Disclaimer in chapter one.

Author's Note: Thanks to all those that reviewed last chapter, it took me a while but I think I replied to all I could. If I didn't, I'm sorry, and thanks for reviewing!

In this chapter, as the story is AU, I've written James' birth year to be later than in the books. Just assume that they're born pretty recently, rather than their real birth date of about twenty years earlier, because it just makes more sense that's it's modern... at least to me. It also saves a lot of editing work, in case I throw in a twenty-first century reference by accident.

Also, I've rewritten chapter one in first person, and from here on in, it'll stay like that.

Chapter Two

A Familiar Face

The summer Parisian sun beat its way down to me rather lazily – I could feel its warmth through my shirt. A gentle breeze rustled by, and as ever, the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, with the Eiffel Tower penetrating it in the distance. Another perfect morning in a perfect place.

The so-called perfect day was, in my opinion, being ruined as we speak. Once again, Lia and I were on the verge of a failed meeting.

I was getting fed up. One week, countless meetings, no result.

Madeleine Deneraux was the French Ministry of Magic representative that we had been set up to meet with. Madeleine (or Maddie, as she was more affectionately known to us), Lia and I had worked together numerous times before, which was why we chose her to work with this time around. She was the most trusted employee of the French Ambassador to Britain; we were the British Ministry's greatest hopes for the future. Naturally, it made sense for us to work together again.

France and Britain hadn't really been on good terms, ever since the end of the last wizarding war against Grindelwald in the mid-1940s. France had sent many of their best Aurors to Britain to help – about two-thirds of those had never gone back. Understandably, they were very reluctant to help this time around. Especially as Voldemort was gaining a fast reputation as the most feared and powerful wizard of the century.

Nevertheless, we thought that they could at least reason with us.

According to Madeleine, however, her Ministry were more worried about being associated with the British Ministry and their infamous, ruthless Aurors (much like Lia and myself) than actual lives and the risk. They, apparently, wanted to be Switzerland - in other words, neutral. Fat chance of that happening – when they get going, the French Aurors can be worse than us. Trust me, I've seen it firsthand. They're lethal.

On a different note, Lia was not very well known for her patience – she was more well known for her lack of it. She had attended last night's meeting, and had come along to this morning's one, but already, she was showing signs of disapproval and annoyance.

"Maddie," she said, slamming her hand down onto the table. Madeleine and I both jumped. "I have been around enough government officials to know that there's something that is stopping the French Ministry from helping us. You know that if Voldemort gets what he wants in Britain, his next step will be France. He's going to try and conquer Europe, and he'll be here first."

"Aurelia," Madeleine replied solemnly (she was the only person that could call Lia by her full name and get away with it). "Eet 'ees not 'zat I do not wish to 'elp. I really want to. But 'ze ambassador tells me 'zat there 'ees a problem avec 'ze Meenister, and 'zat 'e 'as un problemè. Everyone 'een 'ze French Meenistry 'ees perfectly aware of 'ze dangers 'zat 'zis Lord Voldemort could bring, yet wiz'out permission from 'ze Meenister, 'eet 'ees très difficile for us to take any action."

"You never told me before that the Minister had a problem," I said with astonishment.

Madeleine ducked her head in embarrassment. "'Zat is because I only found out about 'zis la nuit dernière."

"And exactly what does the Minster have a problem with?"

"'Zat, I can 'onestly say, I do not know," Madeleine said, shaking her magnificent head of hair. "But I can say 'zat unless 'ze Meenister changes 'is mind, 'zere 'ees nothing I can do."

Lia sighed in exasperation, flicking her own, ridiculously shiny fair hair over her shoulder, successfully attracting the attention of the table of young men next to us, and stood up (trust her to still hair-flirt during something as serious as this meeting).

"Well, I can see that we're not going to get anything resolved today," she said. "Tomorrow afternoon good for you, Maddie?"

Madeleine stood up too, nodding. "Oui," she replied. "Tomorrow, same time, same place?"

I joined them. "Of course."

She gave Lia a hug, and then me. As she did, she whispered something in my ear. "I will do as much as I possibly can to 'elp," she said sadly. "But 'zere is only so much 'zat I can do."

"No worries," I said cheerfully, as we drew apart. "We'll just run on over to Brussels and see what the Belgians can do."

With a smile and a wave, she left.

Lia and I both sat back down, and she looked at me.

"Verdict?"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think?"

She sighed (once again, tossing her hair back and attracting attention). "I was afraid of that," she admitted. "That just makes life so much more stressful… I wonder how much longer it'll be."

"Well, until you can find who you're looking for and finish your mission, I highly doubt that we can do anything else," I replied, leaning back in my chair and stretching. The sun was starting to make me feel tired. "So get cracking, Reeser. We have an alliance to seal and a country to save."

"Fuck you," she snarled. "I don't even know what he fucking looks like. It's like looking for a fucking ring at the fucking bottom of the fucking ocean, I'd like to see you fucking try."

"New record," I replied, grinning. "You managed to say fuck six times in the same sentence. Well done."

She threw her uneaten pain du chocolat at me, which I caught easily and took a bite of.

"How is it?" she asked, still grumpy.

"Utterly divine," I replied, chewing blissfully, unaware of the person that was approaching me. But I knew who it was almost immediately when I saw the shadow fall across me, and felt the presence behind me.

"I had a feeling we'd meet again."

Even though I'd only heard that voice once before in my life, I put a face to it instantly. There was only one person in the universe that could make my heart speed up so suddenly, and could cause me to feel flustered like this. And yes, I'd only met him once.

Glaring at the smirk that was growing on Lia's face, I replied easily, ignoring the red flush that was most likely gracing my cheeks.

"So did I."

He appeared next to me – and sweet Merlin, he appeared more handsome than yesterday. Maybe it was because I was sitting down, but he seemed even taller than his 6 foot plus, well-built frame, and that lopsided smile seemed more appealing than ever. His hazel eyes gleamed in the sun as he looked down at me.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the seat that Madeleine had just vacated.

"Be my guest."

He slipped into it, and smiled at me again. "Don't see a lot of tourists around this part of town," he commented, gesturing for a waiter.

I shrugged. "Lia owns a place around the corner," I said. "At least her family does, and we're staying there. Plus, we were meeting someone here too."

"Ah," he said knowledgably, and turned to Lia with a smile. "You're Lia then, I presume?"

"Yep," she replied, holding her hand out. "Lia Reeser. Nice to meet you."

"James Potter," he said, shaking the outstretched hand.

Immediately, her eyebrows shot up – way up - and she looked at me, with a face that clearly said 'What the hell? Did he just say James Potter?'

I sent my own look back. 'Later,' it said. 'We'll talk about this later.'

"So, what are you two lovely ladies up to today?" James asked, though I could tell by his look that the question was more directed at me.

"I don't actually know," I replied. "But I'm sure Lia has some lovely plans involving the Champs-Elyseès..."

"But of course," she said, sipping her iced coffee, oozing an air of sophistication. "As they say, when in Paris, do as the Parisians do."

"I'm pretty sure that's when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

She shrugged. "Big deal. Paris, Rome. France, Italy. Both European, both foreign and both excitingly exotic. Same difference."

James laughed, sending a tingle up my spine. Almost immediately, I could feel my internal battle of the voices starting up again.

You don't even know him, Lily. Stop thinking about him this way.

"…so we've figured out what Lia's doing," he was saying, turning towards me. "But what about you, Lily? What are you up to today?"

I shook my head. "Not a clue."

"Usually I'd try to get her to come along with me," Lia added. "But it's like talking to a brick wall. All she does is hang around our apartment, doing Merl-God knows what. Hope it's nothing disturbing."

I pulled a face at her. "Who do you take me for? You?"

James laughed and turned back to me. "Well, maybe I can get you out of your shell," he said to me. Lia and I both looked at him with interest.

"And how, pray tell, do you plan to do that?"

"I'm sure I can think of something." He took a sip of his own drink, barely hiding his mischievous smile. He locked eyes with me over his cup, and I began to sink into those gorgeous, gorgeous hazel eyes.

Beside me, Lia rolled her own eyes. She drained her glass and stood up.

"As much as I'd adore to stay and see how you plan to get Lily out of her little shell," she said, reaching for her purse, "There is a very long street full of shops that is simply begging for me to go and spend my money in. Just remember to tell me how it all goes today." She threw a few Euros on the table and winked at me discreetly. "Au revior, darlings."

She left.

I watched her walk away, all the while aware that James was still watching me. I turned back to him, interested in his mischievous smile.

"What exactly do you have planned for me?" I asked, smiling at his expression.

He stood up, holding his hand out to me. "Let's go find out."

I glanced at his hand, then to his face, back to his hand, and then at my drained coffee mug.

"Okay," I replied, feeling the voices start up again in my head.

You've only just met him! What the hell are you doing, Evans?

A new voice popped in.

Taking a chance.

I decided I liked that new little voice. James grinned, an amazing smile that suddenly made my bad morning brighten up significantly. He took my hand and pulled me up.

"One more thing," I added, glancing up at him. Damn, he was tall. I glanced back at my mug. "I think you still owe me a coffee, James."


Lia literally pounced on me the second I walked through the front door when I got back to our apartment late that afternoon. I pushed her off me, and steadily ignored her until I had walked to the window, waved to James, and watched him leave with that adorable grin on his face.

Then I turned back around and found Lia prepared with ice cream, ready to interrogate.

"What happened?" she demanded, shoving a spoon into my hand.

"I went out," I replied, digging into the tub.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Haha," she managed to say, through a mouthful of ice cream. "Get to the good part."

"Would you start a story in the middle?" I shot back.

She rolled her eyes. "Go on, then."

I smiled – good – and began to speak again. "Remember back in our Hogwarts days, when we would try our best to turn Hogsmeade upside down? Going into shops, messing up the displays, teasing strangers in The Three Broomsticks, scare all the owls in the Owl Office?"

She smiled dreamily. "Ah, memories."

"Exactly," I said. "But today was… something more. It's like I never really knew what fun was until I met James."

"Possibly insulting to me, but I'll take it," she swallowed loudly, and looked at me with her blue eyes wide. "Go on."

"He took me to the Musèe du Louvre," I saw the look on her face. "Yes, that seems pretty mundane to me too, but he showed me that even what we find dull and boring could be fun. Lee, he can create fun from literally nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't actually go into the museum," I explained. "Which was actually probably a good thing, because, knowing him, he'd probably sneak a snake in and set it loose or something… anyway, we hung around outside in the courtyard all day."

"Sounds… so not interesting."

"You weren't there," I snapped. "And didn't you hear what I said? He can create fun from nothing."

"So what kind of fun did you have then?"

I threw my spoon at her for the not-so-subtle inneundo, which she ducked, grinning.

"Okay, okay. What kind of fun?"

"Well, I'm not actually sure how happened, but I do distinctly remember us being chased by an ice cream vendor," I said thoughtfully. Lia's mouth dropped open.

"You? Miss Goody Two Shoes?"

"Yes, me. I know it's hard to believe, but James just does that to you. I also remember us having a water fight with five six-year-olds."

"Oh, this is too good to be true."

"We had pictures taken and everything. Muggle cameras are surprisingly better at capturing the moment than magical ones." I fished inside my purse, pulled out a pile of Polaroids, and handed them to Lia. She looked at the first one, and immediately her mouth dropped open – the spoon clenched between her teeth dropped too – when she saw what it involved.

"You didn't," was what she managed to get out, staring wide-eyed up at me.

I nodded, knowing exactly what picture she was looking at. "I did. We did. He dared me."

"Oh sweet Merlin," she said, switching to the next picture. "What did that woman do?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. Screamed bloody murder, probably. Never got a chance to find out – we ran like hell after I dropped it down there. I assume she eventually got it out, though, seeing as how that little mouse came scampering back to us about an hour afterwards."

Lia broke into peals of laughter. "Classic," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Totally priceless. Love it. So what else did you do?"

I told her about the incident with the elderly couple, the hot dog, and the mustard.

She burst into fresh laughter, falling to the floor (her ice cream melting and forgotten).

"I love this man," she said, giggling still as she looked up at me from the floor. "He's doing what I've been trying for years to do."

I turned away and hid a smile.

"I know."

Lia sat up very suddenly. "Oh, before I forget… you were going to tell me why this James Potter, sweeper-off-Lily-Evans'-feet, has the same name as James Potter, super-duper-Auror that suddenly disappeared off the face of the planet."

I turned back to her, a serious expression on my face. "Actually," I said. "I never said that I was going to explain that. I just said we'd talk about it and the fact that he has the same name."

"Whatever. So why, exactly?"

I shrugged. "Coincidence?"

Lia's face turned accusing. "Oh yeah? Since when have you ever believed in coincidences?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Since now. No time like the present, right?"

Lia frowned at me."How long has he lived here for?"

"Four years."

"And how long has Potter been MIA for?"

"…four years."

"Exactly."

"But it could just be a coincidence," I protested. "There's probably a thousand James Potters in the world, you know."

Lia narrowed her eyes at me, and brandished her wand. A pile of folders appeared in front of her.

"James Potter," she read from the first sheet. "'Male. Occupation: Auror. Date of birth: 27 March 1976. Age: 31 years, 5 months. Basic stats: unknown. Status: Missing In Action, four years and five months.' How long as your Potter lived here for, again?"

I squirmed uncomfortably. She did have a point… if my James was the James Potter Lia was looking for, then our lives would be so much easier. But it would also mean a lot of unwanted questions, begging and pleading. And the small matter of us being charged to drag him back to a place that he was obviously trying to escape.

"Is there a picture?" I asked.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "But then again, no Auror has a profile picture for their protection. Strange thing is, even people that were close to him don't seem to remember what he looks like; they just remember him. I'm beginning to think he cast a Nascondalo Spell."

I frowned. "Bless you."

"It's Italian," Lia explained impatiently. "Not many people know about it. Literally means 'hide me'. It's like the Fidelius Charm, except that you're your own Secret Keeper, and when you cast it, you cast it on specific people. They'll forget you, and what you look like unless you personally tell them. It's really long and complicated. But I don't know, seeing as how he would have had to cast it on a hell of a lot of people..." She looked back at me. "Anyway... are you going to see him again? Your James Potter, I mean?"

"Yep," I replied, feeling a sudden rush at the possessive word. Mine. "Tonight."

"Tonight? Merlin, he's keen. Where are you going?"

"Dinner. Don't know where, he said he was surprising me. Just told me to go casual." I glanced up at Lia, suddenly grinning. "Oh, one more thing," I added, heading to my room.

"What?"

"James has a friend he's bringing along. You're coming with me."

I shut my door, only to hear Lia screech from the living room:

"EVANS! YOU KNOW I HATE BLIND DATES!"


Oh, and one more thing - Lily and James were never at Hogwarts together; he's seven years older than she is, and left the same year she started. That's why they don't know or recognise each other.

And in case you're confused, the spell mentioned will be addressed in later chapters and in more detail.