Author's Note: This is a Voldemort-never-existed!AU.

Thanks to me fabulous betas: Liza, Bex, Gab, and Aya!

Hogwarts Assignment #8. Lesson: Advanced Warding, task 2. Task: Write about an unwelcome visitor

The Houses Competition. House/Year: Hufflepuff, 5th year. Category/Prompt: Standard, Peter Pettigrew

Family Affair

1,075 words

Everything is perfect, Peter thinks, carefully levitating the final centerpiece into place. He smiles proudly, admiring his work. His watch chimes eleven and he straightens his tie, steeling himself for the work that still needs to be done.

He hurries from the banquet hall, passed the altar room, towards the dressing rooms.

"One hour to show time!" he calls, knocking on doors as he goes.

Lily emerges from a room, looking exasperated, Harry on her hip. "You need to talk with James. He's refusing to go through with this."

Peter shakes his head. "He's not the one getting married."

"It's the robes. He doesn't think he looks good in violet."

"Fine. I'll… think of something," he says uncertainly. Lily gives him a sympathetic smile and leaves him to it.

Peter sighs, racking his brain for a solution. Usually Sirius is the one to talk James into things if Lily can't, but Sirius and Remus are both in their own dressing rooms, preparing for their big moment, and Peter hates to interrupt them. Everything needs to be perfect for their long-awaited wedding.

"I'm a professional," he tells himself. "I can think of something."

He loves his job, loves the challenge of it, ever since his first time doing it for James and Lily's wedding, when the planner got ill and Peter stepped in to make sure everything went smoothly. But telling a demanding best man to shape up and do as he's told is different than telling one of his closest friends the same thing. And he knows without question that both grooms would cancel if James refused to go out. That simply wasn't an option.

Putting on an air of confidence, he marches to Sirius' dressing room and knocks. He can hear people talking inside. Sirius opens the door after a moment, already dressed in his tuxedo. His face changes to one of panic the moment he takes in Peter. "What's wrong?" he asks, but he's been dreaming of this day since he was fifteen and Peter refuses to ruin it.

"Nothing," Peter replies calmly, putting on a bright smile. He looks past Sirius and finds James' parents inside. "I was wondering if I could borrow Mrs. P for a moment."

Sirius narrows his eyes. "Mum? But why-"

"It's nothing, Sirius. I just want a second opinion on something," Peter says with a laugh.

"I'll be right back, dear." Euphemia pats Sirius' shoulder affectionately as she passes him.

Once the door is closed, Peter quickly leads her down the hall to James' dressing room, hurriedly explaining the situation to her in a hushed whisper. She rolls her eyes at her son's antics and flashes Peter a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into him."

Peter begins to relax again the moment she's in with James. He checks on Regulus, the other best man, who's more than comfortable wearing the violet robes Sirius selected, and for a few minutes at least, everything is calm.

:-:

It's half past eleven when Frank notifies Peter that there's a disaster brewing at the doors. He runs to the foyer to find Sirius' cousin Andi shouting at a blonde woman Peter knows only from her pictures in the papers: Narcissa Malfoy. There's a small blond boy clinging to her leg, trying to hide from Andromeda's loud voice.

Peter steps between the women while Frank runs off to get Ted. "I've got it from here, Andi, thank you," he says coolly, trying not to show how much the older woman's brash behaviour terrified him. Confrontation is not his strong suit.

"She can't stay," Andromeda tells him, seething. "She's not welcome. Sirius won't allow it."

Ted arrives quickly and pulls his wife away, leaving Peter alone with Mrs. Malfoy and her son. He faces her, and becomes speechless as he takes in her beauty up close. Women have never been his strong suit either.

"I… I'm sorry you had to deal with all that," he says quietly, forcing himself to smile. He glances down and sees the small boy peeking out from behind his mother's skirt. Tonks is keeping Harry and Neville occupied with toy trains in the next room, and they catch his eye.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," she admits. "But I suppose I was foolish to think I'd be welcome here."

"Not at all. I'm sure once we talk to Sirius…" he trails off, knowing all too well how Sirius feels about his cousins. It took Regulus years to convince him that he didn't have the same beliefs as the rest of the family. There's no chance for this woman.

She gives Peter a tight smile. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"I do, ma'am," he admits around the lump in his throat. "I've seen your picture in the paper during your husband's latest assembly."

"Ex-husband, if I have anything to say about it." The boy tugs on her dress, pointing to the other children, but Narcissa shakes her head and he pouts. "We should go."

"No, please. My name is Peter, I'm the wedding planner, and a friend of the grooms. Please, let me go talk to them."

"No. That's very sweet of you, Peter, but I was wrong to think Sirius would want to see me. Even if I have left Lucius, that doesn't undo all the awful things I've said and done."

"An apology will fix all of that," confirmed a voice from the hall. Sirius crept out of the shadows and smirked at the look of confusion on his cousin's face. "Andi told me you were here. I had to see for myself."

"Sirius, I… I am sorry. I was a fool to go along with what Lucius was saying. I was a fool for marrying him in the first place."

"Cissa, please," Sirius mutters, coming closer. Peter moves out of his way. "If you can honestly accept Remus, and my friends—the people who've been my family for these last few years—then I would be happy to have you at my wedding."

"I swear, I do."

Peter breathes a sigh of relief. "Good. Well then. Fifteen minutes to go, Sirius. Best get everyone into position." Sirius rushed off to find Regulus, leaving Peter alone with Narcissa and her son once more. "I wonder… would you do me the honor of joining me at my table for dinner?" he asks shyly, blushing.

Narcissa smiles, her face lighting up. "I would love to."