Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize basically belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 3: Hazel Eyes in Diagon Alley
Lily gazed around the bookstore in awe. It was larger than any bookstore she'd ever seen. The strange thing was that from the outside it appeared to be a small shop. Was this yet more magic? There were many customers in the store, probably buying books for the trip to Hogwarts. They were wearing wizards robes. Lily was not used to this. When she glanced at Mr. McMillan she noticed he was dressed in the same type of robes. He dressed like a normal wizard which was strange considering his odd choice of Muggle clothing a few months ago when they first met.
Mr. McMillan, seeing Lily's fascination with the store, smiled and said, "Lily, I am going to go get the books you need for classes. Why don't you take a look around?" Lily eagerly agreed. Books were a passion of hers, a way for her to escape into other people's lives and adventures. She couldn't wait to see what stories the wizarding world had.
Lily wandered up and down the aisles gazing at the different titles. She jumped as she heard a growling noise coming from a section of books labeled, Magical Creatures. Shortly thereafter the book in question leapt off the shelf and started sliding across the floor in pursuit of another book which was emitting a whimpering sound. Lily stepped back in order to avoid getting a nasty bite as the books slid past her. A witch who appeared to work there sighed and said, "Not again! I told him that we needed to purchase a cage for that book!" She grabbed a pair of gloves and a net and started chasing the fractious tome.
After a few minutes Lily started to get the feeling that she was being watched. She looked around but could not see anybody watching her. As she entered the Fiction section, she found a group of books where the stories changed every time you read them. Some were murder mysteries where the culprit would switch each time to a different character. As she grabbed one of the books off the shelf she noticed a pair of hazel eyes looking at her from behind the shelf. As she looked closer she noticed they belonged to a boy about her age who was standing in the neighboring aisle. She walked around to his aisle and noticed he was a bit taller than her and skinny. As he continued to stare at her his hand shot up and ran through his messy black hair, making it even more untidy. As she approached him she noticed he wouldn't take his eyes away from hers. His intense gaze sent a rush of warmth through her that gave her cheeks a slight tinge of pink.
"Hi," she said nervously. "Are you a student at Hogwarts?"
The boy stood there for a moment like he was in a trance before he finally nodded.
"I'm a student, too, or at least I will be soon. I'll be starting my first year there," she said.
Again, the boy just stood there and nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. Lily was starting to wonder if he knew how to speak. She felt the blush in her cheeks burning a shade darker.
"Well, erm, my name is Lily, Lily Evans." After another moment she added, "Do you have a name or are you just going to keep standing there staring at me?"
That seemed to get his attention. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a string of garbled words, the last of which sounded like "Potter."
Before she could ask him to repeat his name, they heard a loud, "OW! Blasted little bugger!" The saleslady with the gloves and net was leaning over nursing a nasty looking bite wound on her leg. She glared at one of the other store workers as he came to check on her. "That's the third time this week that thing has bitten me!"
The salesman took out his wand and healed her wound with a skill that left the impression he had plenty of practice using the charm. He gave the saleslady a sheepish smile and said, "At least it's up to date on its vaccines."
The saleslady looked more infuriated as she shoved past him, saying, "Get that book a cage!"
Lily had to laugh. The situation seemed so ridiculous - a book chasing after another book and biting a lady on the leg. Needing a cage for a book?! A few months ago Lily could never have imagined a scene like this. Now she was a witch, and she wondered someday if she would have the same reactions the other store patrons had - like this was an everyday occurrence.
When she turned back to Potter, she found him studying her with an amused look about his face. When he saw she was looking at him, his ears turned pink. He opened his mouth to say something when Lily heard a voice behind her. "Lily, I found the books you will need. It is time to purchase them if you will please come with me." It was Mr. McMillan.
Lily turned back to the boy. "I have to go. It was nice meeting you…Potter."
After a moment the boy stuttered out a garbled, "Y-Yeah." She smiled and he grinned back at her before she walked away to meet Mr. McMillan at the checkout counter. As they left the store his hazel eyes and dimples kept wandering back into her mind.
"Lily, did you hear what I said?" asked Mr. McMillan.
She blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry sir. What were you saying?"
"I was saying we should go purchase your wand next. Then we will go to the apothecary and then to Maldam Malkin's to purchase your Hogwarts robes," he replied.
"Ok." Suddenly she realized something. "How are we buying all of this? I noticed the money doesn't look like regular money and I don't have any like it."
"Wizards have their own currency: gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts. Don't worry about not having any. Your folks made sure you wouldn't have to worry about that. I changed the currency over at Gringotts - that's the wizarding bank here. I also set up a vault for you." He handed her a bag full of coins and a key. "This should be enough to last you the year." The bag felt heavy.
They went into a shop with a sign that read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Inside Lily noticed that, again, the interior of the shop seemed too large for what the exterior looked like. There were thousands of long boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. To her left she heard a loud snapping noise followed by the sound of falling boxes. She turned toward the noise and saw a girl holding a wand looking a bit embarrassed. Lily, from the side, could see that through her blond hair she was blushing and covering her mouth, trying not to laugh. All of a sudden the pile of boxes started to move and from beneath them came a short, old man with pale eyes. The boxes had fallen on top of him. He made a quick gesture with his wand and the boxes all flew up to their niche on the shelf behind him.
"Hmmm," he whispered, rubbing a bruise that was forming on his forehead. "Maybe we should avoid the wands made from yew for you, Ms. Lyons. Let me go search for something that will better suit you." He went toward the back of the store.
The girl turned and saw that Lily was standing behind her. "I'm so sorry. I've been here for 2 hours and he has yet to find my wand. I hope you won't have to wait much longer." She had a round, kind face with blue eyes.
"Oh, I just got here. Did you say you've been here two hours? Why does it take so long to buy a wand?" Lily asked.
"Mr. Ollivander says that the wand picks the witch and not likewise. I'm not sure what's supposed to happen when I find the right one," the girl replied. "I assume you are starting at Hogwarts this year since you are buying a wand. I am, too. My name is Alice, Alice Lyons."
"Nice to meet you, Alice. I'm Lily Evans."
Alice smiled and asked, "Do you know what house you will be in, yet? I hope I will be in Gryffindor. My parents were in Gryffindor."
Lily was about to ask her what she meant when Mr. Ollivander hobbled back into the room. "10 ¼ inches, oak, with the whisker of a kneazle as the core. Try this one out, Ms. Lyons," ordered Mr. Ollivander. He stood back and held his breath as if preparing to leap out of the path of destruction that might come.
As soon as Alice took it the wand started to glow and red and gold light shot out of it. Mr. Ollivander made an expression that resembled a smile and sighed. "Ah, I've seen this wand has finally found its master."
Alice also breathed a sigh of relief. Her mom, who was also in the shop, purchased the wand and as they were about to leave, Alice turned to Lily. "I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow, Lily."
"I can't wait!" Lily exclaimed.
Lily then started the process of finding her own wand. At first she was worried that it would take a long time to find her wand like it did with Alice. Then, as she remembered Alice saying the wand chooses the witch, she started to worry that no wand would choose her. She worried that it would be a mistake, her being chosen to attend Hogwarts.
Mr. Ollivander measured her right arm and then brought out some boxes. Surprisingly, it only took a few tries before she found the appropriate wand. It was 10 ¼ inches, willow, with the hair of a centaur as the core. Mr. Ollivander said that this wand would be good for Charms. Relieved to have a wand choose her, she made the purchase and left with Mr. McMillan to find the rest of the items on her list.
Throughout the rest of the day she enjoyed her journey through Diagon Alley. She felt that the magic she witnessed there was just the tip of the iceberg. As she went in and out of shops with Mr. McMillan she could have sworn that she caught a glimpse or two of the Potter boy staring at her from behind a corner or group of people. When she did a double take he would be gone. She began to think she was imagining things.
Before heading back home Mr. McMillan treated Lily to some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Lily thought it was amazing because the hot fudge did not melt the ice cream beneath it.
"Did you enjoy Diagon Alley, Lily?" asked Mr. McMillan.
"Oh, yes! I can't wait to go to Hogwarts and start learning magic," Lily replied.
"It looks like you already started to make friends. Like that boy who helped you find me and the girl in the wand shop." Lily nodded and smiled. "Who was that young man I saw you speaking with in the bookstore?"
"I'm not really sure. He didn't say much. It sounded like his last name is Potter," she answered.
"Potter, eh? I wonder if that is Joseph Potter's boy. Joseph works at the Ministry as well," he added. "Well, I had better get you back to your parents before they start to worry. Besides, you need to pack all your new things for the big journey tomorrow," he said with a smile.
He led her to the end of the alley where there was a brick wall. He tapped a few of the bricks and they started to dance around until there was an archway for them to walk through into a walled courtyard. Amazed, Lily followed Mr. McMillan through another door into a dark little pub. She noticed one of the napkins on the table said the place was called the Leaky Cauldron. They approached the fireplace and this time Lily was even more nervous about traveling via Floo powder. She did not want another experience like earlier in Knockturn Alley.
Mr. McMillan noticed Lily's apprehension and suggested they travel together. They stepped into the fireplace and as he tossed a pinch of powder to the bottom he shouted, "The Evans' house!" and once again Lily felt a spinning sensation. They crashed into the Evans' living room. After Mr. McMillan tidied things up again he handed Lily an envelope with her train ticket and reminded her to be at King's Cross by 11 am for the train ride. With that, he left.
Although Lily eagerly anticipated her upcoming studies, she spent a bittersweet evening packing and eating her last dinner at home with her family. Petunia was very quiet throughout the meal. After dinner Lily asked her if she could help her pack for school.
Reluctantly, Petunia agreed. She had not gotten used to the idea of having a witch for a sister. As she helped Lily pack she noticed how odd her sister's school supplies were. There was a cauldron and a box of what looked like dried herbs and bugs. What on Earth would those be for? Voodoo? Her sister was leaving her for something so strange.
Petunia picked up one of Lily's school books and gazed at the cover. It had the words A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration embossed on the cover. Below it was a picture of a teacup. As Petunia looked at the book the teacup suddenly started to wiggle, sprouting ears and a tail. A moment later she was looking at a rat. Petunia shrieked and dropped the book on her foot. She could feel her toe starting to swell as she collapsed onto the bed in tears.
"Oh 'Tunia, are you ok?" asked Lily, sitting down next to Petunia, who was ruefully rubbing her foot.
Petunia lay there for a moment crying until she turned to her sister. "I just don't understand this. You are going so far for something so…odd. Why can't you just be normal and stay here with us?"
Lily flinched a little at Petunia's tone, feeling guilty once again for leaving her family. "'Tunia, I have to do this. I can feel that this is what I need to do. Hogwarts is where I need to be, like a destiny or something like that. Don't worry, though. I will write to you all the time and I expect the same from you. And I will be home for the holidays."
Petunia didn't seem convinced but nodded and hugged her sister before limping out of the room.
That night after Lily had finished her packing she drifted to sleep. As she was dozing she thought she could imagine a pair of hazel eyes gazing at her.
There you go - Chapter 3 is finished. What did you think about James' introduction? Did you like his inability to speak around Lily? What about the relationship between Lily and Petunia?
Please review!
Thanks to my latest reviewers - Harrysgrl, Remus'Sweetie, Larissa 90, and Anonymous. Don't worry - we will see Sirius' humorous soon.
Cheers!
MsNorris