The atmosphere was tense

As it turned out, I had absolutely no right to laugh at James for being muddleheaded when he first woke up.

At least his brain had been working far better than mine at the time.

The moment I saw Sirius in front of me, I genuinely thought I was still dreaming. After staring straight at him for several seconds, I reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Siri..." I mumbled. "How did you suddenly turn into a little kid?"

Sirius froze on the spot. Only when I pinched his cheeks and pulled them outward did he seem to snap out of a dream and wrench my hand away. He was really strong. The force sent me falling backward, and Remus instinctively caught me. The moment I fell into his arms, I finally woke up completely.

[Sirius affection -1]

Help!

I should have been the most embarrassed person there, but Sirius fled as though he'd seen a ghost. The speed he showed in that instant made me sincerely marvel that a man (boy?) whose Animagus form was a dog really could run fast.

My mind was wandering through all sorts of nonsense, so I didn't notice the "grass" beneath me growing hotter and hotter until Remus's muffled voice came from behind my ear.

"Merlin."

"Can you get up?"

"You have no idea what Snivellus looked like back then. It was absolutely hilarious!"

In the Gryffindor Common Room, James, now fully recovered, had regained his usual energy. He jumped around and gestured wildly, trying to describe Snape's sorry state in Potions Class. His performance really was vivid, but unfortunately, his entire audience was distracted. After talking nonstop for five minutes without getting any response, James finally noticed something was wrong.

Strange. It's one thing for Remus not to join in, but why is Sirius so quiet too?

James looked at Sirius in confusion and saw him leaning against the sofa with his arms folded, his gaze completely vacant. He was obviously lost in thought.

He then looked at Remus, who had his head lowered over the book in his hands. That was nothing unusual, but for some reason, the tips of Remus's ears were red. Had he burned himself?

Finally, he looked at Merlin and found him fast asleep against the armrest. Judging by how soundly he was sleeping, he had probably dozed off before James had even started talking.

"Sirius!"

With no idea what was going on, James could only turn to his good friend for help first. He raised his voice and called Sirius's name. Sirius's shoulders jerked, and he looked up at him as though startled.

"What are you thinking about?" James found a seat as well. "You were completely out of it."

It would have been better if he hadn't asked. At the question, Sirius's expression grew even stranger. Almost unconsciously, his gaze drifted toward Merlin, then darted away as though a spark had flown into his eye.

"Because of Merlin?" James tugged at his hair in exasperation. "Merlin..." His habitual exclamation had suddenly become someone else's name, and he couldn't help pausing as he said it before continuing to complain. "What kind of deep-seated grudge do you two have against each other? Is this really necessary?"

Sirius was just about to speak when he saw James put on a righteously determined expression. Sirius had a bad feeling about this, and James had already clapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Can't be helped. Let me, a future star, help you two make up!" James winked at him when he finished. "You should be honored, Sirius. This is exclusive guidance from the future world-famous Mr. Potter."

Sirius: "..."

"I can't believe you agreed to that!"

After hearing Remus's explanation, I felt a headache coming on and kept shooting daggers at Sirius, who clearly wished he could stay two meters away from me. "James can't even sort out his relationship with Lily, and you're counting on him to sort out ours?"

That clearly struck James through the heart. He acted out being shot in the chest with an arrow and collapsing to the ground, drawing a round of startled cries from the students beside him.

After all that chaos, I was starting to wonder whether James actually wanted to get closer to Lily at all.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team would start training on the weekend. Almost as soon as I opened my eyes, James excitedly insisted that I come watch with him. My brain short-circuited from just waking up, and I nodded instinctively. It wasn't until I was in the dining hall the next day that it suddenly sank in.

"They didn't even ask what you thought before deciding for you."

After hearing the whole story, Lily disliked James even more. "Who does he think he is? Does everyone have to do what he says? I've never met anyone more arrogant and annoying than Potter!"

I nodded in agreement. Although I had indeed wanted to become friends with them at first, the way things were going, that was obviously impossible now—and Sirius was the one who had picked on me for no reason first!

[Sirius affection -1]

"Do you think I want to go with you? If it weren't for James..."

[Sirius/James romance event triggered. Normal options temporarily hidden]

[James invited me and Sirius to watch Quidditch practice...]

[1. "I've been waiting eight hundred years for you to invite me."]

[2. "Sure, I'd love to go with Sirius!"]

[3. Refuse]

Thank goodness, there was an option to refuse this time!

Before he could finish, I made a time-out gesture. "I know the bond between you two is stronger than gold, so go on your date together. I won't come along and be a third wheel."

"Hey, I really did want to help you two get along. I was only trying to be nice!"

James shot upright like a dying man suddenly sitting up in bed, looking somewhat frustrated. "I thought you..."

"James, if you'd invited me and Remus, I definitely would have agreed." I patted Remus on the shoulder. "But not Black. I don't want someone picking a fight with me again."

[Sirius affection -1]

"If someone doesn't want to accept your kindness, there's no need for us to keep trying to persuade him." Sirius stood up, deliberately moving the table and chairs and making a grating noise. "If she doesn't want to, forget it, James. Just the two of us can go."

James's expression didn't look too good either. He was at an age when his pride was strong, and my refusal in front of so many people had made him rather embarrassed. After staring at me for several seconds, he put an arm around Sirius's shoulders and left the dining hall.

[James affection -1]

I couldn't help marveling. James really must have been unhappy to refuse the food at Hogwarts.

"His self-important kindness is practically charity." Lily looked away, her eyes full of anger. "It's hard to imagine having to spend seven years with people like that."

"Seven years go by quickly." I was speaking from experience. "Often, it's over before you realize it, and when graduation day comes, you always feel it was too short."

Although I didn't know why I had gotten off to such a bad start with them this time, I still hoped these easy days could last a little longer. Much longer.

Warm milk slid down my throat into my stomach, sunlight reflected off the glass in a colorful halo, and the sound of students' everyday conversations reached my ears. I felt more comfortable and at ease than ever before.

"Are you going to the library later?" Lily asked me. "And Severus too."

"Sure." I nodded.

Then, for some reason, when Snape saw me in the library, he gave me another [Snape affection -1].

─────

[Author's note]

In "A Hogwarts Romance: 1971," much of the story is the same for every character you can pursue. If it feels like a character has too little story, that means you haven't taken his route.

★Tips★

Before third year, James is arrogant and not very good at considering other people's feelings, but at the same time, he doesn't like people who do nothing but praise and flatter him. Be careful how you interact with him;

If you end up giving Sirius or James the cold shoulder or falling out with either of them, don't worry, that's normal. It will happen repeatedly as you continue pursuing them.