A/N: To be entirely honest, this chapter is more or less a canon re-telling of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Only this time, a few things have been changed around, such as the addition of not one, but two Severuses, a Lily, and an old coot to boot. Also, an important confrontation that occurs between Harry and one of his main 'rivals' in canon, doesn't take place.

Chapter 5 Shopping Excursions

Shopping for clothes was a tiresome endeavor, McGonagall had shepherded the group to Hogsmeade only to discover that the Muggle clothing store, ran by a pair of muggleborn former-students had recently shut down. The two proprietors of the store had recently packed their bags for the mainland and were now opening a new outlet in Belgium, their place of birth. With the lack of a Muggle clothing store in hogsmeade, that meant they had to venture into the Muggle world to do their shopping. Naturally, Severus and Harry, being Muggle-raised halfbloods and Lily, being Muggleborn, were quite at home in a Muggle environment. The same wasn't quite true of their chaperone however, but McGonagall managed well enough. The elderly witch watched over her three young charges as they went shopping in Glasgow, and of course, financed their purchases with Albus' money. Naturally, Severus protested this, insisting that he had money of his own, this was of course in reference to his older self's wealth, but Minerva was having none of it and shut the eleven year old's argument down promptly.

After their shopping trip to Glasgow, where the trio procured a range of Muggle clothing, the next item on their agenda would be a trip to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. Chaperoning the trio on this trip were a trio of Hogwarts staff members, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Rubeus Hagrid. So early on a late July morning, Harry, Severus and Lily all woke bright and early for their first ever trip to Diagon Alley. Unlike the prior trip to Glasgow where only Lily was excited at the prospect of procuring new clothes, all three of them were elated to make their first visit to the Magical Shopping District. Harry woke at the crack of dawn, as did Severus and Lily, and after making their beds, they all stepped out of their rooms and made their way over to the dining area. The Headmaster appeared not a moment later, still looking groggy and tired, but excited too.

"Good morning children, I see you all are just as excited as I am to…get our trip underway," Dumbledore greeted the group. He was dressed in his usual gaudy robes—these being of a burgundy variety with silver starbursts scattered across it.

"Good morning Headmaster," Lily greeted cheerily.

"Good morning sir," Severus and Harry echoed.

"A good morning it is indeed," Dumbledore said cheerily. He sauntered past the trio over to the curtains and drew back the blinds just enough to grant the room some warmth, they were treated with a pleasant influx of balmy sunlight beaming down through a thin layer of cirrus clouds; and the view of the expansive, sloping castle grounds.

Dumbledore shifted the curtain aside some more, a fond smile playing at his lips as he gazed out over the picturesque landscape. "A wonderful day, no better day to visit Diagon Alley. And no finer gift for our Birthday boy," he said softly.

Dumbledore turned around to face Harry, Severus and Lily—the latter two of whom were wearing expressions of shock and amazement. "It's your birthday?" Lily blurted out, reaching for Harry's hand and grasping it.

Harry nodded, and offered a tight-lipped smile.

Seemingly, it was the wrong answer to give; for Lily had practically leapt up from her kitchen chair, and stormed around the table in the blink of an eye to stand imperiously over Harry. The glare and scowl she sent his way would've made even the elder Professor Snape proud—worthy of melting steel and instilling copious amounts of shame. "And you didn't think to tell us? I'm your mother for Christ's sake, Harry!"

Despite the massive risk of invoking her eire further, Harry smiled and gave out a bemused snort. "Well now you know, it just…well, it never came up, did it?"

Lily's frown deepened, but she didn't seem able to poke a hole in Harry's reasoning. "No," she said slowly, through pursed lips. "But you should've still told us! It'd give Sev and I the chance to scrounge something together for you as a birthday gift!" she insisted vehemently, her fingers curled into white-knuckled fists.

"Have you forgotten that we lack any money, Lily? So how on earth would we pay for a supposed gift for Harry, hmm?" Severus said, shooting his best friend a sarcastic look.

Before Lily could respond, the headmaster had cleared his throat, causing her retort to die a quick death as all three children turned to face the aged wizard. From his position standing by the window and gazing out upon the sun kissed sloping hills, he turned to face them, the rising sun bathing his back in a warm, angel-like glow. He smiled.

"How would you like the opportunity to earn money for yourselves then, Lily? Severus?" Dumbledore proposed, his gaze drifting between the two children. "Professor Snape has assured me that your brewing is up to task…so I would be prepared to pay you both a small wage in return for you two brewing potions for the hospital wing," he explained, walking from the window over to the group.

Severus looked skeptical, as did Harry—even though the proposal wasn't directed at him, Lily on the other hand looked elated at the prospect. Her green eyes had widened and a broad smile bloomed on her face as she eagerly returned the Headmaster's serene gaze. "Can we really, sir? A—are you sure our brewing is…well, that it's good enough?"

The Headmaster directed his wrinkled smile at Lily, and that alone seemed to fill her with pride and confidence. "I am sure. Professor Snape has vouched for you, and his younger self after all, and that is something exceedingly rare coming from a man like him," he explained.

"What about me, sir?" Harry asked, looking up at the man hopefully.

A brief look of contemplation flittered across Dumbledore's face as he pondered the boy's question. "Time will tell, Harry," he said eventually. "Time will tell. After all, Professor Snape just so happens to be one of the most talented potioneers I've ever met, and young Severus here, is no slouch either. Neither is your mother, for she was the only one that could challenge Severus in the art of brewing when he was a boy."

Harry nodded mutedly, he looked a bit put out at the Headmaster's words, but at the same time he understood where he was coming from. Lily was a prodigy herself, and Severus was quite literally the younger version of the school's current Potions Master. "Okay sir," he said at long last.

"Good. Now then, I believe it is time for breakfast," Dumbledore announced. He clapped his hands together, causing an army of dishes to appear on the dining table before the three children. They wasted no time getting to work devouring their fare. Dumbledore and his three wards ate breakfast at a fairly brisk pace, all the while discussing their plans for the day and all the items of note on their itinerary. They needed to visit the bank, obviously, and Harry would be brought to his vault, while Dumbledore would assist in opening accounts for Mister Severus Prince, and Miss Lily Bergman. After depositing some funds in their accounts, and withdrawing some of said funds, Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid would chaperone the trio around the busy alley to procure their school supplies.

After finishing their sumptuous breakfast—which the professor was pleased to see Harry and Severus eating a substantial amount; Harry, Severus, Lily and the Headmaster himself retreated to their quarters to get dressed for the day. During their trip to Glasgow with Professor McGonagall, they had obtained a modest supply of Muggle and Wizarding clothes, and Dumbledore left it to the three of them as to what it was they would wear on their trip into Wizarding London. After her shower and readying herself for the day, Lily opted to wear Muggle clothing, denim jeans and a sunset-colored blouse to take advantage of the limited supply of warm, summer days remaining in the year. Harry too opted to wear Muggle clothing, choosing trousers and a simple flannel shirt. In the end, Severus also opted to go Muggle as well, deciding he didn't want to look out of place next to his two friends.

Half an hour after they had finished breakfast, Severus, Harry and Dumbledore were awaiting Lily in the lounge area of their quarters—Severus was hollering away for her to hurry up, and Lily was shouting back shrilly through the thin wood of her door that she needed some more time. When the door to Lily's room finally swung open, the two boys and Dumbledore stood from their seats—and Severus swore his breath had just been stollen away at the mere glimpse of her. Lily was not from an affluent family, they were well to do, much more so than the Snapes at least, but she usually wore bland clothing as did her older sister Petunia. He'd never seen her looking this radiant, and he could easily see now just why she'd been taking so long getting ready to go. Severus wasn't the only one who was stunned as-stiff-as-stone at Lily's sudden appearance, Harry's eyes goggled at the sight too. He had never realized, nor been told that his mum—when his age, had been this beautiful.

Dumbledore seemed unaffected by it all, his reaction muted save for a serene smile on his wrinkled face, and twinkling sapphire blue eyes. "Hello Lily, you're all ready to go then?"

Lily smiled and nodded, shutting the door to her room behind her, and joining the men by the sofa. "Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands together and rubbing them as he stood to his feet. "Now. I trust that you, Severus, and you, Lily—are familiar with using the floo by now?"

Lily nodded eagerly. "Yep! Sev and I flooed here after Professor Sev showed us how to do it!" she chirped.

Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Oh, but do take care to address him properly, Miss Bergman," Dumbledore chided, although he wore a wrinkled smile—and his magnificently ancient, blue eyes glinted mirthfully. "Professor Snape doesn't take too kindly for not being granted his due respect."

"Oh I'm sure he won't mind at all," Lily said flippantly. "We're old friends after all, aren't we?"

"I'm your old friend, Lily," Severus interjected. "Professor Snape is someone you haven't met until last week. But you've known Severus Prince for the better part of three years already."

"And you've known Lily Evans Bergman for the better part of three years as well," Lily said in return.

Harry released a long-suffering sigh. "Are you two quite through yet?" he said sarcastically, dragging a hand over in his face.

"Way to be a spoilsport Harry, that's his job!"

Severus released an indignant sounding snarl, but before he could respond, Dumbledore had cleared his throat, causing the trio to turn to face him once more. "We had best be getting on. Professor Snape and Hagrid shall be meeting us there, so…after you—" he gestured over to the fireplace just behind him, they needed no further prompting as to what it was Dumbledore was asking of them. Hagrid and Snape were already waiting for them in the Leaky Cauldron, and so Dumbledore prompted the more experienced floo-users to go first to demonstrate to Harry how the finicky transportation method worked. Severus flooed first, Lily following right behind him, and when it was Harry's turn, Dumbledore kept a watchful eye—but was unable to stop him from annunciating 'Diagonnelly' thankfully, young Harry had a tracking charm placed on him discreetly just moments prior to him stepping into the hearth in anticipation something like this would happen. Sporting a pinched expression and heaving a sigh, Dumbledore withdrew his wand from his coat sleeve. After ascertaining that Harry had missed his floo stop by one and had appeared in Borgin & Burkes Antique Shop in Knockturn Alley, he apparated away to find his wayward 'son'.

Harry felt as if he'd been stuck in a washing machine, and whirled about over and over and over again—incessantly until he felt he might be sick. So this is what Maverick and Goose went through, Harry noted miserably as he fought the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. Just as he thought he couldn't take the nausea and unrelenting spinning any longer, the sensation began to abate and he felt his senses return to him. Harry's vision began to return to him—and moments later, he was flung out of an unfriendly, and filthy fireplace. To his shock and surprise—his soot-caked face most certainly showed it—Dumbledore was already there, waiting for him with a kind smile on his face.

"That didn't go quite according to plan did it?" Dumbledore said jokingly, smiling that grandfatherly wrinkled smile of his.

"No!" Harry coughed, expelling the soot from his lungs. "No it didn't. H—how are you here, already?"

"A secret for another day, Harry," Dumbledore chuckled. He extended his hand to Harry and helped his feet. Dumbledore waved his wand over the boy, cleansing him of all soot and coal in the blink of an eye. He then conjured a handkerchief with another swish of his wand, and wiped the soot off his own hand. "Come now, Harry, it is best not to be lingering in parts such as these for long," Dumbledore said, leading the boy from the shop.

Harry pointedly ignored the piercing stare from the man behind the counter and trudged out the door behind the Headmaster into a dark and gloomy street. Knockturn Alley was dark and gloomy, barely any sunlight reached the dark depths of the shady alley, and the stares being sent Harry's way were unfriendly at best—openly hostile at worst. Thankfully, with Dumbledore by his side, the darkly-dressed Wizards and Witches that they came across parted before him like the Red Sea. Dumbledore strode through the alley with an air of pride and superiority, and Harry trudged after the man, taking advantage of the path he carved through the hostile-looking strangers. When they'd finally exited the skulky-looking Alley, Harry was greeted with a sight that was far more welcoming—and thus, far more to his liking than the suspicious-looking antique shop he'd found himself in.

Diagon Alley seemed entirely different to Knockturn alley, bright lights, boisterous crowds, and the friendly atmosphere was far more conducive to Harry. The only similarity between the two Alleys seemed to be the incredible amount of stares both he and Dumbledore garnered. People left right and center were whispering amongst themselves—their whispers drowned out by the loud chatter of the larger crowds as they spied The-Boy-Who-Lived for the first time. Harry seemed to shy away from the stares, but whenever someone mustered the courage to approach him, he did oblige each and every one of them with a nod and a handshake. Granted, there weren't many who approached the Birthday Boy, owing to the fact that he had one of the most powerful wizards in the world acting as his body guard. After a few minutes of walking, they finally navigated the cobbled-stone streets of Diagon all the way to the entrance of the Alley, the tavern known as The Leaky Cauldron. They now stood face to face with a brick wall, on the other side of which laid the gateway between Muggle London and Diagon Alley.

"Do take a step back Harry, this will only take a moment," Dumbledore said. The harsh Mid-summer sunlight glinted off the old wizard's half-moon spectacles as he raised his wand to the brick wall and tapped it three times. Not a moment later, the bricks began to wobble and separate, shimmying apart to form a tall archway, and revealing the shoddy-looking tavern behind it.

"After you, Harry," Dumbledore said kindly, as he stepped to the side. "Severus, Lily, Hagrid and Professor Snape should be right inside."

Harry nodded and stepped past the Headmaster, through the archway, and into the tavern. As he pushed aside the door—which creaked on its rusted hinges, a few dozen eyes snapped towards him. Harry glanced around the tavern, briefly taking in the staring eyes, before allowing his gaze to come to rest on Lily, Severus and…the other Severus, behind whom stood a hulking man at least eight feet tall and perhaps half as wide. He had small, black eyes, and a bushy beard that put Dumbledore's to shame. He was truly, a giant of a man—and based on his appearance, Harry presumed the man was Hagrid, the keeper of grounds and keys at Hogwarts.

A calming hand found its home on Harry's shoulder, and moments later, the Headmaster's calm voice met his ears. "Ah, it seems Hagrid, Snape, Lily and Severus are all waiting for us, good."

Before Harry could even put one foot before the other, the odd-looking quartet made their way towards them. Lily and Severus both sported small smiles, Snape looked bored out of his mind, and Hagrid was positively beaming. "Well hello there, Harry!" Hagrid boomed, clapping a massive hand on the scrawny lad's shoulder. "'Tis been quite some time since I've last seen ye. Ye were just a wee tyke about this big—" Hagrid motioned his hands together "—when I last saw ye."

"I think I might have been a bit too young to remember that. But it is nice to meet you, Hagrid," Harry said, smiling up at the towering, kind man.

"I best believe we should get on our way Headmaster," Snape said abruptly, his dark eyes flittering about the patrons of the tavern. "This Motley Crew of ours was already attracting stares when we were waiting for you to arrive with the wayward Potter."

Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully, but nodded his head and motioned for the group to exit the establishment out the back and towards the brick wall. He tapped the same three bricks that he did last time around, and like five minutes ago, they slid aside to form an archway and allow the group passage into the winding alley. "Whoah, this is amazing!" Lily breathed, her eager green eyes flying to and fro every shopfront in a manner that was awfully reminiscent of Harry earlier.

Severus nodded mutedly in agreement, not quite able to voice his own shock as he too took in all the sights and sounds of the Alleyway. Severus and Lily, like a pair of siamese twins, eagerly sought out the Apothecary and the adjoined Cauldron shop. Both had to shield their eyes however, from the harsh sunlight glinting off the polished cauldrons.

"We had best be along children," Dumbledore said, rushing the group through the crowded alley towards a tall building situated at the end of it. "Our first stop shall be Gringotts, that tall, white building at the end just there—" he gestured ahead at the building he referenced, "and you two—" he now gestured to Severus and Lily, "shall need to open your accounts."

Severus looked disturbed at the notion, and when he opened his mouth to protest, a swiftly raised hand form the venerable Headmaster cut off his protest before it'd even begun. "And given that I am your legal guardian, to both Severus Aurelius Prince, and Lily Evans Bergman, I shall be depositing some funds in both of your accounts." At Severus' pursed look of indignation, Dumbledore tacked on; "And do not attempt to convince me otherwise, Severus, your efforts will be futile."

Severus seemed to hunch in on himself, muttering something under his breath that caused Lily to smirk and sling her arm around his shoulder. "Now. Onwards to Gringotts," Dumbledore said and the group trouped off to the white marble building. Snape seemed to hang back from the group a bit, something both Harry and Severus noticed, but Lily was oblivious to. His dark eyes scanned the crowd for something, but whatever it was the Potions Master sought, he seemed unable to find it. Whatever it was, there was something that was causing Professor Snape to act and behave guarded and jittery—even, more so than normal; and Harry couldn't help but wonder what had gotten him so worked up.

They entered the bank, climbing up the white marble steps and pushing through a bronze-plated door. Hagrid, who was serving as the centerpiece of their little formation, moved to the front and held the door open for the remaining five, all of whom were courteous enough to thank. Hundreds of diminutive creatures—Goblins, Harry, Severus and Lily supposed, moved about the marbled entrance hall, but the three adults didn't seem to pay them any mind as they moved for one of the free counters at the far end of the ornate hall.

While numerous Goblins bustled about to and fro carrying bits of parchment, some with sacks of money, and other with their hands bare; there were many more Goblins sat at elevated kiosks doing whatever it was teller Goblins did. One kiosk was free, and the Goblin behind it seemed to be doing nothing more than scrawling on a piece of parchment when the group approached. Dumbledore cleared his throat, causing the Goblin to look up into the serene, blue eyes of the Headmaster. "Good day—" he glanced down at the nameplate, "—Vesper. Mister Potter wishes to make a withdrawal from and a visit to his vault today. Miss Bergman and Mister Prince wish to set up accounts of their own, then too, make their own withdrawals. Oh, and I wish to make a withdrawal of you-know-what from Vault 713."

Vesper, the goblin, eyed Dumbledore appraisingly, then nodded. "Very well. And whom, shall be venturing to Vault 713 of your…group?" he asked in a low, gravelly drawl.

"I shall," Snape said swiftly, stepping forward. "If you could provide an escort, then I shall be on my way to withdraw you-know-what and out of your hair."

Vesper nodded. He was well aware of the Potions Master's identity, knew Dumbledore had included on the shortlist of those allowed to visit the vault, and so he summoned a Goblin to guide Snape down to vault 713, and withdraw the item it safeguarded. Another goblin arrived—this one seemed to be a worker, and Snape followed the diminutive creature away out of the Marble Hall—presumably, towards the vaults. Harry, Severus and Lily's eyes followed the Professor as he strode out of the hall, all of them wondering what it was that Dumbledore had asked him to collect. When they turned their gazes back towards the kiosk, they saw that Dumbledore had finished conversing to Vesper, and that the beady-eyed, sharp-clawed creature had turned his attention from Dumbledore, to Harry.

"Mister Potter. You have inherited Vault 687, from its prior owners, Lily and James Potter. Thus, its contents are now under your ownership," Vesper said, he returned the key to Harry, who then handed it back to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled down at his ward as he pocketed the key, then motioned for Lily and Severus to step forward. Harry stepped down from the kiosk and made room for his two friends to take his place. They rose up to come face to face with Vesper, who scrutinized the two eleven year olds through a pair of narrowed, black eyes.

"Miss Bergman, Mister Prince, owing to a lack of ancestry present for either of you in our records, two new vaults will be created under your name. Vault 312 for you, Miss Bergman, and Vault 319 for you, Mister Prince. Your Guardian, Albus Percival Wulf—"

"Just Dumbledore is fine, Vesper," Dumbledore said, chuckling amusedly. Hagrid laughed boisterously along with him, the loud booms of the half-giants laughter reverberating through the entrance hall and attracting numerous human and goblin stares.

Vesper looked annoyed, expelling a huff, but continued. "Your Guardian has placed funds in your accounts, and so these two keys—" he produced two, small keys, golden, and each emblazoned with a three digit number, 312 and 319, "—will grant you access to your vaults, do not lose them."

Severus and Lily both nodded vigorously, and accepted their respective keys from the clawed hand of Vesper. Vesper leaned back in his chair and Lily and Severus both handed their keys to Dumbledore and stepped down from their pedestal. Cupping his knobby, clawed hands to his mouth, Vesper shouted; "Griphook! Take these five down to their vaults, 312, 319 and 687. Is that understood?"

Another Goblin appeared, and nodded swiftly at his presumed—superior's command. Griphook was holding a lantern in one hand and was even shorter than Vesper, it seemed. He then motioned for the Headmaster, the half giant, and the three children to follow him, then lead the group from the hall. They made their way to the cart tracks, and Vesper instructed Hagrid, Severus and Lily to take their seats in their own cart, whilst Dumbledore and Harry would ride shotgun with the Goblin himself. The carts were small, but were just large enough to accommodate them between the two of them, and once everyone was buckled and strapped in, Griphook commanded the carts forward. They built speed quickly, racing along their rails and making numerous turns, climbs, and descents as they made for Lily's and Severus' vaults. While Harry seemed to be enjoying himself, as was Dumbledore for that matter, Lily, Severus and Hagrid felt rather sick. Neither Severus, nor Lily saw all that Harry did, for he was eagerly glancing left, right and center trying to take in everything that zoomed past as best he could.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Lily moaned. She clutched at her stomach, and although Severus was tempted to hug her in reassurance, his own hands were currently occupied holding onto his own lurching stomach.

Just when it seemed they would black out, the cart began to slow, then pull to a stop. The cart ahead had already slowed down and Harry leaped out of it swiftly, he at least hadn't been affected by the lurching and plunging movements of the cart. The occupants of the second cart eventually joined those of the first on their feet, and made for a small door. On the door, written clearly on a Silver plaque was the number 312, this was Lily's vault.

"Miss Bergman, your vault," Griphook said, gesturing to the door. He held his hand out for the key, which Dumbledore passed to him, and he unlocked the door. Stepping inside, they noticed the vault was sparsely populated with stacks of bronze, silver and gold coins; Knuts, Sickles and Galleons respectively. There seemed to be a reasonable amount of each type, with the Galleons being the most populous of the three coins.

"Whoah," Lily breathed, her green eyes wide with wonder. "Is this all mine, sir?" she asked.

"Indeed it is," Dumbledore said kindly. "A starting fund, if you will. And you will naturally have the opportunity to earn more should you and Severus choose to take up my offer."

Lily nodded dumbly, still in awe of all that was her's. Growing up in Cokeworth meant Money at times had been in short supply in the Evans household; she was never as poor as the Snapes were, but there were times when she'd skip a meal or two in order to save, and she'd certainly never known affluence like this. In the time she'd stood gawking, Dumbledore had already withdrawn an amount he figured would be necessary for the coming year, and they were out soon after that. Next up on their agenda was Severus' vault, and after a short cart ride, they arrived at Vault 319. Severus had been bestowed precisely the same allowance as Lily had, and thus, when they entered they found that his vault was nearly identical to Lily's. Small stacks of Bronze and Silver coins, along with marginally larger stacks of Gold were dotted across his vault. Like with Lily, Severus was rendered mute with shock at all the coins he had; it wasn't much by any stretch, but like Lily, he'd never known or even sniffed the scent of affluence in his life. Dumbledore withdrew precisely the same amount as he had for Lily, and with two sacks of coins in Severus' and Lily's hands, they stepped out of the vault and back into their carts.

By the time they had stopped at Severus' vault, Severus, Lily and Hagrid were already feeling quite sick, so they requested Griphook to return them to the surface. Griphook obliged their request and sent the second cart back to the surface of the vault complex. So while the un-piloted second cart surged towards the surface, the first plummeted even further into the earth. When they had surfaced, Harry was sporting a massive grin, and a pouch full of money just as large as Severus' and Lily's. Dumbledore thought it for the best that neither Lily nor Severus saw just how wealthy Harry was. Harry's parents had left their only son a small fortune, and although Lily and Severus were not poor by any stretch of the imagination, their accounts couldn't compare to Harry's. Eventually, Harry, Dumbledore and Griphook returned to the surface, and after the former two bade their thanks and goodbyes to the latter, they rejoined Lily, Severus and Hagrid—who were only just recovering from the nauseating ride.

They were rejoined by Professor Snape, but to Harry's confusion—he seemed to have nothing new on him, it made him wonder just what it was Dumbledore had asked him to retrieve. Snape stepped closer to the Headmaster and whispered something in the aged wizard's ear. Dumbledore listened intently, smiling and nodding in satisfaction upon hearing what it was Snape had to say.

"Hmm, yes, I agree Severus," Dumbledore said more loudly. "Perhaps you and Hagrid can chaperone the children to Madam Malkin's for their robes, I have some other business to attend to in the meantime."

Snape rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't protest.

"What other business are you talking about, Headmaster?" Lily couldn't help but ask.

Dumbledore smiled amusedly and ushered the group out of the bank. "You'll just have to wait and see Miss Bergman," he chuckled. "Now, please follow Professor Snape to Madam Malkin's, I shall be with you all shortly."

Dumbledore swept away in a wave of burgundy and silver robes into the crowd. Despite his very distinctive appearance, he seemed to vanish before their eyes into the sea of shoppers beneath them. Snape sighed and jerked his head forward. "Come along, we don't have all day," he muttered, not waiting a moment longer before making his way down the marble steps and into the throngs of witches and wizards.

Severus, Harry and Lily quickly trailed after the man, with Hagrid bringing up the rear as they navigated the crowd. They arrived soon after at a nondescript shop, above which a sign read;

Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions

"Righ', I think I'm gonna head to the Leaky for a pick me up," Hagrid said abruptly, he still looked rather peaky from the cart ride.

Hagrid lumbered off into the crowd, but unlike earlier, the three eleven year olds had no trouble tracking his towering frame as he made his way towards the Leaky Cauldron at the far end of the street.

"Inside," Snape commanded, and the trio wasted no time complying with his order. Snape stood guard outside the shop, although Severus briefly noticed him striking up conversation with a blonde woman just outside.

"Hogwarts, dears?" came a kind voice, one belonging to a stout witch who they presumed was Madam Malkin herself.

"Yes ma'am," Harry said, while Lily and Severus both nodded.

The kind witch smiled, and gestured them over to a stool. "I can only measure one of you for the moment. So how about we start with you, Miss…"

"Bergman, ma'am," Lily said.

"Very well Miss Bergman, do stand on the stool and I shall be with you shortly.

Harry and Severus took their seats off to the side on a couple of chairs while Lily stood on one of two stools, the other was occupied by a blonde boy with a pale, angular face.

"Hello," the unknown boy greeted, "Hogwarts, too?"

Lily nodded.

"My father's buying some of my books further up the street, and my mother's just outside," the boy drawled in a bored tone of voice. "Huh, looks like she's talking to Professor Snape," he mused, his gray eyes traversing to look out the shop front.

Lily's ears perked up at that. "You know Professor Snape?" she asked interestedly.

The boy nodded. "He's a family friend. My father was friends with him in school."

Lily nodded, silently wondering just who this boy was. "And who is your father?"

The boy looked incredulous, he reared back as if he'd just been slapped across the face. "You don't know?" he half sneered, half asked. "I am a Malfoy, my father's on the board of the school!"

Lily liked the boy less and less with every passing second, but she gave a nod, and turned her attention away, eager to leave this conversation behind.

"Are your parents…our kind?" the boy pressed.

"No."

"Oh." He seemed surprised. "Well…that'd make you just a mud—"

"And that's you all done dear," Malkin said swiftly, cutting the boy off mid-sentence.

The boy snorted and hopped off the stool. After paying Madam Malkin, the boy left for the exit, but paused when he spotted Hagrid outside. "I say! That must be that half-breed groundskeeper! Salazar, is he massive!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me he's with you lot."

"There's nothing wrong with Hagrid. He's a good bloke if you get to know him." This time it was Severus who spoke.

The unknown boy's nose wrinkled in distaste, but as he opened his mouth to respond to the greasy-haired boy's words; the door swung open and the blonde woman outside stepped into the shop. She was tall, possibly as tall as Snape, even approaching Dumbledore's stature; like her son, she had golden blonde hair, but icy blue eyes in place of her son's grey ones. She held herself with an air of casual superiority and disdain for those around her, neither Severus, Lily or Harry liked the way she seemed to sniff down on them, as if they were lower down the totem-pole than her for some reason.

"Come along Draco, we're leaving. Father is waiting for us at Olivander's," she said primly.

The boy, Draco, nodded and followed his mother from the shop. Once outside, Lily saw the boy and his mum greet Professor Snape before vanishing into the crowd beyond.

"That's all you done, dear," Madam Malkin said, smiling gently at her. "Are you Muggleborn by any chance?"

"Yep, and proud of it!" Lily said, hopping down from the stool.

"In that case you'd best stay clear of the Malfoys, they're blood purists that lot. They don't think too fondly of those with less than pure blood."

Lily bit her lip and nodded. She allowed Madam Malkin to remove the robe she'd draped over her and set it down on a spare table, and moved off to the side, allowing Severus and Harry to take their places on the stools. Not long after, each of the trio had purchased three sets of plain, black school robes, and a handful of everyday robes that they could wear on weekends. Snape, who had been conversing with Missus Malfoy a few moments prior, wandered into the shop and swiftly paid for their purchases. Snape then guided the group out of the shop and marched them down the street. Hagrid rejoined them shortly afterwards, and his presence seemed to lighten the overall mood from the dour state they'd all succumbed to in Snape's presence. They paid for their books next—although all three were rather reluctant to leave, while Snape and Hagrid stood guard out at the front of the shop. After their visit to Flourish and Blotts, next on their agenda was their cauldrons, scales, miscellaneous brewing equipment for Potions, and then their magically-enhanced telescope for Astronomy.

The only thing remaining on their itinerary was a trip to Olivander's. And it was then, when Dumbledore made his reappearance, only this time he wasn't alone. In his arms, were three cages, two of which held owls, and the last, held a cat. Dumbledore carved a path through the crowd, although the group saw him coming from a mile away owing to his unique appearance, when he arrived, the trio of children gasped in shock. In the first cage, was a snowy white owl with amber eyes, she had little flecks of grey in her white coat; her eyes found Harry's and she hooted softly from within the confines of her cage. The other owl was a deep brown-colored eagle owl, with yellowy eyes, his eyes sought out Lily's but he didn't make a sound. And the last of the trio was a small kitten, with a dark blue in color and greenish-brown eyes, he sought out Severus' gaze and meowed quietly as his way of a greeting. Despite his embarrassment, Severus couldn't help but smile.

"Care to explain yourself Dumbledore?" Snape asked sardonically, his arms folded across his chest.

"Indeed Severus, for you see, it is young Harry's birthday today, and I thought to myself…why not give all of them a present? That way no one is left out."

Snape looked like he had a hard time processing the old coot's thinking, he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Do you require my further assistance, Dumbledore? Or am I free to go?"

The old man had the audacity to chuckle, and with him, so did Hagrid—except the half-giant was far less discreet about it, and in so doing, attracted many unwelcome stares from their fellow shoppers. "Of course, Severus, you are free to go. Just drop off you-know-what, you-know-where and all shall be fine," Dumbledore said amusedly.

A single brow rose on Snape's imperious face, he then slid his wand out from his robe sleeve, whirled around on the spot, and disappeared into thin air. "Whoah! What was that?" Harry asked, eyeing the empty space the Potions Master once occupied.

"That, Harry, was apparition. You shan't be able to learn until you reach your magical majority, but it is an important skill to have as a fully grown wizard or witch," Dumbledore explained.

"Now, I believe we still have your wands to attend to, but first, I have something here for Lily," the old wizard said. Reaching into his rob pocket, he withdrew a ten and a quarter inch wand, made of willow wood surrounding a core of Dragon Heartstring. It was mostly smooth, with a grooved handle that enabled easier grip.

"Sir?" Lily said, eyeing the wand curiously.

"This wand," Dumbledore began, speaking softly, "once belonged to Lily Evans. The Lily Evans of this world. Her wand was kept in Harry's vault, and thus, I think it would be best if her wand was bestowed to you. It has bonded with you before, after all," he said.

The wand rested in Dumbledore's open-faced palm, and he held it out for Lily to take. Lily eyed the wand with wonder, and grasped the grooved handle after a moment's hesitation. When Lily's fingers wrapped around the handle, she felt a surge of warmth and power bubble up within her, seemingly coming from nowhere, yet everywhere at the same time. A warm glow emanated from her, and in that moment, Lily could swear she had never felt this good, this whole, this complete in her entire life. She could feel her magic running wild, running free, all passing through the conduit in her palm that was bringing forth her magic and coaxing it to the surface. She felt as light as a bird.

"Wow," Lily said, looking as if she'd experienced the most euphoric thing in her entire life. "That was…what was that?"

"That, Miss Bergman, was your wand bonding to you. Like with your counterpart, this wand has accepted you as its owner, and is now yours," Dumbledore explained. "With that out of the way, I believe it is time for Harry and Severus to purchase their own wands."

"Can I try your wand Lily?" Harry asked, his green eyes flickering to the wand, then back to Lily's face.

"Sure," Lily said, extending the willow stick to him. Harry murmured his sincere thanks, but when he grasped the wood, that feeling of warmth and serenity failed to come to him like it did, Lily.

"It feels…warm, but…nothing much more than that," Harry said quietly. "I'm sure it works better with you. That wand has your name written all over it doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Lily said, smiling, "yeah I suppose it does."

They then ventured into Olivander's store, where they were greeted with a short, old man with eerie silvery-gray eyes. His shop was poorly lit, the only source of light coming from the dying sun beyond the glass, and the luminescent eyes of the old man. The wand procurement process went by fairly quickly for Severus, in the end, an eleven and half inch wand made of Hawthorn and Phoenix tail feather had chosen him, it was supple, and excellent for charm and hex-work, so said Garrick Olivander. So with Severus' wand sorted, and the boy in question avidly swishing it about and admiring the sparks the dark, hawthorn-wood wand shot out of the tip; Harry stepped up to the counter for his wand. Like with Severus, Olivander took a brief moment—no more than ten seconds—to scrutinize the boy standing before him, before taking out his tape measure and measuring….well, just about everything.

Olivander muttered to himself as he measured Harry, but he soon after vanished into the back of his shop while the tape measure carried on of its own volition. The enchanted object continued to measure the bespectacled boy until Olivander returned with a stack of boxes. Each box contained a wand, and one by one, Olivander offered them to Harry. With Severus, he found his Hawthorn and Phoenix Feather wand on just his fourth try, Harry had gone through nearly a dozen wands in about a minute with seemingly no end in sight. Eventually, they found his match in a Holly and Phoenix Feather wand eleven inches long. Dumbledore ushered the group out of the shop shortly after that, not before paying for the fourteen galleons for the two wands of course. By the time they left the shop, the sun had sunken even lower over the horizon, and so Dumbledore and Hagrid wasted no time shepherding them along back to the Leaky Cauldron, from where they would floo back to Hogwarts.

Hagrid had difficulty squeezing into the hearth, but beyond that, they had no trouble flooing back to Hogwarts, with Harry getting the pronunciation right this time. When they had arrived back at the school, Hagrid bade goodbye to the group and extended an invitation to the trio that if they wished to visit him, they need only ask. Naturally, they intended to take the gentle giant up on his generous offer. Even Severus, who was usually reserved and guarded had taken after the friendly man quite well; so to Lily's surprise—and Harry's too for that matter, Severus was the first of the group to respond to Hagrid in the affirmative and assure the Groundskeeper that they'd be visiting him sometime in the near future. Hagrid's easygoing demeanor and his overall kindness had won the three children over fairly easily, and he was elated at the news. Humming a tune, Hagrid lumbered out of their quarters and back to his hut on the grounds.

"Sir?" Lily asked gently, prompting the Headmaster to turn from the door through which Hagrid had just disappeared through, to Lily. "Who was that woman Professor Sev was talking with just now? Are they friends?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed they are. He is friends with both that woman and her husband, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. In fact…I believe you have met their son Draco, haven't you?" Lily nodded, surprised that Dumbledore had noticed it from wherever he'd disappeared to when he got their presents.

"He seems like a git to be honest," Severus muttered quietly, an expression of revulsion etched onto his features. "I dunno what my older self is thinking…associating with upper class snobs like that."

"Too right you are Sev, honestly…he seemed so…infuriating, at times," Lily added, matching his expression of disdain with one of her own.

"From what I saw, Professor Snape and his mum must be pretty close," Harry chimed in. "While you were getting fitted Lily I looked outside and they were…well they seemed like old friends."

"That is indeed the case, Harry," Dumbledore responded. "Now before dinner, I suggest getting to know your individual familiars. I picked them out as best I could…but some alone time will surely help foster a stronger bond between yourselves and your familiar."

Dumbledore then swept out of the room, leaving the trio of eleven year olds alone with their books, their robes, and most important of all, their new familiars. Needless to say, all there of them wasted no time setting their purchases aside and turning their attention to the three cages housing their familiars. Severus unlocked the carrier for his blue, tabby kitten; which like a bee to honey, toddled across the carpet towards him and made his home in Severus' lap. Severus ran his long fingers through the blue tabby's glossy coat, coaxing numerous purrs from the feline as he stretched ever which way in Severus' lap. Lily didn't fare quite as well as Severus did as her imperious-looking eagle owl nipped her on the finger as she attempted to unlock the latch, drawing blood in the process. Harry had some moderate success with his snowy owl, but she too was rather temperamental. Neither Harry nor Lily could suppress their jealous stares as Severus played with his kitten, carefree and enjoying himself while they struggled to tame their snappish birds.

Perhaps Sev'll be really good at Care of Magical Creatures? Lily wondered.

A/N2: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one is Lily reuniting with her sister, which should make for an interesting meeting.