This ain't love, it's clear to see -- December 1976

I looked over at him and flashed him a quick smile.  "Hey," I said, though it felt so painful to even look at him.  "You have the finished project, right?" We had been paired up to work on a project together and I knew that i did not have it in my bag.

I nodded at her, pulling it out of my bag. "Of course i do," I said to her, hoping that I sounded like my normal confident self.  She sure seemed fine.

"Good," I said, leaving it like that.  I was not prepared to have a full on conversation with him.  I started to take some notes to make it look like I was not purposely ignoring Jeremy.

We made it through our morning classes without too much of an issue.  I ended up back at the Gryffindor table and I sat down.  Soon, though, I was joined by James.  "Oh, hey mate," I said to him, putting food onto my plate for a quick lunch.

I sat down next to Jeremy and sighed.  "You broke up wiht Ember," I said to him flatly.  I did not like it when people hur tmy little sister.

I hesitated with my food and looked at James.  I was not entirely sure what he was going to do.  "Yeah... I did," I said slowly.  "But she doesn't really want me anyways... so it's not that big of a deal."  Or at least I hoped James would see it that way.

I looked at Jeremy with a bit of a glare.  "Of course it's a big deal," I said to him simply.  "It doesn't matter if Ember's heart is really elsewhere, she still cared for you.  Don't pretend that she didn't."

I looked at James and wondered how I could go about this without anything major going to happen to me.  "James, I'm not saying she didn't care.  But not enough," I said to him simply.  "I'm not going to pretend that I don't care for her, because I do... I just can't let myself get involved in a love triangle."

I kept my glare on Jeremy.  I did not like his attitude about this at all.  "I don't care, Jeremy.  You knew all of this before you started dating her.  It's really not a huge secret that she fancies Sirius," I said, though it made bile rise in my throat even thinking it.

I did not appreciate this attitude from James, but I did sort of expect it.  I glared at him right back.  "Look... James, Ember is a big girl.  She can handle a breakup without you trying to protect her all the time," I said at him angrily.

I was not okay with that attitude from him.  "I know she can handle herself," I said to him angrily.  "But that doesn't mean that I can't make sure that no one hurts her unnecessarily."

<< Woot!  1200!! >>

I blinked in surprise from James's anger.  I knew he was upset with me, but I did not expect it to be showing so much.  "I'm not hurting her unnecessarily," I said to him, trying to match his anger with my own frustration.  "I really like your sister, James.  I just know that I don't have a bloody chance with her.  Not with you and your mate running around all the time."

I flinched at that. "What?  Are me and the guys supposed to disappear to make it easier for you to get my sister?" I asked sarcastically.  "Please... I'd never leave Ems unprotected."

I rolled my eyes.  "And that's your problem," I pointed out to him.  "You think Ember needs to be protected.  I don't agree with that."  Simple as that.

Jeremy was going to give me advice on how to handle my sister?  Really?  "Well, I honestly don't care whether you agree with how I handle my sister or deal with stupid guys like you who want to hurt her," I said to Jeremy angrily.