Just Another Day…

Satori Blackthorn


"In today's lesson, class," Professor Flitwick started, introducing the day's topic to his sixth year Gryffindor/Slytherin class, "we will be using the Proprotos charm to change items back into their original state. Who can tell me a reason why you would use the Proprotos charm?" The diminutive professor asked the silent group. A lone land shot into the air. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

The aforementioned Gryffindor smiled shyly and announced her answer clearly to the class, most of which were staring off into space. Charms was their last class of the week, and with a Hogsmeade trip to look forward to the next day, the attention span of the teens were seriously lacking. Luckily for the group they didn't have Transfiguration as their last class. Even with a trip off grounds ahead of them, there was no way that Professor McGonagall would let them slack off.

"The Proprotos charm can be used to charm parchment back into wood, or to transfigure an article of clothing back into wool. However, if an article has gone under more than one transformation…"

Lily went on, explaining a few of the disadvantages of using the Proprotos charm, exploiting her great knowledge of the subject without sounding too much like a know-it-all. Something that only Lily could manage. The class went on in their stupor, occasionally scribbling down a few notes on doodle-covered pieces of parchment.

However, there was one student immune to the lethargic state in the classroom. One lone student – other than Lily of course – was still wide-awake and listening.

James Potter was also doodling on his charms parchment, but not with random scrawls done in the hand of one too tired to do more than trail their quill up and down the margins, his was covered with one name.

'Lily Evans.'

James withheld a sigh, glancing down, once again, at the fiery-red head in the front row.

"Prongs… Prongs… Oi, Prongsie!" came a whispered voice from his side.

"Eh… what Padfoot?"

James' best friend, and fellow instigator in many pranks pulled on the unwary student populace, Sirius Black was regarding his slyly.

"Daydreaming about Evans again, Prongsie?"

"About Evans? Of course not Padfoot," James answered, just a little too quickly.

"Then why," came the voice of another one of James' friends and fellow pranksters, "do you constantly write her name over and over on your notes?"

"I do not write her name on my notes, Moony!" James retorted, covering his latest masterpiece with his arm. Remus Lupin, who was sitting on James' other side, raised an eyebrow at him. For being the founder of the infamous Marauders, James wasn't a very good liar when it came to Lily.

"We know you fancy her James," Remus pointed out.

"Since second year, mate. Just admit it." Sirius grinned.

"I do not! Evans is… Evans… her hair is too red…"

"Lily's beautiful Prongsie. And if ISirius Black, say a girl is beautiful, then it is undoubtedly true," he said, waving his hands in the air to emphasize his point.

"She's a know-it-all…" James continued, pretending he wasn't hearing them.

"You're just jealous because she's better than you in Charms."

"She has no sense of humour…"

"Well, you were the one who put the fireworks under her cauldron in third year and caused the Stain-remover potion to make her face disappear…"

"She always rats on us when she finds out about our pranks…"

"She is a Prefect, James, it's her job. And she's cut us slack plenty of times."

"YOU don't rat on us, Moony." James retorted angrily, dropping all pretence of ignoring his fellow Marauders.

"True, but that's 'cause you've corrupted me."

"She's just so… so…"

Sirius and Remus looked at their friend, waiting for him to complete his statement. But James found he couldn't. There was nothing nasty he could say about Evans without lying. Lily was gorgeous, smart, funny… everything he wanted in a girl. He could work on her strict regard to the rules… if she ever gave him a chance. But THAT was out of the question. She despised everything about him. She had told him that to his face last year.

In front of the entire school no less.

But he did fancy her. There was no way he could deny that any longer. Sirius had been right. Ever since their second year, he had known there was something special about Lily. Even when he wasn't interested in girls in anything other than targets for pranks he had known that Lily was different than the others. His realization came from the first time he had tried to scare her with a spider (he had only been twelve, his pranks hadn't the finesse they had now) and she had taken it out of his hands and put it down the back of his robes.

There was definitely something special about Lily Evans.

Noticing his friends were still looking at him expectantly, James thought quickly for a way to escape their 'friendly' interrogation.

His hand landed on his wand he had hidden under his desk, on his lap, had the need to spice the class up with a few Slytherin-seeking dungbombs ever surfaced. James congratulated himself on his good planning.

Carefully manoeuvring his wand so that it was pointed at the underside of his desk he thought of the spell he would need to complete the task.

"She's just so what, Jamsie?" Sirius prompted, seeing his friend stuck for anything to fill in the blank with. Knowing grins widened on their faces. Was it possible that the almighty James Potter was actually going to admit being head over heels with Lily Evans?

In the front of the class, Professor Flitwick had just announced that the class was ready to try the Proprotos charm. James realized this was his chance.

"When you are ready, try to transform your parchment back into its original state, using the words 'Proprotos parchment'."

Ignoring Professor Flitwick's instructions, James racked his mind for the words he'd need to complete his task. Remus and Sirius were still looking at their friend, now a tad uneasy at his prolonged silence. Any time James was unnaturally silent for prolonged periods of time had come to mean he was planning something.

At the same time that Sirius cried out, "Merlin James, just say it!" a few things happened.

Half of the class tried the Proprotos charm for the first time.

Professor Flitwick dropped his lesson plan and scrambled off his stack of books to retrieve it.

Lily Evans successfully charmed her parchment back into its original state and looked to the back of the class to see if her academic rival, James Potter had done the same.

James remembered the spell McGonagall had mentioned in passing that he had later looked up on to see what the difficulty level was. Thank Merlin it hadn't been too advanced. Once he had mastered it, the spell was a great help in his pranking. But then again, Transfiguration had always been his easiest, and favourite subject.

"Lepidoptera Seismo Kinetos!" he enunciated clearly, rhythmically waving his wand in the designated pattern. With the last syllable of the spell, he jerked his wand quickly upward.

Surveying the results of his actions, he grinned from his position on the floor. Because the spell was so powerful he, as well as those surrounding him – Sirius and Remus- had ended up, a bit dazed.

Yes, he did love this spell.

The spell had transfigured thousands of tiny air particles into colourful butterflies and sent they flying around the Charms classroom. He still wasn't sure what particles in the air transfigured into butterflies, but had long decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Not only were there thousands of them, though, they also zoomed around with a speed unknown to the usually delicate creatures.

Fortunately, the butterflies were only pseudo ones, meaning they were not truly alive. James would never subject real butterflies to the fate that awaited these ones. Whenever one of the butterflies landed, they exploded in a veritable maelstrom of color and lights.

Thus creating the perfect distraction and way out of answering his friends' probing questions.

Dodging a larger swallowtail, James ducked underneath the ruins of his desk, trying to think of a good tale to tell Professor Flitwick, he decided his excuse was that he simply confused the wand movement (again). Catching the eyes of Remus and Sirius, James couldn't help but chuckle. Their faces and school uniforms were charred as a result of the first explosion, and they had also become victim to a few of the charmed butterflies.

Yes, just another instance where in which Transfiguration had saved his life.

And his dignity…

Just not his Charms mark…


End
Well, I hope you guys liked it... I was struck with inspiration one night (actually, really, really early in the morning...) And here we are! There might be more Lily/James fics coming out from me in the future - you never know! Please review, maybe you can convince me.

Satori B.