Mirror Mirror

2 am is late at night, even within Hogwarts standards. Which will probably explain to you why James Potter was nodding inside the potions dungeons while actually supposed to make a pain killing potion(which was a punishment for.. well, you don't want to know).

And you'll probably understand, too, that the sound of a voice coming out of his two-sided mirror scared him out of his skin.

"Potter? Is that you?"

".. whaaa.. Siri, I told you to go to slee- hold on- Evans?"

"Yes. Evans."

"What the hell are you doing with Siri's mirror? How did you get it?"

"What?"

"How did you get Sirius' mirror!? I can't believe he gave it to you.."

"Listen, Potter, I really don't have time for this.. I'm, well, kinda stuck."

At this point James actually felt awake enough to be genuinly interested in what Lily Evans had to say. And ofcourse to find out what the hell she did to Sirius.

"I don't think I get you."

"Look, you've got to help me! Everybody is asleep, and I'm stuck, and I'm, well, I think I'm suffocating in here! You've got to get me out!"

"Ok, that's it. I'm definately asleep."

*Big stream of really harsh curses which will not be published*

"Right, perhaps I'm not. What's the problem?"

"I was patrolling the corridors, and I touched a mirror and I fell right through! And now I can't get out again!"

"So?"

"Well, that's rather obvious, huh? I'm inside a mirror, you prick!"

"So?"

"What do you mean, so?"

"How do I put this politely.. I kind of missed the part where that was my problem."

".."

"Something wrong, miss Evans?"

Lily was, ofcourse, furious that the current Head Boy, her bloody partner, obviously didn't immediately spring to her rescue as she had secretly hoped and kind of expected he would, and her current lack of words was a result to that.

What she didn't know was that James was in fact, while she was trying to remember the biggest insult she had ever thought of, checking the Marauders Map to see whether he was able to locate her.

Just before she remembered the insult, he remembered that he had put a tracking charm on her, and after muttering the incantation it took him about half a second to locate the pulsating red dot marked Lily Evans.

They started talking again at the exact same moment.

"You slimy little.."

"Gotcha. Floor three and.."

"son of a.."

"A half? Since when do we have.."

".. what? What are you talking about?"

".. what? What are you talking about?"

*silence*

James cleared his throat and begun his sentence again.

"Since when do we have a floor three and a half?"

"Nani?"

"Since when do you speak Japanese?"

"Since when do you? Anyway, what were you saying about floor three and something?"

"Floor three and a half. That's where you are."

"Oh! Great! Exactly what I needed!"

"No problem."

"I meant, get your ass over here and get me out, Potter!"

"Touchy, aren't we? Well, Evans, I would truly love to be your knight in shining armour, but unfortunately I can't get out of the bloody dungeon until I finish this potion. They hexed the door."

"WHAT?"

"Oh god, you're the yelling type."

"Are you serious?"

"No, I'm James. Honestly, Evans, do you really expect me to be sulking inside a potions dungeon trying to make something looking remotely like a pain killing potion while I could spend my time being the chivalrish knight by your side, aiding you in the dangerous task of keeping the Hogwarts corridors a safe place to prank?"

"... I guess you are."

"It's too late at night to be joking, Evans."

"... Right. Anyway. A pain killing potion, you said?"

"Indeed."

"But they're a sixth grade potion.. it's not like they're too hard to make."

"Rub it in, will you? Transfiguration is my forte, not the mixing of foul, slimy and smelly ingredients into a rotten bubbly mass. I honestly understand why this is Snivellus' favorite subject. Feathers to a bird..."

Lily sighed and tied her hair back. James couldn't help swallowing, he still was anything but over his crush, but he seemed to have hid that effectively- she hadn't acted nearly as cold as she had been used to since the beginning of seventh year.

"Ok. Here's the deal. I help you with the potion, you help me out."

"Do you honestly believe I wouldn't help you out without a deal?"

Slightly taken aback, she blinked, nodded and started to give instructions.

"Ok. First you have to cut up the fog grass."

"Did that."

"Then mix them with bellydancing dragonflies."

"Did that. I started to get confused at the stamping beetles and adding roots of a Sympherlily part."

"That's the hardest bit.. here's what you have to do.."

~*~

After about half an hour of her giving instructions, and him following them, the potion shimmered a pale green, exactly the way it was supposed to be.

The door shimmered green for a moment, too, and a soft clicking pointed out that it had unlocked- James had finished his task and was free to go.

With a sigh of relief, James scooped up a bit of potion, put it inside a small phial, grabbed his invisibility cloak, his two sided mirror, the map and his wand, leaving the rest(a lot of potions ingredients, a very old-looking book and a heap of torn bits and pieces of parchment) lying around, and stalked away.

"Where was the mirror you fell through?"

"Fourth floor.. You know, it's getting kind of stuffy inside here."

"You aren't claustrophobic, are you?"

The hint of panic he had first heard about ten minutes ago became more detectable inside her voice.

"A little."

"Ok. It's no big deal, you'll be out of there in no time. What were you doing out there?"

"Patrolling, I already told you that."

"At 2 am at night?"

"You mean it's 2 am?"

"Well, it's almost three by now.."

"It was midnight when I touched the mirror."

"Right. What kinds of special things did you do today?"

"What?"

"Did any special things today?"

"I don't see where that's any of your concern."

"I was talking Head Girl business."

"Oh. Right. Um.. I found two fifth years snogging in a broom closet.."

"Interesting. Firth Deagle and Alice Renaa, perhaps?"

"How did you know?"

"I caught them yesterday.. and the day before.. and the day before that one.."

Lily laughed, and James sighed in relief- the trick to divert her thoughts from the fact that she was inside a stuffy, small closet seemed to work.

After another ten minutes of useless chit-chat, he arrived at the fourth floor corridor she told him about, and saw immediately which mirror she had fallen through; her school bag lay sprawled in front of it.

"Uh.. Lily? Were you having.. any particular thoughts when you touched that mirror?"

Lily blushed- how did he know that she had been thinking about.. and why was he calling her Lily all of the sudden?

"Why do you ask?"

"Well.. it's kind of.. the mirror you fell through.."

"What about it?"

"Never mind. Watch your head, I'm putting my hand inside."

Furiously thinking what he knew he was supposed to think to gain entrance, he suddenly saw his hand appearing inside the glass of his two sided mirror.

"Whaa! How did you do that?"

"Um.. you've got to think.. what you thought just before you fell through."

She blushed an even deeper shade of red, but nodded, and he felt and saw her grabbing his hand.

"On three, ok? One.. two... THREE!"

James pulled with all his might, and after a moment's hesitation the mirror let them both go- Lily feeled herself being pulled free, stumbled and landed right on top of James.

"Ow! Ow ow ow ow oh god, sorry!"

A muffled grunt pointed out that James was still alive, so Lily quickly rolled off him, looking actually quite concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't fuss about me, are you? You've been in there for three hours!"

"Oh.. right. I'm fine, thanks.. look, I'm really sorry for putting you through all this, and.."

"Don't bother, if it wasn't for you I'd probably still be doodling inside my potions book."

Lily blushed. James stood up, brushed himself off and offered his hand to Lily. With a slight hesitation, she grabbed it, and he pulled her onto her feet.

"Look, you've got to go get some sleep. I have to go back downstairs, my stuff is still inside the potions dungeon and I don't want Snivellus to put his filthy hands onto it."

"No, I'll walk along.. it's no big deal."

"Afraid in the dark?"

She shot him a piercing glare, and began walking in the direction of the potions dungeon.

"It's this way- I know a short cut.."

She felt James grabbing her hand, and before she knew it they were running in the completely opposite direction.

"Uh- James, why on earth are we running?"

Did she just say James!?

"Um- well- what's the fun of walking when you can run?"

She laughed, and kept on running.

~Three days later~

Lily stood in front of the mysterious mirror on the fourth floor. Her research in a lot of different books about magical mirrors had been futile- the most promising book had a page missing, and she hadn't found out more.

But James had said something about it- as if it were very special, and she was dying to find out what he knew- what if he knéw, what if he found out?

"Miss Evans?"

With one smooth movement she turned, grabbed her wand and pointed it in the direction where the voice came from. When she saw its owner, she sighed and lowered it.

"Potter. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I finished my potion."

"Your potion? Weren't you supposed to make a potion, like, three days ago?"

"Yeah. You see, Dumbledore is too smart for his own good. He actually knows that I'm too proud to take extra classes for potions, and by ordering me to make the same potions three times a week he makes me practice it more."

"Three times a week? I thought you were doing impositions!"

"I am! But it's about three times a week that I end up writing lines, and Dumbledore here obviously considered this a better idea."

"So you were supposed to make a pain killing potion again?"

"Yeah, but luckily I took a phial of the potion I made three days ago with me. It took me about ten minutes to remember the charm that conjured a whole kettle of it."

"Good thinking."

".. thanks. So, what are you doing out here?"

"Fuzzing about that bloody mirror- they should get rid of it, it's dangerous."

James smiled, and walked towards her.

"Not really- you've got to think-"

With a hiss, a sudden whirlwind and a plop, both of them were sucked into the small space Lily knew so well.

"- something special to be sucked in."

"Aw, great! And how are we supposed to get out, now!"

James blushed, and started to search his pockets.

"What are you doing?"

"Um.. I'm sure it's in here somewhere- aha!"

With a triumphant smile he pulled a very old, very worn looking page out of his jeans pocket. Lily eyed it suspiciously.

"Is that from the library?"

"Yeah- I needed it for some- research. Anyway- I believe this is it, look.."

James turned the page. Lily saw a picture of the mirror they had just stood in front of- and gasped in horror.

"The mirror of the One?! When you stand in front of this mirror and you think of the one you love, you will be sucked inside and only he or she will be able to get you out? The mirror will only react when this person is the love of your life? What's going on here?"

"Yeah. That. Anyway, I think I might be able to get us out of here."

She immediately knew that the flash of emotion that had passed over his face was regret.

"James, I'm sorry, I.."

"Don't mention it. There's probably something wrong with the mirror, is all."

He pulled his wand and muttered a spell. Lily felt herself suddenly being whirled around, and with a loud thunk she once again landed on top of James, in front of the mirror. She turned quickly and sat up. Slightly panting, he pocketed his wand again.

"That wasn't too hard."

"It was for me. I tried that a ton times."

James blushed and looked away. He got op, and held out his hand. This time she didn't hesitate.

"James, I'm sorry about yelling just now."

"Did you yell? Haven't noticed it."

"It's not funny, James."

"I'm not laughing, Lily."

She turned away, and gazed outside a window. After a few moments she felt he was standing next to her.

"Isn't it beautiful, Hogwarts at night?"

"Yeah."

They stood for a few minutes in silence. At that point Lily had gathered enough courage to start talking again.

"You know.. I don't think there's anything wrong with that mirror."

James stared at her. She felt a blush creeping up, but she resolutely continued talking.

"You know.. it's really weird. Over the past few years, I couldn't stand you. All the pranks you played, all the popularity you seemed to attract, I really couldn't bear to be with you. Especially because I could see you were actually a nice guy- all that attention just spoiled you."

James seemed to want to make a reply, but thought the better of it. Lily went on.

"But this year- I don't know what happened to you, but you've changed, you've turned into the nice guy I saw underneath all the time. You're still you, but- well, more like the guy I hoped you were."

His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head, by now.

"And I was thinking about that when I walked past that mirror. So.. that's why I don't think there's anything wrong with it.. I think it works fine.."

She had said too much. She could feel it. She swallowed, and gazed outside again.

"I've been in there for a lot of times, actually. Shamefully enough, the one to pull me out never came.. that's why I managed that spell- I flat refused to starve in there. Remember the time in second year I was gone for three days? Well, I was in there."

Startled, she looked at him again. He smiled shyly.

"I- um.. well.. oh, sod it all."

She saw him taking a step- two steps- into her direction- and then suddenly felt two arms being wrapped around her, and felt his mouth on hers. She was too shocked to react to it. After a moment, he let go and stepped back.

"Hit me if you want to. I couldn't help myself."

She looked at him for a few moments. Then she took a step closer to him, tiptoed and kissed him back. His eyes flew open, but she didn't let go, and after a moments hesitation she felt his bear-like hug again. It took them longer to break apart, this time.

"I never said I wanted to hit you."

"You've made that clear."

"Yeah. Well. Thanks for saving me."

"That's what knights are for, right?"

"Right. Oh, and James?"

"Hn?"

"D'you wanna go out with me?"