Can't...write...other...story....

It just doesn't work! I don't know why! I almost forgot the whole story! I'm soooo frustrated! So I'll just continue on with this...I like it better anyway....

Chapter Eight: Gossipers

In a half an hour, Sirius came lumbering into the seventh year boys' dormitory, his face all confusion and disarray.

James looked up.

"Well." Said Sirius. "I've found out what's...eh....been happening."

James sat up, immediately alert, and said quietly, "What?"

Sirius leaned on the side of the door, his black hair falling around his eyes, but he didn't bother sweeping it away. He scowled and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking through his hair at the floor.

"Apparently you...eh..." He coughed, "...What I'm trying to say is...erm--"

"Spit it out!" James snapped.

Sirius nodded like a sullen child and finally looked up at James and said through gritted teeth, "Remus told me, Ness told him. But it doesn't make any sense. You were with us. It's all over the school, and I don't blame Remus for believing it's true. Even if it's not logical, half the school's claiming they were there to see it. It doesn't matter if there's different versions of the story, one thing is still the same: you kissed Evans, Prongs. I don't know how and when, but I do know that she didn't like it."

James stared, open-mouthed, for what seemed like a full five minutes. Sirius coughed and let his gaze travel just beyond James' face to rest on a point just above his shoulder. Finally, James stuttered, "But....but--but I couldn't've--couldn't've done that! I was--"

"With us, I know." Sirius said. He walked into the room and sat at a desk chair and fixed James with a stare. "But I think it might just be a rumor. You know how rumors travel around here. Someone says they saw a bird fly and the next day someone swears they saw a Hungarian Horntail land on the quidditch pitch. It might have just started with someone talking about you and Evans, and it just...eh...evolved....I guess....I tried to tell Remus that...but--"

"But what? How could he believe it if he knew exactly where I was?"

"I don't know. Ness is convinced that Moony's just trying to cover up for you...as a friend and all. And Moony said he's starting to think that it might've happened earlier yesterday or something....I don't know...."

They sat in silence for a moment, until there were footsteps and Remus himself came into the room, stopping at the sight of James.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"I swear, I didn't touch Evans, Moony." James said, then he stood up and swept out into the corridor.

* * *

Severus was happy. He was very happy. He didn't know why.

There was a bubble inside of him that just kept getting bigger and bigger, until he couldn't keep the large menacing smile from his face while he watched students heading down the corridors, whispering rumors that would connect with the first news and become bigger and better....or worse and worse, at least for Potter.

Severus could tell that James was in a bad mood when he trudged past him toward the library, his hands in his pockets and his head low, and that only made Severus' smile become more pronounced and for the first time since he could remember, Severus began humming.

* * *

James could never remember having a bad day...or at least not a wholly bad day. It might dip every once in a while to make a few things worse, but then it would curve and go uphill from there. James could handle problems. He handled them all quite pleasurably, knowing that he couldn't be brought down because he was better than that. He knew that he was conceited, but as long as it got him a nice, comfortable ride on the popularity list, he was perfectly fine with it (A/N I know I'm being sort of...eh...mean....to all of you James-lovers out there, but don't worry! He gets better!). But even he had to admit that the day so far hadn't been going too well, and he doubted that it would get any better.

James skipped charms, and for once he wasn't joined by Sirius. Slinking around corridors, tiptoeing past classrooms, and looking out for Filch, he made it to the library.

The librarian looked up when he entered, glaring at him with a beady eye.

"What are you doing in here, young man?" She snapped.

"I have permission, miss, I'm doing a bit of a long report on time travel. Do you recommend any books?"

So she grudgingly pulled some books covering all aspects of time travel off of a few dusty shelves, sniffing when James stacked them on a nearby table so casually, then strode away.

An idea had come to James earlier in history of magic, while he'd been ignoring Professor Binns, and now it was time to look into it. He sat down and opened the closest book.

eh....was that a cliffhanger? I was actually trying to turn it into a cliffhanger, but I think I've partly failed....