In Diagon Alley

"Who wants to go first?" asked Ginny as the whole family stood in front of the fireplace in the living room the next day.

Immediately James ran, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, shouted "Diagon Alley" and was gone.
Next to go was Albus. He too had vanished into thin air a few seconds later behind the poison-green flames of the fireplace. After her mother had gone too, it was Lily's turn.

Of course, she had travelled to Diagon Alley with Floo powder before, so she knew very well how it worked, but she had to admit that it wasn't the nicest way to travel. Like her brothers and her mother before, she took a handful of flea powder and spoke loudly and clearly: "Diagon Alley."

Immediately she was swept off her feet and into the flea network.

As she whizzed past various fireplaces and tried to peer into the rooms beyond, she got the feeling of flying and being weightless. Unfortunately, she was moving too fast to see any of them properly. Lily narrowed her eyes at the ashes swirling around and waited until she finally came to a stop by a large fireplace.

Staggering, she took a step out into the street, which was crowded with witches and wizards. She looked around. In front of her were her brothers, who seemed to be arguing again, and next to them was her mother. Suddenly, ash was stirred up again behind her and her father also came out of the fireplace.
"I want to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" announced James immediately.

"Later," Ginny answered him, "Before that, we have to go to Gringotts."

Ginny approached Lily and tried to clean her face, blackened with ash, with a cloth.

"Leave it Mum," Lily protested and her mother merely sighed.

Eventually the whole family made their way down the street straight towards a huge snow-white building that towered far above the other shops in Diagon Alley.

"If I get to go to Hogsmeade this year too, will I get more pocket money like James?" asked Albus.

His father smiled and then nodded.

Albus gave James a triumphant look.

When they arrived at Gringotts, they strode up a white stone staircase that led them to a brightly polished bronze doorway, in front of which a goblin in a scarlet gold-embroidered uniform stood to greet them.

They stepped inside the building. Through a silver double door, on which was engraved a saying admonishing thieves not to steal anything here, they reached the reception desks.
Lily looked around as she always did when she was here. Nothing had changed. Nothing ever seemed to change.

Her father dug a key out of his pocket and placed it on the counter in front of a goblin. The goblin just nodded and waved another one over.

"Ragnuk will take you to your vault," he said.

Something gave Lily the dull feeling that the goblins were especially suspicious of her father. Whenever they came in here, he was looked at askance and Lily wondered what that could be about. Actually, he was rather a friendly man. She didn't know anyone who didn't like him, apart from the goblins of course.

The second goblin preceded them and led them to one of the doors at the end of the room, where the Potters and Ragnuk squeezed through.

With a snap of his fingers, Ragnuk started a cart, into which they all climbed.

"Hold on!" he shouted.

Then the ride began and they drove deeper and deeper under the earth's surface.

On the way, Lily saw several goblins standing outside vaults with other customers. This one looked less inviting than the rooms before. Cold and stony, it reminded her more of a stalactite cave. James, in particular, loved these rides very much and exulted in them. He was sure it would be like riding a rollercoaster, but Lily had no idea what a rollercoaster was. All she knew was that James had been taking Muggle Studies very enthusiastically since third year.

When they arrived and the goblin had opened the family vault, Harry collected a bag full of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts for each of his children. Lily was proud, for she had just received her first pocket money, even if it was less than James' and Albus' for the time being. Now that Harry had also filled a small bag for himself, they got back into the carriage and finally drove back to the surface.

Not only Lily, but everyone else seemed glad when they left Gringotts and found themselves back on the street.

"Can I go now, Mum?" James asked impatiently, and Ginny looked at her watch.

"All right," she said, "I'll meet you at Mr Hamton's ice cream parlour at one o'clock then."

She had just finished the sentence before James was gone.

"Albus needs new cloaks and a dress robe," Ginny explained to her husband, "I'll take him to Madame Malkin's. You take care of Lily's stuff."

She handed him the list of Lily's books and equipment and disappeared with Albus into the shop opposite the wizarding bank.

"Dad, can we buy a wand first?" asked Lily hopefully.

Harry nodded and looked around.

"To Ollivander's, then," he replied.

Ollivander's shop was close by and her father held the door open for her as they entered. Inside, the shop was very cool and dark and everywhere there were shelves packed with boxes containing hundreds or thousands of wands. Suddenly Mr Ollivander emerged from a back room.

"Mr Potter, Miss Potter," he called delightedly, shaking hands first with her father, then with Lily.

"You look quite like your grandmother," he added, addressing her.

Lily didn't know if she should answer anything. To her, Mr Ollivander seemed a little strange. Why exactly did he recognise her and her father immediately anyway?

"Willow wood and unicorn hair, ten and a quarter inches," he said.

"Yes, it was, a shame," Mr Ollivander sighed and Lily wondered if he was sorry that her grandmother had died or if it was more of anathema to him that the poor wand now found no more use.

She looked up at her father, trying to make out what he was thinking, but he didn't make a face.

"Do you still have your wand, then," Mr Ollivander asked, addressing him.

"Of course," he replied curtly.

"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches," Mr Ollivander enumerated and Lily realised that he must be mad to be able to list every wand in her family.

"Yes, it was powerful and the fact that it still works perfectly despite being broken is remarkable, don't you think? Her mother's wand," he began again, "was made of chestnut and unicorn hair, twelve and three-quarters inches. Does it still exist?"

Again he turned to her father.

"Yes, of course," Harry replied.

Mr Ollivander nodded with satisfaction, then continued, "Your grandfather, on the other hand, had mahogany and phoenix feather, eleven inches, very elastic and excellent for transfigurations."

"Well, the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around," he explained as he walked over to his desk and pulled out a tape measure, which immediately began taking all sorts of measurements of Lily's body.

"Let's see which one is right for you," Mr Ollivander said delightedly.

When the tape was finished, Mr Ollivander went contentedly to his back room and took out an oblong box. He opened it and handed Lily a wand.

"Here, try this one!" he prompted her excitedly, "Alder and dragon heart fibre, nine and a half inches."

She took it in her hand and waved it around, but nothing happened. Immediately, Mr Ollivander snatched it from her and handed her another. Lily waved it back and forth, but again nothing happened.

It went on for quite a while. The wands Lily had already tried were piling up on Mr Ollivander's desk. Lily was disappointed, but Mr Ollivander was getting happier with each wand.

"Now, try this one," said Mr Ollivander, "hazel and unicorn hair, ten-three-quarters of an inch, moderately hard, tough and excellent for defences."

Lily took the staff in her right hand. An indescribable sensation flooded her body and the wand spouted red and gold sparks.

"That's him!" declared Mr Ollivander with satisfaction and Lily finally smiled with satisfaction.

Harry paid ten galleons for the wand, then the two left the shop. By now it was a quarter past ten. The sun was blazing and Lily was sweating as they walked to Flourish and Blotts.

"What books do I need?" asked Lily.

Her father dug the list out of his bag and handed it to her:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

First year students will need:

1. three sets of simple work clothes (black)

2. one simple pointed hat (black) for daytime use

3. one pair of protective gloves (dragon skin or similar)

4. one winter cape (black, with silver buckles)

Please note that all student clothing must be labeled with their names.

Textbooks

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

- Miranda Goshawk: The Standart Book of Spells, Grade 1

- Bathilda Bagshot: History of Magic

- Adalbert Waffling: Theory of Magic

- Emeric Switch: Transformation for Beginners

- Phyllida Spore: One Thousand Magic Herbs and Fungi

- Arsenius Jigger: Magical Drafts and Potions

- Newt Scamander: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

- Pliny Perkins: Collection of defensive spells of all kinds

Also needed are:

- 1 wand

- 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

- 1 assortment of glass or crystal vials

- 1 telescope

- 1 brass scale

Students are also still free to bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST GRADERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THEIR OWN BROOMS!

Lily read it through carefully. When she had finished, the two stood in front of Flourish and Blotts. They were about to enter the shop when an older boy rushed out. Lily bumped into him. The boy dropped his book. Apologising, she picked up the book for him.

"Magicontainers" was the title.

Hastily, the boy snatched the book from her hands and hurried away. Frowning, she looked after him.

"Don't worry about it," her father said and pushed her further forward into the shop.

After fifteen minutes they came back out with all Lily's books.

"Now let's go to the apothecary," her father suggested.

Lily agreed and they set off to the shop next door.

At the apothecary, they bought Lily's potion ingredients, quills and ink. They also got her cauldron, crystal vials, telescope and brass scales there and they were able to leave the shop quickly, even though Lily was very intrigued by many of the things there.

"Now all you need is your school uniform," Harry stated and he and Lily walked towards Madame Malkin's, where Albus had already been with Ginny.

"Would you like to go in alone?" her father asked, "I could wait out here."

Lily nodded and pushed open the shop door. Immediately, a burly witch scurried towards her.

"Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Yes," Lily answered quickly.

"Have a seat there, please."

She pointed to one of the chairs where a boy was also already sitting. Lily walked over to him and sat down.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. He had blonde hair and piercing light blue eyes.

"Lily," she replied, "Lily Potter and you?"

"I'm Colin McKinnon," he said, holding out his hand to her.

Lily accepted.

"Are you new to Hogwarts too?" he asked.

"Yes," Lily replied cheerfully.

In between, Madame Malkin's came and measured Lily's body.

"I have a brother. He's a year older than me and in Gryffindor," Colin explained when she had disappeared back into the back room, "I definitely want to go there, too."

"Me too," Lily declared, grinning inwardly.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" asked Colin.

"Yes, two brothers, both Gryffindor," Lily replied a little proudly.

"So a family tradition too, eh? I hope I don't get sorted into Slytherin," Colin said, and there was both disgust and a little fear in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," Lily encouraged him and Colin smiled.

"They're both done," said Madame Malkin, who had suddenly appeared behind them.

Happily, Lily stood up and paid for their uniforms. Together with Colin, she went back outside.

"I'll see you at the train then," he called to her as he walked over to Flourish and Blotts.

"Or in Gryffindor at the latest!" waved Lily.

Her father, who had been waiting for her outside the shop the whole time, stepped up to her.

"Oh, have you made a friend yet?" asked Harry amused, and Lily shrugged.

"I wasn't so lucky here back then," he told her, "Remember Draco Malfoy? We saw him and his son on the platform last year. Scorpius' father."

"Ah, yes," Lily remembered.

"We were enemies all through school afterwards," her father continued.

"And now?" asked Lily, now genuinely interested.

After all, it hadn't seemed like they still were the last few times on the platform. Two years ago, Mr Malfoy had even nodded over at them.

"So we're certainly not enemies anymore," her father tried to explain, "but we're certainly never going to be friends either."

Lily nodded, wondering if she understood.

"I think it's time you got your first pet," Harry now steered away from the subject, "Come on, let's go to the Magic Menagerie. There are all sorts of animals there. Or would you rather have an owl?"

Lily thought about it. There were certainly enough school owls at Hogwarts to write letters. Besides, she could always borrow Albus' or James' owl. No, she'd rather not have an owl.

"I want a cat," Lily replied and her father nodded.

So the two of them turned into a side alley. They followed the street until they saw a shop labelled "Magic Menagerie", which they entered.

Inside the Magic Menagerie it was very noisy. Animals were sitting everywhere making different sounds. Lily looked around for a cat, but she couldn't spot one.

"Good afternoon," croaked an old, hunchbacked shop assistant, "what can I do for you?"

"I'd like a cat," Lily replied.

She could barely look over the counter.

"A cat?" the shop assistant asked, as if she had never heard of this type of animal, "Come along then!"

Harry and Lily followed the saleswoman into another room, which was entered through a narrow door.

"There they are. Just pick one," she said, pointing to the cats that were all over the room sleeping, playing or fighting with other cats.

There were many different species of varying ages.

Fascinated, Lily looked around. As she let her eyes roam over the shelves, something heavy but soft pressed against her leg.

Lily looked down. At her feet sat a small white and black spotted cat, now looking up at her and mewing at her. Lily took it in her arms and stroked it. Softly the cat purred.

"I want this one!" declared Lily to her father, who nodded with a smile at the sight of his daughter, and they went back to the front of the shop.

"Twenty-five galleons," the shop assistant demanded.

Lily's father paid and together with the cat they left the Magic Menagerie while Lily thought about what to name her cat.

"We have to hurry," Harry said, "We were supposed to meet at the ice cream parlour in five minutes."

Hastily they walked back the way they had come. They turned a corner, kept going straight, turned another corner, until finally they reached the sign that read "Nocturn Alley", from which Mr Hamton's ice cream parlour was directly across.

Lily still couldn't think of a name when she saw her mother, James and Albus already sitting at a table, lapping up their sundaes with relish.

Lily and Harry sat down with them. Enviously, Lily stared at her brother's chocolate sundae, which was not too far away from her.

"You can have a chocolate frog," James said hurriedly when he noticed her gaze and tossed it over to Lily.

Not very pleased, she unfolded it. Quickly she popped the frog into her mouth before it could hop away. Then she looked at the card.

"Morgan Le Fay," Lily exclaimed excitedly.

Of course, she too collected the chocolate frog cards and she had always missed Morgan Le Fay. Happily, she put the card in her pocket and stroked her cat, who was sitting on her lap, also greedily staring at James' sundae. Suddenly she knew exactly what her kitten's name should be: Morgan!

The waitress came and Lily also ordered a chocolate sundae. It tasted great and Morgan got some too.

"Don't, Lily!" her mother reprimanded her and obediently Lily let it go.

She did, however, see James grinning out of the corner of her eye

The midday sun was at its highest now. It was barely bearable in the heat, so after everyone had finished eating, the family headed back to the fireplace.

When Lily finally sat back in her room, she immediately began to unpack all her school books and read a little in them. Morgan was curled up next to her on the bed, asleep. Lily could hardly wait for the day of her departure, and it was still a whole month away. She also wanted to finally go to Hogwarts.

AN: Thanks for adding my story to your favourites. Leave a comment if you can, please!