Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize and I own everything you don't recognize.

Why do you look so familiar
I could swear that I have seen your face before
I think I like that you seem sincere
I think I'd like to get to know you
A little bit more

Who Knows: Avril Lavigne

Chapter 2: First Sight

It was a week before school began, for Lily and her friends, and the three of them were planning to meet at Diagon Alley to get all their shopping done. Lily's summer had been one of the best she had ever had. She and Cora stayed over Kyra's house or rather mansion, being that she was a pureblood she had a lot of money, for almost a month. They stayed about two weeks before the start of term when Kyra's parents had to leave home because of a business trip; since Voldemort was out in the world killing freely without care, Kyra's parents felt it was too dangerous for three teenage girls to be left alone. So Kyra went back home with Lily, since Cora and her brother were barely making ends meet with the two of them, Kyra felt it was best not to burden them anymore then they needed to be. Cora would have gone back to Lily's as well but she felt she would be a burden on the Evans, having two extra mouths to feed when she could just go home to her brother. Cora did not tell them this of course; she explained how she wanted to spend sometime with her brother before she went off to Hogwarts.

So here they were, Kyra and Lily, finishing up their makeup in the Lily's room with Mrs. Evans yelling that they had to leave now or they weren't going at all. They both knew she didn't really mean this because she was never a person to be able to stay mad at someone for too long.

"Ready?" Lily asked Kyra, as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"Yup," Kyra said, putting her mascara away. She then grabbed her bag and the two ran down the stairs to meet Mrs. Evans.

"You girls took long enough," Mrs. Evans said, trying to sound disappointed.

"Your voice and your face are telling me two different things mom," Lily said, half laughing.

"She's right Mrs. Evans anyone can read you like a book. Your face gives away everything." Kyra said.

"Kyra, how long have I been telling you to not call me that, it makes me feel old," Mrs. Evans said, opening the front door. Ever since Petunia had gotten married and left the house, Mrs. Evans had taken Kyra 'under her wind' so to speak. Mrs. Evans' mindset believed that as long as she had two daughters living in the house she would never age. Although she might have not been aware of what she was doing, Kyra knew full well what she was trying to do. Kyra's theory was that she did not want to believe that her children were growing up and might soon have children of their own. The thought of being labeled a grandmother probably scared her, but who could blame her, who wanted to feel old?

"Sorry," Kyra said, putting her left hand up to her mouth, "but my parents never taught me to call an adult by their first name, so it is out of habit that I call you Mrs. Evans."

"Oh, alright dear, just get in that car you two or Cora is going to be mad that you're late." Mrs. Evans said with a smile, and the three got in the car.

---

"Hey Alex, wake up." Cora said, trying to get her brother up out of bed; she had to meet her friends soon and she didn't want to be late.

"What?" Alex said in a sleepily voice.

"I told you I had to meet my friends today, and you said you would bring me." Cora said in a wining tone.

"Ok, when do you need to be there by?" Alex said, putting the covers back over his head in an attempt to go back to sleep.

"Noon, so get your ass up now or I am going to be late." Cora said, raising her voice so her brother got the hint.

Alex took a quick look at the clock, made a groan and said, "Alright, get out of here so I can get up. I'll be ready in five minutes."

Cora left his room smiling and went to get the money she had been saving to get her new school supplies. As she gathered her money, she saw the picture of her parents sitting on the top of a large fireplace. Immediately she looked away, no sense living in the past, her parents would not have wanted her and her brother to live that way. Her gaze traveled down to the fireplace and shook her head. She had been telling Alex since the beginning of the summer to set up the floo network again. Their parents had it disengaged a week before they died, for a reason neither of the two were sure of. If it were working he would not have to get up to drive her to Diagon Alley. It was his own fault he had to get up this morning, and she wasn't going to let him forget it.

---

Lily and Kyra arrived, at about noon, in Diagon Alley to find Cora nowhere in sight. The two, after assuring Mrs. Evans that they would be fine waiting for her alone, began pacing back and forth at the place the three were supposed to meet.

"Where do you think she is, you don't think she's hurt do you?" Lily said, getting extremely worried.

"You worry to much. Alex is bringing her and do you really think he is going to want to wake up this early on a weekend," Kyra said, putting her hand on her hip.

"But it's noon, how late does he want to sleep?" Lily asked, still scared for Cora.

"You've never met a guy in his twenties have you?" Kyra asked.

"Well no but…"

"I rest my case." Kyra said triumphantly, and the two continued to look for Cora at Lily's request, although Kyra was not happy about it and was not quiet about her disapproval.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

"Finally Cora, I thought something happened to you." Lily said, giving Cora a hug.

"Sorry Lily, didn't mean to worry you. My brother wouldn't get up." Cora said.

"See," Kyra said, hitting Lily on the back of the head, "I was right. You worry too much kid."

"Ouch, that hurt Kyra." Lily said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh and what is Lily going to do about it." Kyra said, backing away from her.

Lily then walked over to Kyra who immediately started running away from her. Lily ran after her and yelled, "Yea you better run Walters!" (a/n: Kyra's last name is Walters)

Cora just shook her head and ran after them while thinking, 'I don't think any of us will ever grow up.'

Kyra was running as fast as she could from Lily, but she was steadily catching up. So Kyra did the only thing she could, she took a sharp turn into the next alley. She turned and hid in the shadows. However Lily was quicker then that, as the next head girl should be, and she ran straight for the alley which Kyra went down. Unfortunately Lily hit something rather hard as she turned the corner.

She hit a person with a dark black cloak that swept the ground. She looked at the person's feet and guessed, since the shoes looked too big to belong to a woman, it was a man.

"Sorry about that, are you ok?" the man said with a voice that Lily thought was all too familiar. The man knelt down to her level and helped her get up, although Lily did not look into his face, too embarrassed to look this strange man in the eyes. But a second thought made her believe he was not as strange as she had first thought, that voice. The voice belonging to that man so too familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly who it was.

Lily first looked over to where Kyra was and saw that her face looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Lily then looked at the man cautiously, not really sure if she wanted to know who the voice belonged to.

"Potter?" Lily asked, not wanting to believe that her worst enemy was standing in front of her.

"Yes, you seem surprised to see me Lily." James said, with a smile on his face.

"What do you want, but if you're here to ask me out, the answer is no."

"No, I've learned my lesson about asking you out my dear. But next time, you should watch where you are going. The next person might not be as forgiving, like a dirty Slytherin."

And with that he left leaving Kyra, Lily, and Cora, who had arrived in the middle of the whole ordeal, in complete shock. Lily stared blankly at the spot where James Potter once stood. Had her ears deceived her or did he just have a conversation with her without asking her out. And, was he just decent? This person could not have been Potter, he was too kind, too decent, too un-Potter. She remembered the bet, did he really change this much over the summer. She shook her head; it was impossible for a person to transform completely in such a short time span…wasn't it?

"Was that James?" Cora asked, eyeing the same spot as Lily.

"I think the body was but who was inside…not the James I know." Kyra said, standing next to her two friends in awe. It seemed he had pulled it off, maybe there was more to James then met the eye, not that Lily was going to believe that. Lily was the kind of person whose trust was easy to gain, but once you broke the trust with her it was hard to get back. These actions made her quite stubborn and yet at the same time, they made her the gentlest living being on earth…as long as you caught her on a good day.

"You think someone used the Polyjuice Potion?" Lily asked, trying to convince herself that James had not changed and that she was still going to win this bet.

"I don't think so," Cora said, with a bit of a smile.

"Well if that's really James, then he certainly has changed." Kyra said, with a smirk on her face.

"Why are you happy about this? Did you forget about this?" Lily said, holding up her tattooed wrist to Kyra.

"I was thinking about what you should wear on your first date?" Kyra said, walking back onto the main road of Diagon Alley; her friends following right after her.

"First, if there is one, second, you make it sound like there is going to be more after the first forced one. Like I would ever go on more than one date with a stupid prat like that."

"Oh," Kyra said, smiling dramatically, "so you would go on one date with him."

"No Kyra," Lily yelled at her, "Must you screw up everything I say and then tell it back all wrong?"

"Calm down Lily, I'm just playing with you," Kyra said, trying to put on a serious face to make it seem like she was unhappy that James had cleaned up his act; at least his mannerisms in front of Lily.

"This is not a laughing matter Kyra, this is of major importance. Can't you all see this is just an act? He is going to act nice and pleasant for the first week and then poof, back to his old ways." Lily said, getting aggravated that she might actually loose this bet.

"Well, you never stated he had to stay like that in the rules of the bet, so sorry to tell you, but all's fair in love and war." Cora said smiling.

"Cora you're turning into Kyra with these comments. I don't think either of you understand the gravity of the situation," Lily said, trying to get back to her calm state; she was failing at it miserably.

"Lily, why are you worrying about this now. None of us can do anything to stop his actions at this time, but at Hogwarts we can do what you planned all along if he were to shape up during the summer. You do remember don't you?" Kyra asked, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

"Fine, I'll try not to worry about it, but this incident has ruined my entire day," Lily said, as she walked into Flourish and Blotts ahead of her two friends.

Cora and Kyra just looked at each other and rolled their eyes, which gave Kyra an idea of how Cora felt. Although she was not going to tell Cora how she was going to sabotage Lily's sabotage, in case she was on Lily's side, but the look on her face made it seem that the two were on the same side. If she was, it was going to make Kyra's job a lot easier. If they worked together, even as silent partners, Lily's date with James was in the bag.

---

"Nice job Prongs, I could not have done it better myself." Sirius said, hitting James on the back after watching the incident between Lily and her friends.

James put a hand through his hair and said, "Thanks, I thought I was going to pop when she started yelling at me."

"You held yourself well," Remus said turning to Sirius, "I think we have succeeded Padfoot."

"Too right Moony!" Sirius yelled.

"You'll have Lily in no time," Peter said.

"As long as I can last the week," James said, putting his hand through his hair again.

"And as long as you can stop putting your hand through your hair while Lily is around." Sirius said, with a smile, grabbing James' hand to emphasize his point.

"You know better then anyone else that that is a nervous habit." James answered, taking his hand out of Sirius' claws.

"I know that, but Lily doesn't." Sirius said, with a know-it-all kind of a smirk.

"But don't worry about the week, we will help you." Remus said, reassuring James.

"For some reason Moony, when you say that, it sounds a lot more convincing then when this dog says it." James said, hitting Sirius on the head.

"Hey!" Sirius yelled, crossing his arms on his chest, "I'm offended!"

"Live with it Padfoot," James said.

"Fine, Wormtail you're my new best friend." Sirius said, moving closer to Peter.

"You know that won't last long, no offence Wormtail." James said, waving his hand in the air to promote emphasis.

"None taken," Peter said, with a smile.

"Is the whole world against me?" Sirius yelled as he stopped and the other three walked ahead of him

"Yes," the three of them said while laughing.

Sirius mumbled something alone the lines of needing a new best friend and then slowly followed them to wherever the trio decided to go. But under that sulking face of his lay a smirk that reached up to his eyes. He had done it, with Remus and Peter's help of course. They had done something no one, not even they, thought possible, they had made James Potter into a gentlemen. They had worked all summer for this, but was it really worth it? Sirius knew this wanting for Lily was just present in James' life because Lily was beyond his grasp, and James always wanted the thing that was most out of reach. James usually gave up on things that were too hard to get as long as they were not that important to him, but he never gave up on this one. Whatever made Lily different then all the rest of the girls he didn't have a chance with, was beyond the minds of Sirius and rest of the Marauders. Sirius just hoped James stayed with Lily long enough so that it didn't matter that the four of them had wasted their whole summer on perfecting James' manners. But not too long, just long enough to make their efforts worth it. Sirius did not want his best friend taken away like his parents were, because of the ideas of people like Voldemort and his followers. Even though he had faith in his best friend, he knew he would not be able to last going out with Lily Evans. Yet then again, James was always one to not give up on something if he wanted it badly enough. Sirius started to get worried. He always knew, besides Moony that is, that James was the most likely of the group to get married. What if this was the girl who was going to take James away from him? Sirius shook his head, Lily was too smart for him, but just in case, Sirius would just have to get rid of her, just like the others.

---

"What do you say we go get some ice cream now?" Kyra said, sounding exhausted from a day of shopping.

"Sure," Lily said.

Lily then looked at Cora. She had already spent so much money on her school supplies and Lily had no idea if she had enough money to pay for ice cream. She knew her and her brother were tight on money ever since their parents had past away. Lily figured that Cora alone having to buy books was spending enough of their money, anymore would just be wasteful.

Kyra was obviously thinking along the same lines as Lily when she said, "Nice, my treat."

"If you insist," Lily said, knowing Kyra was really doing this for Cora.

"I know what you guys are doing," Cora said, as they neared the parlor. She then slowed down her pace to think more clearly. She knew she was having some money problems, but she didn't need her friend's pity because of it. She did not want to be treated any different! She was the same person!

"What do you mean Cora?" Kyra asked sweetly, pretending to act oblivious.

"You guys all know about what is going on with me and my brother right now, you're not blind and neither am I. Why do you think you stayed with Lily instead of with me?" Cora said, looking at Kyra.

"Look Cora, we know what is going on. We just want to help." Kyra said.

"That's what friends are for right." Lily said.

"I don't want pity from you guys," Cora said, looking at her feet.

"We don't mean it that way," Lily said, putting her hand on Cora's shoulder.

"Yea, I know." Cora said, hugging the two of them in one large hug. "What would I do without you guys?"

"You'd still be getting lost in Hogwarts." Kyra said lighting the mood.

"Shut up," Cora said, hitting Kyra lightly with one of her bags.

The three girls just laughed at the comment as they walked in to get their ice cream.

---

A/N: I know this chapter is shorter then my last one but if I made it any longer it would have been too boring. PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks for the reviews I got for my last chapter, kudos for you people! Oh and concerning the comma thing I can't fix it in this one but I will work harder on the rest. I anyone one else has a comment about how I write please tell me. Also sorry I skipped the whole deal of James getting more mature and all that stuff but I just have so many ideas for once they get into Hogwarts I just want them to get there. The next chapter will take place on the first day of Hogwarts. I know it may seem that the events are moving too fast but I just want to get them in Hogwarts. In Hogwarts a lot more detail will be present I promise. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW, they make me happy and if I am happy I write faster!