Chapter 9 – Diagon Alley.
Lily stepped into the fireplace in the ballroom of James's house and shouted "The leaky Cauldron." Lily could now feel herself spinning quickly while she had her eyes shut tight. It was the first time Lily had used the flow network, since her own house wasn't attached to the network. But Lily did know that she ultimately preferred using the train to get to Diagon alley. Soon enough Lily's feet hit the ground as she fell out of the fireplace in the Leaky Caldron.
Brushing herself down and looking up Lily could see James standing there waiting for Lily, who quickly pulled her out of the way as Sirius came tumbling out of the fireplace, and fell to the floor, soot going everywhere.
"I always like to make a more dramatic entrance." Sirius said this as he got up and started dusting the soot off his jeans and looking around the old pub. In the far corner was an old witch with a black travelling cloak on, her face was hidden from view, looking extremely mysterious and taking a sip out of her glass. At the bar a man with bright green robes, and a green bowler hat was cheerfully ordering drinks from Tom the toothless bar tender. Then at a little table by the window was Remus Lupin sitting down and waving at his two friends who had just entered the pub.
Sirius and James went bounding over to Remus with large smiles on their faces, while Lily once again felt awkward, she had spoken to Remus once or twice in charms class, but not nearly enough to claim to be friends with him. At that moment Lily was feeling an intruder in a tight friendship group. So instead of rushing over like James and Sirius Lily took a slower approach.
"Ahh I thought for a minute you weren't going to join us." Sirius said as Lily reached the group.
"Hey Remus." Lily said ignoring Sirius's last comment, and looking over to Remus who looked warn down and tired.
"Hi Lily, how's you? How you coping with these two berks?" Remus asked pointing at both James and Sirius as he got up from his seat.
"I'm not to bad, I think I am just about coping with them, nice to see another sensible person though." Lily smiled as James and Sirius let out mock outrage.
"That's unfair!" Sirius claimed giving slight evils at Lily, before mock storming off to the courtyard, in what looked like more of a strut to Lily, then a walk.
Once all three were out in the courtyard James pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks on the wall in a sequence and then the wall transformed into a brick alleyway that allowed the group to enter Diagon Alley.
The three boys started walking down the street towards Gringrotts the Wizards Bank chatting about their summers between them, while Lily walked next to James quietly, feeling once again feeling an intruder, and instead of paying attention to the conversation Lily was looking around the street, taking in the window displays of the shops that they passed.
After filling up their money bags the four reappeared in the street and Lily followed the boys towards Quality Quidditch Supplies engrossed in her own thoughts looking at the families all around her, and looking at young children running down the street then back to their parents again.
"Hey earth to Lily." James was waving a hand in front of Lily's face with a wide smile on his face and snapping Lily back to reality.
"What?" Lily asked facing James, James just rolled his eyes at the look of loss on Lily's face and walked silently with Lily as they reached the shop.
"Umm I'll leave you guys to the Quidditch I'm just gonna pop into that shop over there." Lily said turning away from the looks of wonder from the three guys, as she walked away.
"I'll meet you back here in a bit. I'm gonna go and see what's wrong with Lils." James said with a concerned look on his face and rushing to catch up with Lily as Sirius and Remus walked into Quality Quidditch Supplies where they could easily spend the next hour looking over all the latest products.
"Hey Lils wait up." James called as Lily walked straight past the shop she was intending to go into and instead sat down on a bench. "Lilly what's wrong?" James asked taking a seat next to Lily who was watching him as he took a seat.
"Oh nothing I was just giving you three some time to yourselves." Lily said plainly looking away from James and at the shop opposite.
"Lils, there's no need to feel awkward around them, Remus was asking you questions but you were too much in your own little world to hear him. Plus I think you fit right in with your sense of humour." James laughed still looking at Lily.
"Oh I guess, I guess I didn't hear him call my name." Lily blushed slightly at her stupidity looking down at her hands.
"Besides you may as well get used to Money now your gonna be spending a lot of time with him as he made prefect too." James smiled now looking over at the Quidditch shop that he was dieing to enter but knew that he needed to set Lily straight first.
"I guess your right, I just kindda felt like an intruder. But then I guess if I hadn't switched off I would have noticed that they were trying to actually talk to me." Lily laughed following James's eyes and smiled getting up from the bench and holding out her hand for James to take.
Just as James took Lily's hand smiling as she started to lead him towards the Quidditch store, he heard his name being yelled.
"James!" Yelled a voice from the crowds of people. Just as James recognised the voice and was tempted to drag Lily and hide in the nearest shop until the person had disappeared. Letting go of Lily's hand rather reluctantly he turned round and saw Kate; she was looking from Lily to James with her crystal blue eyes.
"I haven't heard from you all summer, I was getting worried." Kate was talking directly towards James and acting like Lily was just a bench at the side of the street.
"I'm sorry it's just I've been really busy. You know with Quidditch and all that." James was looking at Kate with his hands now in his jeans, unaware of the two boys looking through the window of the shop they were in, deciding if they should go and help out their mate from the predicament that he seemed to have gotten himself into.
"Well how about we go and get an ice cream together now? My friends are their two, I can't see your friends anywhere" Kate tossed her blond hair behind her shoulders taking a look along the street, then walking over and linking her arm through his.
"I'm sorry Kate but, I can't leave Lily here by herself." James looked at Lily who was looking at the pair of them with a fleeting feeling that she wanted to hurt Kate right there right then, for making her feel so awkward, and stupid.
"I'm sure she won't mind will you? It's not like she not used to being alone." She looked over to Lily with cold eyes, as if daring Lily to say no. The words hit Lily like a slap in the face, it was true she was used to being alone but over the past few weeks Lily had never felt so alone as she did at that moment in time. In her mind Lily wanted to say no I do mind, why should I be left standing alone like always. But Lily didn't much feel like a confrontation at the present moment in time, with one of the most popular girls in school.
"No not at all." Lily replied in soft voice and went to walk away when she saw Remus and Sirius coming over out of the corner of her eye.
Joining the three of them Sirius walked over to Lily and put his arm protectively around her shoulders, and looked at Kate with anger and disgust. This had shocked Lily never would she have thought that Sirius and Remus would stand up for her. In fact Lily wasn't used to anyone standing up for her other then Isabel.
"Oh Sirius, I didn't see you over there, why don't you and Remus come with us, Michelle and Laura are up at Ice cream parlour too." Kate smiled a wide smile at them, which to her dismay neither returned.
"I'm sorry Kate, but I am other wise engaged talking to the lovely Lily here."
Kate stood there shock now etched in her blue eyes, tossing her blond hair behind her shoulders once again, and putting a hand on her hips she rounded on Sirius.
"You are telling me that you find a little lowly, ugly, scrawny, freak, who has no friends more interesting to talk to. You can tell by the look on her face she doesn't even know why your there!" Kate was pointing a perfectly manicured finger towards Lily as she raved on about her thoughts.
Lily had taken to looking at the pebble ground, tears welling up in her eyes. Everything Kate had just said in Lily's mind was true, she didn't have any friends other then Isabel, and you had heard herself being called a freak so often that she had started to wonder if it was indeed true, as for looking ugly Lily knew that was a little harsh, she wouldn't call herself ugly but she wouldn't call herself beautiful either, more of a happy in-between. From looking down at the ground Lily hadn't seen James jump away from Kate either and stand on the opposite side Sirius, nor had Lily seen the now furious looks on each of the three boys faces.
"You know Kate I think I'd rather eat my own fist then be anywhere near you, you know nothing about people's feelings, and know nothing about any of us." James had said this slowly and clearly to make sure that Kate had got every single word of it.
"Oh and I also think that means your dumped. I believe the giant squid has more feelings then you will ever have." Sirius ended as Kate threw dagger looks at Lily.
"I dunno why your looking like that at Lily, it you who's the stuck up, damn right unfeeling one not her." Remus said as Kate took one last look that the four of them and stormed up the high street.
Lily felt touched that the three boys who had only known her for a few weeks had just stood up and defended her against one of the popular girls at school. It shocked her and scared her in another way though, did this mean that she was now friends with the famous maunderous? It hadn't occurred to Lily before then that she had become proper friends with them, Lily believed that once the summer holidays ended next week that the three of them would join their fourth and then forget she ever existed, maybe say hello in the hall but that would be it. And in the back of Lily's mind that's exactly what she wanted. Lily wasn't sure if she wanted to be in the line light, if she wanted for people to start noticing her.
"Hey Lils you alright, I can't believe that Bitch." Sirius said this with his protective arm still around Lily and now looking at the vulnerable person his arm was around.
"Yeah I'm fine, thanks…I'm not in the mood for shopping anymore I think I might just head off home instead." Lily said softly removing Sirius's shoulder from around her arm and started walking up the street.
"Oh no you don't." Remus had pulled Lily back now looking at her as she looked up with shock in her eyes.
"Your not going home and thinking what she said was right." Remus said this a strict look in his eyes.
"She's just jealous cos you have everything she doesn't, plus your friends with the most hansom person in Hogwarts!" Sirius said looking up the street.
"I know, how about we grab the books we need and head back to mine, in sure we can find cause for cheer, and you haven't seen the games room yet." James smiled guiding Lily over to Florish and Blotts with a protective arm around her shoulder not taking no for an answer.
Thirty minutes later and the four of them were standing in the ballroom of the Potters Mansion holding onto their newly purchased books. Since the confrontation in Diagon Alley Lily had hardly said a word, the person who she really wanted to speak to, she couldn't. Lily wouldn't be seeing Isabel until next week when they all go back to Hogwarts.
"Come on Moony, let's grab some snacks and drinks and meet them in the games room." Sirius said walking over to the kitchen. Remus quickly picking up that Sirius wanted to give Lily and James time to talk followed Sirius.
"Lils," James started looking at Lily.
"Look James I'm fine, really it's nothing." Lily said this looking at the kitchen door wishing that she were in there getting the snacks and not being confronted about her feelings. For the first time, Lily didn't want to open up to James; she didn't want him to know what she was feeling.
"Lily you're not fine, you haven't said anything since, well, since we bumped into Kate." James was determinedly still looking at Lily.
"It's nothing, that I can't handle, or haven't already heard before!" Lily said this taking in a deep breath, she knew that James wasn't going to let it drop, but Lily was hoping if she kept stalling James would eventually give up for the day.
"Lily we both know its nothing, and I've got a pretty good idea I know what it is, and as your not going to say it shall I?" James exclaimed now loosing his patience, Lily looked shocked for a moment, starting to loose her own patience.
Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Why should he be the one loosing his patience? It wasn't him that was stuck in a predicament. It wasn't him that was having their whole world changed around them without even knowing it, or without even having the chance to say if they wanted their world to change or not.
"You know what why don't you just tell me what your little theory is! Mr I know it all!" Lily had now raised her voice loosing her temper.
"Well this Mr Know it all thinks that your scared, yeah that's right scared, because you realised today you have other people other then Issy who are gonna help you out, and stand up for you. Scared because you're so used to being alone and not having more then one close friend. Scared because your whole world is changing, for the better." James raised his voice back at Lily who was standing in front of James with anger in her eyes and looking at James with evils. But James knew that Lily wasn't really that angry, she was just upset and hurt, wanting to take out the pain on someone else.
"Oh is that so, your trying to tell me that I'm too scared to have friends, well I'll tell you what I can stand up for myself I don't need you lot to protect me, I DON'T NEED ANYONE TO PROTECT ME." Lily finally yelled before collapsing onto the floor in tears. Instantly James sank down onto the floor next to her and went to put his arm around her shoulder.
"No, leave me alone, I don't want anybody else." Lily said this softly her red hair mixing with her tears.
"Lils you can't shut people out of your life forever. You've got three people here who want to be your friends who want to be there for you, but you have got to let us. I promise I'm not going to leave or hurt you ever." James said this softly looking into Lily's bright green eyes that were full of sorrow.
"But how can you promise me that, who knows what's going to happen?"
"Look Lily I won't hurt you intentionally ever, and nor am I intentionally ever going to leave you. But if you let me I'll be your friend, to be here for you." James softly replied as Lily just shock her head and James pulled Lily into a hug as she sobbed into his shoulder soaking his pale blue t-shirt that he was wearing.
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Hey! Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad your enjoying it, and I'm sorry this chapters another sad sort of one. But I promise the next couple are happy ones!