Disclaimer: Please refer to the disclaimer on the first chapter of this story. Thank you.
Chapter Summary: Now that Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus have all been accepted into Hogwarts, their first stop is to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for their first year! They all meet each other and some other people as well. For a first encounter, things seem to be going quite well.
A/N: The last chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I hope that I will enjoy writing this chapter just as much. Seeing as this is my first fanfic and because I've never really done much writing before at all, I sometimes get stuck thinking of ideas here and there. So it might take a while to get some chapters up; sometimes I just need a break to think of ideas.
PLEASE NOTE: I don't have the Harry Potter books in my possession, at least not all of them. So please excuse me if I get some facts wrong here and there; I don't have much to check them with.
Please review! Don't flame please, but constructive criticism is welcome. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 2
Diagon Alley
Lily proceeded away the Underground with her family, her nose buried in her Hogwarts letter. Albus Dumbledore had told her that everything she needed to know was on the back of her letter, so why was there nothing there? Was this really a joke after all?
She was rereading her letter. She had never really read past the first paragraph, and thought perhaps that there was something in the latter paragraphs that had some importance.
"If you tap your wand on the back of this parchment and say, 'Specialis Revelio', then a map will appear to guide you to Diagon Alley. We have given you these instructions because you are a Muggle," Lily read out loud. She did as the letter instructed, and was fascinated to find a map with one moving dot, printing instructions for her to follow.
Petunia snorted. "What did you just say? Muggle? Again? I knew that your kind must be touched in the head," she said, sneering. Lily forced herself to ignore her sister's jeer, and concentrated on the instructions that had appeared on the letter after she had finished reading it. In her opinion, the wizarding world worked wonders. Leanne and Josh looked at Lily meaningfully, almost as though begging forgiveness. They had admonished Petunia many times, but their warnings had been returned by a glare. Not only that, but whenever anyone talked about anything magical, Petunia acted as though she had been slapped. The lively young girl who had been in love with fairy tales, with magical godmothers and evil witches, was no more.
"Turn left…five paces…" Lily muttered to herself, following the dot that was herself on the page. The map still amazed her, even though she had known of its existence for days now. She couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful magic was, even though she was trying her hardest to appear as though everything was normal. Petunia did not seem as keen to adjust, Lily noted as Petunia walked up beside her with a look of disgust on her face. She peered over at the map, not in interest but to see exactly what her younger sister was doing, or so she told herself. "Why are you reading The Three Little Trolls by Neligh Avrams when we're supposed to be looking for some alley?" Petunia spat in frustration. Lily looked up in shock, but when she saw her parents also shooting her quizzical looks, it suddenly dawned upon her that the piece of parchment that she was holding could only be viewed by the magical sort, and not by non-magical people; Muggles.
Normally, Lily would have smiled mysteriously at her older sister, but she didn't feel like this was an appropriate time to joke around with Petunia. She didn't want to spill the secret, however, so she just shushed her sister and continued to follow the map intently. When she reached the spot that was marked with an 'x' on the map, she stopped and looked around, circumspect. "What are you doing?" Petunia hissed, failing to hide the interest in her voice. Lily looked at Petunia for the first time ever since they had left home, and when her eyes met Petunia's, she simply stared. Petunia faltered, and Lily looked back at the map. If this was how Petunia was going to be, Lily had decided that she didn't want to show how much it was getting to her.
Suddenly, she noticed a pub between two buildings on the street. Lily gasped; she had been on this street before and could have sworn that she had never seen it before. Her parents looked carefully at the parchment that Lily was holding, then at where she was staring, and tentatively looked around. Lily was astonished as her mom jumped back in surprise, seeing the pub. "Maybe it's because they're family," Lily thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when her dad saw the pub. "Odd," he muttered as he realized that no one else seemed to be able to see the pub. Lily's mother shifted uncomfortably.
"Come on," Lily whispered, breaking the awkward silence. She and her family carefully approached the pub. When Lily was sure no one was looking at them or the pub, she examined the entrance. 'The Leaky Cauldron' stood out above the door in gold letters. Before Petunia could ask why the letters were shimmering, Lily took her moms hand, perhaps more firmly than usual, and quickly but quietly opened the door to the pub and dragged her mom in. Petunia and her dad had no choice but to follow.
The Leaky Cauldron was filled with the strangest sight Lily had ever seen. She had the knowledge that she was a witch, but it had never really hit her until now. "Daddy, is that a leprechaun?" Petunia squealed, temporarily forgetting to look disgruntled as she pointed to a rather short figure on a barstool, clothed in green garments. Lily looked around in awe at the witches and wizards dressed in robes of wonderful colors—like emerald green, the color of her eyes, and a deep shade of purple, the color of royalty and Petunia's favorite.
A wizard appeared out of nowhere in front of them with a crack! causing Leanne to scream in fright and jump back. Lily, Petunia and Josh had also jumped, and the majority of the people in the pub looked around the room to see what the commotion was about. A gentle-looking witch, dressed in navy blue robes, rolled her eyes. "Don't you know better than to Apparate right in the middle of the pub?" She walked over and looked at the Evans family. Lily stared at the witch uncomfortably, although her interest was sparked, and there was an awkward silence until the witch inquired, "Well, which one of you is a witch?"
"M-me," Lily said in a small voice. She was rather intimidated by the magical world at the moment, especially of those wizards and witches older than her. Who knew what they could do to her if provoked? She had only had a brief encounter with Albus Dumbledore. The witch smiled at Lily. "Dear, are you starting your first year at Hogwarts?" Lily nodded. "What's 'Apparate'?" she asked uncertainly, hearing the sound of the new word coming from her lips. The witch smiled. "Apparition is when a wizard can use magic to quickly go from one place to another," she said. "It's rather hard to explain, but it's advanced magic, so you won't be learning it anytime soon." Lily eagerly absorbed this information.
"I assume you want to get to Diagon Alley for your books?" the witch asked. Lily nodded, and feeling like she should introduce herself, said, "By the way, my name is Lily Evans. This is my sister, Petunia,"—Petunia scowled—"and my mum, Leanne. This is my dad, Josh." Lily gestured at each of them in turn. The witch nodded in approval. "Nice to meet you," she said. "You seem to have a wonderful daughter. I'm Sofia. Sofia Adler. Come this way, now." Sofia walked briskly through the crowd, while Lily and her family struggled to keep up.
Lily was still in awe as she walked through the crowd, looking at the witches and wizards who greeted Sofia. "More Muggle-borns you got there, Sofia?" a man with a deep voice said, smiling. Sofia nodded curtly. "Could you move please, Felix? I need to bring this family to Diagon Alley. I'll talk to you later." Felix moved out of the way, and Sofia smiled at the Evans. "That was Felix Howard. You may be seeing more of him this year," she hinted mysteriously to Lily. She said no more, and a moment later they found themselves staring at a brick wall.
"Is this Dragon Alley?" Leanne asked, confused. Sofia just laughed. "No, no of course not," she said. "Diagon Alley, I assure you, will interest you much more than this wall." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and tapped a single brick on the wall after muttering to herself. "Stand back," Sofia cautioned. Petunia's mouth dropped open as the bricks rearranged themselves to form a gateway. Lily gasped as she looked through; there seemed to be a huge wizard shopping area before her eyes.
Sofia gently but firmly placed her hand on Lily's shoulder. "I'll be going now," she said to the Evans family. "There may be more families which I will have to escort. Be careful, and I'm sure you'll find someone who will help you come back. But, just as a warning since it's your first time here, steer clear of Knockturn Alley." She turned around and left, leaving Lily and her family free to roam.
Petunia had never looked so excited in her life. She had clearly forgotten that she was supposed to be mad at Lily; mad at the world. "Come on, let's go buy stuff!" she shouted impatiently, tugging at her mother's shirt. Sighing, her mother pulled Petunia back and bent down to talk to her older daughter. "Petunia, we're only here to buy things for Lily. She's the one that's going to be attending a magical school, and she's the one who's a witch. We're sorry, honey," Leanne said, gesturing at Josh. "But you can't get anything." The excited smile on Petunia's face was wiped off in an instant and replaced by a scowl. Leanne and Josh shot each other apprehensive looks as Petunia rambled on incessantly under her breath about how unfair it all was while they browsed around Diagon Alley.
Lily was upset about how she was acting, Petunia noticed. The knowledge of this gave her a grim feeling of satisfaction. She didn't really feel this way about her sister. The two of them had grown up being close friends and they had both been in love with anything to do with magic, even after they should have outgrown it. However, Petunia was extremely jealous that Lily got to be a witch and she didn't. She once again felt a sudden surge of hate towards her younger sister, and these brief moments of hatred were becoming more frequent. She decided at that moment that she would despise everything magical. She would not share her family's happiness that Lily was magical. After all, it was not fair that Lily got to be a witch and go to a magical school. A good-looking boy about her sister's age came up and introduced himself and the people with him. "Great, and she gets the friends, too," Petunia thought bitterly.
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James fell out of a fireplace and quickly stood up before his father came tumbling through as well, although Chris was considerably less dirty and covered in less soot. "That was so much fun, Dad!" James grinned. "Can we do that again?" Chris smiled at James's energy. "Not right now, son," he said. "But we'll take the Floo back home, alright?" James thought for a moment, then nodded at this compromise. "Come on, let's go!" James grabbed his Dad's hand excitedly.
Half an hour later, in Flourish & Botts, Chris tugged his son away from a book titled '1001 Great Pranks and Tricks to Pull on Your Friends'. "James," he said sternly. "Don't even think about pulling any of those pranks at home." James supplanted his mischievous grin with an innocent smile which didn't fool his dad at all. "James, I'm serious," Chris said.
"And so am I!" exclaimed a boy behind Chris, with short black hair that was much tamer than James's. The boy had an arrogant air around him. "The name's Sirius Black," the boy said pompously, holding out a hand. James shook it. "James Potter," he said with an equal amount of arrogance in his voice. Sirius looked taken aback for a millisecond, then regained his composure. "Nice to meet you," he said in a superior voice. James nodded curtly, but wasn't about to let himself be a pushover for Sirius. "You too. Is it going to be your first year at Hogwarts?" James asked haughtily, motioning at the robes that Sirius was carrying in a bag marked 'Madam Malkin's Robes for Every Occasion'. Sirius nodded, looking surprised about meeting someone who seemed to be as egotistical as he was, and James was wearing a smug expression on his face.
"Oh dear," Chris Potter said to himself. Both boys jerked their heads up to look at James's father. "James, please tell me I'm dreaming. I can manage you, but I can't manage two of you." James smiled evilly. "Sirius, this is my dad, Chris," he introduced. "I'm going to be a first-year at Hogwarts, too."
Sirius stuck out his hand for Chris to shake as well. "Where are your parents?" he inquired, wondering why Sirius was alone. Sirius shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his parents. "Oh, you know, around," he said, trying to avoid the question. James noticed, and shot him a quizzical look. Sirius threw him a menacing look in return, but James wasn't the least bit alarmed. However, although he didn't want to, he didn't say anything as he sensed that Sirius didn't want to talk about his parents.
Chris didn't want to put up with two energetic youngsters after James had woken him up at five in the morning in excitement. "You two, I'll drop you off at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a while, okay? You can talk and stuff," he said tiredly, hoping this suggestion would be appealing to James and his new acquaintance.
James and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," James said, motioning for Sirius to follow him and his dad. When they were safely at the ice cream parlor, James turned to Sirius. "So, why so uncomfortable about your family?" he said in a conceited tone. Sirius was glaring daggers at him, and James figured that he should tone it down a bit. He dropped his arrogant manner, something which he rarely did in front of others, and asked more quietly, "What's wrong with your family?"
Sirius didn't say anything to this boy, James Potter. Oh, how often he heard horrible things about the Potters at his home of Muggle-hating freaks. They were Dumbledore followers, apparently. Not to be associated with. "More the reason to be friends with James," Sirius thought. He would never admit it, but here he had finally found someone who could match him in ego. And that was a rather appealing characteristic in a friend.
James was not going to give up that easily. "Why…do you have something…against your family," he asked more slowly, as though Sirius could not understand plain English, but still with a tone of concern in his voice. Sirius's head snapped up. He knew that it would have taken James a lot of effort to manage that tone. "I can understand English," he retorted. "My family are freaks, what can I say? 'Purification'…wipe out all the Mudbloods…" Sirius said scathingly, mimicking his parents and relatives. James's mouth was hanging open. He quickly closed it as he realized that it was open, but not before Sirius saw and sniggered.
"Well, that's what you need friends for sometimes—to get away from those who annoy you," James said solemnly, holding out his hand. Sirius took it without thinking; he didn't remember how similar James was to him. Once his hand touched James's, he was zapped. "Ow," he said, jumping back and glaring at James, who was now the one sniggering. "James Potter, you better watch out, because I won't forget that you did that!" Sirius cried.
James laughed. "Looking forward to it," he said. Sirius gave him an odd look, but then started laughing as well. They were still laughing when Chris came back to bring them to get Harry his wand. "I've already got mine," Sirius stated brusquely. "Ash, 11.5 inches, contains a dragon's heartstring, bendy, and good for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
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Remus got off the Knight Bus with his mother. "I am never taking that again," Remus stated, his legs shaking. "Remus John Lupin," Joanna Lupin said firmly. "You are going to take that back home, unless you would prefer to take the Floo." Remus grimaced, remembering his first time traveling through the Floo Network. He had not had a very successful experience, but he knew that he would eventually have to learn. Maybe one day he would be able to travel comfortably through the fires.
He and his mom walked into Diagon Alley. "Well, let's go get you your books first," Joanna mused. Remus just followed as his mom walked into Flourish & Botts and bought his books secondhand. They were not impoverished, but as a family they always worked to spend as little money as possible. "Why so quiet, Remus?" Joanna asked kindly. Remus wasn't usually the shy type. He just shrugged. To be honest, he felt uncomfortable around all these people. True, he wasn't usually quiet, but this was different. He had gone to Muggle schools in the past, and didn't know how the magical sort would reaction to his condition.
"Mom, I think I'll go get my own things," Remus said quietly. He liked spending time with his mom, but for once he wanted to go around by himself. "I need a couple of robes for school; hopefully they'll last me at least four years." Joanna embraced him then allowed him to go browse Diagon Alley alone.
Ten minutes later, Remus was being fitted into robes by Madam Malkin herself. "First year at Hogwarts?" she inquired. Remus nodded as the boy next to him turned around in interest. "I'm beginning Hogwarts as well," the black-haired boy said. "I do hope I'll get into Gryffindor, although dear old mum would probably skin me alive. What house do you want to be in?"
Remus thought that this boy had an aura about him of overconfidence, but answered. "Oh, I dunno. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I assume," he said. "Name?"
"Sirius Black," the black-haired boy said firmly. Remus nodded his head. "Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you," he greeted as Madam Malkin arrived with his robes. He quickly paid, and was annoyed to see Sirius looking at his money, or lack thereof, with interest. However, it was not with a disgusted look; he only seemed merely bored.
"Well, I'll be going now," Remus said uncertainly to Sirius, whom he thought was overly egotistical. "I need to get my wand. I do hope I have enough money," he said worriedly, checking his pockets. Sirius nodded. "See you at Hogwarts, or before that." Remus said goodbye and left, not too sure what to think of Sirius. "Well, at least he doesn't seem to have a problem with the fact that I don't have a lot of money," Remus thought.
He arrived at Ollivander's shortly after. He glanced up. "Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." he said out loud as he read the small letters underneath the huge gold letters reading, 'OLLIVANDER'S'. He walked into the wand store. It was musty and rather dark inside, as though proper lighting had never been installed. He jumped as he heard a voice right behind him. He whirled around to find himself face to face with a seemingly old man, with white hair and spectacles. Remus squirmed uncomfortably as the man, who he assumed was Mr. Ollivander, peered into his hazel-gray eyes.
"Ah, Mr. Lupin. Starting your first year at Hogwarts I see," Mr. Ollivander said in a soft and mystical voice. Remus was starting to become more and more unsettled the more Mr. Ollivander spoke, and now he was attempting to back away as far as possible from the wand-dealer without being noticed. Mr. Ollivander chuckled and retreated behind the counter to the seemingly infinite number of boxes that he had in his possession.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked Remus, "Your wand hand?" Remus pointed at his left hand. Mr. Ollivander quickly turned back to the boxes. "Ah…hmm…"
Remus was rather concerned when Mr. Ollivander hadn't picked out a wand for him to try after five minutes.
The entrance to the wand shop opened. Remus was glad for any distraction, so he turned around to see who the new visitors were. The boy he had seen before, Sirius, had arrived, but this time he was with another boy who seemed to hold himself with enough arrogance to rival Sirius himself. The boy was whining. "But Dad, I really want a Nimbus 1002! They're the best out there right now!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Quidditch freaks," he muttered to himself, smiling. He didn't have anything against being obsessed with Quidditch, but he did find it rather amusing to see others being so attached to the sport.
Mr. Ollivander, it seemed, had also been distracted by the new customer. He was peering at James the same way which he had with Remus, but the messy-haired boy was staring back at Mr. Ollivander defiantly. The older man who was with the two boys, who Remus assumed was the whining boy's father—the similarity was startling—chuckled.
Remus was growing rather impatient now. He cleared his throat, then said quietly, "Mr. Ollivander, sir, could I please try a wand now?" Mr. Ollivander jumped back in surprise; clearly having forgotten that Remus was still in the shop, wandless. "Oh yes, yes, of course," Mr. Ollivander said, noting James's wand hand—his right hand—before hurrying back behind the counter.
Sirius noticed Remus for the first time. "Ah, Remus!" He went up to Remus, slapped him on the back, and brought him to James and Chris. "Mr. Potter, James, this is Remus Lupin," Sirius said formally. "He's in our year." James grinned widely. "Quit it with the formality, Sirius," he said superiorly, holding out his hand. "I'm James Potter. First year at Hogwarts, too."
Remus looked at the two boys suspiciously. They reminded him oddly of his older brother, Kramer, who had been the prankster between the two of them. Remus had always been the studious one. He had been rather withdrawn ever since the death of his brother two years ago. He had only been 9 at the time, but he was old enough to have it affect him dearly. It still affected him a lot, but he was now able to push the thoughts to the back of his head when needed. This year, his brother should have been entering his fourth year at Hogwarts.
He shook his head to bring him back to reality, and found James staring at him strangely. "You okay?" Remus nodded. "Good, take my hand, will you?" James asked, a little too eagerly. This confirmed Remus's suspicions. Tiredly, he said, "No, I'm not looking forward to getting zapped by a little toy you got from Gambol & Japes."
James and Sirius looked at each other, quite impressed.
Mr. Ollivander finally returned from behind the counter, holding three boxes. "Mr. Lupin, try these three. You're a tough one. The wand is often made to reflect the person wielding it." Remus smiled weakly, as he opened the first box. He took out the wand and waved it around. The one light-bulb on the ceiling swayed dangerously. Mr. Ollivander shook his head. "Try the other one," he said unnecessarily. Remus nodded, and took the second box. He removed the wand and felt a surge of warmth. As he waved it around, a swish of color came flying out of the tip. Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands happily, but was chewing on his bottom lip uncertainly.
"Mr. Lupin, could you please try the third one as well?" Mr. Ollivander had a curious look on his face. Remus nodded, and took the third wand out of its box. He once again felt a surge of warmth, and when he waved it, a string of color came out of the tip. Remus was not sure what he should do. Instead, he turned helplessly to the wand-dealer.
"Odd," Mr. Ollivander said. "A wizard should not have more than one wand that works well for them. However, there is one interesting shared characteristic of these two wands, Mr. Lupin," he said, once again peering into the boy's eyes. "Can you guess what it is?"
"N-no…I don't think so," Remus said shakily. Mr. Ollivander was rather intimidating. "What is it?"
The wand-dealer's gaze tore away from Remus's to look at the two wands Remus was holding. They did not look similar in any way, and Remus was quite certain that the only similarity was that they were both wands. Mr. Ollivander paused for a moment. "Mr. Lupin, these two wands both contain a werewolf hair."
Remus paled considerably. Sirius and James were now looking at the two of them in interest, wondering what was going on. "A w-werewolf hair?" Remus questioned, still more shakily. Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Well, I would choose whichever one you feel more drawn to, Mr. Lupin."
Looking at the two wands, he could not for the life of him decide which one he felt more drawn to. Suddenly he had an idea. He picked up the two wands at once in his left hand, and waved it around. Only one of them shot out the usual stream of color. He put the other wand down, and brought the chosen wand to Mr. Ollivander. "Here, I'll go with this one," he said uncertainly. Mr. Ollivander examined the wand.
"Ah, good choice, Mr. Lupin. Cedar, 13 inches, rather stiff. Contains a werewolf hair, as I have already told you. It will serve you well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, like young Mr. Black's here."
Sirius and James ran to Remus in excitement, nearly throwing him to the ground.
"A werewolf hair!" James cried.
With a faint smile, Remus waved goodbye and left the wand shop.
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James and Sirius stared in awe at Remus's retreating figure as he left. "A werewolf hair," Sirius said in disbelief.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. I see you have met Mr. Black here. Those at Hogwarts won't know what hit them," he said, suppressing a grin. James looked at Mr. Ollivander, surprised. How did he know all these things about them?
Mr. Ollivander took much less time choosing out wands for James than he had for Remus, and chose out a larger variety as well. James quickly went through them all, as he was excited to find his wand, but finished waving the last wand with disappointment.
To his surprise, Mr. Ollivander seemed to be extremely happy. "Well, well, that's not a problem, we'll just keep looking," the old wand-dealer practically squeaked. James raised an eyebrow as Mr. Ollivander ran back behind the counter to retrieve another variety of wands.
"Here, here, try this one first—mahogany, 11 inches, pliable. Contains a hippogriff's feather, and is excellent for Transfiguration."
James took hold of the wand, and waved it around before he had a chance to feel the surge of warmth that spread through his body. A huge wave of color spurted from the tip of the wand. James jumped up and punched his fist in the air. "Yes! A hippogriff feather!"
Chris laughed at his son's excitement. "Yes, James, a hippogriff feather. I'm sure this wand will suit you well," he said, as he led James and Sirius out of the store after saying goodbye to Mr. Ollivander.
"Man, that guy gives me the creeps," James said once they were out of earshot. Chris ruffled his son's hair. "Mr. Ollivander is a great man, I'm sure you'll come to find later this year," he said mysteriously, refusing to say more.
James looked at his dad questioningly who just shrugged in return. Chris knew that his son would just drop the subject and nag him about it later. Sure enough, James had turned to Sirius and was talking to him in whispers. Chris sighed. It was going to be a long, long day.
Wanting to divert their attention away from whatever they were talking about, because he had a slight idea that it might lead to mayhem later, Chris pointed out a family who seemed to be Muggles; new to the wizarding world. A girl with bright red hair and hazel-green almond-shaped eyes seemed to be leading her family. Her sister, or so Chris assumed, even though they looked completely different, had pale skin, brown hair, and gray eyes. She was sulking behind her mother.
James walked up to this family with confidence, Sirius right next to him.
"Hello, I'm James, are you starting your first year at Hogwarts?"
Lily looked at the black-haired boy in front of her. "Hi, yes I am."
"Well, she's kind of quiet at the moment," thought James, forgetting that she was a Muggle-born new to the wizarding world; almost like a fish out of the water.
"Well, this is my father, Chris, and my friend, Sirius," James introduced. "And you?"
"Um, what's your name?" Lily asked. "I'm Lily."
"Oh, I'm James. Who you got there with you?"
"My sister, Petunia. Mum, Leanne, and dad, Josh." Lily motioned to each of them in turn.
James nodded, evidently only to be polite. Lily noticed him shooting strange looks at her sister, but wasn't surprised. Petunia was sulking, scowling, and throwing glares at Lily whenever she believed that Lily wasn't looking. Hell, even when she knew Lily was looking. "Right. Well Sirius and I are gonna go to the Magical Menagerie, wanna come or something?"
Lily turned to her parents. "Mom, can I? Please?" Leanne and Josh both laughed, and Petunia sulked some more. "Sure, honey. Meet us at that ice cream place in an hour, alright?" Lily nodded in agreement, and hugged her parents before she left.
James and Sirius turned to her, Chris walking close behind. "So, Muggle-born, are you?"
Lily nodded. "Er, yeah, I guess so," she said uncertainly.
"I'm Sirius. Sirius Black," Sirius said as they walked towards the Menagerie.
"Um, nice to meet you," Lily replied. She felt…not uncomfortable…but out of place with these two boys. They seemed nice enough, but the way they carried themselves, with an air of superiority, was something she had never seen before. It intrigued her, however, that anyone could have such an inflated ego.
They arrived at the Magical Menagerie. Upon entering, Lily gasped. James and Sirius chuckled. "Never seen all these owls and rats before, right?" The Menagerie was covered from ceiling to floor with animals—mainly owls, cats, toads, and…
Suddenly Lily realized what James had just said. "Rats!" Lily shrieked. James smirked. "Yes dear, rats."
Lily nearly fainted, then determinedly avoided the rats and walked towards the owls. "Don't they have an owl shop around here?" she inquired, distantly recalling passing one as she had entered Diagon Alley. "And what does the magical world use these animals for, anyhow?
"They're just pets, but owls are damn useful. They'll send your mail and all. But you'll need a cage, Owl Treats, and that stuff. Oh, and that store is called Eeylops Owl Emporium," James said promptly. Lily nodded. "Yes, that was it," she said absently as she picked up a tawny owl and stroked it. Suddenly her eye caught a beautiful mottled owl in a corner of the room. She walked towards it, and picked it up.
"It's beautiful," she breathed softly.
"It's a she," Sirius and James said in unison, smirking.
Lily threw a disgruntled look at the boys. "My apologies," she said sweetly. "Now, seeing as that I haven't exchanged Muggle currency yet, would you two be kind enough pay for this owl? I'll pay you back as soon as I can." Her voice was sickeningly honey-laced.
"My pleasure. But don't expect a Christmas present," Sirius said warningly.
"Oh, I'll be expecting one anyway," Lily said in the same tone. "It was my birthday two weeks ago." Sirius glared at her.
"Do you want me to get it for you or not?" he demanded. Lily laughed. "Yes, please. Thanks."
Ten minutes later, a very happy Lily Evans walked out of the Menagerie holding a bag and a cage containing an owl. She gazed at her, mesmerized.
"Avaria," she whispered softly.
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Remus watched Sirius and James from a distance. They were now with another person, who he assumed was another first year. She had wavy dark red hair and emerald green eyes. "She looks like a nice girl," Remus thought as he gazed at the girl who was looking at her owl with a raptured expression.
He wandered closer to the three, hoping to capture her name due to his excellent hearing. Unfortunately, James spotted him and waved him over. Reluctantly, he walked over with a smile plastered on his face.
"Hi James, hi Sirius," he said cheerfully, with a hint of apprehension. Only Lily heard this, but he gave her a meaningful glare as she shot him a questioning look.
"Hi Remus. This is Lily, I don't think you've met her yet, have you?"
Remus shook his head. "No, no I haven't. I'm Remus."
"I've picked up that much. Nice to meet you."
Lily examined the boy in front of her. He was wearing robes, but they were rather tattered and worn. However, he was holding a bag which was labeled Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Lily supposed that she was to make a stop there later. Lily was mystified by the tired yet sharp and alert expression on the boy's—Remus's—face.
Remus watched as Lily looked at him. He cringed inwardly as he remembered what he was wearing, and the looks he had received all day because of it. However, the girl's eyes showed anything but a look of disgust. In fact, she seemed mildly intrigued. Remus was glad he had met someone who didn't match Sirius and James in arrogance.
James and Sirius broke the silence. "So, er, Lily, you've decided to name your owl Avaria?" Lily nodded. "I remember reading it somewhere, but I don't recall where. I like the name, though," she stated.
Remus nodded. "Avaria. Nice name," he commented. Lily smiled and nodded.
She had to jump out of the way with a yelp just five seconds later as a hurricane of a girl nearly ran into all four of them.
Lily realized she was mistaken after she took a closer look at the interruption, who had stopped when she realized she had nearly ran into some people. It was two girls, not one. Their cheeks were both flushed and their hair had been tousled in the wind.
"Sorry about that," one girl said. He voice was surprisingly soulful, but at the same time harsh. She had relatively straight black hair, and had a small hint of an American accent in her voice, although she looked semi-Asian. She was breathing heavily, and was holding a bag. She ran a free hand through her now-tangled hair. She was taller than her friend, and held herself with confidence. However, her eyes seemed almost disoriented, as though she saw the world through a bad view.
"We didn't realize…er…"
"It's alright," Lily replied, still rather shocked but slowly regaining her composure. The second girl nodded in apology. "Yeah. Like Sierra said. Our bad." She grinned as her friend glared at her.
This girl was a brunette. A curly-haired brunette. Nearly a head shorter than her friend, but not quite, she had blue-gray eyes that sparkled. She was energetic—that much was evident, Lily decided, even though the girl was even shorter than her.
"First year at Hogwarts?" the part-Asian girl queried, motioning at both Sirius and Remus's bags. The four of them nodded.
"Excellent," the girl said. "Us too."
Lily held out a hand. "I'm Lily. Nice to meet some other girls going to Hogwarts. No offense, guys," she added as Sirius and James pretended to look hurt. "Oh yeah. This is Sirius, James, and Remus."
The two girls gave James and Sirius odd looks, and the two of them immediately stopped pouting. "I'm Adrienne," the brunette introduced.
The part-Asian girl nodded. "And, on the contrary to what Adrienne here says, my name is Naomi, not Sierra. Don't call me that, or your ass will promptly be kicked. Any volunteers for a demonstration?"
An awkward silence followed this. Even Sirius and James were slightly stunned at the tough exterior of this girl, Naomi. Lily could swear her owl, Avaria, was eyeing the girl apprehensively.
Naomi was unfazed. "I didn't think so," she said, smirking. She tossed her head. "So."
Adrienne was the only one who didn't seem the least bit intimidated by Naomi.
Whew, this was a long chapter. I know nothing interesting has really happened yet, but this isn't supposed to be a thriller—especially not yet. I'm still trying to tell the story at the moment.
Avaria is pronounced uh-VAR-ee-a.
I once again apologize for any facts in this that may contradict the actual Harry Potter books. I'm trying my best to stay accurate with the HP Lexicon, but since I'm lacking the books, it's sometimes hard.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter…please review!
The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. It'll be about the Hogwarts Express, and possibly the sorting. Maybe something else too! I'm making this up as I go.