Title: You Make Me That Way
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Disclaimer: YES! *I* own them!! Muhuhahahahahah! *The copyright police swarm in, and chuck me in jail* O.K., O.K., so I lied. I don't own them. I can dream though cant I??? Fine, they are J.K. Rowlings! Happy?? *glowers*
Description: A bet can lead to so many different things.
THANKS TO LISSANNE WHO BETA READ FOR ME AND DID A MUY MUY (very in Spanish for those of you who don't know) GREEEEEEEAT JOB!!!!!!!!! THANKS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!! YOU'RE THE BOMB DIGGITY! (yea I know the word went out in the 70's but I LIKE IT!)


You Make Me That Way
Sirius/James

Sirius Black, notorious mischief-maker and current Hogwarts heartthrob, threw a dazzling smile to a group of 3rd year girls who were peeking at him from behind the bushes on the steps into the Great Hall. He laughed as they gasped and disappeared giggling and blushing. He was used to this by now, being tall, dark and handsome. He was in his sixth year at Hogwarts, and was hardly concerned with N.E.W.T.'s as most of the students in his year were. He was also a Gryffindor, which, if he remembered correctly was characterized as "brave (should there be more here? Or were you just putting brave?), which obviously, in his mind, gave him the perfect right to be a procrastinator. He threw open the doors into the dining hall and smiled at the Ravenclaw prefect Jill Finizwiggle, who smiled shyly back. He had taken her on a date and found her completely boring, but he couldn't be mean. Passing Slytherin with an "I'm-way-too-good-for-you" look, he pulled up a chair next to his best friend, James Potter. James was, at the moment, so engrossed in his DADA notes, that he didn't realize he was dumping salt into his cereal instead of sugar. Sirius, who noticed this, snickered but said nothing as James took his first big bite and then almost instantaneously dropped his notes and spat it back out into his napkin. Sirius threw his head back and laughed as his friend gulped down milk to wash the taste out of his mouth.

"James, may I suggest that you actually look at what you're putting into your cereal next time?" Sirius asked him, picking up his own cereal.

"I usually do. I have just been studying which, I might add, you have been doing little of in the past few weeks." James answered pointedly as Sirius dribbled milk down his chin. Sirius wiped it off quickly with the back of his hand and bent down to pick up James's notes for him.

"Really James, I'm touched at how much you worry about me, but put your mind at rest. Trust me, I work better under pressure," Sirius told him, lying through his teeth.

"Sirius!" James said exasperated. "We only have two weeks left! Good god man, how much pressure do you need?"

Sirius smiled and lightly slapped James on the left cheek. "You really are much too uptight James, dear. You will get worry wrinkles at thirty. I need to lighten you up a bit. The Marauders are getting behind on our mischief making."

"I've no time for mischief right now. Catch me after N.E.W.T.'s and then we will have our fun," James mumbled, going back to his DADA notes. Sirius grinned evilly.

"I hope you know I'm taking you for your word on that. I'll wait until after tests are over, but the second they are, we are going to teach you how to be that carefree James I used to know. Not the rule abiding, boring-as-hell git you have become."

James looked up and smirked. "Fine Sirius, but my part of the deal is that you actually have to *pass* the test or the whole thing is off," James told him triumphantly. Sirius looked as though he might groan, but then climbed out of his chair and rested on one knee in front of James's chair.

"For you, James dear," he said taking James's hand into his own, "anything." He told him, and kissed it lightly. James snatched his hand back and looked down at Sirius scornfully.

"You had better be glad you're my best friend Sirius, or I would might have smacked you," James told him, wiping his hand on his shirt. Sirius stuck his tongue out at James then leapt to his feet and started for the door.

"Hey," James called after him, "where are you going?"

"To study, of course," Sirius winked at him then sauntered through the door. James smiled ruefully down at his notes. Sirius certainly was a character.


Sirius, on the other hand, was not as confident as he acted. He had no idea how he would learn all the material in two weeks, and for the first time cursed himself for not studying earlier. He had actually wanted to start studying early, but that just didn't go with his image, but now he had the perfect excuse. He had a deal with James. It was simple yet so perfect. He rounded the corner and waved jovially at the Fat Lady who waved back at him. He, unlike many of the other students, actually stopped to talk to the paintings on the walls. He found them a great source of gossip.

"Good afternoon, oh holy guard of Hogwarts' greatest house," he told her. Her oil painting face lit up (or as best as a painting's face can light up) and she smiled down at him.

"Good afternoon yourself, Mr. Black, oh holy guard of Hogwarts' greatest mischief secrets," she returned happily.

"Well one must have their own unique talents," he told her. "So, heard anything interesting?"

She hesitated for a second then answered, "Well, yes, but I'm not sure if I should tell you, I shouldn't even know myself, I was just passing through...."

"Oh come on deary, you can tell old Sirius. I'll guess, alright?" he told her and she nodded.

"Hmmmm," he pretended to think, "oh I know! McGonagall is actually a man! No, no too obvious, ummm, Snape is getting a sex change!!!! No, no, way too obvious. Oh come on just tell me, I have no idea!"

She looked around to see if anyone was looking and then told him quickly, "Someone has a crush on you."

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "That was it? Well no surprise there. Who is it?"

"That's the thing," she replied still looking around to see if anyone was coming, "its someone sort of different."

"Come on now, stop beating around the bush and just tell me who it is," Sirius told her, getting impatient.

"Fine! It's..." she gulped, "James Potter. James Potter has a crush on you."

Sirius froze and stared at her. "You're joking, right?"

She shook her head. "No. The other day, I was passing through the Charms corridor to see my friend Violet when I saw him coming down the hall. I was about to say hello to him when I noticed he was concentrating very hard on the floor and muttering to himself. When he walked past me he said, 'Sirius, I like you, Sirius, I have a crush on you, Sirius, could we be more than just friends, no, no James, think you big git!' Hasn't he told you?"

"No," Sirius replied, still kind of hazy from the news. "But he hasn't said a lot to me lately, studying and all."

"Unless he was just trying to avoid you," the fat lady pointed out smartly.

"Listen, are you sure about this?" he asked her one more time for clarity.

She shook her head. "Oh, quite sure. Ever since I heard him, I have been watching you two as much as I can, and he watches you a lot. Haven't you noticed?"

Sirius nodded that he hadn't. "Well thanks for the info," he told her. She nodded and said goodbye and swung open for him to enter the common room. He slowly walked over to a cushion and sat down. He needed to think about all this. But thinking would not happen at the moment.

"Don't say hey or anything," a male voice said in front of him. He looked up into the smiling face of Remus Lupin, another good friend of his. "Where were you this morning?"

"Oh, I went down to find James. He was, of course, studying at the table, and being terrible company so I came back up here." Sirius told him.

"Well he is, you know, a prefect. Speaking of studying, when are you going to start?" Remus asked and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Today, I swear! I have a bet going with James that if I pass all my exams then he has to let me "lighten him up" because he seriously has had a Nimbus 800 stuck up his arse and has become quite boring. So what do you say Remus? Want to help me study?" Sirius asked him with pleading puppy dog eyes. It was Remus' turn to roll his eyes.

"Oh fine Sirius, but not right now. We have five minutes to be in Transfiguration and it's a ten minute walk there. Which of course insures our record of always being fashionably late." Remus replied, picking up his backpack and throwing Sirius' to him. Sirius stood up and stretched. They strode across the common room together and opened the door. Remus stepped out first and turned to wait for Sirius who had a thoughtful look on his face.

"You know Remus, I hope you're glad you have me to be fashionably late with because I am, of course, the suave, handsome, charming, witty one, and you by yourself would be kind of helpless. Wow, I'm your personal saviour, Remus old pal," he said with a cocky smile as he stepped out of the portrait hole. Remus smirked and smacked him on the side the head.

"Whatever Sirius. Just walk and try not to hurt your "beautiful, perfect" self in the process. Or maybe it's just "dumb and idiotic," Remus said with a smile.

Sirius slung his arm over Remus' shoulder and smiled. "You know Sherlock, you might just be onto something." They both laughed and continued their way through the extensive castle.