Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A Change in the Tide

Chapter 12: Story

James knocked on Lily's door and waited to enter. When no answer came, James grew impatient and grabbed the door knob. He opened the door and stepped inside. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Lily sitting awake in bed. What startled him the most was that she was crying.

Suddenly, the redhead spoke to him in a soft, gentle voice.

"James," Lily said with sparkles in her eyes. Green eyes, James noticed.

Just as James noticed her eyes, Lily jumped off her bed and ran over to him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his chest.

For several minutes, Lily cried and James awkwardly attempted to soothe her. 'I wonder what happened to Evans?' he thought.

James was pulled out of his thoughts when Lily spoke once again. "James, I remember."

James' face crinkled in confusion. "What?"

Lily began to panic. 'Maybe I was wrong when I guessed this James Potter was the same one I grew up with. I mean, James Potter is a common name. Besides, if he was the James Potter I knew as a child, he would have remembered me.'

Lily pulled herself away from James and looked into his beautiful hazel eyes. It was then that everything clicked inside James' head. 'This girl looks exactly like my Lily. She has to be my Lily. Only thing is, why doesn't she remember me?'

"Lily?" James asked, growing anxious. Looking into each other's eyes, both James and Lily realized they had found each other at last.

James suddenly felt joy beyond belief. He grabbed Lily and hugged her tightly. He spun her around in a circle while Lily giggled shyly. When James set her down, tears filled his eyes. He was so overcome with emotion. He was finally with his Lily again. He was so happy Lily had been fine all these years and hadn't died or disappeared after they had separated.

Lily could not believe that she was finally able to see James again. She was also glad her memory had come back after all these years. It was a miracle.

After several minutes of silence, Lily decided it was time to talk. "James, I remember everything now. I can't believe I ever forgot you." Lily stopped when she saw James' frown. "What's wrong?"

"I, well, I can't believe you forgot me. I certainly didn't forget you. We lived together for over ten years. I know that you went off and did your own thing after I was kidnapped, but I assumed you would have remembered your best friend."

Lily felt bad for hurting James' feelings and decided to clarify. "James, you are impossible to forget. I was able to remember you after suffering from memory loss. Now that's saying something."

"Wait, what happened?" James asked confused.

"I lost my memory."

"How?"

"When you were kidnapped, I tried to help free you from the pirates. One of the men hit me and I hit my head on the ground. Since then, I haven't been able to remember anything… until tonight of course."

"I can't believe Bill and Hyde did that to you. I am gonna kill them," James said in anger. He clenched his fists tightly.

"Who are Bill and Hyde?" Lily asked when she felt James tense.

"They're the men that kidnapped me. They were pirates on this ship until about two years ago. They decided I was not fit for captain and left."

"Oh."

"If I ever see them again, I swear, I am gonna kill them."

Lily tried to calm James down. She rubbed his arms soothingly. James decided to change the subject. "You said before that you lost your memory, but how is it that you are able to remember me now."

Lily sat, deep in thought for a moment. Truth be told, she did not know herself how her memory came back. "I honestly don't know," she told him. "I went to sleep not knowing who you really were and woke up, remembering everything."

"Weird." James said.

"Hey, how come you didn't realize it was me until tonight?" Lily was curious to know his answer. He probably didn't have an excuse to forget her like she did.

"Well… A day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought about you; let's just put it that way. I just never expected to see you again. I just assumed you weren't Lily because I knew it would take a miracle for me to ever see her again."

"Surely you recognized my name," Lily added.

"Well, Lily, up until tonight, I did not know your first name. I called you by 'Evans'. Speaking of your name, I assume 'Evans' is the name of the couple that adopted you." Lily nodded in response. "So, what happened after you were knocked unconscious?"

"All I remember is that I woke up in a hospital and couldn't remember anything from my past. Then, when I was released, I was adopted by the Evans' and life continued."

James nodded then Lily asked, "Hey, what happened to you after the pirates kidnapped you?"

"Bill and Hyde took me to their captain, Captain Clark. After meeting me, he basically adopted me. Captain Clark was like a father to me. He trained me to be a pirate and I took up his place as captain when he died."

"James, I am sorry about your loss. Sirius told me a little about it."

"It's alright, Lily. I've gotten used to life without him. I still miss him though," James said as he stared out the window into the dark night. It was quiet for a few moments.

The two sat there quietly, enjoying the presence of the other. The minutes passed by in silence. James was thinking about when he first captured Evans and brought him onto his ship. He broke the silence by saying, "I wondered why I had decided to kidnap you from your father several months ago. Now I know the answer."

Lily looked up at James with curiosity. When James didn't answer his question Lily asked, "Really? Why did you kidnap me?"

"I think it was because, when I looked at you, deep inside, I recognized that it was you. That you were Lily, the girl I had not seen since I was twelve. That also explains my inexcusable behavior when I first brought you onto my ship. You brought out the child in me."

Lily smiled and said, "Yes, you were acting rather childishly. But so was I."

The two laughed softly. Then, Lily yawned. James looked at Lily and noticed how tired she looked and how sleepy her eyes appeared. It was then that he suggested he leave and that she go to sleep. They said goodnight and James was walking out when Lily said, "Wow! I can't believe that after all this time, I am finally with you again. I never want to leave you again, James."

James turned around and hugged Lily. He walked out of her room, shutting the door, knowing he felt the same way.

A/N: Wow! It has been awhile. I apologise for such a late update. I think this is the longest I have gone without updating. I hope this won't happen again but I make no promises.