It had been a horrible day for the round Gryffindor boy. First Siruis caught a cold and was strapped down to some bed in the hospital wing so he could get better. James was so obsessed with quidditch he hardly acknowledge the small boy who tried to talk to him, and Remus had "disappeared" again.
A bull's-eye should have been written across his chest.
He was leaning over the fountain's edge, peering into the water's trying futilely to straighten his tie when there came a rough shove from behind. The gryffindor gave a yelp and flailed his arms before falling into the fountain.
Amid the laughter and the rush of the water that was spilling from a spout over his head was the haughty chortle of Lucius Malfoy.
"A bit clumsy aren't we, Pettigrew? Can't you do anything without those three carrying you?"
Peter's moon shaped face went red as he tried to clamber out of the fountain as best he could., but that was impossible with his robes weighed down with water. He tripped on the edge and awkwardly caught himself, but it made Malfoy only laugh harder.
"Poor Peter, can't walk without his friends, let alone stand his ground," Malfoy howled slapping his knee. Peter's faced burned, but Malfoy was right what could he do. He could walk away. And that's what Peter did, his eyes blurring with hot tears as Lucius sang, "Peter Pettigrew the Hufflepuff in Gryffindor's clothing!"
Peter sat far in the back of the tranfiguration class. Water pooled around his desk and robes but he didn't care. He didn't care if he caught pneumonia. He didn't care cause he was weak and he always would be. He didn't care.
Then if he didn't care, why did these tears threatened to blind him and why did throbbing sobs stick in his throat.
The other students stared at him but kept on walking to their usual spots and no one spoke until James walked in and slipped. A sniffling Sirius who dragged behind was able to catch him.
"Geez, Peter, are you trying kill us!" James asked, looking at the sopping floor around his stoned faced friend. Peter said nothing as they slid into seats beside him and Sirius asked in a stuffy sounding voice.
"What did you do, Peter? Throw yourself in the lake?"
The young man swung his blue eyes in a deadening glare at Sirius and the sickly Gryffindor held up his hands.
"Sorry I asked!"
Peter turned his focus back to the head of the class. Humiliation burned inside of his chest as he heard the snickers that floated around the room. He wished they would all disappear. He wished they were gone!
"Peter Pettigrew!"
Peter choked as his throat seized tight at the sound of his name. He looked to see Mcgonangall at her desk, staring at him over the tops of her square spectacles.
"yes, ma'am?"
"Pettigrew may I ask why you are tracking water all over my class room?" She demanded curtly.
"Fell in the fountain, Ma'am," Peter muttered, growing hot in the face as the class began to snigger.
"What was that, Peter?"
"I fell into the fountain, Ma'am!" He shouted and the class went deathly still including the sniggers. They all looked at him with dumbfounded expressions and it contorted his, wishing they would all disenagrate into dust.
"Well, you'll just have to be more careful," McGonagall forced herself to say, after a moment. "Go to bathroom and dry off, dear," She said a bit more kindly. Peter rose stiffly from his chair and stalked out of the class room, pretending the water dripping from his robes were poison and would burn anything it touched.