Lily

As soon as Anna stepped outside, she noticed a distinct change in the atmosphere on the street.

Well over half the witches and wizards were gone. Those who remained looked somewhat apprehensive, their eyes fixed on the ground as they hurried along, afraid to look up.

What happened?

Before entering the wand shop, she had made a point of observing the people on the street.

The underage witches and wizards had always worn happy expressions as they darted between Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, and Quality Quidditch Supplies. They were the most cheerful people in Diagon Alley.

The adult witches and wizards had also been at ease as they shopped, nothing like the tense people she saw now.

"I thought you weren't going to find a wand today."

With the sudden thinning of the crowds, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, once packed with people, had grown deserted. Snape sat in a chair outside the shop, with two servings of ice cream before him.

He had already eaten half of one.

"Sorry for the wait. I tried over twenty wands before I found this one."

She set her wand on the table and sat down, pulling her ice cream toward her.

"It's rare to see a wand this long."

His attention was drawn to Anna's new wand. Fifteen-inch wands were indeed rare, the most famous among them being the legendary Elder Wand.

Come to think of it, the Elder Wand was also made of elder wood, though its core was Thestral tail hair, whose attributes were the opposite of a phoenix's.

"I quite like it. Oh, right, did something happen? Why did the crowd suddenly thin out so much?"

After a few bites of ice cream, the oppressive summer heat began to fade. She held the spoon between her teeth and looked at the witches and wizards hurrying past as she asked.

Snape casually drew his new wand and cast a spell around them.

"Malfoy came to Gringotts on business, with some Death Eaters following him."

Sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, he had seen everything clearly. That distinctive long platinum hair was so conspicuous that it was hard not to notice.

"No wonder. Are they still inside Gringotts?"

"They've come out."

At Snape's answer, Anna turned toward the wizarding bank.

A middle-aged man with long platinum hair led a group of black-robed wizards out of Gringotts. The expressions of the witches and wizards in Diagon Alley instantly turned wary, with a trace of fear mixed in.

Abraxas Malfoy had brought some Death Eaters to Gringotts on business today. When he came out, the noise in the street instantly dropped considerably. The young witches and wizards all sensed the tension and obediently returned to their parents, who quickly led them away.

Among the few witches and wizards left, he spotted a girl sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at a glance. She still had an ice cream spoon in her mouth as she turned to look at him.

Of course, it was not just her exceptionally rare long silver-white hair that caught his eye. More importantly, the way the girl looked at him was completely different from the way the other witches and wizards did.

The others were fearful, curious, angry, or admiring. Only she was different.

Unlike Dumbledore's wisdom or Voldemort's paranoid arrogance, hers was simply an utterly indifferent gaze, as though his soul was no different in her eyes from any other soul in the world.

It was an exceptionally impartial gaze, like that of a god...

After realizing this, Abraxas Malfoy felt an inexplicable chill rise within him.

The girl soon looked away. As if she had not noticed the Death Eaters at all, she continued digging into the ice cream before her, as though that were what mattered most.

Was she a new student at Hogwarts?

That long silver-white hair was very distinctive. Could she be a descendant of some ancient Pure-blood family living in seclusion?

It looks like I'll have to look into it when I get back.

The thought occurred to Abraxas Malfoy, and he promptly led the Death Eaters behind him back to Malfoy Manor.

Meanwhile, Anna turned her head back, shifting her attention from Malfoy to her ice cream.

"You shouldn't have attracted his attention."

Snape caught sight of the platinum hair out of the corner of his eye and frowned.

"Mm, but as soon as I start at Hogwarts, he'll notice me sooner or later. We might even have a chance to work together in the future."

"You really don't let a single opportunity slip by."

"No one would turn down a benefit, even if he were the most loyal Death Eater. Besides, he's really only loyal to his own family."

The two continued talking, and after they finished discussing Malfoy, they removed the anti-eavesdropping spell they had placed around themselves.

After Malfoy led the Death Eaters out of Diagon Alley, everyone on the street breathed an inward sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere eased.

With everything they needed bought, the two left Diagon Alley and returned to the Leaky Cauldron. Because of what had just happened, there were far fewer customers in the pub as well.

When Tom, the proprietor, saw Anna and Snape come out of Diagon Alley, his slight worry faded, and he went back to what he was doing.

"Shall we go see Lily today? It's quick by Underground. She must have received her Hogwarts acceptance letter too."

She checked the time and kindly offered the suggestion.

"No need."

Snape spoke stiffly and strode ahead.

Hah, the professor says one thing and means another.

"But I want to go. Lily's so cute, and I promised her last time that I'd visit often. Come on, Severus, come with me."

Anna followed him, practically pulling and dragging a certain little professor onto the Underground.

By the time they reached the Evans family home, it was already lunchtime.

Young Lily was watering the flowers in the garden. Her long red hair fell in gentle waves, blazing like a flame in the sunlight.

Her sharp eyes spotted Anna and Snape approaching, and she happily called out their names. After turning off the hose, she dashed out from the front of her house.

"Anna, I've missed you so much! You haven't come to play with me for a whole month!"

Like a cheerful little bird, she flew into Anna's open arms. The two little girls hugged each other tightly, their happy laughter echoing down the street.

"Sorry, Lily. I wanted to come out and play too, but my family is strict. I even had to sneak out today. If you don't believe me, ask Severus."

Beside them, Snape discreetly rolled his eyes, but in the end he reluctantly said, "Mm."

Having heard the commotion, Mr and Mrs Evans came out of the house and saw their daughter bringing Anna and Snape in.

"Oh, dear Anna, and Severus too. It's been so long."

Mrs Evans was delighted to see her daughter's friends visiting. She gave Anna a big hug and took her little hand, leading her into the house.

"I've just made lunch. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Make yourselves at home. Let's all go to the dining room."

Mrs Evans was a gracious host, and Mr Evans, beside her, also seemed happy. Petunia Evans came downstairs after hearing the commotion and gave Anna a polite smile when she saw her.