Every inch of Lily's body ached. She wanted to scream with pain and frustration, but didn't have the energy to open her mouth. Her body was overloaded with sensations- she wasn't sure if she had been left to freeze in a snowstorm or to burn in the depths of hell… She struggled to open her eyes but when she did, saw that she was actually in her bedroom, with a nurse and her minder, Minerva, watching over her.

"Look, she's waking up!" Minerva left her seat and sat on Lily's bed. "Your Highness, can you hear me? Your Highness, please, say something if you can." She looked at the princess' face, but couldn't see any sign that Lily had heard her.

Lily wanted to reply but she was too exhausted, and the effort of trying to speak was so tremendous that she had to close her eyes again. But she could still hear.

"Madam McGonagall," said the nurse fearfully as she wiped the princess' forehead with a damp cloth, "she isn't going to get better on her own. If we wait much longer, she'll be beyond help."

Lily heard the nurse say this, but didn't feel too bothered by it. She tried to think about exactly what it meant, but the effort made her feel almost lightheaded- perhaps floaty was a better word. Yes, floaty; she felt as if she was floating somewhere. Somewhere brighter, somewhere more comfortable…

"Minerva, we need to act. Now." The nurse trembled as she used the Royal Minder's first name, but it had the intended effect; Minerva stood up suddenly and looked at the nurse.

"You're right," said Minerva determinedly. "Stay with her, I'll send word to the Wizard."

Minerva took one last look at the princess before leaving the room, moving as swiftly as she could in order to save time. There was only one man who could help now, and that was the Wizard.


Minerva McGonagall had been in charge of Princess Lily for the last sixteen years. Her mother, the Queen, had died in childbirth and though the King loved his daughter, he had neither the time nor the parenting knowledge to raise a daughter. Instead, he had appointed one of his most trusted advisors to take care of his heir. While Minerva had initially found this unsuitable, and quite honestly a little bit sexist, she had of course agreed. But soon she grew to love the princess in a way she would have never imagined.

When Lily was thirteen, the King had died. Her older sister, Petunia, had assumed the throne, though she was engaged to a man in another kingdom and had only agreed to be Queen on the condition that Lily would take over when she came of age. However, Lily had turned sixteen a week ago and Petunia was still Queen. The interim Queen did not like this arrangement at all, and the fact that her sister couldn't take over the throne because she was on her deathbed didn't interest Queen Petunia in the slightest.

"I've done my job," she had said to Minerva. "It's time for me to leave and finally start my own life."

Minerva had convinced Petunia to agree to stay until Lily became well enough to take over, as long as it happened in the next month. Then, whether or not her sister was well, Petunia was leaving the kingdom to marry Sir Vernon, a man that Minerva quite frankly didn't care for at all.

All of this was running through Minerva's mind as she raced to her office to write to the Wizard. She scribbled a quick note-

Princess Lily is in need of urgent care. Assistance required before nightfall. Do not delay

- and gave it to a servant with the instruction that it be taken by the castle's fastest rider to the Wizard's tower. She sat down in her armchair and allowed herself to cry, only for a moment, before standing up, straightening her skirts, and returning to her duties. The princess needed her now more than ever.


Sirius was woken by an insistent knocking on the front door. Who could be bothered to knock that much, he thought, it'd hurt your knuckles.

"PETER!" Sirius yelled, not moving an inch or opening his eyes. Peter scurried over to the couch that Sirius was lying on. Even with his eyes closed, Sirius knew that the servant was nervously bobbing up and down.

"Yes, Sirius? What can I do for you?" asked Peter, his eyes never focusing on anything in the room for longer than two seconds.

"There's someone at the door," drawled Sirius, at the same moment that the door was knocked on again. "The noise is bothering me. Deal with it, please."

Peter gave a slight bow that Sirius didn't see, and answered the door. A young servant burst into the room, breathless and upset. The commotion was actually enough to make Sirius open his eyes and sit up. The servant ran to him, got down on one knee, and held out a piece of paper for him.

"For you, sir," said the servant, still trying to catch his breath.

"Now Peter, this is a how a real servant works!" grinned Sirius. "Why don't you offer me things on bended knee? Why don't you call me 'sir'?"

"Well," said Peter nervously, bobbing once again. "Sirius, you know I only call the Wizard 'sir'…"

The servant looked up. "You aren't the Wizard?" he asked Sirius, standing. "Have I come to the wrong place?"

"This is the right place, he just isn't here," Sirius said, sulky that he wasn't being bowed to any more.

"But I need to find the Wizard! This is urgent!"

"What's urgent?" Another man had appeared, though the servant wasn't sure where from. "What do you need?"

"Are you the Wizard?" asked the servant, "I need to find him right now."

"I'm not the Wizard, but I am a wizard. My name is James. The Wizard is away and won't be back for days. Sirius and I," said James, gesturing to the man who had resumed his original position, "are apprentices of his. Perhaps we can help. What do you need assistance with?"

"It's not me, sir," said the servant, holding out the paper, "It's the princess. She doesn't have much time left."

"The princess? The princess as in… The princess?" James opened the paper. "Sirius, what do we do?"

Sirius opened his eyes and appeared to give the matter some serious thought. After a moment, he stood up suddenly, ran to the servant and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Return to your castle. Tell whoever you need to that help is on its way. There is no need to worry, all will be well. Now go!" Before the servant could reply, Sirius had turned him around and pushed him out the door.

"So you've got a plan!" said James, relieved. "What are we going to do?"

"You are going to travel to the castle and cure the princess. I am going to go to bed. That nap has really worn me out." Sirius said, stretching.

"Sirius, you can't-" James said, but Sirius had already Disapparated.

James sighed and looked out the window. The sun was already low in the sky. If the message he held was accurate, then he couldn't wait for the Wizard to return. He'd have to try and figure this out himself.

He turned to Peter. "If the Wizard returns before I do, tell him where I've gone and tell him to follow me. I may be out of my depth."

Peter nodded, and a moment later, he was alone in the room.


James was in front of the royal castle a moment later. He'd passed it by on his broomstick many times, but had never been inside. He pulled up the hood on his cloak and strode through the gates. He needed to give off an air of confidence; he wanted to seem like a capable wizard, one who could save the princess' life. Maybe if other people believed it, he would too. It seemed to work… Until he met Madam McGonagall.

"You're not the Wizard," was his greeting.

James was startled. He didn't know who this woman was, but he had a feeling that she wasn't to be messed with.

"Uh, no, I'm an apprentice of his."

Minerva took a step forward; it took all of James' resolve not to take an automatic step back. "I didn't ask for an apprentice," she said, "I asked for the Wizard. Where is he?"

"Oh, well, he's on a trip." When James saw that this wasn't enough of an answer for the woman, he continued. "He took another apprentice, Remus, to explore an area further north. Apparently there's a forest up there that- but anyway, you said it was urgent, so I thought- I did say to Peter, Peter's the servant, that-"

McGonagall held up her hand to silence him. "What's your name?"

"James."

"James what? You will be in the presence of royalty, this is not a place for first names."

"Oh, um, Potter."

"Mr. Potter. I am Minerva McGonagall, Madam McGonagall to you. I am responsible for the princess." Minerva stared at James, and if he'd thought she was scary before, she was absolutely terrifying now. "Mr. Potter, I am trusting you to save the princess, the heir to the throne of this kingdom, and the most important person in this world, as far as you and I are concerned right now. You will save her and you will do it now, do you understand?"

James nodded, only because he thought that if he spoke, he'd vomit out of fear and nerves.

"Then follow me." And James followed Minerva to the princess' chambers.

She was beautiful. James knew that wasn't what he was supposed to be thinking about, but it was hard to ignore. Long red hair was lying across her pillow, her pale skin drenched with sweat, her lips… James mentally kicked himself. This woman is dying and you're thinking about her lips? Get a grip. James looked up and saw the nurse and McGonagall staring at him, clearly wondering why he hadn't said anything since coming into the room but had instead spent the last minute scowling at the ground. He cleared his throat and walked over to the bed.

"James," he said, holding his hand out to the nurse.

"Potter," McGonagall corrected him. James sat on the bed and held his hand to Lily's forehead. Ice cold, though covered in sweat. Before he could stop himself, he had gently moved some of her hair back from her forehead. To distract from his possibly unprofessional move, James turned to the nurse and asked about Lily's condition.

"She came down with a fever a week ago, and she's just been getting worse and worse. Temperatures, tossing and turning. For the past few days, she's been conscious less and less of the time, and her breathing has gotten weaker." The nurse's voice began to wobble. "She… such a sweet girl. She's only sixteen." The nurse tearfully excused herself.

The same age as me, James thought, though made sure not to say it out loud as he didn't think it would help Madam McGonagall's opinion of him. He began to move around the bed and feel Lily's pulse, forehead, and leaned in to see how strong her breathing was. From what James had learned about healing magic, it was best to feel for the lifeform's aura, and choose a treatment based on what was missing. He had studied many healthy and unhealthy auras to learn the difference, and to recognise different problems and levels of health.

Minerva, the only other person still in the room, had moved back to give James some space. While she'd initially had her reservations, the young man seemed to know what he was doing. And if the Wizard was unavailable, then it was better to have an apprentice than no-one.

James took Lily's hands, and began to hum, but it didn't sound like any humming Minerva had ever heard. James and Lily seemed to vibrate together, and there seemed to be something in the air, like a strange new energy. Was this magic? Whatever it was, Minerva felt it grow stronger, and James became louder. Lily's body seemed to be changing, but she couldn't quite tell how. Then James began to chant, in a voice unlike what she'd heard before.

Reduc salutem,

Reduc vim.

Feel the force of life flow through your veins,

Banish the demons of death,

I give you life in exchange of another.

Open your eyes and bring forth more,

The first shall be mine, and you shall live long.

Awake now, awake and live.

Come back to the realm of the living.

Reduc salutem,

Reduc vim.

The energy in the room became stronger and stronger, until it felt almost unbearable. Minerva had to close her eyes, but James had never felt more alive. He could feel Lily through her hands, feel her entire life force change and grow as he spoke. It was an intensity he had never felt before, a spell on a scale he had never dared to perform. He felt himself being drawn closer and closer to her until everything suddenly stopped.

And she opened her eyes.

They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Bright green and more gorgeous than any gem. James knew that for as long as he lived, he would never forget those eyes.

Lily opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a young man, his face a few inches from hers. He had messy black hair, round glasses, hazel eyes, and a mouth that she wanted to see smile. He was breathless, and she realised the she was too. As she started to notice her surroundings, she saw the she was sitting in her bed, this man was holding her hands, and they were both shaking as if they had just exerted a great amount of energy. She realised that if she leaned in slightly she could kiss him, and he looked like he would happily oblige. But then she saw Minerva out of the corner of her eye, slouched against the wall with her mouth hanging open.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" Lily asked. James barely managed to tear his gaze away from Lily to look at Minerva, but was surprised by what he saw.

Minerva struggled to form words, to say out loud what she had just realised.

"He…" she said, pointing at James, "He gets your first born child."