Disclaimer: It never changes. I don't own anything you recognize.

Lily sat on the Potters' couch after dinner, staring into the fire with a soft blanket wrapped around her. Her mind kept drifting back to the fight with her father. It had been only yesterday, but it felt like forever ago. As angry as she was with him and as hurt as she was that he couldn't even try to understand her position, she missed him greatly. She wondered if he was worrying about her right now, if he really did think that she'd been kidnapped.

Thinking about the fight reminded her of Sylvia and of how she'd brushed her off. She truly did believe that Sylvia hadn't meant to tell her father of their excursion to Diagon Alley; she had just been upset at the time. She felt bad now for yelling at Sylvia, and even more so for not telling her that she was leaving. She wished that she could contact her best friend, but that was going to be impossible. She had no idea how to get home from here, and she really didn't want to ask. She felt bad for telling Richard Potter that she had no home, but it was the only think she could think of.

The other thing that was bothering her was James. She had gone to Voldemort because she liked James and wanted to see him again, and Voldemorthad made her a witch in order to make that possible. Now, she had inadvertently ended up at his house. To any outsider, it would seem like the ideal situation. The problem was that he didn't remember her, and she couldn't figure out why. She had met him only a couple of days ago and had spent hours with him. Why would he forget her already? It also unnerved her that when she had tried to tell him that they had met before, she had found her mouth unable to form the words. It was almost as though something was preventing her from saying anything. And Sirius didn't recognize her either, which made the situation even more strange, if that was possible.

"Are you okay?"

She turned away from the fire and was startled to see James sitting next to her on the couch, bearing a curious expression.

"How long have you been there?"

"A few minutes."

"I didn't notice you come in."

"You looked pretty deep in thought. Is it anything you want to talk about?"

"Not really."

"Dad told me that you don't have a wand. He was told that you do wandless magic. You must be pretty powerful."

"What? I can't even do magic WITH a wand. What makes you think that I could do it without one?"

"The employee at the Ministry told my dad that you said you were wandless. And what do you mean that you can't do magic with a wand either. Aren't you a witch?"

"I did. I was confirming that I was without a wand. And umm…"

"You must be a witch, or you wouldn't have been able to get into the Ministry."

"I am. I just…I never learned magic."

"Didn't you go to school?"

"Umm…" Lily had to think really quickly. She couldn't tell James about her father, because she doubted that a witch could have non-magical parents. "My parents died before I would have started school. I…I didn't have anyone to take me in, so I was adopted by non-magical people."

"But if your parents were wizards and you are a witch, you would have been down on the list for Hogwarts, even if you were living with muggles. Didn't you get a letter when you turned eleven?"

"Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You don't know about it?"

"No…umm…the…muggles...must not have understood when the letter came," she lied uncertainly, hoping that that 'muggles' was the right word to use. "They must have thrown it out. I…I forgot about the wizarding world. I dreamt about it last night, and it all came flooding back to me. I needed to come back. I couln't pretend that this world didn't exist when I had finally remembered it."

"Wow. I can't imagine never having learned magic. Maybe I could teach you some simple spells and things like that. We're going through dark times right now, and it's really important to be able to defend yourself."

"I would like that."

"How about we take a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow and see about getting a wand for you?'

"Sure," she replied, getting up. "I'm going to go to bed now. I'm pretty tired. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright," he replied.

She folded up the blanket she had been using and returned it to its position on the back of the couch. She turned around and was about to head upstairs but changed her mind at the last minute. She turned back. "Thanks, James," she said softly before leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. Even if he didn't remember her, she still liked him.

James sat there quite shocked as he watched her leave the room. He found his voice just as she reached the doorway, and he called out, "Sleep well."

She turned and smiled at him, giving him a slight wave before heading upstairs to her room.

James, who remained seated on the couch, reached a hand up to touch his cheek. There was something mysteriously familiar about the way his heart had fluttered when she had kissed him, and he couldn't figure out what it was. He sat there for a long time thinking about her before realizing how late it was and heading up to bed.

James was sitting at the table eating breakfast with his mom when Lily came down the next morning wearing the same clothes she'd had on the previous day.

"Come have some pancakes, Lily," James beckoned after swallowing his food.

She smiled and obliged, taking the same seat as she had last night at dinner. She poured herself a glass of the orange juice that was on the table, put a couple of pancakes on her plate, and contentedly began to eat. "This is delicious, Mrs. Potter," she commented.

"Thank you, dear. Call me Caroline, please. I actually convinced Dotty to let me make breakfast this morning. I can't believe it. Anyway, James told me that he's taking you to Diagon Alley to get a wand today. I'll send some extra money along and you can buy a few changes of clothes. We don't want you to have to wear the same thing all the time."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I'll pay you back as soon as I get some money."

"Don't be silly. Consider it a gift."

The rest of breakfast was eaten in relative silence until Lily got up and went to the sink to wash her dishes.

"Lily Evans doesn't do dishes!" Dotty cried. "Dotty will take care of it."

Lily obediently stepped away from the sink, inwardly marveling at how quickly Dotty had appeared.

"Are you going to be okay flooing to Diagon Alley, Lily?" James asked her, setting his dishes on the counter for Dotty to wash.

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay, let me just go grab my wand and we'll go."

He ran up to his room to retrieve his wand, returning quickly. It was decided that he would go through the fireplace first, allowing his mother to help Lily and leaving him free to meet her on the other side.

Once he had gone through, Caroline motioned for Lily to take a handful of floo powder. "Now, step in and say, 'Diagon Alley.' Make sure you speak clearly or you might end up somewhere else."

Lily, dreading the spinning sensation and the ash in her eyes that she was sure to experience, squeezed her eyes tightly shut and stepped into the hearth. "Diagon Alley." This trip was slightly better than her last as she was able to avoid getting ash in her eyes, but the spinning still made her nauseous. Finally, she stumbled out of another fireplace and, unsurprisingly, landed flat on her butt. She looked up to see James staring at her, obviously trying to keep a straight face, and she scowled at him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh yes," she replied wryly, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine. My butt doesn't hurt at all."

His face broke out in a teasing grin and he let out a low chuckle. "Good. Because that was really, really funny."

She tried to scowl at him again, but she found herself unable to keep the smile off of her face and the laughter out of her voice as she replied, "Oh, just help me up, you doofus."

"Now that's not very nice," he laughed. "I'm not so sure I want to help you up anymore."

"I'm sorry," she said, but the grin on her face made the apology a little less than sincere.

"Oh, that was weak."

"Forgive me, James Potter. I know I can do better. You are the handsomest, most charming gentleman I've ever met and I would absolutely die if you weren't here to help me off this cold, hard floor."

"Much better!" he exclaimed, offering his hand and pulling her up, only to have her crash into him.

Lily looked up into his eyes, feeling a jolt in her stomach that she was sure was not just a side effect of her floo journey. She effectively broke the spell with a mischievous grin, informing him, "You're the most gullible chap I ever met, too." James just stood there with his mouth open. She let out a laugh before closing it for him and grabbing his arm, leading him off. "Come on, James, I need to get a wand before the next millennium, okay?"

James found himself following her, unable to think of anything but her hand in his, until she abruptly stopped and he bumped right into her. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

"Well, as much as I enjoy leading people around places that I don't know, I really think I ought to let you show me where to buy a wand before I get us both lost."

He chuckled and led her over to the wand shop, and as soon as they entered they were approached by Ollivander. His wide, silvery eyes quite frightened Lily as they appeared to gaze into her soul. "Umm…hello," she spoke unsurely. "I need a wand." The last part was spoken almost like a question, but the elderly man paid that no mind.

"Name?" he asked her.

"Lily…Lily Evans."

"Mm, yes, a bit overdue, aren't we?"

Assuming that he was referring to the fact that she was much older than the children starting school – Hogwarts, James had called it – she simply nodded and replied, "Better late than never."

He nodded before turning and searching through the many rows of boxes that lined the walls, finally pulling one out, opening it, and handing the wand inside to Lily. Not knowing what to do with it, she stood there stupidly until he urged her to wave it a bit, grabbing it from her almost immediately after she did. She was a little taken aback; nonetheless, she did the same thing with the next one, which he informed her was maple and dragon heartstring, eight inches.

The results were the same, and she continued trying wandswith no success until Ollivander handed her one that he said was willow, ten and a quarter inches, and swishy. She took the wand from him, instantly feeling a warmth in her finger tips. She waved it the same as she had all the others, but this time red and gold sparks shot out the end, and she knew that this was the wand for her even before Ollivander told her so. "You'll be a wiz at charms with that wand!" he exclaimed. She smiled, staring at her wand and not really paying attention, while James paid for it and led her out of the store.

"So, what now?" James asked her, falling into a comfortable pace beside her.

"I need to buy some clothes."

He took her to Madam Malkin's, where she quickly decided that she was not a fan of wizard's robes.

"Just buy one set in case you need them, then, and I'll take you to muggle London to buy some muggle clothes."

Lily agreed and ended up choosing a simple set of black robes. She watched James pay Madam Malkin, calling out a polite "thank you" to the woman before leaving with him.

They took a quick detour to Gringotts to exchange some money into muggle money then headed toward the exit from Diagon Alley. When they approached the brick wall that Lily knew would turn into an archway, James turned to her and asked, "Would you like to do the honours with your new wand?"

"Sure," she replied hesitantly, "But I don't know which bricks to…"

"Say no more. It's James Potter to the rescue!" he pronounced, pointing with his finger to the bricks that needed to be tapped in order to activate the wall.

She barely managed to say "My hero" in a soft, breathy voice before dissolving into giggles. Once she had composed herself, she used her newly acquired wand to tap the bricks in the proper sequence. When the wall began to turn into the archway that she remembered, she squealed in delight and launched herself into James' arms. He looked mildly shocked for a moment before he laughed and returned her hug. It was then that her brain caught up with her impulses and she realized what she was doing. She let go of him reluctantly, blushing, and silently led the way through the Leaky Cauldron and into Muggle London.

James was playing the part of confused male very well. He found himself attracted to Lily, but for one thing, he kept getting mixed signals from her, and for another, he still couldn't forget about the girl who had saved his life. He shook his head, deciding not to think about it, and let her lead him to what she claimed was her favourite clothing shop.

For her part, Lily felt very bad about using James' mother's money to buy herself clothes when she had more than enough clothes not a 30 minute walk away. She eased her conscience slightly by reminding herself that she couldn't go home and run the risk of running into Petunia, or worse, her father. James thought that she had been raised by muggles who were not her parents, and she doubted that her father would go along with that little story.

James waited patiently while Lily tried on a few outfits, grateful that she chose quickly. She tended to know what she liked and what she didn't, and he liked that about her. She would put on an outfit, look in the mirror, nod or shake her head, and go back to try on another one. She rarely asked if he liked something, which showed confidence, and it made her all the more attractive to him.

"So," he started, once he had paid and they had left the shop, "I've still got some money left and I'm bored. What's there to do around here?"

"We could go see a movie," she suggested.

"What's that?"

"You go sit in a dark room with lots of other people and you look up at a big screen while people that you don't know act out impossible or funny or scary or romantic scenarios."

"That's supposed to be fun?"

"Oh, just come on," she said. "You'll like it, I promise."

When they approached the movie theatre, they got in line, and James appeared to be observing the other people buying tickets. When the couple in front of them left with their tickets, he started to approach the boy with the funny clothes sitting behind the counter. "What are you doing?" Lily hissed. "Just watch an old pro and see how it's done," he said, and Lily buried her face in her hands, not knowing if she could watch.

James stood at the counter, staring at the boy who was looking at him with a bored expression on his face. Finally, the employee got annoyed with James staring at him. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes. We're going to see a movie," James replied, gesturing towards Lily. Then, reading the boy's nametag, he added, "Bob."

"Which one?"

"The one in the dark," he replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

James fumbled around in his pocket, pulling put a quarter and setting it down on the counter, looking at Bob expectantly.

"Did you need to make a phonecall, sir?" asked the employee dryly, rolling his eyes.

By this time, Lily had looked up, unable to tear her eyes away from the disaster going on in front of her, and frozen in place. She finally snapped out of it upon hearing a man behind her yell at James to hurry up. Putting on her best exasperated but flirty smile, she sauntered up to James.

"A phonecall, what's a..."

But he never got to finish his question, as Lily interrupted him. "James, sweetie, stop teasing the poor boy," she said in an obviously fake girly voice, and then giggled, turning her attention to Bob. "Sorry," she said. "My boyfriend here's a bit of a nutcase. We'll have two tickets to the Princess Bride." She reached intoJames' pocket to get out the money, ignoring the surprised look onhis face, and smiled at Bob when she handed him enough. "Keep the change as a tip for putting up with him," she said, gesturing toward James. Bob gave her the tickets and she led James off. He was looking at her incredulously, like she had grown another head.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"What was that?"

"Damage control. In case you haven't noticed, you are a complete buffoon. Now, I want some popcorn. Let me order this time so you don't make a complete fool of yourself."

They managed to buy popcorn and get seats in the theatre without any further incident, but everything had taken them so long that by the time they sat down and were comfortable, the movie was just starting.

All through the movie, James kept making comments like, "What an idiot,""As if that would ever happen,""I want a sword,""What kind of weirdo has six fingers?""Why doesn't Westley just turn him into a newt or something?" or, herfavourite,"R.O.U.S's? And yet theses muggles think wizards and witches are far fetched." Finally, Lily decided to shut him up by throwing popcorn at him.

"James, ixnay on the agicmay," she hissed.

"What on the what?" he asked, a little too loudly.

The guy in front of them turned around and glared at them. "Would you two shut up!" As soon as he turned back to watch the movie, James stuck out his tongue at the man and threw some of Lily's popcorn at the back of his head.

Lily tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it. "James," she admonished through her giggles, a little louder than she meant to. "Don't throw popcorn at people."

"But you…" James never got to finish his sentence because he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. "Hi, Bob!" he said upon seeing the familiar boy with the funny shirt.

"I can't believe you got me kicked out of a movie!" Lily exclaimed when they were out on the sidewalk again.

"Oh, come on. Admit that you had fun."

"I didn't get to see the end of the movie!"

"But you still had more fun than you've ever had before in your entire life, right?"

She couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. She hit him playfully on the arm. "You're a nut, you know that?"

"As long as you don't try to eat me," he replied with a cheeky grin.

She groaned at the lame joke and began dragging him back toward the Leaky Cauldron. "Let's just get out of Muggle London before you blab all your secrets for the entire world to hear."

Thank you again to my reviewers. You guys made my day - well, days actually. Again, see my bio page for my responses. Anyways, about the movie, I do realize that the Princess Bride isn't quite the right time frame, but it was the only semi-old movie that I could think of. Just be glad that I didn't make the movie something that's out in theatres now, or worse, try to be cute and have them go see Harry Potter. So please review and let me know what you think, and in return, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible.