Umm… just warning you now… this chapter is pretty long lol!! Umm but good news is it's the last one for this story, so no more super long chappies D… anywayz enjoy!!!

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Lily stirred feebly. She turned her head in her pillow, and her thoughts instantly drifted to the events of the previous night. The whole thing was a blur: a stressful, surreal blur. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel exhilarated. She was back to normal, and now, the only issue she had to deal with was patching things up with James. And why should that be a problem? Surely he'd understand if she just explained the situation. She wasn't in the wrong. The only reason they'd lied was to spare his feelings. In fact he should be apologizing to her! He overreacted without even giving them a chance to explain, and he had said all of those hurtful things about her. But no, she wasn't going to get angry. She was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, it had been an incredibly confusing and stressful night, and people say stuff they don't mean when they're in that state of mind.

Lily gently lifted herself up into a sitting position. She was going to take initiative and talk things through with James. Now that she knew him as caring and mature, she had to at least be friends with him. She looked to her left and saw that Hailey was still fast asleep, and that Alison was slowly awakening. She relished the fact that she was back with her friends; she'd missed them so much. Lily leapt out of bed, and quickly rushed over and jumped on Hailey, who screamed on impact.

"Lily, what the fuck?!" Hailey screamed angrily, flailing under her blankets.

"Morning sunshine!" Lily said brightly, bending down and planting a kiss on her best friends cheek (with difficulty considering Hailey was struggling).

"Lily!" Hailey choked.

Lily giggled and got off of her friend. She then turned to Alison, an evil look plastered on her face.

"No Lily, don't you dare!" Alison said warningly.

Lily did a playful little jog on the spot. She then ran over and jumped on Alison, ignoring her scream. Alison tried to fend her friend off but Lily, with surprising strength for her size, managed to pin her down and set a kiss on her cheek as well. Lily then bounded off of her in excitement.

"Aren't you both just so excited that I'm actually back to normal?" Lily asked. "And you know what I've decided that I'm going to have a little chat to James today. You know, just explaining everything to him."

"Are you serious?" Alison asked, sounding slightly incredulous. "After what he said about you?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Lily said. "It was a weird night for everyone… he was just upset when he said those things."

"Well Lily," Hailey said tiredly. "I'm just going to say this. If he hurts you again… I will tear his balls off and force feed them to him."

Lily cringed. "Alright Hailey… but I'm sure it will be fine."

Lily quickly walked to her trunk and carelessly pulled her slip dress over her head. She then donned a pair of jeans and long sleeved, fitted brown shirt and rushed to the mirror to check her hair. Her curls from the night before were still intact, though slightly tousled. She quickly combed through her dark red hair with her fingers and pulled it into a messy ponytail. With one last glance at her appearance she rushed from the dormitory.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw that the common room was completely deserted. Considering it was a Sunday most of the students were either outside or indulging in a late breakfast. She quickly ran up the spiral staircase leading to the boy's dormitory and knocked three times on the door. No response.

"James are you in there?" She called through the door. "Please don't be mad at me, I need to talk to you."

No answer. Lily gently placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it. The room was completely vacant. She sighed in disappointment. Were they perhaps still at breakfast? She made her way back to the common room, where Hailey and Alison were now standing, fully dressed.

"Not up there?" Alison asked.

Lily shook her head.

"Well I'm starving so can we please go down to breakfast?" Hailey asked. "We might see them down there."

Lily nodded. "Yeah let's go have breakfast."

The three girls walked through the castle and eventually reached the Great Hall. It wasn't as full as it normally was. Lily and her friends occupied a portion of the table towards the center, which was a fair way away from other students who might listen in on their conversation.

Lily scanned the table for a sign of the marauders, but they were not present.

Hailey observed Lily's look of impatience. "Why are you so desperate to talk to him Lily?"

"Because I need to explain to him what really happened," Lily huffed.

"He should be the one coming up to you to sort it out," Hailey said resolutely. "The way he acted was completely out of order."

"No it wasn't, he saw me kissing his best friend," Lily said.

"What about calling you a slut and saying he only liked you for the thrill of the chase?" Hailey asked.

"Okay so that part was a tad nasty, but I still want to talk to him about it. He probably had a lot on his mind last night," Lily shrugged.

"I had a lot on my mind last night," Hailey replied. "I just found out you'd been keeping this huge secret from me, that Sirius had been in your body this whole time! I could get angry with you, but I'm not going to. Because I know that you were in a really fucked up situation, and didn't need anything else stressing you. But James is selfish. He only thought of how the whole thing affected him and didn't think twice about trusting you or his best friend. Plus he said those mean things about you, do you really think it's worth it, chasing him up when he should be explaining things to you. You have nothing to apologize for."

Lily looked intently at her best friend. Her words were true. "I know that. But I really like him now, and I know it seems crazy to have gone from disliking him to wanting a relationship with him, but that's just how I feel. I'm just happy that I'm back in my body and I don't care if he said those things. I know he didn't mean them."

"But what about all those times you said he was womanizing?" Hailey asked. "Now I actually know what you meant about guys like him. How do you know he didn't mean them?"

"Because when I was a guy, and he didn't know it was me, he said some genuinely nice things, that made me realize he is a really great guy," Lily said. "Sure he can be egotistical and he was womanizing, but he's also really sweet. I mean everyone has flaws, I mean look at me I can be bossy and impatient and uptight at times, but I still think I'm a nice person."

"She has a point," Alison said sensibly.

Hailey folded her arms. "Fine, but if he hurts you, he's going to have to deal with me."

At that moment, Alison turned her head to the entrance of the Hall, and saw Peter supporting a pallid looking Remus.

"Looks like Remus is still pretty sick," Alison murmured.

Lily's head snapped around in their direction. "James isn't with them," she said in disappointment.

"I'll go ask where he is, you just have something to eat," Hailey said, rising from her bench and walking towards Remus and Peter. Lily watched her curiously, as she took a bite from an apple.

"Hey guys," Hailey smiled.

"Hi Hailey," Peter said.

"Are you feeling alright Remus?" Hailey asked in concern.

"I've been better," he replied weakly. Hailey noticed that the both of them were quite dirty, though the clothes they were wearing looked as though they'd been newly donned.

"What happened to you guys?" Hailey asked curiously. "It's 11 o'clock, you guys came pretty late, and why are you both covered in dirt?"

"We had a big night. Can we help you with anything?" Remus murmured.

"Uh yeah, you can tell me where James is," Hailey said.

"His up in the dorm with Sirius," Peter said. "I wouldn't go up there right now though, I think they're having a serious talk."

"Right well, thanks anyway," Hailey said. "I'll catch up with them later then."

She then turned on her heel and walked back to Lily and Alison.

"Did you find out where they are?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Hailey replied. "They're out in the grounds. He said something about them playing some muck up Quidditch game or something."

"Wow, so I guess James isn't angry with Sirius then," Lily said, looking surprised. "Can you come with me? If his forgiven Sirius surely he will forgive me."

Alison nodded and the two rose from their seats.

"Oh uh… I think I'm just going to go straight upstairs, you know, to catch up on some homework," Hailey said. "I'm so behind."

"You're doing homework?" Alison asked skeptically.

"Well yeah," Hailey shrugged.

Lily looked impressed. "Wow Hailey. Well at least I'll have Ali."

Hailey walked with her friends into the entrance hall and separated from them as she quickly rushed through the corridors back to the Gryffindor common room.

Meanwhile, James was sitting on his four-poster bed, running his hands through his thick messy locks. When he spoke, his voice sounded strained and ragged.

"So you don't love Lily?" James asked his best friend for the umpteenth time.

"No James, fuck!! How many times do I have to fucking tell you, the kiss was the only way we could switch back!" Sirius yelled angrily. "My god James harden the fuck up and be happy we are back to normal!"

"How can I be happy? You both fucking lied to me!" James yelled back. "You're lucky that it was full moon and I was to busy with Remus, because I would've given you a lot more then a bruised temple."

"Oh yeah about that!" Sirius said forcefully. "Did you know that when you punched me Lily was still in my body? You sure know how to treat a girl Prongs."

James stood up and looked as though he was about to approach Sirius and hit him again, but instead he said. "I didn't know it was her. I thought I was hitting you."

"Well maybe you should think before you act," Sirius said. "Now I'm sorry we didn't tell you but we thought we could spare you stress if we just kept it from you. We didn't want to hurt you."

"What, you'd think I'd get upset over something that's out of your control?" James asked. "I wanted you both to switch back!"

"I know and we should've!" Sirius said. "But we didn't. And can you blame us for thinking that way? I mean the way you reacted last night was exactly what we were afraid of."

James stood in silence for a few moments. "You're right. I shouldn't have acted that way."

"It's okay," Sirius shrugged. "It was a screwed up night for the lot of us. I just hope you trust that me and Lily don't have feelings for each other."

James nodded. "I know."

Sirius stepped slowly and awkwardly forwards. When he reached James they gave each other quick one armed hug, showing they understood each other. They then pulled away.

"So what is the situation between you and Lily?" Sirius asked.

"I honestly have no idea," James said. "I'll just have to talk to her I guess. And apologize for the way I acted."

"She'll forgive you," Sirius said honestly. "And after you talk to her, what will you guys be. Friends?"

At that moment Hailey was rushing up the boy's spiral staircase to their dorm. She heard the deep voices conversing, and stopped in front of the door as she heard James speak.

"I'm not going to become friends with Lily," James said.

"What?" Sirius said in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

James sighed. Hailey pressed her ear hard against the door.

"It means the chase is over," James shrugged.

Hailey chose that moment to make her presence known. She forcefully pushed the door open, slamming it against the adjacent wall. She then rushed forward and slammed her hands against James's muscular chest, causing him falter backwards.

"Hailey! What the fuck?!" James exclaimed in shock.

Hailey raised her open palm, ready to slap James across the face, when Sirius grabbed it in his hand and dragged her back.

"Hailey what are you doing?!" Sirius asked, looking stunned.

"Let go of me!" Hailey yelled, struggling to free her wrist from his strong grip. After a minute of futile struggling, she decided her best option was to kick him in the shins. Sirius let out a grunt of pain and loosened his grip.

Hailey then went in for another go at a very taken aback James, but instead had two strong arms wrapped around her small waist holding her back.

"Calm down Hailey!" Sirius yelled.

"I knew it! I knew you didn't care about Lily!" Hailey said angrily, still struggling against Sirius' hold. "Stupid son of a bitch!"

"What would make you think that?" James asked furiously.

"I heard you just then!" Hailey yelled. "You said you can't be friends with her and that the chase was over! I knew it was only the thrill of the chase."

"You have the worst timing in the world, you didn't even let me finish before you came barging in here trying to hit me!" James said angrily. "And I never said it was only the thrill of the chase."

"You might not of fully said it just before but you certainly said it last night to Snape!" Hailey yelled. "Uhh what was it? Lily's a slut, just someone I wanted to fuck, I only liked her for the thrill of the chase."

James fell silent, though still looked irate. He finally said in a controlled voice. "You heard that?"

"Yes I heard it," Hailey snarled. "Me and Alison. And now Lily knows, and you know what the funniest part of it is? The fact that she was actually going to apologize to you because she thought you didn't mean those things."

"I didn't mean those things!" James yelled, almost pleadingly. "I was just angry then. And if you would just let me explain myself now!"

"I don't want to hear it," Hailey said stubbornly. "Just stay away from her. She's had enough boy drama. What with her ex boyfriends around and those stupid Slytherins teasing her about being muggle born. The last thing she needs is you. Not that you'd care James. What was it? There's plenty more fish in the sea."

James gulped, "I didn't mean that."

"Of course you didn't," Hailey said sarcastically. "I like you James, well at least I used to. But now I finally realize what Lily used to say about you being a womanizer. I think the last thing she needs is someone like you using her."

"What, like guys use you?" James said spitefully. "Here you are lecturing me about being womanizing, when you sleep around just as much as me and Sirius."

"That's a completely different issue," Hailey said irritably. "I chose to do what I do. But Lily isn't like me. She's not looking to be used. She genuinely cares for you James."

"And I care for her just as much," James replied.

"Yeah right," Hailey scoffed. She then wriggled out of Sirius' slackened grip. He stared warily at her.

"Don't worry Sirius, I'm not going to try hit him," Hailey said calmly, walking towards the exit. "He's not worth it."

"Hailey will you just let me explain?"

"I think you've said enough," She replied, slamming the door behind her.

James walked to the end of his bed and kicked his trunk with such force it clicked open. He then let himself fall backwards onto his bed.

"You alright Prongs?" Sirius asked.

"No. Lily is going to go back to hating me," James said.

"You don't know that," Sirius said.

"After Hailey has her say, course she will."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Sirius asked.

"I dunno," James grumbled. "But she probably won't want to talk to me for a long time, so first off I'll give her some space and just hope for the best."

"This isn't the way I was expecting to be spending the first day back in my body," Sirius sighed. "But I'll help you get her back if you like."

"No, I'm going to leave her alone," James said. "It seems to always get worse when I'm involved so I'm just going to butt out."

Sirius nodded. "What were you going to say before, after you said you couldn't be friends with Evans and the chase was off?"

"I don't want to hurt her ever again. And I am afraid that if I become friends with her, I'll just keep wanting more and scare her away."

"What so you're just not going to speak to her at all?"

"If that's what she wants," James said.

Sirius didn't know how to respond. He murmured, "Sorry man."

"I'm sorry too," James said.

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Hailey ran down the grand staircase just in time to see Lily and Alison walking up the front steps.

"He wasn't there," Lily stated in confusion.

"I know," Hailey sighed. "Don't get mad at me. But I didn't want you to talk to him."

"Hailey!!" Lily yelled angrily.

"I know I'm sorry Lily, but you would've believed any stupid sob story he would've came up with!" Hailey said. "He was in the dorm talking to Sirius. And I heard him saying that… he didn't… want to be friends with you and that the chase was over."

Lily cleared her throat softly. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Hailey said. "But it ties in with what he said about you last night."

Lily nodded. "You don't think he meant anything else by it? I mean that's not really… he could've been. Well did he mean anything else?"

"I don't think so," Hailey said softly. "I'm sorry Lily, I just didn't want you to get hurt. I have so much experience with guys like that, and I never used to judge them because I was exactly like them, except I'm in a skirt. And now I know what you mean about guys like him. I was so angry that he would hurt you like that."

Lily nodded again. "Thank you for telling me."

"I can't believe it," Alison murmured.

"I thought he changed," Lily said sadly. "God, I'm such an idiot. I actually fell for a guy who I always knew treated girls like play things. I actually thought he cared about me."

"Don't worry, you're not an idiot. I always get mixed up with guys like that, and they can be very convincing," Hailey said. "He's the idiot, and you are so much better than that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Lily smiled and nodded. "I think I'm just going to go for a walk or something, get some fresh air."

"Do you want company?"

"Nah, I think I'll just go by myself."

Hailey nodded. She then turned to Alison. "Come up to the common room?"

Alison didn't reply. "Ali… are you okay?"

Alison snapped out of her trance like state. "Oh, yeah sure."

The two girls then made their way up to the Gryffindor common room, as Lily wandered out into the grounds.

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Breakfast the following Monday was just as stressful as the previous day. Lily passed the boys and waved to them all (a sickly Remus included) except for James. She then swooped down and gave Sirius a swift hug and whispered. "I'm so glad we're back to normal." She then trotted off.

James glanced after her and moodily bit into his piece of toast.

"What happened between you two?" Peter asked in awe.

"I don't want to talk about it," James replied. "The point is I screwed up everything."

For the rest of breakfast the marauders remained silent, and James watched Lily talk animatedly to her two friends.

Once everyone had finished their breakfast, Dumbledore signaled for the Head Boy and Girl to join him up the front. Both Lily and James made their way up the front and Dumbledore informed them they had to patrol the entrance hall for an hour on Wednesday night, together. Lily looked very angry about this fact, and James actually looked nervous. Never had he been so afraid to be in the same room as a girl, especially Lily Evans. Normally he would've have relished being alone with the beautiful Lily, but instead he was starting to feel anxious. His plan to give Lily space to recuperate her feelings for him was now in jeopardy. Finally Dumbledore congratulated Lily on the switch back and dismissed the both of them.

The bell rang and the two teenagers walked their separate ways, though they both had the same lesson for their first period.

The whole day brought on more stress for James and Lily. Not only did the homework load become even more immense, the both of them seemed to bump into each other a lot; in class, in corridors, at meal times, in the common room, in the courtyards, just everywhere. Another thing that added to his anxiety was how close Sirius and Lily seemed now. James knew they weren't dating, but he found it made him quite uncomfortable to think that his best friend had a bond with Lily that he didn't and may never have.

Tuesday was the same ordeal. Uncomfortable encounters with Lily and her friends, and more Sirius and Lily interaction. It was strange how things turned out: Lily and Sirius who were constantly at each others throats were now getting along, he and Lily who were actually contemplating a relationship a couple of days before were not speaking, Hailey, who he had always gotten on with reasonably well with now hated him, and Alison was surprisingly the only one out of those girls who didn't seem to be angry at him. In fact, every time James came across Lily and her friends, Alison always gave him a friendly smile. Though the strangest thing of all was how lonely he felt, even though he had the marauders and had only gone three days without talking to Lily.

The prospect of doing patrols in the hall with Lily that Wednesday night distracted James in his classes that day. He couldn't concentrate on the teachers instructions (having actually melted his cauldron in Potions, causing Lily to laugh) and even managed to transfigure the puppy he had been attempting to charm for Flitwick, into a tortoise.

James punched the brick wall that night so hard it caused his knuckles to bleed.

"Fuck James!" Sirius exclaimed. "Stop stressing! Its just patrols."

"It's not just patrols, its patrols with Evans," James said, his voice harassed.

"Why are you scared of this chick?"

"I'm not scared of her. I'm scared I'll make another mistake and make the situation worse," James said. "Besides you used to fear her."

"I never feared her I merely disliked her," Sirius said. "There's a difference. And that's before I found out she was actually a good person."

"Well congratulations Evans likes you," James said in frustration, he then pointed at Remus and Peter. "And you, and you, and everyone except me!"

"Look all you have to do is act mature and try not to say anything that brings up your issues with her," Remus said. "You're working yourself up over nothing."

James nodded only half listening, still extremely anxious. Eventually, the time for James' patrol rolled around and he exited the dorm as composed as he could. He did not meet Evans in the common room or the corridors. He found that she had gone down to patrols early.

"Hi," James said, giving her a small smile as reached the bottom of the stairs.

Lily did not reciprocate the friendly greeting. She took a deep breath and said, "Mcgonagall was saying to me just before, that we are to stay around this area until nine o'clock. She told me to tell you."

"Fun," James murmured. Lily rolled her eyes in response and turned her back on him.

James closed his eyes, praying for patience and walked right away from Lily. Time seemed to be going extra slow just for James' benefit. After what seemed like two hours James checked his watch, only to find he had been patrolling for fifteen minutes. James rolled his eyes and began pacing once more. He looked around the cavernous room for something to preoccupy him, but no matter what he thought of, he could not suppress his awareness of Lily's presence. The tension was so thick you could cut a knife with it.

James who had thus far been very good at controlling his urge to see what Lily was doing could not manage it anymore. His curiosity got the better of him and he suddenly found himself staring in the direction of the Head Girl. He realized she had been staring at him. She quickly looked away embarrassedly, and James had a sudden desire to break the silence.

"What were you looking at?" James asked.

Lily's emerald green eyes narrowed. "Nothing, what were you looking at?"

"The only interesting thing in this hall at the moment."

Lily grimaced. "Well stop looking at it."

"Why not?" He asked, slowly walking toward her.

"Because it makes me feel uncomfortable," Lily replied. "I think we will get through this patrol a lot easier if we don't talk."

She then turned her back on him.

"I disagree," James said, walking around her to face her. "The situation was uncomfortable just before, you know with all that silence? I think this is the opportune moment for you to tell me what's on your mind."

"What's on my mind is getting through this patrol," Lily said. "Now leave me alone."

James shook his head. "You haven't spoken to me for days. And I know Hailey would've told you something I said that would've sounded much worse then it actually was. She didn't let me finish what I was going to say and took it completely out of context. Please believe me."

"So you called me a slut, said I was just a another girl you wanted to fuck, and said you didn't want to be friends with me," Lily said calmly. "But you meant it all in a good way?"

"I was upset," James said.

"Yeah, you were the victim of this whole situation," Lily nodded. "I mean so what if you didn't get stuck in someone else's body for a week, and get into humiliating situations and had to kiss random people just so everything could go back to normal!"

"Excuse me, the experience was definitely humiliating for me!" James said angrily. "You kissed me and then everyone thought I was gay in case you've forgotten!"

"I did that because I liked you!" Lily said heatedly. "Is that why you said that shit about me, because you cared for me?"

"Yes because I thought I'd lost you to Sirius!"

"Whatever James, your actions were purely selfish," Lily said in frustration. "After I heard you'd said all of those things, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You never showed the same courtesy to me or Sirius."

"Please for years I've went for you and you never once gave me a chance," James said.

"You never gave me a reason to. After the way you treated girls and people who are weaker than you, you never appealed to me. And in the last two weeks I thought you were a different person, but turns out I was wrong," Lily said. She then turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Lily wait!" James said. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him, with much more force than he had intended. She winced in pain but held her ground.

"What do you want from me James?" She whispered.

James paused for a second, and opened his mouth to talk. Lily however, cut across him.

"Don't bother answering that," Lily said, pulling her soft hand from his callused ones. "I know what the answer is."

"What is it?"

Lily forcefully pushed James back against the wall.

"C'mon James, we both know what you want," Lily said calmly. She then pulled her black robes over her head and exposed her white collared school shirt and pleated gray skirt.

"What are you doing?" James asked suspiciously. He pushed himself from the wall. Lily however pushed him back against it with very surprising strength, actually hurting his back.

"C'mon James isn't this what you want from all your bitches?" Lily asked bringing her hands up to her top button and slowly undoing it and exposing her cleavage. James gave a small gulp.

"That's what you want isn't it James. Or some of this… Oh James," Lily gasped suddenly, reaching forward and placing both her hands on his muscled chest. "Oh god James that feels so good. Oh yes!"

James eyebrows contracted. "Stop it."

"I'm just practicing," Lily said mockingly. "What not hot enough for you?"

Lily then reached down and undid the next button, revealing her black and pink lacy bra.

"How bout now James? Still don't want to fuck me?" Lily asked fiercely. "What's the sudden change of heart? That's all you wanted up until now. What's happened? Thinking with your brain for once?"

She stood on her tiptoe and brushed her lips against the skin on his neck. "Your skin is so soft, James. C'mon show me what all the fuss is about. I'm giving you what you want, then you can move on."

"It's not what I want," James said.

"Really?" Lily asked, her hand reaching for another button of her shirt. "Why, scared we will be seen? C'mon James you love the thrill of the chase, surely you love the thrill of getting caught."

James grabbed Lily's hands once again and pulled them away from her shirt and quickly did her top buttons back up. He then gently grabbed her shoulders and guided her backwards.

"Well James I'm impressed," Lily said stepping away from him and collecting her robes from the ground. "You managed not to think with your dick for once."

"You really think I only wanted you for that?" James asked.

"Well, no evidence points to the contrary," Lily shrugged.

"There is plenty of evidence that points to the contrary!" James yelled. "I made a mistake!"

"So did I," Lily said. "In falling for you."

She then turned and walked up the grand staircase.

"Where do you think you're going?" James asked.

"There's ten minutes of patrol left," Lily said. "You're a big enough boy to handle yourself for that long, aren't you?"

"I think so," James grumbled.

"Did time go quick enough for you?" Lily asked.

James nodded, grinding his teeth.

"Oh and by the way James never speak to me again," Lily said.

"What? Why?" James yelped in shock. That was way too much space to be giving her.

"I think it's best if it just goes back completely normal, minus you asking me out all the time," Lily said simply. "There's a lot less drama that way."

"The drama was because of the switch not from me," James said.

"I think the drama was from all that change. You know us hanging out. Me trusting you?" Lily said. "It's better this way. You can go back to the marauders and all the girls who are after you. And I can go back to my girls. And one day, I'll find the right guy for me."

"And who is the right guy for you?" James asked.

"The guy I thought you were," Lily replied, and with that she walked up the staircase and out of sight.

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Lily's wish for things to get back to normal did not come entirely true, though this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The next two months brought about a few minor changes in Lily's life. She was now really good friends with Sirius. They always indulged in friendly conversation, in the corridors and in the common room, which didn't upset James as much as it used to (he didn't want to do anything to affect Lily negatively anymore). She was also a lot more confident in areas concerning the opposite sex. She'd had two dates in the two months (without Hailey's help) and they were fun, but the guys were not relationship material. She had also (to Alison and James extreme disgust) reconciled with her ex boyfriend Zach after they were paired up in an Ancient Runes assessment. They were not dating of course; Lily knew a lot better than that. She was also doing very well in all of her essays and other aspects of her schoolwork. And even though she was very happy with life at the moment, she felt something was missing, and though she would never admit it, she had a strong feeling as to what that something was.

James was also doing well for himself. His schoolwork was getting top grades, just as Lily's was. His life was fairly hectic at that moment, and as a result quite stressful. Quidditch season had started and consequently James had sustained some very painful wounds. Being a chaser, he was prone to injuries, and a particularly nasty match against the Slytherins proved that. He had two bludgers aimed at him out of pure spite for scoring four goals for Gryffindor. They both caught him in the chest and knocked him onto the ground (which was thankfully only meters below him). To add fuel to the fire, he could've sworn through his wheezing and spluttering state that he saw Lily and her friend Hailey giggling at his expense. He had to then spend a night in the hospital wing. Other than this though his life was okay. He had found a new… er… stress reliever, which came in the form of a very promiscuous girl named Emily Rook. He also found full moons even more enjoyable, because they were the perfect distraction. In fact anything that kept him preoccupied was useful to him.

The one thing that was taking a toll on the two teenagers was the fact that the pair hadn't spoken in two months.

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"Thank god a Hogsmeade weekend," Lily said looking relieved.

"I know," Alison said. "I thought one would never come."

"What are we looking at girls?" Sirius's voice sounded. The three girls turned to see the marauders (bar James) behind them.

"Awesome!" Sirius exclaimed, seeing the notice. "Hogsmeade weekend!"

"I know!" Lily said happily. "I thought it would never have come."

"It's going to start snowing soon," Hailey said. "It had better not by this weekend."

"Nah next month I reckon," Alison said.

"Well anyway let's head down to breakfast," Hailey said to the group. There was a murmur of assent as the group followed Hailey. Sirius however, pulled Lily back.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Are we hanging out at Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked.

"Sure if you want to," Lily said.

"I'll be with James," Sirius sighed.

"Well if the whole group hangs out it won't be bad," Lily shrugged.

"Really?" Sirius asked. Lily nodded.

"Where is James by the way?" Lily asked.

"He went down to breakfast before us. He kind of saw you guys near the notice board and yeah went down early," Sirius said.

"Oh, right," Lily nodded. "Sirius? Do you think I'm being to harsh not talking to James?"

"You want my honest opinion?" Sirius asked.

"Yes please."

"I think you're both dickheads," Sirius smirked.

Lily opened her mouth in mock horror. "And this is coming from you?"

"Well yeah," Sirius nodded. "James needs to be a man and just talk to you. And you need to stop being a prissy little bitch and talk to him."

"Wow brutal honesty," Lily murmured.

"You asked for it," Sirius shrugged.

"Well he did say that stuff about me," Lily said.

"You still on about that?" Sirius asked. "He didn't mean that stuff you know?"

"He still said it, regardless," Lily said. "And now we haven't talked for so long that it's just gotten to the point where we can't even look each other in the eye."

"Well then just talk to him!" Sirius said.

"Well… I-I… Hailey thinks I'm doing the right thing!" Lily blurted out.

"You're getting advice on what is right from Hailey?" Sirius asked. "No, no, wait, you're asking me for advice on what is right. That's fucked up."

Lily laughed. "Good point."

Lily then gave Sirius a hug. "Well thanks for the advice, even though I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do. Oh and Sirius, does James talk… about me?"

"Nah I think the subject of you makes him, well… uncomfortable, so we all tend to avoid it," Sirius said.

Lily nodded feeling slightly crestfallen. "Right well I'm starving, let's get some breakfast."

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Upon hearing that the two groups were going to be meeting up in Hogsmeade, James was quick to make his decision not to go. Sirius dropped the large sandwich he was about to bite into.

"Wait you're serious?" Sirius asked.

"Yep, if Lily never wants to talk to me again, I'm going to avoid her as much as possible," James said.

"Where did all this will power come from?" Sirius asked. "When did you decide to actually listen to what she said? It was a spur of the moment statement, she didn't actually want for you to stop talking to her."

"Well then why hasn't she spoken to me?" James asked angrily.

"Because you haven't spoken to her either," Sirius said.

"Look Sirius you and Lily have a great time in Hogsmeade alright," James said. "Because I'm not going."

"Going to spend some quality time with that slut Emily?" Sirius asked.

"No I broke it off this morning," James said. "She wanted more, and was getting too clingy."

Sirius nodded. "Well, good. Going to find a knew fuck buddy are we?"

"No, I think I think I'm just going to stick to you guys from now on."

"So, you want me as your fuck buddy now James? Wow mate I'm really flattered but I'm not attracted to you in that way," Sirius said mockingly.

"I meant spending more time with you guys retard," James smirked.

"Oh right well it's good we cleared that up," Sirius smiled.

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The Friday afternoon just before the Hogsmeade trip saw three girls preparing their attire for the following day.

"I think I want to wear a dress," Hailey said.

"Hailey it's like minus fifteen degrees out there," Alison said incredulously.

"Yeah… yeah," Hailey agreed. "So what type of dress?"

Alison rolled her eyes. "How about a short one so you can show off your purple legs?"

"Sounds good to me," Hailey smiled. "What do you think I should wear, Lily? Not that you'll see it for long."

"What do you mean?" Alison asked.

"Well dah she's got a date with Zach," Hailey smirked. "Straight after our hang out with the boys."

"What's this?" Alison yelped.

"It's not a date," Lily said shooting Hailey a loathing look. "We're just hanging out. That's what friends do."

"Why are you even friends with him?" Alison asked angrily.

"What?" Lily asked.

"His an asshole! Honestly! He slept with your best friend, tried to take advantage of you at a party!" Alison yelled. "Why are you talking to him?"

"I'm not going to date him or anything," Lily said. "He apologized for everything in class and I agreed we could be friends."

"Oh yeah, coz I'm sure he wants to be 'just friends'" Alison said sarcastically.

"I believe in second chances," Lily shrugged.

"Yeah right, you give him a chance and not James?" Alison said. "All James did was say a few words."

"They were horrible words!" Lily yelled. "And incase you've forgotten, I was willing to give him a second chance but luckily Hailey heard what he really thought."

"You have no idea what he thought!" Alison said in frustration. "All she heard was I'm not going to be friends with Lily and the chase is over. You don't know what he meant by that!"

"I think the meaning was pretty clear," Lily said.

"Look Lily if you want to pick guys like Zach over James that's your problem," Alison said, walking to the door and pulling it open.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk," Alison replied.

She stomped downstairs in a fit of rage. She couldn't believe her best friend was that stupid? She knew the only person who could put a stop to this. She ran up the stairs leading to the boy's dorm.

"James!" Alison snapped.

"Great what have I done now," James grumbled. "I haven't even spoken to Lily."

"Exactly!" Alison said. "Why not?"

"Uh… because she told me not to," James replied. "Like I've been telling Sirius."

"So? She was angry when she said it and I'm sure she didn't mean it!"

"Yes she did," James replied. The other marauders were watching the argument in surprise. "Because if she didn't she would've come up and talked to me."

"She probably expected you to approach her, because that's what you're like," Alison said in frustration. "And since you haven't she probably thinks you don't want to speak to her."

"Well its too late now isn't it," James said.

"No its not!" Alison replied firmly. "James I know you still have feelings for her and she still cares for you. I realize now that you never would have meant those things you said. You were just angry. So tell me this James. Do you still love Lily?"

James fell silent and stared down at his hands. He finally said. "What does it matter? She doesn't care about me."

"Yes she does!" Alison yelled. "Just the other night I laid awake in my bed and heard her talking in her sleep. And you know what she was saying? 'James, I don't want to lose you!'"

"But she won't even talk to me. I heard she's even went out with guys," James said.

"Once and that's it! And I heard you had a new fuck buddy. But you broke it off," Alison said. "Because I know you both still have feelings for each other. So take initiative James, because her ex is still after her. They're meeting in Hogsmeade tomorrow. And you know Zach isn't looking for a new friend. If you truly care about Lily, and I know you do, you'll make sure she stops talking to him."

"It's her choice who she talks to," James replied.

"Well then just sit by and watch Zach take advantage of her," Alison said. "She might not get away from him like Sirius did."

She then exited the dorm. James processing the words she had just spoken. He finally decided he should break the silence.

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"Lily?" James called, as he followed the petite red head to the front doors, where Filch was currently marking off names.

Lily turned around in surprise to hear his beautiful voice again. She was wearing skinny leg jeans, brown suede boots, and a thick gray jacket to protect her against the cold.

"Y-you're talking to me again," was all Lily could reply.

"Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are," James said. "Listen I wanted to talk to you, because… well… I heard you were seeing you're ex today and well… I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're talking to me again because you don't want me to see a guy?" Lily asked incredulously. "You have no right to do that. You can't just tell me what to do!"

"I'm just saying it's a bad idea," James said. "After all the shit he did to you."

"He's right Lily," Sirius' voice sounded from behind her. "What are you doing with that guy anyway?"

"Wait, so now you guys are teaming up to tell me what I can and can't do?" Lily scoffed. "We are just hanging out, what's the big deal?"

"He's a prick! Remember what he did to me at that party!"

"I know but he was drunk," Lily said.

"That's not excuse," James said fiercely.

"Get out of it Potter," Lily said. "He explained everything to me."

"And you wouldn't give me a chance to do the same," James said.

Lily paused. "This conversation's over, I'll see you in Hogsmeade Sirius."

Sirius rolled his eyes at her. He then turned to his best friend. "You sure you're not coming?"

"Definitely not," James growled, turning his back and making his way to the Grand Staircase.

He heard footsteps chasing him, but they weren't heavy like Sirius'.

"James," a small voice said. He turned around to see Alison stop in front of him.

"Did you talk to her about Zach?" Alison asked.

"Yes, and she's still set on seeing him," James said. He then said fiercely, "It's funny how the things he did are ten times worse then what I did and yet she's still chosen to talk to him over me."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," Alison said sadly. "Maybe we both need to talk to-"

"I'm not talking to her again," James said, an air of finality in his tone. "I'm done with Evans."

And with that James stormed up the steps, to his dormitory.

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Lily was very withdrawn from the conversations the marauders were having with the girls. She seemed distracted, agitated and tense. In fact she didn't utter a word until she announced she was going to meet up with Zach for their lunch. Both Alison and Sirius scowled though did not object. Hailey however looked indifferent.

As Lily exited the three broomsticks and made her way to Madam Puddifoot's (a place she hated but agreed to meet at out of politeness) in the freezing cold, she found herself still irritable but she knew exactly why. The one thing she didn't have a reason for was the single tear that fell from her left eye. Why was she so upset?

As she rounded the corner she saw Zach with a small group of friends, who were laughing uncontrollably. Lily walked slowly toward them, not wanting to interrupt their funny conversation. They didn't seem to notice her lurking against the wall waiting for their discussion to end. It wasn't until she heard her name brought up, when she started listening in.

"I am this close to getting hot Lily to fuck me," Zach said. "At the moment I'm playing the friend card. And then soon I'll have her in my bed."

The boys let out another laugh. Lily couldn't bear to listen to anymore of it. How could she have been so stupid? She had been so busy trying to rid James from her mind that she had totally disregarded what type of person Zach was. She turned around and rushed through the main street of Hogsmeade, tears welling in her stunning eyes. She sprinted through the iron gates, and up the slopes of the Hogwarts grounds. She reached the Entrance Hall and still didn't stop. She then ran through the empty corridors, her frantic footsteps reverberating off the walls. Finally she reached the Fat Lady and gasped the password. Once inside the common room she didn't hesitate to run up the steps to the boys dorm.

Without bothering to knock she forced open the door and instantly discarded her puffy jacket, revealing her fitted white, three quarter jumper.

James sat up on his four-poster in shock. He took in the sudden appearance of the beautiful girl before him: her slightly disheveled red hair, the pink tinge on her porcelain skin, and her gorgeous almond shaped eyes.

Before he could express his feelings of shock, Lily blurted out, "I'm so sorry James! I never should've acted that way towards you. You made a mistake and I blew it all out of proportion!"

James was taken aback. He was temporarily speechless.

"What happened to Zach?" James asked.

"I'm sorry. You were right, I shouldn't have met with him. I was stupid," Lily said.

"I think you should leave," James said calmly but firmly. "I don't want to hear this."

Lily looked hurt. "I'm not leaving until I've had a chance to explain myself."

"Fine then," James said. "I'll leave."

James walked swiftly past Lily to the door, but she was too quick for him. She extracted her wand from her jeans pocket and flicked it. A click signaled the door looking. James smirked and got out his wand.

"I can do magic too sweetheart," James said nastily.

"Expelliarmus!" Lily said quickly, knocking the wand from James grip and catching it.

"Give me the wand Lily," James said angrily.

Lily shook her head. "Not until you hear me out."

"What a great way to force me to listen to you," James scoffed. He then walked forwards with his right palm open.

"Give me my wand Evans," he said menacingly.

Lily smirked. "I don't think you should take that tone with me, I'm the one with two wands."

She thought she saw the corners of his mouth twitch, but it was probably just her imagination. "I don't want to hear any apologies. It's not like you gave up any of your time to listen to mine."

"I know James, I was the biggest bitch to you and you deserve so much better than the treatment I gave you," Lily said almost pleadingly.

"Your absolutely right," James said. "Now give me my wand, or I'll get it off you myself."

"You really want to risk that?" Lily asked.

"What are you going to do Lily?" James mocked.

"What, you think I won't hex you if you try to force it off me?" Lily asked. "Look James why don't you just talk to me?"

"Because you told me never to talk to you again!"

"Yes but I didn't mean it!" Lily yelled in amazement. "I thought since you're…well… you, that you would've disregarded what I said!"

"What was I supposed to do Lily?" James asked. "When the girl you care about seems determined to hate you, you do what she says, don't you?"

"Well then why didn't you listen to me all those times last year?!" Lily asked. "Why would you listen to me now when I actually didn't mean it?"

"Okay for one, I thought you did mean it!" James said. "And secondly, it's different now, we were actually on the verge of becoming something and then I knew I hurt you. So I wanted to give you your space. Then you say you never want to speak to me again. And I thought that maybe you'd eventually get over the whole thing and start talking to me again, but you didn't. For a whole month you hadn't talked to me, you even looked like you had gone back to loathing me, so I tried to fill the void with Emily, which went to shit of course. And then I find out your back friends with that asshole, Zach, and I was angry. And lucky for you I actually managed to control my anger, because I felt like grabbing and shaking you and hurting him."

"James I can explain-"

"And then, I decided to try and show I care," James interrupted. "By telling not to meet up with Zach."

"And you were right James!" Lily said tearfully. "I should never have become friends with him again. Because I knew he wasn't trustworthy. The only reason I did it was to get you out of my head, to piss you off even! But my plan backfired, and I almost got screwed over by him again. I never thought you would actually take my words seriously, but you did, and that made me upset. I also felt guilty, because I'd made all these accusations without hearing your say, and now I'm standing here, expecting you to listen to me. So James, w-will you please tell me… what did you mean when you said you didn't want to be friends with me, and that the chase was over, coz I know you weren't just using me!"

"I wasn't," James murmured. "I didn't want to be friends with you because, I always wanted more, and was afraid I'd scare you and maybe pressure you. And it would've changed the way you thought of me. And I didn't want to go for you anymore, because I wasn't sure if I'm exactly what you wanted, and I didn't want you to go back to hating me. And I definitely didn't mean the cruel things I said the night of the dance either. As you already know I have trouble controlling my anger where you're concerned."

Lily smiled and nodded. "At the start I kind of thought that you did mean all that stuff. Now I know you would never have meant it, and I'm so sorry for everything."

Lily then threw James' wand back to him. He caught it in surprise.

"Thank you so much for listening to what I had to say," Lily said sincerely. "Even though I never showed you the same courtesy."

She then walked past him and performed the "Alohamora" charm on the door. However, another click sounded, signaling the door had been relocked.

"One more thing," James said. "You never really explained why it was so easy for you to forgive Zach after the things he did to you were ten times worse, and you couldn't actually talk to me for two months because I said some stupid things I never meant."

"Well James," Lily said softly. "It's simple. I found the things you said about me ten times more hurtful to me then anything Zach ever did, because I cared about you so much more then him. In fact you are probably the only guy I've ever had strong feelings for, and even though I was hurt I never stopped caring for you."

James stood stock still, processing her words.

"I think it's a shame we don't talk anymore," Lily murmured sadly, before turning around to unlock the door once again.

"Wait a second, I'm not through with you," James said.

He strode forwards and grabbed Lily's wand arm and spun her around to face him. His strong arms wrapped around her petite waist, securing her against his body. He then forced his lips against hers. To his excitement, she responded enthusiastically, her small hands caressing his chiseled jaw line. Lily arched her back, supported by James' hands, as he towered over her. James slid his tongue tenderly into Lily's mouth. In no way did she object. James lifted her off of her feet and sat them both on the nearest four-poster. He pulled the gorgeous red head onto his lap and broke away, his breathing deep and ragged.

He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb and said quietly, "I'm sorry for doing that. But all this tension had to be released somehow."

Lily giggled. "I don't mind at all."

James pressed their foreheads together, and his hazel eyes bore into her emerald green ones. "Now the question is, where do we go from here?"

"It's your call," Lily breathed. "Am I forgiven?"

James nodded. "Am I?"

"Definitely," Lily replied. "It's guys like Zach who make me realize that guys like you should not be taken for granted."

"Good," James replied. "And why Lily, did you put on that little performance for me in the Entrance Hall during patrols?"

"I guess I was just really angry at you," Lily said. "And wanted to piss you off. I'm sorry-"

"No more apologies, fuck 'em. Despite how pissed off I was it was kind of hot," James smiled. Lily smiled. "I have one last question for you Evans."

"And what's that Potter?" Lily asked.

"Do you want to be with me?" James asked.

"Asking me out again, are we?" Lily smirked. She then said sofly. "Yes, I do want to be with you… I-I love you James."

James grinned. "Well that's news to me."

"Me too," Lily laughed. She then lent in and pressed her lips against his.

James pulled away. "I'm so glad your not Sirius right now."

Lily laughed. The young couple kissed again, and James wasn't about to stop. He had waited a long time for that moment, and finally it was happening, totally uninterrupted. That is until the sound of the rattling doorknob filled the room. James and Lily broke apart in frustration.

"Why the fuck is this door locked?" Sirius' voice inquired. He then did the alohamora charm to unlock it.

The group consisting of Sirius, Remus, Peter, Hailey and Alison entered. It took them all a while to react to the scene before them: James cradling Lily on his lap, both of their lips swollen and clothes slightly creased.

"Uh, hey guys," Lily greeted awkwardly.

"Okay now I could be wrong," Sirius began. "But I'm gathering that you two have made up."

"Sharp as a tack as always," James smirked.

Alison gave a small squeal of excitement and did a little jig of the spot.

"Are you guys together?" She asked happily.

Lily nodded.

"Yes!" Alison cheered.

Remus and Peter shot James a look of congratulations. Hailey looked confused.

"I thought he was an asshole to you," Hailey said in confusion.

"Hailey," Lily said. "He didn't mean those things. He's not like the guys you've been with."

Hailey nodded. "Well if he makes you happy, then I'm fine. And I'm sorry James for that time I attacked you."

"No problem," James said.

"But if you hurt my Lily," Hailey said menacingly. "I'll prevent you from ever having kids."

James gulped, then said. "You have nothing to worry about."

Sirius then forced his two friends to part as he sat down between them and put his arms around them.

"And I'm the one who made all of this possible," Sirius smiled. "If it wasn't for me pissing of Lily, and triggering a chain of events that would eventually end in her and I switching bodies, this pairing would never of happened."

"We have a lot to thank you for Sirius," Lily sniggered.

"Yep sure do," Sirius said. "Everything happens for a reason. And I'm the reason that everyone is united here in this dormitory today. I'm also the reason that James is going to get laid very soon, so everyone clear out!"

He started shooing the rest of the group out of the dormitory.

"Sirius!" Lily said in frustration.

"You'll thank me later Lily," Sirius winked. "Trust me."

"Sirius when you said you swapped bodies with Lily, what exactly did you mean?" Peter asked.

"Long story Peter, I'll tell you when you're older," Sirius replied.

Sirius then closed the door behind him.

"You weren't secretly in on that little plan just to get in my pants were you?" Lily asked mockingly.

"Maybe," James smirked, leaning in and giving her another kiss.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I'm not ready for that right now, but I think I will be very soon."

"Whenever you're ready it doesn't matter to me," James said. "There's no pressure whatsoever."

"Thank you."

"But just one thing Lily," James smirked. "You were pretty convincing that night on patrol, a little too convincing. I'm not entirely sure that you're actually a virgin."

Lily sighed. "Alright you got me. I kind of slept with Zach…"

"What!" James yelled in shock.

Lily retained a serious face, but then burst out laughing. "No! But you should've just seen your face!"

James growled, but then smiled. He lent in to meet her lips but was interrupted as Lily spoke again.

"Oh and one more thing," Lily said. "I don't want to freak you out or anything, but the switch back never worked. It's still Sirius."

"What!?" James yelped.

"You are too easy!" Lily giggled.

"You are too evil," James said.

"Sirius has taught me well."

James chuckled as he kissed her forehead and pulled her into a tight embrace, never wanting to let go. Sirius was right; everything happens for a reason. And even though it caused so much drama within the group, the switch was the best thing that could ever happen for James and Lily… maybe not Sirius.

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OOH GOD!!! You guys hate me don't you… okay confession… I never intended it to be that long but it was … over 10 000words long!!… even worse then the last chapter sorry…

Good news is its over and done… no more long chappies (except maybe for my other stories, but hopefully not)…

Anyway THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS…appreciate them!!! I would thank you all individually but that would just add to the word count lol

Please Review for the last time … even though I made you endure all this torture!!

THANKS AGAIN D

xx