LONG STORY SHORT, james potter

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨.

Sirius snorted as he looked at the boy in question. Betty seemed to take no notice to his desperate attempts to flirt with her. "God, I told her so."

"You knew about that?" Remus asked as he referred to the two of them. Sirius shrugged. "And?"

"He seems nice enough," Sirius mused as he sat propped his elbows on the table. "He's safe. Don't see him at parties too often. He's a prefect, I think. Good marks. Not out of bed after hours."

"Good, she needs safe." Remus nodded to himself. "No one wild—"

Peter then turned to Sirius with furrowed eyebrows. "How do you know all of that?"

"Just observe, I guess," Sirius replied with a shrug. "You'd be surprised to know how much you can learn about someone in five minutes. And besides, he fits the type just by looking at him."

"She needs someone who's safe," Remus repeated to himself. "No one going on adventures or off to fight someone or pulling the pranks or something." Remus's nature was solemn as he stared at her.

"Ugh that's so unfortunate because I was just about to ask her to snog!" Sirius exclaimed, a grin cracking sunny side up on his face. 

"Your dreams are shattered," Remus said monotonously, making Peter splutter with laughter. Remus failed to hide his approaching smile as Sirius and Peter's faces streaked red and their lungs heaved. 

Betty looked away from Freddie Abbott at boisterous laughter coming from the Gryffindor table. She smiled as she watched the three of them shake and holler. 

"Sorry, you were saying?" Her eyes flitted back to Freddie.

"Oh . . . uh . . . I was saying that usually the back table that I normally get with my friends at the Three Broomsticks is quiet during Hogsmeade visits." His eyes begged her to catch the undertones. "It's honestly an ideal place for a date, if you ask me." His entire body was frozen as he stared at her while she smiled innocently.

"I'd imagine it would be." Her voice was soft as she spoke. 

The silence hung between them, intentions lost in translation. But, a tap on her shoulder brought them out of orbit and made her stand up suddenly. 

"What I meant is—"

"We need to head to class, Freddie." Her voice was anxious as she packed up her bags, cursing to herself for losing track of time. Once she'd finished, she turned to face him with an apologetic smile. "Finish this later?" 

"S-sure. Yeah, why not." She smiled innocently and swept past him, allowing him to smell her perfume. She left him muttering to himself and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

She allowed the shuffling students to take hold of her and move her gradually up the stairs. She heard bits of gossip and friends crying to each other and she fought her way to her class. Careful not to step on toes, she turned around people and tried to help first years time the stairs. She only really exhaled when she made it to the sixth floor. As the stairs kept climbing up, the number of people petered out and she was left was only a few people—mostly classmates—joining her on the penultimate floor. She brought out the textbook reading for homework and review the tabs that she'd made when someone brushed her shoulder. They smelled familiar, making her look over her shoulder to see loose curls and hand tucked into a Gryffindor robe.