-Beastie- James Potter

-4-

- - -

It had been two days since Karmen and James were assigned partners for the Potions project and they hadn't talked at all. Partly because she was avoiding him and partly because he hadn't even tried to flirt with her, not wanting to mess anything up with her.

He wanted to meet and study together and maybe, just maybe when she sees how super smart he is, she'll fall for him.

The messy haired Gryffindor was with the rest of the Marauders as per usual, Sirius flirting with someone, Remus walking beside them as he talked to Peter, and James looking around, just relaxing.

But that 'someone' that Sirius was flirting with happened to be Marlene McKinnon, a Reine.

"I told you for the last time, Sirius! No! I will not date you to make some Ravenclaw jealous." She said in exasperation as she sped up so that she was now walking with Lily and Alice, who were only a little ahead of the Marauders.

"One of these days, she's going to bitch slap you and I'm not going to do a thing to stop it." The voice of Karmen made James turn his head so quickly that his friends were scared that he would hurt himself. She stood next to Sirius, having to look up at him slightly as he stood at 5'11" while she stood at 5'7".

"You wound me, love. I know you would help me!" Sirius said dramatically as he clutched his chest. Remus and Peter were watching them was confused looks while James had his mouth open with wide eyes as he watched the encounter. They were teasing like friends. Life long friends.

"And why would I help you? I feel like you deserve it." She said teasingly but her face had a small cheeky smile, something not many people had seen.

"Because you loooove me." The black haired boy had with a smirk as he dragged out the word 'love.'

Karmen started to walk away, with her front to them and her back to her friends. She bobbed her head back and forward as she pretended to think.

Karmen scrunched her nose for half a second and said, "Debatable." Before flashing him a smile and turning around, falling back in line with the other Reines.

Sirius smiled boyishly before turning to his friends, his smile falling as he saw look on their faces. Remus and Peter were looking at him with curios looks while James was still in shock, trying to wrap his brain around what he had just seen.

He grabbed Sirius' arm and started to pull him towards the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Remus and Peter started to trail after them.

"We need to talk.."

***

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed as James paced in front of him, the black haired boy watching his friend like a child. The two other Marauders were amused by this and decided to just watch what was happening.

"I just...I don't understand. How do you know her? Why does she 'love' you? And why were you flirting with her if you KNOW that I like her?!" James' voice was getting louder and louder as he talked to him, having taken off his round glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, something he had seen Remus do when he got mad.

Sirius looked at his best friend in surprise before explaining, "Ok, first of all, me and Karmen have known and been friends since we were toddlers," He turned to Remus and Peter and said, "Her family is like mine but with Gryffindor instead of Slytherin."

They nodded for him to continue, "We are just like that. We tease each other like I tease with you guys. It's nothing but platonic. So it wasn't flirting like I do with other girls. She is my best female friend."

It took a few seconds for James to calm down and sat across Sirius. "So do you have any advice because I'm supposed to work on the Potions project with her and I want to impress her." He said with a small smile as he daydreamed about Karmen falling in love with him and her fawning over his big brain and muscles.

"Prongs? Prongs! Focus!" Remus clapped in front of his face, making him snap out with it.

"Sirius, what do you think I should do?" James asked again as he had said anything, and if he had James was to busy daydreaming to hear it.

"Just be her friend." The long haired boy said, making his friends look at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Look, the only people Karmen trust are myself and the rest of the Reines. Stop with all the pickup lines and the over the top shows of affection. She will not even give you a second glance if she knows that you don't know her or even want to know her. Be her friend first and let her get to know you." Sirius said with a serious expression. They hadn't seen him like this before.

"Wow..Sirius." Remus began but Peter finished for him, "I didn't know you had that much brain power."

"Oh, sod off! I can be smart!"

As the two other boys teased their friend, James was busy thinking about how he could become Karmen's friend and still get her to fall for him.