As always, the characters do not belong to me. They were create by J. K. Rowling.

I told you it was going to get much worse before it got better. Don't forget to review. I like just about everything people say, be it good or bad. Okay, maybe like isn't the right word, but I think I know what you mean.

Chapter Five

Peter and Remus' study time was interrupted by first James and then Sirius stomping up the stairs and into their room, both of them slamming the door heavily. James continued marching over to his bed, where he drew the curtains closed and refused to speak. Sirius mimicked him, marching over to James' bed, except he drew the curtains back open and addressed the room rather than hide himself in sullen silence.

"We're going out," he announced.

"We're going out?" Remus questioned.

"We're going out," Sirius repeated firmly.

Sighing, because he'd hoped that Sirius might volunteer more information without having to go through the equivalent of a root canal, which was as painful and annoying in the wizarding world as it was in the Muggle world, surprisingly enough, Remus asked, "Why are we going out?"

"Where are we going?" Peter asked. Although he was happier to accept Sirius' commands with minimum question, he didn't like entering potentially hazardous situations without some warning. He had learned from experience that going out with Sirius was a potentially hazardous situation.

"Sod off," was James' contribution to the conversation. He tried to yank his bed curtains closed again, but Sirius wouldn't let him.

"We're going out," Sirius announced again, his tone brooking no argument. "We're going to Hogsmeade. We're going to get ourselves drunk. We're going to have a fun time, who cares about anyone else at this school."

Peter, as always, didn't pick up on the underlying tension. "Hogsmeade?" he questioned. "But it's not a Hogsmeade weekend. I thought that we weren't breaking the rules that much this year so that Evans wouldn't get so mad at J—at Prongs."

Sirius fixed him with a glare that made Peter wish he had a set of curtains that he could draw around himself, but otherwise didn't answer. Remus, who was a little quicker on the uptake, said, "Are you sure getting drunk is a good idea?"

"Getting drunk is always a good idea," Sirius said.

So it was that the four boys ended up at he Hog's Head that Saturday night, since The Three Broomsticks wouldn't let them drink, having made a pact with Hogswart's authorities not to let students drink alcohol in their establishment to the best of their ability. Surprisingly enough, perhaps a testament as to how pretty Rosmerta the barmaid actually was, The Three Broomsticks still did fairly good business even if all the students knew they had to go to the Hog's Head to trick the bartender (or else play into his apathy) into thinking that they could legally drink alcohol in excess.

"Girls are horrid," James announced.

"Hear, hear," Sirius agreed, raising his mug of beer for the toast. Remus and Peter raised their own glasses in response, although Peter did feel the need to modify Sirius' words.

"They aren't all bad. Melinda's not bad."

"Just because you have a girlfriend doesn't mean the rest of us should suffer," James said sourly.

"Really, Wormtail," Sirius chided. "Tonight's for commiserating with James, to make him realize that there are better birds than bloody Evans out there. Now is not the time to remind us that some pathetic second year is willing to put out for you."

"She's in fourth year," Peter said, his cheeks turning red. No matter how often Sirius teased him, he could never get used to the other boy's mocking nature.

"She's still only going out with you because she's too young to know better," Sirius said. Remus and James ignore him, knowing he was always that bitter when he didn't have a girlfriend of his own, but Peter would have continued his defence if James hadn't spoken up.

"I don't want another girl."

"This isn't another scheme to win Lily's heart, is it?" Remus asked, trying his best not to sound impatient. James had come up with too many schemes to win Lily's heart over the years and not one of them had come even close to succeeding.

"No," James said quickly. "It's not. In fact, I'm going to give up on Lily completely."

Stunned silence greeted this announcement.

Finally, Sirius spoke. "It's about time!"

Remus had a different take on the matter. "Are you sure? After all, you've devoted two years to trying to win her over."

"And to what end?" James wanted to know.

"You can't give up on her," Peter objected. "You love her!"

"She's a bitch!" Sirius exclaimed. "She plays with your heart, Prongs. She doesn't give a damn about you, but worst, she keeps on jerking you around. All I can say is it's about damned time you came to your senses about her."

"It isn't as simple as that," Remus argued. "James wouldn't have been after her for two years if he could give up on her so easily."

"He can't give her up!" Peter repeated. "He loves her!"

"He should give up on her, easy or not," Sirius persisted, stubbornly. "She's a bitch. She doesn't care about him, not in the least bit. She doesn't care that she's jerking him around, she doesn't care if she actually hurts him. She doesn't deserve Prongs' love, if you ask me."

"Love isn't as easy as that," Remus argued. "If it were rational, everyone's lives would be so much easier. But it isn't, and they aren't."

"James isn't going to give up on Evans. Not really." Peter was desperately trying to make his words true. "He's been in love with her forever. He can't just suddenly give her up. That wouldn't be right. He loves her!"

"Hey!" James voice carried even over the din of the rest of the bar, including the trio in the back who were playing a game of knuts that involved a lot more yelling and screaming than was warranted by the act of trying to get a knut to bounce into a glass. "Stop telling me what I ought or ought not to feel! It's my life, and I make the decisions."

Sirius wasn't as chastised by the outburst as the other two boys were. "Are you going to choose what's good for you? The right decision?"

James nodded resolutely. "From this point onward, I'm swearing off of Lily Evans."

Even the trio playing knuts silenced long enough to listen to James' next and final word on the subject.

"Forever."

In the next chapter:

"Sirius, I appreciate that you're trying to help me get over Evans, but you don't have to try to set me up," James said, trying to be reasonable. Even if it was an uphill battle.

"But Melody Smye is a perfect match for you!" Sirius objected.

James sighed a long suffering sigh. He'd been at this for too long already. "She's going out with Rabastan Lestrange.

"Theresia Berardo?" suggested Sirius.

"Is in second year." James' voice was frosty.

"Jermaine Kibble!" Sirius asked.

"Is a guy!" James exclaimed.

Sirius scratched his head and went back to his list of single people available at Hogwarts that weren't Lily Evans. He would come up with a better alternative to Lily Evans if he had to work his way through the entire school first.