Something Like Deception

A/N: Hey! This story is falling behind! It has more chapters, but "Unregistered Animagi!" has more reviews! What's up with that? Maybe I shouldn't update both of them at the same time? Oh well, bring on the fluff and angsty stuff!

Christy: Thank you! I tried to make her reaction as original as I could, but it's been done so many times before, so it's a bit hard.

firehottie: Thanks! Here's more!

Amariel: Hope this is fluffy enough for you!

Sallymander: Go ahead and say it. I know, Lily was being a bit mean, but I figured that would be her reaction because of all the things James did to Remus, you know? Anyways, fluff in this chapter!

jess131346: Heehee. Yeah, Dobby!

Titou Moony: (hugs back) I didn't say they WOULDN'T switch bodies. I just said, they wouldn't switch now! They MIGHT switch back later. I haven't decided yet. And please do translate that review for me! Which story was it for?

grace: Please don't die! I wouldn't want that on my conscience! Here's more for you! And don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing!

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me.

Chapter Twelve – when nightmares and wishes come true

James Potter was scared. Scared wasn't even a word for it. He was frightened, terrified, and shaking like mad. Tonight was the night of the full moon.

Sirius had come to him two days ago and had explained patiently and reluctantly that he had no choice, but to go through with it, and James had appropriately cursed him out. Sirius hadn't been back since.

James was no fool. One tiny part of his brain understood that it was the werewolf talking. It had to be. He wouldn't normally say things like that to his best friend, and Evans . . . What would she think of him now? Not to mention Remus. The look on his face was pure horror.

But all of that didn't matter right now. What did matter was that he was transforming tonight. He was turning into a werewolf.

---

"I can't do it," Remus sighed.

"Just try a bit harder!" Sirius insisted. "I'm sure you can . . . Maybe you're just not concentrating."

"I've BEEN trying! I can't do it! James is Prongs, not me," Remus replied. He had been trying to transform into the stag for the entire day, but had been wholly unsuccessful, and was exhausted by all of his efforts.

Sirius's shoulders drooped in defeat. "But . . . Well, I suppose I can handle Moony for tonight . . ."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, doubtfully. He knew James would be a lot more uncontrollable than he would, and that Peter would be no help at all.

Sirius hesitated. "I'm sure," he finally said, squaring his shoulders.

---

James screamed in agony. This was unlike any pain he had ever experienced before. It was nothing like when he transformed into Prongs.

His bones were shifting around. He could feel them moving, changing shape. It was all his skin could do to keep up. It felt like his bones would rip right through at any moment.

He writhed on the floor. He could literally felt his nose grow longer, he could feel his hair grow, and more hair sprout up on his body in places where it shouldn't belong. His ears were disappearing into the sides of his head with a sickening squelch, and for a second, he couldn't hear a damn thing, then two wolf ears erupted out of his head, and he was drowning in the sudden clarification of his hearing.

His eyes were growing larger. He could feel them expanding. He was down on all fours now, and instead of screaming, he was howling. Gradually, everything was coming into focus. He could see more details in this room than ever before. He could see every little nook and cranny in the wall, and scratch marks on it that he somehow knew belonged to a dog.

Something protruded from his backside, and he turned round and round trying to discover what it was that was moving. He finally figured out that it was his own tail.

Suddenly, he heard a noise and the whine of a dog. He spun around. A dog! There was a dog in HIS territory!? But, wait. He knew this dog, didn't he?

This dog meant him no harm.

And yet . . . this wolf was hungry. If the dog didn't want to defend himself, then the wolf was going to go to sleep with a full belly tonight.

---

Remus felt awful. It was HIM who was supposed to be down in that shrieking shack . . . experiencing that dreadful pain, not Prongs. Prongs may have deserved a lot of things, but not this. No one deserved this kind of pain.

Remus realized with a jolt that it really was all his fault. If he had just been honest in the first place, then none of this madness would have happened. Sure, his friends would have been pissed, but in time, they would have gotten over it.

He sat up, a determined look on his face. He was going to start being honest, damn it. And he was going to start right now.

He summoned a quill and a piece of parchment towards him on his bed, and began to write a letter . . .

---

Lily Evans peered around the corner, frightened that someone would be along any minute to tell her off. She was going to get detention. She just knew it!

Gathering her nerves, she crept toward the big double doors at the end of the hall. She put a hand on them and pushed them open, letting out a breath. No one had spotted her.

'Why, oh why,' she thought, 'does Remus want to meet me at the lake at this ungodly hour?' He had sent her a cryptic note that said simply, "Meet me at the lake at midnight. We have to talk."

Lily made her way toward the lake, sighing. "What I should be asking myself is why I'm even bothering to go."

She shivered, the chill in the night air seeping through her clothes. "Lily," Potter's relieved voice said. Lily looked up and spotted him sitting there, his glasses slightly crooked. The moonlight danced on his hair and made it appear to shine.

"Remus," Lily caught her breath. For a second, he had looked like her Remus, instead of that arrogant Potter.

Without warning, he came over to her, and almost bowled her over in a bone- crushing hug. "Lily, thank goodness!" he said into her ear. "I-I thought you wouldn't come."

Lily regained her senses, and pulled away from him a faint tinge of red highlighting her cheeks. "I almost didn't," she said, shortly. "What do you want?"

A hurt expression crossed his face. "I want to explain," he said, after a moment's hesitation.

"Remus – "

"No, listen to me, Lily, please?" Remus interrupted, his eyes pleading with her.

Lily sighed. "Just hurry. It's cold out here."

Remus smiled sheepishly, causing Lily to scowl. He had Potter's grin down perfectly. "Well?" she said, impatiently.

Remus stared at the ground, trying to avoid her gaze. He didn't want her to look at him like that. "Please, don't be mad There's so much you don't understand," he said, before she could open her mouth. He kept his eyes on the ground. "I came to Hogwarts, and I – I thought I would be rejected because of what I was . . . but I wasn't, Lily. I have real friends here. James, Sirius . . . and you. I've wanted to tell you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I didn't know what you would say. I wasn't sure how – "

"Oh, Remus! You didn't have to lie!" Lily said, launching herself over at him and hugging him around the waist. "I understand that you can't go running around telling the whole school, but . . . You just have to trust me!"

Remus stared down at her in shock. "You're not . . .mad?" he wondered.

"No. Well, I am a little because you lied," Lily said, straightening herself up.

Remus blushed. "Oh."

"You know?" Lily said, thoughtfully. She had a playful smile on her face. "There may be a way you can make it up to me . . ."

"How?" Remus asked, immediately.

Lily grinned and rose to her feet, holding out her hand for Remus's. He rose to his feet and took her hand, smiling uncertainly.

"Remember, when I told you about that certain fantasy of mine?" she asked, sweetly.

Remus was confused. She hit him, playfully. "Remus! Don't tell me you don't remember?"

He smiled. "Sorry," he said.

"I wanted to walk with you," she said, starting to blush, "hand-in-hand . . . under the full moon. Remember? You frowned then, and I think you thought maybe I wouldn't notice, but I wondered why." Her smile disappeared. "And now I know why."

Remus turned red. "I thought it would take a miracle for me to be able to do that," he mumbled.

"But, look, Remus!" Lily pointed upwards, thinking that maybe he still hadn't quite caught on. "It's a full moon!"

Remus's eyes suddenly widened. He really did feel like an idiot, now. He looked up and drew in a breath. The moon was huge. He had never . . . seen it so . . . FULL before. And it was gorgeous. For the first time, he didn't resent the moon.

"I'm . . . I'm still human," he breathed, realizing the reality of the situation for the first time.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Duh," she said. Remus stared at her, almost hungrily, and suddenly, without warning, he grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Then, he leaned down and kissed her with every ounce of passion that he had, so that Lily was left, literally, breathless.

"What was that for?" she asked him, her eyes wide, and her cheeks flushed. "I just wanted to walk with you."

Remus flashed her a crazy loon's grin. "For being you," he whispered, pulling her back into his arms. "My Lily . . . more beautiful than any other."

"My Remus," she whispered, savoring the words on her tongue. Her heart pounding wildly, she leaned up for another kiss.

'My Remus . . .'

---

A/N: Ah . . . that was so . . . unbelievably sweet. Sugar coated, really. Well, it's the sweetest thing I've ever written, nowhere near the sweetest thing I've ever read, though!

I'LL LOVE YOU IF YOU REVIEW!!!

Ariana S.