A/N: This chapter and the next aren't really important, but James, Lily, and Sirius meet for the first time in these two chapters so if you want to you can just read bits and pieces of it. The next chapter and this one are practically the same just that this one's from Lily's point of view and the next one is from James' point of view. After this, I'll be putting them together because they'll be in Hogwarts. Thanks for the reviews!
*
"Hurry up, Mum! If we miss the Underground, then we'll have to walk to the Leaky Cauldron, and I don't fancy walking in this rainy weather!" yelled Lily, beginning to panic.
It was 9 o' clock in the morning, that rainy Sunday, the 10th of July. Lily had, ever since she started 3rd Grade, bought her school supplies on this date. She had always liked the 10th of July, especially since it had been her grandfather's birthday. Mr. Jonathon Andrew Ross had been her mother's father, and Lily always looked up to him. He was always the one who bought the best birthday present for her, who came to cheer at all of her soccer games when he was in town until he became sick, and who always treated her like a 'young lady' instead of a child. The bond between granddaughter and grandfather was so strong that people called them the 'Dynamic Duo' of the Evans-Ross family tree. But, sadly, this was all before her grandfather passed away, three years ago. Ever since then, Lily honored his birthday buy doing her fifth favorite thing in the world on that precise date – buying school supplies.
Now, however, Lily didn't feel as happy. To buy her school supplies, she couldn't go to just any bookstore. She had to go to a café in downtown London called the Leaky Cauldron. Usually it was a 20-minute drive, but in this weather… The sound of her sister's prim voice telling her off was the next thing that made her angry.
"Don't rush her, Liliane. Let Mother take her time. She has more important things to see to rather than you and your needs," said Petunia with a nasty smile.
Lily hated being called 'Liliane'. When it was written on paper, she thought of it as an eyesore, and her sense of music was so sharp that hearing it out loud reminded her of nails on a chalkboard. Lily narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth as if to retaliate, but then thought better of it and shut it again. She contented herself with clicking her fingernails against the glass tabletop to match the song she had been learning to play on the keyboard, and tapping her foot in rhythm against the hardwood floor.
"Oh, Liliane! Stop making that racket! What do you think you are doing?" exclaimed her sister, shuddering.
"I'm not Liliane, I'm Lily! And I'm not making a racket. I'm just practicing my piano skills. You need to get your sense of sound straightened out." Lily grumbled. Petunia just didn't understand the beauty of music. And her sense of color was messed up too. Lily remembered only too well the day when the painting of the walls in their house finished. Petunia's had been painted a pale shade of lilac, whereas Lily's was nearly every color of the rainbow.
The first thing Petunia had said when she walked into her sister's room was, "Mum, are the painters colorblind? Or did Lily try to mess up their work?"
"Are you ready, girls?"
Lily jumped, suddenly bumping down to reality. Her mother was finally ready.
"Oh, yes, of course. I'm ready, but Liliane isn't. She still has to practice her 'piano skills'," said Petunia.
"Oh shut up, Petunia. And stop calling me Liliane. I'm ready Mum. Can we go now?" asked Lily.
"Come on girls, we're taking the van, not the Underground. Well, hurry up now!" Mrs. Evans was getting unnecessarily annoyed.
*
A while later, the two sisters, and their mother were driving down the busy London streets. Lily pulled out her envelope again, and this time she saw two more pieces of parchment that she hadn't noticed before. One of them was her train ticket to Hogwarts, and the other was her list of school supplies. She had always looked forward to buying supplies for school, because it was the one rare occasion when her mother would let her buy new art supplies. However, when she opened it, she found that the list of supplies was not only emptied of her things, but in their places, it had been filled with a number of things that she had never known existed, let alone seen before. This is what she read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Mum? Can we find all these things in London? I never even knew that such things existed. We're supposed to have dragon hide gloves too. I thought dragons only existed in fairytales. Listen to this… 'All students should have a copy of each of the following… The Standard Book of Spells Grade One… A History of Magic… Magical Theory… A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration… What is Transfiguration anyway?" Lily asked doubtfully.
Looking back at her daughter through the rear-view-mirror, Mrs. Evans said in a manner that resembled a talking dictionary, "Well, the prefix 'trans' basically means 'from one thing to another', and the term 'figuration' probably has to do with an object, so Transfiguration must be the subject of changing something into something else… like when you read about witches changing people into frogs."
"Is Liliane going to change us all into frogs when she comes home for the summer? Maybe it isn't such a good idea to send her there for school," said Petunia slowly.
"Of course Lily is going to curse us like that! Are you Lils?" asked her mother confidently.
"Don't worry. I'm coming home with a bunch of spells to cast on Petunia so that she'll fall asleep and won't wake up until the bravest person in the world overcomes his fear of extremely stupid and annoying blondes who are named after flowers and who are extremely nosy and kisses her. Gosh, do you think I'm that dumb? I'm not stupid enough to waste seven years of education on someone who won't even appreciate it," said Lily.
"Mother, you need to inform Liliane on how unkind it is to use sarcasm when you are talking to a poor, sensitive girl whose feelings get hurt easily, like me," said Petunia.
Lily was so overtaken with laughter after hearing Petunia's plea for pity that even though she tried desperately to smother up her giggles, her mother sincerely began to worry about her.
"Oh, Lily, you aren't developing a cough, are you? I wouldn't want that to happen. Maybe we should go home?" her mother said, in an unsure tone.
"I'm fine. Really, I am. I guess I just got some dust in my throat, that's all," said Lily, furious that her mother should consider going back home. She convinced herself that she wasn't going to listen to whatever her sister said for the rest of her life…
*
About a half-hour later, the van was parked and the threesome got out. Or at least, two of them did.
"Um… Mother, maybe I should stay in the van, just in case. I mean, if there are witches and wizards in the bar, who knows whether they'll be tempted to turn our car into a giant amphibian?" said Petunia slowly.
"Oh don't be silly. They're not going to such a thing! Now get out of the van. Maybe we can buy something for you too…" said Mrs. Evans, who was close to laughing like her other daughter herself.
"Hey, what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Petunia said happily, jumping up. She had fallen for her mother's bait.
"Will she ever learn?" Lily asked her mother with a smile on her face. It looked like she would have fun shopping after all.
*
"Are you going to Hogwarts, young lady?" asked the bartender behind the counter.
"Yes, I am. Where am I supposed to buy my things?" asked Lily astounded. She had just walked into the tiniest of pubs, yet inside, it was bursting with activity. Witches and wizards were everywhere, ordering drinks, eating meals, talking and chatting away. Waiters and bartenders were working busily, trying to keep their customers happy. At the far back, an open door led to an empty courtyard.
"Go out to that courtyard. You'll see a garbage can there. Take out your wand, oh, but you won't be having one, will you now?" said the bartender, trying to balance a tray with glasses and a bottle of wine on his outstretched arm.
"No, I don't have one," said Lily. "Sorry about that," she added quickly.
"Oh, not at all! Here, come with me. I'll show you what you must do, and after you have your wand, you can do it by yourself. Come, now. Let me show you what to do."
"Um, okay then." The four of them walked out the door. The bartender, still carrying the tray, took out his wand, and tapped the bricks above the garbage can.
"Two up, and three across…" he mumbled to himself. "Okay now, stand back and watch!" The three ladies walked back and flattened themselves against the wall. Before their very eyes, the wall was melting away into the background. In its place, an archway stood. A sign saying "Welcome to Diagon Alley" was standing near the entrance.
"There you are! Now, off you trot."
Lily was astounded, not to say anything of her mother and her sister. The three walked in and stared. They found themselves in a bustling, cobbled street lined with stories upon stories of shops and buildings. At the very end was a large marble-white building. Walking towards it, they found that it was a wizarding bank by the name of Gringotts. Walking inside, they found everything to be made of shining white marble. Lines of goblins sat at desks, either examining jewels or writing up accounts. Lily, who started to feel confident when she realized that the goblins were nearly two feet shorter than she was, went straight up to one of the desks and spoke to the goblin seated there.
"Excuse me, Sir, but I was wondering if I would be able to exchange some of my money for yours," she said, since she wasn't sure what the terminology for wizarding money was.
"Just bang some Galleons on the counter and I'll give you some Sickles," said the goblin, without looking up. He had misunderstood and thought that she wanted change.
"Galleons? I don't think you understand. I need some wizarding money. Could you give me some for the pounds and shillings I have in my purse?" said Mrs. Evans, who had read the goblin's mind.
"Oh, I see. You're a Muggle, aren't you? Not to worry. I'll have someone get you an empty vault and explain to you about wizarding money, and then you can do the exchange," said the goblin, a little too fast for Lily to understand. While she was working out what he meant, she heard him call out, "Longnales!"
Longnales was the name of yet another goblin. The first one gave him directions and then the trio set off behind Longnales.
"Gringotts is the bank of the wizarding world. This is the safest place in the world for anything valuable. Now, wizarding money is pretty simple. You have golden Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts. Thirteen Knuts make a Sickle; seven of which make a Galleon. It's pretty simple. Now, I'm not quite sure, but I think one pound is equivalent to a little more than one galleon… I'll have to check my books to see. Ah, here we are. Vault 429 – this will be your vault from now on."
The party of four had traveled through winding, underground tunnels in what seemed to be a coal-cart. They traveled past lakes of ice, dripping stalactites and towering stalagmites to reach the vault.
"Oh, and of course, here is your vault key. Don't lose it, or you will not be able to access what you store in your vault. Oh, and I must tell you this. When you open an account at Gringotts, you get a…. Well, let's just call it a 'Welcome Loan'. We give you twenty Galleons, twenty Sickles, and fifty Knuts. You need not pay the money, but at the same time, you need not take it either. It can be asked for at any time. We also award you with ten Galleons for every year you keep your account. That's our way of giving you interest on your money. We'll go back up, now, shall we? I'll give you as much of the loan as you want now, and we'll transfer the rest to your vault after you leave. How does that sound?" said Longnales.
The two girls and their mother just nodded from their seats in the cart (they hadn't gotten out at all) and waited for the goblin to get back in and take them back. Finally, they reached the entrance hall. Brightly shining sunlight met their eyes as soon as they entered, and, for the first time since Lily had gotten her letter, she felt completely sure of herself and her actions.
"Okay, Dear, first things first," said Mrs. Evans as soon as they had left the bank. "We'll get your course books because those are the most important for your education, and then we'll get your uniform. After that, we'll see if we can get you an animal," said Mrs. Evans.
"What about me?" asked Petunia.
"We'll see about that. Oh, and I nearly forgot, we'll get your wand last," she added to Lily.
"Oh, okay. So, can we go now?" asked Lily, fighting back the urge to pull both of them towards the bookstore.
"Be patient, Liliane. You'll get what you want when you need it. Now be quiet!" said Petunia.
"Look who's talking!" she retaliated.
"You are! That's who!"
"What about you? I always thought that you thought the world revolved around you, and all of a sudden you're forgetting about yourself? Tsk, tsk, older sister of mine. You're losing your narcissism."
"You're flattering me…"
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I meant to accuse you."
"Oh, shut up Liliane!"
"Don't call me Liliane, you, you…"
"Girls, girls, please calm down! We must hurry if were going to be able to go home before Daddy comes home!" said Mrs. Evans, who was starting to get frustrated.
"Sorry, Mums. Look, there's the bookstore! Flourish and Blotts… I wonder if they'll have the books or if I'll have to look in another bookstore…" said Lily, who was starting to worry. Her mother told her to stop worrying. The three walked in, and sat down except for Lily, who walked straight up to the counter and rang the little bell. Almost immediately, a short, squat man appeared from a back door.
"Good heavens! Is it 10:30 already? Well come, child. I'll get you your books…. You are going to Hogwarts, aren't you? First year there?" asked the man who appeared.
"Yes it is… okay… um yes, this will be my first year," said Lily, who was slightly confused. She did notice, however, two black-haired boys who had just entered the bookstore. They seemed to be talking about her, but she didn't bother to find out, for the man had started to speak again.
"Then follow me." He started to walk along the numerous aisles of bookshelves, pulling the books off at random. He spoke while he did this, giving Lily briefing about each book and for what she would use it. She listened intently, but soon got bored, until something he said brought her back down to earth.
"A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration… as it says you'll use it for Transfiguration. It's a hard subject, but it is essential to your career as a witch. Transfiguration is the favorite subject of few, but those who enjoy it can become experts in that field. Ah, here's The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1. You'll use this for nearly every subject, especially Charms. Now, if there's one thing I enjoy, it's Charms. It is more enjoyable, especially when you start to learn how to change the appearance of objects. Okay, now this here is The History of Magic. As you can see, you will use it for your subject called History of Magic. Boring subject… but there you have it…" Lily was starting to feel that he was a bit boring too. But the man's next words brought her down from her thoughts with a slight bump. "The Dark Forces: A Guide blah, blah, blah… Ok, this is your Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Take good care of it, now; you never know when you might need it with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named lurking around. Take care of yourself young lady. You could be in extreme danger, for no other reason than your heritage. You were not born a wizard, but you are a Muggle-born, meaning you were not born with wizard blood, but you have been accepted for other reasons. The Dark Lord despises people like you, so be careful. Oh, but I'm not criticizing you and the rest of the Muggle world, I'm sorry if I offended you. Well, let's move on. Alright then, this is your Herbology textbook. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, by Phyllida Spore… she certainly is an amazing herbologist, if I do say so myself. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is one of the best textbooks about the amazing creatures of the wizarding world. Hippogriffs, flobberworms, nifflers… it's all in here. And finally, here's your last book. Magical Drafts and Potions is your Potions textbook. Creative name, isn't it? Anyway, you'll find all the recipes and formulas for numerous 'drafts and potions' as the title says. And I think that's it, don't you? That'll be seven Galleons and ten Sickles. Thank you, dear. See you next year."
"Oh, yeah, thanks. Um, bye…" said Lily, eager to leave, her hands burdened by the seven textbooks and the pile of parchment, bottles of ink, and quills she was holding. She shoved some of the gold she had gotten from the bank quickly into his hand and left, not even bothering to wait for her mum and sister. She noticed, however, that the two boys were still there. They actually bothered to wait for so long. Lily asked herself.
Mrs. Evans and Petunia rushed out after Lily, for they were also eager to leave; in Mrs. Evans case, it was due to her curiosity to see the rest of Diagon Alley, whereas in Petunia's case, it was due to the fact that she wanted to buy something for herself and then leave as soon as possible.
"Does anyone else think that the man in there was not quite alright in the head?" asked Lily uncertainly. When neither of the others answered, she just sighed and walked onwards to the store Longnales had told her would sell robes for school: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
Lily finally found the small shop. She walked in quietly. She was not sure whether she would find yet another strange person. She soon found out that there was no strange person in this store. There were two extremely talkative ladies. One of them looked like she had just graduated, whereas the other, who was no doubt Madam Malkin herself, was an old, wizened lady whose beady eyes took in everything that went on in her shop.
"Okay, stay calm. You're going to be a witch one day, too, so you had better get used to interacting with them…" Lily mumbled to herself. All in all, she felt apprehensive.
"Oh, a customer! You just step over onto the stool there, and I'll be with you in a second, ducks," said the teenage-looking lady. Lily had the impression that she felt close to all her customers, for soon, she had been called not only 'ducks' but also 'honey', 'chick', 'love', and 'sweetie'.
What the hell is this woman trying to do? I'm not a baby; I'm an eleven-year-old for Heaven's sake! Lily thought to herself. While such thoughts raced through her mind, she spied another black-haired boy walk in. What is it with boys and black hair? They keep turning up all over the place. Or is this the same person? No, it can't be. He looks to evil. But then, those other two had identical evil grins too… Lily was lost in her thoughts until the teenage lady told her that she was done. As she had so many times that same day, Lily jumped as she snapped back to reality. Except this time, when she jumped, she landed with a nasty bump on the floor. Red-faced, she thanked the lady, paid her, and grabbed her new robes, hat, gloves, and cloak and ran out. As she ran, she collided with two people. Looking back, she saw that they were the same two that had been in Flourish and Blotts when she was getting her books. Those guys are really weird… They aren't following me, are they? She quickly turned back around and left, her mother and sister close behind. Both of them felt inclined to laugh at Lily, but by looking at her face, they thought better of it and avoided their chosen reaction.
"Where do we go now?" asked Lily, trying her best to come down after her embarrassing encounter.
"It's getting pretty late, so let's take a lunch break, shall we? We can get your animal later," said Mrs. Evans.
"What! But… but… why can't I get it now? Is it alright if I go and get it on my own?" she asked hopefully.
"Oh, alright then. Petunia and I will go and get some lunch, and you go find your pet store."
"Thanks, Mum!" yelled Lily, as she ran in the opposite direction.
*
Twenty minutes later, Lily was bent over double, panting from running everywhere. She had looked nearly everywhere in Diagon Alley, but she could not find a pet store anywhere. As she slowly regained her breath, she looked around. This isn't a pet store; it's Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor! I wouldn't mind buying an ice now, but I need to get my animal… Sighing, she walked onwards, reading the names of the stores as she passed them. Wow… Florean Fortescue's takes up nearly two times the space as Madam Malkin's did. Okay here's the next building… or shop, whatever. It looks like everything's just a continuous flow. You can't tell where one store ends and the next one starts. What's this one called? I can barely read it… Is that an e or an o? Ee… ee… Eeylops Eye Emporium. I mean Eeylops Owl Emporium. I really need to get glasses.
"Wait a minute!" Lily yelled out loud. A couple of witches nearby started staring at her, but she didn't notice, as she hadn't even realized that she suddenly shouted out when nothing but air was in front of her.
"If this is an 'owl emporium', I can get an owl from here!" she said happily.
"Well, well, well, aren't you a genius?" said an oily voice from behind her. Spinning around, which made her a little dizzy; she saw that it was yet another black-haired boy. No, actually it wasn't. It was the one who had been waiting his turn in the robes store; or was it the bookstore. No, it was definitely the robes store. There was more than one in the bookshop. From up close, he looked even more evil than she had presumed. Yet there was something in his eyes, was it fear? Or was it anticipation? Whatever it was, Lily was sure that he hadn't been complimenting her when he had spoken out of the blue.
"What do you want?" she asked, in as brave a tone as she could manage.
"I don't want anything from you, my sweet little Muggle girl," he replied. His hair looked as though it had been shampooed with a bucket of grease, and his clothes hung loosely on his skinny figure. His nose was hooked and it reminded Lily of her sister's eyelash curler thing. She didn't know exactly what it was called since she never bothered to use one.
Narrowing her eyes, she snapped back, "Don't call me sweet. And if you don't want anything, then get lost, before I make you." Lily didn't know why, but she didn't like the look of this boy at all. He made her feel strangely self-conscious and the sarcasm in his voice made her fell just a little scared. The boy grinned evilly and turned on his heel. Walking slowly, he continued on his way down the street. Lily watched him go until he was swallowed up by the enormous crowd. Sighing, she walked through the double-doors of the pet store.
"H-h-hello?" she asked uncertainly. "I've come to get an owl. Or I could get a cat, or a toad, I'm not particular."
"Hmm… you're a Muggle, aren't you?" said the shopkeeper. Seeing the troubled look on Lily's face, she said, "Now don't worry, I'm not trying to insult you. I was just going to tell you that if you don't mind spending a bit more money than you would for a toad, that an owl would be the best pet in the world. They make very loyal pets, and they are extremely clever as well. And they even carry your mail. Kind of like, what is it you Muggles used to use? Oh yes, carrier pigeons. They are like carrier pigeons, except that they are bigger so they can carry larger packages, and they are much, much faster. I have seen owls that carry letters half-way around the world in a single day." This seemed to make Lily cheer up a lot.
"Okay… how much would an owl be? Oh! And would I be able to choose what owl I would like? I mean, I read about owls when I was learning about nocturnal animals in second grade, and there are supposed to be many different types of owls, aren't there?" she said excitedly.
"Yes, there are. And you're a very clever young lady. Here, we have barn owls, eagle owls, snowy owls, burrowing owls, great horned owls, grass owls, little scops, and even the tiny pygmies. Which would you like?" said the woman.
"Oh, well, I'm not sure, actually. Pygmies are cute, but are they reliable enough? Burrowing owls would be big enough I suppose, but I want my letters to reach me and not the bones my dog has buried in the backyard. I guess I'd like just a plain old barn owl," said Lily.
"Alright, you can stay here for a minute or two, and I'll come back with your owl." The man left out of one of the doors at the end of the room, and Lily sat down, waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Finally, the man burst through the door, with a golden cage in hand. Inside, a brown-feathered owl stood, sleeping.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, running up to the man. Thanking him, she paid him and walked out with her new pet.
"Mum, look at the owl I bought! Isn't he just the prettiest little thing you've ever seen?" Lily asked her mother when she found them again.
"Mother, why does Liliane get so many things when I don't?" asked Petunia.
"Oh, stop squabbling, Petunia! You'll get your turn. You never like buying your school supplies a month ahead, which is why you haven't got any new things yet. I'm sure we'll end up going on August 31st, the day before Little Whinging High School opens for school!"
Grumpy, as usual, Petunia sat down on the street-side bench to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had packed for herself. She had refused to accept any food from the restaurants in Diagon Alley. Lily thought it was best to accept this fact quietly, rather than remark on how stupid her sister was acting. The three sat down and ate their lunch, none of them talking. Within five minutes of sitting, Petunia tried again.
"Mother, can I go with you to buy me something? Liliane can take care of herself if you're letting her go off to boarding school. Please?" she asked.
"Oh, we can't go now. We still have to get Lily's wand,"
"Um, excuse me, Miss," said a voice from somewhere behind them.
The three women jumped. As she turned, she recognized them to be the two boys she had seen in the bookstore.
"We were wondering if you could tell us where you got that beautiful owl from," said one of them.
"Oh, yes. You see, I was looking everywhere for the shop, but I couldn't find it anywhere –," said the other.
"But we did see you, and since you have an owl with you, we thought that we should ask you if you could point us in the right direction," said the first, interrupting.
For a moment, none of them spoke. Then –
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, they're going to curse us! They don't want to turn us into frogs; they want to turn us into owls! I don't want to be a bird! AMPHIBIANS ARE BETTER! HELP MOM, HELP!" yelled Petunia as she leaped into the air and ran behind her mother to hide. The two boys just stared as though the Evans were the weirdest people they had ever met.
"Oh, shut up, Petunia. They're not going to do anything to you. You've probably scared them more than they're scaring you, oh come off it," said Lily, annoyed that real wizards were getting such a bad impression of Muggles. Yet, she couldn't help wondering why wizards needed directions in Diagon Alley…
"Well, yes. I can show you where the store is. It's down over there, next to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. You can see it from here, right there. It's called Magical Menagerie, and next door to it is Eeylops Owl Emporium. You can get an owl from either of them…" Lily just continued talking continuously. She vaguely noticed that one of the boys, the one without the glasses, was whispering something to the other, but she decided that boys just must be like that. The whispering had a strange affect, though.
The boy with the glasses, who had been listening attentively, jumped nearly a foot into the air, rather as Lily had so many times that day. "What? Oh, I'm sorry about that. Well, thanks for the information," said James, eager to go and get his owl. The two boys walked away and left Lily in her confused state with her shaking sister, and tired mother. The three just continued eating as though nothing strange had happened.
Then Lily remembered that she had to get a cauldron, crystal phials, brass scales, potion ingredients, and a telescope. She set off on her own again, and went to the Apothecary, where she asked the clerk at the desk for some of the potion ingredients she would need for school. While the lady was busy getting them, Lily had a good look around the room. There was a crate of glittering beetle eyes, and delicate packages of thin spiders' silk. Then, there were jars upon jars of gooey, slimy things that Lily wished she would never have to use. On display in the window, was a large, shining white unicorn's horn. The price tag read that it cost ten Galleons. I would have to pay ten Galleons for that. I guess unicorns are very rare…
"Here you are. Normally, all of this would cost twenty Sickles, but for newcomers to Hogwarts I ask for only a Galleon. How's that for a good deal?" asked the woman, as she handed a sack to Lily.
"Oh, thanks a lot! Here's one Galleon."
And with that, Lily left the store. She crossed the street to Basic Wizarding Supplies where she bought her cauldron, brass scales, and telescope. As she lugged her bag of supplies, she checked her watch. Seeing that it was a quarter past one, she decided to go back to her mother and sister so that she could get her wand.
"Mum! It's nearly one-thirty! We have to hurry and get my wand if we're going to reach home before Dad comes home!" Lily yelled when she sighted her mother.
"Well, come on then. We found a store called Ollivander's Wands or something like that. We can go there to get it," said Mrs. Evans.
"Okay, let's go."
This time, Lily didn't have to think for more than five seconds to figure out whom the two black-haired heads belonged to when she saw them. Why am I running into these weirdoes all over the place? Why did they have to choose today of all days to get their Hogwarts things?
"Ah, come here young lady. Sit down and I'll help you out as soon as I'm done with these two fine gentlemen here," said a man, who was undoubtedly Mr. Ollivander himself.
The three sat down and waited. Lily watched the two boys with interest. It appeared to her that they couldn't find a wand that suited them. The spectacled boy had to try nearly five wands till he finally found one that did something right. So far, he had knocked his friend out, made a hole in the ceiling, set fire to a few of the wands (which caused them to shoot sparks everywhere), and sprayed Mr. Ollivander with water.
"Oops… I'm sorry about that. Sirius, get up! I know you're just pretending! Get up!" he said. Apparently, he thought his friend was acting. But, when he didn't get up, he got genuinely concerned.
"Can you make him come back to life? I didn't mean to knock him out…"
"Oh, certainly I can. You haven't knocked him out. You've merely petrified him. Now watch closely. Enervate!" With that, Sirius woke up.
"What happened? Ouch, my head hurts! James, did you do something?" Sirius asked confusedly.
"I didn't do anything. I just knocked you out. No, wait. I didn't knock you out, I 'petrified' you," James said, grinning.
"Yeah, whatever you say. Can I try now?" Sirius asked again.
If Lily thought James was pitiful, it was nothing when compared to Sirius. It took him nearly half an hour to find a wand that worked for him. James was doubled over laughing, and Lily thought that she might have broken one of her ribs from trying to keep her laughter inside. Even Mr. Ollivander was smiling.
"Miss Evans is it? You may come and try for a wand now. Mr. Potter and Mr. Sirius, you two may leave. Good luck on your journey through the wizarding world," called Mr. Ollivander.
"Okay, what do I have to do?" asked Lily.
"Just pick up a wand and wave it around. But I have to measure you first. Tape, get up here and start measuring this young lady." This confused Lily, but she soon saw that a measuring tape had jumped up off of the ground and had started to measure her arm length, leg length, around her fingers, and things like that. Lily waited patiently, but it didn't stop. This started to annoy her, especially since it had started measuring around her neck, and she wasn't sure whether it would strangle her to death or not.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Ollivander, but…" she began.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was still measuring you," he spoke out from behind one of the shelves. "That's enough now. Miss Evans, please come here. Now you can try out these wands. Here, take this one. It is twelve inches long, made of oak, and its core is of unicorn hair… quite flexible too."
"Okay, if you say so." Lily picked up a wand, and, starting to feel like a baby holding a rattle, she wiggled it around. One set of shelves fell over.
"Oh dear, I don't think this wand is going to work. Try this one. Eleven inches, dragon heartstring, holly, nice and springy." So again, Lily picked it up, and waved it. This time, nothing happened.
"Well, this time the wand didn't react at all, did it? At least nothing bad happened." He had spoken too soon. In about five seconds, parts of the ceiling came crashing on his head.
"My head, oh, how it hurts! Well, don't mind me. Just take the next wand. This willow one measures ten and a quarter inches, has a single phoenix feather, and quite swishy. It should be a good wand for charm work. Try it…"
As Lily grabbed the wand, she felt a sort of warmth flowing throughout her body, as though the wand was radiating heat. As she raised her arm, she felt as though she did it with absolutely no effort, and when she brought it streaming through the air, a shower of pink and gold sparks flew out. Surprised, she stopped abruptly, and looked at Mr. Ollivander, guiltily. He, however, was smiling.
"Well, well, well, we have finally found you a wand, haven't we? Ah, the art of wand making is an age-old tradition, but choosing a wand, there is no such thing. The wand always chooses the wizard remember that, Miss Evans."
Lily started to think that she should classify Mr. Ollivander under the same category as the man who worked at Flourish & Blotts… a little insane. She paid him and went with her mother and sister out the door.
*
"YOU PROMISED! And now you haven't gotten me anything!"
Mrs. Evans tried to convince a very angry Petunia to get into the car after all Lily's shopping had finished.
"But you didn't get me anything, and you promised! You're the meanest mom in the world! If you don't get me something, I'll… I'll… I'll scream!" she shouted.
"But Petunia dear, I know I told you that but…" their mum started, and paused, because Lily had whispered something in her ear. Smiling, she started again, "Alright. How would you like a nice chocolate sundae with strawberry slices, a cherry on top, pineapple topping, chocolate syrup, and strawberry syrup?" Mrs. Evans tried her best to coax Petunia into agreeing. Thank God, she decided to start her diet from next week.
"Will it be a big sundae? I don't like those itty-bitty things they serve at McDonalds. Those are teeny!"
"It'll be huge. Trust me," Lily said. She wanted to go home as soon as possible.
"Well, okay then."
"So much for going home before your dad comes home…," her mother said, sadly.
The threesome walked back to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they watched Petunia eat a large ice cream sundae. Then, they were finally on their way home.
*