Shopping in Diagon Alley

"What are you looking at Moony?" said a voice over Remus' shoulder.

Remus whipped his head around to find James smiling and Sirius with a crooked grin. His sunken eyes lit up, and his own mouth formed a smile.

"I figured you two had already done your shopping!" said Remus.

"We got in yesterday," James said. He casually took a seat at the small outdoor table Remus sat at.

"But we didn't really get anything done. This git couldn't get his four-eyes off the latest Nimbus," Sirius joked as he messed with James' already ruffled hair. James reached back and gave him a playful punch in the stomach.

"You should really go check it out Moony! It reaches unheard of speeds! The mahogany handle is hyper-sensitive. I bet I could win the Quidditch Cup again for Gryffindor...," James said before he trailed off, and began to play with his hair.

"Anyhow." Sirius rolled his eyes, and turned back to Remus. "Have you done any shopping yet? We still got loads. The only thing we did yesterday was stock up on our Potions ingredients at the Apothecary."

"I didn't do that yet. I got this new star chart. It's the latest one. I was looking at it before you both got here. And I bought all I needed for astronomy. I haven't got my books yet though. I don't think I need new robes."

Sirius looked at Remus' robes, and could have argued otherwise. They looked a little worn and the edges were frayed, but size wise they were fine. He decided not to push it because he knew Lupin was not as fortunate as to come from the Noble and most Ancient House of Black.

"Oh! Sirius! James! Remus! Look! I'm over here!" A squeaky shriek penetrated the shopping crowds mingling on Diagon Alley.

The three boys searched the crowd for the source of this most annoying noise. Sirius gave a sigh as he spotted the small, round, pale figure of Peter.

"Wormtail! Get over here and stop causing a scene," called James, as he ran his hand once again through his untidy black locks.

Peter scurried over and his large buck teeth broke into a grin. His arms were full of books that he seemed to be struggling with.

"It appears you've been busy, Peter," said Lupin politely. "Are you all done with your shopping?"

"Oh yes! I went to Madam Malkin's, first thing this morning, with my mum and dad to get new robes. Then, I went to the bookstore for all my textbooks. I got quite lost in the store, and had to ask for help. We need so many new books this year!"

Peter whined on to Remus about his busy morning, while Sirius assumed a casual position leaning against wall and checking out some older blonde witches laughing on their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

James on the other hand, had gotten quite flushed and had ceased toying with his hair. A flash of dark red hair in front of Eeylops Owl Emporium had caught his attention. James took a deep breath, and rose slowly from his chair.

"Hey James! Where are you off to?"

"I'll be right back, Sirius," James uttered under his breath.

Sirius watched James straighten his shoulders, and walk determinedly towards Eeylops. Then Sirius also caught a shiny glimpse of deep red hair, and groaned.

~*~

Lily Evans stood at the window of Eeylops Owl Emporium, and was completely beside herself. She had done all of her shopping, and her parents had left her the rest of the sunny August day to spend however she pleased.

She was drawn, almost automatically, to this particular window filled with the most adorable creatures. There were your standard sleek black rats performing aerobatic tricks that made you laugh yourself silly. The always majestic owls sat preening themselves for whatever owner they might serve next. The toads sat serenely in puddles and croaked their relaxing summer tune. But a new surprise had gathered a small crowd of children around the large window today. A new batch of kittens had arrived, and the little balls of fluff were tumbling around for the watchers' sighs of delight. Lily stood transfixed, and her sparkling green eyes were lit with a smile.

James stood, just five feet behind Lily, as he gathered the courage to say something. She wore a plain white sundress that showed off her soft golden summer tan. Her hands were clasped under her chin in sheer joy as she watched the small group of kittens play in the shop window. James took a deep breath to calm his already drumming heart.

"Hello Evans!" James' surprisingly calm voice called out.

As Lily's head flipped around, her hair caught the light, and for a moment looked like polished copper. James' breath caught in his throat, and formed a knot. He moved towards the wall looking for its support.

Lily's startling green eyes found James leaning against the warm crème bricks of Eeylops. Her eyelashes fluttered before her face twitched and formed a scowl.

"What do you want, Potter?"

The knot in James throat dissolved, and he snapped back searching for a reason why he had come over. The fact that Lily Evans was without question perfect was no reason to come over and make a fool of yourself.

"I was just wondering if you'd gotten all of your shopping done. I haven't bought my books yet. According to Peter, there are a lot and I thought if you maybe needed help carrying them.... Well, we could go to Flourish and Blotts together," James rattled off, while absentmindedly running his hands through his already astray hair.

"I already got my books. In fact, I've already finished all of my shopping," Lily answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh. Alright then."

James looked away towards the Eeylops window, and desperately tried to find something to distract him from his failed mission.

While James looked away, Lily moved closer to him ever so slowly.

Biting her lip, Lily leaned in and said, "Did you see the new kittens that arrived today? I think they are absolutely wonderful." She touched James' arm softly and pointed to the window.

James responded to her voice and touch like the werewolf responds to the moon.

"Yeah, they are neat." James watched the freckles on Lily's nose jump as she laughed at one of the kittens do a somersault. "Are you going to buy one?"

"Oh no," Lily sighed. "I just like looking at them. I thought maybe I'd go in, and see if they would let me hold one. Maybe pretend I was buying one." Lily gave a giggle, and smiled up at James. Lily thought to herself, James does have the most splendid hazel eyes.

"James!"

Sirius strolled up, and swung an arm around James' neck. He gave Lily a little bow.

"Let's go. We are going to buy new robes while Remus takes Peter to the Apothecary. We'll meet them at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy books." Sirius pulled James away from Lily by the neck, but James ducked under his arm.

"Lily, are you staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes, actually I am. I'm down at the end of the hall in room 16."

"Ahhh. Smashing. I'm in room 3. Feel free to stop by anytime tonight." James gave her a wink, and strutted off to join Sirius.

"Ohhh! James Potter! You wouldn't catch me anywhere near your room!" Lily gave a huff and spun around. She should have known better than to warm up to James, even on such a sunny day as this.

~*~

"Thank you so much Remus for coming with me to the Apothecary! I'd have ended up getting all the wrong ingredients. I don't know the difference between fish eyes and elephant warts. I'm lucky that you, James, and Sirius put up with me," Peter squeaked as they stepped into the dark foul building.

"It's no problem, Peter. None of us mind helping. You're a fellow Gryffindor." Remus thought to himself that Sirius was going to hear it this time. This had gone too far, spawning Peter off on him like this. Just because Remus wasn't cruel to Peter like James and Sirius, didn't mean he actually enjoyed Peter's company.

"Oh no! Oh Remus!"

A shattering sound made by a large glass flask filled the room. However, there weren't any strange liquids or foul organs on the floor so Remus assumed that it had been empty.

"Reparo," said a scratchy voice behind them. "Please be more careful."

Remus and Peter turned to face a coughing old witch. She was skinny, and hunched over. She had a large hairy wart on the end of her nose. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a fancy curly updo, and she had bright red lipstick smeared all over her lips.

"I'm very sorry. We're from Hogwarts, and we are here to restock our Potions ingredients." Remus spoke to the witch, and attempted to be polite.

"Alright then." She paused, and hacked a hard wet cough into a dirty handkerchief. "Just stay out of the way while I get this ready for you."

"Yes. Thank you very much."

"Oh Remus! Look at this!" Peter's voice squealed from the back of the store.

Lupin groaned, and went to find what could have possibly made Peter so excited. Peter had his nose pressed up against a huge glass tank. His new books lay in a scattered pile on the floor. Inside the tank was an enormous rotting tree branch with coiled python wrapped around it. The snake was nearly three times Lupin's size, and a foot wide at its widest point. The beady black eyes were watching Wormtail, and his tongue was flicking in and out, almost as if he were licking his lips.

"Isn't he magnificent Remus? He looks so powerful! I must admit I'd be terrified to see him without his tank. But he really is quite impressive. I've never seen one so large."

"Well if you're so fond of snakes Peter, maybe you should have been put in Slytherin." Remus turned away from Wormtail and the python, and moved back to the witch at the counter to see if their Potions ingredients were ready yet.

~*~

James and Sirius stood with their arms outstretched as they were fitted for their new robes. James already had the drapes of black cloth pinned to him, and Madam Malkin was currently spinning around Sirius.

"So James," Sirius said, and lifted one eyebrow as he began to speak, "how'd your little chat with Evans go?"

James began to blush, and he shrugged. The movement caused one of the pins to pop out of place onto the floor. Madam Malkin gave a huff, and moved back over to James to replace it.

"It went alright. She actually warmed up to me at the end."

"Yeah I saw. What did she yell? 'Ohhh! James Potter!'" Sirius mimicked Lily in a high pitched squeak and his voice cracked. The two boys burst into fits of laughter.

"Boys! I need to finish these measurements! Will you please hold still?" Madam Malkin had become an odd purple color and was breathing rather heavily.

The boys subdued their laughter. James proceeded to stand quietly, while Sirius further tormented Madam by shifting every time she turned her back to get some more pins.

James thought to himself about what he could do to get Lily to like him. He probably shouldn't have teased her as he was leaving. But she should know he was just joking. He really did adore her. He'd do anything to just get her to realize that.

"Alright boys. You're done." Madam gave a flick of her wand, and the pinned pieces of black cloth disappeared. "Come by in two hours, and I'll have your new robes ready for you."

"Thank you, Madam," Sirius gave a small bow, grabbed James' arm, and strolled out of the store.

The two boys headed through the thick afternoon crowds to Flourish and Blotts to meet Remus and Peter.

~*~

"You will never ever shove Peter off on me again," growled Remus in Sirius' ear.

Sirius chuckled, and whispered back, "There is the werewolf I know. I didn't know where all this polite nonsense was coming from."

Flourish and Blotts was crowded with students and parents buying books. The boys got out their lists, quickly gathered their books, and got in what appeared to be the shortest line. Sirius struck up a conversation with a wide-eyed brunette in the next line over while Remus began looking over their new textbooks. Peter stood hunched in the doorway waiting for the boys to buy their books. James stood quietly by himself, and again his thoughts drifted to Lily. The line moved slowly, and by the time the boys walked out of Flourish and Blotts, it was dark and the stores were closing. James looked anxious, but the rest of the boys were talking about how hungry they were for dinner.

"I'll meet you lot back at the Leaky Cauldron," said James as he strode off in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" Peter began to whine and sniffle. He probably thought James would cause his dinner to be delayed.

"Oh leave him," said Sirius. He figured it probably had something to do with Lily Evans.

~*~

James rushed back over to Eeylops Owl Emporium. He hoped that because it was dark out, Lily had already left the store. A bell rang as he entered, and a quick glance around the store told him that he would be the last customer. He went to the window where the kittens had begun to doze off.

"Can I help you with something, sir? We will be closing in just a few minutes," an elderly gentleman with round silver spectacles asked.

"Yes. How much are the kittens?"

"They are ten Galleons, plus any other extras such as food, collar, or basket."

"Alright. Could you get the all white one in the window out for me?"

"Ah! Yes, sir. Excellent choice, I might add. That one has the loveliest bright green eyes."

James felt his stomach do a flip, and he knew he was doing the right thing.

"Can I also get a basket and a collar?"

"Why yes! Might I recommend this green collar to complement her eyes? Each basket also comes with a soft blanket for the animal's comfort."

"Yes that's perfect." James hesitated. "Would you by any chance have a piece of parchment for me to write a note? It's a gift for someone."

"Of course, sir. I could also tie a nice ribbon on the top of the basket to make it look more festive." The old gentlemen smiled at James and set himself to preparing the basket.

The kitten lay sleeping on the counter, and James couldn't help but smile.

~*~

Lily lay in her room at the Leaky Cauldron. She was flipping through her new textbooks, and thinking about the year ahead of her. But she couldn't keep her thoughts focused on Herbology or Transfiguration, and found herself thinking of James and his messy black hair.

A knock on her door made her jump. Her stomach filled with butterflies. She had already said good night to her parents. James did know what room she was in. He wouldn't dare. She stopped at the mirror to check her hair just in case, and went to open the door.

The hallway was deserted, but Lily let out a cry of delight when she looked down at her feet. A small wicker basket held the sweetest kitten she'd ever seen in her entire life. The kitten was snow white and her little pink nose sniffed as Lily picked up the basket. The little paw swatted at its own little whiskers, but did not wake from its sleep. Lily closed the door, and brought the basket to her bed. A bright green ribbon decorated the basket, and Lily noticed also held a tiny piece of parchment. Lily's hands shook as she took the parchment off the basket, and unrolled it to read:

This kitten reminded me of you. It's perfect.

Love, James

A single glistening tear rolled down Lily's cheek, and dropped on the kitten's furry head. The kitten opened its eyes, and looked up at Lily. Lily smiled, and gave a small yelp when she saw that the kitten had the brightest emerald eyes she had ever seen, besides her own.

Lily went to her trunk, and searched for a scrap of parchment. She scribbled two words, and opened her door. The hallway was still empty. Her bare feet tip-toed down the hall to room three. She slid the piece of parchment under the door, and ran back down the hall.

~*~

James heard a shuffling noise by the door of his room and went to look. He found a small piece of parchment with the words:

Thank you!

He opened the door, and looked down the hall. He caught a glimpse of a white dress disappearing through a door at the end.

James returned to his room, and closed the door. He flopped down on his bed. James wasn't quite sure what to do next, but he was sure that he loved Lily Evans. And he didn't think Lily hated him anymore.