Lily hadn't planned on leaving her only son at the time. Rather, she had a panic attack when James had been killed, and quickly fled her house, as tears threatened to spill from her emerald eyes. For a while she had lived with her parents as she got a muggle job, and eventually she forgot about her other son, and her other life, as the wife of James Potter.
It was only when she had read the newspaper, not the usual Daily Prophet mind you, when she had been reminded of her son, Harry. She hadn't meant to leave the poor boy alone, but in the spur of the moment, she was afraid. In fact, she hadn't even checked if her oldest son was alright. What it Voldemort had killed him like he killed James? The thought left her hollow inside. Either way, she had nowhere to go, and she had nearly given up on life as is. The guilt beared farther down on her as she had her second child, as memories of Harry had flooded her mind.
Lily had driven herself and Finnian to the Leaky Cauldron in London. Eager to escape the burning glances of the men in the dimly lit room, Lily had hurried to the back of the establishment.
Finnian sent a dazed look at his mother, slightly wary. "Mum? It's a dead end." She sighed again, brushing a lock of auburn hair from her eyes as she pulled out her wand. Honestly, it felt good to hold her wand again, after years of living low as a very small muggle family, it came as both a relief and a curse when her son had acquired that letter.
As she put her other, open hand on Finnian's shoulder, she tapped a few bricks on the back wall. The pair could hear a quiet rumbling as the bricks began to remove themselves, revealing a large entrance way. Diagon Alley. Lily's mind flashed with memories. Of James, bumping into her with a wide grin, the Marauders giving her small glances… And Severus. Of course she couldn't forget the boy- no man- who used to be her friend.
"Well Fin, we're here. This is Diagon Alley, a major shopping centre for wizards in England," Lily explained slowly to her son. As it was only March, the very day after Finnian's birthday, not many children were present, aside from the occasional witch or wizard that happened to bring along their young son or daughter for a shopping trip.
Paging through the letter again, Lily picked out the school supplies Finnian would need for his first year of Hogwarts. Luckily for the small family, the supply fees were the only ones they needed to pay, as Hogwarts' tuition was fully paid for by the Ministry.
"Please mum, can I get my wand first please?" Finnian begged, desperately clinging to his mother's muggle hoodie. Shaking her head and smiling, she pulled her son into closeby bookshop, as she began to skim the bookshelves for the needed texts.
There the two went, going shop by shop until they stepped into a shop with large glass windows that reached into the sky. "Now Fin," Lily began, "I will allow you to get an owl, just so you can communicate with me without having to go up to the owlry." She paused, and smiled, "Because I'm going to make you write every day from Hogwarts!" She brought her son into her arms and Finnian shrieked.
"Mum! Cut it out!"
Finnian stepped into the menagerie first, looking in awe of all the eyes of various magical pets.
"Hello dears!" An elderly witch said with a small smile on her face. "How may I help you?" Lily had stepped in front of her son.
"We're looking for an owl. It's my son's first year at Hogwarts and I want him to have some means of communication." The witch behind the counter smiled wider, as she raised her arms, as she gestured to the cages that crowded the walls, filled with hooting owls of various colours.
Finnian took one look at all the owls in the cages, and found the one that he knew he was going to get. She was a majestic brown tawny owl with white wings that were speckled with black. Her eyes were a curious hazel, not unlike his own, and the owl held an air of confidence. The two locked gazes, as the owl opened her own cage and flew down onto his head.
With one look the menagerie witch totaled the cost of the owl, 10 galleons in total. Lily had exchanged her muggle money for wizarding money before going to Diagon Alley of course, and she pulled the golden coins out of her purse. As she paid, the menagerie witch gave her another small smile and thanked the two, as they exited the animal menagerie. A breath of fresh air was welcomed to the duo, as they stepped into the crisp spring air of London. Now, the only the mother and son pair needed to get, much to Finnian's anticipation, was his wand.
(A/N: This one is kinda to explain some happenings, mostly at the beginning. Thanks to ZodiacsKlaroline and panther73110 for giving me ideas *although probably unintentionally* anyways, I'll try to update as often as I can, but I may forget because my memory is absolutely terrible)