DIAGON ALLEY
Author's note: some information borrowed from Book One of Harry Potter and I do not own the series in the slightest. I do however own the parts you don't recognize :)
It was March 8th and Lily Evans was eagerly waiting, dressed and ready at the front door.
"Come one mum! We'll be late!" She called out, giggling. Her mother rounded the corner and shook her head.
"You are much too excited Lily." She sighed. "Harold, Tuney? Will you both be ok? There's leftovers from dinner last night in the fridge if you want it for lunch."
Harold came to the top of the second floor stairs. "I'm sure we can manage. Be careful in London, love."
While her mother drove, Lily stared out the window trying to imagine what Hogwarts might be like. She had always been quite intelligent but decided that she would do her very best and learn as much as she could; she was given an opportunity that most kids could only dream about.
"What's on your mind Lily?" Kaye asked her daughter, noticing that she had been rather quiet.
Lily pulled her cream cardigan closed, as if it was freezing. "I'm just thinking of what Hogwarts might be like, mum. I've decided that I will give it my very best shot as I have been given this opportunity."
Kay smiled; she already knew her youngest daughter was mature for her age, but she continued to surprise her. "I'm sure you'll do fine Lily. You've always been good at school"
"I know, but this is a gift that some kids can only dream about." Lily smiled sheepishly. "What if I'm no good because I haven't been brought up in a magical world?"
"Lily Jean Evans," her mother started. "If I know you – and I do – you will have read all of your textbooks, cover to cover, before you're even at Hogwarts."
Lily laughed. "As bad as it sounds, I have a feeling you might be right!"
"Professor Dumbledore said to wait by here and look for a large man, with a big beard… However will we know which man is Hagrid… Oh." Lily smiled, not letting it falter, however she could not take her eyes off the man coming towards her and her mother. The man she had just spotted was indeed large; he was at least three foot taller than Lily's petite 5ft frame.
"Yeh mus' be Lily Evans, an' Mrs Evans?" the man said kindly. "Lemme introduce meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
Lily nodded. "Nice to meet you sir, I am indeed Lily and this is my mother, Kaye." Her mother only nodded politely with a smile.
"Well, we best be off, Lily. Lots ter do today, gotta get all yer stuff fer school." Hagrid smiled, leading Lily and her mother into a grubby-looking pub that she could have sworn wasn't there before. Hagrid led them through the pub and out to a small courtyard where there was nothing but a worn out brick wall. Hagrid pulled out an umbrella and tapped a few of the bricks, muttering for her and her mother to stand back. Suddenly, the bricks quivered and turned to reveal an archway to a cobbled street lined with stores and bustling people in robes.
"Wow!" Lily exclaimed. "This is Diagon Alley?"
Hagrid nodded. "Yep. I'm gonna take yer to Gringotts bank up there to change yer money an' then I got summat ter do fer Professor Dumbledore. I'll meet yeh before heading home, but."
Lily, her mother and Hagrid walked out of the snow white building almost an hour and a half later having had to change muggle money to wizarding money and to open a vault for Lily; her mother had given her a small amount of money to open her vault. Hagrid had spent a good deal of time explaining to her and her mother the wizarding currency and then showed her the directions in which to go to find her school supplies before heading off in another direction with a promise to see them after.
"Well Lily, I am royally confused." Kaye laughed. "Where would you like to start?"
Lily smiled. "The bookshop! Where else?"
"I should have known." Her mother shook her head.
They walked the cobbled street to find the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts. Walking in, they looked around and there were books lining every inch of the shop; piles in corners, bookshelves completely full, books behind the counter… Lily was in heaven!
"Lily, why don't you give me your booklist and I'll speak to the lady at the counter. You can go and look around." Kaye laughed at the huge smile on her daughter's face.
Lily handed the list to her mother and practically floated amongst the shelves, looking at the titles available. She found a book, "Hogwarts: A History" and decided she had to take it home to learn about her new school; she noticed nearby there was a slightly shabby looking boy about her age looking wistfully at some books on the shelf. He turned his eyes from the books on the shelf and caught Lily's eye; he smiled kindly and walked up to her.
"Hi, I'm Remus." He said shyly. "Are you going to Hogwarts too?"
Lily nodded with a smile. "I'm Lily, nice to meet you. This will be my first year, what about you?"
"Yeah, it will be my first year too; I'm not eleven yet but this was the only time I could come to London... I don't know anyone going, do you?" Remus asked.
Lily tilted her head to the side, thinking. "I know one person, Severus Snape. But I'm the only witch in my family so it was a surprise for my parents."
Remus laughed. "I can only imagine what that was like. I better go find my dad before he thinks I've disappeared."
"Nice to meet you Remus." Lily held her hand out, shaking Remus' hand. "I'll see you in September."
Lily and her mother carried parcels and her new tawny owl, Jetta down the street of Diagon Alley towards their last stop: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. Inside was narrow and a little bit shabby with various boxes stacked upon one another and the shelves stacked fully; Lily could only imagine by the shape of the boxes that inside was magic wands.
"Good afternoon!" said a happy voice. A man on a sliding ladder smiled down at Lily and her mother. "I am Garrick Ollivander. Here for your first wand, I presume?"
Lily nodded shyly at the man, his wide, pale eyes shining brightly like the moon. "Yes, sir."
"Which is your wand arm?" Mr Ollivander asked.
Lily's smile faltered. "Um… I'm right handed…"
Before she hand finished her sentence fully, Mr Ollivander had whipped a measuring tape from thin air and was measuring Lily from shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor and knee to armpits. He then bustled to the back mumbling to no one in particular; when he came back, he had a box open and was pulling out a wand as he spoke. "Mahogany, eleven inches and very good for transfiguration. Give it a wave."
Mr Ollivander smiled expectantly at Lily as she took the wand from him. She waved the wand but the man took the wand back off her and went off to grab another wand; he gave her another wand but had the same result. This went on for twenty minutes until they finally found the wand for Lily (it shot rainbow sparks out of the tip), ten and a quarter inches, willow, with a unicorn hair core. Lily's mother paid seven gold Galleons for the wand and Mr Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
Before Lily and her mother left Diagon Alley, Hagrid had treated both her and her mother to an ice cream at a parlour and explained the houses at Hogwarts; he also told Lily how to get on to Platform 9¾. Lily was a bit worried about running at a wall but decided that she liked Hagrid very much and thanked him profusely for showing them the ropes in Diagon Alley and for the ice cream. The sun hung low in the horizon as Lily and her mother drove back to Cokeworth but Lily was as excited as ever about the new adventure that she would embark on in September.
That night, after dinner and everyone else had gone to bed, Lily sat up reading "Hogwarts: A History". She hadn't put the book down since she got home, she had learnt a lot about the school she was going to, such as the history of how the school started, the founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Before retiring for the night, she gave her new owl, Jetta a few treats and finally tucked in to bed wondering how she would get through the next six months knowing what was in store for her on September 1st.