Disclaimer: Hello everyone! I know that I haven't posted in a while so I hired people to keep me on task. CRACK! I said enough with the whip! YOU WILL NEVER GET A PAYCHECK! Anyways, I've gotten a few reviews that have said that I have gone away from my summary and I know. Sorry but there is a method to my madness and I have reasons for most things I put in here. Plus I suck at summaries so I will try to adjust it so that it is truer to the story. With that said, enjoy!

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Chapter 11: First Rehearsal

The end of the day came much too quickly for Lily and for James it didn't come soon enough. Tonight was their first private rehearsal together. James thought back to the conversation he had with the Marauders regarding a certain red-head he loved.

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James slumped on a couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily turned him down yet again and James was more than a little disheartened. He turned his head so he could see Sirius laying across the other couch and Remus in the large chair.

He sighed then began to voice his own thoughts. "Why does she hate me so much?"

Remus and Sirius didn't have to question who 'she' was. After about six years together they knew the only female that James talked about that was out of the family was Lily.

James put his forehead onto his fists and asked them a question he had been wondering about. "Am I really as bad as she says I am? What did I do?"

If anyone else had been in the room their jaws would have dropped in shock. James Potter the confident boisterous 'prince of Hogwarts' never sounded like this. The way he was slouching forward to his hands and his voice quiet and full of sorrow screamed of insecurity and vulnerability. And insecure and vulnerable were two words almost never associated with the lead Marauder who went cheerfully through the halls.

His friends knew better than that though. They were some of the few people who were able to see under the mask James wore through the corridors. They could tell when he was planning a new scheme. They could read his eyes for expression even when his face hadn't changed from its smile. But most of all, they could see through the public shrug he gave the audience for asking Lily out yet again, to the pain he went through with each rejection.

Remus was the first to speak seems as he was the most extemporaneous and the situation was delicate. "Honestly? Well... its probably because she hasn't seen the real you yet. You act different around her and try to impress her and that is part of what she does not like. When you are around her you do act like a prick, but that is only because you are trying to win her affections with accomplishments. She is not that kind of girl, so she probably is insulted that you think so low of her."

Sirius decided to cut in before things got even more complicated. "What I think Moony is trying to say is be the person you are around us. Be yourself and she will like you better."

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James chuckled lightly at the idea that Sirius actually understood what Remus was trying to say. '"Be yourself and she will like you better." What a novel idea. I promise that I will try to be myself with this rehearsal.'

James stood up from the couch where he had been sitting in the Common Room. He sighed and told the Marauders that he was going to go because it was time for patrolling the hallways with Lily.

All of the Marauders gave James a nod that they heard him and then returned to their game of wizard's chess. Remus put his fist under his chin and said, "Be careful."

Sirius was much more blunt with his statement. "Don't do anything stupid or that I wouldn't do Prongs."

James laughed. "Okay Mom I won't take any candy from any strangers or fangirls and Dad that doesn't leave much that I can't do." James laughed again running out the portal, ducking just in time to miss the pillow that was flung at his head.

Peter looked at the two playing chess. His watery eyes obviously held confusion. "Is James delusional?"

Sirius looked over to their slightly corpulent friend after moving his bishop. "Why would you say that?"

"Because he just mistook you and Remus for his parents and he knows that parents are not allowed at school."

Remus and Sirius looked at each other with disbelief then sighed and continued their game.

"What?" Peter said. "Guys? Did you even hear me? Marauders? Oh no! The mysterious illness has gotten you too!" Sirius and Remus sighed again as Peter ran out of the room like a chicken with its head chopped off.

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Lily pouted before she dragged herself out of the pile of pillows she was currently situated in, in the Vixen's secret room. "Mmm. Why do I have to go patrol with Potter!" Of course it wasn't really patrolling that they were going to be doing, but it was the best excuse to why both of them would be missing at the same time.

Teigra cocked her head while lying on her back so she could look at her friend. "I really don't see what your problem with him is. It looks like you like him to me. Plus I never get a bad feeling from his personality."

"I will repeat again, I DO NOT LIKE THAT PRICK! It is like you and Black. I never get a bad feeling off of him either and you don't like him. And the only reason you don't mind Potter is because he has, as you put it, 'the flame of protection and determination in his soul.'"

Wren sighed. "That's the point. Teigra doesn't hate Sirius, he just bugs the hell out of her. I'm pretty sure she cares deeply for him, she just chooses not to admit it to herself."

Teigra sat up abruptly, her face red with anger. Then she flopped backwards with a yawn. She spoke quietly, "I guess your right." Her friends looked shocked at her. "I never really hated Sirius it was just more convenient to. But the flame of his soul is like only one other that I have ever seen. It is full of playful loyalty, passion and the willingness to make his own fate."

Lily carefully said her next question just as quietly as Teigra. Teigra never really spoke of what she felt in people's souls and didn't want to discourage her from doing so now. "You are the person in our group who can feel what is in their soul so I don't doubt that, but... wasn't that what you said your soul felt like too?"

"Yes, I did and that is what makes me so scared. Wren's and Remus's souls are nearly identical because they are strong, intelligent, and they hope for the future even though their pasts are cruel. And you have seen how they act when they are together. They bring a happiness to each other that no one else could possibly compare to."

Wren's jaw slackened at the implications of what her friend just said. "A-are you s-saying that we a-are... s-soul mates?"

Teigra nodded her head slowly. "As far as I can tell. Your energies seem to balance out one another and after what I heard of the story of what happened to the two of you, it seems more than likely."

Lily's eyes widened further. "Are you saying that you a-and Sirius are...?" She left the question hanging in the air so Teigra didn't have to answer if she didn't want to.

"Yes... well, possibly...I don't know! B-but I am scared to find out what it could mean!" Both Wren and Lily walked over to their friend and gave her a hug to calm her down.

Lily whispered soothing words in her ear. "Shhh, now Stripes. We will figure this out together, just you wait and see."

Wren nodded in agreement. "Yeah you shouldn't be afraid of what hasn't happened yet nor should you be scared to try something new."

Teigra let out a struggled laugh. "When did you two get so smart? Don't you guys have to patrol and go on a date or something?"

Both of the girls let out a little shriek that kind of sounded like "We're going to be so late!" then scrambled around the room. Lily picked up her messenger bag and dashed towards the door.

Wren looked at her a little confused and said, "Why do you need your bag if you are just going patrolling?"

A slightly evil smirk played across her lips as she opened up the door. "It is so I have something pretty hard to hit Potter with when he gets on my nerves." 'Plus it has my script in it.'

Teigra laughed lightly. "Okay, Talon, give him hell!"

Lily's smirk grew a little more as she closed the door. "I plan to."

As soon as they were sure that Lily was far out of hearing range Teigra turned to Wren. "You know she really does love James. I wonder when she will figure it out?"

Wren nodded. "I know and it isn't just a crush either. Crushes come from the mind, and her head still doesn't recognize it, so the feelings must come from her heart."

"If that's the case I wonder if I should have told her that Her soul is almost identical to James's as well?"

Wren chuckled. "No, you would probably scare her half to death and she would just avoid James even more."

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James was leaning against the wall of the corridor that contained the Room of Requirements. He looked to his left. Then his right. Then down to his watch. 'She's ten minutes late. Lily is never late for anything.' He tilted his head backwards so that it hit the wall. 'She isn't going to come because it is me.' He hit his head against the wall again with his eye's shut. "Ow, that hurt."

"Potter you really shouldn't hit your head against the wall. You don't have enough brain cells as it is." James jumped at the sound of Lily's voice. He whipped his head to the right only to see Lily leaning against the same wall he was with her arms crossed and a smirk upon her face. "You thought I wasn't going to show up," though even as she said it her voice sounded amused.

James looked at her with his mouth slightly open "How did you?... when did you?...oh never mind!"

Lily's smirk grew. "How: I walked. When: Just now. Why: I thought that, that would be apparent."

James pouted slightly. He did not like being startled and then mocked. "Fine, let's go in."

"Do you want to pace or would you like me to." Lily said not getting up from her position against the wall.

James turned to her again kind of shocked. "So you know about the Room of Requirements. Well aren't you full of surprises, Lily-flower."

Lily just chuckled. "Know about it? I helped create it. You don't know just how much this room can do." James tripped while pacing when Lily said that she helped create the room. He scrambled up from the floor to see Lily with the door already open. "Well are you coming or what Potter? I do believe we have a play to rehearse for."

James walked through the door and stopped in disbelief. "Wow," he said not even trying to keep the astonishment out of his voice. "I didn't know that the room could show the outside." They were on a large round stone platform in the middle of the clearest turquoise pond that James has ever seen. Around the edges of the pool there was jungle except for one side that held a small waterfall.

"Like I said, Potter, you don't know a lot of things. I'm sure that Wren won't mind me using her dimension for a little while though." Then Lily sat down on one of the large pillows that was situated on the platform.

Dazed James followed and sat across from her. He shook his head a bit to get it to concentrate on the matter at hand. "Well, before we start I wanted to ask you something." James said in a light, but serious way.

"Fine, but if your going to ask me out, you might as well save your breath." Lily said looking at the waterfall and completely missing the hurt look that passed over James's face.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask." James sighed and leaned back a little. "Seems as we are going to have to work together in this play, can we try to get along? I guess what I am really trying to say is that I know that I have been a jerk to you, but I would like to start over from the beginning with a blank slate."

Lily looked at him and tilted her head in consideration. She seemed to be trying to figure out how much of what he said was the truth. Hesitantly she answered. "Hmmm..." James turned towards her hopefully. Lily sighed then continued. "Okay, but just as a trial basis. I am not sure if I am ready to forgive you yet."

James smiled genuinely. "Okay, works for me." He held out his hand. "Hi I'm James Potter."

Lily sighed then shook his hand. "Lily Evans."

James looked at her curiously. "One more thing, can we go by first names?"

Lily thought it over for a bit and then replied, "Only in private. In public you will still be Potter."

James smiled a little more if that were possible. "Okay. It's a start."

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Lily leaned over to pull out her script. Casually she flipped threw the pages. James raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you read the script, Lily?"

Lily looked up from the script slowly. "Honestly, no I didn't. Anything happen in it that I should know about and prepare to scream about?"

James turned to look at the waterfall and nervously messed with his hair. "Ummm. . . Well. . . it seems Flitwick likes to mess with us."

Even though James was turned, Lily could see the faint blush across his face. This was not a good sigh to Lily. In a warning tone Lily nearly growled, "Potter, tell me now."

James visibly gulped and his blush got darker. "Ummm, t-the end."

If Lily wasn't so mad she would probably laugh at the fact that James was cowering before her. Still warningly and slightly exasperated she said, "What about the end James?"

"H-he has us k-kissing. Please don't kill the messenger!" James stammered.

"WHAT!" Lily roared. She got up and moved mor towards the edge of the platform. Then she gave a single punch to the ground that caused a decent size crater to form. Slightly calmer she sat back on her pillow.

James paled, but nodded. "My sentiments exactly. It is outrageous that he is having us do that. Let's just take it out."

Now Lily's curiosity overtook her lingering anger. "No offense, but I thought that you would be jumping for joy about being able to kiss me without me being able to kill you. What's up?"

James blushed deeper than he had before and turned away. His voice was quiet and calm; it almost sounded like he was lost in thought far away. "It is not that I don't want to kiss you Lily, eventually I do. But, as cheesy as it sounds, I want it to mean something." He ruffled his hair again nervously. "I am not as big of a prat as you think. If you kiss me, I want it to be because you want to, not because you are forced to."

Lily starred at James. The sincerity and the sentimentality in his voice was startling. Meaning every word Lily said, "Thank you, James." More cheerfully than before Lily asked, "Okay what else is in this doohickey?"

James chuckled at her change in attitude and use of words. "Well other than the...end. Things are pretty normal. Your called Rose Ethan and I'm called Jim Porter. It actually sounds like what we do in the halls until the battles with the villian of the play and life, Malfoy."

Lily chuckled as well. "You know what, minus the singing your right. Hey, you know what? We could start saying this stuff in the halls and no one would know the difference." James and Lily looked up from their scripts at almost the exact same time with almost identical smirks.

James started to speak. "We really shouldn't practice this beginning stuff."

Lily cut him off. "No one listens to us when we argue anyways."

"Why don't we use our lines in the hallways to practice?" James and Lily said at the same time. They paused for a moment, shocked that they thought so similarly, and then Lily continued.

"Then in the private... session we can practice the singing and the battles and stuff like that."

"I think that just might work. I can't find a word in here that is any different than how I feel and act normally, so why not?" James said smiling.

"Okay then we will do the first few arguments tomorrow, and if we screw up we can ad-lib." Lily said smirking.

"Great then we might as well go back to the Head's Dorms so we can sleep a little." James said as he walked out of the door and into the corridor.

"Yeah, but no thanks. I have to check in with Teigra first and then I think we are going to try and spy on Remus and Wren while they're on their date."

"Wren and Remus are on a date! I wonder why he didn't tell us?" James questioned.

"Gee," Lily said sarcastically, "it wouldn't have anything to do with the Marauders trying to use an invisibility cloak to try and spy on their friend would it?"

"We would do nothing of the..." James started mockingly then stopped with a puzzled look on his face. "Hey how did you know we had an invisibility cloak?" James asked shocked.

Lily laughed. "Well, we heard you talking about using it to do some prank a while ago, and the fact that you have been wearing it the entire time we have been practicing and still wearing it now might have given me some hints."

James jaw hit the floor. "B-but you were looking at me most of the time we were in there! Can you see threw it!"

Lily chuckled as she started to walk down the long corridor. Over her shoulder she called, "Every girl has her secrets. Fight with you tomorrow James."

James shook his head in disbelief and then looked back to where Lily should have been traveling. In stead all he found was an empty hallway. He sighed as he started to walk in the other direction. Under his breath he mumbled with a small smile, "I will never understand that girl."

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Remus came to a clearing where he sensed Wren to be. She was sitting in a gnarled tree growing a vine around the base. When the flowers on the vines bloomed, the center was a light. Remus smiled. "You were always good with setting up an area, but this might help." Remus held up a picnic basket and a blanket.

Wren smiled. "And you always know how to make it better." Remus laid the blanket down and sat down with his back against the truck of the tree. Wren jumped down and landed cleanly as if she jumped down five feet instead of twenty. She sat down right next to Remus and put her head on his shoulder.

Wren sighed contentedly. "It has been so long since we could just be like this."

Remus wrapped his arm around Wren's waist and pulled her closer. He turned his head into her hair. "I missed you too." The couple just sat together enjoying the night sky and each other's company. They talked and laughed like it was only days they had been apart instead of centuries.

Suddenly Remus's head jerked up. Without taking his concentration off the forest he questioned her, "Do you sense that too?"

"Yeah," Wren said as she stood up. "I guess this really going to be like old times. Every good moment we get together some demon comes and attacks us."

Remus smirked. "Do you even want my help with this one? It only smells like a newt demon."

"Sure this may be fun to work together again. But please tell me you have got something better to fight in than those robes." Wren said.

"Of course and the same goes for you." Remus mocked. Then he reached up to a necklace that went unnoticed before. His hand grabbed a pendant that looked like a tribal silver design surrounding a lapis lazuli sword. With a single touch the metal unwound itself and the sword began to glow.

The light blue glow began to expand and then just as quickly it retracted leaving behind Remus in light blue armor and a sword made of heaven at his side. Most different however may have been his ears and, well...tail. Out of Remus's dirty blonde hair rose two tan wolf ears and waving in back of him was a tan wolf tail.

Remus chuckled. "It has been a while since I have been able to fight like this. So what about you? Are you going to get ready too?"

Wren smirked. "Whatever you say." Wren reached up and untied her head band so her silver fox ears were showing. Then using her wand she changed her clothes so that she was wearing a pale green fighting kimono with a little silver armor and a dark green obi. Out of the back of her kimono Remus could see five fluffy fox tails. (1) Then she put two magnolia tree seeds into her hands and grew just the blossoms to ten times their normal size. Then with a single shake of both of her hands the blossoms hardened.

Remus smiled. "Some things never change. You still fight with silver magnolia fans."

"Actually, no I don't. These fans are the next level up, my steel magnolia fans. Plus why mess with what works and you still fight with the Blade of Heaven.(2)" Wren countered.

At that moment a man sized lizard came out of the bushes. The battle didn't last long, maybe a couple of minutes, but it was enough to completely destroy the demon once it attacked. Remus had it pinned down to the earth with a powerful wind. Then Wren came up from behind it and quickly slit its throat. After that both Remus and Wren decided to go back to their dorm rooms after changing back to their normal appearances. They talked on the way back like they hadn't just fought anyone.

Wren looked over to Remus while holding his hand. "That power sealing pendant is quite impressive. Where in the world did you come across something like that?"

Remus smiled sadly. "It was a gift to me by my brother before he was called on by my bastard of a father."

Wren looked down at the ground. "I'm so sorry. I meant to ask how Darien was if you met up with him again after your death, but I didn't think it would be so bad."

"Don't worry about it though. Darien went to keep father's gaze away from me. Plus if he ever decided to attack me, Darien said that he would give me a warning so that I could prepare for it." Both Remus and Wren were quiet for a time as the walked across the Hogwarts grounds until Remus brought up some more cheerful conversation.

They talked the entire way back to the common room protected from other people's hearing by Remus's sound shield. They hardly noticed the time pass by, and soon they were standing at the base of the girl's dorm staircase. Wren said a quiet good night and started to go up the stairs slowly.

Remus continued to watch her when she suddenly stopped. She walked back down with a minuscule sly smile on her face. She leaned up to Remus's ear and whispered, "Thank you for tonight," causing shivers to run down his spine. Then she gave his a chaste peck on the cheek and ran all the way up to her room.

Remus starred at the spot she disappeared from for a couple of minutes before snapping back to reality. He subconsciously touched the cheek that she kissed and grinned ear to ear. He turned on his heel and whistled as he went up the boy's dorm steps.

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1) In legend the number of tails a fox has shows the length of its life and how powerful it is. The maximum number of tails a fox can get is nine, so Wren having five is pretty powerful, but no where near fully mature.

2) Just something I made up because Remus controls the element of air. It is a broadsword made out of crystal and lapis lazuli cause they look like the sky with a black leather hilt and black runes down one side.

Author's Note: I know I have been a little off topic with my story, but I am planning to put more play stuff in it. Trust that I have a reason why they have special abilities that goes along with the play. Please read and review so I know what I have to fix and such! Thanks!