Author's Note: Ha! I'm bringing Lily and James back again for this chapter! Woo hoo! Okay, that was weird… Anyway, I'm glad to say that there will be at least one more chapter and maybe more if I decide to continue into Harry's 5th year.

Title: Role Reversal

Rating: PG

Spoilers: There aren't too many spoilers in chapters 1-12. The whole story has some spoilers, but how else do you write a fanfic? The chapter with major spoilers is "Old Friends".

Summary: James and Lily make a bet. Lily has to pull a bunch of pranks and James can't do any.

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Harry Potter or its characters. If you're reading this, you should already know whom it belongs to anyway.

Setting: This story is set in MWPP years. If you don't know what that means, you probably shouldn't be reading this fanfic.

!!! = setting change

[…] = time

italics= emphasis

italics= thoughts

bold = death-speak

-In Spirit a.k.a. Letters-

[Meanwhile…]

Wow, I still can't believe Veronica has kids.

With that Gabriel guy, nonetheless.

What do you have against him?

He's not Moony.

Yes, but Remus decided to end their relationship. Besides, you can't blame Veronica for falling in love with some other guy. That's one thing you can't control. After all, I fell in love with you, didn't I?

I'm offended.

Oh, stop. I cannot believe you're still a prankster at heart, even after all these years of… non-life.

Well…

Our friends are really brave.

Mm-hmm. I hope Sarah finally gets that wedding she wanted.

They've really grown up a lot, haven't they, Jimmy?

Yeah, and don't call me Jimmy.

You're right about one thing. It is ridiculous feeling things when you're not alive.

Aha! You see? I am right.

For once.

Hey!

There's one thing I'm glad about, though.

What is it, Lils?

Lils? You never called me that when I was alive.

Well, you called me Jimmy.

Ugh. Fine, whatever.

All right, what are you trying to say?

I'm glad I can still feel love for you. And for Harry and our friends.

Me too.

I'm glad we've been able to watch Harry grow up, even though we're not alive to be there for him.

Mm.

It's odd how much he looks like you.

Yeah.

!!!

"Veronica? Are you okay?" Sarah asked her friend.

"I don't know… I just have this weird feeling."

"What kind of weird feeling?" asked a concerned Remus.

"It feels… familiar." Veronica suddenly realized what it was. "It feels like Lily and James."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… It's like they're here. You know, in spirit."

"I think I know what you're talking about," Sarah said. "It's like you said after you got married… They're watching over us."

Remus said, "I feel it too. It's a little strange."

The two women just looked at him. "After all we've been through, this is the only thing that's strange?" Sarah asked.

Remus laughed softly. "No."

Veronica spoke up. "Do you ever wish… Do you ever wish that our lives had turned out differently?"

"Every day of my life," Sarah said, smiling sadly.

"Me too," said Remus.

"I wish that too. I mean, I'm fine with the way things are. I love Gabriel and the kids, but sometimes… I feel like I would be a lot happier if things were different."

"If only wishes like that could come true," Remus answered.

!!!

[Meanwhile…]

I wish we could grant wishes, Lily said to James.

You wish we could grant wishes? That's a bit redundant, don't you think?

Oh, be quiet. You know what I mean.

Do I?

James, Lily said in a warning tone.

Lily, James replied mockingly.

Why did I marry you?

Because you love me.

Do I?

I just said that.

That's not funny.

Yes, it is.

All right, it's kind of funny, but I don't care. What I do care about is how our friends are. I just want them to be happy.

You can't do anything about it, Lily. I love you and I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do. You're dead. Deceased. The late Lily Evans Potter. The—

All right! I get it. Stop rubbing it in. You're dead, too, you know.

Okay, okay. Sorry.

Lily looked at Veronica's son. He looks a bit like Remus, don't you think?

Yeah. He's like the son Remus and Veronica would have had if they had been together.

Hmm.

Her daughter, Lily… she reminds me of you.

How so?

She has an annoying, high-pitched voice.

What?

Just kidding. She's sweet and stubborn at the same time, that's what.

Oh.

I finally realized why I don't really like Gabriel.

Why?

Because he doesn't fit in. He doesn't seem like the type of person our little "gang" would have been friends with.

We were friends with Peter, and look what he did to us. Gabriel's a decent person, at least.

Well, yes. But I just…

I know. I hoped Veronica would end up with Remus too. But she didn't. We have to accept that. Remus has. Plus, we can't do a thing about it, so why fight it?

Because it's in my nature. Don't you remember all those fights we had when we were teenagers?

I'd rather not relive those horrid incidents…

!!!

"Aunt Sarah! Don't go!" little Remus begged.

"Remus, hon, I have to. I don't plan on living here," Sarah said to the little boy, smiling apologetically.

"But—"

Veronica said, "Remus. Sarah has to go. She has things to do."

"Yeah."

"I must be taking my leave as well," said the adult Remus.

"I'll be back to visit soon," Sarah was telling Remus and Lily. "Soon, I promise. Bye, you guys."

"Bye," the two children said in unison.

"I'll walk you to the door," Veronica said. "I don't want to scare the kids by having their Aunt Sarah disappear into thin air."

Her guests grinned. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that," Remus said.

The three adults walked to the front door. "You two have to visit again soon, okay?"

"Okay."

"Yeah. Since I already promised the kids, I guess I have to."

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Veronica hugged Sarah, and then turned to Remus. "It's been really good seeing you again," she said as she embraced him.

"The same to you," he said as she let go.

"Come on, Remus, let's go," Sarah said. "I think I hear the kids coming back for another round of good-byes."

"Then I guess we'd better leave fast," he said jokingly.

Veronica opened the door for them. "Bye, guys. Sarah, I hope you find Sirius again. And Remus, I hope your… condition… doesn't affect you too much."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

"Bye."

!!!

"So what do we do now?" Remus asked.

"You want to get some dinner?"

"Sure."

"To my house, then."

!!!

"This place is so clean."

"Well, I live alone, and Sirius hasn't been here for a while, so of course it's clean."

Remus smiled, remembering his friend. "Yeah, Padfoot did always seem to make a mess wherever he went."

"You wouldn't believe how much cleaning I had to do after he… was taken."

Remus sensed Sarah's discomfort and decided to change the subject. "So, uh… What kind of food did you have in mind for dinner?"

"I don't know. Whatever. You're a wizard, make it happen."

Remus grinned and took out his wand. In the next few seconds, the table was completely laden with delicious food.

"Jeez."

"Just eat, okay?"

"All right. But I'm kind of afraid to. It looks all fancy and stuff…"

Remus and Sarah sat down to consume their meal.

!!!

"So you finally saw Veronica after all that time," Sarah said. "How do you feel?"

Remus pondered the question for a moment. "I don't know. I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it, but I'm actually okay with it. I think I've finally gotten over her, you know?" He seemed surprised at his own answer.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I still wish things had turned out differently, but I accept the fact that Veronica has a different life now. And her kids are really great. I think… I think that now I can just have her as a friend. A very good friend."

"That's great. So the healing process has finally begun, huh?"

"I guess."

"Took you long enough."

"Hey!"

"What? You broke up with Veronica, oh what, fifteen years ago and you're just now starting to be okay with it? Come on, Remus, that's ridiculous."

"You're the one who's pining away for my dear friend Padfoot."

"Hey, Sirius didn't break up with me, I didn't break up with him, he was sent to prison for twelve years for a crime he didn't commit, and I still can't see him—you tell me if I am not justified in this."

"All right, I get it. Your situation wasn't your fault, mine is. Sometimes you're just as stubborn as Lily was."

"That's right, and don't you forget it. Harry's not the only one who got left with a little bit of her spirit."

Remus started shaking with laughter. "That's just so stupid, it's funny."

"Of course it is. I got a little bit of James's spirit in me too."

He started laughing harder. "Do you now?"

"Yup." Sarah tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't do it and started laughing as well.

They finally stopped laughing after a while.

"God, it feels good to laugh again. Really just laugh, you know?" Sarah said to her friend.

"Yeah."

"When we were younger, we used to laugh all the time."

"Of course we did. Hanging out with Padfoot and Prongs all the time… If you were with them for more than five minutes and didn't laugh, people would think you were insane."

"That or a Slytherin."

"Yeah."

"So what are you going to do now? You don't have a job yet."

"I don't know. I'll keep searching for one, but I don't think a lot of people would be willing to hire me."

"I wish I could do something for you."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I think we're all going to be okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when Lily and James died, and all that happened, we thought it was the end of the world. But here we are, older, wiser, and pretty much content with our lives. We're not children anymore. We can handle anything the world throws at us."

"Getting philosophical on me, Remus?"

"A little bit." He grinned. "But seriously, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. I think I do. I thought everything was over when Sirius was gone, and you thought the end of your relationship with Veronica was the end of everything, but we got through the pain. We live our lives. We get through each day without becoming mentally unstable."

Remus smiled gently. "I'm actually kind of surprised I haven't gone insane."

"I know the feeling."

"Where do you think Sirius is?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know. Hopefully he's somewhere safe."

"I really hope Padfoot is able to come back. I hope we can prove his innocence. Not just for you, but for Harry. Sirius is his godfather, after all. And the Dursleys are not nice people."

"Mm. I want to get to know Harry. You said he was a good kid." Sarah looked past Remus and saw an owl outside her kitchen window. She got up and let it in. She removed the letter from its leg and watched as it flew away.

"What is it? Who's it from?"

"Hold on…" The blonde ripped the letter out of the envelope. She gasped as she quickly read the letter. She looked up at Remus, who looked back at her with an expectant expression on his face.

"Well?"

Sarah handed him the piece of parchment. "It's from Sirius," she said, dazed.

"It is?" Remus took the letter from his friend and started reading it to himself.

Dear Sarah,

I trust Moony's filled you in on the details of what happened with Harry.

I came to see you about a month ago. You were half-asleep, so I don't know if you remember. Did you find the note I left you?

I can't tell you where I am for obvious reasons. I hope you understand.

I just wanted to let you know that I am safe, and I really think no one will find me here.

I really hope you haven't found someone else. I also hope that we will find each other again sometime in the future.

I'll write again soon.

I love you.

Sirius

"He's safe," Sarah breathed.

"That's great," Remus said, smiling.

Sarah plopped down in her seat, her dinner forgotten. "Do you really think he and I will end up together?"

"Yes, I really do."

She turned to look at him, her wavy hair falling into her face. "Thanks. For everything. You've been a great friend to me, and you helped Sirius—"

"No, please," Remus said, holding up a hand to silence her, "After all you did for me when we were younger—keeping my secret—"

Sarah grinned and looked at the table. "Well, the food's getting cold, so…" She started shoveling food into her mouth.

Remus started laughing again. "Maybe you have a little bit of Padfoot in you too."

Sarah nodded and swallowed. "Hey, I'm in love with the man."

!!!

"Well, I should go now," Remus declared an hour later.

"All right. See ya, Remus. Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome."

"Bye."

"Bye." Remus left.

Sarah sat down and looked at the table that was now empty except for Sirius's letter. She picked it up and read it over and over again. She focused on the last line. He still loves me. After all this time, he still loves me.

Well, of course he does, another part of her mind said. Twelve years alone in prison, who's he gonna fall in love with—a dementor?

!!!

As Sarah climbed into bed, she imagined that Sirius was there with her, making her feel safe. She yawned. I'll write back to him tomorrow, she thought sleepily.

A smile appeared on the pretty blonde's face as she dreamt of the future she would have with the dark-haired man who had the ability to turn into a large black dog.

!!!

[The next day]

Veronica opened up the letter she had received from Sarah. Sirius always was a good guy, even if he was a bit of a prankster. She smiled. Sarah's handwriting was shaky, as if she was really excited and on a sugar high.

Veronica wrote a reply to her friend and let Remus and Lily sign it as well. Of course, their signatures were senseless ink scrawls, but Sarah would appreciate it anyway.

She thought for a minute, then got another piece of parchment out to write a letter to Sirius. He's my friend too, even if we weren't that close.

!!!

Sirius patted Buckbeak and reread Sarah's letter. She's so understanding. She accepts me for who I am, and she believes me, even though the rest of the world sees me as a murderer. I guess that's why I fell in love with her.

"What do you think, Buckbeak? Isn't she the greatest?"

The hippogriff stared silently at him with fierce orange eyes.

"That's what I thought," Sirius said. He smiled slightly at his little joke.

!!!

Remus had decided to write to Sirius as well. He bet that his friend was pretty bored with nothing to do since he was in hiding. It must be pretty boring with no one but a hippogriff for company.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: I'm just dragging it out, aren't I?