Disclaimer: I don't own HP or the world.
A/N: There is going to be one more chapter after this.
Here's the third chapter... Happy reading!

Chapter 3: Lily - 2019

This was perhaps the easiest trip they had ever had to Diagon Alley to date. It was sunny and bright and the street was more packed then Harry'd seen it in ages. He supposed that's what they got for putting off their shopping for so long; the end of the summer rush. Al and James were wandering about somewhere doing their shopping on their own for the first time ever. It made him nervous to have them out of his sight, but he understood they were getting older. They were growing up. James even had a proper girlfriend now – Olivia Blackwell – she had been one of his best friends at school and was really a very pretty young girl. He had actually been a bit surprised how long it had taken his son to realize how Olivia felt about him, but he supposed that was the Potter genes to blame.

He hadn't wanted to agree to let the boys wander about on their own but he had lost in the end… as usual.

"Lily deserves to have you there to see her get her wand just like she was there for you."

"Aw come on Dad! It's so boring watching other people get their wands, and you've never actually made Teddy sit through it before."

"That's different! Teddy's much older than you lot," had been his wonderful response to his oldest's valid point.

"Please? We'll be good I promise!"

"Come on Harry. They're growing up. James'll be in fifth year and Al in the third. I think we can trust them off on their own by now. Besides they'll be with some of their cousins."

"She was there for them when they got their wands. It's only fair they be there for her as well," was his last pitiful attempt at an argument.

"That's more of an excuse and you know it," his wife had said low enough only he had heard. So low, in fact, he'd had to lean towards her to be sure he had heard correctly.

"I don't mind Daddy, honest," Lily nodded encouragingly at him.

"See even Lily doesn't care if we're there!" James had said eagerly.

"Oh alright, but if you step one foot down Knockturn Alley you'll wish you had stayed with us!"

"Fine… promise! We won't go down Knockturn Alley. We'll just stand in the opening and stare really, really hard – Only joking!" James added at his father's glance.

"Thanks Dad. We'll be fine, really," Al had said trying to reassure him as they had run off to catch up with their cousins, Louis and Fred.

He'd watched his sons go with their pockets full of gold, and with their mother shouting after them to make sure they got all their school supplies and not blow all of their money in their uncles' joke shop. Now, a few hours later he, feeling a good amount better about his two oldest having not had to go wrangle them up at any point, watched as Lily danced off in the direction of Ollivander's. She twirled and spun completely oblivious to anyone who was watching her. That's how it always was, though with the unwanted attention they still received wherever they went.

All of his children reacted differently to the unwanted intrusions on their private life. James had always noticed the more obvious attention when he was younger and had often been curious about it, asking outright questions like, "Is that man following us?" He had gotten to the point were he was now too old to be convinced he was imagining things and had begun to realize just how popular their family really was. He'd even sent home a letter during his first year demanding to know why he, of all people, was in the Daily Prophet, and why his family had never felt the need to inform him of how "cool everyone used to be." Particularly since being exposed too much of the family's more public history, James had practically stopped asking questions about the subject all together. Al, in contrast, had always noticed more than he let on and had been extremely aware of the attention in some way or another. Unlike James, when Al was younger, he didn't often ask to many outright questions about the unsolicited attention they sometimes received in public. He had been more likely to attempt to trick his father, and various other family members as well, into explaining why random strangers seemed to know so much about them. He'd only seemed to stoop to straightforward questions if he felt particularly overwhelmed or stressed at the time. Having been at Hogwarts for a few years and having been exposed to more of the family history himself, he now seemed to be genuinely interest in conversations about the family's past and what all they had done and accomplished. Lily, on the other hand, had always seemed blissfully unaware of any kind of attention she may bring, even on the occasions when she was forced to acknowledge the attention. She alone of all his children just did not seem to care one flubber worm about it.

"Are you alright Harry?" his wife asked nudging him lightly in the side, "You seem like you're far away."

"I'm alright," he smiled down at her. Grabbing her hand he said, "Did you hear Hugo got his wand in just one go when they came shopping last week?"

"Yes, poplar and phoenix feather. Twelve and one sixth inches," turning into her best impression of her brother Ron, "quite bendy." Harry laughed. "He was going on about it like he had about Rosie's wand a couple of years ago," she shook her head, an amused smile playing at her lips, "Her wand – it's just so unique. She'll be the only one with that core we're likely to ever meet. I'm sure of it, she's special," she said once more in Ron's voice.

He laughed again, "He's nothing if not a proud father."

"There's pride and then there's gloating," she said rolling her eyes. "He wouldn't shut up about it when I took the kids to the Burrow for lunch earlier this week. I nearly had to give him an old bat boogey hex just to shut him up!"

"Are you lot coming? I'm ready to get my wand!" Lily called from further up the road.

"We're right behind you darling," Ginny called back. The exchange had earned them more attention than he was pleased with and he tried to hurry Ginny along. When they reached Lily she was humming to herself and dancing slightly as if she didn't notice she was doing it. This was a common occurrence. Lily was always moving in someway or another. He was sure she'd get into loads of trouble for not sitting still in class once she got to school.

"Ready to go in Li-Lu?" he asked using the nickname the boys had given her when they were all little. Al, in particular, had had difficulty with saying Lily's name and had been more successful with joining the first sounds of her first and middle names together. James had just simply skipped the –ly and –na in her names completely unaware he was doing it. He'd had a minor problem of doing that with several words back then. It had been odd when they had started referring to her as her given name a few years back.

She grinned at him pulling the door open with a high level of excitement and anticipation. She always surprised him with how strong she was considering her small stature. Voicing this usually earned him a nice smack on the back of the head from his wife and a rather impressive glare from Lily herself.

There was another girl trying out wands when they walked in so they stayed towards the back of the shop.

"Stay out of the way Lily, you wouldn't want to be disturbed by someone when you're trying to get your first wand."

She nodded at him, "Okay Daddy."

"You don't expect we'll get lucky like Ron and Hermione and Lily will get her wand in her first go?" Ginny asked him with a smirk on her face.

He looked at his daughter who was up on her tiptoes staring over the counter at all the boxes with idealism and wonder on her face. "With her stubbornness and wild personality? I doubt it Gin, sorry, we'll be lucky to get out of here before closing," he responded giving her a little nudge to make her smile.

"I was afraid so," Ginny said dryly. Whispering she asked, "Did Ron or Hermione tell you Garrick Ollivander finally retired from the shop and left it all to his son? He still makes the occasionally wand but I think he's decided to retire almost fully. No longer working with the customers at all; hasn't for months."

"About time too," Harry whispered back, "I think he just celebrated his one hundred and sixty-third birthday last year." Ginny giggled. The girl at the front of the shop found her wand and her and her family moved to pay for it. He and Ginny clapped for her along with her parents who were staring at her as if truly fascinated. He thought they were probably muggles. The other family left the shop shortly after and they stepped forward, "Lily it's your turn," he called.

"Ah, the Potters back again. What a pleasure," he said with a slight bow towards Ginny before turning to Lily. "Please stick your wand arm out and we will begin the measurements."

Lily did as she was told. "I wish we could get her to mind like that at home," Ginny whispered conspiratorially causing another round of laughs.

Lily looked over her shoulder and glared at them, "Ssh. Good Godric you two can be embarrassing." This only caused them to laugh harder as they made their way to the seats on the side of the store.

Lily felt her ears burning pink because of them. Merlin they can be awful, she thought. Mr. Ollivander looked through a few stacks of boxes before grabbing some and heading back over. Apparently he thought she might prove to be a bit of a difficult client like her eldest brother James had been. She only hoped she didn't take nearly as long as her cousin Rose had last time they were here.

Thinking about Rose made her miss Hugo. She had planned her entire life to get her wand with him but he had gone last week without her. She looked over to the empty space he would have been standing in, "I wish Hu were here," she said sadly.

"I know sweetie but we talked about this. Hermione could only get off work on that one day and I…"

"You were swamped with cases, yeah, I know Daddy," she responded with a bit of a pout on her face. "I still wish he was here though," she whispered as her parents exchange guilty looks. Mr. Ollivander turned back towards her and she straightened up giving him her biggest smile. Even if her best friend wasn't here she was still excited. This was a big step, her first ever real wand! She'd been so jealous watching her older cousins get them over the last several years, and had been nearly driven mad with longing and jealousy over her brothers' wands. Now it was finally her turn. She wouldn't have to sneak a go with her parents' wands anymore. Hugo had been so excited when he'd shown her his wand a few days ago. He hadn't gone anywhere with out it since they'd purchased it. Now she would have one too. She smiled. Yes, she was ready.

"We'll start with this one. Powerful and decisive, made from beech and dragon heartstrings ten inches exactly." She took it in her hand – nothing happened. He took it back handing her another, "Redwood and unicorn hairs, unyielding." that one wasn't hers either. She was about eight or more wands in when he handed her, "Pear with unicorn hairs. It's nice and slightly yielding; very resilient – twelve and a quarter. Give it a wave." She took it in her hands. At first she thought it was another failed attempt, but when he went to take it from her grasp the tip ignited and shot out a jet of bubbles. She giggled liking how the wand made her feel.

"Looks like you have found your match young Miss Potter. I should say though, pear often goes to the generous, wise, and warm-hearted individuals. You should take it as a real compliment this wand chose you."

She grinned at him as her mother said, "Look at that Harry, our last baby has her first wand."

She flushed and looked over her shoulder, "Muuuuum," she whined, but as she looked back at Mr. Ollivander it was with her grin still fully in tact.

"Congratulations Lily Luna, we're very proud of you."

"Thanks Daddy," she gave him a forceful hug. Both arms flung around his neck as she held on tight, "I'm going to miss you and Mummy when I leave," she whispered so nobody else would hear.

He felt himself choke up a bit. She'd taken up the lot of the only child yet to go off to Hogwarts for much of the last two years. "We're going to miss you too – loads. We both love you very much."

She nodded, "I love you too."

Harry looked up at the counter. Ginny was smiling at them holding Lily's new, freshly wrapped wand in her hands already having paid for it. "Come on you two lets go find the boys. I'm starving." Lily and Harry left the shop hand in hand behind her. He grinned at her feeling a little sad. She was leaving in a little over a week and three days after that she'd be twelve. His children were all growing up. Where had the time gone?