It was one of the pumpkin patch's better years. The weather had been friendly to it and, though fairly crowded with people, it was not yet picked over. One of those family friendly places, it had a sharp divide: on one side, Keen wearing parents with children hanging off them; on the other, flannel-clad teens, iPhones and friends in hand. The sun was bright enough to enliven the sky but not warm enough to dull the sharp chill in the early October air. In short, it was the middle of autumn, and there was no better day for a pumpkin patch.
Sirius was playing Fall Out Boy much too loud for the families' appreciation. They were keeping their kids well away from the boy with the long hair and the eyeliner.
"Pads, turn that shit down!" called James from across their little section. "It's a pumpkin patch, not a Hot Topic."
Sirius shrugged and grinned as he turned the music off and shoved his phone into the overlarge pocket of his black jeans. "You're no fun," he called back, walking over to his friends.
Lily was brushing dirt off of a small, asymmetrical orange pumpkin. She held it up to the sky, smiling a little.
"It's so weird," she started. "People should judge people like they judge pumpkins. It's like, you have some scars? You're not perfectly symmetrical? You're round and maybe your skin is a bit bumpy? That's okay friend, I'll still love you. Why don't people judge others like pumpkins?"
"Probably because people aren't pumpkins," Remus responded.
"Shut up, smartass. I was trying to be deep."
"I would still love you if you looked like a pumpkin," James said, to which everyone (including Lily) rolled their eyes.
"That's sweet in theory, James," Lily said, but she still gave him a swift peck on the cheek.
Peter unlocked his phone.
"Snapchat my face one more time and I'll throw your phone so far into this pumpkin patch you'll never find it again," Sirius snapped before Peter had even opened the app. But he was smiling.
"You're so photogenic, though," Remus said. "Any photo with you in it kind of guarantees it to be an aesthetic pic."
"Yeah, well," Sirius said, though he looked rather smug. "You'd think you could do a lot more with this hair, but you can only run your fingers through it or let it fly in the breeze so many times before it gets a bit repetitive."
"A hard life for Sirius Black," said James in a mock-sympathetic voice.
Sirius nodded dramatically and sauntered off to look for a pumpkin. Despite the crap Lily kept spewing about imperfection, Sirius wanted his to be perfect. He was rather fond of the white ones, and he wanted his to be tall with a long, thick stem. He had an image in mind.
"You know," said a voice behind him, "You're never going to find the 'perfect pumpkin' if it only exists in your mind."
Sirius stood up to see Remus, tossing a short but fat pumpkin from hand to hand. It was light orange to the point of almost salmon, and it matched his cardigan almost exactly.
"Your pumpkin matches your aesthetic," Sirius commented.
"I know." Remus smiled. "I thought it was cute."
"A cute pumpkin for a cute boy," Sirius commented automatically as he kneeled down to look for his perfect pumpkin.
Remus snorted, but he was glad Sirius wasn't paying enough attention to notice him blush.
"Guess I should help you look, then," he murmured, eyeing the area.
His eyes landed on a tall white pumpkin, towering amidst the small orange ones around it. It had a long scar down the side and a few little ones near the stem. It looked kind of regal standing where it was, taking all of the sunlight for itself while the small orange ones were cast in shadow.
I think I just found your perfect pumpkin, Pads, Remus thought as he tromped over to the kinglike pumpkin and wrestled it from the plant.
He carried it over to Sirius and lowered it down by his feet. "How about this one?" he asked, trying to look innocent.
Sirius eyed the pumpkin carefully. He slowly reached for it and felt the texture. He ran his hands along the scar lines.
"I know it's not your idea of perfect... I thought the scars were nice, I thought they added character-"
"I love it. I'm taking it."
And that was that.