This one-shot was written for:

1. Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges - The Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Comp of Awesomeness

Challenge number: 3 - Astronomy

Strategy: Option B - Write a fic where a character struggles in a class and another character helps them out. Stipulation: The two characters must be rivals.

Magical Status: Witch

House: Gryffindor

Wand: TBA

Wordcount: 821 words

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series, all rights go to J.K. Rowling.

My little Lily, the parrot

Lily looked down at the parchment which was still flat, brownish and well... paper like? She shook her head; she was being silly, why to bother with an odd description when it was certainly not a colourful parrot.

"Oi, Evans!" She looked up only to notice that James Potter found a way to irritate her once again.

"What do you want, Potter?" she asked with a sigh and the asked boy grinned.

"I wanted you to meet Lily," he stated and pointed to the ridiculously colourful parrot on his shoulder.

"You named your parrot after me? Really, Potter? I'm even surprised you knew my name" she stated tiredly, but Potter grinned as an answer.

"Oh, Evans. How wouldn't I know your name? Lilyflower on the other hand really suits my work," he said with clear amusement in his voice and Lily was close to curse him. She didn't even notice McGonagall approaching them. The Transfiguration professor on the other hand didn't really found their conversation amusing.

"Mr. Potter? What are you doing?" she asked with crossed arms. James just smiled at her cheekily with what only he and his friends would get away.

"I'm just introducing Lily the parrot to Evans," he stated and Lily was sure she was hallucinating, but she could have sworn she saw McGonagall smile.

"Good job, Mr. Potter," she said when she took a closer look at Lily (the parrot). "Miss Evans?" the professor asked as she looked towards Lily's desk where the parchment was still no more than well... a parchment. Lily wasn't sure what to say. She was thinking about telling McGonagall that she sucked in Transfiguration or that she could just throw her out of the advanced class.

"Mr. Potter, please show Miss Evans what she should do," McGonagall said with a dedicated look and Lily wanted to tell her professor that she would be rather thrown out than to work with Potter.

"Oh, beautiful Lilyflower. It's my pleasure," James said dramatically and grinned when Lily shot her 'The Look'.

"Shut up, Potter and help me," she muttered furiously and shot angry glances towards McGonagall who didn't seem to notice her discomfort and was now lecturing a Hufflepuff girl on the differences between toucans and parrots.

"It's easy Evans. Just show me what you have done and I will correct you," he stated and Lily sighed, but she knew that what she had to do.

"Declinemus psittacum," she muttered and pointed her wand on the parchment but the only change was that the parchment seemed to change colour from beige to red. James tried to hold back his laughter but he just couldn't. Lily shot him a very angry and frightening look.

"Sorry, Evans, but I can't help it," he said and once again he started laughing.

"Go to Hell, Potter," she muttered and in her frustration she wanted nothing more than to use his wand on James. However, as McGonagall was shooting to them irritated looks so Lily used all her frustration on the parchment instead.

She focused all her frustration towards the boy next to him in that little spell and said the words. When she opened her eyes the parchment was no longer there. Instead of that there was a blue-yellow parakeet and Lily couldn't be happier to see the feather ball.

"You don't have to say thanks, Lilyflower." James grinned and Lily became red.

"Why would I say thanks to you?! You haven't done anything," she said furiously and James smiled mysteriously.

"Magic, emotion, concentration? Does it ring a bell?" he asked challengingly and Lily was ready to turn him into a parrot as well. However, McGonagall had to appear of course. A small smile was playing on her lips when she saw the two parrots. Lily focused on the birds and was nearly ready to die in anger. The two birds hit it off at the first moment and James' parrot joined Lily's on her desk. She wouldn't even be surprised if she found an egg in the Transfiguration class.

"See Evans, even Lily and James know they belong together." James pointed to the birds and Lily turned even redder while McGonagall was just looking at them in amusement.

"Who told you that you can name my parrot after you of all people?" Lily asked very angrily, but James was still grinning.

"Good job, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said before Lily would blow up. She left the two students there.

"It was my pleasure, Evans!" James said cheerfully and he grabbed the parchment which belonged to a Hufflepuff boy. With a simple spell (for a Transfiguration genius like he was) he turned the parchment into a lily. Then he grabbed it and put it in front of Lily.

"A flower to a flower," he said simply before he left the dumbfounded Lily (the human), Lily (the parrot) and James (the parakeet) there.