CHAPTER 3 – Making aquaintances

'Bye sweetie, remember to write', said Mum, hugging me.

'I will, bye mum, bye dad, love you!' I said, walking towards the train. When I got to the platform, I turned around, to wave to my parents, but before I could do anything, something hurtled into my side and knocked me over. I fell on to the floor, my hands breaking my fall. Some one offered me a hand and I followed it up to see Remus. I took his hand and hoisted myself up.

'Thanks', I said, brushing the dirt of my trousers.

'No problem', he replied, 'You okay?'

'Yeah, Im fine, but what…?'

'…was the whirlwind that bumped into you?' he replied grinning.

'Erm, yeah', I said, still slightly disorientated.

'Who else? Sirius and James, apparently he stole his chocolate frog. ' he replied.

'Did I hear my name?', said a voice from behind me, I turned around to see James. He was smiling, but when he saw it was me, he stopped... He just looked at me like…like…

With a great deall of effort I smiled at him.

'Hi, James'

Now you'd think that those two words weren't as sensational as the response I got. James looked shocked, and I heard a choking sound behind me. I turned to see Sirius gaping at me.

'Did you….did you…just call…him…James!?'

' I believe that's his name, so what else would I call him? Anyways,' I said looking back towards Remus, 'I'll see you in the prefects compartment later.'

And with a last smile to everyone in general, I flounced off, leaving them astounded.

Except the whole flouncing thing didn't work out, because I bumped into Sheena who gave me a look that meant I had some serious explaining to do.

She linked her arm in my mine, and dragged me off.

I heard the sound of some one whopping behind me and smiled to myself. I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision, but I was tired of feeling so insecure all the time. So unsure. So I decided to go ahead and find out that was all about.

I explained it to Sheena on the train, and when I'd finished she gave me a knowing grin.

'What?' I asked.

'Oh, nothing…' she said looking out the window still grinning. She was obvioulsy dying for me to ask her what was up. So I decided to play along.

'Come on, tell me.'

'Well…it's just, you finally fell for it didn't you? The 'ole Potter Charm' I believe is what they call it,' she grinned.

'NO!' I almost shouted. ' I just…just decided to give him a chance 'coz he'd dropped the 'ole potter charm' and just tried being sincere. If he'd done that from the begining, and hadn't try to act like a prick all the time I might have given him the time of day ages ago.' I replied.

'Well, if only you'd told us before, it would have saved us a whole lot of grief, a few traumatic near death experiences, and that rather visciuos encounter with the giant squid,' said Sirius who had appeared in our door way and had, apparently, heard what I had said.

'The squid?' I asked stiffling a laugh, as the memory of when I'd told James I'd rather date the giant squid than him, came back to me. For some reason what infuriated me a month ago, now made me laugh.

'Yeah, you never got to hear about that?' he said siting down next to Sheena, and sliding along to make room for Peter, who appeared from behind him. Remus came in after him and sat down next to me, followed by James who sat down next to Remus.

Sirius lent back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. Peter opened a chocolate frog and proceeded to eat it. Remus opened the book he'd been carrying and started to read it.

The fluidity with which they had come in, and sat down as if they belonged there, was amazing. Me and Sheena looked at each other, eyebrows raised, but I couldn't stop a smile spreading across my face which turned into a laugh.

'So,' said Sirius, glancing over to where James sat, 'as, I was saying, the giant squid…'

'What?' asked James, rather sharply.

'You remember, that time when Lilly said she'd rather date the giant squid than you, and then afterwards you got drunk and went down to the Lake-'

'Im pretty sure no-one wants to hear about that', said James, in a voice that clearly stated that Sirius was going to die a very painful death if he did not immedeatly and forthrightly, drop the subject.

Sirius just continued grinning.

'Oh, Im not so sure about that. Im sure these ladies would love to hear about it', he said turning to look at Sheena.

'Oh, pray do tell', grinned Sheena.

'Well…,' he said, putting one of his arms around Sheena's shoulders, 'After that incident, which you may recall, we took a trip to the school kitchens, you may or may not have heard of them-'

Here Sheena and I burst out laughing.

'Whats so funny?' he asked

'Nothing, nothing, please continue'.

'Ok, fine,' said a slightly ruffled Sirius. Immedeatly regaining his enthusiasim, he continued,

'So, in the school kitchens, dear Jamsie here-, sorry James. I mean, James here, got himself blind drunk, muttering to himself about obstinate red-heads, and their unconceivable attraction to creatures of the deep'.

James threw a chocolate frog at Sirius, which he caught, opened, and proceeded to take a bite out of without once looking at James.

'To keep him company, and for no other purpose other then that sole and honourable one, I also got drunk. And in that state of, erm, drunkeness, I suggeseted that James quit his whining and go see for himself what was so special about the giant squid.'

'Sirius, I swear, if you don't shut up…', James' warning look was lost on Sirius.

'Anyways,' he continued, glancing at James, who gave an exasperated sigh, 'we went to the lake and there James started throwing rocks into the water, yelling for the squid to come out, to not cower amongst the fishes like a…like a…like a coward, but to come out and face him like a man. The blatant inaccuracy of this statement will not have, I think, escaped you ladies, as it did not escape me at the time. I, in what, on later reflection, I realized was a serious laspe in judgement pointed out the inaccuracy to James. He didn't take my good-hearted correction well. What was it you said, James?' Sirius put on a show of trying to recall the exact words, 'Hmm…actually, I think it would be another lapse in judgemnt to repeat what he said in such delicate company, don't you James?' Sirius grinned.

By this time Sheena and I were in fits. The story was also strangely poignant, and I looked over to James. He was looking at me from under his eyelashes, pretending to be scared of my reaction. The intensity of his gaze and the rigidity of his pose, made me think that he really was scared.

It's funny, but I was scared too.

I didn't know how to treat this information about the extent of his…infatuation (I refuse to believe that it's anything else) with me. Should I laugh it off, tease him about it, or take offence and storm out? Oddly, enough, I wasn't willing to do either. I did not want to move forward or backward. I wanted to stay still. I couldn't stand going back to not knowning, to that state of permenant ignorance, and neither did I have the courage to find out, to push the established limits, and form a new relationship with James.

I settled for not doing anything for the moment. I just looked away, and laughed along with Sheena