A/N – I do realize that I spelt floo wrong several times in the last chapter. I do apologise for that and thanks to those that picked up on it. This has now been corrected although I'm sure I checked through several times. Oh well live and learn. Please feel free to review or criticise it's what keeps me going. Thanks to Surfster for being my beta.

Chapter 2 – Diagon Alley Meetings

James Albus Potter leant against the outside wall of Madam Malkins appearing to watch numerous witches and wizards stroll about Diagon Alley. He had just been measured up for new robes and was now waiting whilst his sister did the same. Although it might have looked to the general observer that James was taking in everything around him that was only partially true. His thoughts were currently on the information his sister had passed on last night when they had finally headed off to bed. He seemed to have as many questions as his sister, none of which they could answer between them. The thing that worried him most, however, was that his mother's return was apparently delayed and no one seemed to know where she was.

James hadn't had much time to think about this since he had found out last night. As soon as they had woken up in the morning they had been on the go. Aunt Hermione had wanted to get them into Diagon Alley as soon as possible since they apparently had so much to pick up. Their first stop had been Gringotts where after a dizzying ride they had stepped up to a vault which, in James' opinion, had an extraordinary amount of money in there. After another dizzying ride back to the lobby they had then headed down to Flourish and Blott's to obtain the books that had been listed on the acceptance letters they had received a couple of weeks ago. Uncle Ron had stated that he didn't quite understand the need for a whole new set of books when most of those on the list appeared to be the same one they themselves had had to get. Aunt Hermione and Lily had then gone on about different editions and how their books could hardly be called recent anymore. James who agreed with his uncle had just looked at him and shrugged. Serious how much could the basics of magic change?

After obtaining a rather heavy armful of books they made their way down the street to the Apothecary and the Cauldron Shop. James and Lily had gotten distracted on the way down, James by the numerous owls in Eeylops Owl Emporiumand Lily across the street by all of the Quidditch supplies. After finally being dragged away by their Uncle and Aunt they reached the Apothecary. James decided after seeing and smelling some of the ingredients that he was probably not going to like potions very much. Lily on the other hand seemed fascinated by it all. After a quick bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron where Uncle Ron had returned with his two to Grimmauld Place with what they had already bought, Aunt Hermione had then lead them back out to the Alley and towards Madam Malkin's. Where finally James had an opportunity to ponder on recent revelations.

James himself had been curious about the whereabouts of his mother. He and Lily had not heard from her in over a month and this in itself was unusual. They were used to their mother disappearing every now and then. They never knew where she was going but she always wrote weekly or fortnightly at the latest. When she came back she never talked about where she was went and basically seemed to act as if she had not gone away at all. It was something James had never thought to question … until now.

James was frowning about this when a felt a weird sensation. Someone was staring at him. He came out of his reprieve and looked around in earnest. It was their across the road he saw her. It appeared that a girl about his age had frozen just as she had come out of the ice-cream parlor. She was wearing muggle clothing, blue jeans and a red jumper, a stone that seemed to swim in colours hung from her neck and her blonde hair was buffeted by the late August wind. However sapphire eyes seemed locked onto him and it kind of made him uneasy. He shuffled slightly and the girl smiled shyly.

'What does she want?' James thought wryly only to lose eye contact with her as people exiting Madam Malkin's almost knocked him over.

"Watch where you're going, boy" Came a snide female voice as James turned around. He watched what he assumed was a mother and two children walk down the street. 'What's their problem?' He turned back to look at the girl across the street but she had disappeared.

"Well of all the nerve!" James looked up as Aunt Hermione exited the shop with Lily. "It's been a long time since I've met someone with that sort of attitude." James looked and Lily questioningly but she just shrugged and followed after her aunt who was heading down to the far side of Diagon Alley. "Okay, Madam Malkin said that she would send the robes to us once they were completed. She promised this would be in time for school. Now looking at your list all you have left to get is your wand," She glanced quickly at her watch. "We should also have time to look in on your uncles' shop. I know they'll be delighted to see you."

James and Lily glanced at each other beaming. They had longed to visit Weasley's Wizards Wheezes since they had first heard about it. Their uncle had been giving them items from the shop since about the age of two, but they had yet to actually step into the store. Sure they had heard a lot about it from their family but it just wasn't the same. They were chatting about this excitedly as they walked past Gringotts and the Magical Menagerie again James found it hard to stop by the pet store without having a good look. He began silently counting the pocket money he had been saving up, wondering if he would have enough for his own pet yet.

They stopped in front of a narrow aging building with an elaborately engraved signed. "Ollivander's: Maker of fine wands since 382BC". Compared to WWW which they could just make out further down the street Ollivander's seemed rather shabby.

Aunt Hermione must have noticed their faces as she stated. "Don't let the place or the person fool you, Ollivander's makes the best wands in the country. Some even say in the world. Now go on in I've just go to down the road and do one final thing." She pushed them through the door, handed them some galleons and turned to go back the way they had come.

"I think Uncle Ron's right. Aunt Hermione's a bit mad sometimes." James stated to Lily as he looked around. He knew that Ollivander's had closed down in the second war, by the looks of things the place hadn't been dusted since.

"She is not!" Lily defended strongly. James just gave her a pointed look as he walked over to the wall and examined the writing of a couple of the columns of boxes. "Okay, maybe she can be a little pedantic and a tad eccentric." Lily conceded as she took a seat on the single rickety chair. James gave her a slightly odd look and Lily thought about what she had said. "Thorough and odd." She translated. James gave a short nod and returned to his study of the boxes, his sister was just too wordy sometimes.

"Well now if this isn't a surprise." James jumped at the voice that appeared from nowhere and looked warily at the wizard who had suddenly appeared in the room. He was short probably no taller than James currently was and had wide pale eyes that were studying them both speculatively. "I wasn't sure if I'd be seeing you, considering the amount of people that would be able to lend you wands."

"I'm sorry," Lily stated without thinking, "but how do you know who we are? We haven't even told you our names."

James looked at his sister in surprise usually she was a bit more subtle in her manner. He glanced back at Mr. Ollivander curious to know the answer though, as this wizard was the first to really notice them or even hinted that he knew who they were.

Mr. Ollivander smiled, the lines around his eyes crinkling. "One does not need to know a name to recognize those that come from great people and I know more of what goes on then people may think. I have had the honor of selling wands to everyone in your family and despite your differences I can still tell where your parentage lies. Yes you are a perfect blend of your parents and your namesakes. Your father was a great wizard and to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named well what can be said. Brother wands destined to destroy the holder of the other. Only wands I know of not to be snapped. On view in the ministry of magic…most curious." James and Lily looked at each other unable to get a word in as Ollivander continued. "But of course your mother wants you to get new wands in her position. She knows that another's wand would not suit as well. Oh well lets get started shall we. Ladies first I suppose, wand hand please."

Lily and James once again glanced at each as Lily held out her right hand and a long tape measure with silver ends started to measure every conceivable distance. When Ollivander handed Lily the first wand (Ash, sturdy, 10 ½ inches, unicorn hair) the tape measure stopped and made its way to James. In between having the distance between his eyes measured he saw Lily give her fifth wand (Maple and Ivy, bendy, 9 inches, Dragon Heartstring) a wave but nothing again happened. James swatted at the tape measure slightly annoyed with all the measuring. It gave a little jig and then rolled itself up neatly and fell to the floor beside the single chair. Mr. Ollivander raised an eyebrow at James as he removed yet another wand from its dusty box. "Try this one Miss Potter. 10 ¼ inches Willow, quite flexible, one of the few Phoenix feathers I have left."

Sighing Lily picked up the wand and James could see the change immediately. Lily's eyes practically shone as she raised the wand up. With a swish it came down again emitting red and emerald sparks. James' mouth opened in a wow.

Again Mr. Ollivander smiled. "Wonderful. Okay Mr. Potter, your turn now."

If James had thought he would go through the same wands as Lily he was mistaken. Mr. Ollivander seemed to go to the back wall to start his wand collection. Just like Lily, James went through wand after wand, but instead of getting frustrated Mr. Ollivander seemed more jovial with each dismissed wand. "No worry Mr. Potter, we'll find the wand for you yet." He looked around for a second seeming to ponder something before heading to the right wall where towards some boxes that seemed newer than the others. "Here we go, try this. Maple. 12 inches. Quite Whippy."

James took the wand in his hand which instantly seemed to warm around the wand. He understood why Lily's eyes had sparkled when she found her chosen wand as James could almost feel the magic of the wand coursing through him. He raised the wand and brought it down smiling and the red and gold sparks that were emitted.

"Marvelous!" Exclaimed Mr. Ollivander, as he carefully placed the wand back in its box. "I was wondering who was going to be the first to purchase one of those. Quite a unique core. Hippogriff feather. Hardly every used as the creatures can be quite temperamental. Luckily I have a friend who looks after a heard. He will be delighted when I tell him that one has been sold." He handed both Lily and James their wand boxes. "Now that will be twenty galleons and I believe your aunt is waiting for you outside."

James hand Mr. Ollivander the money and they exited the shop to see their Aunt carrying a covered cage. A soft hooting was coming from beneath the cover. James froze his face lighting up. "What you got there Aunt Hermione?"

Hermione smiled and lifted up the cover to reveal a beautiful mid size Tawny Owl. "It's a gift from the family. We figured since you would be gone all year and Hedwig is really too old to keep doing frequent long journeys…"

"You mean it's ours?" James did not know which was better. Obtaining his wand or getting their own owl.

"Yes, he's yours."

James took the cage tentatively from his aunt and glanced at Lily. Although she could appreciate the owl's beauty she really was not much of an animal person. Still she smiled and looked at Hermione. "Thanks Aunt Hermione!"

"Come on now Fred's waiting for us. I let him know you'd be coming."

Still staring at the owl that James had decided would be called Spartacus he followed his aunt and sister down the street. They had just reached WWW, when the front door swung open and a woman exited looking non too please. James recognized her as the woman who had banged into him outside Madam Malkin's. She seemed to look down her nose at them her hazel eyes showing distain. She flick straight mahogany hair over her shoulder and glanced behind her. "Come on, Silvestra, Damien. This place is not worth our time." The two children from before exited their black eyes which matched their ebony hair showed no emotion. The children either did not notice them or chose to ignore them as they walked by without even acknowledging the small group standing by the door.

"Well, they seem pleasant." James muttered sarcastically as the trio walked away.

"You have no idea." Stated Hermione quietly as she opened the door to the shop."

"Who are they anyway?" Asked Lily.

"They my dear family," Remarked Fred Weasley who was glowering out the door at the retreating backs of the small family, "was Rolinda Starman. And those two children with her are Silvestra and Damien Lestrange."

Hermione did a sharp in take of breath. "They're not?" The question was almost strangled.

Fred folded his arms his expression had not change. "Yes Hermione they are. You have just been ignored by the children of Bellatrix Lestrange."