"You didn't lose the key, did you, Lily?" Gran asked as they walked up the marble staircase to Gringotts. There were other families and individuals heading down the steps, having already finished their business, but the Longbottom's seemed to be the only ones heading up.

"I didn't lose anything," Lily grumbled. "I've got it with me."

"Fancy that," Gran said.

Lily double checked her pocket just to make sure it hadn't mysteriously disappeared as well. It was still snugly tucked into her pocket, right where it belonged.

Lily took a look at the towering building that stood before them. It was easily the centerpiece of the entire street, managing to draw the eye from no matter where you were, as long as it was in view.

"Are there any other banks?" Lily asked as they neared the top of the stairs.

"Of course," Gran said, "but Gringotts is the biggest. Offers the best protections, you see. Impossible to break into or out of."

"Professor Quirrell broke in last year," Lily said.

Gran sniffed. "Into an empty vault."

"Why does that matter? He still broke in."

"I wouldn't mention that to the goblins," Gran said, stopping before the doors.

"Goblins?" Lily asked, leaning to peer inside the bank. She'd never seen a goblin, although they had spent eons reading about them in History of Magic. She wondered if they were as hideous as Professor Binns had made them out to be, or if the histories just exaggerated them as grotesque freaks.

"Don't stare at them," Gran said, wagging a finger. "They don't like that. Find it to be quite rude."

"Is that the Weasleys?" Lily asked, squinting her eyes to see through the tinted windows at the entryway.

"Lily, that's horrible, why would you-"

Gran turned just in time to see the Weasley family emerging from the bank entrance. Mrs. Weasley led the pack, short and plump and smiling brightly when she saw Lily. Fred and George, the stocky twins, also beamed when they saw the girl, although their smiles were a lot more unsettling. A small girl who Lily didn't recognize, but knew must be Ginny, blushed, and quickly tried hiding behind her mother.

Ron, Neville's best friend, jogged forward in his excitement, and then embraced Neville warmly (which was really more of a firm handshake, but it was the most affection Ron ever showed). Lily noticed Percy was nowhere to be seen and thought that quite strange. The oldest of the children (that she'd met) wasn't one to sneak off, especially when Fred and George were at large.

"What are you doing here so early?" Gran said, scratching her head right underneath the giant stuffed vulture she was wearing as a hat. Lily always tried very hard not to stare whenever she was wearing it.

"I thought it best we get a head start," Mrs. Weasley said. She tried to pull Lily into a hug, but stopped when Lily flinched and pulled away. "We have five to get through, after all. The robes alone will take ages."

"I had a similar notion," Gran said. "We had a situation crop up this morning."

"A situation?" Mrs. Weasley asked, brow furrowing. Her eyes briefly fluttered towards the twins, who were looking up at the sky, pretending not to notice. "What sort of situation?"

"Please, don't," Lily said, staring down at her feet. She noticed Mrs. Weasley giving her a strange look.

"Lily lost all her things, cat included," Gran said, "We needed to get replacements."

Lily could see the twins sniggering in the background. Ron just looked baffled.

"Did you lose your wand, too?" he asked, causing Lily to blush even more.

"No," Gran said, "That, she broke."

Lily buried her face in her hands so she wouldn't have to see any of the boys laughing at her shame. She could still hear Fred and George, unfortunately, but Ron gave her a pat on the shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.

"Fred, George, stop that," Mrs. Weasley said, shooting the two a firm glare before turning back to Lily, all smiles.

"How'd you manage that?" Ron asked, his smile betraying his mirth.

"I fell down the stairs," Lily mumbled, trying to ignore the ever-increasing reactions from the Weasley boys and the pitiful stares Mrs. Weasley gave her.

"We'll need to get a move on if we're going to get everything done today," Gran said.

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Weasley said. "We're heading off to get some robes right now, what say we meet up in a bit for lunch?"

"You can take Neville with you," Gran said, "Lily needs to get her own money, but Neville has no reason to come. I think he'd enjoy staying with you lot more, anyway."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, leaning forward to Gran so the children couldn't hear. Lily just happened to be within perfect eavesdropping distance. Ginny was too, but she looked away when Lily tried waving.

"We're not heading to Madame Malkin's," Mrs. Weasley whispered as if she was ashamed. "With the Lockhart books, we'll have to pick everything up secondhand."

Gran leaned closer as well, side-eyeing Lily. "I can save you a bit of trouble with the young one, at least. She can have Lily's old robes once we find everything. That'll cover her for the first year."

"That'd be a great help," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling. "Are you sure Lily won't need them, though?"

Gran snorted, just a tad bit too loud. "No, she needs new robes anyway, with how quickly she's been growing lately. Girl's doubled in size since she moved in last year."

"I did notice she'd grown since term ended," Mrs. Weasley said, coming back to normal voice.

"Neville," Gran barked, causing the boy to jump. "Go with the Weasleys, we'll catch up."

"Yes, Gran," Neville said, looking relieved.

"Come on, girl," Gran said, marching forward and grabbing Lily by the arm. "Let's get a move on."

"We'll see you in a bit, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, eyeing Gran's hand strangely. "Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday," Ginny said from the side, blushing and trying to avoid meeting Lily's eyes.

"Are you coming, Lily?" Gran asked, holding the door open.

"Yes, Gran," Lily said, allowing Gran to haul her inside without resistance.

Gringotts hurt to look at, Lily decided quickly. Everything was white marble or trimmed gold inside, and with the light reflecting all around, it made everything way too bright.

The goblins also turned out to be a disappointment. The histories had made them out to be bloodthirsty and menacing, but they looked fairly normal, if a bit grumpy and much smaller than the average wizard or witch. They did have rather large fingers, and rather gnarled nails to go with them, but they were a far cry from the descriptions of rending talons from her books. She didn't like when they talked, though; she found the needlelike teeth unsettling.

There were rows open rows of goblins, all sitting at a different desk and looking very busy. Some were inspecting piles of gems and gold. Others were dealing with wizards and witches. Some were clearly just trying to look busy so they wouldn't be bothered.

It didn't fool Gran, unfortunately for them, as she strode straight up to the first available goblin.

"How can I help you?" the goblin clerk asked, not bothering to look up from his paperwork. His head was rather bald, and what hair remained was a stark white. Lily thought he must have been working here for a long time.

"We have two vaults to visit," Gran said, "One for Augusta Longbottom and the other for Hazel Potter."

Come to think of it, what else did goblins do for work? All Lily learned about them had come from Professor Binns, and he mostly focused on a singular war against wizards (and they were supposed to cover quite a few more later). Nobody ever mentioned what other magical creatures would do for a living.

"Keys and wands, please," the goblin said, holding out his hand. Lily was still lost in thought, trying figure out complexities far beyond her current understanding.

"Key, Lily," Gran said, nudging Lily as she pulled out her own key. Lily quickly handed hers over (trying to not look embarrassed about not paying attention), and Gran transferred them both over to the goblin. Gran then placed her wand on the desk, and the goblin gave it a quick look-over, then stopped his gaze at Lily.

"I broke my wand," Lily said quietly, staring downwards.

"Do you have the pieces for identification?" the goblin asked in a snide tone.

"No," Lily said, shuffling her feet.

"I have them here," Gran said, reaching back into her robes and pulling out the two splintered halves of Lily's old wand. The goblin seemed oddly pleased about her predicament, even though Lily had never done a thing to insult the man.

The goblin inspected everything, then returned them. Gran pocketed all but Lily's key, which was given back to the proper owner. Lily tucked it back in her robe, sitting opposite the Invisibility Cloak.

"Follow me, please," the goblin said, hopping down from his stool. He grabbed a tool from a fellow goblin as he hobbled away, although Lily couldn't begin to guess what it was. It clanked in the man's hand as he walked. Lily turned to follow, but then stopped, curiosity stolen by something else.

Her eyes were caught by a nearby blonde man, standing over at another goblin's desk. Or, more accurately, they were drawn by the creature standing next to him. It had large, bat-like ears, and was clearly doing its very best to not look in Lily's direction with its familiar eyes. Lily felt a faint buzzing in the back of her brain, as if she was on the verge of a great discovery.

"Lily, get a move on," Gran roared from ahead. Lily jumped, then quickly hurried to obey, strange creature completely forgotten.

They followed the goblin down a side door and into a dark hallway. This one was made of stone and was much easier to look at. There were torches embedded in the walls, creating a flickering effect along the passage. Lily wondered how they kept them burning constantly.

They came to a platform and the goblin hopped into a minecart that was resting on a set of tracks. Lily peered down the hallway, seeing a tunnel that stretched beyond her vision. It made her feel dizzy, as she contemplated how this system could even exist. Did it intersect with the Muggle Underground at all? How did they build it without the Muggles ever noticing? Why would-

"Lily, for Merlin's sake, will you get in?" Gran barked, already sitting in the cart. Lily hurried after, taking a seat next to the elderly woman. She tapped her fingers on the outside of the cart, trying to keep herself calm.

"Hands inside the cart at all times," the goblin said in a bored tone. "We'll be heading to the girl's vault first."

Lily tucked her arms back into the cart while Gran chuckled to herself. The goblin pulled a lever, and the cart set off, accelerating to max speed very quickly.

Lily felt she might get sick, the way they were zooming and turning through these tunnels. She tried to keep her eyes open, and everything seemed to rush by. Closing her eyes didn't help at all, as then it just felt like she was constantly falling.

She saw a series of doors and safes, briefly viewed a waterfall, and once she thought she even heard a roar, which made her nearly jump out of the cart.

"Are there dragons down here?" Lily asked, trying to stay steady in her seat. Her hands were constantly moving, trying to find something to fiddle with that wouldn't earn a scolding from Gran.

"That's what the clankers are for," the goblin said, shaking the instrument he was carrying. "We'll need them for the Longbottom vault."

"There are dragons down here?" Lily asked, astounded.

The goblin smiled again.

"Gringotts offers the highest levels of security imaginable."

The cart slowed just as quickly as it accelerated, almost throwing Lily from her seat again as they came to a stop. A quick grab from Gran saved her, and Lily exited the cart with shaky legs, thankful for the solid ground.

"Key, please," the goblin said, extending his hand as he hopped down from the vehicle.

Lily dug it out with equally shaky hands, and then gave it over. She leaned against the cart, trying not to collapse onto the ground. She heard Gran groan from the cart behind her, apparently displeased with Lily's behaviour. It wasn't very ladylike, she had to admit.

The goblin strode over to the vault door and stuck the key in. He gave it a turn, then swiped his finger along the lock. The great safe clicked loudly, followed by even more clicking as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of mechanisms activated and turned inside the door. Finally, the gate swung open, letting out a golden light into the hallway.

Lily gasped. There were mountains upon mountains of gold, silver, and bronze, as well as an assortment of gems and jewelry. The torchlight reflecting off the treasure hoard made it all shimmer enticingly. There was a large Gryffindor tapestry, the golden lion roaring proudly on a crimson field, and Lily quickly imagined hanging it in her own room.

"This is all mine?" Lily asked, mouth open.

"There is more," the goblin said. "The Potters left you with a lot tied up in investments and property. You won't get access to those resources until you come of age."

"They used to have a higher security vault," Gran said, "but I'm told James expended a lot of his wealth during the last war."

"Indeed," the goblin said, handing Lily a bag to fill. "A single day didn't go by where he wasn't withdrawing or making an order."

Lily started shoving coins into the bag, not knowing how much she'd need or what was what. "Why did he spend so much?" she asked.

"He was a big part of the resistance," Gran said. "Just like Frank and Alice."

"Neville's parents?" Lily said, shaking her full bag in wonder. She was still considering grabbing the tapestry, but she didn't want to carry it around all day. She folded it and placed it in her robes. Her pockets were getting very full.

"Yes," Gran said. "You should visit them with us come Christmas."

Lily hopped into the cart while the goblin closed her vault. He placed Lily's key firmly into her hand as he, too, returned to their vehicle. He pulled the lever again, and they were off once more.

"I thought they weren't around anymore," Lily said, holding tightly onto her money so it wouldn't fly from her hands.

"Is that what Neville told you?" Gran said, showing sudden anger in her voice.

"No," Lily said quickly. "I just assumed, since they weren't around."

"They're in St. Mungo's," Gran said, cooling down. "We visit them every Christmas."

"Why are they there?" Lily asked. She already heard of the wizard hospital; she was almost been sent there last year.

"Tortured after the war," Gran said, voice devoid of warmth. Lily hoped it wasn't directed at her.

"After?" Lily asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Aye," Gran said, "It was after your parents died. Voldemort was gone, and his followers wanted revenge, so they took it out on Frank and Alice."

Lily flinched at the name, feeling ashamed of the reaction. "Why did they go after them?"

"Well, they couldn't go after the Potters, since they died, and they couldn't go after you, since nobody knew where you were. Frank was an Auror, and one of the best. Plus, there was- well, never mind that." Gran wiped a tear away from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Gran," Lily said, biting her lip. "I sh-shouldn't have asked."

"Nonsense," Gran said, waving a hand. "I'm not ashamed of them. I'm proud. They're heroes."

Lily spent the rest of the ride in silence, letting Gran focus on her thoughts. She had nothing else to say, although she did wonder why Neville never said anything. She wouldn't bother him about it; if he wanted to talk about it, he would.

The cart came to a stop, and the goblin quickly hopped out. Gran went out with him, while Lily waited in the cart. Lily heard shuffling coming from a nearby cave, as if something very large was heading towards them. She shrank into her seat, trying to seem very small.

The goblin began shaking his clankers, and a loud sound filled the caverns, like hammers beating on an army of anvils. The very air seemed to vibrate around them, and it made Lily's teeth hurt.

The creature let out a high-pitched cry, and then began shuffling away. Lily could hear chains, and she briefly felt bad for the beast. If she never sent that letter to McGonagall, she'd be spending the rest of her life in her own dark, cramped cave. She scratched nervously at the scar on her hand; she would not feel sorry for a dragon.

The goblin quickly opened Gran's vault, and when it swung open, Lily gasped again. She had thought her own vault impressive, but it paled in comparison to the Longbottom vault. Lily's mountains of gold seemed like hills when shown next to these behemoths. Lily didn't get a very long look, though, because Gran filled up a bag very quickly, and then the door swung shut again.

"I hate to spend too much time down here," Gran explained as she climbed back in. "Best to be off."

Lily bit her lip as the cart rolled away into the dark again. "Gran?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't we help the Weasleys?" She thought of her large her vault was, and how Mrs. Weasley admitted to not being able to afford a lot of what they needed.

"So, you did hear that, then?"

"Yes," Lily admitted quietly.

"The Weasleys would never ask for help, Lily," Gran said. "I offered as much as I thought they'd take without argument."

"They could have my vault," Lily offered. "I don't-"

"Nonsense," Gran said, waving her hand again. "That money is there for your education, don't you go giving it away."

"But-"

"I have a plan to do a bit more, child, don't you worry. But it isn't as simple as just giving them half our money, they'd never accept that, and it'd be a good way to ruin your friendship." Gran smiled at her. "We'll have to be a bit more subtle about it."

Soon enough, Lily and Gran were leaving Gringotts, money in hand, and with the beginnings of a plan.

"There's only one problem, Gran," Lily said as they left the building.

"Oh, yeah? And what's that, then?"

"I don't know what a Galleon is," Lily said firmly. "I also don't know how many sickles go into one, or how many knuts into those."

"Good Lord, Lily," Gran said, letting out a deep sigh. "I swear by Merlin's drapes, you're going to be the end of me."

"Sorry," Lily mumbled.

"There's 17 sickles to a Galleon, and 39 knuts to a sickle," Gran said, sighing again. "Galleons are the gold coins, sickles the silver, and knuts the little bronze ones."

"Why such weird numbers?" Lily asked.

"How should I know? I didn't make the things."

"That's 493 knuts to a Galleon," Lily said, doing the maths in her brain.

Gran narrowed her eyes. "How did you figure that so quickly?"

Lily felt her face flush; she didn't mean to reveal that much.

"What now, Lily?" Gran asked, sighing again.

"Nothing," Lily said. Girls weren't supposed to be good at maths. She had to remember that.

"We'll head to Madame Malkin's to get your robes done, then," Gran said, pointing towards the slate gray storefront of the tailor. "Then we'll head off and find the others."

"What about Neville?"

Gran scoffed. "Boy didn't grow so much as a centimetre last year, his old robes'll keep."

The robes took longer to acquire than Lily would have liked. Madame Malkin recognized her from last year, and briefly referred to her as McGonagall's granddaughter, and questioned why Gran was there.

Gran laughed, and said, "Minerva has several grandchildren, but this one isn't one of them." Madame Malkin didn't seem very happy about being corrected, and Lily remembered that last year she hadn't known McGonagall had any grandchildren at all.

Madame Malkin assisted Lily herself this time around, and pricked Lily a few times with her needles. Each time she'd apologize, and then it would happen again a little while later. Either she wasn't a very good tailor, or she was taking her frustrations out on Lily. Either way, she didn't appreciate it, and she decided she'd go to a different shop next year, even if she had to pay for the robes herself.

Lily and Gran left the tailor well past eleven, time flying by without issue. Lily had to carry the bags containing all her new school robes, and she was panting shortly after they set off down the street, looking for the Weasleys and Neville.

"We should stop and grab your Potions ingredients as well," Gran said, halting in front of the apothecary.

"I don't think I can carry anymore," Lily said, trying to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her scar also desperately needed scratching, but she definitely didn't have the freedom of movement to accomplish it.

"Nonsense," Gran said, waving her hand. "You're a strong girl, you'll manage."

Another fifteen minutes later, and Lily was even further laden down. Gran almost stopped in Flourish and Blotts for her textbooks, but Lily threw a fit over the idea, and soon they were looking around for the others again, Gran grumbling in discontent.

"Where are those fools?" Gran asked after ten minutes of looking, growing increasingly frustrated.

"They said they needed to get new robes," Lily said, trying to wipe her forehead again. Her arms felt like they'd fall off at any moment.

"There are two dozen shops they could be in on this section of street alone," Gran huffed. "They should have stayed close by so we could find them."

"Maybe they went into Knockturn Alley," Lily suggested.
"That's a terrible idea," Gran snorted. She gave Lily the side-eye. "And where'd you hear of Knockturn Alley, anyway?"

Lily blushed. "I heard about in school," she said, trying to offer an explanation that wouldn't get her in trouble.

"Mmhmm," Gran hummed, not buying it. "Asked a Slytherin where to get some dark goods, did you?"

"No," Lily said, trying to think of a better lie. "Malfoy brought it up in the forbidden forest, said the only place he'd seen werewolves before was-"

"Forbidden forest?" Gran asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "And what, pray tell, were you doing in there?"

"Serving a detention," Lily said, telling the truth for once. "We all went in, me, Neville, and Hermione."

"I'll have to have a word with Dumbledore about this," Gran said, tone becoming more serious. "The guardians should have at least been notified before they sent our kids off into the bloody woods."

"We didn't go that far in," Lily, trying to rein the woman in. "We were just looking for what was killing the unicorns, that's all."

"Killing the unicorns?" Gran said, incredulous. Half the street turned to look at them, now interested in the conversation of strangers.

"Gran, not so loud," Lily said, trying to bring attention to the crowded market street.

"Something was killing the unicorns and Dumbledore thought it would be an appropriate detention to send first years after it? Seventh years, sure, I could understand that, even if it is a little harsh, but you lot were only eleven! What was that man thinking, sending you in there?"

"Gran, please-"

"The other governors will hear about this, for sure, there'll be an inquiry, I'll make sure of that myself."

"Gran-"

"And what did you lot even do that'd be bad enough to get sent into the bloody forest, hmm? Never got a letter about this, not a bloody peep, not so much as a line." Gran put her hands on her hips, indicating that Lily was in deep trouble.

"I didn't do anything," Lily said, trying to clear the air. "I was already serving detentions with McGonagall, I just had to-"

"And what were you serving detentions for, hmm? Never mentioned that either, did you? No, last I heard of was your sloppy attire, but that couldn't have been it, could it? Well?" Gran pointed a finger in Lily's face with every word, which made Lily very uncomfortable. It reminded her a lot of Uncle Vernon before he'd throw her in the cupboard for a month.

Lily tried to make herself seem smaller again, maneuvering her bags between her and the attacker.

"It was nothing, Gran, r-really, I-I-I just needed help with Transfi-figuration."

"Yes, your marks were terrible, weren't they? You better keep them up this year, I'll be making sure I keep a closer eye on your behaviour."

"Gran-" Lily said, starting to let her guard back down now that the danger had seemingly passed.

"Don't you 'Gran' me," Gran said, pointing a finger back at Lily. "You move one toe out of line, and I'll be bringing you straight home, you understand that?"

"Yes, Gran," Lily said meekly, trying her best to seem completely nonthreatening.

"And don't think I'm joking, either, there are plenty of other schools that'll take you, ones that will make sure you're better behaved, as well."

"Gran, please-"

"Now where is Neville?" Gran said, storming off down the road again in pursuit of her grandson. "I need to have a word with him, too."

Lily mumbled a silent apology for Neville, knowing this was all her fault.