I'm sorry that I haven't really been updating lately, I've been really tired lately and I don't know why, though my mom says that I might be getting another growth spurt, which I really wouldn't like, because I'm too tall in my opinion anyway. And I'm sorry that this is another short chapter, but I think I stopped in the best place, cause this isn't too much of a cliffhanger....right?

Chapter Six: Unknown Reasoning

Off in the distance they heard the bell ring, but none of them stood up. None of them said a thing for a while, as their minds traveled into the future where this hourglass could take them. In fact, they were so stuck in their own thoughts, that only a loud peal of laughter from a nearby group of sixth years brought them back to their senses.

Remus sat up and saw that they were all looking in their direction. He raised an eyebrow and tapped James, who was closest to him, on the shoulder. James sat up.

The sixth years were all girls and they were all giggling quietly. As James sat up another loud squeal of laughter burst forth and they crowded together, whispering excitedly.

James looked at Remus, then down at Peter, who was looking with interest at the throng of girls, then at Sirius, who seemed not to care, and was staring at a beetle that was crawling on a blade of grass close to him.

James stood up, deliberately walking over to the group of girls, who squealed as he neared, and fought to get furthest away from him.

"What are you lot laughing about?" James said forcefully.

"You talk, Ella, I'm not saying a thing to him." Said one scowling blonde-headed girl who James recognized vaguely as being on the Ravenclaw quidditch team.

A few other girls pushed a dark haired girl closer to him and she blushed furiously, obviously embarrassed. And though James always enjoyed the way he could make any girl tongue-tied (except for Lily Evans, of course) it always made him irritated if he didn't get answers to a question immediately.

"Well?" James snapped as she stared at her feet.

Abruptly she looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Don't 'Well' me! If you want to find out why we're laughing, why don't you go off and find your girlfriend, or whatever she is to you, and ask her to relive your lack of self-control."

And she walked away, a little shakily, but still stubbornly, followed by her gaggle of friends. James raised an eyebrow. He didn't have a girlfriend. And furthermore, that was the strangest behavior that he'd ever encountered. He looked back at his friends, who were looking at him, shrugged, then began a trek up the green lawns toward the Hogwarts castle.

* * *

When James entered the Gryffindor common room twenty minutes later, it was for lack of anything better to do than anything else that made him head toward the boys' staircase to go to bed even though it was still daylight, but somebody cut him off.

"I can't believe you, James." Said Vanessa through clenched teeth, leaning on the doorframe and looking him over with pure venom in her eyes.

James looked down at her uncertainly. "Look, Ness, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. If you're talking about how great you can't believe I look today, then you'll have to back off, because Moony would throw a fit if--"

"No idea??" She said insistently, her eyes flashing angrily as she moved in front of him as he tried to sidle around her. She forcefully poked him in the chest and said, "Evan's been fuming all day! It's a wonder she hasn't attacked anyone, the mood she's in! I never cared too much about her, Potter, but what you did today was really an all-time low, even for you!" And she stormed off, yelling back across the common room as she left through the portrait hole, "And I'll suppose Remus is down on the grounds, now, eh? Left him and the rest of your friends behind too, huh? Conceited slimeball!"

James was left standing with a slightly open mouth. What in the world had just happened? Usually Remus's girlfriend was quite sweet. In fact, if James hadn't had his eyes set for Lily Evans since second year, he'd probably be her boyfriend rather than Moony.

James looked up at the staircase and sighed. Then he groaned and turned back toward the cold fireplace and the jumble of red velvet chairs.