AN/ Hi! Sorry it's taken so long for another update, but I've been struggling with this no wifi debacle and it's still not fixed! Here's a longer chapter to make up for that :) I do, however have more bad news- I'm off to Africa on Friday and so won't be able to post any updates for two weeks. I know I'm a horrible person- sorry! Next you'll see of The Evans Twins will be August I'm afraid.
As always- let me know what you guys think! Any suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for the reviews and new follows too- you guys rock!
Enjoy-H :)
I made my way back upstairs, feeling lighter than I had in over half a year due to my conversation with Petunia. Lily was still fast asleep, and I knew she'd sleep the whole day away if I didn't wake her soon.
"Lils," I shook her shoulder softly upon reaching her bed. Lily snorted and snuffled in her sleep, rubbing her face into her pillow. I stifled a laugh as I shook her again, slightly less gently this time. "Lily, get up you lazy lump."
"Who're you callin' lazy?" Came the sleepy, yet indignant reply. I laughed at her moodiness- one thing that was constant here, was that Lily hated mornings. I was well used to her refusal to get out of bed before nine, and greatly annoyed her if I woke up her up anytime before then.
"Lily, it's nine o'clock! We've got stuff to do today, you know. If you don't get up now, I will tickle you," I warned. The effect was immediate, and I couldn't help but giggle at Lily's absurd reaction to my threat. She leapt up out of bed and ran to the opposite side of the room away from me, hair a tangled mess, the imprint of her pillow on her face, eyes wide with terror. Lily hated being tickled, and I had discovered the threat of tickling would get her to do almost anything.
"That was uncalled for!" She huffed, crossing her arms and giving me an annoyed look. "We won't be doing anything till this afternoon, I could've had a couple more hours sleep'" she whined. I laughed again, shoving her towards the door.
"Go shower, Lils. You stink'" Lily narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me, before turning on her heel and bouncing out to the bathroom. I grinned to myself, amused as always at her grumpiness. Turning to the small wardrobe that we shared, I grabbed a skirt and top, threw them on and quickly plaited my hair. I pulled open the blinds to let the sun come streaming in through the window before efficiently making both beds- I knew Lily never bothered to make hers which drove me mad, so I always did it for her. I grabbed a couple of books which had made their way off the shelves and onto the floor and put them back in their slots, intent on having the room tidy before Lily got out the shower and created a mess as she was wont to do. As if on cue, Lily came bounding back into the room, towelling drying her hair as she moved. She chose a skirt and top ensemble very similar to mine and dressed quickly, running a brush through her auburn hair before shoving it in a bun to dry.
"Alright," she began, "now I'm up and dressed, there's a very pressing matter I must discuss with you." Lily deadpanned. "FOOD!" She shrieked at me, grabbing my hand and yanking me downstairs after her. I laughed at her as she raced to the kitchen in search of breakfast. Lily loved her food almost as much as she loved her sleep. I leaned against the kitchen counter as the redheaded hurricane whirled around me, banging dishes and cupboards and drawers in her quest for some toast. She popped 4 slices in the toaster- two each- and proceeded to climb on the worktop to reach the chocolate spread that Izzy had hidden on the top shelf of the cupboard.
"Did she really think I wouldn't find it?"
Lily practically inhaled her toast and sat huffing at me to hurry up until I finished mine. With her seemingly endless energy, Lils leapt up as soon as I was done and ran upstairs again, calling for me to get a move on. As I reached our room, I saw Lily sitting on the floor and looking at me expectantly. I gave her a broad grin and sat down next to her, shutting the door on my way.
"So, oh great mastermind," I teased, "What's the brilliant plan today?" Since my arrival, Lily had taken it upon herself to create a plan of what we were to do each day.
"Well," Lily began, "I thought that today we-"
"Sophie, Lily, get your bums down here this instant!" An impatient voice called from downstairs. Lily and I looked at each other, giggling, before leaping up and running down the stairs, skipping the last three steps and landing with a thud in front of Izzy. Robert sighed in exasperation at our antics from the front door.
"Come on, girls, we haven't got all day! Professor McGonagall is expecting us in half an hour," he winked.
"Professor McGonagall?" Lily's interest was peaked, and I stifled a laugh at her eager expression, "from Hogwarts?" Robert nodded seriously, holding back his own grin. "Why are we meeting her?"
Izzy, who had been bustling around us, organising coats and shoes and bags, rolled her eyes at the suspense Robert was keeping both of us in.
"Because," he began, "today we are going to-" Robert paused dramatically, before saying with a flourish, "Diagon Alley!" The reaction was immediate. Lily's eyes widened and she almost squealed with excitement. I giggled as Lils grabbed my hand and dragged me to the car, gushing about how today was the best day ever.
"Magic shops, Soph! We're going to go shopping in magic shops!"
Lily's enthusiasm rubbed off on me, and I soon found myself gushing along with her, speculating about what we might find in a place filled with magic- with other people like us. A small voice in the back of my mind scolded me for being so happy about this when my parents weren't here to share it with me. 'Are you forgetting about them so quickly, little one?' It taunted me.
"Just because Mum and Dad aren't here, doesn't mean I can't be happy. They would want me to be happy, I know it," I harshly silenced it.
The drive from Cokeworth to the middle of London took hardly any time at all, with Lily's chatter to keep my mind occupied. We were soon walking along the busy streets of London towards a grubby old pub called, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.
"The Professor said she'd meet us here to take us into the Alley," Izzy explained as we stopped just outside the pub. I saw other families looking much like ours milling around the same spot. Could they be other witches and wizards with muggle parents? I mused. Judging by the excited looks on the kids faces, and the slightly more nervous ones on the adults' I guessed I was probably right.
"Hello, hello," a Scottish voice sounded from behind me. I turned, along with most of the small crowd, to see a middle-aged woman dressed in what I could only describe as witches robes, bottle green, with her greying brown hair pulled back in a severe bun. Her round spectacles sat on the end of her nose and her thin mouth was stretched into a slight smile.
"Well, if you'll just follow me." With that, she swept off into the pub behind her. Lily grabbed Robert's hand and ran after Professor McGonagall, almost pulling him off his feet as he hurried behind her. I looked at Izzy, who grinned at me, took my hand in hers and followed the rest of our small group into the world of magic.
My head was spinning. I couldn't turn fast enough to catch everything as we walked along the bright, bustling street. People dressed in the most wonderful robes, animals I never imagined existed, shop fronts filled with cauldrons and potions, with newts eyes and dragon scales, broomsticks and bats, owls, cats, toads, books, sweets, jokes- I couldn't comprehend a fraction of what I was seeing. People were using magic.
In front of us, a great white building loomed impressively. Golden doors with carvings blocked our entrance as the Professor finally stopped her swift walk through the street.
"This is the wizard bank, Gringotts. It is run by goblins- yes they exist- and so I must ask you not to stare. They are temperamental creatures at the best of times," she addressed our small group.
"Goblins?" I thought, "What next, fairies? Giants? Unicorns?" My internal wonder was stalled as we made our way into the magnificent bank. The Professor was explaining to the parents how they could exchange pounds for wizard money.
"Galleons, sickles and knuts," she said, "seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty nine knuts to a sickle," showing us the strange coins.
I allowed my mind to wander, letting Robert and Izzy focus on the money while I gazed in awe at my surroundings. Gorgeous chandeliers hung overhead, the marble floor clacking beneath my feet. Long rows of desks lined the walls, a creature- a goblin- behind each one, counting stacks of gold coins or leering at the wizards they were serving.
"Quite ugly, aren't they," Lily whispered to me, gesturing with her head to the nearest goblin. I stifled a giggle as I had to agree. I could see why Professor McGonagall had said they were temperamental- I would be too if I looked like that. Wrinkly grey skin and sharp pointy teeth, along with beady judgemental eyes. They gave me the creeps if I was being perfectly honest, and I wasn't really looking forward to dealing with them.
Professor McGonagall had obviously finished her explanation, as everyone began splitting off and wandering towards various desks around the room. We approached the goblin Lily and I had giggled at earlier, who glared at us. We quickly exchanged some muggle money for galleons, all quite nervous about the grumpy goblin in front of us. On the way out, Robert pulled me aside.
"I know Professor Dumbledore told you that your Dad left you some wizard money here in Gringotts. Since, technically, you're our daughter now, obviously we'll provide for you the same as we do for Lily and Petunia. But I thought I should ask you if you wanted the key to your vault now, or if you want me to hold onto it?" With that, he produced a small golden key from his pocket and held it out to me. I stared at it for a moment, having completely forgotten about the conversation I had had with Professor Dumbledore about my inheritance. He had obviously given the key to Robert when he visited them before my arrival, the same time he set up all the protections on the house and explained my situation.
"Could- could you hang onto it for me for the moment?" I asked, "I'm not sure I wouldn't lose it," I confessed honestly, "and I don't think I'd have the restraint not to spend it all in one go either." Robert laughed as I said this, and ruffled my hair affectionately.
"Don't worry, squirt," he said, "I'll look after until you want it. Any time you want it back, just ask." He winked at me and we walked out of the bank to catch up with Izzy and Lils.
"Right, where to first?" Robert asked us as we began to wander down the street. Lily could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of being let loose in the magic shops.
"The bookstore! Ooh, no, how about potions supplies first? Or cauldrons? An owl!" Lily gushed, unable to focus on any one thing for too long because of the multitude of shops and wonders that surrounded us. I walked beside Robert quietly, grinning ear to ear as I was able to have a proper look at some of the shops we had rushed past on the way to Gringotts.
Several hours later, we had finally acquired almost everything that we needed for Hogwarts.
"I believe there's only one thing we have left to buy," Izzy sighed gratefully- the shopping had been a very overwhelming experience so far.
"What's left?" Lily asked.
"Your wands," Izzy answered, gesturing towards the black shopfront before us.
'Ollivander's' it read, with a dusty box and a wand on a cushion in the window. I felt my stomach erupt with butterflies at the thought. My own magic wand! The bell tinkled gently as we entered the dimly-lit shop, Lily's hand tightly clasping mine. The walls were covered with hundreds upon hundreds of slim little boxes and it was clear to see there was a far greater number of boxes in the room behind the counter. This instilled a slight sense of panic in me- how on earth was I meant to find my wand in here?
"Ah hello, welcome. You seem to be my last muggleborns of the day- the rest of your cohort passed through earlier today." A quiet voice emerged from the shadows behind the counter, startling all four of us.
"May I inquire your names?" The old wizard moved towards us, his owlish eyes inspecting our little group.
"Lily and Sophie Evans, sir. We're attending Hogwarts this September." Lily answered proudly, while I stood a little straighter under the wandmaker's gaze.
"Hogwarts, eh?" He leered at us, "Do try and stay out of trouble there- it's not your average school." This somewhat cryptic statement had Robert and Izzy glancing at each other was some surprise and worry.
"Are you saying the school may not be safe?" Izzy tentatively asked.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. That all depends on your daughters of course." This answer had all of us bewildered and looking to each other for clarification, however before any could be requested, the old wizard began talking once again.
"My name is Garrick Ollivander. I've been supplying young witches and wizards with wands for decades. I must tell you, the wand chooses the witch or wizard, Miss Evans," with a nod to both me and Lily, Mr Ollivander continued, "You may find the first wand you try is perfect, however if it takes a few tries don't get discouraged. Your wands are here somewhere and we will find them."
That statement settled some of my nerves about not being able to find my wand amidst the thousands surrounding us. I was happy to sit back and watch Lily go first, I was in no great hurry to get my wand- as long as I had it before we went home today. I didn't think Lily could wait another second, the excitement pouring off her in waves was almost tangible.
As Mr Ollivander brought the first wand out for her, Lily was struggling to stay still. I gave her hand a tight squeeze before letting go and moving back, giving her some space. Lily took the wand offered to her and gave it an experimental wave. Nothing happened. Mr Ollivander quickly took the wand back and went searching for another, while Lily's head drooped.
"Hey, Lils, remember what he said," I whispered, "your wand is here somewhere." Lily gave me a grateful smile before turning back to Ollivander and accepting this second wand. The result was the same. This third time, Ollivander returned with a wand in hand and a triumphant look on his face. Lily took the wand and her eyes widened dramatically before she gave it a small wave. Bright gold sparks shot from the end of the wand, causing Lily to squeal with delight.
"I knew this was the one! I could feel it- like power was rushing through my arm."
Mr Ollivander smiled as he placed the wand back in its box, carefully, before handing it to Lily.
"10 1/4 inches, unicorn hair, willow, swishy. Good for charms work. This wand should suit you well, Miss Evans." Lily beamed at this, clutching the box close to her chest before stepping back beside me.
Knowing it was my turn, I took a small step into the middle of the room. Ollivander assessed me for a minute before he wandered behind the counter and plucked a wand off the shelf, seemingly at random. I took the slim piece of wood, feeling the smooth grain beneath my trembling fingers, already knowing this wasn't my wand. I feel nothing like the sensation Lily had just described. I gave the wand a small wave anyway, just in case, but Ollivander seemed to agree with my assessment that this was not my wand as it was quickly snatched from my grasp before he scurried off to another part of his shop. Like Lily, I had no luck on my second go, either.
"Third time's a charm," I muttered to Lily, who gave me a reassuring squeeze. However the third wand felt downright wrong in my hands- and caused one of the pillows in the windows to explode, covering us in downy feathers that Mr Ollivander banished with his own wand in an instant. This wand was swiftly removed from my hands as Ollivsnder pulled more and more boxes from the shelves. No luck, either, with wand number four or five or eight. Feeling thoroughly discouraged, I was even beginning to doubt o was a witch at all- Professor Dumbledore must have the wrong Sophie!
Ollivander once again emerged from the depths of his shop with a box, this time accompanied by the same triumphant smile he had worn when Lily found her wand. I tentatively accepted the wand offered, prepared for another bad result, before I gasped- this was it! I could feel the pure power running through my arm as I waved the wand. Blinding, bright silver sparks shot into the air and a grin spread across my face. I carefully placed my wand into the box Mr Ollivander offered me before turning to hug Lily with excitement.
"10 3/4 inches, dragon heartstring, holly, flexible. Good for transfiguration or defence. An interesting combination, Miss Evans, one I would not have expected. I will be curious to hear what you achieve with this wand by your side." This peaked my interest- why was it so surprising a combination? What did that mean? Before I could ask any questions,Robert had paid for our wands and we were bustling back through the Leaky Cauldron to muggle London. Soon, the intriguing comment had been pushed from my mind by talk of what had been the most exciting day of my short life so far and of the most exciting day coming in the foreseeable future- September first, a dare that was only four days away.