A/N: OH MY GOD! Twenty-something reviews on one freakin' chapter! I'm so glad everyone liked the whole "bludger" incident; it was really fun to write!

Okay, everyone: you see a different side of James in this chapter, that is slightly more serious. Actually, a lot more, so you'll be getting to know him a bit better. I had to split this chapter up into two parts cuz it was too long. This in itself is almost twenty pages! So, onto Chapter VII! Enjoy!

Chapter Seven: Transforming Ms. Evans, Both in Mind and Body, Part One

The next day was Wednesday, and Lily was still sore from Quidditch practice from the other night. Every part of her body ached, from her head (since she was hit in the head with a quaffle) to…erm…well.

Anyway, considering all of the above, Lily did not want to get out of bed (or in her case, the couch). At seven o'clock when she woke up to the hustle and bustle of students heading down to breakfast, she debated whether or not to get up for a few moments before turning over and closing her eyes again.

Just when Lily was drifting of to sleep once more, she was promptly reawakened when she felt a pillow collide with her head. Quite roughly, too. Lily scowled, but kept her eyes closed. When she didn't answer, the person hit her again.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart!" chirped a voice. Lily groaned, knowing only too well who it was.

"Go 'way, Potter!" she whined childishly. "Lemme alone!" James plunked down on the couch, purposely making it bounce around and landing on her feet. "Owie!" she muttered irritably. Lily raised and arm and made an attempt to hit James in the head, but only ended up waving it aimlessly around.

"C'mon, Evans," James said, shaking her on the shoulder. "Let's go, it's nearly seven-forty."

"Your point?" Lily asked tonelessly, still not opening an eye.

"My point is that you have something called school that you need to get ready for. Hurry up, or—" He held up his index and middle fingers and made the symbol for quotes. "—'you'll be late.' That's a direct quote, by the way. Guess who says it?"

"Ha, ha, ha," she answered crossly. James patted her foot and rose to his feet. "Come on now, Evans Up and at 'em!" He grabbed both of her arms and pulled her into a sitting position, ignoring her protesting. Lily finally opened her eyes, glaring at James angrily.

"Alright, fine," she snapped, slapping his hand away. "I can get up on my own, you know."

"As you just proved," James muttered. Lily threw him a dirty look. She stood up and began stretch, but winced when she felt her shoulder muscle twinge with pain.

"Ouch," she mumbled, rubbing it gently.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"My shoulder hurts," she said, frowning slightly. "And my thighs, my arms, my back, my elbow—" Up until now, James had been ignoring her complaining and instead had been checking the ends of his (or her) hair. But when Lily mentioned elbows, he looked up.

"Your elbow?" he asked curiously. "Why would your elbow hurt? You don't use them in Quidditch. Or any sport for that matter." Lily looked down before she answered, a red blush starting to creep into her cheeks.

"I know…" she said sheepishly.

"So…" James pressed on. Lily cleared her throat and fiddled with the corner of the blanket.

"I banged it on the pole when I ran into the goal post," she said quietly. James gave a snort and ducked his head in silent laughter. "It isn't funny!" Lily cried indignantly. "It felt like everything I tried to do was wrong."

"Maybe because it was."

"When I tried to lift off, I went too high," she continued, ignoring the rude comment. "When I passed the waffle—"

"Quaffle," corrected James.

"—it went too short, and when I tried to score a goal I didn't let go of the damn ball in time and got my arm caught in the bloody loop," she ended piteously.

"That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen," laughed James. "The way you yelped was just hysterical."

"It was embarrassing."

"That's why it was funny." Lily made a sour face at him.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said acidly. James snorted and folded his arms.

"You think I enjoyed it?" he asked incredulously. Lily made a derisive noise.

"Yes."

"Well," relented James. "You're right, I did. But not the entire thing!" he added defensively. "How do you think I feel? My Quidditch mates are going think I've gone right off my trolley! Not throwing the quaffle a reasonable distance, squealing like a—"

"Don't you dare say 'girl,'" Lily whispered dangerously.

"—a being of a certain feminine gender when you flew into the air, and—for God's sake, Evans! You called the quaffle a waffle!"

"Well how was I supposed to know what the damn thing is called?" yelled Lily.

"You go to the bloody matches every three weeks!" James hollered back.

"Stop yelling at me!"

"I'M NOT YELLING!"

"Oh, shut up," a passing fifth year interjected tonelessly, speaking as if telling the time. Lily and James glared at him, but he didn't notice as he was already on his way through the portrait. James turned back to lily and tried to regain control of his temper.

"Okay," he said, forcing himself to stay calm. "It's obvious you need to get in some extra practice."

"Oh thanks," Lily sneered.

"So I think maybe tonight you and I should head out and train a bit more." Lily rolled her eyes.

"I can't wait."

"Look, I'll help you okay?"

"I'm so grateful." James sighed and heaved an exasperated sigh. She's more stubborn than a hippogriff, he thought.

"Well you should be! You could at least act appreciative, you know."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Potter," Lily said, folding her arms. "But I wasn't trained by Shakespeare." James fixed her with a glare.

"Hilarious," he said dryly while Lily grinned at him. "Look, you don't really have a choice here, Evans. I will not allow you to make a fool of me in front of the entire school at the Quidditch game on Saturday. Tonight we'll go outside and work on some stuff okay?"

"No bludgers," Lily said flatly. James smiled and held his hand out.

"No bludgers," he repeated. Lily looked at his hand apprehensively before shaking it, sealing their deal. "Alright," James said, glancing at the clock. "You'd better go get ready. It's already nearly seven-forty five. With the way you always get stopped by the female population, you'll want to leave plenty of time to make your way down to the Great Hall." Lily playfully punched his shoulder as he chuckled to himself.

"Aren't you the cocky one?" she joked (well, half-joked). "I'll be right down." Lily turned around and began to make her way over to the staircase, but before she could go any further, she felt a strong hand grab her arm.

"What?" she asked as she turned around. She said it quite irritably since she had felt pain shoot through her as the hand gripped her. "Oh, it's you. What do you want, Sirius." Sirius laughed and perched himself on the arm of a nearby chair.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," he said cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

"No," Lily said honestly. The night before, James kept kicking her foot in his sleep (or so she thought) and stealing most of the covers.

"Well, no wonder," Sirius answered. "I mean, the couch can't be all that comfy, can it?"

"Oh it has nothing to do with the couch."

"Why are you sleeping down here anyway?" he asked, looked around. "What's wrong with your bed? Is Peter's snoring getting to you? I would think you would be used to it after six years" Lily paused for a second, thinking quickly on her feet.

"I fell asleep on it a few nights ago, and it was so comfortable I decided to do it again." Sirius raised a curious eyebrow and gave Lily a strange look.

"Right," he said slowly. "Anyway, we're still on for tonight, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, extremely confused. "What's going on tonight?" Sirius whacked her on the head. "Ow…" she whined.

"That was for your lack of common sense," he said casually. "You know what's going on tonight! Remus already went down to the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey helped him down to the willow." If Lily had looked behind her, she would have seen that James paled considerably after hearing what Sirius said. "So me and Peter will meet you down here at the regular time tonight, okay? Don't forget to bring the cloak."

"Erm…" Lily said dumbly. "Okay…" Sirius smiled and thumped her on the back, not noticing her wince slightly.

"Okay then! Look, I'll see you in class. I've got to go down and talk to Sarah. I promised I would meet her early and eat with her. I'll talk to you later." He ran off out of the portrait, leaving behind a very dazed-Lily. Hm… she thought, slowly making her way up the stairs. That was…interesting. What was he talking about? And what cloak? Still thinking about what Sirius said, Lily didn't hear James run up behind her until she felt him latch onto her wrist, holding her back.

"What?" she asked him.

James looked around before dropping his voice low and saying, "We have to talk." Lily sighed exasperatedly and twisted her arm out of his grip.

"Now?" she said in annoyed tone. "Can't it wait? I have to go get dressed, and eat breakfast, plus I don't want to be late, as you said yourself." She made a move to continue up the stairs, but James grabbed her once again and looked straight into her eyes. For the second time in her life, Lily saw that he didn't show one trace of mirth.

"All of that can and will wait," he said, still dropping his voice lower. "We have to talk. Now."

Less than five minutes later, Lily sat in an empty classroom watching James pace up and down the room while she perched herself on a desk, very hungry and very cranky. She was silent as she watched him for the first minute or so. But when he still hadn't said anything and started to run nervous hands through her red hair, she spoke up.

"Is there a particular reason you dragged me here?" she said impatiently. "We've definitely missed breakfast, and at this rate that you're talking, which is zero, we'll be late for Herbology as well." James took a deep breath and sat down in front of her. Then he stood up and started pacing again. "And would you stop that?" Lily snapped at him, tugging him firmly into a desk. "You're making my neck ache."

"Sorry," he muttered absentmindedly. James took another deep breath before finally looking up at her. "Okay, listen. I'm about to tell you something that you cannot tell a soul. If—when I tell you, do you promise not to say a word? Not even to Parker and Kate?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"You can trust me Potter," she told him. James snorted.

"I'm not telling you this because I trust you. I'm telling you because I've go no other choice."

"Oh thank you," Lily said sourly. "Thank you very much."

"I mean it Evans," James said, an almost desperate note in his voice. "You really can't tell anyone. Do you promise?"

"What did I just say?"

"Promise me, Evans!"

"Fine, fine! I promise." Lily relented, waving her hand. After all, how bad could it be? "Just tell me already!" James cleared his throat.

"Okay. It all started a few years ago, around the end of first year. One night, we were all sitting around by the fire, and I noticed Remus was beginning to look a bit pale. I remember thinking it was sort of odd, since Remus's skin is usually kind of on the golden side. He was also a little more…er…cross. We asked him if he was alright, and he said that he was fine, just a bit tired. Then he said that he was going to the Infirmary for a while.

"Well, after he was gone, and Sirius and Peter had gone to bed, I sat up in my bed, thinking about it all. I started to think back, and I became aware of the fact it was like a pattern. Every month, Remus would get tired, pale and snappy, then disappear for a few days. Every time he came back he would say how he had to go visit his grandmother unexpectedly, or aunt, or cousin, or something. But as I thought it over, I remembered that he had told us that both of his parents had been only children.

Once I realized that and pieced everything together, I pulled out one of my books that I had gotten for Christmas. It was called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I looked up all of the symptoms. All of them were there, on that one page. Except, one of them I had failed to notice.

"So I ran to the window and parted the curtain. There it was. Then I knew. It was a full moon." Lily gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. As soon as James mentioned the full moon, she knew what he was talking about. She could tell that James still had more to say, so she decided to hold her questions until the end. James sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Anyway, after that it all made sense. Remus was a werewolf, and every month he would go to the Shrieking Shack whenever he transformed. I told Sirius and Peter about, and about a week later, we told Remus that we knew. We knew all about him. At first, he thought we were dropping him. He had never had any real friends before, you know.

"But we convinced him that we had no intention of doing so. 'Once a Marauder, always a Marauder,' Sirius told him." James paused and smiled slightly at the memory. Lily furrowed her brow in thought. She had no idea that James had this sensitive side to him. Apparently, there was more to him than just a hormonal driven sixteen year old boy. "So, we cooked up a plan, worked on it, and in the third year, we…" James trailed off. He looked at Lily briefly and quickly looked back down at the ground, mumbling something incoherently.

"What?" asked Lily. James cleared his throat.

"Sirius, Peter, and I…became Animagi." It was quiet for what seemed like eternity while Lily allowed what he had just told her to sink in.

Then it sank in, and it was no longer quiet.

"WHAT!" she roared, leaping out of her seat. "You became animagi?" For once, James didn't back down from her temper.

"Yeah," he replied just as strongly. "Yeah, we did!" Lily had begun to pace, waving her hands around wildly.

"I can't believe you did that!" she ranted. "That's illegal, Potter! That is so typical of you Marauders! You acted irrationally without thinking! Do you know that most wizards can't even accomplish that? Obviously you never heard about the cases of people that ended up with half animal parts and half human, did you? That's what's wrong with you, Potter. You don't think of consequences!" If Lily had paused for just a moment, she would have noticed that James expression was becoming stormy. "But you didn't, and so many things could have happened! You could have brewed the wrong potion and poisoned yourselves; you could have ended up with permanent damage…UGH! I'll bet, I'll just bet that it was your idea, too, wasn't it?" Until now, James had remained silent, but his temper had reached the boiling point. He had had enough.

"You know what, Evans?" he shouted furiously and standing to his feet. "You're right! It was my idea! And you know what else? I don't regret one damn thing! I would do it again even if the risk was one thousand times higher than they were! Do you know why! Because I cared about Remus! I knew he was lonely, Evans! I understood! I know what it's like to feel different and lonely! Yeah, that's right!" he added loudly when Lily's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I've been lonely before. Surprise, surprise, Evans, I'm human! Go figure! So don't you dare think, or even insinuate that I would do anything to harm him, or any of my friends for that matter! Is that clear?" Complete silence enveloped the room except for James's ragged breaths. Lily was so shocked at his outburst, she couldn't answer. James took a menacing step toward her and they were almost nose to nose.

"I said," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Is that clear?" Lily nodded and leaned away from him, surprised to find herself feeling fearful of James Potter.

"Ye—yeah," she stammered. "It's clear." James glared at her for a moment longer before turning away abruptly and crossing his arms. Lily slowly let out a long breath and straightened up, her heart still beating rapidly. She had had no idea that James had such a temper. It seemed impossible that someone who joked around so much would ever be so angry. Well, she thought to herself. That teaches me to never assume. Part of her was slightly thankful that she and James had switched bodies, because he would have definitely more frightening as a six foot sixteen year old boy.

Finally, James turned to face her again, looking much calmer than he had been five minutes ago. "Look," he said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "The reason I told you this is because tonight is a full moon, and every full moon Peter, Sirius and I transform to keep Remus company." Lily's eyes widened in horror.

"You mean," she said uncertainly. "I have to transform into an animal?" James nodded. "I can't!" she exclaimed. "I don't know how!"

"Which is why we are here," stated James calmly. "You and I are going to stay here until you know how to change."

"But what about our classes?"

"We'll worry about it later. Right now, you have to concentrate."

"What sort of animal are you?" she asked curiously.

"A stag," James answered. "I'll tell you more about it later okay? Right now, I need you to clear your mind, which shouldn't be so hard," he added sardonically. Lily smirked. It seemed that the old James Potter was back.

"You're right," she said back. "Considering I have your brain."

"Has anyone ever told you that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?" James asked her.

"Forgive me, I was just trying to bring the conversation down to your level." James grinned at her and inclined his head, his eyebrow quirked.

"Touché," he said softly. "Alright, all kidding aside, Evans, close your eyes and clear your mind." Lily did so, and heard him say, "Think of the body of stag; think about every inch of its essence. Every bone, each hoof; every hair on its back and every point on its antlers." Lily smiled slightly. He sounds almost poetic, she thought to herself. Imagine that. "Okay, you got that in mind?" Lily nodded. "Okay. Now this is the hardest and most important part, Evans. You have to keep your concentration, or it won't work. Okay?"

"Okay," she answered.

"Alright," James continued. "Now imagine yourself as the stag. Think about your feet and hands morphing into hooves, your ears lengthening and becoming velvety. Your face growing longer, your nose becoming cold, antlers sprouting…" Lily furrowed her brow in concentration as she let his words sink in. As she listened, his voice became gradually louder and she felt a tingling sensation on her ears. Why is he shouting? she wondered. Lily didn't have much time to contemplate it, because her back was starting to hunch over and she felt her bones lengthen. Her arms grew as did her legs, and she felt something poke through her forehead. Lily tried to say something to James about the volume of his voice, but she couldn't. Her mouth was too small.

Very slowly, Lily opened her eyes. She saw James looking at her and smiling.

"Well done," he said. Lily swiveled her head around, taking in her new form. I did it! she thought happily. I actually did it! She breathed in deeply. The smells were amazing. She could even pick up the scent of a student who had previously sat in a nearby desk. She could also hear the lessons being taught in the nearby classrooms, even though the doors were closed.

"Wow," she said. But she didn't hear her voice (or rather, James's voice). Instead, she heard something like a grunt. "What was that?" she tried again. But the same noise came out. James laughed and stroked her behind the ears.

"Well, well. Aren't you a noisy one?" he joked. Lily snorted angrily and yanked her head away from him. "Hm, temperamental, too," James added. "I guess that really hasn't changed. Okay, now that you've transformed, try walking around. It takes a while to get used to walking on four legs." Lily made a noise to show she understood, and took a step forward.

Then she fell.

"Ow!" she cried (that would be snorting to James).

"Shh!" scolded James. "Keep it down or they'll hear you. Alright, try again. Step forward with the right front hoof at the same time you do with the back left. Then the do the same with the front left and back right." Slowly, Lily did as she was told.

With about a ten minute practice, she was soon able to walk around the room at a steady pace.

"Good," James said, petting her back. "Good job. Okay, now we've got to get you back into human form. It's easier to change into since you know what it's like. Just think about every part of a human and imagine yourself as that." Lily did so and slowly felt herself becoming more human. Her hooves parted into fingers and toes, and gradually the volume went back to normal. She straightened up and stretched, happy to be back to normal, but at the same time finding herself missing the various scents.

"So," said James. "What'd you think?"

"Amazing," Lily breathed. "It was like…like…"

"Like you were seeing, hearing, and smelling everything for the first time?" James finished, grinning at her. Lily nodded her head and smiled back.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Exactly that." James shrugged and looked down to hide the blush rising in his cheeks. Why, you ask? He had no idea.

"Well," he said. "That's how I felt the first time I transformed, too. Wait until you get outside. Then you'll be bombarded with everything."

"Hm," Lily said thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to look foreword to tonight."

"Yeah, it's usually a lot of fun. It's always fun when the four Marauders come together."

"I almost wish I…" Lily stopped suddenly, aware of what she was about to say. James was too, and he smiled and folded his arms.

"What do we have here?" he said smugly. "Is Ms. Evans beginning to wish she was a Marauder?"

"No!" she said quickly. "I just wish… I could be an animagi, too, someday."

"Well, you never know. Maybe when we go back to our bodies I'll teach you. That is," James smirked at her. "If you think you can handle the pressure of being a rule-breaker." Lily made a derisive noise and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure it's all very complicated," she said wryly.

"I'm serious," James said, grinning at her. "There's a certain art involved. There are three main rules." He held up his index finger. "One, leave no evidence. Two, never get caught. And three, if you do, blame someone else."

"That is so like you!" laughed Lily. "You probably made those up."

"Why thank you," he said, rubbing his nails on his shirt "modestly". "I'm glad you know how to recognize the work of a genius."

"Whatever," she scoffed. "Look, we've probably missed our first class. What time is it?" James checked his watch.

"About eight-forty," he replied. "We have about ten minutes before Transfiguration starts, and there's no point in going to Herbology because we only have five minutes left. You still hungry?" Lily nodded.

"Starving," she grumbled. "And lunch isn't until twelve-thirty!"

"Who says we have to wait that long?" Lily looked at him curiously.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I say we go down to the kitchens and grab something to eat. After all, it's never good to work on an empty stomach."

"I couldn't do that!" cried Lily, shaking her head vigorously. "For one thing, it would be breaking a rule. Two, we would probably be late for Transfiguration, and—" James sighed and shook his head, looking up to the ceiling.

"And you think you could handle being an animgus," he said, half to himself. "Look, we've already missed one class. Why don't we take some time off and go have a full breakfast? Don't tell me you aren't hungry, 'cuz I know you are." Lily opened her mouth furiously, then closed it, trying to think of something to say.

"What about homework?" she said finally.

"Get it from Kate," James answered simply. Lily bit her tongue. She was running out of excuses, and James knew it. Truth be told, a full breakfast sounded great.

But she didn't dare tell James that she agreed with him. She would never hear the end of it.

"It's probably not worth it," she told him. "I wouldn't want to waste my time missing a class for a meal unless I could have three buttermilk pancakes slathered with maple syrup, with a side of three slices of bacon, two pieces of sausage, and two scrambled eggs. Plus, on the side I would want a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, minus the pulp."

"Oh, is that all?" James asked incredulously. "I had that all for a snack last Saturday. It won't be a problem at all for the house elves." Lily's jaw dropped open. She had only said that because she thought it would be impossible for them to cook that up. Damn, she thought. Now I don't have a choice. James grabbed her wrist and started to drag her to down to the kitchens.

"C'mon, Evans," he said. "It'll be fine. I've ditched my classes loads of times, and look me. I'm perfectly fine."

"That," Lily said scathingly as she let him lead her. "Is all a matter of opinion."

Forty minutes later, Lily sat down in the kitchens, rubbing her stomach as she sat comfortably in the chair. She and James had gone down there and she had eaten exactly the same meal that she had described to him. While she ate, she had to endure James teasing her about her appetite the entire time, and her mouth had been too full of syrup to retort back to him.

By the time they had finished, Transfiguration only had about ten minutes to go. Oddly enough, Lily hadn't regretted what she had done, even though she had broken her first major rule in skipping class. It had been great. Plus, the fact that James had tripped over the table leg and knocked over the orange juice, which spilled all over his shirt had made it all worth it.

Lily sighed contently and closed her eyes. "Although that was nothing short of delicious," she said as the house elves scurried around, collecting the dishes. "My stomach is killing me." James drained the rest of his coffee.

"Well it should," he laughed, setting his cup down. "I can't believe you ate it all! I'm surprised you aren't puking your guts out right now." Lily groaned.

"That is so gross," she said. "Do you have to say that right after I eat?"

"Did it upset you?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then yeah, I do," James answered, grinning at her. He raised his hand up and a house elf came hurrying over.

"Anything else Peely can get for you, miss?" he asked.

"Yeah," James replied politely. "Could I have another cup of coffee, Peely?" Peely bowed low.

"Of course, ma'am," he said eagerly. "Coffee for you will be right up." He ran off to prepare it. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Another one?" she asked disbelievingly. "Potter, that's your third cup of coffee! Don't you think you've had enough?" James shook his head as the cup was plunked down in front of him.

"Nope," he said shortly. He lifted his coffee and took a greedy sip. When he lowered it, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Ahh," he said to himself. "That hits the spot."

"God," snorted Lily. "You're an addict, Potter."

"And you're a nag," he retorted before taking another gulp. Lily waited impatiently as he drank his coffee. She glanced at her watch and saw that there were only about five more minutes until potions started.

"Can we get going, Potter?" she asked. "Potions starts soon, and I don't think it would be wise to be late."

"Relax," he said cheerfully. "We have plenty of time."

"We only have five minutes," she said earnestly. "It'll take about three just to get there, and you know how Howard is! He always finds some excuse to take away points from Gryffindor at the beginning of class." James shrugged his head carelessly and took a bite from a biscuit.

"So it won't make a difference if we're a few minutes late," he reasoned. Lily clenched her teeth to keep her temper. "Come on, live a little."

"Potter," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "I have already missed two classes, one of which I cannot afford to miss. Can we please go now so I don't miss any more?"

"Why would you want to go to potions anyway?" James asked, knowing he was getting to her. "It's spending forty five minutes in a room full of Slytherins." Lily threw an ice cube at his head, and he laughed as he easily ducked out of the way. "Alright, fine! We'll leave," he relented as he chuckled softly. "Jeez, you just can't take a joke, can you?"

"Whatever," Lily muttered as she rose to her feet. "Let's just get going, okay?" She turned to the group of house elves that were bustling around the stove. "Thank you, everyone, for the nice breakfast," she said kindly.

"Oh, you're welcome, Sir!" one said eagerly. "Please, come again!"

"I will," she laughed. "Bye!" James waved at them and followed her out through the portrait door. When it closed behind them, he said, "Hm" very quietly.

But not quiet enough so that Lily didn't hear.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"What?" he said innocently.

"You said 'hm,'" she said suspiciously.

"So?" he argued. "Can't I say 'hm' for no reason?"

"No," Lily said flatly. "What do you mean, 'hm'?"

"Oh, nothing," James said nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. "I just thought it interesting when you promised the house elves you would come again. I thought you didn't like to break the rules."

"I didn't promise," Lily said defensively as she turned the corner. "I just said that I would." James pointed at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Ah," he said softly. "But the point is, you said you would. Not maybe, not possibly, but that you would."

"Is there a point you insist on sounding like you know the secrets of the world?" she asked crossly.

"I'm just thinking that you liked coming down to the kitchens."

"So?" Lily demanded.

"Well," James said slowly. "It's just that going to the kitchens involves rule breaking. Apparently you wouldn't mind risking getting caught to come down again. You owe me a thank you." They made their way down the hall to the dungeons room.

"Not on your life," Lily scoffed. "That was a one-time thing, Potter. I'm not doing it again. I'm a prefect and a prefect is—"

"—supposed to live up to his or her duties and be an example for all students under his or her leadership," he finished dully. "I know, Evans, I know. I have read the handbook you know."

"You're infuriating, you know that?" Lily said, sliding into her seat.

"Of course I do," he said jovially. Lily rolled her eyes as students slowly streamed into the classroom. Sirius, and Peter came in, and Parker and Kate weren't far behind. Sirius poked her sharply in the back and sat in the seat next to her.

"Where were you?" he whispered. "You weren't in Herbology or Transfiguration. McGonagall nearly blew her top when she found that you and Evans were gone."

"She did?" Lily asked worriedly. She groaned and thumped her fist on the desk. "Damn! I knew I shouldn't have gone, I just knew it!"

"Go where?" asked Peter.

"Where do you think, Wormtail!" Sirius said, winking at Lily. "Into a closet of course. Have you finally managed to seduce the lovely Miss Evans, Prongs? Ha! I knew it would only be a matter of time." Lily made a face at him.

"No!" she exclaimed. "That's disgusting, Sirius."

"Where'd you go then?" he asked. Lily looked over to James and saw that he seemed to be getting the same third degree from Parker and Kate. He was smiling and leaning back in the chair lazily. God, I hope he doesn't say anything stupid, she thought. Who am I kidding? Of course he will!

"James?" Peter said. He waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you there?" Lily shook her head and turned to him.

"Wha'?" Lily said dazedly. "I'm sorry Peter, what was that?"

"Something happened between you and Lily!" Sirius said gleefully, his brown eyes twinkling. "Ooh, what happened? Tell me, tell me!"

"Nothing happened," Lily said firmly, glaring at him. Sirius nodded his head.

"Mhm, Mhm," he said, staring at her. Lily rolled her eyes; he obviously didn't believe her. "So, is she a good kisser?"

"Sirius!" she exclaimed. "We didn't do anything!"

"Right, and does she put her hands in your hair or on your neck? It makes a difference, you know." Lily closed her eyes, ready to throttle the boy in front of her.

"Sirius!" Sirius put his hands up defensively.

"Alright, fine!" he laughed. "So if nothing happened, where were you two?"

"In an empty classroom," she responded. Sirius's eyebrows shot up and his mouth began to twitch. Lily gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

That definitely hadn't come out right.

I did not just say that, I did not just say that! she thought, horrified. Lily waved her hands frantically. "Th-that's not what I meant," she said quickly. "It was nothing like that!" Sirius merely nodded and pulled out his books.

"Right," he said cynically.

"It's wasn't!" Lily said defensively. "It came out completely wrong!" Sirius shrugged.

"Fine," he said simply.

"We were talking!"

"I didn't know it was known as talking nowadays," he chuckled. "If it is, you'll have swollen lips by tomorrow from all your…um…" He glanced at her. "Talking."

"I mean it, Sirius," Lily told him earnestly. "All we did was talk."

"For nearly two hours?" Sirius asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Without arguing?"

"Yes! I mean, no! Well, we did for the first hour or so, but during that we missed breakfast and I was really hungry so we decided to go down to the kitchens to grab something to eat and of course it took a while to prepare so when we finally got our food it was a big meal so it took a long time to eat and Potter—I mean Evans had three cups of coffee so I was trying to tell her to hurry up because we had to get to class but she insisted that we had plenty of time so five minutes later I got her out of the kitchens and now I'm sitting here telling you that nothing happened between us and nothing ever will and by the way did you happen to get the Transfiguration homework?" Sirius blinked. Lily took inhaled deeply. After all, talking so fast could cause one to be short of breath.

"Okay," said Sirius, looking at her carefully. "First of all, I didn't understand a word you just said. Second, are you on drugs?" Lily groaned and put her face into her hands.

"I'm beginning to consider it," she muttered. They didn't get a chance to say anymore because at that moment, Professor Howard swept into the room, his dark green robes billowing behind him.

"That's enough," he said sharply, effectively silencing the chatter with his deep voice. "Five points from Gryffindor for talking." The Gryffindors groaned softly, but knew better than to say anything more. Everyone knew that if someone stupid enough to challenge Professor Howard, they would be in detention until the end of the seventh year. "Today we'll be working on Rictusempra Potions. It is the same as the spell, except in liquid form. It is used as an cheering charm for those in an advanced state of depression and was first brewed in 1854. Well? WHY AREN'T YOU WRITING THIS DOWN?" There was a mad scramble for quills and parchment as Howard continued his lecture.

Fifteen minutes later, it was time to start brewing the potions. "Alright," he said briskly. "Here are the pairs. As soon as I call your name, start gathering your supplies. The instructions—" He pointed his wand at the board and words appeared with a flourish. "—are on the black board. When you're finished you will each take a sip of the potion you brewed. And I mean a sip. If not, ten points will be taken away from your house and receive a zero on the assignment."

"P-professor," a timid girl in the front whispered. "How will you know we didn't take a single taste or not?" Professor Howard slammed his book down on the desk.

"Five points for not raising your hand, Ms. Lawson," he said irritably. "And five for asking a pointless question." The Slytherins snickered, not bothering to hide it. "You should only laugh for a few minutes, if you do as instructed. However…" His cold blue eyes scanned the side that the Gryffindors sat on. "I seriously doubt that will happen, considering the amount of talent in this class." The Slytherins laughed again, Lucius Malfoy laughing the loudest. James threw him a look of contept and gripped his wand, trying very hard to keep himself from hexing him. It would be downright rude to interrupt the professor.

He would wait until he was out of class to hex Malfoy (who he affectionately nicknamed 'the pasty-faced weasel').

Professor Howard pulled out a long piece of parchment and began to read off of it. "Simons and Kirkoff…" Parker groaned and looked over to the oafish Slytherin who was looking at her hungrily. "…Black and Powers…" Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. He had been lucky enough to be partnered pu with one of the nicer Slytherin girls. She was considered nice because she only picked on first and second years as opposed to all of the Gryrffindors. "…Winters and Yeats…Patrolski and St. Paul…" Kate rolled her eyes and reluctantly left to gather her materials. "…Evans and Pond…" James sighed deeply. At least it isn't Malfoy, he thought. I definitely pity the poor sap who gets that git. "Pettigrew and Hopper…" Peter trembled slightly as he timidly made his way over to the big girl who cracked her knuckles menacingly. "Wiseman and Drewson…Potter and Malfoy. Get to work!" Howard disappeared into his office, leaving the students alone. Lily wrinkled her nose distainfully and looked over to Malfoy, who had crossed his arms and stared at her with his grey expressionless eyes narrowed. Great, she thought. Just what I need. James came over to her on his way back from cabinet, his arms full of vials.

"Ouch," he said sympathetically. "Tough luck, Evans. Let me tell you right now, this class will drag on forever now that you've got him as your partner." Lily slid further down into her seat.

"Don't I know it," she grumbled.

"Potter," drawled Malfoy lazily. "Get over here, I'm not going to wait all day." Lily sighed and stood up. The sooner we start, she thought. The sooner we'll be done.

Half an hour later, the students walked out of the Potions classroom, many of them clutching their stomachs from laughing so hard. When everyone had sipped the potion, pandemonium had broken out and laughing filled the room, partly because of Lily. Accidentally, (and this truly was an accident), she had added too many daffodil petals to the potion, and Malfoy had ended up laughing for nearly fifteen minutes when they were supposed to only feel the effects for one. Luckily, he had tasted it before Lily had, and she figured the fact that he was laughing harder than the others, that the potion wasn't the way it was supposed to be.

Professor Howard, hadn't been pleased, to say the least. He had taken twenty points away from Gryffindor, and gave Lily a zero for that day. Lily hadn't found the situation at all funny, but James and Sirius thought otherwise.

"That was great!" howled Sirius, leaning against the wall for support. "I mean, did you see the way Malfoy knocked over that jar of squid legs when he tried to stand up? Ha-ha-ha! I think he about pissed his pants from laughing so hard!"

"I know!" James gasped. "And remember how he tried to grab onto Snape's robes to hold himself up and Snape lost his balance, then his hand landed in that scalding pot of water! Oh my God, I laughed so hard I thought I had been the one to drink the potion!" Sirius looked at James curiously.

"Not that I mind or anything, Lily," he said, finally calming down. "But why do you think this is so funny? Normally you'd be screaming your head off at James for losing us so many points." James shrugged a shoulder and grinned.

"Well," he said. "I just think I need to lighten up a little. You know? Enjoy the little things in life." Sirius clapped a hand on his back and smiled broadly.

"That's the way, Lils," he said jovially. Then he turned to the real Lily, who was staring ahead in some sort of a horrified trance. "Hey, Prongs?" Sirius waved a hand in front of her. "Yo, buddy?" You okay?" Lily turned her head to him slowly.

"I can't believe I did that," she said hoarsely. "I got so many points taken away! I'm surprised I didn't get detention! Oh man, and I'm never going to be able to bring my potions grade up after this!"

"What's up with you?" Sirius said, looking at her strangely. "You just made Malfoy laugh for fifteen minutes, knock over a jar of tentacles, and saw Snape burn his hand, yet you're going on about your grade? Are you feeling okay?" He put his hand to Lily's forehead and she smacked it away.

"I'm serious," she said. "I'm surprised I didn't get into any more trouble than I did."

"Don't question it, James," Parker said.

"Yeah," agreed Kate. "Just leave it alone." She glanced at the clock. "Okay look, I'm going to get to Arithmancy early." I'll see you guys later." She walked off quickly and disappeared around the corner.

"We should probably get to History of Magic," said Parker reluctantly. "It starts soon. I really regret not dropping it like Kate did." She, Sirius, and Peter started heading towards the classroom, but stopped when Lily and James didn't follow. "Aren't you two coming?"

"Yeah," James said. "In a second." Sirius looked and Lily and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Are you going to take her in that classroom over there and have a private talk with her, buddy?" he said slyly. James looked confused, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I told you, Sirius," she groaned. "Nothing happened. Try and fit that into your thick head!" Sirius laughed and shook his head.

"Whatever," he said. "Have fun, kids!" He and the others walked to the classroom and as they walked away Lily heard Parker say, "Like they would ever make out in a closet, Sirius! Yeah right! We're talking about a pair that bickers like Slytherin and Gryffindor themselves."

"What was that all about?" James asked her when they were out of earshot. "What did he mean by talking?"

"Oh nothing," Lily said, shrugging her shoulder. "He's just thinks we did 'talked' rather than talked." James looked at her blankly for a moment. Then a look of comprehension dawned on his face.

"Oh," he said quickly. "Well, Sirius has always been a bit of an idiot. Don't talk it personally. Hey, and don't get so worked up over potions! It isn't that big a deal and it was bloody hilarious. How'd you do it, anyway? I didn't think you had it in you."

"I don't," Lily snorted as they walked down the hallway. "It was an accident."

"No, really," James pressed. "Why'd you do it?"

"It's no joke, Potter!" she snapped. "I didn't mean to do it!"

"Oh…well, what happened?" Lily looked down and bit her lip.

"Erm…I added seven daffodils petals instead of two," she muttered sheepishly. James gave a snort of laughter, but quickly turned it into a hacking cough at the look at Lily's face.

"Oh, well, that's not funny at all," he said, trying to keep from grinning. "How could you think that was a seven?"

"It looked like a seven, alright?" Lily said defensively.

"No wonder Malfoy was laughing so hard! Daffodil petals are what make the person laugh. Jeez, those glasses are supposed to help you see, you know. And weren't you sitting right up front?"

"Look, if that damn writing wasn't so curvy, it wouldn't have happened!"

"Or if it wasn't your lack of potion skills," James snickered as they entered the classroom. "Remind me to never try potion you brew. God, your cooking must be horrid."

"Actually," Lily sniffed. "I can make a bloody good apple pie."

"Are the apples you use poisoned?" James asked. Lily glared at him as she slammed her books on the table.

"What about you? I'll bet you couldn't even make toast!"

"No," James said unabashedly. "I once tried to, but I caught my mum's curtains on fire. But I can make cereal."

"Cereal," Lily scoffed. "Honestly."

"The measurements are quite difficult," he continued. "It's half cereal, half milk. Then you put them into a large item, preferably a bowl. Although once, I did use a hat because all of the dishes were dirty. It was before I could do magic, so I didn't know how to clean them." Even though she trying hard not to, Lily started laughing quietly; half at James's jokes, and half at his stupidity. Encouraged by this, James went on. "Then you mix together with stirring utensil. You know, like a spoon? And you can't forget the special ingredient. I mean, the whole meal depends on it. You have to make sure you put in a teaspoon of sugar. It's crucial."

Behind them, Sirius and Parker watched the display between the two "enemies" with bewilderment, yet amusement.

"Hey Sirius," whispered Parker. "What do you see?" Sirius shook his head.

"I see something that could declare me permanently insane."

"Does it by chance involve Lily and James laughing together like they're old friends?"

"That would be it."

"I think you and I should book a room at St. Mungo's. Tonight," Parker said faintly. Sirius leaned close to her and whispered, "If I would be locked in a room with a beautiful girl like you as a roommate, I say, why wait?" Parker rolled her eyes and shoved Sirius away.

"Oh, please," she snorted. "You need to work on your pick up lines if you really think I would ever fall for that crap." Sirius pulled a puppy face and placed a hand over his heart.

"Does that mean you're refusing me, dearest?" he said, acting hurt. "But how can you resist me?"

"Quite easily," Parker said loftily, pulling out her quill. Sirius got a devious look on his face. Oh, god, Parker thought. I hate that look!

"Even if I do this?" Sirius leaned closer and kissed her softly the cheek, something most girls would die for. But without missing a beat, Parker just swatted him away, as if she was shooing away a fly.

"That just makes it easier," she said simply. All kidding aside, Sirius was shocked. His method had never failed before, and usually when he did that a girl would giggle like a hyena and pull him into a closet. Hmm… he thought. I must be losing my touch…Yeah, right! She's just stubborn. Intersting…

"Oh really?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "That's okay, Parker. I like a challenge." He winked at her. Parker rolled her eyes again and shook her head.

"You need help," she said. "And lots of it." Sirius laughed and began to doodle on a sheet of parchment while Professor Binns droned on in his wheezy voice.

Parker exhaled slowly and propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek in her hand. She made sure she was facing away from Sirius so that he didn't see her face flame up like a tomato. He still had no idea, and she like it that way.

After all, everyone knew that if you let a player know that you liked him, his head would only inflate more.

A/N: There is a specific reason why I titled the chapter "Transformation…both in MIND and body". Can anyone guess? Don't forget to review on your way out!

Until next time,

Spirit