Hey, I don't know how many people read authors notes, but this is a really important one, concerning the updates of this story. Therefore I shall also be copying this message to the bottom just in case.

First, thank you for trying out my story, I am really grateful. Could you also please leave a review telling me what you think?

Second, this story is not my top priority. I have another account, my main one (KatieElizabethGrace). It is a Percy Jackson one, which I share with a friend. This means that I will not be updating this story regulary. I am truly sorry for this, but that is the truth. The main reason behind this is that I never intended to write a story from this account. This account was meant purely for keeping up to date with my favourite Harry Potter fanfics.

Third, I only wrote this story because I was tired of reading Jily fanfics where they didn't portray my idea of James and Lily. My imagination really comes to life when I write things, so I had to write this story to imagine my idea of James and Lily. I hope you like it as well. Sometimes Lily was too overdramatic or she hated James and the Marauders so much that she wouldn't even give them a chance. It's even said in the Harry Potter wiki that Lily did not hate the Marauders, just didn't approve of all that they did, eg. bully Snape. It is also said that Harry had Lily's personality, meaning that she was not overdramatic! Another thing that I don't like in Jily fanfics is making James too overprotective. Lily is a very capable witch! She can protect herself! And James knows that! Also, he wouldn't freak out if Sirius hugged Lily. It would be a sibling hug at the most, probably a friend hug, anyway. Sorry, that was me ranting. I hate an overly dramatic Lily and an overprotective James. It just bugs me.

Fourth and final (I think, but probably not) and probably least important, is that you might be wondering about the title of this story. The idea behind it is that a kaleidoscope is a tube that has coloured beads at the end and when you move it or change it or look at it from a different perspective, the colours change. Lily only saw James in a darkish kind of light in her first five years at Hogwarts. This story starts from when the kaleidoscope was move and the colours changed. Metamorphosis is basically a transformation. The transformation in this story is James changing himself to become a better person and Lily changing her feelings and views of James.

Fifth (see told you that the fourth point wouldn't be my last) and I promise last (also not as important), I know that I will probably be making Snape a very hate-able character in this story. I will try my best not to, but I can't promise anything. There might also only be a bit of Voldemort and the Death Eaters in this story, and, once again, I will try my best to include them. I promise you that I love Snape as a character in the Harry Potter books, but I don't like him with Lily at all!

- Bookworm :)

Disclaimer: All rights go to J. . I own nothing. Especially the scene I stole from Snape's memories.


Kaleidoscopic Metamorphosis

Chapter 1: The Change Begins

The day Lily's life changed (for the better or for the worse, she wasn't sure) was the day she lost her best friend of almost 6 years. Sitting in a corner of a secluded hallway, memories flashed in her head.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she had shouted.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James Potter had replied, earnestly.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Severus had shouted.

Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood.

The word echoed in Lily's head. Unconsciously, her hands clenched and she felt the desire to punch someone. If her best friend of six years could do that to her when she had tried to do was help him, she wasn't wasn't going to be bothered with him anymore.

That afternoon, Lily was sitting at a corner desk and diligently doing her homework. her peace and quiet was interrupted by the one and only James Potter. However, he was alone and without his ever-present smirk. His black hair was as messy as ever, but his hazel eyes showed a different emotion to what he usually felt. Lily sighed as she saw him enter the common room. She braced herself for his asking her out.

"Hey, Evans," Potter said, softly. Lily looked up at him. It wasn't his usual self-satisfied voice or his loud 'listen-to-me' voice.

"What do you want, Potter?" sighed Lily. Now, Lily didn't hate James Potter, whatever other people said. She just didn't approve of everything that he did - such as hexing people in the corridors and thinking that he was above everyone else. Lily knew that deep down, James was a good person.

"I - um - wanted to apologise," he said, looking at her Transfiguration notes. "I'm sorry for what happened between you and Snive-Snape. I know he was your best friend and I'm really sorry that you had to lose his friendship." See? Lily's point was now proven, if only for a minute or two.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Lily said, realising that it wasn't his fault and that it was bound to happen sometime or other. Actually, Lily felt thankful that it happened now. At least she had O.W.L's to distract her.

"Yes it was," James said, "I provoked, teased and cursed him."

"Well, that was your fault, but it wasn't your fault that he called me a Mudblood," Lily said. "It was bound to happen sometime."

"You're not a - a- a you-know-what," James said. "There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born. I mean look at you - you're one of the smartest witches in our year!"

Lily smiled, "Thanks. You're also pretty smart."

James smiled back. "Well, I'll leave you to your notes," he said getting up, "Oh and by the way, the plural for an Animagus is Animagi, not Animaguses." He smirked and walked away.

"What!?" Lily checked her notes and saw that he was right. She looked up at him and he smirked as he caught her eye. She grinned and shook her head. Maybe James Potter wasn't so bad after all.

That night, as Lily entered her dormitory she saw her other friends getting ready for bed already. Well, all except Alice. She was sprawled on her bed, fully dressed, already asleep. There were four other girls in Lily's dormitory, Alice Prewett - black haired and scatter-brained, Marlene McKinnon - blonde and beautiful, Hestia Jones - brown haired and polite and Mary MacDonald - brown haired and talkative. Lily was closest to Marlene out of all the girls and then came Alice and Hestia and finally Mary. However, it wasn't Marlene, Alice or Hestia who said anything to her first. It was Mary,

"Oh, Lily, there you are!" Mary had said, as Lily entered the room. "I don't know if you've seen, but Severus Snape is standing by the portrait hole. I don't know if you've seen him?"

"No, I've been in the common room all evening, doing homework," Lily answered.

"Well then, he's been scaring the first years and trying to get the password off someone. He wants to talk to you. When I said that I wouldn't give him the password, he told me to tell you that he's going to sleep there all night if you don't go to talk to him," Mary told her.

Lily's green eyes glinted. "You aren't seriously thinking of going, Lily, are you?" asked Hestia, who had been listening.
"I think I will," Lily answered, "Then I can tell him that it's over and he can leave me alone."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry."

"Save your breath."

Lily stood with her arms folded, wearing a dressing gown, in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, the entrance o Gryffindor Tower.

"I only came because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here," Lily told Snape.

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just -"

"Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends - you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.

"I can't pretend anymore, You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine." Lily turned to leave.

"No - listen, I didn't mean -"

"- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look, Lily turned and climbed back through the portrait hole.

She walked through the supposedly empty common room.

"Did you forgive him?" asked a voice. Lily turned around to see James Potter lounging on a sofa reading a Transfiguration textbook.

"You read textbooks for leisure?" she asked, astounded. "I thought you were naturally smart."

"I am!" James cried. "I just like Transfiguration, ok? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, it's just that I thought you didn't like classes," Lily said, sitting down on a couch opposite him.

"I don't, but I like Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts the best. Especially Transfiguration. And stop changing the subject. Did you forgive him?"

"Why do you want to know?" asked Lily.

"Just because. Maybe I can hex him now without you screaming at me," James joked, "Nah, I'm just curious. I heard the conversation between the two of you. I also had to deal with him hissing at me every time I entered and exited the bloody common room."

"Oh, was he hissing like a snake?" Lily asked, amused.

"Yeah, exactly like a snake. So then I roared at him," James answered. "Like a lion."

"I'm sure that he found that very amusing," Lily grinned.

James looked up at her and smirked, "Yeah, he did and some first years thought that my impression of a lion was really good."

"Oh, were they the first years who came in screaming?"

"Probably." James and Lily started laughing.

"I had to calm them down, you know," Lily said finally, after they'd finished laughing.

"I'd say sorry, but I don't really mean it. After all, it's my mission to cause as much trouble for you as I can, isn't it?" James asked, grinned.

"You sure do cause as much trouble as you can," Lily answered. She yawned, "Well, I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"Night," answered James, looking conflicted, "Oh and, Evans?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to try and, um, deflate my head a bit. Stop being such an 'arrogant toe-rag', you know?" James blurted out, looking at Lily. "Help me with that, will you?"

"Of course," Lily answered, "Finally going to grow up now are you?" James grinned, nodded and walked up the boys dormitory stairs. Lily stared at the boys dormitories for a minute, shook her head and walked up do her dormitory.

The remainder of fifth year passed quickly for Lily. She completed her O.W.L's, feeling confident that she had done well, spent the rest of her classes having fun and learning small tricks and other things that the teachers taught and had fun with Marlene, Alice and Hestia during their free time. The one thing that dampened her almost perfect last few weeks at Hogwarts was Severus Snape. He kept pestering Lily, hoping that she would forgive him.

"I'm sorry, Lily. Can't we move on?" He had cornered her after Potions on the last day of lessons, by 'accidentally' knocking over her armadillo bile, resulting in her having to stay after everyone had left. He now stood in front of the door, blocking her exit.

"No, now move please," Lily answered, curtly.

"Not until you forgive me."

"Well, then you'll be waiting here a long time," Lily said, pulling out her wand. "If you don't let me out of this classroom by the count of three, I will personally curse you."

Snape frowned, "I thought you said you would never stoop to Potter's level."

"One."

"You promised that we would always be friends," Snape said, desperately trying to get Lily to remember the good times they had spent together.

"Two."

Now Snape looked at her wand warily. "Lily, please."

"Two and a half." Lily tapped her wand warningly.

"Lily, we're best friends!"

"This is your last chance, Snape, so I suggest you move," Lily picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She looked up to see that Snape hadn't moved. "Three. Petrificus Totalus!" Snape looked shocked as he was hit with a full body-binding curse. He fell to the floor and was still, only his eyes looking at Lily pleadingly. "I did warn you."

She walked out of the Potions dungeon, only to be met by the Marauders, a group of four boys consisting of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Lily never understood why Peter was part of their group. He always seemed so out of place, especially when the other three Marauders looked so much more handsome.

While Sirius and James both had black hair, James' was messy, while Sirius had lustrous long hair. Sirius had striking grey eyes and walked with an air of casual elegance. His aristocratic beauty was a trait of the Black family, a family that Sirius hated. Remus Lupin, on the other hand, had a mop of light brown hair that complimented his green eyes. There were scars on his face from transforming into a werewolf every month, a fact that Lily knew, although she had not yet told Remus, who was her fellow Gryffindor prefect. All three of these Marauders were the same height and were among the smartest of their year. Only mousy looking Peter Pettigrew looked out of place. He was the shortest and stoutest of them all and had thin, mousy brown hair that had slowly turned lighter over the years. His watery blue eyes didn't add anything to his appearance.

"Nice curse, Evans. Didn't know you had it in you," Sirius Black grinned. "Bet Snivelly's found out just how good you really are at cursing."

Lily saw James grinning, while Peter looked at James and Sirius and copied their grin, only a bit creepily. Remus, however, was not looking at Lily, he was currently occupied by a stain on the wall. "Not going to dock points, are you, Remus?" Lily asked, looking at her fellow prefect.
"Why would I dock points, Lily?" asked Remus, finally looking at her with raised eyebrows.
James grinned, "Remus, unfortunately, did not see your encounter with Sniv-Snape, Evans. He missed out on a very good curse, didn't he, Padfoot?" James nudged Sirius, who laughed.

"Sure did. Bad luck, mate. Maybe you'll be able to see it next time," Sirius grinned. Lily, however, was feeling thankful.

"Why are you here?" Lily asked, looking at them.

"Prongs, here," Sirius pointed at James, "forgot his favourite quill and we came down here to fetch it. He's making us miss a very nice meal too." At this, Sirius sent James a faux reproachful look.

Peter looked at them, "Yeah, we're having roast pork and some French dish. It started with a b?"

Remus shook his head, "Bouillabaisse, Wormy, bouillabaisse."
"Right, that." Peter tried to smirk.

"I'm going to dinner. See you," Lily said, as she walked out of the dungeons.

"See you, Evans."

"Enjoy."

"Save me some pork, Lily-Flower!"

As she reached the Great Hall, Lily looked at the Gryffindor table for Marlene, Alice and Hestia.

"Lils!" Marlene waved her over.

"Hey, Mar, Al, Hest," Lily greeted them. "How's dinner?"

"Delicious."

"Scrumptious."

"I don't like roast pork."

All eyes swiveled to Alice.

"How can you not like roast pork, Al?" asked Marlene, incredulously.

"I just don't," Alice answered.

Hestia shook her head, "I don't understand that, Al. Roast pork is amazing! It's delicious, scrumptious, tasty, um, yummy...um...yummylicious!"

"Yummylious? Nice word, Hest," Lily said, laughing. "Is that your own, or did you steal it from someone?"

"Uh, might have heard my brother use it..." Hestia said, almost sheepishly.

"Hey, whore," Sirius said to Marlene, as he plopped down on the seat next to her. James sat on the other side of Sirius, while Remus and Peter sat opposite them. James sent Marlene a grin and started dishing himself some pork. Marlene and James lived near each other and were childhood friends. Their friendship had only gotten stronger through their years at Hogwarts, especially as James was Quidditch captain and Marlene was on the team. Sirius and Marlene, however, had a flirt-hate relationship and often had name calling contest, like the one that was about to begin now.

"Hello, bastard."

"Slut."

"Miscreant."

"Vixen."

"Jerk."

"She-devil."

"Scumbag."

"Bitch."

"Sleazeball."

"He-"

"Cut it out, you two," Alice cried from across the table. It's annoying enough listening to this conversation during the day, but at dinner too? Is it necessary?"

"I agree with Alice," Lily said, cutting her pork up. The Marauders grinned at each other and turned away from the girls and started their own conversation.

Marlene turned to face her friends. "Want to go shopping these holidays?"

Lily sighed, "We do it every holidays. What about we do something different this time?"

"But shopping's fun!" cried Marlene.

"It does get boring after a while," Alice admitted. Hestia nodded her agreement.
Marlene glared at her friends, 'We're going shopping anyway."

There was a collective sigh, but no one challenged Marlene.

The train ride home was fun for Lily as she played a few games of Exploding Snap with Marlene, had the satisfaction of seeing her best friend's eyebrows burnt off and had the burdening task of magicking them back on.

"So I'll see all of you at Diagon Alley in a few weeks right?" Marlene asked, challenging anyone to refuse her request.

"Of course."

"Why would you think anything else?"

"All right."

"Good," Marlene grinned. "See you in a few weeks then."

"Marly, we haven't even gotten off yet!" Lily said, smiling at her friend.
"Well, I might forget later, so I'm just telling you now."

"If you say so," Lily sighed, getting out her copy of 'Tales of Beedle the Bard'.

The compartment door opened, "Reading again, Evans?" came a familiar cocky voice.

"You're getting cocky again, Potter," Lily said, without looking up from her book.

"Thanks, Evans."

The compartment door slid open once again, "Hello, ladies, McKinnon." Sirius Black entered their compartment, sliding smoothly into the seat next to Marlene. They quickly began their verbal sparring match, while James looked on in amusement.
"You've used vixen twice now," he butted in, as Sirius repeated a word.

"Stay out of this, Prongs."

"As you wish, Padfoot."

Soon listening to Sirius and Marlene was too much for James and he stood up and dragged Sirius out of the girls' compartment.

"Have a great holiday!" he said, while keeping a firm grip on Sirius' shirt.

"Yep, have a nice one," Sirius grinned, waving goodbye."

About 10 minutes after James and Sirius had left, Lily felt the train come to a stop. "Time to go now," she said to her friends. Alice climbed up onto the seat and started handing trunks down.

When she reached Lily's however, she faltered, "Merlin, Lils! What have you got in here?"

"Presents," Lily blushed.

"Must be heavy!" Alice said, looking sorry for Lily as she had to carry the thing all the way to the platform. "Good luck and have a great holiday!"

"See you, Lily," Hestia and Alice both gave Lily a hug before they left the compartment together.

"Let's go, Lils," Marlene said as they left soon after Alice and Hestia.

Together, Marlene and Lily walked out of the train and onto Platform 9 3/4. Marlene quickly spotted her parents and after a quick hug to Lily, she went over to her parents.

"Lily!" Lily whipped her head around and saw her mother and father standing together near the barrier.

Lily grinned and walked over. Let the holidays begin, she thought.


Thank you so much for reading my story. PLEASE REVIEW! I know that this message was also pasted at the top, but I know that I only read author notes at the bottom, not at the top, so because this messsage is really important if you want to know my motive behind writing this story and updating habits, I decided to put it on both top and bottom. Thank you once again :)

First, thank you for trying out my story, I am really grateful. Could you also please leave a review telling me what you think?

Second, this story is not my top priority. I have another account, my main one (KatieElizabethGrace). It is a Percy Jackson one, which I share with a friend. This means that I will not be updating this story regulary. I am truly sorry for this, but that is the truth. The main reason behind this is that I never intended to write a story from this account. This account was meant purely for keeping up to date with my favourite Harry Potter fanfics.

Third, I only wrote this story because I was tired of reading Jily fanfics where they didn't portray my idea of James and Lily. My imagination really comes to life when I write things, so I had to write this story to imagine my idea of James and Lily. I hope you like it as well. Sometimes Lily was too overdramatic or she hated James and the Marauders so much that she wouldn't even give them a chance. It's even said in the Harry Potter wiki that Lily did not hate the Marauders, just didn't approve of all that they did, eg. bully Snape. It is also said that Harry had Lily's personality, meaning that she was not overdramatic! Another thing that I don't like in Jily fanfics is making James too overprotective. Lily is a very capable witch! She can protect herself! And James knows that! Also, he wouldn't freak out if Sirius hugged Lily. It would be a sibling hug at the most, probably a friend hug, anyway. Sorry, that was me ranting. I hate an overly dramatic Lily and an overprotective James. It just bugs me.

Fourth and final (I think, but probably not) and probably least important, is that you might be wondering about the title of this story. The idea behind it is that a kaleidoscope is a tube that has coloured beads at the end and when you move it or change it or look at it from a different perspective, the colours change. Lily only saw James in a darkish kind of light in her first five years at Hogwarts. This story starts from when the kaleidoscope was move and the colours changed. Metamorphosis is basically a transformation. The transformation in this story is James changing himself to become a better person and Lily changing her feelings and views of James.

Fifth (see told you that the fourth point wouldn't be my last) and I promise last (also not as important), I know that I will probably be making Snape a very hate-able character in this story. I will try my best not to, but I can't promise anything. There might also only be a bit of Voldemort and the Death Eaters in this story, and, once again, I will try my best to include them. I promise you that I love Snape as a character in the Harry Potter books, but I don't like him with Lily at all!

- Bookworm :)