Author's Note: Enjoy! Written for 31 Days of Soulmate AUs Day 30: You share talents with your soulmate.

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Warnings: NA

Stacked with: MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts; Not Commonwealth; Harmony of Souls Eternal

Individual Challenge(s): Gryffindor MC (x5); Marauders Tales; Bow Before the Blacks; Brush; Creature People; Seeds; Minerva's Migraine; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Love); Themes & Things B (Risk); Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

Representation(s): Soulmate!AU; Animagi

Bonus challenge(s): Most Human Bean; Second Verse (Found Family); Chorus (Tomorrow's Shade)

Tertiary bonus challenge: NA

Word Count: 1386

Shipping Wars

Ship (Team): James Potter/Lily Evans

List (Prompt): Summer Big List (Promise)

How the Stag Met the Doe

They had brewed Lily a cup of tea before dragging her to an abandoned classroom and telling her everything. That only felt fair.

"I'm sorry, Remus," she eventually said. The hand cradling her hot cup left and she put it on their friend's hand as he sat across the table from her. "I… I didn't know."

"I'm good at keeping secrets," Remus said. He swallowed hard. "I don't like it but… but I'm glad you know now."

Lily nodded. She turned to look at James, sitting next to her, as well as Sirius and Peter.

"And I assume you've all known for years?" she asked.

"I told them not to tell anyone," Remus chimed in. His voice was hoarse but he spoke hastily, as if fearful of what Lily would say. "Made them swear…"

"I'm not mad," Lily promised. "I understand."

James took her hand in both of his and squeezed.

"When we started going out, we talked about it," James told her. "We… I told Remus I wouldn't tell you anything at all. And then we talked and thought that if you and I lasted six months, you should know."

"This wasn't the anniversary night I was expecting but I'm glad you told me," Lily said. She turned back to Remus. "Really, Remus. Thank you."

Remus nodded and James saw tears glistening in his eyes—of relief, probably. Lily was like a sister to him. Today's revelation had been far more important for Remus than it was for James. Sneaking around your girlfriend's back was far less of an inconvenience than keeping secrets for which you may get left behind.

"James has something else to tell you," Sirius chimed in. He looked at James pointedly, as if reminding James not to chicken out of this next part.

"I do," James said. "But we, umm… Let's go outside before curfew. Do you want us to stop by the dormitories to get your cloak?"

"No, I'm okay," Lily said looking down at the chunky grey sweater she was wearing. It made the green of her eyes that much more striking. "Do you?"

"I… won't need it," James said. He got up and offered Lily his arm. Before taking it, she went around the table and wrapped Remus in a hug. He leaned against her and she kissed his hair. She whispered something in his ear that had him nodding. He took a shaky breath and he wiped his eyes.

"James is good," Remus told Lily. "He… he did it for me, okay? Remember that?"

Lily frowned and then gave James a quizzical look before turning back to Remus and offering him a smile.

"We still have our library date to get through all that Ancient Runes homework tomorrow, right?" Lily asked. Remus nodded. "Okay; I'll see you at our usual table…"

She touched Peter and Sirius' shoulders gently on her way out and took James' arm. He waved goodbye to the boys and shot Peter and Sirius a meaningful look so that they remembered to take care of Remus instead of goofing off the rest of the night—telling Lily had taken weeks of careful planning, preparation, and more than enough courage to make Godric Gryffindor himself proud.

Lily was quiet as they made their way through the castle, mulling over and digesting this new information. It was probably also an act of respect for the new covenant of secrecy that she'd just joined. He took her through a secret passage to get to the North East door. It was one of the least frequented parts of the ground, which James had never understood because it also had some of the nicest flowerbeds and shrubbery and a beautiful, winding path.

"You're a good friend," Lily said at last.

"You are," James said. He looked around to make sure they were as alone as he'd anticipated. "You took that news as if he'd told you he was colourblind—without missing a beat…"

"I'll admit to have noticed a pattern a few months ago," Lily said quietly. "After that Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. I just didn't… well, it didn't feel right to say anything and I couldn't be sure."

James shook his head. "You have so much sympathy and love and… you're brilliant, Lily."

"Muggles only have werewolves in films," Lily said. "I didn't have any myths to grapple with or things to unlearn, I just had Remus. Who is also a good friend."

"He is," James said. "That's… that's what this next part is about, actually. It's about the lot of us trying to be good friends to Remus. Remember how he said that the Shrieking Shack was secured for his transformations?"

"Yes," Lily said.

"We found a way to get him out," James said.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Safely," James said. "So that he doesn't hurt himself… that's why he's so scratched up, Lily, when werewolves have nothing else to do on full moons they turn against themselves. It's awful."

"I thought it was beyond dangerous to be near a werewolf on the full moon," Lily said. "Remus is such a careful person, how..?"

"It's dangerous for humans," James said. He stopped walking and put his hands on Lily's shoulders so that she stopped and faced him. "I… this is something else that we… I could have told you earlier, I really could have. But I know you and your brilliant mind and how curious you get, so you would have asked questions that would have brought us back to Remus."

"Okay," Lily said quietly. "Okay, well… you're telling me now."

"I am," James said. "Well, I'll show you."

He took two steps backwards and looked at her one more time before willing the transformation. It came to him easily now; the stag's form nearly felt like a change of clothes to James. There was something comforting in the sudden spike of his internal temperature, the weight change as the antlers sprouted, the shift of gravity that had him drop down from two legs to four hooves… the world's colours shifted as his eyes changed, his line of sight too.

And he stood before Lily Evans as a stag for the first time. She let her shock show on her face a little more than she had with Remus' news and took a step back, nearly stumbling. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight of the stag. James didn't move, let her fully process the situation and put the pieces together like he knew she could.

"An animagus," she said finally, nodding slowly. "You… you became an animagus to spend time with Remus when he's transformed."

James tilted his head up in what he hoped she would see as a nod.

"And the other boys?" Lily asked.

He repeated the gesture. She swallowed harm.

"You aren't registered, are you?"

James didn't respond, but she nodded to herself.

"Right," she said. For a second she just looked at him before stepping forwards, hand outstretched. She hesitated but then James stepped forward and she ran a hand down the front of his head. She ran her hand down his neck and James nuzzled into the touch.

"You're beautiful," Lily said. His heart skipped a beat and he took a step back to transform back into his human form.

"Yeah?" James asked. "You're not… you're not mad?"

"James Fleamont Potter," Lily said, shaking her head. "I'm not mad at you for doing the things you need to do to be a good friend. For your loyalty… if anything, I'm a little bit more in love with you."

His heart skipped a beat. "Yeah?"

"Yes," she said. She didn't come closer to him though, but smiled. "And not to mention, it explains why I could suddenly do this about two years ago…"

And he watched in shock as she transformed before his eyes into a beautiful, caramel-coloured, gentle-eyed doe. Pride washed over James and he laughed in relief, stepping forwards to run his hand down her neck in turn. She was so incredibly soft and she was…

"So we're soulmates, then?" James said.

She nuzzled into his touch and it was the softest, warmest moment of James' life.

Later, when he would conjure a very different doe in the form of a patronus, this was what he would think back to.