Chapter Text
“Should we take a break, then? Last chapter was… intense, wasn’t it?” James noted and began to close the book, but Lily stopped him.
“Are you mad? Harry finally gets to go to Diagon Alley! Now things could finally calm down a bit! No more abuse—not as long as he’s got Hagrid next to him, that’s for sure. I want to hear about his reaction to all of the magic! We can’t stop now.” She glanced down at her watch. “It’s not even lunch, yet!”
She could tell that James was conflicted, and she had no idea why. So far, her reaction to the chapters was far more intense than his, so why was James so eager to stop for today? Wasn’t all of this his idea in the first place? Obviously, he had no idea they would end up reading books, but he was the one to lead her into the Room of Requirement. And now that she was invested, he wanted to stop!
Biting his lip, James scratched the back of his neck anxiously and then sighed. “Then just let me tell Sirius or Remus that I’m with you. Or at least where we are—I bet they’re freaking out.”
“Because you don’t appear on that map of yours.”
“Y-yeah. Exactly. It’s not supposed to be possible for someone—one of us, that is—to not appear on the map when we’re in Hogwarts.” He nodded quickly, looking a little nervous. “It’ll just be a second.”
Shrugging, Lily leaned back in her seat and let him retract his hand from around her in order to get up and leave. He left the purple book on the desk, next to the pile of the six other books. The urge to look in the next books was stronger than she’d thought possible. She glanced at the door of the room, now separating her from the rest of the school.
James wasn’t there to tell her not to read through the other books. He wasn’t there to gawk at her curiosity or to prevent her from basically cheating. They were supposed to read this together, but she found herself more and more curious to know what will happen to Harry in the future. Will he meet people who’d tell him more about the two of them? Would he be proud of them? Ashamed? Indifferent?
She thought back to Hagrid’s story. He told Harry that You-Know-Who showed up at the village where they lived, and despite the fact that Lily didn’t live in a village right now, she could almost imagine it—a small, quaint house, standing there innocently, and housing a magical family of three.
It was such a lovely, little picture that Lily winced as her own brain added the image of the same house—blown up from You-Know-Who’s curse, like Hagrid said. The bodies of James and her strewn on the floor; Harry crying nearby, wanting for his parents to comfort him because he had no idea what actually happened to them just then, being too young to comprehend the fact that they were both dead.
How in the world did Harry get out of that confrontation with only a scar on his head when both Lily and James died, their house ruined? How could a baby survive against You-Know-Who? How could a baby get You-Know-Who to disappear? Retreat or die—it was still unclear, yet.
It was unheard of. No wonder they all thought Harry was a hero. Harry Potter—the only person who will be able to somehow fight off the greatest dark wizard of their time. It was such a ridiculous notion that she started laughing—almost hysterically. In the future Lily would have a baby, and that very same baby would do what no other adult wizard managed to do—get rid of You-Know-Who. It sounded outlandish even to her—even after reading about it.
But there had to be a reason for that, right? For You-Know-Who going specifically to their house. For Harry’s survival. For You-Know-Who’s disappearance. It couldn’t have just been luck, because luck didn’t work that way. Sure, it sounded like Harry was rather lucky in that aspect, but it also sounded a little like he was too lucky. Like there was something people just didn’t know, or didn’t understand…
There was something they were all missing, in that future. A crucial piece of the puzzle that would explain how Harry had escaped death.
Don’t get her wrong—Lily was relieved to hear that he didn’t die from the Killing Curse. (Did You-Know-Who use the Killing Curse on Harry? She figured he must have used it on James and her, but maybe he used a different curse on Harry? Sounded strange, though. He had no reason to use another spell when the first one worked just fine.) She was just curious, as well.
It felt like hours before James came back into the room. He was a little out of breath, like he was running all the way back. His hair was as ruffled as ever, and his cheeks a little red from the exercise. He still flashed her a disarming grin the moment he noticed her sitting in the same spot, the purple book in her lap and her fingers running through the pages quickly, creating a sort of fluttery sound.
“Were they heartbroken when you left?” Lily asked mockingly.
“As a matter of fact, they were. Peter cried. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, Evans.” He smirked at her, and then dropped to the seat next to hers, eyes alight. “I told them where we were so they wouldn’t worry. Sirius said they would go and try and sneak a Bowtruckle into McGonagall’s office because you’re too busy to catch them in the act.”
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Why even bother when I’m sure McGonagall will know immediately who was behind it,” she said. Then she eyed James, considering him. “Is your voice all right to read more or do you want to switch?”
“Will you do the voices?” he asked excitedly. The flat look she sent him must have been enough of a response because he snatched the book from her and sighed heavily, like she was the one being difficult. “I guess I’ll have to destroy my voice completely for you—oh, look!”
On the round table was suddenly a bottle filled with a dark potion. Lily leaned towards it and sniffed carefully. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh, this should help your throat if you take a drop or two. Where did it come from?”
James grabbed the potion happily and drank a small portion of it, grimacing a little at the taste. When he spoke up next, his voice was as clear as it usually was. “The Room of Requirement, remember? It gets you what you need if it can.”
He put the potion back on the table, opened the book on the fourth chapter, and began to read again.
Harry woke early the next morning. … he kept his eyes shut tight.
[Harry, to himself:] It was a dream, … When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.
“I’m surprised he even managed to fall asleep, to be honest,” Lily said with a small chuckle.
There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.
… he still didn’t open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.
[Harry gets up when the tapping continues and finds Hagrid asleep on the couch, and an owl with a newspaper pecking the window, asking to come in.]
… [Harry] went straight to the window and jerked it open. [The owl drops the newspaper on Hagrid, but the half-giant remains asleep. Then the owl starts attacking Hagrid’s coat.]
James grimaced. “My parents weren’t home once when the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet to our house came around, and I remember it dropped the newspaper on the kitchen table and then proceeded to bite me. I was around five, so I wasn’t even allowed to touch the money that was in the house. Bathilda looked after me, but she was in the living room, completely oblivious to the owl attacking her charge.”
Lily laughed. “What’d you do, then?”
His lips quirked up. “Well, apparently that was enough to trigger my magic for the first time. When my parents got back home I was hysterical because the money flew right out of the box it was kept in and to the pouch the owl had, and I knew it was me who’d done it so I thought I was in trouble. They had to reassure me that it was all right for nearly half an hour.”
She opened her mouth to respond to the story, but then closed it as a thought occurred to her—money. Lily didn’t fool herself into thinking that Tuney might pay for Harry’s school supply. Would he have something left in the bank from James’s safe? Hers, too, if she was married to the bloke. How much? Would it be enough?
James, apparently, was oblivious to her building anxiety.
… [Harry:] Hagrid! … There’s an owl—
… [Hagrid:] He wants payin’ fer deliverin’ the paper. Look in the pockets. … Give him five Knuts, …
[Harry:] Knuts?
[Hagrid:] The little bronze ones.
… the owl held out its leg so [Harry] could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. [The owl leaves, and Hagrid gets up.]
James co*cked his head to the side. “If he was going to get up anyway, why did he make Harry deal with the money in the first place?”
“Maybe Hagrid thought it would get Harry a little more familiar with the new coins.” Lily shrugged, her mind still on that money problem. “I mean, wizard money is rather complicated.”
“What’s complicated about it? It’s your money that’s weird. You use paper to pay for stuff! That can’t be worth much, can it?”
Lily blinked away her concern from earlier in order to focus on James’s argument. “It’s not about how much it’s worth, but about how much we agree it’s worth. The paper represents something, if you want to think of it in a practical way. And unlike Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, we can tell how much each coin or bill is worth because we write it down. And it’s not such random numbers—instead it’s always multiplies by ten.”
The boy massaged the sides of his head like he was suffering from a headache. “Evans, I lost you since the first sentence,” he said dryly. She glared at him. “When I visit you for Easter—after our screaming match with your dear sister—just show me what you’re talking about because I don’t need another class right now.”
She huffed a little but let him continue on with the book.
[Hagrid:] Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, …
Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. …
… [Harry:] I haven’t got any money … [Uncle Vernon] won’t pay for me to go and learn magic.
A frown appeared on James’s face, which Lily took as a sign that he was seeing the problem, too. But then he turned to face her, looking bewildered. “He does realise that if we die, he gets to have everything we own, right?”
Okay, so they weren’t on the same page, here. “But don’t you see? Even if he does get everything we had—have—Harry’s still gonna have to pay for his school supply on his own for seven years. And we’re pretty young when we die—so how much money can we possibly have?”
For a second she felt utterly stupid for no reason whatsoever because James was staring at her like he had no idea who she was. Or maybe like she’s gone completely mad. Then the expression changed to a thoughtful one as he seemed to consider something. Lily could almost see the cogs in his brain working hard to figure something out.
Eventually, James just released a breath and offered Lily a reassuring smile. “I’m sure he’ll get by just fine, Lily.” And he probably knew she would argue with him when she opened her mouth, because he spoke up before she could let out a single vowel. “Trust me on this.”
Reluctantly, she nodded.
… [Hagrid:] D’yeh think yer parents didn’t leave yeh anything?
[Harry:] But if their house was destroyed—
“Okay, even I can admit that it wasn’t the smartest assumption to make.” Lily grimaced at Harry’s words. “Who keeps all their money in the house? Muggles sure don’t do it—why would Harry assume wizards do?”
James shrugged. “He has those moments of utter stupidity, doesn’t he—ouch! Stop hitting me! It’s true! Maybe living with the Dursleys rubbed off on him a little. I only hope Hogwarts would fix that.”
… [Hagrid:] Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards’s bank. …
[Harry:] Wizards have banks?
[Hagrid:] Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins.
… [Harry:] Goblins?
Lily laughed at that. “That was my reaction, too,” she chuckled, and when she felt James’s curious eyes on her, she elaborated. “Well, we had to go to Gringotts to exchange my parents’ money to wizard money to buy everything, and I knew that the workers of the bank were goblins before I got there but seeing them…” A shudder went through her. “My parents actually took it rather well, but Tuney fainted on the spot. A nice lady came to help her—she gave her some kind of potion that woke Tuney up.”
“How did you find Diagon Alley? Did a teacher help you?” James asked curiously.
She should have known he would ask her, really. It was a given question, considering she was Muggle-born. She still cringed, though. “Well, er…” She rubbed her arm self-consciously. “They offered to send someone who would help us, but we replied that we didn’t need it because, er, Sev and his mum helped us.”
“Oh.” His excitement disappeared as his face turned blank. And then he blinked his eyes and smiled at her—somewhat stiffly. “Well, it’s good you had help, then.” And he started reading before Lily could come up with something to say back to him.
… [Hagrid:] so yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it, … Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe—‘cept maybe Hogwarts. … Got everythin’? Come on, then.
Harry followed Hagrid out on to the rock. …
[Harry:] How did you get here? …
[Hagrid:] Flew, …
[Harry:] Flew?
Expecting a remark from James, Lily was a little surprised and disappointed to see that he was still looking rather distant. She knew bringing Sev into a conversation with him was never a good idea—James and Severus were like complete opposites and they hated—despised—each other. But he asked. Did he want her to lie to him?
Pressing her lips together, Lily put her hand on the book to block the page from James’s sight. It drew his attention, and he glanced over at her, confused. “We’re dating now, right?” she asked.
James blinked at her. “That’s the general idea, I suppose.”
“And that means you want to know more about me like I want to learn about your life, doesn’t it?”
“Yes…” He sounded hesitant now, narrowing his eyes at her. “What are you getting at?”
She frowned. “So if you want to hear about me, you’re going to have to get used to hearing more about Severus,” she stated firmly. James flinched like she hit him with a Tickling Charm, only he wasn’t laughing uncontrollably. “He was a really big part of my life. We can’t pretend like that’s not true!”
“I didn’t even say anything!”
“You didn’t have to!”
She could see he had a retort at the ready. She could tell he wanted to snap right back at her. But then he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and released it slowly before finally looking back at her.
“I’m trying, okay? I know how complicated all of this is, and I really am working on it,” he said earnestly, and Lily’s heart slowed down a little bit at the sincerity in his voice. “Right now me not answering is better than me answering whenever you do bring him up, all right? Just give me more time.”
The thing was, Lily thought they both knew James might never get over the fact that Lily used to be a friend of Severus Snape, but the fact that he was willing to try and work on that was more than she’d expected from him when she entertained the thought of going out with him. He could have just outright refused to try. He could have told her that he could never accept that part of her life.
But he didn’t. That made all the difference.
“Okay.” She waited a beat as he smiled at her, and then shoved the heavy thoughts out of her brain to focus on what she was supposed to really think about. She smiled widely and leaned a little towards James. “So how do you think Hagrid flew to get Harry?”
“Flew?” James uttered in disbelief.
“You’re the one who read it!” Lily shook her head fondly and then leaned back again. “And suddenly I can see it—you in Harry. It’s almost impossible not to notice.” She smirked.
James obviously didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not, so he just shook his head tiredly and finally read the story again. His eyes widened a little as he seemed to read the last few lines he’s already read before but must have missed in his hazy state of mind. Then he cleared his throat and continued out loud.
[Hagrid:] Yeah—but we’ll go back in [Uncle Vernon’s boat]. …
… Harry [was] still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.
“I honestly can’t stop trying to picture it, either.” James snickered.
… [Hagrid:] If I was ter—er—speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin’ it at Hogwarts?
“Aw, Hagrid—no!” Lily groaned and let her head fall back in frustration. “What if someone finds out?”
“Lily, he’s an adult. If he thinks he should be reckless and awesome, you should let him be,” James said happily.
“Of course not,” said Harry, eager to see more magic. [Hagrid uses his umbrella to make the boat sail on its own.]
[Harry:] Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts? …
She pursed her lips. “Why’s he asking?” she asked suspiciously.
“Don’t look at me—even I’m not mad enough to try and rob that bank!” James exclaimed. “He’s probably just curious—no way Harry robs a bank. Why would he when he’s got—” He cut himself off and shook his head. “Never mind that. I want to see his reaction to Diagon Alley, already.”
[Hagrid:] Spells—enchantments, … They say there’s dragons … And then yeh gotta find yer way …
… Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learnt from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, …
[Hagrid:] Ministry o’ Magic messin’ things up as usual, …
[Harry:] There’s a Ministry of Magic? …
“Ask questions, Harry.” Lily nodded enthusiastically. “You can’t learn anything if you don’t ask questions.”
James hummed, seemingly considering her words. “Unless you decide to live in the library. Then you just read the answers without asking the questions. Isn’t that convenient?” He ducked to avoid her swatting hand. “You’re way too violent, you know that? I hope that’s not something Harry will get from you.”
“Excuse you!”
“I’m excused.”
[Hagrid:] ’Course, … They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o’ course, but he’d never leave Hogwarts, … their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there’s still witches an’ wizards …
[Harry:] Why?
… [Hagrid:] everyone’d be wantin’ magic solutions to their problems. …
Wrinkling his nose, James didn’t look convinced. “For some reason I just can’t imagine the Dursleys wanting magic solutions to their problems,” he noted.
Lily snorted. “You didn’t know Tuney when we were little. She grew up to hate magic, sure, but when we were kids she wanted to be a witch, too. Sev and I even found a letter she’d written to Dumbledore, requesting to come to Hogwarts, too.” She saw a flicker of something pass over James’s face at the mention of Sev but he was listening intently again a moment later, so neither one of them mentioned it. “I guess she was just so jealous that she forced herself to hate magic.”
“I’m sorry she can’t get past that,” he said genuinely.
Shaking her head dismissively, Lily’s fiery hair swished around her from side to side. “Don’t worry—I’m mostly over that. It’s hard not to be when it’s been nearly seven years since our last decent conversation.”
She motioned for him to continue the book before he could offer any more words of consolation, and James obliged.
At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbour wall. … Passers-by stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town …
… [Harry:] did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?
[Hagrid:] Well, so they say, … Crikey, I’d like a dragon. … Wanted one ever since I was a kid …
“Sounds like Hagrid to me.” James nodded. “I don’t think he understand how impractical that would be, though. He lives in a wooden hut.”
Lily pressed her lips together. “I don’t think Hagrid thinks logically when it comes to mystical, giant, and lethal creatures.”
[Hagrid and Harry take a train to London.]
[Hagrid:] Still got yer letter, Harry? … There’s a list there of everything yeh need.
“Oh, thank Merlin—he did get it!” Lily called in relief.
James looked at her with a smirk. “I thought you weren’t worried about that,” he said casually. “Or did you forget that you were the one to calm me down after I’d brought it up?” His smirk widened. “Unless you didn’t really believe you were right.”
She blushed. “I was still right, though.”
He just laughed.
Harry unfolded a second piece of paper [List of items Harry’s gonna need to get for school.]
[Harry:] Can we buy all this in London? …
“If yeh know where to go,” said Hagrid.
James slumped down a little. “I was hoping they’d forget about that first-year rule,” he muttered.
“Harry doesn’t even know how to fly!” Lily reminded him.
“Don’t remind me.” He looked sick at the mere thought, and Lily rolled her eyes at him. “Can you believe my own son doesn’t know how to fly? I’m going to suffer through this book, aren’t I?”
“You realise that not everything in the world is about Quidditch, don’t you?”
“Stop tormenting me, Lily,” James whined pathetically, clutching the fabric of his robe right above his heart. “It hurts!”
Harry had never been to London before. … [Hagrid] was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. …
[Hagrid:] I don’t know how the Muggles manage without magic, …
Lily looked at James—it must have been intense enough for him to feel it because he stopped reading to look back at her, one eyebrow quirked in a silent question.
“Well, I was just thinking—how do you get to Diagon Alley?”
He grimaced. “Floo powder.” He shuddered like the mere thought was unpleasant. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it, at least.” At her nod, he locked eyes with her, looking very serious. “Never use it if you don’t have to, Evans. It’s one of the worst ways to transport. Not that Apparating is much better, of course, but at least you come out of it without being covered in ash.”
That sounded just lovely.
… They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger bars and cinemas, … This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. … Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? … somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn’t help trusting him.
“Yes! Trust Hagrid!” James beamed at the book. “I trust this kid’s gut,” he announced.
She stared at him blankly. “You called him an idiot not too long ago.”
“That doesn’t mean his judgement is faulty.”
[Hagrid:] This is it, … The Leaky Cauldron. It’s a famous place.
It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub.
James pouted. “He takes all the magic out of it.”
Lily couldn’t help but agree with Harry, though. The Leaky Cauldron didn’t look very special in the present. She could only assume it wouldn’t change much in the future, either.
… The people hurrying by didn’t glance at it. … Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. …
For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. [Description of the Leaky Cauldron and the people inside.] [The barman] was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.
James snorted as Lily tried to picture Tom in her mind—because it was obviously the same man they both knew from the pub. She had to admit, Harry’s description was pretty much spot-on. That didn’t mean it wasn’t funny, though. She could almost imagine herself passing by Tom without noticing anything different about it even if someone transfigured him into an actual walnut.
… [Tom the barman:] The usual, Hagrid?
“Can’t, Tom, I’m on Hogwarts business,” said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry’s shoulder …
[Tom, noticing Harry:] Good Lord, … is this—can this be—?
The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.
James and Lily shared a glanced over the book.
… [Tom, moving to shake Harry’s hand:] Harry Potter... what an honour. … Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back.
Harry didn’t know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. …
Looking a little pale and very stunned, James cleared his throat awkwardly. “Wow,” he said quietly. Lily wouldn’t have heard it had she not been silent, as well. “I guess when Hagrid said that Harry was really famous, he wasn’t exaggerating after all.” He looked slightly concerned.
“Harry’s so confused,” Lily fretted. “He’s just gone from a nobody to a famous person—he’s like a celebrity.” She tapped her finger anxiously on the armchair. “What if it freaks him out? What if he hates it?”
“Well, he’s your son, so he probably will hate it,” James commented. When Lily sent him a withering glare, he raised his free hand placatingly. “Look, there’s nothing we can actually do, is there? But I think that after dealing with being locked in a cupboard for long periods of time, Harry would be able to handle this. He’s obviously sterner than he looks—he’ll be fine.”
Lily searched his face for a moment and then sagged a little. “I still don’t like it,” she grumbled.
“Neither do I.”
… next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.
“Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can’t believe I’m meeting you at last.”
“So proud, Mr. Potter, I’m just so proud.”
“Always wanted to shake your hand—I’m all of a flutter.”
“Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can’t tell you. Diggle’s the name, Dedalus Diggle.”
… [Harry:] You bowed to me once in a shop.
… [Diggle:] Did you hear that? He remembers me!
James’s mouth fell open in awe, like he couldn’t believe what he was reading. He didn’t say anything, though. Just kept on reading, seemingly entranced by the events in the book.
Harry shook hands again and again … A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. …
… [Hagrid:] Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts.
“Let me guess,” Lily drawled out wearily.
James smiled in amusem*nt. “Harry’s first DADA teacher,” he said proudly. “So we can’t get attached, can we? He’ll be gone by the end of the year.”
[Professor Quirrell:] P-P-Potter, … c-can’t t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you.
“Are you doing that on purpose?” Lily asked, eyeing James suspiciously.
He shook his head. “He’s stuttering.” He let his eyes roam over the page briefly. “And from the looks of it, it’s not because he’s just overly excited at meeting Harry Potter for the first time.”
Lily made a face. “Dumbledore’s running out of options to teach Defence, doesn’t he?”
“Well, they don’t last very long.”
[Harry:] What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?
[Professor Quirrell:] D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark Arts, … N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter? … I’ve g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, …
He looked terrified at the very thought.
“This has got to be a joke.” James laughed.
Lily was just speechless.
… It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. … Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, …
… [Hagrid:] Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin’ ter meet yeh … Brilliant mind. He was fine … but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... … never been the same since. … now, where’s me umbrella?
Lily didn’t get it. How was such a person supposed to teach students how to defend themselves? It sounded like the poor man could barely stand in the face of danger long enough to think of a spell to save himself! She knew that constantly finding new teachers had to be hard, but could Dumbledore really let students head out to tests after learning from someone who’s clearly a little broken after encountering some pretty nasty stuff?
She didn’t blame Quirrell. He seemed nice enough and there was nothing wrong about him as a person, but as a teacher… well, maybe it was the part of her that grew up into a war in the wizarding world, but Lily was a little distressed at the thought of her child not learning proper ways to defend himself.
Vampires? Hags? Harry’s head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin.
This sentence made Lily snap out of her own thoughts and she chuckled at how chaotic Harry’s thoughts were as he discovered more and more things slowly but surely, while Hagrid was next to him, seemingly gone nuts while counting bricks. James probably didn’t find it as strange as she and Harry did, but for someone who didn’t grow up with magic or around Diagon Alley, it was a very strange thing to do.
… [Hagrid] tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered … a second later they were facing an archway … to a cobbled street …
[Hagrid:] Welcome, … to Diagon Alley.
… The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. …
[Hagrid:] Yeah, you’ll be needin’ one, … but we gotta get yer money first.
Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.
“A disturbing image, but I get the point.” James nodded appreciatively, grinning widely at the book like it was the most amazing thing in the world. Lily couldn’t stop her own smile, either. She was buzzing from how excited she was
Walking into the Leaky Cauldron was one thing. Walking into Diagon Alley was different—very much so, indeed. It was there that Lily truly felt like she walked into a whole other world for the first time. With all the stores and the wizards and witches going each and every way, she always felt like she was surrounded by all the wonderous things in existence. Like whatever she needed would be found there.
A small part of her—the one that knew that someday she would have a family of her own with, probably, a wizard—felt a little tinge of sadness at the thought of never seeing the same wonder she’d felt that first time she came to Diagon Alley. Children who grew up with magical parents didn’t get the same experience as Muggle-born kids. They didn’t find the alley wonderful and special because the magic surrounded them all their life.
And now… now Harry had two magical parents and still got to experience magic just like Lily. Or maybe even with a little less information, since she still had Sev before the letter arrived, and he’d willingly told her everything he knew. Harry didn’t know anything about the magical world he belonged to, though. This was going to be amazing, she knew. No—she could feel it.
… [Harry was] trying to look at everything at once [Description of stuff Harry sees around.] Several boys of about Harry’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.
Suddenly James’s eyes shined and he looked even more interested in the book than he did before. Lily tried not to laugh at him, though she did snicker a little behind the cover of her hand.
“Look,” Harry heard one of them say, “The new Nimbus Two Thousand—fastest ever—”
Sighing, James closed his eyes with a dreamy smile. “I hope Harry gets one of those.”
“What if Harry doesn’t like to fly?” Lily countered. James’s eyes snapped open again and he stared at her in abject horror. “What if he’s terrible at it? What if he doesn’t like Quidditch at all? What then, James?”
It was funny, how hard it was for him to try and cover the disappointment. “I… I guess that’ll be fine?” he muttered, looking depressed despite his best efforts. Honestly, for his sake—Lily hoped Harry would like Quidditch, at least a little bit.
[More description of interesting things that can be bought in Diagon Alley.]
“I’ve never seen those things that way, before,” James noted, still looking a little discouraged. “I guess Diagon Alley doesn’t look this magical to people who grow up with all this stuff, huh? It’s interesting to see how Harry sees it all—is this anything like your experience the first time there?”
Lily beamed at him. “Absolutely.”
… They had reached a snowy-white building … Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, … was—
[Hagrid:] Yeah, that’s a goblin, …
[Description of the goblin. Harry reads the warning written on the doors of the bank.]
“Like I said, yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it,” said Hagrid.
“We get it, Hagrid. Stop planting ideas in his head,” Lily drawled out.
“Come on, there’s no way Harry would rob Gringotts, Evans. Honestly, why do you even think he would try and break into a bank of all places?”
Lily shrugged helplessly. It was just weird how many times Hagrid decided to bring it up. Like he expected Harry to do something this insane. Maybe he thought about James while warning him.
[Description of the interior of Gringotts and the goblins working inside.] Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.
… [Hagrid:] We’ve come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter’s safe.
[Goblin:] You have his key, sir?
[Hagrid:] Got it here somewhere, …
[Hagrid pulls out different things from his pockets—to the goblin’s displeasure—before finding the key.]
James shifted a little uneasily next to her but didn’t say anything.
… [Goblin:] That seems to be in order.
He squirmed again. Lily eyed him curiously, but James didn’t offer any kind of explanation.
[Hagrid:] An’ I’ve also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore, … It’s about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen.
… [Goblin:] I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!
[Griphook—another goblin—leads them to another set of doors.]
[Harry:] What’s the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen? …
[Hagrid:] Can’t tell yeh that, … Very secret. … More’n my job’s worth ter tell yeh that.
Lily frowned. “He just made Harry even more interested in it, didn’t he?” she asked. James didn’t answer. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Er… nothing.” He shook his head and offered her a smile. It was very obviously fake. “You’ve never been to the vaults, have you?” he added suddenly. Lily had the feeling James was trying to redirect the conversation.
Still, it was true. “Yeah. Though Alice told me what it’s like to get to hers. Oh, I hope Harry will describe what it all looks like! That’s one experience he’s going to have that I didn’t get when I first got to Diagon Alley.” She pressed her lips a little. “Is it true that the drive to the safes is a little nauseating?”
James scoffed. “A little? Who told you that?” He waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t get nauseated, but my mum does. It’s not a pretty sight. She usually sends either my dad or I to the safe to get money because she hates it.” He smirked at the book. “Let’s see how Harry handles it.”
[Griphook, Hagrid and Harry get into a cart together and speed down the railway.]
… Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.
“Well, he’s gone pretty far for his first try,” James said, tilting his head a little. “And it doesn’t seem like he minds the ride, either. He wouldn’t have managed to keep track on the turns they’re taking if he was feeling ill.”
Lily decided to take his word for it.
The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, … [Harry] kept [his eyes] wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage … huge stalactites and stalagmites grew …
… [Harry:] what’s the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?
[Hagrid:] Stalagmite’s got an “m” in it, … An’ don’ ask me questions just now, I think I’m gonna be sick.
Lily’s lips twisted a little downwards at the answer but James nodded like it made perfect sense and explained it all to him. When he noticed her flat stare, he shrugged. “What? He’s right,” he reasoned.
“Honestly…” Lily shook her head.
“Oh, and it looks like Hagrid’s the one that can’t stand the ride. For someone who likes the most dangerous creatures in existence, he sure doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would enjoy riding those beasts of his.” Suddenly a mischievous glint sparked to life in his eyes. “I wonder if he ever tried riding a Thestral before. I mean, he has got a whole hoard of them in the forest… I bet Sirius and I could get him to try it.”
“He’s a half-giant!”
“Then we’ll find a half-giant Thestral,” James dismissed her and kept on reading.
… when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall …
Griphook unlocked the door. … Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.
[Hagrid:] All yours, …
James stopped reading, suddenly looking sheepish and uncomfortable again.
Lily gawked at him. “What?” she asked in a small whisper. James squirmed again. “Where’d all this come from?”
He ruffled his hair and flashed her a very fake grin. “Oh, did I never mention that my family’s rich? Oh, well.” He turned to look back at the book. “I’ll just keep reading, then—”
“No!” Lily protested and snatched the book away from James before he could continue reading the next lines. He gave her an annoyed look but didn’t try to reach the book. “What the hell? Why didn’t you just say anything? How come nobody knows about this?”
“See, usually people don’t make it public knowledge—how much money they have.” He sounded agitated. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it when you were worried about Harry. I just… when you tell people that you have so much money, it makes you constantly wonder whether they’re around because of that or because of you. I just didn’t want to take that chance. I was hoping that maybe Harry wouldn’t mention it.”
“The boy who’s had nothing his entire life suddenly has a vault filled with gold? You thought he wouldn’t find this amazing? You’re naïve,” Lily said, her eyes still pretty wide. “Do the others know? The Marauders?”
“Well, yeah. We all went to Gringotts together every year since we became friends.” He leaned back a little. “Remus and Peter are okay with it. Or, well, I guess it took Peter a little by surprise, but he got over that. And Sirius and I are pretty similar in that aspect, except for, er…” He coughed. “Sorry, that’s not really my secret to share.” He hesitated. “You don’t care about any of that stuff, do you?”
Lily frowned. “Of course not,” she said heatedly. Then she hunched her shoulders a little. “I mean, I’m just glad Harry has all of it—and hope he’s not going to lose his head for having so much all of a sudden.” She noted the small smile on James’s face with a tinge of pride swelling in her chest. She smiled sweetly at him. “But if you want to buy me something really pricey, I’m gonna be fine with it.”
“Too soon.” He shook his head at her, but the laughter bubbling out of him left her at ease.
At least he didn’t look like he believed she was only going to be with him for the money. Which she wasn’t—up until that point she didn’t even think he had that much. She should have known better, really, but it never mattered to her enough to actually check.
“The book, please?” James requested, holding out his hand.
She handed it back.
… The Dursleys couldn’t have known about this or they’d have had it from him faster than blinking. … Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.
[Hagrid explains how the money works.]
[Hagrid:] it’s easy enough.
Lily snorted.
… [Hagrid:] we’ll keep the rest safe for yeh. …
They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. … Harry leant over the side … but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.
“He has a death wish!” Lily exclaimed. “Why would he do something this stupid?” When she noticed James’s relaxed grin, she smacked him over the head. “That’s all your fault!”
“My fault? What’d I do?”
Lily pointed at the book. “That’s your recklessness over there. That definitely didn’t come from me.” She folded her arms over her chest and gave him a challenging look, daring him to counter her words.
James snorted. “So he got my recklessness and your temper? He’s going to be fun, all right.”
Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. [Griphook opens it by touching it.]
[Griphook:] If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they’d be sucked through the door and trapped in there, …
[Harry:] How often do you check to see if anyone’s inside? …
[Griphook:] About once every ten years, …
Lily gasped. “That’s horrible!”
How could they just leave those vaults like that? Weren’t they worried at all about people dying inside? Even if they came to steal something, leaving them to die was a cruel fate. Of course, Hagrid and just about everyone else knew that it would be mad to try and steal from Gringotts, and that was probably another reason as to why that was, but still!
There was a small frown on James’s face. “I never actually bothered asking them a question like that.”
He almost looked guilty as he said that, like he couldn’t believe someone else asked them about the consequences of breaking into a vault instead of him. Personally, Lily didn’t see why he should have ever thought about that. His vault wasn’t like that, after all. It had a key. This specific vault needed a goblin to open it. If James had never encountered such a safe before, he had no reason to even know about this trap the goblins had set up.
Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top-security vault, Harry was sure, … he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. … Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.
… [Hagrid, after taking the package:] don’t talk to me on the way back, it’s best if I keep me mouth shut, …
James looked very dissatisfied. “He won’t even ask what that thing was?”
“He’s not supposed to know! Hagrid said he might lose his job for revealing what was inside that vault, Potter,” Lily reminded him.
He didn’t look like the words meant much to him. Of course they didn’t—he was used to bending or completely breaking the rules with his friends. Finding out what the thing he wasn’t supposed to know about was… well, it was exactly the kind of thing Lily would expect of James Potter.
[Hagrid and Harry get back outside.] Harry didn’t know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. … he was holding more money than he’d had in his whole life …
[Hagrid:] Might as well get yer uniform, … Harry would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? …
so Harry entered Madam Malkin’s shop alone, feeling nervous.
Lily’s jaw dropped. “Hagrid just left him?”
“Those carts are pretty awful, I suppose.” James didn’t look like he minded one bit. “Besides, it’s not like he’s sending Harry to deal with those goblins on his own—he just sent him to get himself some clothes. And with You-Know-Who gone, there’s not really any danger in walking around Diagon Alley on your own, is there?”
She bit her bottom lip uncertainly. “I guess…” She still didn’t feel comfortable with it, though. Had it been her in Harry’s place, she would have been more than a little nervous.
… [Madam Malkin:] Hogwarts, dear? … another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.
[Description of the second boy.] Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, … and began to pin [a robe] to the right length.
Lily perked up a little. Would Harry make his first friend now, then? She hoped he’d be okay socially. Not only did he not have any experience with being friends with kids his own age because of the Dursleys, but he was also someone famous that she assumed kids from magical families would recognize the name of. That couldn’t be good to forming true friendships, could it?
James seemed to share her line of thinking because he looked both eager to hear the next conversation, and a little apprehensive and worried, like he wasn’t sure he would like the conversation.
It was a little strange to feel this concerned because of a kid that didn’t even exist yet, but the more Lily read about Harry, the more she cared about him. She just wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it.
… [Boy:] Hogwarts too?
[Harry:] Yes, …
[Boy, drawling voice:] My father’s next door buying my books and mother’s up the street looking at wands, … I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first-years can’t have their own.
James stopped reading. “Exactly!” he exclaimed. “I like this kid,” he decided.
[Boy:] I think I’ll bully father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow.
“Forget I said anything,” James grumbled, and Lily snigg*red, entertained.
… [Boy:] Have you got your own broom? … Play Quidditch at all?
“No,” Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.
James flinched like it physically pained him to read the words that represented Harry’s thoughts. Even Lily, who didn’t care much for the sport, felt bad for him. For the second time that day she found herself wishing that Harry wouldn’t be averted to Quidditch or flying.
“I do … Know what house you’ll be in yet?
“No,” said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.
“Well…” James started, a grin forming on his face.
“Oh, shut it.”
[Boy:] Well, no one really knows … but I know I’ll be in Slytherin, … imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?
“Oy! What’s wrong with Hufflepuff?” James glared at the book, and Lily had the distinct feeling that he just decided to dislike the boy even more for wanting to be in Slytherin. Lily figured that had the boy not wanted to be in that house, James wouldn’t feel the same way—after all, his best friend came from a family of Slytherins—but anyone who wanted to be in Slytherin seemed to automatically register as bad in James’s mind.
Lily grabbed his hand and squeezed it a little. “Nothing’s wrong with Hufflepuff,” she assured him. Then, more sternly, she went on. “And nothing’s wrong with Slytherin, either. It’s just a stigma that nobody bothers to correct, anymore.”
“But—”
“How would you feel if people put you in a box and expected you to fit it?” she cut him off. James glared at her for a moment, but then sighed and seemed to consider her words. “It’s hard to fight what the world expects from you, so some of them don’t even bother. Others just grow into it with time.”
He furrowed his brows. “You’re talking about Snape, aren’t you?”
“I’m talking about all of them.”
James breathed in deeply and then released the air slowly before nodding at her. “Benefit of the doubt, then?” He looked a little out of sorts when she nodded at him. That wasn’t quite it, but it was still better than nothing. “I guess I can do that…” Then he shook his head. “But it’s not just that. It’s…” He squirmed. “Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“That day on the train—our first year at Hogwarts,” he reminded her. She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, trying to remember. She didn’t know what he was talking about. She knew they’d met on the train, but their conversation wasn’t that great and she kind of forgot most of it. James sighed. “I said the same thing as this kid—nearly word for word. Only I said it about Slytherin and this one said it about Hufflepuff.”
“So?”
James looked extremely uncomfortable. “So… well, from an outside point of view, it does sound pretty… it’s not nice, all right?”
He kept on reading before she could respond, and Lily decided to let that go. She didn’t even remember whatever it was he was talking about—that was between him and whatever he was feeling.
… [Boy:] I say, look at that man! …
[Hagrid is waving through the window, holding up ice cream cones.]
Lily beamed. Hagrid was really one of the best people she ever knew. She was so glad Harry seemed to like him without any prompting—a lot of people in Hogwarts didn’t really take to Hagrid that much. Some of them barely exchanged more than five words with the man even though he was always around. The fact that Harry wasn’t one of those people warmed her heart.
James and Lily would be gone in this future, true, but Hagrid would still have a friend in their son. That was a comforting thought.
[Harry:] That’s Hagrid, … He works at Hogwarts.
… [Boy:] I’ve heard of him. He’s a sort of servant, isn’t he?
James scowled at the book in his hands and then looked desperately at Lily. “Okay, but this little git doesn’t need to fit any box—he’s already in it.”
She couldn’t even argue with him on that.
… [Harry] was liking the boy less and less every second.
… [Boy:] I heard he’s a sort of savage … tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed.
James was practically gritting his teeth as he said the words, and Lily squeezed his hand—not to offer any comfort, but because she couldn’t get up and find that boy seeing as he hasn’t been born, yet. His parents, on the other hand… Well, for that she needed to first understand who this kid was. After that she would be able to hunt down his parents and make sure they teach him not to listen to silly, idiotic rumours about good people.
“I think he’s brilliant,” said Harry coldly.
“We did good with this one,” James stated firmly.
Lily scrunched up her nose. “We weren’t there to teach him to stand up to Hagrid, James. That’s all him,” She reminded him, a small smile creeping onto her face at the ridiculous statement. Sure, it was sad that Harry didn’t have them to guide him in life, but it looked like he was doing pretty fine on his own. “And if this is anything to go by, I’d say his friends would be lucky to have him around—he’s already fiercely loyal to Hagrid after only knowing him for less than a day.”
And that was definitely something James would do—find someone that seemed all right to him, and stick by them through thick and thin. Lily admired that about him. (Again, never going to tell him that, though.) It was almost respect-inducing to watch the Marauders all standing up to each other when one of them got in trouble. The other students at Hogwarts knew not to mess with any of them because they were like a pack of wolves—attack one and they will all come after you.
“Yeah… kind of like you and Snape, isn’t it?” James asked and for once there wasn’t an ounce of bitterness in his tone as he mentioned his mortal enemy (if she wanted to be as dramatic as James was) and her childhood friend.
That sentence made her pause. Was she really that loyal? She thought James was, but Lily didn’t feel like she was loyal to people. She liked her friends and she would stand by them if they needed help, but it wasn’t the same kind of togetherness that the Marauders shared. The kind that she suspected Harry would be able to express once he finally got himself a friend.
… [Boy:] Why is he with you? Where are your parents?
[Harry:] They’re dead, …
He didn’t feel much like going into the matter with this boy.
They both winced at the reminder. Of course, for them it was fresh while for Harry it was a fact he’s had to live with for ten years, already. Of course he wasn’t that affected by mentioning it. Although it was probably a sore subject, especially now that Hagrid revealed to him the truth behind their death. Or as much of the truth as he could tell, at least.
… [Boy:] But they were our kind, weren’t they?
[Harry:] They were a witch and wizard, if that’s what you mean.
“I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? … Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, … What’s your surname, anyway?
James looked disgusted. “This is the first wizard Harry’s age that he gets to talk to, and these are the ideas he’s planting in Harry’s head?” He narrowed his eyes. “I really hope that doesn’t stick around because that would definitely be bad.”
He was right, of course. Although it was hard to imagine Harry choosing to listen to someone he dislikes. “He won’t listen to that rubbish,” Lily said unwaveringly. When James looked at her questioningly, she licked her dry lips a little. “Remember who his parents are? With me as his mum, he can’t possibly think there’s anything in these claims.”
“You don’t know that.” James’s voice was quiet this time around, almost solemn. Even, to Lily’s surprise, a little resentful, scornful and hateful. “People can be irrational when it comes to this sort of thing. Parents might disown their own kids; kids might run away from home to live by their own beliefs…” He shook his head and messed up his hair even more. “It’s really complicated.”
There was something there that she could feel she wasn’t allowed to touch. Not yet, at least. So Lily didn’t push, but she did stare at him a little, feeling slightly discouraged.
“Well, I have faith in Harry—I don’t believe for a second that he might turn his back on us or believe such baseless claims,” she said.
James sent her a small smile.
… [Madam Malkin:] That’s you done, my dear, …
Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice-cream Hagrid had bought him …
… [Harry:] Hagrid, what’s Quidditch?
James choked. “This is torture, I tell you. He’s trying to kill me ahead of time with these questions!”
“Ugh, it’s only a game.” She rolled her eyes and ignored his sharp, wounded gasp. “Besides, think of it this way—Harry’s taking an interest in it, now. He wants to know what it is. That’s better than him just forgetting all about it, isn’t it?”
Pondering that for a second or two, James nodded slowly. “I suppose…” He glared at the book. “But he had better like it!” He said it like the book might quiver under his glare and actually change what’s written in it to make sure James ends up being happy. Of course, nothing happened.
… [Harry] told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin’s.
[Harry:] —and he said people from Muggle families shouldn’t even be allowed in—
[Hagrid:] Yer not from a Muggle family. … he’s grown up knowin’ yer name if his parents are wizardin’ folk … some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ‘em in a long line o’ Muggles—look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!
Lily smiled to herself. She was so glad Hagrid was there with Harry, because he could really use someone by his side who actually knew something about the wizarding world, and who wasn’t biased like that boy from Madam Malkin’s shop. Or like James.
James, who, apparently, wasn’t thinking about the same thing at all.
“Nooooo!” he moaned. “Tell him about Quidditch, already! Hagrid, don’t let me down!” His eyes glided over to the next line and he straightened up. “Oh, never mind.”
[Harry:] So what is Quidditch?
[Hagrid:] It’s our sport. Wizard sport. … sorta hard ter explain the rules.
James whimpered. “That’s not true! It’s extremely easy!” He looked at Lily. “Evans, they’re killing me!” When she offered him nothing more than an eyeroll, he groaned in frustration. “Why do I even bother?”
[Harry:] And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?
[Hagrid:] School houses. There’s four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers, but—
“I bet I’m in Hufflepuff,” said Harry gloomily.
Lily shook her head fondly. “We’ll love him, anyway,” she said.
James glanced at her. “Of course we will.”
“Even if he’s put in Slytherin.”
She tried to hide her smirk as James froze a little, eyes growing wide at her words. Then his shoulders tensed a tad and he looked uncomfortable. “Y-yeah, even if he’s…” He looked like he was suffering. “Even if he’s put in Slytherin.” Then he glared at Lily. “You’re enjoying this way too much, you know? He’s probably going to be in Gryffindor like us.”
She assumed that was a given, but she really did have fun watching James as he squirmed to show that he didn’t mind what house his own kid might get sorted into. For both their sakes, she hoped Harry would end up in Gryffindor. It didn’t really matter to her, but she didn’t need the extra drama.
[Hagrid:] Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin, … There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one.
This time it was Lily who groaned. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head from side to side. “Hagrid, don’t plant these toxic ideas in his head,” she whined. “He doesn’t need to go to school with these thoughts solidified despite not seeing it for himself.”
James looked rather satisfied, though.
[Harry:] Vol—sorry—You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?
[Hagrid:] Years an’ years ago, …
[They buy Harry’s books.] Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-Curses …
[Harry:] I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.
Lily choked a little, and James burst out into a fit of laughter. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that should be encouraged, even if Dudley deserved that and more, but… well, Dudley deserved that and more.
“Oh, turn him into a gorilla, next!” James suggested. When Lily stared at him, he shrugged. “Harry did mention that Dudley looked like that gorilla from the zoo. It would be perfect for the animal theme going on in this book—seriously, Harry likes describing people while comparing them to different animals.”
Lily blanched at once. “Wait, what about Dudley?”
“What about Dudley?”
“He still has that tail! Hagrid didn’t take care of that, did he? What are they going to do? And how did Tuney and the others get off that island without the boat after Hagrid and Harry took it?”
She knew she shouldn’t worry about those three people that treated her child so poorly and cruelly, but she couldn’t help it. That was Tuney! It was her sister! And her child and… and unfortunately, her husband, too.
James thought about it for a moment, came up with nothing, and gave up.
[Hagrid:] I’m not sayin’ that’s not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world … yeh’ll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.
[They buy stuff for potions.]
… Hagrid checked Harry’s list again.
[Hagrid:] Just yer wand left—oh yeah, an’ I still haven’t got yeh a birthday present.
“That’s nice of him.” Lily smiled softly.
… [Harry:] You don’t have to—
… [Hagrid:] I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer post an’ everythin’.
[They buy the owl.] Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl, … He couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, …
Lily squeezed James’s hand and awed. “She sounds beautiful! A snowy owl? That’s so sweet of Hagrid.”
James frowned, though. “I don’t know… we use owls to send letters. Who’s Harry going to write to? He doesn’t have any friends, yet. And I don’t think he’s going to get homesick and long to write to his dear family.”
“Then he’ll write to Hagrid,” Lily said firmly, and James didn’t argue with her.
… [Hagrid:] Don’ expect you’ve had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. … only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand.
A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.
“Me, too,” Lily said dreamily.
James surprised her, then. “Me, three.” And when she looked at him quizzically, he looked mostly confused. “What? Everyone wants their wand. It’s the thing that allows us to control the magic. Accidental magic is nice and all, but everyone wants their wand so they can actually perform magic for real.” He looked at her smugly. “That’s not special for Muggle-born only.”
The last shop was narrow and shabby. [Description of Ollivanders.]
“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Harry jumped. …
[Description of Mr. Ollivander.]
[Harry:] Hello, …
… [Mr. Ollivander:] I thought I’d be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. … You have your mother’s eyes. … Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.
Lily’s jaw dropped. “He remembers that?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Ollivander remembers everyone and their wands. It’s slightly creepy, actually,” James explained. “But I guess he wouldn’t tell you that because your parents didn’t buy wands from him. Oh, well—you learn something new every day, huh, Evans?”
She put her hand in the pocket, where her wand was safely tucked away. “That’s really impressive.”
… [Mr. Ollivander:] Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. … Well, I say your father favoured it—it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.
[Mr. Ollivander:] And that’s where...
Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead with a long, white finger.
Grimacing, Lily shifted uncomfortably. Ollivander was weird in her opinion, too, but that was seriously creepy. Why would he just touch Harry’s scar like it wasn’t out of line? Had she been in Harry’s place, she would have probably pushed the man away from her—if a little gently, because he was rather old.
James looked unsettled, too.
... [Mr. Ollivander:] Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. … Well, if I’d known what that wand was going out into the world to do...
… [Mr. Ollivander:] Rubeus Hagrid! … Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn’t it? … I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled? …
… [Hagrid:] I’ve still got the pieces, though, …
[Mr. Ollivander:] But you don’t use them? …
“Oh, no, sir,” said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
James’s lips quivered and he looked like he was trying hard not to snort or laugh at Hagrid’s obvious lie. If even Harry caught onto Hagrid’s strange behaviour, then he was probably doing a pretty miserable job at lying in there. Especially if he moved to touch his pink umbrella, which Lily knew contained the pieces of that shattered old wand.
[Mr. Ollivander starts measuring Harry.]
[Mr. Ollivander:] Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, … No two Ollivander wands are the same, … you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.
Harry suddenly realised that the tape measure, … was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
“I never did understand what he needed to take those measures for,” Lily said.
“And when he walks off and leaves the tape to measure on its own, he’s not even checking to see what the measurements are, so it really seems pointless,” James agreed. “Though Mum usually talks about how complicated everything that has to do with wands is. I mean, she tried explaining some of the simpler stuff to me, but it sort of went over my head. This stuff is incredibly hard to understand.”
Lily furrowed her brows. “Maybe it always is when the thing in question is a stick that has a mind of its own.”
… [Mr. Ollivander, after stopping measuring Harry:] Try this one. … Just take it and give it a wave.
Harry took the wand … but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. … Harry tried. And tried. … the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
“It took me five tries,” James noted. “And he really did seem to be getting in a better mood with each failure. It only added to how weird he already was.” He looked at Lily curiously. “How many tries did it take with you?”
She smiled fondly at the memory. “It was actually my first one. Although we got stuck in the shop because Sev took about seven tries before he found his wand.” She watched for James’s reaction and saw a slight twitch of his lips, but nothing more. “I wonder why certain people take more time. I mean, how does Ollivander even know what to suggest to each person?”
“Don’t ask me—I just told you I don’t understand that profession.”
… [Mr. Ollivander:] Not to worry, … I wonder, now … holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.
Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. [Harry waves his wand and shoots sparks around.]
… [Mr. Ollivander:] Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious...
James tipped his head to the side, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “I feel like something ominous is coming…”
… [Harry:] Sorry, … but what’s curious?
… [Mr. Ollivander:] I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, … It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather … It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand … why, its brother gave you that scar.
James’s paled a little and lowered the book. Lily just sort of stared ahead, lightheaded and feeling like she was in a daze. The words just refused to compute in her brain. How could Harry have such luck that even his wand decided to tie him further to the one wand that belonged to the evil wizard that had killed his parents? What was going on with the world that it decided to make that connection?
And why did Ollivander even suggest the wand in the first place? Did he know something like this might make sense, or was he just thinking it might be interesting? Lily didn’t know much about wands—she knew that—but she did know that if the wand chose the wizard, then this wand chose Harry for some reason. Was it because it knew that Harry had been on the receiving end of its brother? Was it aware of the mark left on Harry’s forehead, signalling him out?
“Twin wands are rare, as it is,” James said in a quiet tone. “And from what I remember, phoenixes don’t usually decide to give more than one feather to wandmakers.” He looked down at the purple book, and then at the other six on the coffee table. “This feels like some kind of strange coincidence. Or maybe it’s not a coincidence—maybe it’s fate or destiny or something else that might make sense of this.”
Lily swallowed thickly. “But… would it endanger Harry?”
“It shouldn’t. I mean, You-Know-Who isn’t even around (supposedly), so there’s nothing to fear, anyway. But… no, it shouldn’t matter. And if it does, then I don’t know about it.” He shrugged helplessly and kept on reading hesitantly.
Harry swallowed.
… [Mr. Ollivander:] I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things—terrible, yes, but great.
Harry shivered. [Hagrid and Harry leave the shop.]
“After that? I can’t even blame him,” Lily murmured and James nodded faintly next to her.
… Harry didn’t speak at all as they walked down the road; [They reach Paddington station.] Harry only realised where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.
… [Hagrid] bought Harry a hamburger … Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.
“I can relate to that—after visiting Diagon Alley, the rest of the Muggle world suddenly feels sort of… off. I mean, it lacks all of the magic and the appeal that the shops back there offer,” Lily said.
James, of course, didn’t quite look like he understood what feeling she was talking about.
[Hagrid:] You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet, …
… [Harry:] Everyone thinks I’m special, … but I don’t know anything about magic at all. … I don’t know what happened when Vol– sorry—I mean, the night my parents died.
Exactly! That was one of the things Lily’s been worried about ever since knowing that Harry was, apparently, famous in the wizarding world—that people would expect a lot from him, forgetting that he was just an innocent, scared child that knew nothing about all of these things they clearly thought he should know.
Growing up as a Muggle, Lily thought she would surely be far behind the students who grew up with magic surrounding them. She thought they would already be naturals. That they would know all about the spells and the wand-work. She figured she would be one of the kids struggling to keep up because she just wasn’t as familiar with magic as other kids her age were. After all, Sev was the one who’d explained it all to her. He obviously knew a great deal about magic.
But then they got to school, and Lily found out that she wasn’t at a disadvantage at all. She was even better than some of the kids she was afraid would suppress her. Of course, she’d hoped James Potter wouldn’t be good along with the other students who came from wizarding families, but he seemed to be talented—things just came rather easy for him. But Peter and Sirius didn’t have it as easy, and they both came from long lines of magical families.
The point was—she was terrified of how far behind she might be lagging before she came to Hogwarts, and she didn’t have the pressure of people knowing who she was, and their expectations to see amazing, wonderous things. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to have realised that his situation wasn’t the same. He was worried about what people might think—not only because he didn’t know anything, but also because they all thought he should know certain things.
He didn’t even know his own story before now! And that was something that others would surely know like the back of their hands by now—Lily would have told Harry about the kid who’d managed to take down You-Know-Who had it not been Harry himself, after all. It was an interesting, mystifying mystery—perfect for a bedtime story. And it gave people hope, thinking that the bad guy was gone.
Lily was becoming really nervous of how Harry would make friends in this position, with everyone knowing of him. Would anyone really care to be the friend of the boy rather than the story and the legend?
… [Hagrid:] Don’ you worry, Harry. … Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, … Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that’s always hard. But yeh’ll have a great time at Hogwarts …
Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.
[Hagrid:] Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, … Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, … See yeh soon, Harry.
The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; … but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.
Lily blinked at the book in astonishment. “Wait!” she shrieked, startling James, who stuck his fingers between the pages and started closing the book, obviously done with the chapter. “Hagrid didn’t tell Harry how to get on the platform! And I doubt Tuney will help him with it even though she knows exactly where it is and what Harry needs to do.”
Frowning a little, James glanced at the book, too. “And how is he going to get to King’s Cross on his own? Do you reckon the Dursleys would actually get him to the train station?”
“That would be extremely nice of them,” Lily bit out bitterly, feeling slightly ill at the thought of Harry having to fight tooth and nail just to get to his school.
