A/N: So…onto chapter eight! Also, Look at the end for a VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Believe me; you don't want to miss it.

Chapter Eight: Transforming Ms. Evans, Both in Mind and Body, Part Two

Later that evening James sat in a small corner of the Common Room, explaining to Lily all she needed to know for that transformation that night. He reached into a bag and pulled out a silvery cloak.

"Alright, Evans," he said. "This is something that you definitely need for tonight, or else you'll get caught." Lily ran her fingers delicately along the seam.

"I know a cloak will keep me warm, Potter," she said. "But it's so bright that people will be able to see it in the dark." James shook his head. Grinning, he put the cloak over his forearm, and in an instant it disappeared. "Oh my God," Lily breathed, staring at what used to be his arm. "What happened? Where'd your arm go?"

"It's still there," he replied. He pat his arm. "You just can't see it." Lily poked at it curiously and drew back. "It's an invisibility cloak," James explained. "Just cover yourself, Sirius, and Peter with it and you'll be fine." Lily glanced at him skeptically.

"It's not that big, Potter."

"Evans," he reasoned. "I've had this cloak for six years. The others and I have been on loads of nighttime raids and we haven't gotten caught yet."

"The key word is 'yet'." James rolled his eyes.

"God, you're so paranoid," he snorted. "You'll fit, okay?"

"But what if—" Lily began.

"You'll fit," James repeated. Lily was quiet for a moment, and she looked thoughtful.

"Wait a minute," she said slowly. Then her eyes widened and she pointed at James frantically. "Aha!" she cried. "So that's how you do it! That's how you do it every time, how you never get caught!"

"Of course," James said casually.

"I'll bet there have been tons many things that you've been behind," Lily continued to fume. "And yet you've never been caught. Ugh! An invisibility cloak! You should be in detention for the rest of your life, Potter! That is so like you to weasel your way out of everything before you get caught!"

"Evans," James said in a bored tone, rolling his eyes. "If we sit here talking about my many talents, we'll be here until our graduation. Do you mind if we continue?" Lily crossed her and leaned back into the big chair, scowling deeply.

"Typical," she muttered darkly. "Just typical. You're so pig-headed." James grinned.

"That's quite a compliment coming from you," he told her. "Normally I'm nothing short of a hormone-driven sixteen year old pervert, or he with a head that has more air than a balloon, and my personal favorite, an egotistical asshole who has to share a brain with someone just to recite the A-B-C's."

"Huh," Lily wondered aloud. "I had no idea you heard that last one."

"Of course!" he scoffed. "How could I not? You kind of yelled it right in my ear after I made your food explode in your face at dinner a few months ago. It was worth it, though," he added thoughtfully. "Anyway, back to the point. Sirius and Peter will meet you right outside the portrait door. You'll walk under the cloak down to the Whomping Willow where—"

"I'm not going near that thing!" exclaimed Lily, eyes widened in horror. "I'd like to come back unharmed if you don't mind, Potter. If I even went within three of a branch, I would come back with more injuries than I did from quidditch practice."

"Don't worry," James assured her. "It was only put there to keep people from poking around where they shouldn't and besides—"

"I'm poking around where I shouldn't!" Lily interrupted frantically. "I was under the distinct impression, Potter, that you actually wanted to get back into your own body. And guess what? You can't get back into your body if I'm dead!"

"Shh!" hissed James, glancing around anxiously. "Keep your voice down! Put it on the front page of the Daily Prophet, why don't you? If you had let me finish, I would have told you that we know how to stop it from moving."

"Oh?" Lily said dryly. "A couple hundred human bones should do the trick, don't you think? Brilliant, Potter" James narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

"No," he said crossly. "For your information, there happens to be a small knob on one of the roots. Peter just presses it and the Willow won't move a leaf."

"Oh, so you'll sacrifice Peter then?" Lily asked innocently. James took a deep breath and put his head into his hands. For a few moments he stayed that way, and Lily thought she heard him mutter a few colorful words. When he emerged, James had his lips tightly pressed together, as if he was trying to keep what he really wanted to say to himself.

"Evans," he said tensely through (very tightly) gritted teeth. "Let me put this into words that someone so simple minded as you can understand. I am an Animagus. Sirius is an Animagus. Peter is an Animagus. Got that so far?" Lily nodded and tried to keep herself from laughing at James's obvious impatience.

"So far," she chirped.

"The animal that Peter turns into is a rat," James slowly continued, talking as if to a three-year-old. "A rat is very small. Small animals, like a rat for instance, are small enough to get by a somewhat violent tree without getting hurt. Just for fun, imagine with me that this tree is called a Whomping Willow. Now think, Evans. If Peter is a rat, and rat is small enough to get by the Whomping Willow unharmed, what does that mean?" Just for her own amusement, Lily decided to play dumb.

"I know that one, I know that one!" she said eagerly, bouncing up and down in her chair. James gave her a long look and nodded. Then Lily said, "Throwing it a body will satisfy its hunger, therefore will stop moving and let the others pass. Is my logic correct, Professor Potter?" James scowled at her as she began to laugh quietly.

"That's not funny," he said grumpily. "It really isn't." Lily bit her lip and tried to compose herself again.

"I thought so," she murmured.

"Well, bully for you," James pouted.

"Oh, lighten up!" Lily said, smirking at him. "It was just a joke. No need to throw a tantrum about it."

"I'm not throwing a tantrum!" James protested childishly.

"Looks like a tantrum to me," she commented. James stuck his tongue out her, unable to think of anything else to do. "Oh, that's mature," Lily snorted. "Are you sixteen or six?" James glared at her.

"You're aggravating me on purpose, aren't you?" he asked. Lily folded her arms.

"Remind you of anyone?" she asked pointedly.

"Certainly not myself. You know, Evans, if you want to make sure people don't catch on about our little dilemma and act like me, you're going to have to act less like…well, you and more suave and debonair." Lily rolled her eyes and grunted loudly.

"Who do you think you are, Prince Charming?" James raised his eyebrows and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.

"He learned all he knows from me," he drawled.

"You're hopeless," Lily sighed, shaking her head at him.

"Why thank you. Gee, you're getting better and better at this complimenting thing. Have you been taking lessons?"

Lily gave a short, loud laugh, stopped abruptly and said, "No."

James chuckled softly for a moment before saying, "Okay. It's now 5:45. At six o'clock, you're to meet Peter and Sirius right outside the portrait door. When you get outside you'll put on the cloak and walk down to the Whomping Willow. Then you'll transform and go through the tunnel that leads to the Shrieking Shack and stay there until morning. Any questions?"

"Yeah," replied Lily. "What do you do while you're down there? Can I take a book?"

"You can't exactly turn pages with hooves, Evans."

"I know that! But I can read when I change—" James shook his head vigorously.

"No," he said firmly. "That's the most important thing you have to remember, Evans. You can't be in human form while Remus is a werewolf."

"Why?" she asked. "He's really nice. His personality can't change, right?"

"Wrong. Remus isn't himself. He's really dangerous when he's in werewolf form. His animal instincts take over. Remus could bite you, and then you would become a werewolf, too." Lily's eyes widened fearfully and shook her head from side to side.

"No," she said. "I changed my mind, I'm not going. I loved being in animal form and everything, but not enough to make it permanent!"

"Relax, Evans," James assured. "He's only dangerous to humans."

"What am I, an alien!" James smirked at her.

"Well, I've always believed so—" Lily glared at him. "—but when you're an Animagus and you transform, you are an animal through and through. Don't worry; Remus won't hurt you." Lily made a derisive noise and folded her arms.

"If I come back with any injuries, physical or mental, you will receive my hospital bill." James nodded.

"Dully noted," he said seriously.

Lily was quiet for a moment before saying, "So, what will you be doing tonight?" James shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know," he answered.

"I'm not going to be around to baby-sit you, so it had better be something I approve of." James glared at her.

"Who are you, my mother?"

"No, just your keeper," Lily replied smartly. "You definitely need one."

James's scowl deepened. "Funny, Evans," he grumbled. "Real witty. If you must know, keeper, I was planning on going down to the kitchens for a little snack. I'm already done with my homework. Maybe I'll go read or something." Lily snorted and raised a skeptical eyebrow,

"You?" she scoffed. "You are going to go read?"

"Yes," James said defensively. "Is there a problem with that? Or do I need a permission slip?"

"Sorr-ee," said Lily, leaning back a bit. James rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh.

"Look, it's six o'clock. Go on and meet Sirius and Peter. You don't want to be late." Lily nodded and rose to her feet. "And remember," James added as she turned away. "Don't—"

"Yeah, yeah," Lily interrupted, waving an impatient hand. "I know. Don't transform around Remus while he's a werewolf. I got it. See you later."

"Bye." Lily took a deep breath and walked through the portrait door. Right before it closed, James heard Sirius say, "Hey, Prongs, you ready?" James sighed again put his head in his hands. I really hope she doesn't screw this up, he thought. After a moment, he stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the Common Room. True to his word, he was headed down to the kitchens for a snack, something that everyone else would call a meal.

As James made his way down, he thought about the conversation that had taken place between him and Lily earlier that day. The words that he had shouted echoed in his head… I know what it's like to feel different and lonely! James turned the corner and a pensive expression took over his features.

Not many people knew about that. So why had he said it? It was just in the heat of the moment, he reasoned with himself. She deserved to be told off. Evans never should have assumed…

Assumed what, though?

James tickled the pear on the fruit painting. When it swung opened, the house elves stopped rushing around, looking like Christmas had arrived early.

"Miss Evans!" cried one of them in her high-pitched voice, clapping her hands in delight. "You comes back so soon!" James smiled faintly,

"Yeah, Opal," he said kindly. "I couldn't resist. The food's too good." Opal bowed low.

"Miss Evans is too nice, miss," she said shyly. "What would Miss Evans like?"

"I'm just looking for a snack, so all I want is some fried chicken, a side of mashed potatoes with gravy, a bit of macaroni and cheese, biscuits with some butter, and a slice of pumpkin pie. Oh, and a cup of coffee." Opal laughed.

"Miss Evans has an appetite like Mr. Potter," she said, smiling at him. "Miss Evans's food will be right up."

"Thank you," replied James. But by the time he had started the sentence, the house elves had already begun to fix his plate(s). Within thirty seconds, one of them had placed a cup on the table along with a large pot full of black coffee. James smiled thankfully and poured the coffee into a cup.

Then he placed it aside and took a greedy gulp out of the pot.

"Ahh," he breathed happily, eyes closed. "That feels nice…"

A few moments later the house elves set two plates on the table, piled high with the food James had requested. He took a bite out of the chicken and once again started to reflect.

That's what most people didn't know about James Potter.

Although he had a side that always joked around, James could also be very quiet. There were times when he would become silent, just thinking about…everything. Everything from the way the snow covered the castle like a delicate blanket, to why some birds could fly and others couldn't (he had yet to find the answer to that particular question).

Yet, no one ever saw this side of him.

No one but Sirius and Remus, anyway. They knew that their friend could sometimes get into a mood and he needed to be left alone. And James knew that he could always count on them to do so. No one else understood. Not even Peter, and certainly not those girls who were always throwing themselves at him; winking at him so often he wondered if they suffered from ticks. Sure, he liked the attention, but kissing could only entertain a person for so long.

…I know what it's like to be different…

Indeed he did.

Although being a descendent of one of the four founders was something he was proud of, it did have its downsides. For one thing, he didn't know who he could trust with such a secret, so he had resolved not to tell anyone. Not even Sirius, who was like a brother to him.

No, he hadn't told a soul about the diary of Godric Gryffindor, which was locked away in the library at home. Nor about the cabin that Gryffindor himself had lived in called Godric's Hollow, or how a special preservation spell had kept it looking as well as the day it had been built one thousand years before.

James sighed and took another sip from the coffee pot. As he stared into the roaring fire, he remembered how his number of friends had been limited when he was younger, due to the fact that he was always showing traces of powerful magic at a young age. Usually, witches and wizards didn't show signs of any magic until the ages of ten and eleven, which was about the time they received their Hogwarts letters. James however, had been able to do small things ever since he could walk. When he was one and a half, he had made a lollipop levitate over to him when his mother had put it away. Even when I was younger I always found a way to get what I wanted, James thought wryly.

Then there was the time when he was four and had made his vegetables splatter all over the walls because he hadn't wanted to eat them, and when he was seven, he had made another boy's hair turn pink when he had made fun of his glasses…the list went on.

His father had said that it was wisest to keep his abilities under wraps.

"If it ever was to get out," he had told him and his mother. "There would be long term consequences that could easily get out of hand. An investigation would be called by the ministry, to make sure foul play wasn't behind it. It would be all over the Daily Prophet. We would never have a moment's peace. We mustn't tell anyone."

And they hadn't.

James hadn't been able to hang around too many kids, as a caution that his ability to do magic at an early stage would become known. Sirius had been an exception. Marian Potter had put her foot down, saying that James needed at least one friend who he could trust.

James smiled faintly at the memory of his mother, who was five-foot-four, shouting at his father (standing at six-three) who cowered and quickly gave in. No one, no matter how tall or strong, had been able to stand up to Mrs. Potter when she became angry.

James shook his head and grinned, taking a bite out of his potatoes.

Thanks mum.

Unlike James, Lily was far from relaxing.

In a word, she was panicking.

The closer she, Sirius, and Peter came to the Whomping Willow, the more nervous she became. What if I mess up? she thought frantically. What happens if I can't transform. Or worse, I transform into half human, half stag! Or even worse, what if I can't change back! Lily groaned quietly.

"What was that, James?" Peter asked her, tripping over the bottom of the cloak.

"Nothing," Lily said quickly. "I didn't say anything." Still walking, Sirius turned his head to look at her curiously.

"Are you okay, Prongs?" he asked. "You don't look so good." But Lily didn't hear him. She was rapidly chanting the things James had told her under her breath.

"Don't transform around the werewolf…think of every essence of the stag…think of ever essence of a human…don't transform around the werewolf…think of every essence of the stag…" Peter looked to Sirius, who just shrugged and kept walking. When they got within a twenty foot radius of the Whomping Willow, Sirius tugged off the cloak.

"Okay, Peter," he said, a little breathless from walking. "Go ahead." Peter nodded, and Lily watched in amazement as he turned into a rat in the blink of an eye. He scurried behind tree, and a moment later it stopped all movement. Not even a leaf was left in motion.

"It's gonna stay like that, right?" Lily asked Sirius, staring up at the willow apprehensively. Sirius looked at her strangely.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not going to…like, move while we're down there, will it?" Sirius stared at her and leaned in closely. He gazed into Lily's eyes so intensely, she thought for sure he had figured out that she wasn't the real James.

"I knew it," he said slowly. Lily took a step back.

"You kn-knew what?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't lie to me," Sirius scoffed. Lily held her breath. "You've been drinking fire whiskey again, haven't you, Prongs?" Slowly, Lily exhaled. "Why didn't you get me any!" Sirius exclaimed, whacking her on the shoulder. "Haven't you ever heard the saying that sharing is caring?"

"Sirius," Lily said, a little calmer. "That would be illegal."

"Right, like that's stopped you before," he snorted. Lily opened and closed her mouth, but refrained from saying anything. Ooh, is Potter going to hear from me, she thought furiously. "Look," continued Sirius. "We'll talk about this later. Hurry up, we have to get down there." Sirius changed from a boy into a shaggy haired, big, black dog. He crouched low and made his way down the tunnel, leaving Lily standing by herself in the dark night. So she started to do something to calm her nerves. Something that always worked.

She began to talk to herself.

"Okay," she said, forcing herself to be calm. "Okay, calm down, Lily. Everything will be fine. This time tomorrow, you will be all snug and warm on your…couch. Safe and sound, and back in human form with no scars…well, not anything physical at anyway. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this." Lily could almost hear James say, So do it then and stop talking to yourself like you're mental. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and remembered the words James had told her when she had transformed for the first time. Think of every part of the stag…every hoof…every point on its antlers…every hair on its back…

Lily felt her shape shifting and before she knew it, she was a stag. She opened her eyes, and breathed (or rather, snorted) a sigh of relief. Slowly and carefully, she made her way through the hole. To her surprise, she could still see in the dark as if it was daylight. Must be an improvement, she thought. She picked up on Sirius's scent (a mix of dog and a hint of cologne) and followed it as if she would a trail in the forest.

Lily followed her nose and came to a door that was slightly open. She could tell by the sounds that were coming from that room that she had come to the right place. After a moment of debating, she decided to face her fear. Holding her head low (so that she could use her antlers in case she needed to) she forced her way into the room.

She had expected to see a ferocious animal, tearing everything in sight, but what she saw was a dog and what looked like a slightly different type of dog (which was Remus) playfully wrestling in the corner. She looked over to the bed, and saw Peter munching on a slab of cheese. Well, this won't be so bad, Lily thought to herself. It might actually be…fun.

Early the next morning Lily, Sirius, and Peter crept into the Common Room, tip-toeing as not to wake anyone. Remus had gone to the Infirmary to recover, and Lily had been surprised to find that it hadn't been so bad being in the company of a werewolf, a dog, and a rat. Throughout the night, she had sat quietly in the corner, while Sirius chased around the spiders that infested the room, or while Remus chewed on a bone. Peter just sat on the bed and ate cheese. Hmm, Lily had thought. I suppose he's useless as an animal, too. Sirius had tried to get her to play-fight many times, but when Lily had jabbed him with her antlers, he got the point and left her alone.

All in all, Lily thought it had been an okay night. The only downside was that she could barely keep her eyes open.

"G'night Sirius," she muttered through a yawn.

"G'morning, James," he replied cheerfully. Lily looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"I said, good morning," Sirius repeated. "It's nearly five o'clock. See you in three hours." He clapped her on the back and bounded up the steps. He has way too much energy, Lily thought. She sleepily made her way over to the couch, where James was snoozing soundly.

"Hey," she whispered, poking at him. He still didn't wake up. Lily sighed and took off her shoes before trying again.

"Potter," she said a bit louder. "Wake up!" James didn't do anything but make a quiet snort and roll over onto his side. Lily grinned as a plan hit her. She leaned close to his ear and took a deep breath.

"POTTER!" she yelled. James gave a small yelp and sat upright with his eyes wide open, colliding heads with Lily.

"Present!" he cried, looking around in every direction. When he spotted Lily rubbing her forehead and wincing in pain, he glowered at her.

"That's your own fault, you know," he said grumpily, rubbing his eyes. "You should never wake a person like that. It could cause traumatic scarring."

"That's sleep-walking, you twit," Lily snapped. James glanced at his watch and glared at Lily.

"One could cause traumatic scarring when she wakes up a person at ten to five! What's the matter with you!"

"I just wanted to tell you that everything went well with the transformation." James closed his eyes and lay back down.

"Evans," he said as he pulled the blanket up to his chin. "You have problems if you think telling me that was worth waking me up at this ungodly hour. Serious problems."

"So," Lily said, ignoring his comment. "What did you do?" James heaved great sigh.

"I went to the Blue Torch in Hogsmeade and downed shots," he told her in a dull tone. "Then I came back here and passed out. I have no recollection whatsoever of anything after about seven. So if your stomach begins look a bit large within the next nine months I apologize in advance. And you might want to talk to a bloke named Luke." Unfortunately, Lily didn't pick up on his sarcasm.

"Potter!" she cried.

"Relax," he said tiredly. "All I did was go down to the kitchens for awhile." Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"So…you didn't, like…?" James's eyes flew open and he fixed her with a disgusted look.

"No!" he exclaimed. "God, are you mental! I may look like a girl at the present moment, but I am a boy through and through. I have a distinct memory of telling you that I don't row in that boat." Lily shrugged.

"You never know," she muttered.

"Well, I do," James said indignantly. He closed his eyes again and snuggled deeper into the covers. "Now either go away or go to sleep. I find your useless chatter annoying. It's amazing how you have the talent to go on and on and yet never say anything. I thought only Sirius could do that." Lily snorted and lay down as well, scowling at James's sharp remark.

"That's nice," she huffed.

"No," James replied smartly. "That's tired."

A/N: Ahh…and there's chapter eight for ya'! It was actually fun to write. I'm experiencing another bout of the dreaded Writers Block for the next chapter, so forgive me if it comes out a bit late. Enjoy this chapter everyone, and don't forget to review!

Until next time,

Spirit