CHAPTER TWO: DIAGON ALLEY

Raven walked around the side of the house and into the garden out front to view the drive. Lily would be arriving by car, since her parents were both Muggles, and had little knowledge of magical modes of transportation.

After waiting barely six minutes, Raven saw a silver van approaching from her left. As the car pulled into the drive and came to a stop, a passenger door on Raven's side slid open. A girl with thick, curly, dark-red hair and vivid green eyes jumped out of it, rushed over to Raven, and hugged her.

"Oh, Raven!" she exclaimed, letting go and stepping back. "It's wonderful to see you again! Did you get my last letter? I wasn't sure - you didn't write back."

"Oh, I got it," said Raven. "I just figured I answer when I saw you next, since I knew you were coming." She laughed. Lily was almost bouncing with excitement.

Mrs. Evans rolled down her window; she hadn't left the car.

"Morning, Raven." She called out, waving.

"Morning, Mrs. Evans," came Raven's cheerful reply. "Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, no, dear, thank you, but I've got to run…. You'll be all right then, Lily? When shall I come collect you?"

"Don't worry about that," Raven said, "We'll take her home this evening."

"All right. Lily, have you got everything? Your money?"

"Of course, Mum, I'll see you later," said Lily. "Bye!"

"Bye, girls… be good…" and she pulled away from the drive and out of sight.

Raven showed Lily a bit of the house, tried, but failed to introduce her to her mum, who'd fallen asleep again.

Mr. Sinistra apparated onto the doorstep at noon to take Lily and Raven into Diagon Alley, but seeing as neither of the girls knew how to apparate, they'd have to get there by the floo network, of which Mr. Sinistra had connected the Tohpps Manor earlier that morning.

Once in Diagon Alley, the three of them went into Gringotts Bank to exchange Lily's muggle money into wizard gold, something that utterly amazed Lily. Outside Gringotts, Mr. Sinistra looked up and down the Alley, and then turned to the girls, asking, "Well… where to first?"

"Wands!" chorused Lily and Raven in unison.

"Wands it is, then," replied Mr. Sinistra, laughing a little at their sheer pleasure.

As they entered Ollivander's, they heard a distinct farewell, and saw two figures in front of them. One, a man with dark hair, and the other, a boy - also with dark hair - fingering a wand he'd pulled out of the thin box in his hand. He glanced at Lily and Raven as they entered, but seemed to avert his eyes from their gaze as he left the shop.

"Sinistra! Mr. Artemis Sinistra! How good to see you again," came a voice from behind the counter. Mr. Ollivander hurried over to Mr. Sinistra and shook his hand with both his own.

"Mr. Ollivander, this is my daughter, Raven - " Raven smiled and took Mr. Ollivander's hand  "- and her friend Lily Evans." Lily looked a bit nervous, but pulled a smile and shook Mr. Ollivander's hand as well.

"So you'll both be needing wands, then?" He asked. When they nodded, he clasped his hands together, turned from them, walked over to a series of shelves close at hand, and slid out several long, thin boxes.

He tipped them all onto the chair behind him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Mr. Sinistra occupied it. Mr. Sinistra, however, didn't seem to mind; he shuffled and straightened the boxes behind Mr. Ollivander's back.

"Now, Miss Sinistra, you try this - " he handed Raven a long, Redwood wand, " - And Miss Evans…." He pulled out a handsome Maple on, handed it to her, and instructed them to wave them round.

So began their wand shopping, culminating in Lily's finding her wand to be a beautiful willow one that was ten and a quarter inches long, and Raven, a twelve inch long ebony wand.

After they purchased their wands, they walked down to Madam Malkins' Robes For All Occasions for their black school robes, then to the Apothecary for potions class ingredients. From there, to Flourish and Blotts for books, then to several more odd shops for parchment, ink, quills, and cauldrons.

The streets were packed with people. Most looked like students buying their school things, dragging along harassed-looking parents.

Round five o'clock that evening, Mr. Sinistra called down a taxi to take Lily back to her parents' house. Lily, who'd never imagined such an eventful day, thanked Mr. Sinistra and Raven very, very much for bringing her along, and climbed into the cab.

"See you at Hogwarts, then!" called Raven, waving, as the taxi pulled into the street.

Lily's waving hand soon disappeared, and Raven turned to her father, who was going to see her into The Leaky Cauldron so she could use the fire to get back home. She put an arm round him.

"Thanks, dad."

A/N: Aaaaahh… so sweet…figured I'd end on that note for now. I'll be writing more ASAP, so…yeah! What d'you think? Please review!!! I THRIVE on feedback!!!!!!