Chapter 86

Humiliation and Secrets

By exams Sirius still hadn't figured out if James' new obsession with Lily was funny, or pathetic. James absolutely refused to ask for Sirius' help though Sirius offered, if only because the humiliation of his best mate reflected badly on him as well.

After the first month Remus, simply because it was funny, started keeping track of how many times James asked her out and how he did it. It went something like this:

Tuesday June 7, (eww potions exam)

Times James asked out Evans? - 8

Times Evans said no? - 6

Times Evans said something rude in place of no? - 2

Times Evans said yes? - AHAHAHAHAHAhah nice joke, Remus.

Examples?

In response to: "Lily..." (She interrupted him)

Evans' Answer: "Potter it's eight in the morning, I don't recommend angering me, I'm not a morning person."

James' answer: Really? You strike me as one you're always up before we leave the dorm anyway. You know that's perfect because neither am I. Sirius is as long as he wakes himself up. Which is really irritating because he wakes up at like five in the morning even on weekends, and then he tries to get me to get up too.

Evans' response: none because she walked off during his rambling.

James' pickup line: You know your hair smells nice.

Moony's comment on Evans' responds: I need to learn that spell!

Evans' parting comments: I told you if you touch me again I'd aim lower.

James' most ridiculous pick up line: "Li... Owww!"

Sirius' comments: Why am I the one that has to take him to the hospital wing every day?

Moony's post comment comment: Because I'm sick and Peter's scared of Evans.

Sirius' post post (?) comment comment: Yeah you look real sick smirking into your notebook over there.

Moony's' er... response: *cough* *cough*

Well something like that anyway.

The list was quite extensive, it made Sirius want to cry really. Cry and laugh hysterically, at the same time.

Peter and Remus just laughed... And laughed and laughed and laughed even harder.

It just made James even more determined.

He was not going to give up no matter how much his friends laughed not that he could begrudge them seeing how he'd be doing the exact same thing were one of them in his shoes and he in theirs (except Remus, naturally, but he couldn't get mad at Remus for anything really.)

Evans would give in eventually, everyone did, he always got what he wanted. And he didn't see any reason to give up, he didn't care if people laughed at him. He was cooler than any of them anyway.

Except maybe Evans, maybe. She was cool, and pretty, very pretty.

Very, very pretty. Maybe even beautiful, nah not quite... yet.

"Hello! Earth to James! Anybody home?" James' daydream was broken by his best friends' hand waving in his face.

"Huh? What? What'd I miss?" He spluttered brought back to reality faster then he could process.

"Exams are finally over and you're just sitting there drooling on your desk like a bumbling idiot." Sirius shook his head in despair, "Mate, you gotta get your head straight, or that carrot top's gonna have you wrapped around her little finger when she finally does agree."

"She will not." James defended finally getting out of his desk. "And I did not drool."

"Sure, sure, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're already half-way there, mate."

"Am not. I am totally in control of this relationship. It just looks like she is, she's gotta think she is to make her feel better, you know for her own pride and stuff."

"James, ignoring the fact that that is the exact opposite of how it's actually supposed to be, that is a big fat lie and you know it." Sirius smirked at his friend who was attempting to leave the classroom.

"Not true."

Remus laughed from behind his book. "James, saying you're in control of this is like saying I'm going to get an O on my potion exam."

"But you stink at potions."

"Exactly," both Remus and Sirius said at the same time.

"Okay, okay, jeez no need to talk in unison at me."

Sirius and Remus laughed as the wandered outside sitting by the tree at the lake. Remus attempted to compare answers but Peter was the only one willing and as much as comparing test answers with Peter could make one feel smarter, it didn't do much for actually guessing your score.

"You lot know I can hear you right?" Remus said not turning his head away from his text book. Sirius and James turned to look at him.

"It's nothing bad." James said, with a slightly guilty look on his face.

Remus shrugged, "I know, if you want to talk privately you should go somewhere else."

They looked at each other for a moment, but didn't go, they didn't want to seem rude.

"Guys, I don't care. Just go. I don't want to hear it if you don't want me to."

"Sorry." Sirius said as they got up to leave.

Remus continued flipping through his textbook looking for the answers to the most recent exam.

"What were they talking about?" Peter asked, bored now that it was just the two of them.

"Something about what their doing over the holidays, said something about books and James getting caught, I think it was a continued conversation from some other time, because stand alone it didn't say much. I just didn't want them to say anything they didn't want me to hear, you and I are the only ones in hearing distance so obviously it's us that they don't want to hear it."

"Wonder what they're hiding."

"It doesn't really matter, if they want to tell us later they will. Otherwise we'll probably never know." Remus flipped the page, sighing as he found an answer he got wrong.

"It doesn't bother you at all that they're keeping secrets? You're not a little curious?"

"Nah, everyone has secrets, and I'm not a particularly curious person. That's why I'm not in Ravenclaw after all."

"Because you're not curious?"

"Peter, that English was really bad, but yes, I don't indulge my curiosity so things like that don't bother me as much."

"I wondered why you didn't end up in Ravenclaw. You're smart enough."

"Thanks, Peter." Remus smiled at him.

"So what did you put for the long answer question?" Peter asked returning to comparing answers as though they had never stopped.

Remus simply laughed and shook his head. Some things never change.

AN) I'm back. ^_^ That was a pretty long break sorry about that. I won't make excuses I just wasn't in the mood for writing.

Also sorry bout the quality of this chapter it's not quite up to my usual standard, I'm out of practice.

Top ten Marauders pet peeves,

10. Sirius using serious puns, or copious amounts of said puns

9. Marauder's falling in love with Lily's imaginary friends,

8. Any of the Marauders dating Lily

7. James dating anyone! but Lily.

6. Sirius' dad drunk/lazy/out of the job/ cliche abusive

5. James or Sirius being complete idiots

4. Peter being magically transformed into someone else

Okay, this one I can understand, after all everyone hates Peter, however I hate it. The writers will put in an OC as the fourth Marauder and just make it so Peter never existed. I don't like this, I don't have a problem with people that do it and it won't stop me from reading any of their other works, but I won't read any story that does this. I don't know why I hate this besides it's obvious cannon-breaking, which in general I don't mind, I just won't read it.