CHAPTER THREE
Lily climbed into the front seat of her mom's care. She always liked it better in the front because she could see what was going on. And she had control of the radio. Very soon, they pulled into the parking lot of The Garden State Mall. (A/N- Ok, I'm not being very creative here.) They waked over to Lord and Taylor and found a spot that they had not renovated on and weren't going to. Lily looked around and saw that no one was looking. She squatted down and tapped the brick in the bottom left hand corner. Nothing happened.
"Nothings happening!" She exclaimed to her mother. She was upset that she let some old man trick her into all this.
"Calm down, Lily. Try it again."
Lily sighed. She knew it was almost pointless, but bent down and tapped the brick again.
"See- nothing is-"
But she was cut short as the brick started to dissolve away, making a large hole. On the other side of the hole, she could see another shopping center. Slowly, she walked through it, followed by her mother. As soon as they were both on the other side, it closed back up.
"Whoa." Lily awed. On each side of the street, there were shops that Lily had never seen in her life. Shops selling wands and potions and spell books.
"Lily!"
Lily turned around to see Nancy running towards her. "Nancy! Hi! What are you doing here?"
"Same thing you are!" Nancy replied, smiling. "Did you get all your stuff yet?"
"No, I just got here- I didn't even convert my money yet!"
"Ooh!" She responded, and then turned to her mom. "Mom, can you take Marion back for her flute lesson and I can stay here and then go home with Lily?"
"I guess so."
"Ok! Bye mom!" She called, "Bye Marion." She added as an afterthought. Marion gave her a look and walked away.
"Come on, Nancy, lets go shopping!" Lily said and she and Nancy went running down to alley to Gringobbs.
They arrived at the shiny green building and entered through the giant oak doors. Inside was a large square room, and what looked like television screens all around the perimeter. Lily walked up to one and saw that there was a slot for money. She put a five-dollar bill in and pressed a button. The five-dollar bill appeared on the screen. Then she watched as it was cut up into little pieces, and pressed together to form a coin-shape. And then it was coated in gold, and five gold coins came through the slot.
"Isn't that so cool!" Nancy exclaimed.
"Yeah! I wanna do it again!" Lily laughed.
"Me and Marion were here for about half an hour just doing it dollar by dollar. And I think your going to need more money that that." Nancy winked.
"Yeah, I think you're right."
The two spent the next fifteen minutes putting the money through the machine and watching it get changed into gold coins. Finally, they decided to go shopping.
"I wish we didn't have to wear black robes." Lily said as they walked into the robe shop.
"Yeah, me too. Marion wanted to wear black robes." Nancy laughed at the thought, as did Lily. The shop was exactly like a dress shop, only that this one was magical.
"Salem School, dears?" The clerk asked.
"Err, uh, Hogwarts." Nancy said.
"Oh! I had some for Hogwarts this morning also. You can come over here to these stools." She pointed to two stools behind her. Another clerk came over and they both began to be fitted for the robes. The clerk talked to them and she did this.
"You two are going to a very fine school. Much better than Salem, Durmstrang, or Bauxbuttons. And now that Harry is the headmaster of the school."
Lily and Nancy exchanged puzzled glances, but just shrugged. When they were done, they paid for their robes and exited the shop.
"Did you understand anything of what she said?" Lily asked.
"So I wasn't the only one?" Nancy laughed.
Lily checked her watch. "It's getting late, lets hurry this up!"
They ran from store to store buying all the necessary supplies and then finding Lily's mom in the ice cream shop talking to Shannon, Mione, and their parents.
"Mom, we're ready" Lily said as she walked into the store.
"Oh,[I] there [/I]you are. Well, it was nice talking to you two- hope to see you soon." She said to their parents and ushered Lily and Nancy out the door.
"This is [I]much[/I] better then I thought that it would be." Lily said in the car ride home. She was riding in the back this time so that she could talk to Nancy without hurting her head leaning back over the seat.
"Yeah, me too! And now we get to go to the same school!" Nancy exclaimed.
All too soon the car pulled up into Nancy's driveway.
"See you Monday, Nancy!" Lily called to her best friend out the window.
"Yeah! Save me a seat on the train!" Nancy yelled back and Lily caught her winking just as the car started to pull away.
Lily climbed into the front seat of her mom's care. She always liked it better in the front because she could see what was going on. And she had control of the radio. Very soon, they pulled into the parking lot of The Garden State Mall. (A/N- Ok, I'm not being very creative here.) They waked over to Lord and Taylor and found a spot that they had not renovated on and weren't going to. Lily looked around and saw that no one was looking. She squatted down and tapped the brick in the bottom left hand corner. Nothing happened.
"Nothings happening!" She exclaimed to her mother. She was upset that she let some old man trick her into all this.
"Calm down, Lily. Try it again."
Lily sighed. She knew it was almost pointless, but bent down and tapped the brick again.
"See- nothing is-"
But she was cut short as the brick started to dissolve away, making a large hole. On the other side of the hole, she could see another shopping center. Slowly, she walked through it, followed by her mother. As soon as they were both on the other side, it closed back up.
"Whoa." Lily awed. On each side of the street, there were shops that Lily had never seen in her life. Shops selling wands and potions and spell books.
"Lily!"
Lily turned around to see Nancy running towards her. "Nancy! Hi! What are you doing here?"
"Same thing you are!" Nancy replied, smiling. "Did you get all your stuff yet?"
"No, I just got here- I didn't even convert my money yet!"
"Ooh!" She responded, and then turned to her mom. "Mom, can you take Marion back for her flute lesson and I can stay here and then go home with Lily?"
"I guess so."
"Ok! Bye mom!" She called, "Bye Marion." She added as an afterthought. Marion gave her a look and walked away.
"Come on, Nancy, lets go shopping!" Lily said and she and Nancy went running down to alley to Gringobbs.
They arrived at the shiny green building and entered through the giant oak doors. Inside was a large square room, and what looked like television screens all around the perimeter. Lily walked up to one and saw that there was a slot for money. She put a five-dollar bill in and pressed a button. The five-dollar bill appeared on the screen. Then she watched as it was cut up into little pieces, and pressed together to form a coin-shape. And then it was coated in gold, and five gold coins came through the slot.
"Isn't that so cool!" Nancy exclaimed.
"Yeah! I wanna do it again!" Lily laughed.
"Me and Marion were here for about half an hour just doing it dollar by dollar. And I think your going to need more money that that." Nancy winked.
"Yeah, I think you're right."
The two spent the next fifteen minutes putting the money through the machine and watching it get changed into gold coins. Finally, they decided to go shopping.
"I wish we didn't have to wear black robes." Lily said as they walked into the robe shop.
"Yeah, me too. Marion wanted to wear black robes." Nancy laughed at the thought, as did Lily. The shop was exactly like a dress shop, only that this one was magical.
"Salem School, dears?" The clerk asked.
"Err, uh, Hogwarts." Nancy said.
"Oh! I had some for Hogwarts this morning also. You can come over here to these stools." She pointed to two stools behind her. Another clerk came over and they both began to be fitted for the robes. The clerk talked to them and she did this.
"You two are going to a very fine school. Much better than Salem, Durmstrang, or Bauxbuttons. And now that Harry is the headmaster of the school."
Lily and Nancy exchanged puzzled glances, but just shrugged. When they were done, they paid for their robes and exited the shop.
"Did you understand anything of what she said?" Lily asked.
"So I wasn't the only one?" Nancy laughed.
Lily checked her watch. "It's getting late, lets hurry this up!"
They ran from store to store buying all the necessary supplies and then finding Lily's mom in the ice cream shop talking to Shannon, Mione, and their parents.
"Mom, we're ready" Lily said as she walked into the store.
"Oh,[I] there [/I]you are. Well, it was nice talking to you two- hope to see you soon." She said to their parents and ushered Lily and Nancy out the door.
"This is [I]much[/I] better then I thought that it would be." Lily said in the car ride home. She was riding in the back this time so that she could talk to Nancy without hurting her head leaning back over the seat.
"Yeah, me too! And now we get to go to the same school!" Nancy exclaimed.
All too soon the car pulled up into Nancy's driveway.
"See you Monday, Nancy!" Lily called to her best friend out the window.
"Yeah! Save me a seat on the train!" Nancy yelled back and Lily caught her winking just as the car started to pull away.