Birthday Surprises

Lily was spinning in an endless cloud of ash. She could feel the heat of the flames on her skin but they did not burn her. The sensation was almost like Apparating but it tickled her stomach, and she could not help but to laugh. Before she knew it, the spinning stopped and she was lurched forward and out of a fireplace. She was introduced to a different setting: the friendly setting of the Leaky Cauldron.

James sniggered as she walked past him to her father.

"Dad, that was amazing!" Lily exclaimed. "Can I do it again?"

Even her own father was chuckling. "We'll go back home through the Floo Network again if you want, sweetheart. But next time, try not to laugh—we could hear you coming because of your contagious giggles." Lily blushed wildly and turned away from the crowd. She could feel some of the witches and wizards staring at her.

Moments later their mother appeared from the fireplace, brushing off some ash from her cloak. "Did everybody get here safely?" she asked, being the cautious mother she was.

"Of course," Albus said. "I think Lily even enjoyed it."

"That's good!" their mother exclaimed as she patted her daughter on the back. They walked across the bar to the backdoor, though it was a bit difficult. Everybody wanted to catch a glimpse of their legendary father and his family, and even some witches and wizards came up to talk to them. Lily was a bit used to the fame. She was even approached by a man at Diagon Alley a few years ago to be photographed for a tabloid, but her mother objected and they left immediately. Still to this day, people wanted to snap a picture of Harry Potter's famous little daughter.

They went out back into a small patio where the Leaky Cauldron kept their trashcans and where alley cats roamed. Their father took out his wand and tapped some bricks on a wall, and stepped back. Lily watched with amazement as the bricks began to move. Though she had been to Diagon Alley plenty of times before, she still was amazed by the moving brick wall. The bricks realigned to make a gap in the wall.

James was the first to enter Diagon Alley. He was eager to return to his uncle's joke shop, which was one of the most popular shops in Diagon Alley. Lily's father rolled his eyes and followed his son, calling behind him, "Go to Gringotts so we can get the supplies! I'll meet you at the joke shop when you're done!"

Albus sighed, "James…he can never control himself."

Lily entered Diagon Alley with the rest of her family. The crooked street was packed with many students and their parents shopping for school supplies. As they passed the ever-so-active shops, they were stopped by people that their mother knew. One woman, by the name of Pansy Parkinson, exclaimed their mother's name and shook everybody's hand. She had long, greasy black hair and had a nasty smile.

"You remember me, right?" the woman cried. Her teeth were yellow from rot and her skin was almost as greasy as her skin.

Lily's mother smiled and replied, "Of course I do. You were the one who wanted to give up my husband to the Dark Lord so you wouldn't have to fight. How could I not remember you?" The woman's smile faded and she backed away and fled into the crowd, blushing madly. Lily could've sworn she heard the woman swear under her breath. Lily's mother looked down at Lily and muttered, "Don't ever become friends with anyone with the last name Parkinson…unless you want to end up like her."

Lily nodded, confused whether her mother was saying that seriously or jokingly. They continued the walk through the crowd until they reached the tall, magnificent building of Gringotts. Lily had not been inside herself, so she was giddy with excitement to finally see the family vault. "Remember," their mother said. "No fooling around. The security at Gringotts is very serious, they won't tolerate any horseplay."

"Mum, you needn't worry," Albus replied. "James isn't here."

"I guess you're right," their mother chuckled before opening the doors for them. Lily entered first and was bewildered by the sight. The lobby of Gringotts was the most glamorous place she had ever seen; the floor was of pure marble with a red carpet leading up to a high desk, where a goblin sat, looking down at some papers on his desk. There was a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging low, so low that her mother could probably touch the bottom of it. The ceiling was high and arched with beautiful carvings of showers of gold. Her mother led her and her brother down the carpet. Lily made sure to walk as elegant as she could, but she saw the smirk on Albus' face and stopped.

They reached the goblin at the desk.

"Name?" the goblin croaked, his beady black eyes examining them.

"Ginerva Potter," their mother replied.

"Identification?"

Their mother pulled out a golden key from her pocket and handed it to the goblin. The goblin ran his long fingers over the key, inspecting it as though it was a rare jewel. He then asked, "Which vault do you wish to visit?"

"The family vault."

There's more than one vault? Lily thought to herself. Before she could think more about the topic, she was forced to follow the goblin to a set of bronze gates behind the desk. The security guards nodded their heads and opened the gates once they saw the goblin. Lily passed the security men, feeling their stare search every inch of her body for something suspicious. She couldn't blame them—seeing how famous her family was, there were bound to be lunatics who would try to break into their vault.

The goblin led them to a small mine car. It looked as though only two people could fit, but as more and more people got in it, the car expanded to fit. Lily was the last one to sit and she searched for a buckle, but there was none. Her mother patted her leg softly and said, "Don't worry, honey. The speed will keep us in, trust me."

Lily nodded her head nervously, seeing how there was nothing she could do. She clenched the side of the car and waited until…

The car started slowly, going no faster than a person riding a bike. But then it started to gain speed…then it went faster…and faster…and faster. Lily didn't realize that they were descending deeper into the ground until she saw that they were on level 5, which was approximately 5 miles underground. Lily couldn't help but to scream with excitement as they went down further—even her mother let out a stifled laugh. The goblin turned to look at them and shook his head, as though Lily's behavior was absurd.

The mine car suddenly came to a jerky stop in front of a big metal door. In silver engravings it read: 703. Lily followed her family out of the car and they watched as the goblin approached the door. He pressed his little palm against the door and inserted the key into the lock. Lily cocked her head to see exactly what he was doing. The goblin was doing something to his fingers as he unlocked the door with the key. Suddenly the doors made a loud click! noise and they creaked open, spilling golden light in the dim cavern. The goblin stood back and motioned them inside.

"C'mon, let's hurry," their mom sighed. "We don't want to keep your father waiting."

Lily took her first step into the vault. Her jaw dropped as she saw piles and piles of Galleons all against the wall, and those piles even got so big that they spilled out into the aisle of the vault. At the very end of the aisle was a table where a long sword sat upon it. Lily eagerly approached the table, but Albus called, "Lily, don't go over there! Mom will flip out!"

"I can hear you, Albus," their mother snapped. "Lily, please don't go over there. You're not allowed to touch that."

Lily nodded obediently and went back to her mother. She was scooping up gold and putting it in a pouch she wore around her neck. She then picked up ten galleons and gave them to Lily and said, "You can buy whatever you want in Diagon Alley with this. But make sure you spend it well. Don't go wasting it as your uncle's shop like your brother." Lily took the money and tucked the gold safely in her jeans pocket. Lily was never keen on the idea of money, so she never complained if she had no money and she didn't get excited if she had a lot of money. As long she was comfortable, she was happy.

Her mother stopped scooping up gold and said, "That should be enough. We'll have money left over if anyone wants ice cream after a long day of shopping." She escorted Lily and Albus out, making sure no one was still left in the vault, and nodded to the goblin that they were finished. He closed the vault door, locked it with the key, and went over to the mine car with the family.

The ride was almost as exhilarating as before to Lily. As they ascended, she could see other carts passing them and could even see glimpses of goblins at other vaults. She didn't even realize that she was leaning over the edge of the cart before her mother pulled her back in. Then she got a lecture about leaning out of Gringotts carts, but she didn't listen; all she could do was gaze at the astonishing sight before her. The journey ended abruptly when the cart came to a halt, and they were back where they had started: right outside the bronze gates.

"Please exit through the bronze gates in which you came in, and then you will be taken to the lobby. Thank you for coming to Gringotts, where your money is always as safe as can be," the goblin said with no emotion, getting out of the cart once everybody was out. Lily could tell he was so used to that motto that it made him utterly bored. Lily and Albus followed their mother out of the platform and back into the magnificent lobby. There were more people in the lobby now, most of them parents with their children. Lily even spotted one of James' friends, though she couldn't exactly make out their name.

"Well, that was exciting," their mother said, referring to Lily's excitement. "Now we're off to get your spell books. Albus, take this money—" she handed her son some Galleons "—and go to Flourish and Blotts and get your schoolbooks and Lily's too. If you need help, make sure to ask the shopkeeper for help. I need to go the joke shop to meet up with your father." She kissed both of her children on the head and went off to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, their uncle's famous joke shop.

Lily followed her brother to the grand bookstore that was not far from the Leaky Cauldron. Since many people were at Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts was not as busy as it usually was. Lily took her first steps into the store as a customer and was astonished to see how many sales the store was having. The schoolbooks were on sale, of course, but some books of interest were on sale, too, such as Little Witches, Love at First Hex, and Bewitching Galore. Albus saw her spotting the books and shook his head and said, "Remember, you're here to get schoolbooks, not sappy girl books."

Lily opened her mouth to protest but backed away and muttered, "Alright."

Albus read the list carefully and shopped for the books. Lily tailed along, eager to open her first spell book to see what kind of spells she would be studying—but all of her excitement abruptly ended when she realized she didn't have one of the greatest necessities that a witch needed—a wand.

After she had gotten a first year spell book, Hogwarts: A History, Magical Draughts and Potions, A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration, and a couple other books, it was now Albus' turn to shop for his books. Lily groaned and trailed away from her brother to catch a glimpse at a pink book with a picture of a familiar, beautiful witch on the cover. The title was written in gold lettering that read: Dealing with Wizards in a Witch World. Lily reached inside of her robe pocket and felt over the Galleons…this did look like a good book—

"I wouldn't get that if I were you," a smooth voice said. Lily jumped and turned around to face a handsome boy with short white hair.

"And how would a boy like you know taste in books for girls?" Lily retorted, crossing her arms.

He cracked a smile and replied, "Well, the author of the book has been sent to Azkaban for torturing wizards in her time for just being of the male species. That's why the price is so low." Lily turned back to look at the woman on the cover. She did remember seeing her face on the front of the Daily Prophet not so long ago.

Lily turned back to face the boy and muttered, "Oh—well, thank you for stopping me from buying that book."

"No problem," the boy replied, his voice as soft as velvet. "I don't believe I formally introduced myself. My name is Scorpius." He held out his hand and Lily shook it politely.

"My name's—" Lily began, but then something stopped her from speaking. She saw her mother standing outside one of the windows with a fluffy, snow white cat in her arms. Their eyes met and her mother smiled, mouthing the words 'Happy birthday!' Lily forgot all of her manners and exclaimed, "A cat! I'm so sorry Scorpius, but I-I have to go."

Lily was halfway to the door when Scorpius called, "Wait!"

Lily turned and asked impatiently, "What?"

"…will you be attending Hogwarts this year?" Scorpius asked with a grin.

Lily replied, "Yes, I'll be a first year this year. I hope I get to see you again, Scorpius." And so she left.

Lily met her mother outside with the cat. "She's so cute!" Lily exclaimed, her voice high pitched as she rubbed her fingers through the cat's fluffy fur. The cat purred and rubbed its head against Lily's hand. "What's its name?"

"It's your choice, Lily," her mother replied, handing the cat over to her daughter. "After all, the cat's not only your birthday present, but it's your pet for school." Lily snuggled with her cat, a thousand possible names racing through her mind right now. "But you don't need to come up with the name right now," her mother added. "It's best if you don't because you want your pet to have meaning. Now c'mon, let's go get your wand and we'll be done shopping."

Lily couldn't get happier. Her mother entered Flourish and Blotts and told Albus where they would be, and then they started off for Ollivanders Wand Shop.

"Is the cat a girl or a boy?" Lily asked, not wanting to check.

"It's a girl," her mother replied. "Is that okay?"

"It's spectacular! Mum, I've always wanted a cat!" Lily exclaimed, still running her hands through her cat's fur.

Lily entered the wand shop alone, since it was tradition to be chosen a wand by one's self. Lily looked at her surroundings. The shop was fairly old compared to newly renovated shops like Flourish and Blotts and Twilfit and Tattings (where people as affluent as the Potter family would shop, but due to their past business with witches and wizards involved with Dark Magic, the business was doing poorly and tried to lure people by nice looks). Though the shop was old and had the smell of old wood, it was heavily air conditioned and even Lily started to shiver. She walked up to the front counter, which was almost as tall as her, and rang the bell.

"Just a minute!" an old man's voice called.

Lily sighed and continued to observe the shop. On the sides of the rooms were shelves with wand boxes stuffed in them. There were burn marks on the walls that looked like they had been cleaned furiously, but it seemed that they could never get out. The shop was dimly lit with one or two candles about. How is this one of the most legendary shops in Diagon Alley when it's in such an old condition? Lily thought to herself.

"How may I help you today?" the old man asked. Lily turned around to face the man, and the man immediately beamed and said, "Miss Lily Potter. I was just wondering when you'd come by my shop to get your wand."

Lily questioned, "How do you know my name, sir?" But then she realized that what she said was a bit obtuse, since her face was well known due to her father's fame.

"Please, Mr. Ollivander," the man replied croakily. "I know your name because of your parents, of course. They came here when they were just your age to get a wand—and I can distinctly remember your father's parents as well. It doesn't seem that long ago when I gave your father his legendary wand…in fact, it just seems like days ago." Mr. Ollivander sighed in thought and continued, "Now I imagine you're here to get your wand."

Lily said anxiously, "Yes, I am." She began to feel nervous. Getting her first wand meant becoming a real witch.

Mr. Ollivander gave her a nod and walked over to one of the shelves. After grazing the boxes with his thin index finger, he finally picked a box and set it upon the counter. He unveiled a beautiful, pure white wand. He handed it to her and said, "11 ¾ inch yew wand, dragon heartstring core. Please, give it a wave."

Lily grabbed hold of the wand nervously and twirled it aimlessly. Violent red sparks burst out and ricocheted off the walls and hit a portrait, busting it off the wall. Lily put the wand on the counter with haste and looked up at Mr. Ollivander, who chuckled. "Don't be afraid, dear," Mr. Ollivander said. "It's perfectly normal for a new witch or wizard to cast magic beyond their control, especially on wands that are not to be theirs."

He went back over to the shelves and picked out another box, this time handing over Lily a beautifully carved dark brown wand. "12 ½ inch willow wand, unicorn hair core."

Lily swished the wand, this time sending a wave of energy that forced everything on the counter onto the floor (even the faulty wand that she yielded beforehand). Mr. Ollivander clicked his tongue and sighed, "Well, that's obviously not the one for you. I think I might have a wand that will fit you, though. Let me go fetch it."

Lily put the wand on the counter and watched the old man go to the shelves once again. Lily began to doubt her abilities as a witch. What if she turned out to be a Squib? The thought made her cringe—being a Squib meant extremely limited magic. She probably couldn't even levitate objects, being a Squib.

Mr. Ollivander returned with another wand, this time the wand being a simple, ordinary wand. It wasn't as unique as the pure white wand or as beautifully carved as the brown wand. This wand was a light brown wand with no visible uniqueness about it. Lily reluctantly took the wand, but was surprised by how it vibrated in her hand. She bit her lip and pointed the wand high in the air, and suddenly golden sparks burst out the tip and showered around her. Mr. Ollivander beamed as Lily looked up at the wand with her jaw dropped. She could feel the magic in her veins transferring into the wand, and releasing at the tip like a waterfall.

"Somehow I knew that would be your wand," Mr. Ollivander exclaimed, smirking.

Lily lowered the wand and the sparks stopped. She asked, "How?"

"Your wand is made of Holly, just like your father's," Mr. Ollivander explained, swishing his own wand and levitating the strewn objects on the floor back onto his counter. "But it also has your mother's core, which is Veela hair."

"Veela hair?" exclaimed Lily, examining the wand. "My Aunt Weasley, who is French, her wand is also of Veela hair. Isn't that extremely rare, especially in Britain?" Suddenly her wand was interesting to her.

Mr. Ollivander nodded his head. "Even your own mother doesn't know the core of her wand," he said, nodding his head to her mother, who was waiting outside on a bench with Lily's cat. "See, the Veela hair in your wand makes your wand very special. Your wand is rare as can be, Ms. Potter, for your wand is one of the most powerful dueling wands in the Wizarding World."

"Dueling? You mean…I can duel with this wand naturally, and I won't need to really practice dueling?"

"Now, I wouldn't go that far," Mr. Ollivander replied. "You still need to practice hard to master the art of dueling. But you shouldn't be concerned with a serious subject like dueling at your age, Miss Potter. Just take care of that wand—there are very few like it."

Lily held the wand in her hands, examining it with careful eyes. How could a wand with such a simple design be so powerful? She could still feel it slightly vibrating in her hands. It was eager to be used for magic, for transfiguring, for dueling. Lily had an urge to point her wand at a random spot in the room and go silly, but, being the polite girl that she was, she restrained herself and bought the wand at the counter.

"I expect great things in your future, Miss Lily Potter," Mr. Ollivander bade farewell with a twinkle in his eye.