The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Flourish and Blotts

Flourish and Blotts

The Second Year book list was delivered in mid-July. Lily and her parents went to Diagon Alley to collect the books from Flourish and Blotts. Petunia had pitched a fit, saying she didn't want to go shopping in the freak stores, and so she had been left at home, which Lily was quite fine with. Tuney had been exceptionally nasty toward Lily, and increasingly more so as each day passed. She called Lily a freak and refused to be around her much, always pedaling her bicycle away as fast as she could when Lily tried to ride along with her, and telling the other kids in the neighborhood not to go near to Lily. Severus still wasn't around, so being outcast by the muggle children had really isolated Lily further, and bothered her more than it should've. Everyday she went 'round the clearing by the pond, but he was never there, nor were there any signs he had been, and Lily was disheartened, feeling quite forgotten by her best friend.

Diagon Alley made all those horrible feelings much better, though. They got an ice cream from Florean Fortescue's shoppe and went by the Owl Emporium to see about getting treats to give to Bubo when he delivered Sirius's letters. Lily restocked her potions kit and purchased a new box of parchment and some quills. She was delighted to find they had a colour-changing ink that smoothly transitioned from one colour to the next as one wrote, and a quill made from a beautiful ostrich feather from South Africa.

They were in Flourish and Blotts, browsing the store, when Lily heard her name called. She turned 'round to find James Potter and a man who looked remarkably like him - his father, she guessed - coming toward them from across the shop. Of all the people she knew from school, why did it have to be James, she wondered?

"Hey Evans," he said, "Getting all your books, are you?"

Lily nodded, "I am. You've got yours, I see."

James nodded, "And this, too." He held up a book titled Quidditch Through the Ages with a grin, "It has a special section about different really cool plays I'm going to use when I get on the team."

"If you get on the team," Lily said pointedly.

"I will," James replied.

Charlus put his hands on James's shoulders, "Been going on about the Gryffindor Quidditch team as long as I can remember, he has..." he looked up at the Evanses. "You must be Lily's parents," he said, extending a hand, "I'm Charlus Potter."

Mr. Evans shook Charlus's hand, "John Evans," he said, "And this is my wife, Rosemary." He smiled, quite eager to meet any witch or wizard.

"You're Muggles, aren't you?" Asked Charlus. Lily blinked in surprise; it was suddenly quite obvious where James had gotten his bluntness. Like father, like son.

"I suppose so," replied Mr. Evans.

"Brilliant," Charlus said with a smile, "Big supporter of you lot."

"Dad, shut up," James hissed. He rolled his eyes to Lily. "Anyway, are you trying out for the team?" He asked as Charlus and the Evanses started talking over their heads. Lily shrugged. "Sirius said you told him he could use your broom, that's nice of you," he added.

Lily nodded, "Sirius was going on about the awful brooms they have at school, and I figured he could use mine."

"Somebody might as well use it, right?" James said with a grin, "So it's not just collecting dust."

Lily could hear a bit of a judgemental note to his tone. "I can't very well fly it at home, we live in a very crowded neighborhood," she said, "Muggles would see me."