An onlooker might have thought it strange to see James Potter walking down the corridor, muttering to himself. They may have said that he was different, or, perhaps, that he had gone slightly crazy. Most dismissed these tales, but loved to gossip about them anyway. However, Lily Evans, who was in the Head Boy’s body, wouldn’t have listened. She had other things on her mind.
“Okay, Lily, it’s not that hard to do,” she whispered to herself. “James, I’ve realised something. I love you. No, that sounds stupid. James, the past month has taught me something about myself and I now realise what I feel… Oh, that’s stupid too.”
“In a bit of a pickle dear?” a voice asked kindly, interrupting Lily’s practice. Lily turned, eyeing what she thought was the empty corridor. “I’m over here,” the voice called, and Lily realised that it belonged to an old lady in a portrait. Seeing that Lily had come over, the women started again. “Having a bit of trouble are we?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Lily replied with a sigh. With so much going on, she really needed to talk to someone. “You see, I’ve just realised I’m in love with this guy.” She then remembered who she was. “I mean girl! I’ve just realised I’m in love with a girl!”
“It’s okay,” the lady murmured with a smile. “You don’t have to lie to me. Is it that black haired fellow?”
“Pardon?” Lily stopped in her tracks. The comment had thrown her completely off guard. Could the portrait be psychic?
The lady blushed, her painting cheeks turning dark red. “The young man I always see you with in the corridors. Handsome, rugged sort of boy.”
“Sirius?” Lily asked in disbelief. The portrait was about as psychic as her Transfiguration textbook.
“Ah, yes, the young Black.” The lady giggled, taking Lily’s incredulity the wrong way. She seemed to have taken Lily’s reaction as evidence. “I can see why. Still, it must be so hard when you’re secretly in love with your best friend.”
“What?”
At that moment, Sirius came around the corner and dropped all his books. Remus and Peter, who were right behind him, walked straight into Sirius, knocking all three of them to the floor.
“We were just coming to find you,” Sirius said uncomfortably, pulling himself to his feet. “But I see you already have a companion.”
“Sweetie, this young boy here has something he wants to tell you.” To add insult to injury the portrait winked at her. “Maybe the other two should run along.”
Remus, obviously finding the situation hilarious, grabbed Peter’s arm. “We know our cue to leave.”
“Have fun, boys,” Peter chuckled. As soon as they were around the corner, Lily could hear them burst into laugher.
“So what were you guys chatting about?” Sirius asked, his face betraying no emotion. Lily was not sure, but she thought that she could see a glint of humour in his eyes. It seemed he was thriving on his ‘best friends’ discomfort.
The portrait, it seemed, was eager for the ‘truth’ to come out. “Honey,” it cooed, when Lily made no answer, “this young man is in love with you.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows, but made no other gesture that he had heard.
Lily, mortified, grabbed Sirius’ arm and moved as quickly away from the old woman as possible. Why did she have to run into the craziest portrait in the school?
“Sirius, how do you tell someone something?”
“Well, generally, you seek them out, open your mouth and say it. It’s called speaking.” He patted James on the shoulder. “Most learn it when they are one or two, but I suppose you can’t help it if you are a bit behind.”
“Helpful,” Lily scowled. “I don’t know why I can’t say it, Padfoot. There is nothing else I want to say in the whole world.”
Sirius flipped his hair. “Going to confess your love for me?”
“Yes,” Lily replied, grinning as Sirius’ face turned to one of shock. It was priceless. “No,” she continued, putting him out of his misery, “but I do love that expression.” Lily punched him on the shoulder. “Don’t be a prat.”
Sirius laughed. “Good, because I know I’m adorable, but it might make our friendship a little weird.”
“Merlin you sound like James, er, me sometimes. Look, there is something I just never thought I would say. I’ve got to tell someone something. They really deserve to know, but I just can’t make myself do it.”
Sirius patted him on the shoulder. “Prongs, I believe in you. I admit, I may have been sceptical before, but I think you are in with a good shot. Just go for it! Now come and hang with us three; we haven’t done Marauder things in ages.”
Lily took a deep breath and followed him. He was right, she did have a chance. She would find James and take the plunge.
“So, we’re reaching the end aren’t we?” James murmured, as Lily sat down next to him the following day. Despite the fact that she had vowed to ‘take the plunge,’ Lily had spent most of the previous day avoiding James. It wasn’t exactly hard, as Sirius had insisted that she hang out with him, Peter and Remus.
Still, she had been a chicken and she knew it.
“James…” Lily started. It was time to tell the truth. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course,” James replied. “You can tell me anything.”
“I think I am falling in love with…” she trailed off. Thoughts started to buzz through her head. What if he had changed his mind? Or worse, what if he hadn’t?
How would she cope?
“Yes, Lily?” James’ eyes were burning bright. All she would have to do was finish the sentence to tell him how she really felt. For the first time in weeks, Lily felt as though she was wrong from the beginning. Perhaps them switching bodies had nothing to do with the fact they were touching. Maybe, just maybe, he was actually her soul mate.
“Football,” she finished lamely.
“What?” James’ confusion was totally understandable.
“Er,” Lily covered. Coward Lily Evans! “I think I’m falling in love with football. The English Premier League to be more specific,” Lily tried, mentally hating herself every word. “Bristol City beat Manchester United 3-1. It was a great match.”
“Oh, yes.” James raised an eyebrow. “I love football too.”
“Really?” Lily dropped her glass of pumpkin juice, effectively turning the front of her robes orange. “You’re a Muggle football fan?”
“No,” James replied, smoothly picking up Lily’s glass before she could do any more damage. “I actually have no idea what it is. What the Godric is football?” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t answer that-- I don’t care. But I care about you, and I know you are lying. What were you originally going to say?”
“I think I…” Sirius sat down at the table, and before Lily realised what she was doing, she bailed again. “Lily, Sirius loves you,” she said quickly, before running out of the Great Hall. She knew it was cowardly, but at least James wouldn’t be able to follow her.
“I do?” Sirius questioned, his eyebrows furrowing, watching Lily run away. “Well, that’s a new one.”
James laughed. “How long have you had these feelings for?” he asked jokingly.
“Approximately twelve seconds it seems.” Sirius smirked. He pretended to consider James for a moment. “Will you go out with me?”
“No,” James replied swiftly, fighting the urge to smile. A girl from across the table scowled jealously, but Sirius didn’t even noticed. He found that the situation was much more fun when he wasn’t on the receiving end.
Sirius faked a frown and clutched his heart, as though the response had wounded him. “Didn’t think so. I’m crushed. Not as crushed as James was though. He actually cried the first time you rejected him.”
“I-er-he did not,” James stuttered. It was only one tear and Sirius had promised not to tell.
“Did so,” Sirius replied. “He’s pretty soft, really.”
Betrayer! “Well at least he didn’t accidentally kiss James’ next door neighbour Bessie,” James retorted, “or should I say, Bernard, last summer ...”
Sirius’ eyes widened in horror. “What has James been telling you?”
“Nothing,” James commented lightly. “Just some stories of what you did over the break. Was it fun?”
“Oh, shut up. Why did James run off like that? And what was it with the pumpkin juice on his robes?” he asked, staring after who he thought was his friend. “Wonder what has gotten into him.”
“Tell me about it,” James agreed, poking his fruit salad with his fork. Lily had been avoiding him since the previous afternoon they had spent together. Sure, they had had classes together, but she had always disappeared as soon as the bell rang. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. They had connected, he’d been sure of that. He’d been able to comfort her when she most needed it. Although they had been getting closer, it had been like a wall had fallen down between them. So why had she been avoiding him? And what was it that she wanted to say?
“Are you going out with him?” Sirius asked quickly, interrupting his thoughts. It seemed he was trying to spark a reaction by asking stealthily.
James looked up. “No, we are not.”
“Damn.” Sirius looked away again. “Well at least he hasn’t been lying to me.” Unwilling to give up on the idea, he continued his questioning. “Do you like him?”
“I don’t know,” James whispered to himself. Perhaps that was an explanation of Lily’s behaviour. James was usually a good judge of character, but Lily was a puzzle to him. They were definitely close friends, but damn it, he could feel something more. Was it possible she could too?
Sirius’ head swivelled, so he was once again staring at James. Only this time his mouth was wide open. “Wait a minute… you actually like him.” He shook his head as though his ears were full of water. “Why don’t you tell him?”
“Because I’m not sure,” James replied honestly. He wanted to believe that Lily had feelings for him, but it seemed impossible. Yet, he’d once believed she would always hate him. Was it possible that they could actually be together?
“Okay, just picture you are James for a moment.”
James laughed, If only he knew. “I think I can give it a shot. Let me get into character; tall, dark, mysterious and cheeky.” He cleared his throat and ran his hands through his hair. “Hey, Padfoot, want to go hang out at the lake later?”
Sirius opened his mouth in shock. “Okay, that is really creepy.” He shook his head, recovering slightly. “See, you obviously know him well. He really likes you. Please, just give him a go.”
James’ grin vanished, and he looked up at the rain falling from the roof. There was nothing else he wanted more in the world than for Lily to follow Sirius’ advice.
James searched for Lily all day, but couldn’t find her. He needed to know what she was going to say. But it wasn’t just that, he missed talking to her. He’d even go back to her insulting him, just to have some interaction.
However, his efforts were completely useless. It wasn’t until the next day, before breakfast, that he saw his own figure scooting around a corner and into a secret passageway. Lily had obviously been making good use of the Map. James was too proud to be angry.
Yet, before he had a chance to follow her, he bumped into something -- or rather someone-- big. As soon as the person saw who James was, he turned and stalked away. James was about to leave, when he stopped in his tracks. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes in agony. You can do this, he thought, before yelling out.
“Rodger, wait!”
Rodger froze, and slowly turned. “Yes, Lily?”
Once again, James was filled with an absurd jealously. This boy had actually succeeded in going out with Lily, something that he had never achieved. James just wanted to squish him, but he knew that was wrong. There was something he needed to say.
He took a deep breath. “Rodger, I just wanted to apologise for everything that has happened the last three weeks. I know I’ve been acting like an idiot, but things really threw me. I was hoping you might forgive me.”
For a moment, James thought Rodger would would hex him, but the moment was short lived. “That’s okay, Lily,” sighed the Hufflepuff Keeper. “You are an amazing girl, but anyone can see I’m not meant for you.” He shook his head. “Just make sure James doesn’t hurt you.”
James didn’t know whether to be pleased or angry. On one hand, Rodger was being completely reasonable, yet he was completely wrong. James couldn’t help being defensive. “What makes you think he would ever do that?”
Rodger looked taken aback. “He’s popular, Lily. I think he sees you as a prize not a person.”
James opened his mouth in shock. “You’re wrong.”
Rodger just shook his head. “You’re probably right. Even before I started going out with you, I could see the way he looked at you. I suppose I was just jealous. I never thought I’d get a chance with someone like you, and I didn’t want to ever give you up. But more recently, I can see the way you two look at each other. Who am I to stand in the way of that?”
“Thanks, Rodger,” James said with sincerity. No longer jealous, he was able to see Rodger as just another person who had seen how beautiful Lily was.
Rodger leaned over, and for a petrifying moment James thought he would kiss him again. But Rodger just kissed him on the cheek. “Good luck, Lily,” he said, before leaving.
Later that afternoon, Lily finally got the guts to go and see James. It had taken all day, but she had finally worked up the courage. Pulling out the Marauder’s Map, she located him on the fourth floor corridor.
However, by the time she got there James was not alone, but chatting to Alice. She took a deep breath. They could still talk in private, she told herself, trying to resist the growing feeling to run. Everything would work out.
When she drew closer, Alice looked up and elbowed James in the ribs. James looked up, and Alice smiled coyly. Lily narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. Alice wanted them together. No doubt she had subtly been trying to talk who she thought was her friend into saying something.
“James,” the boy in her body said with a smile. “Long time, no see. Why have you been…”
“Lily,” she cut him off. “I’m sorry. I need to tell you something…”
“Lily,” said Sirius, coming around the corner. The dratted boy had followed her. “I think you should tell James something.”
“Lily,” a booming voice interrupted, causing the four students to turn. “I was wondering if you’d seen anyone with red…” Slughorn trailed off in horror. James looked down at his hands, only to find that they were bright red and glowing. When did this happen, he thought to himself in shock.
He shot a quick glance at Lily, hoping for answers. To his surprise, she had a similar expression on her face. Her hands too were bright red. Slughorn followed his line of sight and opened his mouth in amazement.
“I see,” Slughorn struggled out, his moustache twitching. “I didn’t expect this, especially not from the two Heads.”
“Professor,” Lily stuttered. “What’s going on?”
“James was with me every night the last week,” interrupted Sirius. “We were, er, out checking out tail.”
“Black, I do not know what this ‘tail’ is and I don’t condone it. Potter, I should be asking you the same question.” Lily had never seen Slughorn so angry, his eyes were almost popping. “Filtch, the new caretaker was cleaning out one of the unused dungeons when he came across this.” Slughorn pulled out the empty bottle of Inacias oil. “This potion ingredient has been missing for the last three and a half weeks, but I knew it had been taken from my stores. So, I cast a thief’s reveal spell on it. Do you know what the thief’s reveal spell does, Lily?”
“Does it send out a giant net to catch thieves?”
Sirius laughed, but Slughorn grimaced. “Now is not the time for jokes, Lily. You are in serious trouble. Do you know what it does, Potter?”
Lily shook her head, but she knew the answer. The thief’s reveal spell was a charm cast on an object left behind at a crime scene. It revealed everyone who had touched the object after it had been stolen.
Lily looked over to Alice, who looked confused. She’d never told her that she had stolen the potions ingredient, as it had been a spur of the moment thing. She hoped that Alice wouldn’t figure it out, or she would definitely jump in and tell the truth. But facts were facts, and the evidence pointed to Lily. There was no use the both of them being in trouble.
“You see, Lily, I was going to ask you if you had seen anyone with red hands.” He shook his head. “I never dreamed it would be you.” He straightened to his full height, his stomach puffing out. James swiftly stepped back to avoid it. “Perhaps you two should come with me.”
James went completely white. They’d been caught, literally, red handed. The consequences of this would not be good-- they both had a chance of losing their badges, getting suspended or even being expelled.
He wasn’t sure he could handle Lily’s heartbreak if that did happen.
James looked over at the girl in question. She was looking at the floor as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. But James had seen that expression before; Lily was trying not to cry. He longed to go over and comfort her, but he knew it would do no good. He wished he had a plan to try and get them out of it.
A sudden thought hit him. While the consequences would be permanent, he thought back to the words.
…the modified potion can last anywhere between four to six weeks…
It was the 26th of October. He’d been Lily for nearly four weeks. According to the potion, there was only a maximum of two weeks left until they switched back bodies.
If Lily took the blame in his body, she would escape from the long term consequences. The thought humbled him. He’d give up anything, even his place at Hogwarts, to ensure that she was happy.
“Stop!” he burst out, causing Slughorn to stop in his tracks. “Professor, this is all just one big mistake!” Lily looked strait at him, and he silently begged her to go with the plan. “This is all James’ fault,” he continued. “About a month ago, he handed me that ingredient and asked me to hold it for one minute. I didn’t know what he was planning on doing with it, and I haven’t seen it since. Whatever he did with the oil, I had absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s all James Potter’s fault.”
“Lily!” Alice whispered. “Why are you saying these things? He means more to you!”
Slughorn looked confused, so James continued, “James did it. Look at me, I’m a fantastic student. Kind, well behaved and always trying to stop fights when they come about. I’m the last person who would steal a potions ingredient. Yet, there is so much more to me then I ever imagined. I care about other people so much, that I would do anything for them. Even if it meant doing something that goes against what I want to do. I’m braver then anyone else I’ve ever met.”
“Merlin, you sound like James,” Sirius said sarcastically. Obviously he resented the attack on his ‘friend’. “Only more, if possible, conceited.”
James sighed, ignoring everyone and staring straight at Slughorn. “James doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near me. Everything that happened was entirely his fault.”
As his rant drew to a close, James looked over at Lily. She looked stunned, unbelieving of what he had said. So, in fact, did his friends. Never had they heard ‘Lily’ talk about herself in such a way. Slughorn, on the other hand, looked rather convinced. After all, Lily was one of his favourite students.
“Well,” he said, looking over to ‘James Potter.’ It looked like he was going to buy the ruse. “Potter, is there anything you would like to say before I take you to my office?” James shot another pleading look at Lily, trying to convey that she should allow the plan to continue. It was vital that she didn’t give herself away otherwise she too would be in huge trouble.
However, to James’ chagrin, Lily did not remain silent. “No, Professor! Lily did it!” she yelled in defiance. Slughorn paused, confused by this new outburst. “Lily,” she said, shooting a look at James. “You should tell him the truth.”
“Are you confused?” Sirius whispered to Alice. “Because I feel like I’m missing something.”
Alice nodded her head. “Merlin, they sound like Alain and Orsha.”
“Who?” Sirius asked.
“Er…Never mind.”
“You see,” Lily continued, ignoring her spectators. “Lily may seem like a well behaved student, but it was she who stole the potions ingredient. My only crime was not being able to see what she was doing, because I too believed she was a model student. Still, I held the oil for a moment, and agreed to her plan, because her feelings meant so much to me. I can’t believe I was so blind.”
“I know, I may look like a bit of a trouble maker, but I’m actually a really nice person underneath. You see, I care about what is happening to other people and I’d do anything for my friends.”
Lily paused, and looked over at James. “I can’t believe I was chasing after Lily all this time, when she should have been chasing after me.”
“You really think that?” whispered James. Both of them had forgotten that they were in a corridor and that Slughorn, Sirius and Alice was standing a few feet away. “Because I still feel the same way. No, that’s not true. The last month has really showed me that you are so much more than I ever imagined. Where as before I only liked you,” he paused. “Now I’m in love with you.”
Lily opened her mouth in shock, her heart beating a million times a minute. Could this be possible? Could this giddy feeling really be stemming from the boy she once thought of as only a nuisance?
But the last month had changed her “ changed both of them. She could now see things from a different view and James had never looked better. In fact, nothing had ever felt more right than the possibility of being with James. She wanted to hold him in her arms and never let go. Lily Evans was in love, and she’d never been happier.
“James, I love you too,” she whispered softly. Yet, for some reason, Lily felt that words weren’t enough. With feelings enveloping her, she rushed towards him. For it was in that moment that she finally understood. It didn’t matter what happened, but she was meant to be with James.
So, Lily screwed her eyes shut and kissed him.
However, the kiss didn’t last long at all. For a brief second Lily felt as though she was weightless, soaring through the air without a care in the world. For what seemed like hours she drifted into nothingness, before she came back to her state of mind with a thump.
Lily Evans was herself again.
“YES!” James yelled, punching his fist in the air. “I’M BACK IN BUSINESS!” Then, before Lily could say anything, he kissed her properly. Neither of them knew how long it was that they stood there, it was almost as though they were in a world of their own. Finally, Slughorn coughed and they broke apart, hands remaining intertwined.
The first thing Lily noticed was that Sirius was dancing. “FINALLY!” he called. “Damn confusing, and I don’t understand how or why,” he patted James on the shoulder, “but you got there!”
Alice smiled up at her, a knowing look on her face as she dabbed at her eyes with the bottom of her robes.
The second thing Lily noticed was Slughorn. He, unlike her friends did not seem impressed by the lovers’ kiss. Truth be told, he looked down right mad. “What is going on?” he yelled, causing his stomach to wobble dangerously. “First you are insulting each other and now you are kissing! Who actually took my potion ingredient?”
“I did!” James and Lily said in unison, their hands still intertwined. “Alone,” they added together.
“Obviously one of you is protecting someone else…”
“That would be me, Horace,” a bold voice interjected behind them. James and Lily turned to see Dumbledore approaching, his blue eyes twinkling.
“What are you talking about, Albus?” asked Slughorn. “I caught these two red-handed. One of them has done it.”
“Do you really think that these two lovely students could do such a thing? They are protecting me.” He smiled at the two Heads. “I took the Inachis oil, I meant to tell you, but, it slipped my mind.”
Slughorn looked sceptical, but a little relived. He didn’t want his favourite student in trouble. “Why did you take it?”
Lily and James could only stare as Dumbledore shot them a smile. Clearly, they were to remain silent. “I needed it for a top secret mission, something that would not occur without a little help. But I can see everything has worked out now, and I was just about to come and find you to explain the truth.”
“Oh, well,” Slughorn stuttered, unwilling to believe that the culprit was none other than the headmaster. “Then why are these two taking the blame?”
“Who knows, Horace. I did tell them not to tell anyone. I suppose they are just being loyal “ a most admirable trait. Alas, they have had quite an interesting time over the last few weeks, so I’m sure they have learnt their lesson anyway. It’s best we leave them be.” Dumbledore shot them a wink before taking hold of Slughorn’s arm and leading him away. “I have some great Elf’s wine in my office…”
“Well,” Sirius said, as the headmaster walked out of sight. “You two have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Really?” asked James without looking at him. Nothing could tear his eyes away from Lily. “I rather thought it obvious.”
“Uh huh,” said Alice sarcastically, tapping her foot. “Tell us the truth.”
Lily smiled. “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”
“We’re not leaving till we have an answer,” Sirius argued.
James just ignored him. He never wanted to look away.
Sirius stamped his foot. “Tell us!”
“Sirius, my friend,” James said, still gazing at Lily. “It is a long, long tale. A story for another day.”
“Fine,” said Alice, giving in, knowing she owed Lily. “We are unwanted by the lovebirds. Come on, Sirius. We’ll interrogate them later.”
“But I want to interrogate them now,” whined Sirius.
“Come on!” she said, grabbing Sirius and dragging him away.
James and Lily watched as Alice led Sirius away. As soon as they were out of sight Lily did a little jig. “I’m a girl again!” she turned and gave James a big hug. “You’re a boy!”
“Glad you were able to deduce that, Lily.” James grinned. “Some detective work there,” he continued, earning him a swat on the shoulder from Lily. “And they say I’m arrogant. At least I’ve never kissed myself.”
Lily laughed. “I don’t know why I did it. I suppose I just wanted to show you how I felt.”
“Well, I’m not complaining.”
“Unlike Sirius,” Lily joked, before stopping her dance. “We’ll have to tell them one day.”
“Maybe.” His now hazel eyes gleamed. “Maybe we’ll keep it a secret. Just between us.” He grinned. “A romantic little secret.”
Lily giggled. “Romantic. Really?” A thought hit her. “Hold on, speaking of secrets, do you think he knows?” James greeted her with a blank look. Sighing, she continued. “You know, Professor Dumbledore. Do you think that he has known all along?”
“Probably,” James shrugged, grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled Lily close to him. “He knows everything that goes on at Hogwarts. Wonder why he didn’t turn us in?”
“You know Dumbledore,” Lily sung, “Always happy to see a little more love in the world.”
“So, all it took for you to see my side of things was to live as me for a while?” James cocked his eyebrow.
“Love works in the weirdest of ways.”
“Speaking of which,’ James grinned, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers. “Lily Evans, will you go out with me?”
Lily pretended to consider for a moment. “Let me see. By going out do you mean, spending lots of time together, living practically in each others skin, sleeping in each others beds, knowing all of each others secrets, holing up in broom closets together and comforting each other when they are crying?”
“I suppose so.” James smirked. “But I was thinking more along the lines of this.” Before she even knew what he was doing James swept her into a passionate kiss.
After a moment, Lily broke away and smiled. “Yes, I do think I will.”
But that was all she managed to say before James kissed her again.
Fin