Chapter Nine
Soul Exchange
Lily was officially on the quest to discover Genevieve's flaw.
Anything! Lily cried inwardly as Genevieve strutted into Transfiguration that morning-fashionably late, of course.
She dropped her books beside Lily and greeted in her loudest voice. "Good morning, Professair McGonagall!"
The stern professor eyed Genevieve grimly. "Take a seat, Miss Thierry. I will no tolerate tardiness."
"Oui, Mademoiselle," she bowed deeply and Lily bit her tongue to stop her laughter.
Professor McGonagall sniffed as continues to teach the class on Daemons.
Lily dipped her quill in the inkwell, scratching down notes.
"You need zhee notes?" Genevieve questioned incredulously, in a most condescending manner. "I remembair everythink she is saying."
Lily's response was no response. She felt bitter toward Genevieve because of the whole James incident. She had somehow got it fixed in her head that James would always pine for her and never go out with anyone else. Yet, now perfectly immaculate Genevieve had stolen him from her as well. It was petty and juvenile; she knew that. Still, she continued to nurse the grudge.
Hogwarts at that time of the year, was undergoing it's yearly dressing as the house of Halloween. A neat line of gruesomely carved pumpkins lined the walls. Lit up pumpkins idly floated in the bewitched ceiling, as well. Large orange and black streamer and banners were hung, announcing the date. Cobwebs were enlarged and the notorious clamping hands acted as delicate candle holders. Knights and any other of the ghouls of Hogwarts acted as escorts to students. And of course, there was the usual assortment of tongue-twisting candy at every table in the great hall. Lily used to love Halloween, but once you found out you were a witch…the magic died down a bit.
This year, however, the Headmaster had prepared a surprise. There was to be a Halloween Masquerade Ball right after the Hogosmeade trippers returned. This turn of events replaced the usual Halloween feast, although food would still be present at the ball. Lily was not particularly pleased at this announcement. A ball meant she would have to find a date and she was absolutely rubbish at finding those…. Lily sighed packing up her books.
The halls were jammed with people, because all the other routes were tinged with the disgusting aroma of a stink pellet (the handiwork of the immature Marauder, of course.) So in frustration, Lily decided to take a shorter route to the dungeons for her Potions class with Professor Slughorn. After descending a couple of flights of stairs, she ended up beside Jules Lovegood.
"Oh, Jules, hello," Lily greeted. The gangly fair-haired boy fixed his misty grey eyes upon Lily.
"Do you believe in sodevors?"
Lily, who was used to Jules's peculiar manners, nodded.
"Sure…but what are they?"
"Nothing you'd want to know. Did you hear the Slytherins have started up their own society, now?" Jules questioned in an offhand way.
Lily shrugged, glancing around distractedly.
They finally arrived in the nick of time because Jules was a slow walker and Lily felt bad to abandon him.
She plunked her books on the nearest table. A moment later she regretted it because Genevieve and James were seated suffocatingly close.
"Tardee-ness weel not be tolee-raated!" singsonged Genevieve in Lily's ear. To her surprise, Lily found herself grinning.
"Oui, oui, mademoiselle!" she heard herself replying.
Genevieve flashed her a pearly smile.
A few minutes later, the beefy, bumbling Professor Slughorn shuffled in. "Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Slughorn," the class chorused back.
Slughorn dropped a stack of papers atop his desk and paused to survey the class through his watery grey eyes. He was a short, stubby man with very round features and a balding pumpkin shaped head.
Lily didn't worry about potions much, Professor Slughorn had chosen Lily to join the Slug Club year ago, which pushed her into his favourites category. His boasting about former students and his connections irked her bit, but as along as she got by Potions without much trouble…Lily glanced a few desks over, Genevieve was whispering something into James's year. She wondered if Genevieve would be part of the Slug Club, James already was.
"I have something very exciting for today," claimed Slughorn, clapping his hands in eagerness. Lily leaned forward interestedly, ignoring Genevieve's persistent tittering-a response to something James said.
"Who can tell me what Spirsol Cantaverti is?"
Lily's hand flew up so fast, she was positive she had defeated Genevieve this time. When she glanced one seat over, she realised Genevieve wasn't even paying attention-scribbling something on the edge of her parchment. Lily felt a twinge of annoyance as she answered in a dull voice.
"It's the exchange of two human souls for a period of thirteen minutes. Sometimes, if done incorrectly, the tricky potion can be fatal."
"That is why we must not tell the headmaster!" Slughorn joked. When no one laughed, he continued, "you'll be making the potion, but only trying my samples."
Relief ensued throughout the classroom. "Good work, Lily. Take 10 points for Gryffindor, although I wish it were Slytherin!"
"10! Isn't that a bit too much!" whined Amos Diggory, who had been giving Lily an extremely cold shoulder after the whole Cynthia Goodwin incident. And Lily supposed, she deserved it.
"Now, we'll trying the sample first, before we tackle this immensely difficult potion-yes?"
Genevieve had raised her hand high in the air. "But sir, what iz zhee point?"
"Pardon?" begged Slughorn.
"Zhee point of zhis potion?" repeated Genevieve in bewilderment, gesturing at the blackboard where Slughorn's instructions had magically appeared.
"Why woold I like to switch zhee souls?"'
"The point…" pondered Slughorn, stroking him walrus moustache, "the point is you bring up a very good point, Miss-?"
"Thierry. Miss Genevieve Thierry," Genevieve replied, bobbing her silvery head.
"The point is so you can feel how another classmate feels," spoke Lily in measured tones.
"Wouldn't that be an invasion of their privacy?" James Potter stared at her cheekily.
Genevieve winked obviously at James. "You will be much debated, James Pottair!" she declared.
Lily rolled her eyes. "The potion is an assignment. Now why don't we all be quiet and just do it!" she exclaimed, her calm, collected exterior finally crumbling.
"Leely!" Genevieve cried, "you ruined our fun!"
"Yeah, Evans…lighten up!" James backed Genevieve.
"No! Lily is right!" exclaimed Amelia loyally, in an attempt to support Lily.
"Yeah!" echoed Andie and Gen.
James just scoffed, "Evans's cheer squad!"
Professor Slughorn beamed kindly down at her. "Thank you, Lily."
Lily glanced down at her notebook, fiddling with her quill; for some reason she did not feel as if she had done a good thing.
"Alright…now I'll be divide you into pairs-"
Noooooo
When this statement was met with groans, Slughorn added hastily, "I have my reasons and they are perfectly valid-now, where was I…yes-"
His gaze fell upon Lily. "Miss Evans, how about you and…"
Not Genevieve. Not Genevieve.
"Mr. Potter…?"
Not James. Not James.
Lily sighed; that chanting really didn't do her any good now. She reluctantly shuffled over to James, who didn't seem too pleased with the arrangements either.
"Hey it's only switching souls for about thirteen minutes…" he said jokingly to Sirius. "Now I'll know how Evans feels."
"I prefer Lily," Lily informed him coldly as Sirius moved away. James shrugged in response.
She didn't understand him-one minute he liked her and the next minute he loathed her. One minute he was siding with her and the next minute he was against her. What was wrong with him? Couldn't he think clearly? Did Lily have to do the thinking for both of them! All in all she felt very confused.
As Slughorn requested Jules Lovegood to carefully pass out the samples, Lily observed the pairs. Genevieve and Andie made a mournful match. Andie detested Genevieve even more than she detested Arithmancy…and that was saying something. And Genevieve was shooting a sorrowful in James's direction. Gen surrendered her soul to Remus gladly and vice versa. Lily felt a stab of jealousy as she watched the two, making doe-eyes at each other. Her eyes shifted over to Amelia who was reluctantly trudging over to Sirius Black, with a doleful expression on her face. Lily felt, Professor Slughorn ought to refine his skills in matchmaking.
She sighed heavily, receiving the sample Jules passed her and handling it cautiously. It came in a rose coloured flask and bubbled suspiciously.
"Now all you have to do is, face your partner, commit their face to memory-you must not forget…."
Lily and James stared dully at each other. Lily's emerald green eyes roved his oval shaped face, flitting across his wavy jet-black hair, long straight nose, hazel coloured eyes (which seemed slightly murky at the moment) and full mouth. James did the same, seizing Lily with those powerful eyes.
Lily felt self-conscious. She slouched slightly lower, folding her pale, thin hands primly in her lap, crossing and recrossing legs and biting her bottom lip nervously. She gathered her shock of red hair into a bun at the base of her neck and fiddled with the earring on her left ear as he examined her.
"Now yank out a strand of your hair and add it to the potion," instructed Slughorn.
Lily pulled out a glistening strand of goldish-red, uncorking the flask and adding it along with James's thick black one.
The two watched as their hair dissolved into the rose-coloured concoction.
"Alright, now hold hands and count to three."
James's hand was already out, four long fingers and a wayward thumb directed her way. Lily took it, her heart thudding soundly in her chest, wondering if James felt as awkward as she did.
His warm hand encompassed her own, their fingers intertwining and thumbs layered upon one and other.
"One," said Lily.
"Two," continued James.
"Three!" they said together. James's grip tightened on Lily's hand.
"Repeat this phrase-Inca sera viva fera!"
"INCA SERA VIVA FERA!" the class shouted simultaneously.
There was a flashing of blinding white light and her vision dissolved, her vision was lost.
Lily felt strange. Her soul was in James's body. How weird was that?
She seemed to know what James was thinking. Seeing. Feeling.
In an odd moment, Lily realised James knew exactly what she was thinking.
Genevieve was right, Lily thought rather guiltily, she simply didn't understand the point.
Why can't I get over you, Lily?
Lily, horror-struck realised that was James's thoughts.
Why does she keep haunting me when I finally convince myself we're done! All we can be are friends-and I even doubt that…But her hand is so nice…and her hair catches light when she tilts her head.
Don't tilt your head, stupid! Lily cursed her body, her brain and wished her soul could return to it.
Lily tried ignoring James's thoughts and decided to see how the world looked like from his view. A few people glowed brighter than others, Sirius, for instance, Remus, too. And her.
She watched herself in rapt attention. She looked good!
Her skirt seemed shorter and her hair a more luminous, her eyes greener and cheeks rosier. She felt slightly disturbed that James saw her that way. Actually, she felt really disturbed about the whole potion. Each soul should stick to its own body, she decided.
In no time, the thirteen minutes flew by and Lily was glad to see the flash of yellow light signalling her return to her own body.
The class of kind of stirred, thoroughly shaken. Some glanced at each other as if they'd never seen each other in their lives.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Andie, shaking her head.
Remus and Gen smiled secretly at each other.
"So, what did you think?" asked Slughorn, cheerfully. Hands shot up into the air faster than Lily had ever seen them go.
She sneaked a peek at James, only to find that he was gazing at her also.