𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄; 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟎𝟗: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭

James sat up deciding he was going to go pay her a visit. He set the map down on his bed and dug out his trainers from underneath the mattress, where he had kicked them under a few hours prior. He tugged on his shoes and looked back at the map to close it up when he noticed that Evanna was no longer alone. Amos Diggory was now there with her.

James's shoulders slumped and he kicked his shoes back off more aggressively than he originally intended. He huffed and got back into his bed, sulking while laying on his back. Why did Diggory have to ruin everything?

Remus raised his eyes and said, "Y'okay, Prongs? You look a little stressed out."

James realized that from an outsider's point of view, a 16-year-old boy throwing a little fit and stomping back to his bed with no words could look a little weird.

"Yeah, Remus I'm fine," James mumbled.

"You sure?" Remus continued, looking bemused. "Cuz' you look upset about something. Or, dare I say, someone?"

James sat up so quickly in his bed and Remus had to stop his laughter from leaving his lips. James was lying down for not even two minutes and his hair was currently sticking in 10 different directions with his glasses lopsided on his nose. Which he quickly adjusted under Remus's amused scrutiny.

"No," James said quickly. "It's no one!"

"James we're your best friends you can talk to us about stuff, y'know?" Remus said, his brow slightly furrowed in concern.

Peter nodded and said, "Yeah if there's anything botherin' you, Prongs, you can tell us."

"Guys, I'm fine. Really!" he said exasperatedly after Remus raised a skeptical brow. James huffed. "I don't wanna talk about it right now. Let's think of ideas for Sirius's birthday."

Remus sighed and said, "Sure, James."

He would tell them when he was ready. Which, knowing James Potter, it won't be long before he is.

                                                                  * * * * 

If there was an award for the most bored person, Sirius Black would get first place, with Marlene McKinnon as a very close runner-up. 

Lily and Mary were studying rigorously while Sirius and Marlene were left sitting there questioning why they even came into the library in the first place. 

Marlene had her head on Sirius's lap and started to snore which made Sirius nervous that she would drool all over his new trousers. But he loved Marlene so he would have to sacrifice his dignity for his best friend. 

Sirius laid his head on the back of the sofa they were lounging on and thought about something that he'd been pushing back for a while. His birthday. When it came to his birthday, Sirius knew that his friends put in every piece of effort they had in their bodies to make sure his day was special. But for some reason no matter how hard he tried, he always ended up wandering around the castle drunk at two in the morning, thinking about how his parents hated him and he was never going to be loved. 

He never had a birthday celebration at Grimmauld Place, unless you counted the ceremony that the Black family had when the young boys of the family "turned into men" at the age of 11. The ceremony in which every Black family member young and old came to gossip and judge the boy of the hour. 

Sirius hated his coming-of-age ceremony. That was one of the chances he had for his parents to actually to be proud of him and he ruined it by running his stupid mouth. 

But if Sirius really thought about it, he wasn't really ashamed of what he said. Bellatrix's new haircut was really an eyesore that Sirius didn't wish to see when he was trying to eat his too-dry piece of chicken and over-dressed salad (Kreacher had been lacking lately).