DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter 4 – Back to School Shopping

I could feel the magic in that place.

In Diagon Alley.

It was surrounding me, and it was the most wonderful feeling ... looking around, seeing all of these witches and wizards, just shopping and socializing, and doing their everyday things, and knowing that I belonged there, with those people. The crowded cobblestone street and old, raggedy buildings might not have impressed me under normal circumstances, but when the shop windows displayed broomsticks and cauldrons, the people were wearing pointed hats and carrying wands, and dozens of owls were zooming overhead, the situation was very different.

"Wow", came my mother's voice, which jerked me quickly back to reality.

"Yes, I suppose it is quite overwhelming to a muggle, but there's no time to stand here and gawk," Professor McGonagall quickly, "Come, come, I'll show you where you need to go."

It was overwhelming. And it got more so the further we walked. Professor McGonagall showed us the wand shop, book shop, and various others that we would need for my supplies. It wasn't until I saw a young witch sitting outside a restaurant, counting out large foreign coins, that an obvious question hit me. How were we going to pay for all this?

"Professor McGonagall! What about money? Surely witches and wizards don't use pounds..."

The Professor slapped a hand to her face. "Aagh..." she sighed, exasperated, "I almost forgot! Gringotts!" She turned in the complete other direction and began to walk briskly toward her destination, a large stone building at the end of Diagon Alley. I took large steps, trying to keep up with her.

"Gringotts?"

"It's the bank. You can exchange your muggle money for Galleons there."

"Galleons... That's the wizard currency?"

"Yes, and Sickles and Knuts. It's five Knuts to a Sickle, and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon."

"Oh... I see," I said, but it was still a bit confusing.

The bank was beautiful. There were high ceilings and marble floors, and the place must've been ancient, but the beauty wasn't what I noticed first. It was the tellers. They weren't people. They were short and round and wrinkly, with pointy ears, long fingers, and a grayish tint to their skin. I almost wondered what they were, but it didn't take me long to figure it out. I'd spent enough time living inside fantasy novels to know. "Goblins!"

"Yes, Goblins."

"They... are they intelligent?"

Professor McGonagall gave me a surprised look. "Of course they're intelligent!" she snapped (As if I should know!), "Sometimes more intelligent than us. Trustworthy, as well. That's why they run the bank."

I stopped talking after that, and just took in my surroundings. I waited patiently on a bench by the wall, as the professor helped my terrified parents exchange their money with one of the Gringotts goblins.

After we left the bank, Professor McGonagall hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron to help the next family, and my parents decided to stop at an ice cream parlor while I picked up my supplies. I was a little relieved about this because I was sure they would embarrass me anyway.

I followed Professor McGonagall's advice and visited Ollivander's, the wand shop, first. The shop was old and dusty, and when I looked into the rows of wands, kept in long, skinny, packages like shoeboxes, they seemed to go on forever. Mr. Ollivander was an older man, with a solemn face and snakelike eyes. To tell the truth, he was a bit creepy, but I had to get a wand. The moment I walked in, he turned to me, and smiled, but it was the most serious smile I'd ever seen, and the first words out of his mouth were, "I've been expecting you."

"I... I'm here to get a wand."

He almost laughed. "I know."

After about forty-five minutes of waving various wands, he told me to stop, that this one was perfect. I paid for it and left, as quickly as possible.

It felt wonderful to be out in the sun again, but in my rush to get away from the wand shop, I bumped into a thin, brown – haired boy and almost knocked him to the ground. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, embarrassed.

"S'okay," he mumbled, and began to slink off, but then he looked me in the eyes, and immediately straightened up and smiled. Shaking the hair out of his face, he introduced himself. "Remus Lupin," he said, and stuck out a hand for me to shake.

"Lily Evans, nice to meet you."

"You too.... I like your... uh, green eyes. They're uh... bright."

I tried to keep from laughing. Nodding my head and smiling, I said , "Er...Thank you, I guess. So... do you go to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. I'm starting first year."

"Me too!" I said, glad to have something to talk about. "Are you nervous? I am. I only found out about magic a month ago!"

Yeah. So your parents are muggles, are they? I've always wondered – Is it hard to live without magic?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, I don't really know. I mean, you can't miss something if you've never had it, right? And especially if you don't even know that it exists!"

"Hmm... I guess I never thought of it like that."

I checked my watch. "Oh, I'm sorry. It was nice talking to you, but I have to finish my shopping before it's time to meet my mum and dad." I began to walk away reluctantly.

"Wait! Maybe... never mind."

I turned around. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Said Remus.

"No really, tell me."

"Well, I just thought, maybe we could... shop together?" Not if you don't want to, though! But we're both getting the same things and -"

"Sure!"

"Really?" Remus's face brightened.

"Of course! Come on, I was thinking of getting my robes next."

I smiled. My first Hogwarts friend.