"Troll shit!" James hissed. "Run!"

The boys ran, the mucous sliding down their clothes and dripping from their hair. Hey could hear Slughorn's response echoing down the hall. "Who put this piece of filth in my room? Who?" he roared.

"Dammit—Peter—why—didn't—you—wait?" Sirius gasped as they raced up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. "Remus—still—got—the map?"

"Yeah," Remus breathed heavily, pulling it out. "Looks like the hallway's clear."

"As soon as we get back to the common room, I'm going to use the Body-Binder curse on you, Peter, and lock you in Snape's laundry!" James growled.

Peter looked frightened. Before they could say another spell, he had disappeared around a corner.

"Why did you scare him like that, James?" Remus asked quietly, as Peter's heart-wrenching sobs bounced off the chamber.

"I didn't mean to…I guess I was just pissed that he ran in there like that," he replied just as softly.

"Come on guys; don't get all soft on me. Besides, you know he'll come back in a few hours. Let's go sit by the lake," Sirius urged. Feeling a bit guilty, they trudged outside to sit in the sunshine.

Later, after becoming bored, they decided to play Truth or Dare. After Sirius vomited when dared to lick a Toad-Tongue tree, they decided to stop the dares and just go with truths.

"Hmm…name at least one girl that you have a crush on right now that goes to our school, is in our year, and is still alive," Sirius prompted.

"Ok, but you have to do it too," Remus argued. Sirius shrugged. "S'ok, we all already know who Jams likes," he said.

"Fine. Lily Evans," James huffed.

"Bridgette Collins, Harper Dallas, and I used to like that Slytherin—Narcissa—and then she Bat-Bogey Hexed me and locked me in that bathroom stall. Ya know, the one with the spider breeding station in the corner?" Sirius revealed. "Go nuts, Moony."

Hmm… I never really considered it, he thought. He gazed around the courtyard. Rasha Patil…Molly Prewett…ugh, Snape…Nymphadora…her. Nymphadora Tonks. He gazed as Rasha tossed her a football. Tonks jumped to get it, sliding in a mud puddle, her sweater ultimately ruined. He was in love.

"Come on, mate. Spill the beans!" Sirius shouted.

"Tonks."

"Nymphadora?" James finished. "The Hufflepuff?"

"Maybe…"

The boys sat, watching the girls play football. Tonks had taken off her sweater and was wearing a very flattering white tank top underneath it. Eventually she and Rasha ran inside after they had splashed mud on Molly's skirt and the prefect had told them off.

"Let's follow them," Sirius suddenly whispered.

"What? Nuh-uh. Not one of your 'girl-scouting' adventures. No way," Remus said.

"Hey, come on! It's a good idea!" James said, his eyes gleaming. "You DO want to actually meet Tonks, right?"

Remus was silent. Clearly, they were going to go stalk Nymphadora Tonks.