Lily felt her whole world shift and jostle violently, as if she was swept up in the tornado out of "The Wizard of Oz". Whenever she dared to open her eyes the slightest bit, all she could see was a green colored tunnel. But then came the view of another fireplace. That fireplace got larger and larger, until she found herself standing right inside it! Once her vision had settled fully, she opened her eyes wide.
The place looked like an average, ordinary home. There was a cuckoo clock, a soft plushy couch, and a kitchen off to the side. Sure it didn't look like the American home she was used to, but there was something charming and comforting about it. She then spotted a plump redheaded witch standing beside Professor McGonagall.
"Oh good," the unfamiliar woman spoke. "I was afraid you'd be sent to the Furrow, and had Arthur stand by there just in case."
The woman wrapped Lily in a tight embrace. "I'll just have him pop by your house and pick up your things. Much faster and much easier than Floo travel! By the way, dear – I'm Molly Weasley and I'll be helping you out for the next few days."
McGonagall gave a satisfied nod, her mouth actually twitching into a smile. "Well there we are, then. The Weasleys are one of my most trusted friends, so I'm sure you'll get along just splendidly. I'll see you at the start of term, Miss Andrews."
A shiver ran down Lily's spine. She wasn't used to being called "Miss" anything in public – only in the theater of her dreams. But there was something so genuine about McGonagall's words that made her feel like it was okay to be herself for the first time.
"Now," spoke Mrs. Weasley after McGonagall had bid them farewell, "It's been much too quiet since Ginny decided to go visit her brother for a year. He's in Romania, you know. Quite the interesting place. But oh, you probably don't want to hear about the foibles in our lives. Tell us about you! I understand you want to be called-"
Mrs. Weasley was interrupted by a thump as Lily's trunk appeared in the room. That was quickly followed by a rather tall, balding redheaded man who Lily reasoned to be her hostess's husband. He swooped over and kissed the woman on the forehead before smiling at his new visitor. "Ah! There he is! Welcome to the Burrow! Blimey, if you had red hair, you'd be the very image of our son Bill."
Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat loudly and Lily noticed a not-too-subtle stomp on Mr. Weasley's foot. "What I was just asking, dear... is what our new guest would prefer to be called..."
Lily blushed and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I... I'd like to be called Lily and be referred to as a girl, if that's okay... I know it sounds silly, and you don't have to. It takes some getting used to and stuff like that, I know."
Lily felt herself began to ramble a bit, but Mr. Weasley cut her off. "Don't apologize! It should be me that apologizes to you! And I am certainly very sorry! I promise you it won't happen again. My mind must not be what it used to!"
Mrs. Weasley gave one last stern glare toward her husband before looking back at Lily. "Well, you're more than welcome here. You can stay in Ginny's room and we can get your things for school in the morning. But in the meantime, I've made us all a nice dinner. I hope you like stew!"
As dinner progressed, Lily felt herself getting nervous. Here she was with two strange magical folk who were friendly as could be, but she didn't really know anything about their lives or anything about magic to begin with!
"What if I don't fit in?" She yelped a little as she realized she had said that out loud.
Mrs. Weasley gave a little chuckle. "Oh, don't you worry about that. It was about eight years ago where we met a boy who was in the same shoes as you are now, and he's one of the bravest wizards we know! But he started at square one, just like you will!"
Lily still felt her stomach squirming, but maybe that was just because she was given her third helping of stew. "But... I don't know anything about the magical world. Or Britain, for that matter!"
This time it was Mr. Weasley who spoke up. "Again, nothing to fear. You can ask us anything and we'll be happy to answer it for you."
"Okay. So is there anything I should know? Anything I should be prepared for? I don't want to embarrass myself..."
The two exchanged glances and then nodded. Mrs. Weasley spoke first. "Well... it was about six months ago that one of the most evil wizards of all time was defeated. He was a really awful man, and he killed a lot of people..."
Mr. Weasley quickly interrupted. "It was a war. We lost one of our sons from it. But we both like to think that he died to make the world a better place for people like us. For people like all of us. Whether we know how to perform magic or not."
Lily could hear Mrs. Weasley sniffing into a handkerchief but nodded in agreement. Lily had sensed that she touched upon a sore subject.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize-"
"Nothing to be sorry about, dear," explained Mrs. Weasley. "After all, you're not to blame for all of the horrors. But we will be living in a better world now. Hogwarts may never look the same as it did, but it will still be a safe place for you, even if we have to protect you ourselves."
At this, Lily felt as if she had a second home. Never before had someone been so welcoming and so kind to her, especially when they knew about her big secret! After dinner, Lily was shown to Ginny's bedroom. It was filled with posters of a strange flying sport, a nice comfy bed, and a nice large dresser with a mirror and a jewelry box. She changed into her pajamas and could hardly sleep waiting for the next day to arrive.
The next day, after another Floo powder adventure, Lily and Mrs. Weasley arrived in Diagon Alley. As was the norm during the week leading up to the start of term, the streets and shops were filled with witches and wizards trying to check off every last item on their child's list.
Their first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where Lily had found a generous money transfer from her parents. Lily looked up at the ornate ceilings and the massive columns as the goblin performed the exchange from American dollars into Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Lily thought that looking at the architecture would be better than staring at the goblin, as she'd never seen one before and they didn't look all that pleasant.
As they left the bank, Lily could see scorch marks on the marble floors, thinking that it must have been a pretty big controlled fire if only certain places were burned. Their next stop was to Ollivanders Wand Shop, where she was greeted by the owner himself. The man was thin and gaunt looking, much like a wand, she thought.
"Ah, yes... hornbeam and unicorn hair, slightly rigid, 9 and a half inches. Welcome, Molly!" Mr. Ollivander gave a slight smile to Lily. "You see, I remember every wand I sell. Even in my old age, I'm still able to remember the owner to each wand."
Molly gave Lily a pat on the shoulder. "I'll go buy your books while Mr. Ollivander helps you find your wand. It could take a little bit, but I'll meet you right outside the shop here."
Lily nodded, and Ollivander got to work, pulling a few wands down from boxes. "Now now... let's see... you're quite the unique one, you know. I could tell just by your eyes. They're never a static colour. Changing from green to blue in bright light. What is your name?"
"Um... I'm Andrew, sir. Andrew... Andrews."
"Very good, sir. Hmm... perhaps this. Yew wood, dragon heart string, 11 and three quarters inches. A fine, strong wand for a strong person."
He presented the wand to Lily, who gave it a swish. Nothing happened. "No, no... A bit overambitious on my part, I should say. But it's not the wizard that chooses the wand, but the wand that chooses the wizard! Now... how about this? A particularly good wand for charms, vine wood, phoenix feather, 10 inches."
Lily gave that wand another flick, and while a spark or two did come from the tip, it just didn't feel right to her.
"Ah yes, that's perfectly okay. I've had some tricky customers in my day, but there's always a special wand that will fit its owner perfectly. It's just a matter of finding it."
"Mr. Ollivander?"
"Yes, what is it," he asked as he rummaged and pulled a few other boxes down.
"Mr. Ollivander, I don't know if this makes a difference, but... umm... I don't really consider myself to be much of a boy. I would rather be a girl named Lily, and I... don't know if that would affect things?"
Ollivander's eyes went wide. "Foolish! FOOLISH!"
Lily jumped back, but Ollivander threw the boxes of wands from the table onto the floor. "What a fool I'd been! Of course, of course! It's not just the eyes that signal a transfiguration. It's you, my dear! Of course you're a girl. It's something that the wands were no doubt picking up. But I admire your bravery in telling me. Otherwise we may have been here all night searching for the right one!"
Lily blushed. It was true, she didn't divulge that information particularly freely, but in this whole new world, maybe it was for the best in certain instances.
"Yes... yes..." muttered Ollivander. "I think I've got the perfect one for you. Something that reflects the beauty within as well as a beauty on the outside. Not superficial by any means. A brilliant wand for any purpose its owner sees fit. Cherry with unicorn hair, springy, 8 and three quarters inches."
Ollivander held out the wand, but as Lily reached her hand out to pick it up, the wand zoomed right into her grip.
"Ah, yes! Very good! Very good indeed! Now, Miss Andrews, and now, a simple test. If you would be so kind as to give a simple swish of your hand, and then a flick."
Lily did as instructed. The swish produced a shower of pink rose petals, while the flick created small bursts of fireworks.
"Yes, I think we have a perfect match. The beautiful thing about cherry is that it's known for its longevity, but it can certainly be a volatile partner to you. I strongly recommend against cherry with dragon heart string for that reason, but with this particular unicorn that produced the hair in your wand, I feel comfortable with it. And as you become more toward who you are, I think you'll find that your wand grows with you. The more confident you are in yourself as a woman, the more powerful your spells will become. A wand is a partner for life, Miss Andrews. Don't lie to it, and it will always serve you well."
Lily nodded and handed Ollivander a few gold Galleons after he had helped explain wizarding money in a hurried fashion. It seemed that Ollivander was all about business, and money was one of the small troubles that he had to go through to make his living.
After being indoors so long, the sun outside seemed to be amplified ten times. Lily had spotted Mrs. Weasley reading on a bench just outside the shop and made her way over.
"Well that didn't take long at all! I remember it took me over an hour to find a proper wand," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.
"It helped a lot when I was just honest with him and told him about me. He seemed to know just the wand for me after I explained my situation to him, and it was a perfect fit, I suppose!"
"That's wonderful, dear! But just remember, you can't go performing magic outside of school. It's a law that's been in place for years to protect you from causing harm to yourself and others. But now I think we'll go and get you fitted for robes and then we can take a look at a pet for you. Your parents said that as long as it wasn't a cat, you'd be able to get whatever you'd like."
Lily grinned from ear to ear. She was allergic to cats, but she appreciated that her parents were still looking out for her.
Despite the fact that it was only halfway through her day, Lily felt that she belonged in the magical community, not necessarily because she was told (and then demonstrated) that she could perform magic, but because of the acceptance she felt from those around her. Though she was sure there would be many bumps in the road, she was very pleased that there was someone like Molly Weasley looking out for her while she was away from home.
Author's Note: So hey there! I know I haven't written one of these yet, but I felt that I really wanted to get going in the story before taking a break to write a personal message. So this is my first foray into anything Harry Potter that involves canon, so hooray for that! But you'll notice that it's also future canon, taking place the start of term right after Voldemort was vanquished.
I'm writing this because I feel like there isn't enough of a voice for trans* people in general, and to be able to set this in the Harry Potter world allows me to explore how people, places, and things will react to someone who knows deep down that she's a girl, even though her body may suggest otherwise. Hope you enjoy reading, and please review. I'd love to know what you think of it.