Boys will be Boys

Boys Will Be Boys
By Mrs Grim

Chapter Eleven
Further Troubles in Un-Paradise

Lily had enjoyed her rage for a while. After all, it wasn't everyday that she got to explode and yell the hell at anyone she felt like. She'd always secretly wanted to do that...now she felt- not so good. Okay, she felt like a complete and utter bitch and wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.

I would have forgone the shouting, Lily told herself, if I'd have known it would all come back at me.

She'd never really been one to get angry at her friends. She had promised herself that she'd never do something as stupid as pick a big fight with the people she loved.

I, Lily thought to herself, am a brat.

~~*~~

"Lily is such a little brat!" James shouted. "I could never ever feel that way about her! Okay, so she's smart and real pretty, but--y'know what?--it's her personality that makes her even better!" He tried to get on track. "But I don't care about that!"

Remus grinned. "So you mean you do like her!"

"Yes! No- yes! Wait--no--uh...what was the question?"

Peter, who had cautiously re-entered, laughed, and James growled wordlessly. He threw up his arms and tried to figure out what he did feel. Right now, he was a bit confused. Lily was--

"Lily is," he started. "She is...one in a million." He hung his head. "I really like her."

Remus grinned with satisfaction like that of a teacher who had just gotten a confession out of a naughty pupil.

"So--how do we get her to like you again?" Professor Remus mused as James pulled on his hair in distress.

The door to their dormitory opened and Sirius and Dara trudged in. Dara was scowling and Sirius was looking as upset as he could.

"Have you read the Daily Prophet yet?" Dara asked them all quickly.

Sirius let out a gasp of warning for Dara had not noticed James, huddled in a corner as he was. At Sirius' gasp she also gasped and started to back out of the room. James was up in a flash, bounding to his feet and placing himself between her and the door.

"What about the Daily Prophet?" he asked, his eyes showing confusion and a bit of fear. He looked quite frightful with his hair sticking up even more than usual, Dara thought.

"James..." Dara started nervously. "Please, please, please promise me that you won't go crazy or have a heart attack or fain or--"

He ended her speech by snatching the paper from her hands and leaving her stuttering. His face froze the second he beheld the picture on the front.

Dara bit her lip and tried to calm herself. James' shoulders were shaking. She knew what it was that he was looking at.

A huge, blown-up and moving picture of himself and Lily having their stupendous fall adorned the front page. On both of their faces were looks of abject horror. Dara was worried about James.

"James?" she asked, for his shoulders were still shaking. "Are you...?" she said and then trailed off as he lowered the paper for she had realized that he was laughing.

"What the hell I so funny?" she fairly screamed.

Sirius tapped her on the shoulder. "That's his crazy laugh. He's not happy, just--er--nuts."

"He likes Lily," Remus put in.

Dara blinked. "I could have told you that. Why else do you think that I set you two up? You're perfect. Lily knows this and is fighting tooth and nail because she wants to be independent. Girls like us don't want to be governed."

"What about you and Sirius, then?" Peter asked, a bit perplexed.

Dara laughed. "Sirius doesn't know the first thing about ordering girls about. That's why I chose him."

"Oh, really?" her boyfriend replied. "I chose you. I could have had any girl I wanted--"

"Liar! Liar!" she retorted.

"Now wait just a minute..."

"Shut up!" Remus shouted. "Now, we have more important matters. Like what to do about this!" He snatched the paper from James and waved it about.

"She'll forgive me," Dara said. "She was just in a bad mood. I know she'll listen to me. But I don't want to press James on her. She might really snap then."

"I don't think that's quite accurate," Sirius remarked.

"I know what I'm talking about, Sirius."

"Yes, dear," was the automatic reply.

She patted him on the cheek. "See why I love him?"

"You're pathetic, Padfoot," James commented.

Sirius shot James a look that clearly conveyed the message that, yeah, he may be pathetic, but look who had the girlfriend, huh?

James realized the truth of this and tugged at his hair again.

"Ouch!"

"Don't pull your hair then, James," Dara suggested. "Now," she said as she bit her lip in thought, "I think that we can get out of this mess. There HAS to be a way..."

James turned wide eyes to her. "You mean she'll forgive me?"

Dara's mouth froze in the open position and then she snapped her teeth together and tried to think of a suitable reply. Hopeful, but not too hopeful...

James, deciding not to pull on his hair anymore, was shredding his potions essay (due that day) nervously and looking around the room hopefully.

"Any ideas?" he asked with a hopeful smile. "I mean, I could but her a--a nice dinner and then maybe a present."

"James," Dara said sweetly, "that is not the way to go after a girl's heart. Presents are nice, but she wants you, not some fancy necklace or something. She wants love." She looked at him earnestly. "You see what I mean?" She wasn't sure he did, but his eyes went all glassy.

"James...?"

"Love, right--I can do that. Yep," he mumbled, looking down at his hands. He grimaced in horror at the sight of his shredded essay. "Maybe I could start by asking her to copy her essay," he said in his usual light tone.

"Richard is himself again," Sirius the scholar replied heartily.

"Ha!" James replied and strode out of the room.

Dara grinned. He was going to botch it all up. Yep. She was sure. Oh, he would try alright. But...she wished him luck nonetheless. He'd need it.

Sirius tapped her on the shoulder.

"So you mean that when I gave you that ring, it wasn't the way to your heart? Because I really--"

"Shut up, Sirius," she said halfheartedly.

"Anyway," James remarked from the door, "he isn't trying to get into your heart..."

Sirius snarled at James and Dara burst out laughing.

"You're so right, James! He's a tramp!" She made a face at him. "But a dashing one!"

Sirius smiled smugly and James retreated before the rating went up.