Boys will be Boys

Chapter 2: A Meeting in the Tunnel



They walked slowly across the ground, eyeing the shadows warily.

"Where ARE they?" Dara asked, looking about her and pulling a cobweb out of her hair, "We've been here forever! And we've seen nothing!"

"We should be glad for that," Lily said, thinking about what they COULD have met so far, "But I would like to get back to civilization. Or at least get SOMEWHERE!" She suddenly tripped. In front of her were steps leading upwards.

Dara looked impressed, "Oooh, that was cool." She mounted the steps quickly after Lily. Dara stopped as her head hit the ceiling.

"Ouch!" she cried out, "What I'd give to be shorter..."

"What I'd give to be tall," Lily countered.

"You don't want to be tall. Anyway, you aren't that short."

"Short enough to be called Little L," she grumbled.

"That's James and Sirius," Dara laughed, "They tower over even me! Not many guys do that. I'd give a lot to actually have to stand on my tiptoes to kiss a boy."

"Severus Snape is taller-"

Dara pushed Lily into the wall, "Ewww!!! Bad mental pictures, girl! I'd rather kiss Sirius Black than Mr. Evil himself. And that's saying something."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Really? He's sure cute...Er- Sirius, that is...not Snape..."

Dara blushed, "It's the personality that counts the most-"

"What about Gilderoy Lockhart, then?"

"Oh, shut up! Never remind me about that! I was young and stupid and-"

"It was three months ago."

Dara scowled Snapishly, "Let's get out of here. We can have this discussion later." She examined the ceiling, which contained a trapdoor. She opened it a crack quietly.

A storeroom lay beyond. Squinting, she could see barrels labeled "Mead" and such.

"Lily!" she hissed, "We're under The Three Broomsticks!"

"Is anyone there?" Lily asked.

"No, no, I don't see anyone..." Dara opened the door the whole way and looked all around her.

"No, no one, I-" Suddenly, Dara was yanked up as if she were weightless. She heard Lily gasp. She let out a cry of surprise herself as she found herself set on her feet on the floor of the cellar. Then she suppressed a shriek as she regarded the hand and sleeve that was holding onto her arm. Only a hand. No body.

Then, she was aware of a laugh. No, two laughs. She would know those anywhere.

"Argghhh!!!" she beat at the hand holding her and it released its hold, "No, no, no!"

"You don't sound thrilled to see us!" James' voice said.

Dara counted to ten, "I CAN'T see you, you idiot," she said finally as she was a bit more composed, "But I'd better be able to in about two seconds or else I will hit you. You can't hide in this room."

James and Sirius promptly appeared from under an invisibility cloak.

"C'mon, Little Lily!" James called, "We know you're down there! You two were loud enough to make a dungbomb sound muffled." He shook his head, "Girls..."

Lily climbed out, shut the trapdoor, and shot them both looks.

Sirius was trying to look sinister, but without success. Hair kept falling into his eyes making him look adorable, "They have discovered our secret, Prongs. We'll have to kill them."

Lily started to laugh, "Oh, God! You look so silly!"

Sirius was not amused, "And she goes first."

"You were careless enough to let us follow you. I'm surprised. You two seem to be losing your touch."

"We must have been careless if YOU two discovered it," James commented.

"Hey, Potter," Lily said coldly, "Why don't you shove it?"

"Shove it where?"

Lily fumed.

Dara was examining the room.

"So those stairs go up to the Three Broomsticks, right?"

"Yes," Sirius affirmed, "Isn't it brilliant? Old McGonagall thought she could restrict us, but ha! NO ONE stops us!"

James coughed and looked pointedly at the girls.

"Oh," Sirius said, "Well, they won't tell anyone..." he trailed off, obviously not believing himself, "Oh, damn."

Dara raised an eyebrow, "I can think of thirty good reasons to bust you, Black. And that's just off the top of my head."

"Hmm...okay. Blackmail, is this?" James asked, "This is serious stuff."

"Oh, do shut up!" Dara mocked, turning to him "You've done plenty of things worse than this!"

"Alright," Sirius said in an attempt to be the peacemaker (something he had never ever been in his life since he was always the one picking the fight), "We'll make some sort of deal." He paused thoughtfully.

"Well?" Dara prodded.

Sirius looked at her solemnly, "Alright, then," he sighed and put on the face of one giving away a great honor, "you can go to the ball with me."

Dara nearly gagged, "And that's a reward?! What about Lily?"

He shrugged, "She can go with Prongs..."

"That is not a reward,'' Lily cut in, "That is torture."

"I have to agree," Dara said.

"Hey!" said Sirius.

"I agree too," James put in.

"Hey!" said Lily.

"I think," Dara said loudly, "That we have agreed NOT to go to the ball with you guys."

Sirius pretended to pout, "Drat! It was a good try..."

"Shut up. Anyway, though it would give me unspeakable pleasure to bust you, I couldn't rat on a fellow Gryffindor. At least not for something like this."

"Me either," Lily sighed, "But you still owe us big! And we expect-" she stopped suddenly at the sound of footsteps above them. A door opened.

Before they knew what was going on, the girls were yanked beneath the invisibility cloak. It was a little tight.

"Ouch!" Lily mumbled with feeling.

Sirius shushed her.

A young woman came down the stairs. They held their breath as she looked about and finally carried some bottled up the stairs. The door closed. They let out their breath and separated.

Lily smoothed her hair.

Dara was indignant, "Sirius Black, was that you?"

"What?"

"Don't think you can fool me!"

Sirius held up his hands, "It was very close quarters under the cloak, it was purely an accident."

"What?" James asked.

Dara silenced him with the death glare.

Lily spoke up, "Let's go, Dara."

"Go where?" James asked.

"Back to the castle. It's getting late anyway."

"What time is it?" James asked sharply.

"Uh- after dinner. About 7 or so."

James and Sirius exchanged meaningful looks (or at least they found them meaningful...it meant nothing to the girls).

"Right," James said with a flourish, "Terribly wonderful idea! We'll accompany you."

Lily raised an eyebrow, or at least she tried to. Both of them went up, "Really? What for?"

Sirius raised only one eyebrow, "Why to protect you from what horrors may lie on the path!"

"That was almost valiant," Lily commented to Dara.

Dara smiled evilly, "Too bad they forgot to mention that they are the worst horrors that could lie in our path."