're no place for a girl like you ter be."

I just smiled at his protective tone and nodded for him to go on.

"And, I don't want you tellin' anyone that yer a muggle born, got it?" he whispered darkly.

"Why ever not?" I asked confusedly.

"Times are turnin' dark 'round here Lily," he explained, his voice dropping even lower, "People are talking about a war, and some nutter tha' calls himself Lord Voldemort…they, him an' his followers anyway, have this idea tha' pureblood witches an' wizards are better than mixed bloods. Stupid really, but dangerous all the same. Yeh don't know who to trust anymore. Please, just promise me Lily."

"I promise," I said softly, "Be careful on your way back, okay Hagrid?"

He smiled at me. "I will. Take care of yourself Lily. I'll see yeh at Hogwarts," he promised, giving me a hug before he turned and lumbered back off to the Leaky Caldron.

A cool breeze shattered the late summer heat, and I closed my eyes, letting it blow my hair over my face. It felt like a heavy weight was being lifted off my chest. For the next few hours at least, I was free to do whatever I wanted.

I pulled out my crumpled supply list and looked it over. The first thing I'd need was a wand. Remembering a wand shop that Hagrid had pointed out to me earlier, I stood up from the Gringotts step I had been sitting on and started making my way through the crowded street.

After a while, I was at the front door of Ollivander's, the wand maker's shop. Which, surprisingly, was empty.

A small bell tinkled above my head as I opened the door and stepped inside. The store was dark and dusty, and at first, I was afraid that no one was there.

"Hello?" I called, "Is anyone here?"

When I didn't get an answer, I turned and started examining some of the strange objects lining the walls.

"May I help you?" a voice suddenly asked behind me.

I spun around; startled to see a man of about forty, with eerie, dusty gray eyes peeking out from under his graying hair.

"Um…hello," I squeaked," I'd like to buy a wand."

"Well of course you do. Why else would you be in here on this fine summer day? First though, I need to know your name," he mentioned, pulling out a notebook and an eagle feather quill.

"Lily Evans."

Something flickered through his eyes—recognition, or approval perhaps—and he put the notebook down slowly.

"Ah…" he murmured, as if my name revealed a lot," Yes, Dumbledore has told me quite a bit about you Miss Evans."

I stayed quiet, a little shocked that this man already knew about me, and that Dumbledore had bothered to tell him.

"Indeed, you will do great things my dear. You have more power in your blood than you think. But first, I think we should get you a wand."

Nodding mutely, I did as he told and moved forward so that he could get my measurements. Once he scribbled them all down next to my name in his little notebook, Mr. Ollivander handed me a wand.

My fingertips barely brushed the polished oak handle however, when he yanked it away again, stuffing it back onto the shelf.

"Not right at all," he clucked.

I must have gone through a hundred wands when he finally approved of one.

"Excellent," he said as silvery mist danced out of the tip of the wand, "I should have known. Ten and a quarter inches, swishy, made of willow; very good for Charms. I daresay that it will serve you well."

I smiled shyly. "Thank you, sir. How much do I owe you?'

After paying him seven gold coins (which he explained to me were Galleons), I exited the shop and headed off to buy the rest of my things.

By four o'clock, I was laden down with packages, though the money bag in my pocket was a lot lighter than when it started. In addition to all the things I needed, I also bought some fascinating books I found at Flourish and Blotts, and a beautiful snowy owl with a crescent moon shaped gray spot on her wing that I named Artemis. Now all I had to do was buy my robes.

Once I pushed through the crowd, I was able to get into Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. I was lucky it was getting late—most people were outside the shops chattering with their friends, having an early dinner at the Leaky Caldron, or getting ready to go home, so this shop wasn't crowded at all. In fact, the only other customer at the moment, an elderly witch with her gray hair pulled back in a bun, was gathering her purchases and leaving.

Madame Malkin, a short, plump, but friendly looking woman who couldn't be a day over twenty-one walked up to me.

"Hogwarts honey?" she asked.

"Yes," I confirmed.

She nodded and suggested, "Why don't you set your things down their by the counter and go stand on one of the footstools? I'll be with you in just a minute."

With that, she disappeared to the back of the store, and I did as I was asked. She was at my side again a moment later with a black robe slung over her arm and a measuring tape around her neck, pin cushion in hand.

She slipped the robe over my head and gapped. It was huge on me.

"That's my smallest size too! You're the smallest girl I've seen in a while. Dear, what have you been eating?"

Not much, thanks to Kerri.

I blushed and looked down, fingering the black material nervously.

"No matter," she sighed, looking me over, "I can fix it, but it'll take a while. Do you mind?"

"Oh no," I assured her, "Take your time."

She smiled tiredly at me, and began using pins to hem up the robe. As she worked, I turned my head and looked out the window, hearing faint music and clapping.

I was surprised to see a girl who must have been my age in a torn purple skirt, a white peasant top that showed her flat stomach, gold bracelets and anklets, and no shoes, dancing to music played by two men and a woman sitting behind her. A hat with a few Knuts in it was resting at her feet and four little girls were running around in between them.

Madame Malkin shook me out of my thoughts as she pulled the robe over my head and said, "Okay dear, you can hop down now."

"Madame Malkin?" I asked, stepping off the footstool, still staring out the window.

"Hmm?"

"Who are they?"

The seamstress looked up and followed my gaze to the dancing girl. A frown of pity came over her face.

"Oh, those are some of the gypsies my dear."

I raised my eyebrows. I didn't know gypsies were still around. "Gypsies? Really?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. Poor things, usually great minds, but people just refuse to accept them, just because they're a bit different. It's sad, really, it is. They're around here a lot; performing is about all they can do to make money, not that they make much anymore. I try to help them as much I can, but one person's help only goes so far…" she explained.

The information washed over me like a tidal wave. Gypsies, unlucky witches and wizards who were so poor they had to perform in the streets to make a living. From the way Madam Malkin said it, I supposed they went to Hogwarts themselves, as long as they could save up the money. How could people be so cruel to those different from them? But then I got an idea.

"Madame Malkin?" I asked again.

"Yes, dear?"

"Would you mind if I paid for the robes now, and left my things here while you fixed them, and then I could come back to pick everything up later? I'd like to walk around the Alley a bit more."

She smiled and shook her head, "Of course I don't mind. No one comes in around this time anyway. It'll be fifteen sickles for the lot."

I handed her the money and strolled out the door, heading toward the small knot of people near the gypsies. As I wound my way through the crowd toward the front, I caught pieces of people's conversations.

"…Diagon Alley must be sliding, I mean really, gypsies…?"

"…What do they think they're playing at?"

"…How can they treat that poor girl like that? She can't be more than eleven…"

"…I heard that someone called Capitan Nichols. He's the best Head Auror they've had in years, I'm sure he'll take care of them…"

By some miracle, I made it to the front. I was sure of it now; the girl was my age, even though she was an inch or two taller. She was a wonderful dancer, and very pretty too. Unlike her companions, whose skin was deeply tanned from all the time they must have spent out in the sun, her mocha skin was almost as pale as mine, and she seemed a little uncomfortable in the late day sun. Her raven black hair had a slight wave to it, and was even longer than mine, and I found myself jealous of her round, amethyst colored eyes.

Despite not having shoes, the sun shining right in their faces, and the rude things people were saying about them, the group seemed genuinely happy. But it still bothered me that all they got for their hard work was a couple of Knuts.

The girls watched me as I walked confidently right up to them, pulling out my money pouch and ignoring the whispers of the outraged crowd. Then, I shocked everyone when I dumped the whole bag, Galleons and all, into the gypsy's hat.

Astonished, the girl stopped dancing and stared open-mouthed at all the gold and silver shimmering up at her from the hat. It was probably the most money she had seen at one time since, well…ever.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet mine and thanked sincerely, "Thank you so much. We'll always be greatfu—"

"ADARA!" a tall, tanned man who must have been another gypsy shouted, making the girl look up.

"We have to go!" he continued hoarsely," He's coming!"

Now wide eyed, the girl scrambled to grab the money and the four little girls' hands at the same time, rushing away with the other gypsies as loud pops could be heard on the other side of the crowd.

I wanted to talk to her, so being sure to stay out of sight, I followed them as they disappeared around a corner.

We ran through a series of narrow alleys and roads when they vanished around a sharp turn.

Expecting to find them, I was stunned to see that I was alone in an empty, crumbling old courtyard. There wasn't a single sign of them. I sighed disappointedly and walked over to the dried up stone fountain, running my fingers over the wings of the angel statue in the center of it. I'd probably never see them again.

Halfheartedly, I turned around and made my way back towards Madame Malkin's.

A/N: Yeah…that's it. Did it suck as much as I think it did? I hope not. Wouldn't want to disappoint you twice in a row. Sigh. Anyways, to clear a little thing up real fast, the reason Hagrid wasn't too afraid to say Voldemort's name was because he's not that powerful yet. Nobody's like terrified of him because he's not as well known yet, he's just starting out. Sigh. Depressed. Send me some nice reviews and cheer me up. :)

Reviews:

Yazmari: Sorry I disappointed you with that one. This one's better…I hope. Thanks for giving your input.

MysterySilk: Thanks. Sorry the update came so late. I hope this cleared things up about Laney, at least a little.

MagikMischiefMaker: Thanks. I was wondering if anyone would actually like that idea. And nah, coffee doesn't like me, and I don't like coffee. :)

Boiz9: Thanks. Here's the update!

The all mighty and powerfulM: Yeah, I love Hagrid too. :) Now you know how I'm dealing with Laney…for now. :insert evil laugh here:

Eliot Z. Wheatherbee: Gee thanks. If I can ask, is there anything you liked about my story? I don't mind criticism, but I like hearing good stuff along with the bad.

Ix3Siri: Here's the update, hope you like it!

LadyElla64: Sorry, didn't mean to disappoint you. Hope you liked this one better.

Daramalan rox: Thanks. Keep reading and I'll keep writing. :)

Orietta-Rose: Sorry this took so long. Haven't been having the best of school years…did you like the chapter? Let me know:)

READ&REVIEW!

Shannon