Summary: Lilly gets a letter to Hogwarts, which leads to many things… A new school, her sister's new attitude and newfound enemy… R&R please!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the stuff you recognise. It belongs to JK Rowling. But… anything you don't recognise is mine, and I will rule the world with it! Stands in an evil pose and does an evil laugh Ok. Sane now.
Chapter 2 – Welcome to the humble world of witchcraft and wizardry!
"It's awesome, Lily." Said Petunia to someone who was fascinated by her new world and trying not to jump up and down and shout, "WOOHOO!" – me.
"Isn't it just the best thing ever?"
"That's what I just said."
"Ok." I looked down the list of stuff to get. "It says here that I have to get many books for various subjects… A cauldron and a wand. I want to get a wand first."
Petunia shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever"
"Ok. Now… Where do I go to get one?"
"Good question." Petunia pointed at a faded-out shop sign. "What about Olivanders wands?"
"Good enough."
We rushed to the store, opened the door and welcomed the eerie presence of a real magic shop to find that… No one was there.
"Where is everybody?" I asked. My question was answered with the sound of footsteps on the millennium old floorboards.
"Who might you be?" Asked an old man that looked slightly out-of-this-world. Why? Because he was staring down on me with thick round glasses and had a hoarse voice.
Thankfully Petunia stepped in. "She's Lily Evans. And I'm Petunia Evans, her sister."
"Petunia…" mumbled the old man. "You don't have a magical aura to you."
"That's because I'm a muggle."
"Sorry." He apologised "Lily… I have an idea of what wand you might need."
"Can't I choose it for myself?" I asked.
"It is not the wizard that chooses the wand, but the wand that chooses the wizard." He answered.
I was in awe. "Oh. Cool." Then I frowned. "How does a wand choose a wizard?"
The old man smiled, as if he was silently laughing at me. "Oh, you'll know. Now…" He walked down an isle, and pulled out a box. He didn't even look at the cover as he walked briskly back. "How about this one?"
I looked at the wand, and was momentarily disgusted. "Why isn't there a star on the end?"
The man was surprised. "Surely you don't believe the wizard world to be as muggles put it?"
I was ashamed. "No." I mumbled.
"Then try this wand." He offered the black wand to me, and I gladly took it.
"What do I do with it?" I asked.
"Why, wave it around or point it at anything you like." I pointed it at the man. "Not at me! At an object. The door, maybe?"
I did as he suggested, and the door sprouted wings and flew away. "Cool." I commented.
"I think that might be the right wand for you. Light Manchester, with a hair of a hippogriff. Very flexible wand, that is. Consider yourself lucky. It normally only chooses great wizards and witches."
I glanced at Petunia, who was longingly staring at my wand. "Petunia?" I asked.
She came out of her stance. "Yes? Oh, I was just admiring your wand and the fact that you're a witch." I saw a bead of hidden jealousy trickle down her face, and said nothing.
The man talked, and we recognised his being in the room. "That will be 15 galleons, please."
"15 what?"
"Galleons." The man repeated. "Oh… You have muggle money. You need to go to Gringotts, to start a bank account and exchange your money."
Petunia couldn't resist. "I'll go. Lily, you stay here."
"Whatever."
Petunia raced out the door, to return shortly. She turned to the old man. "Where is it?"
"Right up the end of Diagon Alley. Biggest building you can see."
"Thanks. Bye!" She rushed out again.
A FEW MINUTES LATER…"So, what's up next? Books, cauldron, uniform or…"
"Cat, owl or frog?"
Petunia inhaled… Deeply. "Yes." She exhaled, and inhaled again. "So… What is up next?"
"Can I go get my…" I looked at the description of the cauldron I needed to get. "Pewter cauldron?"
"Why don't you get that while I get all your books?"
"Seems fine to me."
"Ok. Meet you at the broomstick shop"
"Where's that?"
"It's the shop with the most window shoppers." Petunia pointed up the road. "That-a-way."
"Right. Window shoppers, up the road."
"Yup."
"See you then."
"Bye."
Petunia raced off, enjoying everything she could. I knew that she was jealous, but that wore off when she was actually out there, in the wizard world by herself. I was happy for my older sister as I headed towards a shop with a sign that had faded out, but the picture was clear – a cauldron. In the window I saw a solid gold one, then a solid diamond. I inhaled deeply as I restrained myself from buying them. 'You're not that rich' I reminded myself.
I entered the shop and immediately found a pewter cauldron. There was a price underneath it – 30 galleons. I looked in my muggle purse and found that I had exactly 60 galleons and 3 sickles left. Perfect.
A rather thin and gangly looking woman came. "Oh, are you starting school this year? Then I suppose you'll be needing a pewter cauldron."
I nodded my head.
"That'll be 30 galleons."
I handed her the money, and she minimized the cauldron with a spell that I didn't really hear, then put it in an envelope. She got out a quill. "What school do you go to?"
"Hogwarts. Why?"
"So I can send your cauldron there, of course!"
"Don't I get it?"
"Of course not. Did you think that you would have to lug your cauldron all the way to home, then to school? Certainly not."
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's ok." She moved closer. "By the way, your teacher's a bit touchy. His name's Professor Scrimy, and mind you don't mock his name."
"No problem." I whispered.
The lady winked. "Now, off to get your other items."
"Bye."
I left the shop and looked around. There. A little way up the road was the uniform shop. I hurried there to find many other people, my size, that were being measured. I entered the shop and almost immediately a rather plump-looking lady walked up to me. "Sit on a chair and I'll be with you in a minute."
I did so. There was someone next to me that smiled.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You're muggle born, aren't you?"
"How'd you know?"
"Pure-born always know where to go and what to do."
"Oh really? And who might you be?"
"James Potter." Answered the scruffy-looking boy.
"Lily Evans." We shook hands, and stopped being shy of each other. Instantly friends.
"So… are you going to Hogwarts?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I'm going to Hogwarts."
I laughed. "Really? What a coincidence. Well, seeing as you're a pure-blood, you should know what it's like."
"Well, mum reckons that it's a wonderful place, and dad agrees with her. What the best thing about Hogwarts is that Albus Dumbledore himself is headmaster."
"Albus who?"
"Albus Dumbledore. He's the greatest wizard of all time. He's the only wizard who you-know-who's afraid of."
"Oh. I'm sorry, but I don't know who you-know-who is."
James seemed very happy to help, and extremely chatty. "Well, he's the darkest wizard of our age." A tremor had entered his voice, and he was speaking quietly. "He goes around killing people for fun, so he's not someone that you want to meet… He'd be the last person you'd see."
Fear of you-know-who was installed immediately, followed by curiosity. "What's his real name?"
"No-one says his name, as it brings back many bad memories. I'll tell you. It's Vol…"
"Vol?"
He lowered his voice even more. "Voldemort."
Luckily, I wasn't stupid, and didn't say the name out aloud. "Scary name." I commented.
"Ok. Time for measuring." Said the plump woman to James. "Come this way please." James went with her.
"Bye."
"Bye."
"See you at Hogwarts"
"Ditto."
"What?"
"See you there."
"Oh."
After a while, the woman came back. "Your turn."
I followed her into the measuring room.
"Arms up." Said the woman as she got out her measuring tape.
"Ok, now what school are you going to?"
"Hogwarts."
"Righto." The woman started to take measurements, pausing now and then to write them down on parchment. After the process, she waved her wand, and my robes appeared. "You'll need 3 pairs, which will be 20 galleons."
"Here you go." I handed her the money.
"And here you go." She handed me my robes.
I left the shop and raced up the road to the broomstick shop. Petunia was right – it did have the most window shoppers.
"Wow. The new Comet 260! I wish I had one." Commented one of them.
"In your dreams." Commented another.
I spotted Petunia, who spotted me at precisely the same moment. I ran over, and she waved.
"How did it go?"
Petunia was beaming. "Excellently."
"What're you so cocky about?"
"This." Petunia lifted a funny-looking piece of luggage, and revealed to me…
"An owl? Wow. But, Petunia. You don't need one, do you?"
"It's yours, silly!"
"OH. Wow. Really?"
"Yup."
I hugged my sister. "THANKYOU SO MUCH!"
As I hugged Petunia, I spotted James, who was triumphantly coming out of the broomstick shop, with a broomstick.
'Hey, how'd he get one?' I asked myself. 'They're at least 200 galleons. He must be pretty rich to afford that.' I released Petunia.
"Well, it's yours."
"What's its name?"
"Your choice."
"No, you choose."
"Fine. Smudge."
"What about Bella?"
"It's a boy!"
"Oh. Smudge it is."
"Do you want to go home now? It's nearly 1 o'clock."
"The portkey! Do you have it?"
Petunia fished around her pockets. "Yup." She pulled it out. I held on to all my luggage – Smudge, my robes and my wand and Petunia held onto my books.
We were jolted back home, and I breathed a sigh of amazement.
A/N: 2nd chapter done. How was it? Any feedback is good feedback. The button in the left hand bottom corner labelled 'submit review' is waiting.