Lily and the Coral Orb

~Chapter 3~

Lily found little sleep that night. She spent her time examining her yearbooks. She wouldn't be seeing these people again, she realized. This was a good thing, though. Most of them had either ignored her or teased her about Scott.

Lily only had one close friend, Natalie Hogan. Natalie was absurdly popular. Somehow she managed to get along with almost anyone. Still, despite Natalie's attempts to include her in group activities and such, Lily remained unpopular and... empty. Something was missing.

Magic.

It had been a part of Lily all this time. Maybe that was the reason Lily had such trouble making friends. They all thought her so different from them. And, perhaps, she really was.

The next morning, Lily and her family were going to make a trip to London. Both Lily and Petunia would be getting their school supplies. Lily didn't have a clue where they would get her supplies. She couldn't recall a store that sold wands, cauldrons, or wizard robes -- even in London -- but her mother seemed to have some idea of where they were headed.

Lily's eyes were drooping and before she knew it, she was waking up to the sound of her doorbell. It was only eight o'clock, and she wondered who would be here so early. Lily quickly changed into some clean clothes and ran a brush through her hair before going downstairs.

Two strangers were sitting on Lily's couch drinking tea, one of them from her favorite cup. The girl seemed to be about Lily's age. Her hair was a soft golden blonde that curled up slightly at the tips. She was wearing what seemed to be a robe of a light blue colour that was in great contrast to the drab grey one the man next to her was wearing. His hair was much like that of the girl's with just a hint of wave in it, and his slim gold-rimmed glasses matched it perfectly.

"Ah, Lily," her mother said, turning in her chair. "I was just about to send for you. Sit down and have some tea."

Lily sat down, feeling a bit nervous. She noticed Petunia sitting rather stiffly in her chair, her eyes never leaving the two on the couch. Her blonde hair looked messy and her left hand was clutching her skirt, while her right lifted a plain white tea cup to her lips.

Lily picked a tea cup that had golden leaves painted on it. It was pretty, but it couldn't comfort her the way the rolling waves of the seashore on her teacup would have. She eyed her favorite cup sadly, but the charm just wasn't there when someone else was using it.

"This is Mr. Andrews and his daughter, Jane," Mrs. Evans said. "They're here to escort you on your shopping trip and tell you everything you need to know about Hogwarts."

"But I thought we were going together, Mum," Lily said, fairly sure she didn't want to go out alone with people she didn't know.

"Well, its part of Mr. Andrews' job to make sure you can become comfortable with your... new life," she answered, looking a bit nervous herself. "But perhaps I could come along as well?"

Mr. Andrews coughed on a large swig of tea when he noticed that he was being addressed. Jane put a hand on his back, but he waved her off kindly, after a moment. "Ah, yes... of course you're welcome to, Mrs. Evans. Whatever makes Lily most comfortable."

"Oh, good. I'm-"

"Mother!" Petunia screeched, slamming her cup on the coffee table. "You promised you'd go with me. This is the first year I'll be allowed to attend the dances, and you said we'd pick out the three best dresses in all of London."

"Yes, I know, dear... but the first dance won't be for a few months. We'll make another trip."

"Y-you're leaving me to go off God knows where with these freaks?!" Petunia shouted, looking truly hurt.

Mr. Andrews and Jane both flinched. Mr. Andrews was slightly unsettled, and he set down his toffee coloured cup at once, hoping to avoid an accident.

"Petunia..." Mr. Evans warned.

But Petunia did not heed him. She stood and continued, angry tears forming in her eyes.

"You have no idea who these... these... witches are! They might kidnap you and sacrifice you to some pig idol!"

"That's enough!" Mr. Evans said, firmly. He stood and pointed towards the stairs. "Go upstairs right now. We'll discuss your punishment later."

Petunia promptly burst into tears and ran up the stairs. Despite her distempered nature, Lily couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"We're very sorry about that," Mr. Evans said, his face bright red.

"It's quite fine," Mr. Andrews said, sighing. His voice was soft and comforting. "That's not the first time I've heard something along those lines." He put his arm around his daughter, who was staring quietly into her teacup. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"We should be going... there's a storm coming in around 6:30. Best be back before then."

"Ah," Mr. Andrews said, taking the tea cup from his daughter with a chuckle. "Jane's quite good at Divination. She'll be top of her class when she reaches third year; mark my words. Well, shall we be off then?"

They took the nearby train to London as they couldn't all fit in one car. Lily wasn't sure why the Andrews couldn't have taken their own car and met them there, but then, she didn't see an extra car outside. She pondered this on the short walk to the train station, during which she also noticed that the sun was shining quite brightly. She wondered then if Jane's prediction would prove correct, or if the umbrellas that her mother had insisted they take be wasted.

Once in London, Mr. Evans and a sullen looking Petunia went off in the opposite direction. The walking after that point seemed more strenuous, but perhaps Lily was simply getting more nervous. Mr. Andrews and Jane were certainly walking rather quickly, however, and Lily and her mother had to rush to keep up. They finally stopped in front of a large but plain looking bookstore.

"That's it?" Mrs. Evans asked, trying desperately to catch her breath. "But we've been here a thousand times."

Lily smiled, eyeing the books in the windows. It was one of her favorite bookstores to visit when in London. She started towards the entrance when Jane grabbed her hand. Lily felt a slightly pleasant shock in her palm.

"No, no, Lily," she said.

She pointed to an incredibly small building that appeared to be a pub smashed between the bookstore and the record store on the other side. Lily would not have noticed it on her own. But why was Jane indicating this place?

"Uh, Jane," Lily said, gently. "I think you've gotten mixed up. This is just a grubby little pub."

Jane just laughed and still holding her hand, led her inside. Lily's hand closed around Jane's, but she felt awkward despite the pleasant tingling her fingertips received. Her eyes strained in the darkness to make out scattered figures drinking liquor.

Mr. Andrews helped Lily's mother inside as she stumbled. Once inside, Lily could swear he cast a longing glance at the bar. Jane sighed and lightly let go of Lily's hand as she moved towards her father. Mrs. Evans had already taken a seat and rested her head in her hands. She seemed more than just tired, and Lily figured that Petunia's outburst had probably upset her.

"I'll be fine, Dad," Lily heard Jane assuring her father. "I know my way around Diagon Alley. You just buy Mrs. Evans a drink, and we'll meet up with you both later."

"I would stay with you, Jane," he said. "But lately work at the Ministry's been-"

"It's okay, Dad," she said, hugging her father. "I'm fine, really."

He finally let himself take a seat after giving his daughter a kiss on her forehead. She watched him call for a waiter with a slight smile on her face.

"So, let's go then?" she said, not even looking at Lily.

Lily jumped, realizing the question was directed at her.

"Oh-oh, erm..."

She turned her head to face Lily, and Lily noticed her amazing icy blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Are you all right?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes, of course!" Lily snapped, blushing crimson. "Let's go."

Mrs. Evans pulled out an envelope from her purse and handed it to Lily before accepting a steaming cup of something that smelled like pumpkin from the waiter. "Have a good time, dear," she mumbled, unable to hide her weariness. "I'll be here if you need me."

Truthfully, Lily was reluctant to leave her mother's side for both of their sakes. Jane seemed nice enough, but there was admittedly something strange about her. And Lily simply didn't know her very well.

Jane led her out the back of the pub into a small, walled courtyard. She pulled out a long stick and tapped at the wall they were facing. Lily gasped as the brick being tapped quivered. A hole appeared, and as Firefly moved her hand away, it grew wider and wider. And there in front of the two girls was the most amazing street of shops ever created.

"Th-this is amazing, Jane..." Lily breathed.

"Don't worry," Jane assured her. "I'll help you get used to things. And you can call me Firefly. I'd rather you did, actually. Jane's such a simple name."

Lily wasn't sure why Jane wished to be nicknamed for an insect, but her stomach turned with a mix of nervousness and excitement at the sight, and she couldn't waste time dwelling on something as silly as that. She wanted to look everywhere at once, but Firefly didn't let her look anywhere at all before she pulled Lily away.

"You need to get your money changed before we do anything else," she said.

They entered a snowy white building that towered above the little shops. There was a creature beside the door they entered through, and even more inside. They sat on high stools behind a long counter. Hundreds of doors lead off the hall, and many people were being ushered through them by the creatures.

"Goblins."

Firefly answered Lily's silent question, and Lily was glad she hadn't had to ask. She told Lily to wait by the main doorway after Lily handed over her mother's envelope. Firefly strode to the counter and conversed with one of the goblins before returning to Lily with a heavy pouch of coins. She explained the currency briefly as they headed back into the eventful street.

"So," Firefly said when she was done explaining. "Where to?"

Lily pulled the parchment from her purse and unfolded it. She had plenty to get and wondered if she could pay for it all. The names of the books mesmerized her, and she couldn't help thinking she would adore seeing magic books all around her.

"Oh, let's get the books first!" Lily said, passionately.

"You sure?" Firefly asked, frowning.

Lily nodded, ignoring her companion's frown. Her emerald eyes searched for a bookstore, but Firefly was already well on her way, shrugging as she went.

Lily left the bookstore with two rather large and heavy bags of books. Firefly was waiting outside, her thoughts enraptured in what could only be a witch romance novel. She finally looked away from the pages to notice Lily struggling.

"Do you need some help?"

"That would be nice," Lily said, trying not to seem sarcastic.

Firefly took a bag from her and laughed.

"See why I wanted to know if you were sure?" she asked.

Lily nodded, blushing at her exuberance.

"But where are your books?" she asked, suddenly noticing that the novel had been Firefly's only purchase.

"My cousin finished up at Hogwarts only a few years ago," Firefly explained. "His books aren't brand new, but they are in fairly good shape. No need to waste money."

"That makes sense," Lily said, struggling to look at her list again.

"We should get you a cauldron next," Firefly said, pointing to a shop nearby.

A sign read, "Pure Silver Cauldrons - 8 Galleons. Perfect for LAWFE Potions."

"Oh," Lily gasped, peering into one of the silver cauldrons. "Should we each get one of these?"

"Only if you want to run out of money before we even get your wand," Firefly said. "And I already have my cauldron."

Lily looked back down into the cauldron and saw another face looking down as well. A quite familiar one, indeed.

"Natalie!"