Strange behavior

"Have you noticed that Prongs is acting a little.. strange lately? He hasn't even pitched in for this prank, I try to tell him about it and he just nods!" Sirius says with his mouth stuffed with potatoes.

"Sirius, calm down, and chew with your mouth closed please." Remus sneers at Sirius. "He does seem distracted but I'm sure he's fine." He reasons.

It's March, the snow is just starting to melt and the weather is finally calming down. The Marauders hadn't had a big prank since January and Sirius was getting anxious. The man in question enters the Great hall, and as he walks, James' eyes stay glued firmly to the ground, obviously avoiding looking at someone.

"Hey Prongs, mate! We were just talking about you." Sirius says as James sits down across from him. James scans the Gryffindor table before acknowledging him. He nods and lightly smiles, looking relieved.

"It's understandable. I am pretty great." He smirks before loading his plate with food, at fourteen, he couldn't seem to get enough food lately. His scrawny shoulders were finally beginning to widen as he grew taller. Unfortunately, his bones were moving too fast for the rest of his body to catch up, causing him to look gangly and awkward. Unfortunately, he was going through his awkward phase.

"So about this prank, I was thinking that maybe we need to save the exploding… Prongs!" Unfortunately a group of 4th year gryffindor girls had walked into the great hall as Sirius began his speech. Prongs had stiffened and stopped listening, glancing out of his corner of his eye at the group of girls.

Sirius followed prongs line of sight, confusion twisting his expression. "Did you and Maggie break up or something? Is that why you're acting so weird?"

James' face reddened and he kept his eyes cast downward. "No that's not…I mean we did.. but I..that's not why…" he stuttered before sighing in frustration. "Never mind Padfoot, I'm fine so just drop it okay?" James says aggressively.

Sirius stares at him, open mouthed. James never snapped at him. He was speechless.

James quickly gathers his things and sweeps out of the hall.

"What the hell was that about?" Remus exclaims. James has been acting like a completely different person lately.

The remaining marauders shrug off his actions and continue eating. When they return to their dorm, they expect to find James there, but he's no where in sight. They once again shrug off his actions but start feeling worried for him.

After three games of exploding snap in the common room, swapping stories, and wreaking their usual havoc on their fellow gryffindors, they settle in by the fire to relax, it's nearing curfew. None of them bring up James' absence, but they all notice it. James decides to show his face an hour later, at almost ten thirty at night.

"Where were you?" Sirius demands the moment that he sits down. James looks flushed and tired.

"I was just in the library, finishing some homework." he says

They didn't even think that James knew where the library was, so this explanation was definitely fishy.

"No really, I can tell when you aren't being truthful prongs."

"I'm not kidding, I was in the library, is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes." Sirius replies in a matter of fact tone of voice.

James chuckles, trying to throw his friends off his trail . "If you guys missed me that much, all you had to do was say so." he smirked.

Sirius laughed and their normal banter ensued.

Over the next two weeks, James continued to act strange and jumpy, but when the marauders would ask, he'd laugh it off each time.

"I think he actually is at the library, I did see him in there the other day." Remus tells the other two after James had mysteriously disappeared yet again.

"Well I think he's out practicing quidditch, not that he needs it though." Says Peter.

"No, you guys are so dumb. He's obviously going out with a girl but doesn't want us to know. So he either doesn't want us to tease her, or she's really ugly and he's embarrassed." Sirius smirks superiorly.

"Sure Padfoot, that makes a lot of sense." Remus drawled, sarcasm strongly evident in his voice.

"Trust me, I know my best friend, he wouldn't be acting like this if it weren't for some girl. You'll see, when we find out eventually, I will gladly dish out 'I told you so's'."

Remus and Peter sighed, resigning to the fact that he was probably right.