Chapter 7

"Well, well, Padfoot. What have you been up to?" James was smirking. Sirius clambered through the portrait hole and collapsed on the couch.

"Working on my transfiguration project," Sirius replied truthfully.

James' smirk widened. "Working hard, were we?"

"Shut it, Prongs."

"Ooh, touchy. Well, if you were doing schoolwork, how do explain your appearance?"

Sirius looked down. His robes were muddy and crumpled and he still had bits of twig in his hair.

"Or did you and Roseline have some other kind of work to do?" James continued. Just then the portrait hole opened, and Roseline appeared.

"You were saying?" Sirius challenged, raising his eyebrows. Roseline, unlike Sirius, looked as neat as a new pin. James opened his mouth and then closed it again. I win, thought Sirius triumphantly, as Roseline disappeared up the stairs. James scowled.

The next day, Roseline was walking down the Charms corridor after class, completely alone. Her nose was buried in a book and her lips were moving silently as she read. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She yelped in surprise and jumped a foot in the air. She span around. Sirius was standing behind her, trying not to laugh but failing miserably.

"Oh, Sirius, why did you have to sneak up on me?" She moaned.

"I need to talk to you." He ushered her into the now-empty Charms classroom. Roseline put down the book and turned to face him.

"Roseline...." He shuffled his feet. This was turning out to be much harder than he expected. "I like you a lot. That's why I went to kiss you in the library that time, I couldn't help it. When you turned away I presumed that you didn't like me the same way I liked you. I was a bit pissed off at first, but then I realised that it wasn't your fault. I accepted that we would just be friends, and I was okay with that."

Roseline's heart was racing. What was he saying?

"Yesterday, when we kissed, I was confused. I hadn't thought you liked me as anything more than a friend before that, but then you kissed me. I couldn't make sense of it. I didn't try to pull away because I really like you, but now I can't help wondering why you did it....." He trailed off.

Roseline couldn't think of what to say, but she knew she had to give an answer. "I.....I don't know. I was confused. When you tried to kiss me in the library that time, it took me by surprise. I wasn't ready because I had never thought of you like that. Afterwards I tried to work out my feelings, but I couldn't make sense of them. When I kissed you yesterday, it was more like instinct. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. I still don't know if I want you as more than a friend." She looked up at him, hoping that this was an adequate response. He nodded slowly.

"That's fair enough. You have to make your own decisions. I just thought that maybe there was a possibility that you liked me the same way I liked you. It was stupid of me. Forget it." He went to leave, but Roseline caught his arm.

"Sirius, wait." He turned to look at her. "Don't say that. I didn't mean it like that. I just need time to sort out my thoughts, that's all." Roseline looked into his eyes, silently pleading with him to understand her. He shook his arm free.

"No Roseline, it's all right. You don't have to feel sorry for me. I'll see you around." And before she could say anything else he was gone, out the door and away.

Roseline made her way slowly back to the common room. Why was he so angry? Didn't understand that she needed time to think? She shook her head angrily and hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Stupid git! She thought. He's so selfish, making me feel guilty when it's his own fault for getting himself all worked up. I must have been mad to ever even consider liking him like that!

"Ahem," said the fat lady carefully.

"Dragon breath," Roseline snapped. The portrait swung open and she climbed through. However, since she wasn't paying attention, as she went to climb into the common room she lost her balance and fell in a heap on the floor.

"Want a hand?" A hand appeared in front of her. It was attached to James Potter.

"Shove off, Potter, I can take care of myself."

James backed away, palms raised in surrender. Roseline picked herself up off the floor, muttering under her breath. She stormed across the common room and up the stairs, but James and Remus caught a glimpse of her furious, tear-stained face as she went.

"What's up with her?" James asked, bewildered. Peter shrugged, but Remus lowered his book.

"I don't know, but am I crazy or was she acting really like the way Padfoot was when he came in?"

TEN MINUTES EARLIER

Sirius stormed into the common room in towering bad temper.

"Hey mate, what's up?" James called.

"Oh nothing much," Sirius snarled. "Nothing important, no not at all." His voice dropped to a furious mutter and he seemed to be talking to himself.

"Needs more time....I'll give her more time....."

He slammed his foot into the sofa and strode off towards the dormitory, cursing under his breath.

James raised his eyebrows, looking from the staircase to the sofa and back again. Remus took out his wand and pointed it at the corner of the sofa, which had exploded in a cloud of stuffing when Sirius kicked it.

"Reparo," he said, before disappearing again behind his book.

James shook his head in disbelief.

END OF FLASHBACK

James turned to Remus. "I'm going up to talk to Sirius."

Remus looked at him like he was mad. "Okay....Good luck, then."

"Thanks," said James, as he disappeared up the staircase. Reaching the top, he took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.