Lily entered the Leaky Cauldron and blinked. The dimness of the place was almost startlingly dark after the bright August sunshine of the London streets. She moved in slowly, looking around, her father following close with her suitcase.
The barkeeper, Timothy, came over to her smiling, "How may I help you today miss?" he asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. His grin was missing a couple teeth and his blond hair was greasy and cut unevenly.
Lily shifted the strap of her duffel bad uneasily. Timothy's toothy grin had always creeped her out a bit. Like he was thinking of things other than just showing her to a table. Inappropriate things. Scuzzy things.
"Um… yes I guess," Lily said, glancing back at her father. He was staring around at the peculiar looking witches and wizards his mouth halfway open. "I am supposed to meet my friend Mariah Wilcott here. Do you know if she has arrived yet?"
"Can't say that I do," Tom told her, the creepy grin still plastered on his face. "Why don't you sit down and wait, hmmm?"
Lily assented and allowed Timothy to show her to a table near the fire. She took a seat frowning annoyed; a table next to a fireplace would not have been Lily's top choice on this sweltering August day. She asked Timothy to bring her and her father both a glass of ice water. They had walked a couple blocks so that their driver would not know where they were going.
Once he had left, Lily's father let out a weird sort of sigh, "Lily, these people!"
Lily looked around. A man in robes made completely from electric blue dragon hide, an old woman with 5 rings in each nostril, a young woman whose hair color seemed to reflect her mood, a deep navy as she read a letter crying. The Leaky Cauldron always attracted an odd genre of people, but then, Lily thought, most witches and wizards were odd, at least by her father's standards. Indeed, in this place full of wizards, Lily and her father were the ones that truly stood out. Dressed in pastel colored summer clothes they were the sore thumb of the (mostly) dark colored robes and hats that the wizards wore.
Lily smiled fondly at her father. "I know, Dad," she said, "and they think it's normal. It's crazy, but you get used to it."
"Incredible!" her father said, watching a stubby, clean faced man use his wand to clean up the ale he had just spilled.
Lily smiled. Her father never ceased to wonder at the everyday things of the wizarding world. He and her mother were so proud that Lily was a witch, even prouder that she had recently been named Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily had always been Daddy's little girl. She had her father's height and ruddy auburn hair as well as his intellect and thirst for knowledge. Her father was older than most, by muggle reasoning at least. A very successful businessman he had devoted most of his life to amassing a great deal of wealth and then at forty he had gotten married to a woman nearly twenty years his junior to start enjoying it. Lily's mother was a beautiful poised blonde woman who came from money, her father was a lord. Lily did not get along with her mother as well as she ought, her older sister Petunia was more her mother's child. Growing up, Lily and Petunia had the normal amount of sibling rivalry, but when Lily was accepted to Hogwarts all semblance of a healthy relationship between themhad beenlost. Lily generally tried to keep away from Petunia as much as she could.
A waitress set two glasses of water with lemon and ice in front of them. Lily sipped hers, trying not to wonder where exactly the water came from.
Mr. Evans shifted his attention back to Lily and went into father-mode. "Now Lillian," he said, "I want you to be on your best behavior at the Wilcott's. Be polite and please please please do not start arguments at the dinner table." Lily enjoyed debating, it was rare if dinner at home went without a "stimulating" argument. "And remember to thank themfor everything."
Lily sighed, "Of course Daddy!" she hated it when her father reminded her of simple stuff like that. It made her feel five years old.Plus, she wasn't about to argue with her best friend's parents, in their own house no less. Arguing was something she tried to save for her mother and sister.
"Did you remember the house gift?" he asked raising his eyebrows. Her father and mother had bought some expensive wine and cheese, and had it arranged in a basket for the Wilcotts.
"Yea, it's right here," she told him lifting the basket off the floor to show him. She placed it back down after he nodded. They were quiet a moment.
"What will you be doing while I'm gone?" Lily asked, sliding a finger over the condensation on her glass. Her father had all taken all of August off to spend time with the family.
"Your mother and I are taking Petunia down to Portugal," he told her, regarding her cautiously.
Lily's mouth dropped open, "What!" she gasped sitting up straighter. "That is so unfair! Why can't you wait until I get back?" The Evanses took a trip down to Portugal every summer to swim in the ocean, it was one of Lily's favorite times of the year.
"Your mother thinks we should be spending more quality time with Petunia alone," he told her seriously, shaking his glass so that the ice cubes swirled around.
"You have all year alone with Petunia!" Lily cried, outraged. She crossed her arms. "Or are those nine and a half months I'm atschool not enough?"
"Lily, darling, please!" her father tempered, "Petunia is going away to the University soon. Besides that, you know how she gets when you are around…"
Lily pouted. It wasn't her fault her sister was jealous. She couldn't help it if she was smarter, prettier, and more popular. Survival of the fittest and Petunia was maladaptive. She needed a psychiatrist more than she needed a week in Portugal. "But you know I love the beach…" she whined.
"I know Lily, but some other time. How about I take you down to Brighton after Petunia leaves for school? Just you and me. Sound good?"
Lily thought about it for a moment then smiled and nodded. "Sounds perfect." She checked her watch. "Where couldMariah be?" she asked. Despite her good breeding Mariah was always late.
"Perhaps she told you a different time," her father suggested, one of the wealthiest men in Britain, he was unfamiliar with late people. No one dared to be late around him.
Lily shook her head. "I remember specifically, 'two o'clock at the Cauldron'." Thinking about it harder, she couldn't remember Mariah's specifications so closely, but it was best to stick to two and hope Mariah was just late. Her father hated it when people (especially Lily) didn't pay attention to details. Maybe that two had been a three, Mariah had really sloppy handwriting.
Luckily a few minutes later Mariah came rushing in from the entrance to Diagon Alley holding a small shopping bag from a popular clothing store. Seeing her Lily and her father stood and Mariah hurried over to them beaming.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" she cried giving them both a hug. "I saw the cutest T-shirt ever and I just had to have it!"
"Very understandable," Mr. Evans said giving Lily an I-wonder-where-I-heard-that-one-before look.
"It is so good to see you!" Mariah told them squeezing her hands together. "My parents are so excited about having Lily over," she said to Lily's father. "They can't wait to congratulate her on getting Head Girl!" she gave Lily a nudge.
"Well it is very kind of them to let Lily stay with you," Lily's father told her smiling. He had always liked Mariah. "I hope you girls have a good time."
"Thanks Daddy," Lily threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "I will see you in two weeks. Have a good time in Portugal." Despite being pissed that they were going without her, Lily felt a little bad for her dad. Two straight weeks with her mother and Petunia twenty-four seven was not much of a relaxing stay at the beach. More like a relaxing stay in the ape cage at the London Zoo. Poo throwing included.
Her father smiled crookedly and shook his head. "Thank you darling," he turned to Mariah, "It was nice seeing you again, Mariah."
"You too Mr. Evans," Mariah threw a dimple at him and waved bye.
Once he was gone, Lily and Mariah squealed joyously and hugged again.
"Lily!" Mariah gasped dramatically, "My life has been Dullington since school let out."
"Oh, I'm sure mine has been sooo much better!" Lily said rolling her eyes.
"Whatever," Mariah said, flipping her sleek brown hair over her shoulder. "Now that we're back together again, we'll cook up some intrigues in no time." She looked around disdainfully. "Let's ditch this joint."
"Whatever you say!" Lily said, she stepped closer and lowered her voice, "Timothy has got to me the number one creepiest guy in all of London." She looked over at Tom who was watching the girls eagerly. He waggled his eyebrows at her.
"Nay the country," Mariah agreed, watching him with scorn. She looked at Lily's baggage. "Did you carry all that stuff here?" she asked, "Why didn't you just shrink it?"
"Well, my dad carried the big one," Lily told her shrugging. "My mother told me not to use magic at home because of dear old Petty. I put a lightening charm on the big one though. It would have given my dad a heart attack to carry it from the car. He thinks he's a macho man now."
Mariah giggled, "Your dads so cute!" she told her wand out of her shopping bag and shrunk Lily's big suitcase eyeing the wine and cheese basket. "What is that?"
"It's some wine and cheese for your parents. My mom thought it would be nice to give them something." Lily said picking it up.
Mariah said nothing. Then dug around in her purse for some coins to pay for the waters that Lily had ordered, insisting that she owed them for being late. Lily let her.
Mariah picked up the shrunken suitcase. "Come one, we're out of this hole."
Lily smiled and followed her to Diagon Ally, happy to be with her best friend again.