A Thin Line

Boys are Weird, Girls are Confusing

"Evening, McGonagall," Sirius grinned.

Professor McGonagall had her hair out and was in her dressing gown, clearly annoyed. "Hush now, Black. Gryffindors, I would like to remind you that staying up all night is not exactly healthy for you. Now hurry up and go to bed."

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall," the girls quietly chorused.

"Can you go out with me tomorrow, Evans?" James grinned.

"I think you know your answer," Lily growled through gritted teeth.

"Rejected," some of the boys from the gang of Gryffindors laughed.

"Might take a while," James shrugged, "but she can't deny forever."

"James, you're awesome and a real rebel, but Lily Evans is a different matter - and don't say you like a challenge."

"But I do like a challenge," James said.

"Come on, time to sleep," Jared gathered Remus' books for him (the month's full moon was fast approaching and Remus was a lot weaker than usual).

James tried to press down his hair, but it only got worse.

"For goodness sake, Prongs, if you ever have a kid you'd better hope they don't get your hair," Sirius groaned. "Or your bad eyesight for that matter, either."

"You're alright, Moony?" Peter asked.

Remus said something inaudible, though Jared heard him say, "What do you think, Wormtail? Oh, right, you can't think ..."

In the meantime, James was talking to Sirius. "Yeah, I know, Padfoot, but do you think I have a chance with Evans? At all?"

"Who knows, girls are confusing," Sirius shrugged. "The worst thing is when they hide everything, isolate themselves. It's dumb. And all they talk about in sixth year is, 'Oh, Merlin, I think that boy just winked at me! He's the hottest seventh grader in Hogwarts!' I feel like that's all they care about."

"Lily's different, she looks inside, not outside."

James and Sirius looked around to see a very tired-looking Remus being supported by Jared and Peter. They were at their dorm.

"Take care of him, lads, I gotta go back to my dorm," Jared said.

"Thanks, mate," Remus sighed as he collapsed onto his bed, the closest one to the door.

The door closed.

"Really, Moony?" James looked at him hopefully. "Evans does that?"

"Well, it makes sense," Peter said in place of the whining Remus.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "It does, it explains why she doesn't melt at your sight like some of the third graders, and why she concentrates on how you're so arrogant and all."

"So if I become nice and stuff like that," James began slowly (his friends could almost hear the cogs whirring in his head as he concentrated), "I could actually have a chance!"

"Maybe," Peter shrugged.

"Well," James said with a new enthusiasm to his voice, "g'night, guys!"

"Yeah, sweet dreams, I'm sure you'll just be seeing red hair in yours," Sirius smirked.

James rolled his eyes as the lights went out.