To say that Lily was enjoying herself was an understatement. True, she had no money of her own, but her textbooks were fascinating! And when she wasn't locked up in her little room at the Leaky Cauldron, she was out people watching. She told herself it was for the sheer purpose of education, but the wizarding world was full of fascinating people who had the oddest habits. Neville checked on her frequently, often bringing other muggleborns by, some with their parents and others alone like herself. She was even able to meet a handful of the other Hogwarts professors passing through with other muggleborns. Harry Potter hadn't been kidding that night when he'd sat down to talk to her after the day's adventures a couple of weeks ago; there were a lot of muggleborns out in the world.

Lily took a moment to ponder back on their whispered conversation. Mr. Potter had spun a fantastic tale of a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort who'd done everything within his power to be immortal . . . but at a great price. He explained what Mr. Ollivander had meant when saying another wand shared a core, such as Lily's wand and this mysterious Rosalind Stone. Mr. Potter told her that his had been a similar experience with the old wand maker. As he'd told his tale, Lily had grown more and more numb, gasping and cringing at some of the things he had to say, though he certainly didn't give her all of the details. It had given her a lot to think about. However, the thing he most wanted her to remember was that he and Voldemort had grown up just like her: orphaned, abandoned, and different. Bullied by his cousin, Harry had never had real friends until he discovered that he was a wizard and went to Hogwarts. Voldemort had been different from them in this wise; he had been the bully, and he had no use for friends. Even those closest to him in the end suffered because of his cruelty and indifference. Thinking of that conversation now made Lily shudder.

"But there are no dark wizards now, right?" Lily had asked. "We're safe?"

"I wish I could tell you it were so," Harry had replied, a deep sadness in his voice. "There will always be dark wizards. We can only hope to be prepared for when we meet another. That means there are also a lot of brilliant witches and wizards out there. We're doing all we can to keep everybody safe, and so far we've had twenty years of relative peace. I want to keep it that way for as long as I can."

Lily fingered her wand now, gazing out her window into the streets of Diagon Alley. Today was not a day to reflect on such dark tales. Today was her last day to go out and explore, to learn all that she could about the wizarding community, and learn how best to fit in at Hogwarts. Neville had left her a small bag of Galleons to spend during the duration of her stay before term began, and she was using it as sparingly as possible. She had bought herself a secondhand copy of Hogwarts, A History to learn all she could about the four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Other than that, she'd held back from other enticing purchases to make sure that she really wanted the things she had had her eye on. Today she was going to look into Transfiguration books and try to understand how McGonagall had changed her form that first day in the office when she had learned the true nature of who she was. Neville had called it "animagus," where a witch or wizard could take the form of an animal at will, and it was very advanced magic. Lily longed to know how it worked, drifting into dreams again of just taking wing and flying away.

Pulling her sweater tighter about her, Lily set off, winding her way through the Leaky Cauldron, past the now familiar faces of the tenants, and made her way into Diagon Alley. Flourish and Blotts wasn't too far down the street, and the smell of freshly printed books comforted her. She wandered amongst the shelves, taking her time and listening to the chatter of other shoppers. Most of the school shopping was done, but there were a few stragglers snatching up copies last minute. Lily soaked it all in, pausing only when she found herself before the Transfiguration shelves once more. There were other people examining the shelves, but Lily paid them no mind, scanning titles along the spines at her leisure. Every now and again, something would catch her eye and she'd examine the text for a moment before re-shelving it and moving down the book case. She lost track of time as she searched and at last found a book on animagi. Before she could peek at its contents though, a voice behind her made her jump.

"Transfiguration: A Beginner's Guide to Human Shapeshifting. An interesting choice for a first year." The speaker was a tall boy with messy reddish brown hair, freckles, and a humorous glint to his eyes.

"What business of yours is it? I'm entitled to look at whatever books I like," Lily snapped, startled, but instantly regretted it.

He put his hands up defensively. "Now, now, I wasn't scolding you or nothing for it. Just thought it was interesting was all! The name's Merlin, Merlin Jacobson."

Lily stared at him for a moment before tenderly shaking his proffered hand. "Lily Kensington."

"Am I correct in assuming that you're a first year?"

"Yes," Lily said warily.

"Alright!" He smiled warmly. "I'm a third year, Ravenclaw house. We could use readers like you."

"I didn't know the houses could recruit."

"We can't, but sometimes a person can tell which house a newbie will be sorted into. You'd make a fair Ravenclaw, but I think you could be a Gryffindor too."

Lily didn't know what house she wanted to be sorted into, though she definitely didn't want to go into Slytherin. What she had learned from her books was unbiased, but the people she'd been watching had never really had anything kind to say about the house of the serpent. "We shall see tomorrow where I am to be placed. Now, will you excuse me?"

The boy backed off as if to honor her request, but turned back at the last second and said, "I'm sorry to have startled you. I just wanted to try to make a friend is all. Perhaps I'll see you around, and we can be friends." With that, he dashed off.

Lily watched him go, feeling bad for being so jumpy. He was nice enough. After a moment, she returned her attention to her book, flipping through a few pages slowly before determining to buy it. As she took her purchase back to the Leaky Cauldron, she reflected on her encounter with the boy and found herself wishing to run into him again and introduce herself properly. She needed friends, and she felt as though he needed her as much as she needed him, despite their age difference.

The woman manning the bar nodded to Lily when she reentered the inn, and Lily nodded back, still lost in her thoughts. Her stay in the Leaky Cauldron had been interesting for sure. However, tomorrow would be the beginning of her real journey into the magical world, and she could hardly contain her excitement once her mind caught hold of the thought. She thought it best to read for a little before going to bed that night in order to calm down. All of her new things were packed and ready for the journey tomorrow, and she wanted to be ready when Neville (soon to be called Professor Longbottom) came to pick up all of the muggleborns staying at the Leaky Cauldron. The letter said the train would leave at 11:00 am sharp from Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Lily could hardly wait!