Something Like Deception
Disclaimer: it's not mine unless J.K. wants it to be, & so far she hasn't said anything to me about it
Chapter 4 - deceiving appearances and hurt feelings
Lily Evans was a wreck. Remus had been missing all day, and when she tried to ask James and Sirius about it, they gave her blank, worried looks. She glumly told the fat lady the password and stepped into the common room.
'Potter?' she thought. He was asleep on one of the couches. 'That's weird. I swear I just saw him in the Great Hall.' She bit her lip, then went over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Potter!" she hissed.
He woke up with a start. 'His glasses are missing,' she thought, vaguely. He stared at her in shock. "Lily!" he said. "Wh-what time is it? Did classes start yet?"
Lily stared at him. "Lily?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are we on a first-name basis now? And what are you talking about? Classes started ages ago. Dinner's almost over."
His eyes opened wide. "What!?" he said, jumping up. "I missed classes!? All of them!?"
Lily stared at him again. "What are you talking about, Potter? You were there!"
He started to shake his head. "No, I - " He stopped suddenly, and stared at her. "Potter?" he repeated. "Potter?"
Lily continued to stare at him. His eyes opened wider and he stared at her like he had never seen her before. Realization dawned on his face. "James Potter?" he asked hoarsely. "I'm James Potter?"
Lily glared at him. "Honestly, I don't know why I waste my time on you, Potter. Where's Remus? What have you done to him?"
James took a deep breath, and shook his head. "You don't understand. I'm - "
Before he could finish, the portrait door swung open and Sirius Black walked in.
*_*
Sirius spit out the goblet of pumpkin juice he was carrying. (A/N: is that all they drink?) "James!?" he exclaimed. "But - "
James shook his head violently. Sirius' eyes widened in realization.
"NO BLOODY WAY!" he exclaimed. His eyes fell upon Lily, and he grinned nervously. "Oh, hello, Evans. Didn't see you there!"
Lily was glaring at both of them, suspiciously. "Where's Remus?" she repeated, in a low voice.
Sirius glanced at James (whom he now realized was Remus) and grinned. "Oh, around," he replied off-handedly.
Lily huffed. "You're his friends! He's been missing all day! Don't you care where he is!?" she exclaimed.
Sirius shrugged. Remus/James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Lily - "
"Stop calling me Lily!" she hissed. She stalked toward the portrait door, and threw a dirty look back that made Sirius grin and Remus/James flinch.
-_-
"S-So you're telling me that you put the damn potion in my drink anyway!?" Remus/James shouted later in the common room.
The real James blanched. "Uh, sorry?" he said sheepishly.
"SORRY!? SORRY!?" Remus/James yelled. "You idiots! I don't want to be James Potter!"
"Remus! Someone might hear you!" Sirius said. When Remus/James gave him a look that could rival Lily's, he added, "And besides, it'll wear off in an hour or two."
"That's not the point!" Remus/James yelled. "I said, no! Do you realize I've missed all of my classes!? How am I supposed to make all of this up!? And I'm sure Lily's not the only person who realized I was missing."
James and Sirius glanced at each other. "Yeah, we know," James said quietly. "And we're really sorry." Sirius nodded in agreement.
Remus/James sank down on his bed in shock. "And your vision is terrible," he mumbled, closing his eyes. James grinned.
"Hey, uh, Moony? Now that you're me, you don't suppose you could have a word with Evans, do you?" James asked.
Remus opened his eyes in shock. "What?" he snapped. "Please tell me you're joking!"
James smiled hesitantly. "Please?"
Before Remus could say no, a knock sounded on their dormitory door.
Sirius looked from one James to the other and opened the door a crack. "Yes?" he peered out. Remus and James strained to hear who the person was on the other side of the door.
"This isn't funny anymore," a hoarse Lily Evans was saying.
'Had she been crying?' Remus thought. Guilt shot through him at the thought of him being the cause of her unhappiness. He shot another nasty look at James. James, however, was paying no attention, whatsoever.
"Where is he, Sirius? I must've searched the whole castle," Lily continued, tersely.
"I'm sure you didn't search the whole castle," Sirius said, smoothly. "Maybe he's running around outside somewhere."
Lily was quiet for a moment. "He's avoiding me, isn't he?" she finally said in a defeated voice.
At this, Remus/James jumped up and ran across the room, opening the door a little wider. "Lil - " Sirius elbowed him. "Evans!" he said, breathlessly.
Lily had started to walk down the hallway, but she turned at the sound of his (or rather, James') voice. Remus stopped when he saw that she looked like she was about to cry. His heart ripped in two.
"Evans . . ." Remus started, then he discovered he had no idea what to say. He was now a person that she disliked, contrary to yesterday when she was kissing him. "Uh, I'm - I'm sure he's not avoiding you," he said, lamely.
Lily quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. "Where is he, then?" she asked, searching his eyes.
Remus fought the urge to kiss her. 'Merlin, she looks beautiful with a tear- streaked face,' he thought. 'She must have been crying earlier.'
Remus suppressed his thoughts. "I d-don't know," he stammered.
Lily gave him a tight smile. "Sure, you don't," she said as snappishly as she could manage. "You know, you're a horrible liar, Potter." She started to walk away again, and Remus, with a heavy heart, could do nothing, but let her go.
*_-
James grinned. "She smiled at you?" he said, excitedly. "Well, I mean, me?"
Remus nodded, miserably. 'I should've told her,' he thought. But he couldn't. If he had told her that he was really Remus using Polyjuice Potion, then she'd want to know why. And if he told her that James had a crush on her and wanted to use Remus to woo her, then James would kill him. Plus, she might've let slip that she was dating him. Remus shuddered. 'And what a nightmare that would be,' he thought, feeling guilty again.
"How long that you keep this going?" Sirius' voice interrupted him.
Remus jumped and his face reddened. "Pardon?" he said.
"This thing you have with Evans," Sirius said.
Remus simply stared at him in awe. 'How did he know?'
"You know, the ability to make her fall in love with you?" Sirius said. "How long would it take? Do you think you could pull off being James until Wednesday?"
"Today's Monday!" Remus exclaimed.
"Right, so you'll really only have all day tomorrow to be him," Sirius said.
"No!" Remus said hotly. "Besides, who would be me?"
"Ta da!" James, or rather Remus Lupin wearing a pair of glasses, came out of the bathroom and began to twirl around.
Remus stared in shock. He was literally speechless - speechless and dumbfounded.
"Guess I won't need these!" James said happily, snatching off his glasses and tossing them toward Remus. They landed in Remus' lap.
Sirius grinned, looking from Remus to James and back again.
"I must say, it doesn't feel as bad to be you as I thought it would," James said with a wide-eyed expression never before seen on Remus' face. Sirius cracked up. James ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly messing it up. "Oops!" he said. Sirius fell to the floor, his face contorted with laughter.
"No," Remus croaked. "This is not funny."
James yawned. "It's okay, Moony," he said, sleepily. "It'll be over before you - " His eyes suddenly rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground.
Sirius ran over to him. "Prongs!" he shouted, turning him over. He sighed with relief a second later, then grinned. James/Remus was snoring.
-_*
Remus sat up and stretched. He smiled. The nightmare was over. Polyjuice Potion wore off in an hour and it being the next morning and all, he was sure to be back in his right body again. He ran a hand through his hair and came a little short.
His eyes widened, then he jumped off his bed and sprinted for the bathroom. He looked into his mirror. "Hello, good-looking!" it said, cheerfully. Remus groaned.
The face of James Harold Potter stared back at him.
@_@
Uh, oh! Polyjuice potion is supposed to wear off in an hour, isn't it? Isn't it? Then, why is remus still not himself? What's going on? WHAT'S HAPPENING!? You shall find out the answers all in the next chapter of "Something Like Deception". Until then, REVIEW if you want more!
Disclaimer: it's not mine unless J.K. wants it to be, & so far she hasn't said anything to me about it
Chapter 4 - deceiving appearances and hurt feelings
Lily Evans was a wreck. Remus had been missing all day, and when she tried to ask James and Sirius about it, they gave her blank, worried looks. She glumly told the fat lady the password and stepped into the common room.
'Potter?' she thought. He was asleep on one of the couches. 'That's weird. I swear I just saw him in the Great Hall.' She bit her lip, then went over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Potter!" she hissed.
He woke up with a start. 'His glasses are missing,' she thought, vaguely. He stared at her in shock. "Lily!" he said. "Wh-what time is it? Did classes start yet?"
Lily stared at him. "Lily?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are we on a first-name basis now? And what are you talking about? Classes started ages ago. Dinner's almost over."
His eyes opened wide. "What!?" he said, jumping up. "I missed classes!? All of them!?"
Lily stared at him again. "What are you talking about, Potter? You were there!"
He started to shake his head. "No, I - " He stopped suddenly, and stared at her. "Potter?" he repeated. "Potter?"
Lily continued to stare at him. His eyes opened wider and he stared at her like he had never seen her before. Realization dawned on his face. "James Potter?" he asked hoarsely. "I'm James Potter?"
Lily glared at him. "Honestly, I don't know why I waste my time on you, Potter. Where's Remus? What have you done to him?"
James took a deep breath, and shook his head. "You don't understand. I'm - "
Before he could finish, the portrait door swung open and Sirius Black walked in.
*_*
Sirius spit out the goblet of pumpkin juice he was carrying. (A/N: is that all they drink?) "James!?" he exclaimed. "But - "
James shook his head violently. Sirius' eyes widened in realization.
"NO BLOODY WAY!" he exclaimed. His eyes fell upon Lily, and he grinned nervously. "Oh, hello, Evans. Didn't see you there!"
Lily was glaring at both of them, suspiciously. "Where's Remus?" she repeated, in a low voice.
Sirius glanced at James (whom he now realized was Remus) and grinned. "Oh, around," he replied off-handedly.
Lily huffed. "You're his friends! He's been missing all day! Don't you care where he is!?" she exclaimed.
Sirius shrugged. Remus/James closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Lily - "
"Stop calling me Lily!" she hissed. She stalked toward the portrait door, and threw a dirty look back that made Sirius grin and Remus/James flinch.
-_-
"S-So you're telling me that you put the damn potion in my drink anyway!?" Remus/James shouted later in the common room.
The real James blanched. "Uh, sorry?" he said sheepishly.
"SORRY!? SORRY!?" Remus/James yelled. "You idiots! I don't want to be James Potter!"
"Remus! Someone might hear you!" Sirius said. When Remus/James gave him a look that could rival Lily's, he added, "And besides, it'll wear off in an hour or two."
"That's not the point!" Remus/James yelled. "I said, no! Do you realize I've missed all of my classes!? How am I supposed to make all of this up!? And I'm sure Lily's not the only person who realized I was missing."
James and Sirius glanced at each other. "Yeah, we know," James said quietly. "And we're really sorry." Sirius nodded in agreement.
Remus/James sank down on his bed in shock. "And your vision is terrible," he mumbled, closing his eyes. James grinned.
"Hey, uh, Moony? Now that you're me, you don't suppose you could have a word with Evans, do you?" James asked.
Remus opened his eyes in shock. "What?" he snapped. "Please tell me you're joking!"
James smiled hesitantly. "Please?"
Before Remus could say no, a knock sounded on their dormitory door.
Sirius looked from one James to the other and opened the door a crack. "Yes?" he peered out. Remus and James strained to hear who the person was on the other side of the door.
"This isn't funny anymore," a hoarse Lily Evans was saying.
'Had she been crying?' Remus thought. Guilt shot through him at the thought of him being the cause of her unhappiness. He shot another nasty look at James. James, however, was paying no attention, whatsoever.
"Where is he, Sirius? I must've searched the whole castle," Lily continued, tersely.
"I'm sure you didn't search the whole castle," Sirius said, smoothly. "Maybe he's running around outside somewhere."
Lily was quiet for a moment. "He's avoiding me, isn't he?" she finally said in a defeated voice.
At this, Remus/James jumped up and ran across the room, opening the door a little wider. "Lil - " Sirius elbowed him. "Evans!" he said, breathlessly.
Lily had started to walk down the hallway, but she turned at the sound of his (or rather, James') voice. Remus stopped when he saw that she looked like she was about to cry. His heart ripped in two.
"Evans . . ." Remus started, then he discovered he had no idea what to say. He was now a person that she disliked, contrary to yesterday when she was kissing him. "Uh, I'm - I'm sure he's not avoiding you," he said, lamely.
Lily quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. "Where is he, then?" she asked, searching his eyes.
Remus fought the urge to kiss her. 'Merlin, she looks beautiful with a tear- streaked face,' he thought. 'She must have been crying earlier.'
Remus suppressed his thoughts. "I d-don't know," he stammered.
Lily gave him a tight smile. "Sure, you don't," she said as snappishly as she could manage. "You know, you're a horrible liar, Potter." She started to walk away again, and Remus, with a heavy heart, could do nothing, but let her go.
*_-
James grinned. "She smiled at you?" he said, excitedly. "Well, I mean, me?"
Remus nodded, miserably. 'I should've told her,' he thought. But he couldn't. If he had told her that he was really Remus using Polyjuice Potion, then she'd want to know why. And if he told her that James had a crush on her and wanted to use Remus to woo her, then James would kill him. Plus, she might've let slip that she was dating him. Remus shuddered. 'And what a nightmare that would be,' he thought, feeling guilty again.
"How long that you keep this going?" Sirius' voice interrupted him.
Remus jumped and his face reddened. "Pardon?" he said.
"This thing you have with Evans," Sirius said.
Remus simply stared at him in awe. 'How did he know?'
"You know, the ability to make her fall in love with you?" Sirius said. "How long would it take? Do you think you could pull off being James until Wednesday?"
"Today's Monday!" Remus exclaimed.
"Right, so you'll really only have all day tomorrow to be him," Sirius said.
"No!" Remus said hotly. "Besides, who would be me?"
"Ta da!" James, or rather Remus Lupin wearing a pair of glasses, came out of the bathroom and began to twirl around.
Remus stared in shock. He was literally speechless - speechless and dumbfounded.
"Guess I won't need these!" James said happily, snatching off his glasses and tossing them toward Remus. They landed in Remus' lap.
Sirius grinned, looking from Remus to James and back again.
"I must say, it doesn't feel as bad to be you as I thought it would," James said with a wide-eyed expression never before seen on Remus' face. Sirius cracked up. James ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly messing it up. "Oops!" he said. Sirius fell to the floor, his face contorted with laughter.
"No," Remus croaked. "This is not funny."
James yawned. "It's okay, Moony," he said, sleepily. "It'll be over before you - " His eyes suddenly rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground.
Sirius ran over to him. "Prongs!" he shouted, turning him over. He sighed with relief a second later, then grinned. James/Remus was snoring.
-_*
Remus sat up and stretched. He smiled. The nightmare was over. Polyjuice Potion wore off in an hour and it being the next morning and all, he was sure to be back in his right body again. He ran a hand through his hair and came a little short.
His eyes widened, then he jumped off his bed and sprinted for the bathroom. He looked into his mirror. "Hello, good-looking!" it said, cheerfully. Remus groaned.
The face of James Harold Potter stared back at him.
@_@
Uh, oh! Polyjuice potion is supposed to wear off in an hour, isn't it? Isn't it? Then, why is remus still not himself? What's going on? WHAT'S HAPPENING!? You shall find out the answers all in the next chapter of "Something Like Deception". Until then, REVIEW if you want more!