Hello out there! This part has some lines taken directly from the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The lines are from pages 76-77. Since Harry doesn't exsist in this story, I've changed who the characters (Hagrid and Draco) were talking to when they said what they said. However, the general gist is about the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Part Three:

Diagon Alley

Dumbledore's blue eyes met Lily's green one at her announcement. Lily looked away, ashamed. She had allowed one of her closest friends to remain in an awful place because she had wanted to keep her secret, she had wanted to forget what had happened. Sirius visiting her would have led to memories of James. The two were so close; almost brothers. Sirius around would lead to pain, to remembrance, to tears. More tears then she could handle.

"Lily," Dumbledore's quiet voice broke into her thoughts. "I don't understand why you kept this a secret. If Sirius was an innocent man, why did you allow him to stay in Azkaban?"

"I don't know," Lily responded. Shame filled her head and her face began to turn a light shade of red. "I guess I needed a secret."

Dumbledore nodded. He seemed to understand what Lily had been trying to say. Without responding, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "This will complicate things. But I'll need your help to prove him innocent." He turned around to face her. Lily was unable to break his penetrating blue gaze. "This complicates things immensely. I'm going to need you to go to Diagon Alley with Hagrid instead of myself, as I had intended. I need to go and meet with the ministry." He suddenly stopped walking. Lily realized that they had reached a small hut about a mile away from St. Mungo's. The hut was made up of logs, crudely thrown together and held with piles of mud. Despite its rickety appearance, it seemed to be quite stable.

"I'm going to Apparate to the ministry," Dumbledore instructed, his eyes lacking their normal glint. He pulled a bag out of a small wooden box in the corner. "This contains your wand, a few Galleons, and the few things that were salvaged from the wreckage at Godric's Hollow. You aren't allowed to Apparate, so I highly advise you to use floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. Hagrid will meet you there." Dumbledore disappeared, leaving Lily in the cabin, alone with her thoughts.

The fireplace in the cabin had a continuous blue, red, and orange flame protruding from it. A small bottle stood next to it, containing a shiny silverish powder. Lily cautiously took a pinch and tossed it into the fire. The flames turned an unnatural shade of green and almost beckoned Lily to enter their midst. Lily took a deep breath and took the bag and stepped into the fire.

"Diagon Alley," she pronounced as clearly as possible. She felt herself spin off into the unknown, still clutching her bag. The darkness seemed to engulf her, twisting and turning her as she flew through its clutches. Suddenly, she felt herself being deposited into another fireplace. Screams and laughter suddenly filled her ears as she surveyed her surroundings. Women bustling around with packages, men entering the Three Broomsticks, and children watching as the display in Quality Quidditch Supplies changed to display the newest model of the Nimbus broom line occupied the streets. Lily watched in amazement as the scenes interwove through each other. It had been so long since her own first experience with Diagon Alley.

"You going to move, ma'am?" an unknown man walked over to Lily. His voice had an almost bored tone to it. He followed Lily's eyes through the crowd. "Loud, isn't it?"

"Yes," was all that Lily could manage to express. Clutching her bag, she stepped out of the fireplace and into a rather large room. A series of goblins lined either side of the room, waving their pointed fingers at customers, often reducing them to tears.

"Ma'am?" the man continued, snapping Lily out of her trance. She looked towards him and then heard a small crashing noise behind her as five people piled out of the fireplace, all rubbing various parts of their body.

"Yes?"

"I almost hate to ask you this, but are you Lily Potter?" the man's eyes widened with the feeling of suspicion that was flowing through his body.

"Ummm...no," Lily lied. She quickly diverted her eyes and walked out of Gringotts. The street was as busy as the first time she had been to Diagon Alley, more than twenty years ago.

"Lily Potter, is that yeh?" a familiar voice called out. Lily covered her face and winced at how loudly her name had been announced to the public. Everybody knew her story, everybody knew her life, nothing was a secret anymore.

"Yes," she whispered. She felt herself being pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Within seconds, she knew who was responsible for the hug. "Hagrid."

"Lily, it's great ter see yeh," Hagrid said, letting her go. Lily took a deep breath and cautiously looked around her. Nobody seemed to notice her. That was good. "Why don't yeh go down the Madam Malkin's? I goin' fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron," he continued, eyeing the pub. Lily quickly nodded her head and walked away from Hagrid. She was eager to get away from his loud voice. A few minutes later she stepped into the shop. It was the same as she remembered it; stout witches fitting Hogwart first years, older wizards looking reluctantly at bright colored robes while their wives pressed them to get new clothes, and Madam Malkin herself, the one who greeted all at the door. Lily nodded her head slightly as Madam Malkin welcomed her into the store and quickly burrowed herself in the racks of dark colored robes and cloaks that were marked ten percent off. New robes and at least one cloak were a necessity; her old ones were ragged from the wear and tear they received at St. Mungo's. She quickly chose three robes, one black, one dark blue, and one a dark green. She pulled a black cloak off of the rack and started towards the counter when she noticed a young blond boy standing on top of a stool while a hassled witch tried to fit his robes. A young girl with a curly mass of brown hair tentatively stepped onto the stool next to him.

"Hello," the blond boy said, "Hogwarts too?"

The girl looked slightly scared. Lily felt a pang go to her heart. She was obviously Muggle-born, like herself. The girl gave a quick yes to the blond boy and looked away, trying to look confident as the witch magically pinned up the hem of the robe she had on.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands." The girl gave him a slightly scared look at the mention of wands, but then covered it up. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." The girl looked away. Lily recognized the look on her face. It was one of trying to fit in, trying to know what they were talking about.

"Have you got your own broom?" he asked her. The girl looked as if she couldn't contain herself anymore.

"No," she said with a loud confident voice. Lily and the boy were both startled as she looked over at him. "I'm new here. I don't know anything about what you're talking about."

"Muggle-born?" the boy said with a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.

"If you mean I'm born to regular, non-magical people, then yes," she replied crisply, stepping down from the stool. She walked over to two scared-looking adults by the door and held out the robes that the witch had handed her. "Mum and Dad, these are what I need for next year. Let's go and pick out a wand now, ok?" they both nodded their heads and the man walked over to the counter to pay for the robes. Lily watched as the blond boy rolled his eyes as they left.

"Ouch. Don't do that or I'll tell Father and he'll make you pay," the boy said to the witch. She looked slightly upset, but continued to pin up the hem of his robe.

"Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry," she said with a sarcastic tone of voice as she continued pinning the hem the exact same way as she had before. Malfoy sneered and looked away, surveying the room as if he owned it.

"Don't do it again," he commanded. Lily felt his eyes glance over at her. "You there, come out here," he commanded. Lily rolled her eyes and tried to look engrossed in the neon and pastel colored robes on the rack she was standing behind.

"Me?" she said confidently, as if she hadn't spent the last eleven years trying to pull herself together. Malfoy stood up tall and tried to look important.

"You," he commanded. Lily felt more than a little stupid as she followed the eleven-year-olds commands. "You look like the picture of the woman in the Daily Prophet. Are you Lily Potter?" It felt as if time had been frozen in the shop. Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Lily's face turned as bright red as her hair as she pulled a pale red robe off of the rack. She ran up to the counter and placed all five of her purchases on it. She barely heard the price that the woman gave her as she shoved some gold into her hand without waiting for change.

"Well, are you?" Malfoy said from the stool where he still stood. Lily pushed her way towards the door, hauling the bag of her old belongings and the bag of robes behind her. Suddenly, a tall man stepped through the door blocking her path.

"Please move," Lily whispered. The man looked towards Malfoy and then back at Lily. With an evil smile, he shook his head.

"Are you?" Malfoy asked again, his voice growing impatient. Lily tried to squeeze around the man, but he easily took a step sideways and blocked her path again.

"Answer my son's question," he commanded, his voice as smooth as Malfoy's.

"Yes," Lily whispered reluctantly. The entire store let out a collective sigh of excitement and fear, seemingly mixed together. Eyes swept over her, then looked away when she glanced at them. Finally, Madam Malkin herself stepped forward. She walked tentatively towards Lily. Lily still remembered her from her first days here.

Honey, you'll be fine at Hogwarts. Don't worry. Magic is easy and I can tell that you'll have a fine time. It doesn't matter that you're Muggle-born. You'll catch up in a matter of days. None of them have performed magic either. At least not legally, that is.

But I don't know anybody.

You'll meet people soon. What do you think the feasts and the common rooms are for? Everybody has gone through what you are. You don't need to worry about anything. Send me an owl if you need somebody to talk to.

Really Madam Malkin? Won't you be busy.

I've taken a liking to you, Lily Evans. I can tell that you're going to be somebody great. Come back and visit me whenever your robes are getting to small.

Then she had smiled. Madam Malkin had smiled at Lily and led her to the door. Lily had felt her fears flow out of her body and be replaced by a tiny feeling of confidence, one that had followed her to Hogwarts the following week. Madam Malkin was approaching her wearing the same smile, the one that had comforted her so many years ago. It had the same affect on her as it had then. She stopped a few paces away and frowned for a second, then the smile reentered her lips.

"You've grown, dear," she said, walking over to Lily. "But welcome back." She embraced Lily in a hug. The entire store seemed to come closer to Lily, all whispering the same welcome home as Madam Malkin had. Malfoy remained on the stool, alone and forgotten.

"Welcome home," Madam Malkin said again. Lily felt the confidence reassert itself. She felt almost the way she had when she had first married James. "Welcome back to the real world. You'll find that it isn't as different as it was."

Thank you to Hazelmist (Harry doesn't play a different part in this. However, your question will be answered in the following chapters. The point of my story is to show how life is different because Harry isn't there.) Crazed Spyromaniac (thanks!) and Wigginout (I want to follow the story line. I'm actually looking forward to writing about the opening feast--hopefully the next chapter or so!)

-Black Ice