Chapter 2
Lily read it to herself, still amazed at the words on the parchment
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Lily couldn't believe her eyes or her ears as she read it aloud to herself again for the fifth time. She decided to sleep in on it, and notify her parents tomorrow. After washing up, she drifted off into bed and had a nice sleep, dreaming of witches, wizards, brooms, and magic.
"Excuse me, Lily? A magic school?!?!?!" exclaimed her Mum. She was definitely surprised at this startling news, and her dad was also wide-eyed and speechless.
"Yes, Mum. Pleeeeeeasse can I go?? It sounds like so much fun! It says that I should owl them before July 31. That's 2 days from now! I guess what they mean is that I should reply back with my acceptance letter with the owl that they sent, which is still here by the way. But please Mum? Dad?
Rose and David thought about this for a while. A magic school?!?! This is crazy! Imagine all the adventures and such and all these different things our Lily can learn there!!! Then it dawned on them. Adventures. Experiences. It's what they always wanted for their children. With a smile on their faces, they gratefully gave permission to an ecstatic and jumping Lily. Rose wrote the letter of permit and sent it back to the sender. Not more than an hour later, an owl fluttered back reminding Lily that her supplies could be located in Diagon Alley, which is located near the Leaky Cauldron in London. They set the date for the family to travel to London for August 10, which gave Lily plenty of time before her departure to read up on some material. She knew nothing about magic, and this was all a dream to her. Petunia, however, was completely mortified. She felt scared of her sister, and also a little jealous. Jealous that it was the special Lily that got this letter and not her. For this, she decided that all of her kind were 'freaks' and not normal. Lily did not like this attitude and it just made her mad and also felt a little sorry for her sister. She didn't mean for this to happen after all. Still, she was just as excited as she was on her birthday when August 10 rolled around the corner.
"Come on, Mum, let's go!! We don't have much time!
"Lily, dear… it's 8 in the bloody morning. We'll be in London by 9:30, and that gives more than enough time to buy your things!"
"I know, but still… let's go!!!
With happy chuckles along with stressed-out faces, Rose, David, Lily, and Petunia (much to her disgust) arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. It was a dirty nasty pub and nothing like what Lily expected it to be. They decided that they should go in and observe the place. As soon as they went in, the bartender, named Tom, recognized the letter clutched in Lily's hands and smiled.
"Over here, young lady! Hogwarts, I assume?"
"Yes, sir. We're trying to look for…….. Diagon Alley."
"Well, follow me.. Mr. And Mrs……"
"Evans," Lily's dad replied. "Please call us David and Rose. This is Lily, and the girl in the back is Petunia."
"Ahh, nice to meet you all, call me Tom. And please, follow me," he said happily.
They followed Tom to the back of the pub, right towards a brick wall. He then started muttering to himself as if he was trying to remember something, and suddenly pulled out a medium-sized stick.. A wand! Lily shrieked. He began to tap bricks here and there, in a sort of pattern, and soon the brick walls opened up to a big and beautiful place. Lily and her parents stood in amazement, while Petunia was still trying to hide behind her dad.
"Welcome… to Diagon Alley!!" exclaimed Tom.
After saying their thank-you's, Lily and her parents decided to go into this wonderful place, while Petunia decided to stay with Tom back at the pub. Mr. and Mrs. Evans reluctantly agreed and soon they were off into the depths of Diagon Alley. They first set off to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, to exchange for wizard money. Lily learned the different prices of galleons, knuts, and sickles quickly and then searched around her for her envelope to see what she needed to buy.
UNIFORMFirst 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
1001 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.
"So… where do we start first??" said her Mum with a smile.
With excitement, Lily strode on to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy her robes. She was fitted by a young worker named Cherry, and after getting all of her stuff, she and her parents made their way to Ollivander's where she would get her wand, where she was met by an old man with a warm smile.
"Ah, yes, come in. Hogwarts I assume. And you are?"
"Lily Evans, sir."
"Hmm yes I see, so you are interested in a wand. However, it's the wand that chooses you, not you choosing the wand." With that he pulled out plenty of boxes with wands in them. Lily tried the whole lot, but most of them either did nothing, slammed some books into the wall, or cursed her Dad by having owl pellets (poop!) drop from nowhere, which she was dreadfully sorry for… although she and her Mum found it rather funny while her Dad muttered under his breath while he tried to wash it off. Finally, she came across a wand where when she touched it, it radiated with a bright aura, and Lily felt a strange surge of energy rush through her veins.
"Yes, that is the wand for you, Miss Evans. That wand is extremely powerful, especially in the subject of Charms. I'm glad to tell that you will do very well at your school, young lady."
With a shy "thanks" her and her family moved off to buy the rest of her things for her school. Late into the afternoon, Lily and her parents decided to head back to the Leaky Cauldron after grabbing a some ice cream. When they arrived, they thanked Tom and picked up Petunia, who had a pale face, and were on their way back home. Petunia complained the whole way that she could've had better things to do than to be stuck with a nut like Tom, along with all the other 'freaks' in that pub. Mr. and Mrs. Evans sighed dramatically while Lily looked out the window, happy with her life. She couldn't wait for September 1st. She would be away from Petunia, and although she would miss her parents greatly, she anticipated the thought of being able to meet new people, and do magic. Magic!!!! She could hardly believe that in less than a month, she would be learning what many people in the world would kill to learn. She went off to sleep again, dreaming of her life as a witch. What a wonderful dream, and what wonderful life it was for Lillian Marie Evans.