A/N Hey Guys, this is based on the song Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. I have changed a couple of the words-in the chorus 'heart' became 'life' and 'dear' became 'friend'. This is totally different from anything I expected to write but I hope y'all enjoy it anyway.
In case you hadn't guessed already I don't own the song or Harry Potter.
Little Lion Man
The Best Marauder
"Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart.
Weep Little Lion Man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start."
Peter Pettigrew was disguised. Peter Pettigrew was running.
No matter what, no matter how had he tried, he would never be what he had hoped. Ever since he was a young boy he had been bullied and teased and all he ever wished was that he could be brave. He tried his hardest-he really did-but never could he be so unthinking as to do something bravely.
He was eleven when he took his first steps into Hogwarts and as Professor McGonagall called his name and he walked up to the stool, his only thought was that he would surely never be put in Gryffindor. It was a shame really, his two newest friends were already in that house and his third was surely going to be.
When Peter had that shabby, greying hat placed on his head he began to properly question which house he would be put in, after all he wasn't smart or loyal or ambitious or anything else the houses valued. The sorting hat seemed to be having the same difficulty. Together, the boy and the hat, contemplated where the lost child should go. The hat eventually yelled out "Gryffindor!" but only Peter heard a small voice say scornfully in his ear, "You don't fit anywhere boy, bravery though is the value you wish so highly to have, so I guess then…"
From that moment on as Peter joined his friends, he slowly began to become braver; probably from all the reckless, exhilarating things the Marauders had done together.
But when the time came to put his courage to the test it failed him. And that was how he ended up here-an outcast, a criminal.
"Rate yourself and rake yourself,
Take all the courage you have left;
Wasted on fixing all the problems,
That you made in your own head."
So now Peter was scraping to together all the courage and bravery he had left. He had been so caught up in thinking his friends had abandoned him, all of them having found love. James had disappeared with his Lily as soon as school had finished. Sirius and Remus, well, they had finally admitted to each other the feelings both had had since fifth year.
Ever since school ended, and before that if he was honest, Peter had felt he had been left out, that his friends had never liked him, that they had only accepted him because Remus was too nice and neither James nor Sirius wanted to offend the quiet boy. This though was not true; it was thoughts that had formed in his head because of all the bullying he had received. Those children, unaware of what they were doing, had ruined Peter's life, led him to believe that he would never be valued. Of course though, his three dorm mates had truly loved him and truly thought that the four of them were inseparable.
"But it was not your fault but mine,
And it was your life on the line.
I really fucked it up this time,
Didn't I, my friend?
Didn't I, my…"
Sirius and Remus-they were the only two left from the once legendary group of friends. James was gone, dead, and Peter had lost the title because of the things he had done. To begin with, Sirius and Remus tried to blame themselves for what had happened, thinking that if only they had included the lost man more, maybe he would never have turned.
Peter knew differently though. It was his entire fault.
He was the one who had made up all the problems. He was the one that willingly betrayed his friend, knowing full well it could lead to his death. He was the one who fucked it all up and now he was on the run having blamed someone else for his dirty work. Having blamed his friend.
"Tremble for yourself, my man,
You know that you have seen this all before.
Tremble Little Lion Man,
You'll never settle any of your scores."
It had been thirteen years. Thirteen long years living as a rat. And now he was finally free of the constricting body but not in a situation that he would have ever chosen. Remus and Sirius were here, watching and judging his every move. Peter had seen this look in their eyes before. It was the one they both got whenever they were standing up to the Slytherins. It was the look they saved for those they truly loathed and now their gaze was directed solely at him. And it was ten times as deadly as anything he had ever seen.
The rat man trembled. Nothing was going to save him from this. Nothing he could do would ever repay the pain and suffering these two men had been through because of him.
"Your grace is wasted in your face,
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck.
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck."
Peter had once had good looks but now they were gone. He had hid behind those features too-his pretty face hiding everything else about him.
His boldness now seemed as though it never existed. Only when he had been with his friends could anyone see it. It was now lost, along with everything else Peter had ever had.
Peter guessed that all this mess could have been avoided if only he had listened to his mother. She was constantly telling him what an amazing boy he was and that those friends of his were special, loyal to him always. She had always reminded him never to lose those 'incredible friends of his'. Of course what she had said didn't matter now, everything was gone. Peter had not listened and was now paying the consequences; left to wallow in thoughts of everything he had done wrong, everything that everyone hated him for.
"But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your life on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my friend?
Didn't I, my friend?"
It was his entire fault and now he had lost everything. He had lost his home. He had lost his life. And he had lost what he know realised was the most important thing to him-his three best friends.
Sorry if this doesn't make much sense. But, please feel free to review anyway :D