Chapter 28
Remus and Eva lay under the stars, a serene silence between them as they enjoyed the presence of each other. To know that there was somebody else in the world that you trust, that could protect you and understand you…well that feeling was priceless. Yet there was something tugging at Remus that weighed heavy in his heart. He was a cursed man, a werewolf knew no love and deserved none and although Eva had confessed her father being a werewolf, Remus believed that it did not change their relationship. She couldn't love him while he couldn't even accept himself for what he was.
"So what happened to you father?" Remus asked softly with his eyes closed, feeling the soft tufts of grass shake with the wind between his fingers.
Eva breathed in the soft sweet air and turned onto her side, shifting closer to the blonde. Remus Lupin had always been the subject of her admiration, every since second or third year, he had excelled in everything he did whether it be academically or socially. Yet, Eva had always found him mysterious; there was a shroud of insecurity surrounding this seemingly perfect body. He seemed to not confide in anyone other than his 3 closest friends being James, Sirius and Peter. Although he was always nice to his fellow pupils, Remus Lupin had never once been close to anyone. In fact, it seemed he was afraid, and this confusion that Eva possessed about him had finally, after several years been answered on the Hogsmeade Trip.
A revelation had hit her, she understood what Remus was bearing, a secret so heavy it would have collapsed any human being. Yet his courage at being able to hold such a nauseating secret reaffirmed the fact that she, Eva Milton had fallen in love with this most unusual character. She couldn't help it, unbeknownst to either of them during their encounters, love had found its place between her and Remus. Like all relationships, they had their problems and one of them was making itself known.
"He died…my father had never been a strong man, he was exploited for his kindness – finally, he just couldn't accept what he was and with no friends to bear his pain, he committed suicide. I only knew he was a werewolf on his deathbed." Eva felt Remus embrace her and she struggled to bite back the tears that had been contained in her for a long time. She was the only one her father had told about his condition, and she didn't have the heart to tell Brittany and Lily…they would just feel sorry for her and perhaps even distance her. Yet with Remus, she felt she could not be dishonest, especially as he shared the same condition as her father whom she had loved deeply.
Remus felt his heart slice in two as Eva revealed her inner traumas. It was somewhat a relief to hear of Eva's mishaps with her father. It seemed someone else in the world was bearing a secret as heavy as he was. Yet how could he burden this beautiful girl that lay in the crook of his arm with his condition? She had clearly suffered enough, the curse of the werewolf had already taken away her father whom she had clearly cherished. He could not let them become too close, she would only love and feel the pain of loss again. His transformations would be too painful for her, his inhumane and unloving beastlike form would be a curse on her, no, his suffering alone would be enough.
"I want to share your pain Remus, losing my father was quite painful for me, I saw how his suffering alone eroded him…tell me everything. You can trust me" As Eva held his coarse hand and looked up at him with watery eyes all Remus wanted to do was to spill his thoughts to her. What he wanted to do most in the world was to share everything with Eva yet as he opened his mouth, he turned away and broke their intense gaze.
"I'm sorry, I can't" he whispered as he stood up and walked away, leaving Eva's gentle sobs behind. Remus sighed as he felt a numbing pain in his heart, his rational mind had always won over his heart, his heart that yearned to know love and passion…how long was this curse going to affect his life?
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Horace Slughorn bit down on his lip as he took another chug from the whisky bottle laying on his desk. He furrowed his eyebrows and grasped the little hair that was left on his balding head. Tom…Tom Marvolo Riddle had been on his mind, the wonderful, brilliant young wizard he had taught, so full of potential, so full of life. Slughorn had thought that this young genius would contribute much to the wizarding world. As he stared into the depths of his dim office, he begrudgingly smiled. He hadn't been wrong…indeed, Lord Voldemort had wrecked havoc in the world, he had accomplished what no wizard had done before, war was upon them and he, Horace Slughorn had used his own hands to create the monster. He had given birth to Riddle, and as much as he wanted to run away from his responsibility he knew Dumbledore wouldn't let him – his heavy head collapsing onto the desk, he gurgled as he remembered the events which took place at the beginning of the year.
"We must fight Horace, I see no reason for a very able man not to contribute to the wizarding world which he has known for his whole life!" Dumbledore spoke with a firmness as he faced Slughorn in his office. There was no desperation in the Headmaster's voice, only persuasion.
"You don't understand Albus, I cannot face He Who Must Not Be Named…there is guilt deep inside of me, I would never have guessed that Tom, Tom Riddle would have become…" Slughorn was flustered as he stood up, ranting on about one of his best students…he paced Dumbledore's office, constantly flickering his glance towards the door, clearly wanting out.
"We have all made mistakes but it is not too late to fix them" Dumbledore gestured for Slughorn to sit to which he did if not with disgruntle. "I am not asking you to join the Order…but you Horace are a powerful wizard as much as you won't admit it. Your students are full of bravery and passion to defeat the Dark Lord yet you are cowering!"
"I am not proud Albus, I can't…" Slughorn met Dumbledore's concerned gaze which pleaded with the Headmaster not to push his fragile state. Slughorn's gaze seemed to question the silver-bearded man whether he knew of the blunders he had committed.
Dumbledore did not answer Slughorn's pleads. "James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius, Eva, Remus, Brittany…these are all capable students which will not hesitate to confront Voldemort" Slughorn flinched but Dumbledore ignored him "we must help them know that there is still good left on this earth and it is this love which will defeat Him. Only our good will combined will make us stronger Horace…"
That was when Albus Dumbledore had given Horace Slughorn his 'assignment'. He had to think of a way in which his students could discover that it was only through their combined efforts could they escape the hard times they were faced with.
And now, his last thoughts before he fell into a drunken slumber, Horace Slughorn wished that his plans for the Love Potion would work…or otherwise Dumbledore would be after his tail again.
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"Well today is the big day then" Slughorn beckoned his students in, most of who were clutching a vial in their hands. Hastily wiping beads of sweat off his face, Slughorn tried to remove the imagery of a smiling Albus Dumbledore out of his mind and concentrated on the carrying out of such an important lesson.
"Putin and Nott, how about we begin with you" Slughorn took a seat and beckoned the two students up the front. "Now" he cautioned "the Love Potion is a complex and marvelous potion, full of mystery and wonder as its results differ with each brewer. The effects as we are testing today may be humorous so please refrain from being too obnoxious. You may begin" He concluded nodding at the anxious girl and boy.
After both drank the pink concoction, the effects were immediate. The girl's hair changed colour while her eyes became a blue watery effect, staring into the boy's. After 5 minutes of happy love chatting and sharing a rather magical kiss, the two were asked to take the antidote and to sit down by a grinning Slughorn. The two were undoubtedly somewhat embarrassed and scuttled away from each other, causing the classroom to be filled with sniggering.
This continued for about half the lesson and many effects were similar yet the texture and colour of all the potions were uniquely different. It was clear when the potion had been a disaster as one girl sprouted boils all over her face while the boy's skin had seemingly melted on the spot. They had to be taken immediately to the Hospital Wing, the girl in heavy tears.
Finally, there were only two couples left, James and Lily as well as Severus Snape and Missy Redding who leered dangerously at James and Lily as they walked passed when Slughorn called their name.
"Good luck Tiger…this is going to be one of the sweet sweet stories we tell our grandchildren" James chuckled as he whispered into Lily's ear.
Lily grunted and walked a little ahead of him, refraining herself from rolling her eyes, clutching the vial which contained a rather fluorescent yellow liquid inside so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
"You may begin" Lily's hand shook as she uncapped the vial and with a beating heart, she took down half the liquid, begrudgingly handing it to James as she managed a weak smile at Slughorn who was nodding feverishly at her, his pudgy cheeks shaking too and fro.
However, then and there, something miraculous happened, after James had taken down the other half of the potion, the effects were so bizarre it caused him to drop the glass vial so it shattered. The looks of awe on the class's face were evident and after 2 seconds of shock, the whole class had burst out guffawing with laughter. James goggled at Lily because she now possessed his body…her beautiful head was on top of his muscular frame while he, oh God he couldn't look down, yes…his body was now the elegant petite form of Lily Evans. Lily groaned in agony, they had failed the assignment for sure, what she couldn't understand was why, she was sure their potion had been brewed perfectly…
"I – what happened?" James managed to squawk as with another groan, he realized he was speaking in Lily's voice. His blood was boiling as he saw looks of undeniable mirth on his fellow classmate's faces…Snape and Redding were not laughing but their looks of surprise had quickly turned into malicious cackling as they enjoyed the immense embarrassment that James and Lily must have felt.
Lily certainly felt weird to be towering over James and she felt a little queasy as when she spoke, a gruff, deep voice was emitted from her throat. "Professor, I don't understand, we brewed it all right!" By this rate, she was almost in tears and her whole body so hot from embarrassment she thought she was going to faint. Beside the side effects of them switching bodies, they weren't even acting lovesick towards each other, no gentle words or soft touches rather, Lily was staring at James with as much intense hatred as she could muster…he was costing her her N.E.W.T in potions for crying out loud!
As she directed her gaze towards Slughorn however, she was taken aback to realize he was beaming his head off after looking slightly confused for a couple of moments. Strangely enough, it was as if he had reached a revelation and jumping up, he startled the whole class by declaring "Albus you old cheeker!"
Remembering back to when he told Dumbledore of his plans for the Love Potion, the old Headmaster seemed too happy at the idea and very mysterious. Dumbledore had only told him to be careful of the Love Potion's side effects. Only now had Slughorn understood what he meant…if two people were already in love, using the Love Potion would result in 'hilarious consequences' as was in the fine print of every love potion manual. As Slughorn gazed at the two young people in the rather awkward situation, he realized that the Headmaster had already known that the two of them…were in love, and this was the way he was going to prove it to them. This was how they were going to unite to fight against the Dark Lord. Well, Albus Dumbledore sure knew how to play his game well and as Horace Slughorn mused over this, his respect for Dumbledore rose, admist all his worries, he had known that two of his students were sharing something extraordinary.
"Now now…everybody settle down please" Slughorn found it most difficult to settle his hysterical Potions class. "Lily, Mr. Potter I'm sure there was nothing wrong with the Potion you brewed, unfortunately there are clearly some side effects you were unaware of. The antidote I have, unfortunately, will not reverse your situation so please head back to your Common Room where the effects will wear off in 2 hours. And…try to avoid students in the hallway as you go. I'm willing to bet that the Headmaster would like to see you after this" Slughorn chuckled as seeing his favourite student's distressed face and pleading eyes, he added "Not to worry Lily in your case I will analyse the potion you have brewed if you leave your recipe and method with me. Today's incident will not affect your N.E.W.T for Potions" And with that, Lily had calmed down, swishing her robes, making sure not to look at James Potter she stalked out of the Dungeons, a look on her face as if she was suffering constipation. James closely followed suit and with a death glare at Snape and Redding as he passed, he couldn't help but smile at Lily's swishing red hair as she exited.
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After facing the Damsel's bewildered looks at the two teenager's sudden shift of bodies but not daring to question, both Lily and James stepped into the Heads Room. Just as James was about to open his mouth, Lily Evans turned to face him, a look that said 'I'm not kidding, I'm going to kill you' on her face. James had to cower…a normal Lily Evans who was angry was already difficult to face let alone she possessing his body, stretching her height much above his.
"You…" She was shaking in outrage and slowly stalking towards him, causing James Potter to back towards the wall. "James Potter, are the most vulgar, incomplete person to ever walk the earth…and you just have to ruin my life don't you!" She screamed and James was genuinely scared but at the same time amused at her choice of words to describe him. His eyes widened as in her fury, she tore at her shirt…wait, his shirt, exposing his bare chest. As much as he knew it was wrong to, James Potter appreciated his muscular frame, rewarding himself on the workouts he did to have paid off.
Lily caught his gaze and self consciously covered 'her' body but after realizing she wasn't exposing anything, she continued her accusations "first you ruin my social life – every single day I had to annoyed by your constant immature pestering. No guys dared come within 3 feet of me in case you humiliated them like you do best…you have been so selfish! And NOW!" She took a shaky breath and bit her lip "you manage to find a way to ruin my academic results. I don't know how you do it Potter, but you must be the bane of my existence" Suddenly, it was as if all the anger had left her, she felt really weak and bit back tears…she ran a hand through her flaming red hair which had come loose from its ponytail after she had been so worked up and again cursed Potter because that was his habit that she had unfortunately picked up.
Indeed she wasn't wrong, his hands were streaking through his jet black hair in frustration…hang on, those were her hands! And she didn't want them anywhere near James Potter's hair!
"C'mon Lily" James pleaded, still finding it hard to adjust to his high-pitched voice. "Slughorn already said he wouldn't mark us down…but really I wonder what happened to our Potion, we had made it so perfect, so many hours of dedication" With that Lily calmed down and stopped to think…as annoying as he was, James Potter was right, this Love Potion assignment was probably about the first thing that they had accomplished successfully together. "yeah…I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell us" Lily surrendered to her fatigue as she promptly plopped James Potter's body onto the couch, not even having the energy to keep her eyes open. Feeling James and her body fall onto the seat next to her, she didn't complain. They sat in silence until the 2 hours were almost up…when James being the joker suddenly pointed out,
"You know I can't believe I didn't use this situation to my advantage. If it was the old me I would've strutted my – err your stuff around for the whole school to see. You've got to admit, this is one hot bod you've got" he chuckled staring down at Lily's frame and just as he was about to lift her shirt up, Lily growled.
"You are the most disgusting person ever Potter" she glowered at him. "Besides, two can play at the game…I could make you permanently impotent" She shrugged as she looked down between 'her' legs.
"You wouldn't dare" James shrieked as he reached for his arms, slapping them away from his manhood.
Just as Lily was about to use his muscular body to her advantage, with a sudden flood of smoke, their bodies had switched back and losing her balance as she returned to her petite form, she topped off the couch and landed…unfortunately right above James, finding herself in yet another awkward situation.
"Hmph…we'd better go to Professor Dumbledore then" she hastily said as she picked herself up, just as James was also getting up with a sheepish grin, rubbing a hand to his head. It seemed that she was cursed that day because as she was getting up, Lily in her haste, could not get her footing and slipped, finding herself in déjà vu, crashing heavily for the second time that day on top of James Potter.
Her face now beetroot red, she determinedly did not meet his gaze but rather clenched her teeth together as she felt herself squish the air out of him, but James Potter had no complaints to make. She picked herself up and almost sprinted out of the Room towards the Headmaster's office leaving a confused yet smiling James behind.
"Stop fighting it Evans, it's fate!" He spontaneously yelled after her.
'Great' she thought with a sigh, ignoring him and speeding up her footsteps to make sure James Potter couldn't follow fast enough. 'This has to be the worst day in my entire life…not exaggerating!'
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A/N: Goodness, that was hilarious! Well, I thought anyway, don't ask where the idea came from because I honestly don't know. The body swapping thing was just random and what the hell!
Well, I hope that was a lot of fun for all of you to read because I was almost smiling at the screen as I was writing. Thanks for all your support guys! I've been taking your reviews and words of advice to heart
As you probably have noticed, I've been updating practically every day because I want to finish the story before the end of my holidays so that means I have around 2 weeks to finish and I'm sure I will with all of you guys helping!!
Again, please review because that's the only way you can influence my writing and give me feedback on what I have written because I believe that's really important to a writer.
Thanks so much and hoping to see your reviews kekekeke,
Purebliss90