CHAPTER 4: DIAGON ALLEY
(Ilya POV)
"So, um, where are we going again?" inquired Ilya, slightly skipping as she munched on her fifth hamburger.
"Diagon Alley, school supplies," replied the raven-haired boy beside her. "And don't jump around too much. You might get a stomach ache." For a girl she sure eats a lot, Severus thought.
Ilya heard Sev muttering to himself on whether or not they should use Floo Powder to travel. However, as it was a bright and sunny day, Ilya told him that she wanted to get some fresh air, and he decided that they should take the bus instead.
On the way, he started telling Ilya all about the Wizarding World, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, and the Ministry of Magic.
Ilya remained quiet, listening intently, focusing on every word the teenage boy spoke. She was undoubtedly trying to learn quickly, to take in all the information she can about the new world she was in right now.
Suddenly Severus stopped. Ilya was caught by Sev's words, that she hardly paid attention to where they were going. They were now standing in front of a brick wall.
"This is the entrance," said Sev. He pulled out his wand, pushed a brick in the center of the wall, and stepped back. The wall collapsed, revealing an archway in its fall.
"Let's go," said Sev, who was holding out his hand.
"Okay then," replied Ilya, as she accepted the offered hand, placing hers on his, and together they entered the Alley.
Ilya was dumbstruck. True, she was a magus. She has dealt with magic for almost her entire life. She was formerly a homunculus, an artificial human, and she has seen, utilized, and even went up against so many forms of magic and magecraft. Still, what met her sight this day was something she never would have thought could possibly exist.
Sev had already told her about these aspects on the way, but still amazed her. A magus always had death by his side, and should be prepared for it. Yet for these people, magic is just like an ordinary part of the daily way of life, as if it were normal. Having experienced countless life and death situations due to magic every day since she was born, she found this hard to accept. Every single magic practicioner in her world new that they could die at any given moment, either killer by others, killed by their own mistakes, killed by the very magic they were using.
She knew that Sev was a magus like her, and she had already noted differences between his and her magic. Still, although magical folk still hid their abilities from those with none (Muggles, according to Sev), they seem to be much more carefree and liberal than the ones in the world she came from. Mages have a society of their own, and, based from what Sev told him, with the exception of keeping everything secret from the Muggles, they have their own society.
Young people, old people, men, woman, entire families, were bustling about in Diagon Alley. If it wasn't for the fact that most of them were wearing robes, the place would have been like an ordinary town center, where people gather, picnic or shop in stores to relax themselves on a holiday, or to buy usual household necessities.
Shocked though she was, Ilya couldn't help but smile. Here she was, in a place, where people like her, people with magic, act like normal people. True, the Clock Tower in her world was the main governing organization of magi, but normalcy was one thing that never existed. Magi in her world placed to much emphasis in being elite. Although it might also be the case in this world, the fact that she saw child witches and wizards running around like normal kids means that things were different. Normalcy and social acceptance, living freely like normal people, this was how the witches and wizards of this world went about with their daily lives.
Ilya was suddenly brought out from her reverie when she heard a boy shout.
"Hey, look, it'd the new Nimbus One Thousand," a boy was saying. "Mum, can I get one of those for my birthday?"
"Okay, dear, but you can't be it with you to school yet," smiled a purple robed woman at her son. "You know first years allowed one."
"Oh, thank you Mum, you're the best," cried the boy in happiness, as he hugged her mother.
Ilya's smile widened, her emerald eyes flashing in anticipation.
So many things to see, so little time, thought Ilya. I have a lot of research to do.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Come, I'll show you around."
Severus Snape was having a difficult time. When he went to Diagon Alley with Lily Evans for the first time five years ago, things were fine, but everything went downhill when Mr. and Mrs. Evans gave the kids one hour to do what they want. Lily, seizing the opportunity, went to every shop she can visit, buying everything that got her interest (The Evans while not filthy rich were considerably well-off), dragging poor Severus around with her. By this time Severus had already visited the place a number of times with his mother, and, without the excitement, it was actually a bother.
Things were better the next time they visited, though, as Lily was already settled, used to things already, and much calmer than before, although she still went on a merciless shopping spree, forcing Severus to carry the bags until Mr. Evans took over (He still wasn't good with levitating objects at the time, unfortunately.).
Now he is facing the same problem with Ilya, who was acting in almost the same manner as an eleven-year-old Lily Evans. The main difference was that they did not have a Mr. and Mrs. Evans with them this time, meaning he will have to put up with it all afternoon.
Women, sighed Severus to himself.
Ilya was dancing and twirling around. She was hopping and skipping as she walked, pointing at and then running towards whatever got her interest. He was giving her, more or less, a tour of DIagon Alley, visiting several shops, including Flourish and Blotts, and he bought her an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. She was bouncing around here and there. Severus Snape, getting extremely dizzy, could just about compare her movements to that of the Golden Snitch, which gave one hell of a headache to Seekers.
Still, despite of having a hard time with Ilya, Severus couldn't help but feel even a little bit of joy. There was just something about her he couldn't quite explain, something that made him feel at ease.
"Hey, Sev, what are you spacing out for."
Severus was awakened from his daydream, and looked the girl straight in the eyes.
That was the one thing that was bothering Severus. Her eyes. Exactly the same as Lily's, Whenever he looked into those emerald eyes, he remembers the sadness and heartbreak of the fact that his best friend and first love now hates him.
"Oh, it's nothing," said the raven-haired boy.
"Hmmm..." murmured Ilya, and the next thing Severus knew, her face was only a couple of inches from him, her silver hair slightly touching his face.
"What are you…" he began, slightly panicking. He was sure his face was on fire.
"Sev, are you all right?" inquired the girl, as she felt Severus forehead with her palm. "You don't seem to have a fever, but your face is all red."
"No I'm fine, you can move away from me now," said Severus in an almost pleading voice. He could feel his face growing even redder. "Anyway, we're going to…"
But his words were drowned by a sudden explosion, followed by screams of people who were running from the direction of the sound.
They were standing some ten meters away, Severus could clearly see them: hooded figures dressed in black, with masks that look like skulls.
Death Eaters.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Let's get out of here," said Severus to the white-haired girl.
In truth, he did not like what the Dark Lord's followers were doing, preying on the innocent (He was infatuated with the so-called Dark Arts, but he never really wanted to hurt anybody, except perhaps the Marauders and some other nasty people, which actually included his own Dark Lord fanatic Slytherin friends, but not to the point that it would grievously hurt or kill them.), but he did not want to offend them either. Unlike the resolve he had before, he was already debating with himself whether or not to become a Death Eater. Although he has already become more inclined to not joining (after losing Lily's friendship), he still wants the option to be open in case he changed his mind.
"Come on Ilya," said the raven-haired teenager. "Let's call it a day. We'll just come back tomo…"
But Ilya was no longer beside her. Frantically, Severus looked around, trying to locate her.
Then he saw her, silver-hair flowing in the light breeze, standing in front of a crying little girl, and facing the hooded men, their wands pointed at her.
"You have some nerve picking on the weak and the helpless," Ilya was saying to the Dark Lord's servants, loud enough for Severus to hear.
She's going to get herself killed, thought Severus. I can't let that happen.
Without another thought, forgetting about the possible consequences his action will bring upon him (getting himself killed included), Severus ran forward, pulling out his wand as he did so, finally stopping to stand beside her. Without realizing it, Severus had actually made his resolve.
He wasn't on the dark side, nor was he with the light.
He was fighting on his friend's side, on Ilya's side.