Just a little fic I came up with :D. Please read and enjoy!

Albus stared across the Great Hall towards the Ravenclaw table, not noticing that milk was dripping from his spoon onto his robes. Rose patiently moved her cousin's hand to his bowl without looking up from her copy of Numerology and Grammatica.

James rolled his eyes and flicked a piece of toast at his little brother. When he got no reaction he smirked and said to his best friend Lewis, "I think we've lost him for good this time." Lewis grinned and reached for the bacon.

"Yeah he's caught it good and proper."

James frowned, looking puzzled. "Caught what?"

"The Love Bug, idiot."

James stared from Lewis to Albus incredulously for a moment, then snorted into his scrambled eggs; Rose looked faintly disgusted.
"Albus? In love? Ha! Sure. Good one Lew."

Lewis simply shrugged and went back to his breakfast while James turned the thought over in his head. Albus suddenly sighed and seemed to awaken from a deep reverie.

"So – er – how're things Al?" James asked with an attempt at a casual tone, ruined somewhat by his badly-suppressed smile. Albus turned to his brother, looking vaguely surprised to see him sitting there.

"Fine – fine…I should get going…Transfiguration." Albus stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, a glazed look in his eyes. James shook his head in disbelief as Albus dragged himself out of the Great Hall, chancing one last furtive glance back at the Ravenclaw table. Rose looked up from her book and raised her eyebrows at James, who stared blankly back.

"What?"

"You are so clueless, James," Rose shook her head exasperatedly.

"What did I do?"

"He's your brother, you're supposed to encourage him in situations like this, not laugh at him."

"Exactly, he's my brother, I'm supposed to laugh at him. Anyway, situations like what?" Even Lewis was looking at him with an amused expression now.

Rose closed her book, always a sign that a lecture was on its way. "It's obvious, Albus has liked Adessa Fenwick for ages-"

"-wait, which one's Adessa Fenwick?" James interrupted, craning his neck to see the Ravenclaw table.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment, as though asking for strength; if there was one thing she hated more than people not understanding something right away, it was being interrupted. "She's the girl with the long blonde hair, the one with her head in a book…don't stare, James…anyway, Albus is clearly head over heels for her and the least you could do is give him some support."

James stared at her as though she was a different species for a moment before bursting into guffaws of laughter again. Rose glared at him furiously before shoving Numerology and Grammatica back into her bag and stalking away, her bushy red hair seeming to become bushier as it always did when she was annoyed.

Albus didn't pay as much attention as he would usually have done in his lessons that morning. One fact had managed to lodge itself in his brain; James now knew exactly how he felt about Adessa, and that could mean nothing good. James had had plenty of girlfriends but as far as he was concerned Albus and girls just didn't mix. He had next to no chance of letting Adessa know how he felt now, although, if he was honest with himself, how much of a chance was there of that anyway?

In the common room that night James came over to where Albus was sat by the fire with Rose and Hugo, completing his Potions essay. Nudging him to get his attention, he nodded towards the Gryffindor noticeboard.

"Seen the date of the next Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked, a sly grin spreading across his freckled face.

"Nope," Albus said, barely looking up from his essay.

"Fourteenth of February," James beamed, "Valentine's Day. Know who you're going with yet?"

Albus shrugged indifferently, pretending he had no idea where James was heading with this. "Rose probably."

"Not that Rose isn't great, Al," James said, with a cheerful grin in Rose's direction, as she had looked up briefly at the mention of her name, "but I can think of a few problems with you going out with our cousin."

"Ew, James!" Albus looked up properly now, "you're gross, do you know that?"

"I've been told, yes," he said conversationally, "but I've heard through the grapevine a certain Ravenclaw might be heading into Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day as well…interested?"

"Get out of it, James," Albus scowled, pushing his brother away from him and turning back to his essay.

"Fine, little bro'," James called from across the common room as he walked away, "but I'd ask her quick if I were you, girls like her get snatched up fast!"

Albus tried to focus his attention on his homework, but he couldn't help his mind wandering; Potions wasn't, after all, the most captivating of subjects. He attempted to ignore what James had said about Adessa being snatched up fast. As much he disliked her being spoken about as if she were an object, his brother was probably right. He'd better get a move on.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know if I should continue :D.