The Transfiguration Assignment

Chapter Six

Letting out a sound of disgust, Lily slammed her book shut, not caring about the glares she received from a group of second year Hufflepuffs studying a few tables away. Throwing her quill on the table, she slumped back in her seat.

"There's nothing here!" she groaned, rubbing her tired eyes with her hands. "I haven't found anything useful at all."

This was basically true. It was Thursday evening and they only had eleven days left before the project was due. It seemed like a lot of time from afar, but in reality time was closing in quickly and Lily could definitely feel it. With all their different after school activities there were few times when their schedules corresponded and they could meet up to work on their Transfiguration assignment. Lily had hoped to be nearly half done by now and they'd hardly gotten anywhere.

James marked the page of his book with a piece of scrap parchment, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we just--"

"--aren't looking hard enough?" Lily finished. She dropped her hands from her face and glared at him. "I swear I've searched this library--from top to bottom--twice, thank you very much. If I'm not looking hard enough, then I don't know where else to look."

"Have you tried the Restricted Section?" James asked softly, one eyebrow raised.

Lily sighed, cursing herself. "No," she admitted reluctantly, slouching in her chair. "If I'd known researching Animagi would be so difficult, I wouldn't have let you choose this topic."

This wasn't strictly true. Lily often liked a challenge, but this time the stress was starting to get to her. It had been three days since James had made her go to bed early and worked on the project by himself, and he had found more in that one night than she had found in three days.

"I choose?" James grinned. "If I remember correctly, you agreed on choosing this topic too, Miss Sleepy-Head Girl, so don't go getting your knickers in a twist." He grinned broadly at her scowl. "Besides, we can ask McGonagall for a note to get us in the Restricted Section."

Lily sighed, admitting defeat. "I guess you're right. I don't know why I didn't think of that. The main library has never failed me before." She glared at the book she had slammed closed before. "But all the books I've looked through either mention Animagi in passing, whine about how difficult it is, or hint how horrible things can happen if attempted prematurely."

"Don't forget that you have to register with the Ministry."

Lily groaned. "I know. They mention it every other sentence." She leaned forward, hand in chin and elbow on table. "You seem to have gotten farther than me."

James tried to scratch his head nonchalantly. He had thought things were going smashingly so far--well, apart from the fact that they'd barely found any information in the library at all. He felt a little guilty at the way Lily had attacked the project head on, scouring the library for books. He and Sirius had discovered years ago that the school library was practically worthless when learning to become Animagi.

"Yeah, I guess..." and then in response to the look she gave him, "okay, so I've found more than you." James kicked a leg of the table, wondering how he was going to get out of this one. He knew Animagi had been a stupid topic--he'd just blurted it out before...what an idiot.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to elaborate?" she asked. "I mean, I know you're supposed to be a Transfiguration prodigy," she rolled her eyes, "but really..." A strange look crossed her face and she suddenly looked fairly uncertain. Fidgeting with her quill, she asked in a slightly strained voice, "Do you just...I mean..."

James looked questioningly at her, confused.

Lily cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Is it because...is it because you're pureblood, that you know..." her voice trailed off and color bloomed in her cheeks, giving them a highly attractive pink glow.

James let out a strangled laugh. Merlin, did she really think that? Blood didn't ever have anything to do with anything, no matter what any of those stupid radicals said.

"No, of course not."

Thinking incredibly fast, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind for an explanation. "It's just...My dad sort of, I dunno, studied Animagi, I guess you'd say." James rubbed his neck, remembering. "When I was young I was a little too curious and he humored me and explained the basics." Well, it was true...partially. His father had studied Animagi for a time, but it had been a passing fancy, a hobby: nothing serious. And he had explained the rudimental facts to James, but it wasn't as if at the time James had been exceptionally interested...and he'd only been seven...

"Why was he studying it?" Lily asked, some of her blush fading. James wished he could make her blush for a different reason.

"I--I'm not quite sure why," he answered.

"But you can't have remembered everything he said...and he wouldn't have told you anything too important..."

"Well," James started to explain, a bit guiltily, "that's true. I--I've picked some things up over the years..." Subtly changing the subject he said, "I'm sure my dad has some books we could borrow if we asked. It would be a lot faster than if we tried to order something from Flourish and Blotts."

James didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't readily explain why he had a ton of books on how to become an Animagus under his bed without giving away his secret. If he pretended to write his dad and just brought out the books from his dorm, Lily would never be the wiser.

She seemed to be thinking it over. "Well, we're not getting very far on our own. I think that's a good idea."

James smiled at her, but before he could answer, the doors to the library burst open with a clang that startled Madam Pince, the cranky old librarian, and in strode Professor McGonagall.

Her nostrils were flared and her lips were pressed into an alarmingly thin line. Her thick black cloak billowed out behind her as she strode across the floor to their table. The second year Hufflepuffs nearby shot her terrified looks before scurrying from their table to cower behind some shelves. Madam Pince stood up as if she wanted to stop Professor McGonagall from continuing, but seemed to think better of it when she saw the look on McGonagall's face. Students checking out books or those studying at tables across the room peeked out from between shelves and over books and strained their necks to get a better look at McGonagall's fury.

"Potter," she growled softly. Her eyes were blazing.

James looked innocently at the Transfiguration professor, displaying a sense of polite curiosity. Lily noticed he was gripping his quill rather tightly.

"Do you happen to know what time it is, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall steamed.

Shooting a confused look at Lily, James shook his head.

"Well, that would explain why you are half an hour late for your tutoring session." Turning her steely glare at Lily, she barked, "Miss Evans, I trust you did deliver the reminder I wrote him on Monday?"

"What?" Lily asked, then comprehension dawned. "Oh," she said, her eyes widening. "Yes, I did, professor." She turned to James. "Remember, I gave it to you on the Quidditch Pitch."

There was a pause as the wheels turned in his head. Then, springing suddenly out of his seat, James grabbed his bag and rifled through it, finally pulling out a slightly bent, unopened letter. Ripping it open, he scanned it quickly and looked back to his professor, biting his lip.

"I--I'm sorry," he said lamely, after struggling for words for a moment or two. The letter hung limply at his side and James felt guilty. When Lily had pushed the letter into his hands a few days ago he had pocketed it, meaning to read it after his shower and on the way to the Heads' common room. But he had been distracted when he had bumped into Mooney, and then he had forgotten about it.

"Next time I send you a reminder for a tutoring session, Mr. Potter, be so good as to actually read it. Not only do you disappoint me when you don't show up, but you also let down the students you tutor. And as Head Boy I expected more from you," McGonagall said. "Since this is the first time it's happened, I will only take ten points from Gryffindor, but do take care to organize your schedule more thoroughly." Her lips were as thin as ever and James stared at his trainers, not able to look his professor in the eye. No one, except perhaps Dumbledore, could make him feel worse than McGonagall could when he did something stupid, not even his own parents.

"Yes, professor," he said.

"I expect you to clean up here and head straight to my classroom. And I trust you will remember, in future, not to let this happen again."

"Yes, professor," James said again.

Without another word, Professor McGonagall turned on her heal and strode across the room the way she had come, her robes billowing out behind her. Before she reached the doors however, Lily stopped her.

"Wait, professor!" she called, following McGonagall to the doors of the library. Grasping her quill in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other, Lily leaned in close to whisper to her teacher, while the other occupants of the room tried to inconspicuously eavesdrop.

James sat at his table; he felt terrible. Sighing and ignoring the stares from neighboring students, he started gathering his things together. A second later Lily was back and settling once again into her chair. James threw his books in his bag. Of all the people to be with when McGonagall was really laying into him, it had to have been Lily.

"I don't really understand," Lily said finally.

James didn't look up as he replied with a mumbled, "What don't you understand?"

"McGonagall...what did she mean by 'tutoring session'?"

Sighing again, James sat down and screwed the top back on his ink bottle. "Every once in awhile I help her tutor second years, third years, you know, younger students, who are failing Transfiguration," he explained. "They can be right little buggers and slow on the uptake sometimes, but they're not that bad, the kids I tutor." He dropped his ink bottle in his bag and continued staring at the table. She probably thought he was irresponsible and stupid for forgetting to read the note and not showing up for the tutoring session. He didn't need another reason for Lily to think badly of him.

Lily stared at James as he grabbed his quill and jammed it in his bag. That note McGonagall had given her was a reminder for his next tutoring session--and not one he was receiving, but one he was giving. James had just sat there and told her as nonchalantly as you please that he tutored second years in Transfiguration.

She didn't know what to think.

It was so nice of him (well, she didn't know if he was being forced into it, but from what he'd said, it didn't look like it; it looked like something he chose to do). He'd been so humble about it that Lily was rather taken aback. In all the time she'd known him, and as far as she knew, James Potter had never really looked out for or helped others unless it benefited himself. In the past few years, when he'd been dead set on getting her to go out with him, he'd used everything he could think of to get her to say yes, to impress her. But he had never mentioned this! So either he had started tutoring recently, or he had been doing it for awhile and had never thought to tell her, thinking it wouldn't impress her or that it wasn't that big of a deal.

"You...you tutor second years?" she asked.

The disbelief must have been apparent in her voice, for he looked up at this and stared at her. "Yeah, so?" He shrugged.

"How long have you been tutoring other students?"

"Middle of fifth year," James replied. "Why? It's not that big a deal."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I think it's very..." she searched for the right word, "...very noble of you." Looking straight across the table at him, she willed herself not to blush.

James stared back. She thought he was...noble? Lily's brilliant green eyes glowed with something he couldn't name and James suddenly felt amazingly weightless, as if he could float right out the window into the autumn sunshine. Something warm and good flowed out from his chest and spread through the rest of his body. It was rather like drinking butterbeer, he mused, grinning foolishly at her from across the table, all thoughts of things to do, places to be, and people to see completely fleeing from his mind. Only butterbeer had never felt this good, never given him this satisfaction before that made him feel like he could do anything. She was smiling back at him and James felt his heart start thumping wildly in his chest. She thought he was noble! How often did a bloke hear something like that? Her eyes were devouring him, drawing him in, and he was lost, so lost that he started to contemplate leaning across the table as his eyes fell to her lips. Lily's lips had often occupied his thoughts and even more often his dreams. They were always pink and soft-looking, and at the moment they looked incredibly kissable. She was still smiling at him and her words were still echoing in his head and James was in a daze and was slowly leaning in and--

"Mr. Potter! Miss Evans!"

James jerked around and nearly fell out of his seat, his neck burning pink and his eyes wide. Madam Pince stood to the left of their table, and James swore he could hear sniggers coming from those damn Hufflepuff second years that were still hiding.

"Mr. Potter," Madam Pince said again, this time in whisper. "I thought Professor McGonagall told you to hurry along to her classroom. She wouldn't like to see you lollygagging." At this, more sniggers sounded from behind the bookshelves.

"Yes, ma'am," James said. "I'll hurry along now."

The librarian nodded and cast Lily a strange look, then sauntered back over to her desk, glowering at students on the way who were making too much noise.

Lily stared at James as he quickly threw everything in his bag and jumped up, ready to flee the library and head to his tutoring session. There was a strange look on his face, and he was avoiding her gaze, but that wasn't what had her attention.

Was it possible? Was he blushing? She'd never seen James blush, ever. Not once in seven years...and even when he did it now it was barely even a change in color... Why was he blushing now? Because she had called him noble? That was hardly something to blush over...

Rather confused, she piled her books up and stuffed them in her bag, following James hurriedly out of the library. His neck was still pink and she wondered is she had ever complimented him before. Surely she had...this couldn't have been the only time.

"Will you slow down?" she asked, trying to keep up.

James didn't look at her. "Why are you following me? I'm going to my tutoring session."

"I know," she answered. "Just--James, will you slow down!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "What?" he asked.

Breathing heavily through her nose, Lily clicked her tongue. "James...I..." She searched for words.

"What?" he asked again.

She shook her head. Somehow, the moment, whatever it was, had passed. "Nothing...I just...McGonagall signed a note for us to use the Restricted Section," she said. Digging through her bag, Lily pulled the parchment out that she had raced over to McGonagall with before. "So, while you're tutoring second years, I can get some books out."

"Okay," James said. The strange look that had been on his face before was gone, as if it had never been there, and his color was back to normal. In a fleeting thought Lily suddenly wished she could see him blush more often.

"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I've got to go. McGonagall's probably been timing me." He smiled thinly.

Lily nodded and watched him turn and continue down the corridor. She kept seeing that look that had been on his face before. Was it possible that he still--well, he did blush when she complimented him...Was it possible that he still fancied her? True, he hadn't asked her out all year, but he still smiled at her and hadn't seemed put out that they had to be partners for their Transfiguration assignment. They were in each other's company even more often than they had been in past years, what with Head Duties.

Surprisingly, Lily was shocked to find out that she didn't really know what to feel if he still liked her. She had been in such a habit of despising him and saying no every chance he gave her that, for a long time, she hadn't even thought about what she was declining.

Did she really mind he still fancied her? Lily didn't know.