I'm glad you guys support the immending James-Emma time...for now, however here is the next chapter!!!

Chapter 12: Boys Just Don't Understand

James opened his eyes unwillingly. The morning light shone through the window and on to his face. He heard Ben groan from the bed next to him.

"What time is it?" James asked groggily, trying to lift his head from the pillow and putting it back down again.

"Noon," Ben replied in the same tone, looking at his watch. James nodded and once again, tried to lift his head. He sat up and took a deep breath.

"I didn't make an arse of myself last night, did I?"

"No more than usual." Ben replied.

"I'd hit you but then I'd have to move." James told him, looking to Ben, who was still lying down.

"There's the silver lining." James rubbed his hand through his hair and felt a lump on the back of his head.

"When did I hit my head?" He asked.

"Dunno," Ben answered, now sitting up as well. "Oh wait—ha ha! You fell out of your chair!" He started to laugh and after a minute James joined in.

"Excellent birthday." He decided and the two got up to change before going down for lunch. On their way to the Great Hall they saw Emma and Ryan taking a walk together. She smirked at them.

"How are you feeling today boys?" She asked politely but with a hint of laughing in her eyes.

"Splendid." James answered, giving her a smirk of his own. "Are you walking down to lunch?"

"Actually, we're walking back" Ryan answered for her. "I have Quidditch practice in an hour."

"I thought Sunday was the day of rest." Ben joked. "Even James is letting us have the weekend off."

"Yeah, well I guess because the final is in two months…" Ryan trailed off, realizing that both James and Ben were on the team he would be facing.

"Well, I think we should all be studying for our O.W.L.S." Emma said, changing the subject.

"And I think it's lunch time." Ben said as his stomach grumbled. "See you love birds later," James gave Ryan a curt nod and looked at Emma.

"See you. And…thanks." He said. She smiled and he and Ben were off.

"I don't think James likes me," Ryan said confused. Emma bit her lip but tried to look innocent.

"That's silly, of course he likes you." She said. Ryan shrugged.

"Well I like you," he said and Emma smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Good."

--

By the evening James and Ben's hangover had cleared up and they were finishing up their Potions essays. Adella walked over to James and sat next to him, looking cross.

"Hey," he said looking up from his essay. "Er, is everything alright?"

"No but I don't expect you to understand." She said in a hurt voice. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." James said with a shrug and Ben shook his head.

"She's lying mate," he whispered through his teeth. James looked over at Adella.

"Um…you can tell me what's going on."

"Well I am up to my ears in schoolwork, my mum hasn't responded to my latest owl, Felicia is angry with me for something so stupid AND you didn't ask me to Hogsmeade for this weekend yet." James' expression was pure confusion.

"Okay…" he started to rack his brain for how to deal with this. He remembered what his dad always did with his mum when she was ranting—he took it one problem at a time. "Um, you'll be great in school. And you're mum will write and Felicia will forgive you. And I was gonna ask you to Hogsmeade today," He quickly added. Far from being calmed, however, Adella just looked more furious.

"You think you can fix it just like that!" she cried. "And what makes you think I did something wrong that Felicia would need to forgive me!"

"What do you bloody want me to say?" James asked, now growing irritated as well as confused.

"If you have to ask you don't know anything!" She said dramatically, getting up from the table.

"Obviously I don't!" James said and she turned on her heels and walked out. He slammed his book shut. "What in Merlin's pants was that about?"

"Reckon she's a little mental." Ben offered. "Joanna never blows up at me like that."

"What happened to Amelia?"

"Got boring." Ben shrugged. Emma walked up to the table.

"Can I ask why Adella just stormed in our dormitory and told me I have horrid taste in friends?" She said, looking at James.

"She started flipping out and I tried to fix it and she got mad." James defended.

"She's probably just testing you." Emma offered.

"Don't I have enough of those?" James grumbled, remembering his Herbology exam the following morning. He picked up the book and tried to read it but he couldn't concentrate. He pulled out some parchment and put his quill to the page and began to write the one person who would maybe have an inch of insight.

Teddy,

You know you could have warned me that girls were so bloody complicated. Adella flips out for no reason at me and when I try to make it better, she flips out again! Obviously you have done something right seeing as Vic wants to marry you. What's the secret?

James

P.S. Thanks for the new practice robes! My birthday was brilliant.

--

The next morning at breakfast, a gray owl dropped a letter in front of James. He opened the letter to reveal the slanted script of Teddy.

James,

Sorry to report that there is no secret to dealing with girls. Even Vic goes off on me for small things that don't matter. But when you find the right girl, it doesn't matter anymore.

Glad you liked the robes, hope you and Ben stay out of trouble. Give Lils and Al and the rest of the Weasleys my best

Teddy

James tucked the letter back in his pocket. He looked up and saw Albus approaching them, a hesitant look in his face.

"You okay Al?" James asked, looking at his brother's flushed face when he saw Emma. Emma looked back at him and bit her lip.

"Uh, yeah…fine…" he said. "I, um, forgot a book." With that he turned around and walked out of the hall. Ben looked quizzically at Emma.

"What was that about?"

"How should I know?" She asked, looking right at her food.

"How thick do you think we are?" James asked her. She looked into the eyes of her two best friends.

"I just…um…ran into Al during my prefect duties." She said, shrugging her shoulders in a suggestive way.

"What was he doing?" Ben asked.

"He was…in the astronomy tower." Emma said, again biting her lip to keep a smile. After a minute of comprehension, James and Ben's faces lit up like it was Christmas again. Students only went to the tower at night if they were going to snog someone. James and Ben would know, they had gone once or twice themselves.

"Excellent!" James said proudly. "Little Al is getting himself a snog!"

"Sh!" Emma scolded, looking around. "He'll kill me if I tell you!"

"You already did," Ben said, his thoughts zooming in various directions about how to bring this piece of information up.

"Now who was the lucky witch?" James asked and Emma shook her head vigorously.

"Oh no, you aren't getting that one out of me."

"We'll just go to him then," James said, eating another piece of toast. "Common room. After Quidditch. Humiliation!"

NEXT: Albus' mystery woman!