Peter Pettigrew was not a fan of travelling. Or holidays. Or being dragged around museums and beaches and other areas of interest by his parents.

But he would have taken all of that over the summer he was currently having.

At least then he would have actually seen his parents.

Instead, they were always gone at the crack of dawn, leaving the house before he woke up. All too often, he was asleep by the time they returned, too, and when he wasn't, he was confronted with a pair of people who looked too tired, too exhausted to be his parents.

He remembered James mentioning the possibility of visiting each other, before the summer holidays, but no mention of it had been made so far. So Peter was stuck at home, alone, wondering why his parents were suddenly working so hard. He knew the ministry was a busy place, but he couldn't remember them ever not having time for him before.

All in all, it was enough to make the boy feel a little saddened, and he eagerly looked forward to September, when he could return to the castle and actually have some company.

One evening, his mother returned early.

At first, Peter was excited and eager to see his mother home before tea, but that excitement quickly turned to worry.

"Where's Dad?" he asked, trailing her from the hallway to the kitchen.

She sighed, picking up the cup of tea left for her at the side of the kitchen by their house-elf. She flashed Peter a quick, forced smile. "Working," she muttered, before falling into one of the chairs. "He's working, Peter."

"Like always," he muttered, sitting opposite his mother and crossing his arms on the table, slumping down. "You're always working!"

"I know." She reached across the table, her hand falling on his shoulder. "I know, Peter, and I know it hasn't been easy on you. I'm sorry. But...it is important. Very important. We both love you very much, and if we didn't have to go into work so much, we would be spending more time with you." She paused, titling her head to the side as she looked at him. "Peter, your father and I...we'll have a day off, after your letter arrives from the school. We'll still be able to take you shopping in Diagon Alley."

Peter nodded, although he turned his head away and stared out of the window at drab, dreary, grey sky outside. It had been a wet summer, and he hadn't even been able to spend time outside.

"Peter?"

"Okay," he mumbled, before pushing himself away from the table and turning away from her, dragging himself out of the room and upstairs.

X X X

The letters arrived at the end of July. Owls were sent out across the UK, to inform new students of their acceptance into the school and to deliver book and equipment lists to returning students. As soon as James received his, he sent the family owl to Sirius, Remus and Peter, asking when they would be in Diagon Alley.

Few of the students stared at the letters too long, not wanting to be reminded of the loss of their Deputy Head. Instead of the Deputy signing them, however, it was Dumbledore's signature written on the bottom of each letter.

Sirius' reply came first. The letter was short and brief.

Sorry, no chance, mate. Mum is insisting we do it as a family – I'm going to have to stay with them all day.

Remus and Peter both replied saying they were planning on staying overnight in the Leaky Cauldron with their families, and the three of them arranged to go in on the same date. James was more than eager to go back to the unusual winding shopping street again, and even more eager to see his friends.

Especially Remus.

He had been worried about Remus since he had returned home. He knew that, at school, Remus disappeared to the Shack during the full moon, but he couldn't imagine his parents having access to an area as big as that. Since he had been home, he had searched through the books his parents had owned, reading everything and anything about werewolves.

He couldn't believe the amount that declared werewolves to be pure evil. It led him to wonder if any of the writers had actually ever met a werewolf, or if everything they had written had been based on the legends and tales that had gone before.

Remus, he knew, was not evil. The way the books talked about them, it was like they believed every werewolf was destined to be one, or was one through choice.

There was one chapter, however, in one book, that temporarily made James forget his anger at the rest. To him, it was clear the author had, actually, met a werewolf. And not as a wolf, either.

They wrote about it from a different perspective, even commenting on the amount of pain faced every month during the transformation.

A werewolf, for the majority of the time, is a human. This seems to be an important fact forgotten by many, but the truth is the werewolf suffers greatly every month, including the days directly before and directly after the full-moon.

The other books, when commenting on the werewolf during the rest of the month, had a much more ominous tone, full of paranoia. There were lines like they look just like you and me; do you know if your neighbour is a werewolf? The book he was currently reading, however, had the approach of just-like-you-and-me, including the best parts.

Sitting back, James glanced at the book. He wondered what it would be like, to travel the world and explore the deepest, darkest reaches of it, destroying the darkness as he went and bringing forth the light. Perhaps, he thought, he could reveal his experiences to others – surely, there were other werewolves out there like Remus, who weren't evil or cruel or destined to be this creature. Like Remus, perhaps they were just unfortunate.

On the day they were going to Diagon Alley, he was woken early by his mother. With a wide smile on her face, she ushered him downstairs. His father passed him the plant pot containing the Floo powder, and James took a pinch. He watched as his mother went first, before he threw the powder into the fireplace and stepped inside.

"Diagon Alley!" he cried, and immediately felt the familiar tug as his body turned, whizzing past other fireplaces.

He stumbled out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, brushing soot off his clothes as he gazed around. Remus and his parents sat at a table, and immediately Remus leapt up. The two boys crossed the pub and threw their arms around each other, both grinning as they did so.

"Miss me, Remmy?" James chuckled, as Remus stepped back. The smaller boy blushed before rolling his eyes and turning to his parents.

"Mum, Dad, this is James Potter."

His parents stood and shook James' hand when it was offered. They smiled at him before asking how his summer was going. His father arrived, approached them and James introduced them, too, to Remus and his parents.

"It's been too long," James' father chuckled, shaking the hand of Mr. Lupin. Remus and James glanced at each other, James raising his eyebrows as their mothers hugged in a way that people who knew each other for years tended to hug.

"We knew Mr and Mrs Lupin back in school," James' mother explained, glancing at the boys. "We were a few years ahead of them, though..."

The boys nodded before the group sat down at the table, James and Remus catching up on the goings-on during the summer. Eventually, Peter arrived with his parents, and both James and Remus were stuck at how pale and sullen the boy looked. He had even lost weight, and the clothes which had clung tightly to him in school were now hanging off a slightly smaller frame.

Still, his face brightened when he spotted them and he ran forward, greeting them from across the pub. His parents trailed behind, both looking exhausted.

The adults greeted each other and, again, it turned out that Peter's parents had been in school the same time as the others, although once more, they had been in a different year. Together, the group left the pub and stood at the brick wall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. It was Peter's father who tapped the bricks and seconds later, the boys were grinning madly as they stared down the long, winding street.

"Gringotts, first?" Mrs Potter suggested, to nods from the other adults. The boys groaned, causing the men to suggest that the males of the group have a sundae, instead. Reluctantly, the women agreed, and so James, Peter and Remus followed their fathers to the ice cream parlour.

The men chatted about Quidditch, with James eagerly listening and throwing in their own comments, between catching up. Mr Lupin contributed little to the conversation, but listened all the same with a soft, tired smile on his face.

"Look!" James cried, eyes locking on Quality Quidditch Supplies across the street. "There's a new broom in."

The three boys had all finished their ice-creams, and with a laugh, Mr Potter suggested they go look in the shop.

"You need a broom, anyway," Mr Potter muttered, "if you want to get on the team this year."

"And we can keep an eye on you from here," Mr Lupin said. As soon as he had finished speaking, the three boys leapt up and darted towards the shop. Although Remus wasn't as into the game as James, his friend's excitement was contagious, and he couldn't help but admire the new broom listed as 'just in stock'.

"That's amazing," James sighed, eyes running over the broom.

"Yeah, but look on the price of it," Peter mumbled. "Just for a broom?"

"This broom could help me get on the team!" James replied, eyes glued to it. "Can you imagine? I'd be faster than every other player in Hogwarts!"

"Do you think your dad will get it for you?" Remus asked, glancing over to the parlour, where the fathers seemed to be in deep conversation, serious looks now on their faces.

"Of course he will." James' voice was confident, as a grin stretched across his face. "He wants to see me get on the team as much as I want to get on it."

"There's our mums," Peter said, gesturing outside the shop and up the street.

"We should get back." James turned away from the broom with a last, lingering look, and with the other two, headed outside to meet their parents.

X X X

"They just grow so fast!" Mrs Potter shook her head as she watched the three boys getting fitted for robes. Her eyes darted to look at the men, standing near the front of the shop, hands full of bags containing potion ingredients and books.

"Better get them a couple of sets, a size or two up," Mrs Pettigrew muttered, as Peter shifted uncomfortably, the tape measuring him from head to toe. "Shopping at Christmas is always awkward, and I don't want to be rushing around buying him more robes because he's outgrown the last ones."

"Especially with the food they have at that school," Mrs Lupin sighed. "I swear, I've tried to copy those recipes so many times but the house elves are brilliant cooks." The other two women nodded in agreement.

"Not to mention the feasts!" Mr Potter called from the front. "Not that your cooking isn't wonderful, dear!"

Soon, the sets of robes were being pushed into the hands of the boys. Their mothers ushered them outside and, once there, the women double-checked the lists.

"There's Sirius!" James cried, nodding his head down the street, back towards the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius trailed behind his family – including his mother, aunt and cousins – looking less than happy. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his head hanging forward and a scowl on his face.

"We should say hello..." Remus said, stepping forward.

"He said not to, if we saw him," James muttered, sounding upset as he sighed. "He said he didn't want to inflict his mother on us. Apparently she would go nuts..."

"Sounds like her," Mrs Potter said under her breath. Her eyes fell on Sirius, before she glanced at the other women. "Did you ever have the pleasure of knowing her?"

"No," the others replied.

Mr Potter put his hand on James' shoulder. "Poor boy. He doesn't look happy, does he?" Gently, he pushed James forward. "Is there anything else to get?" he asked his wife.

She read off the list, the boys saying 'check' whenever she mentioned something they'd already picked up.

"I think we have everything," she muttered, once they were done. "Looks like we do."

"Come on then, let's get you that broom."

James' mouth curled up, a grin on his face as he nodded eagerly. Remus and Peter laughed, unable to help it on seeing the look of joy on their friend's face. Happily, the group headed towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. James glanced towards Flourish & Blotts, as Sirius and his family entered, feeling a pang at the fact that he was unable to just say hi to one of his best friends.

X X X

The group ended the day back in the Leaky Cauldron. With Remus and Peter spending the night in the pub, James' parents agreed to eating tea with them, giving the boys more of a chance to catch up. Mr Potter spoke quickly to Tom, the landlord, before returning to the table with drinks and a copy of the Daily Prophet.

He glanced quickly at the front page of the paper, before opening it up and scanning quickly through it. All eyes were on him. James, Remus and Peter couldn't help but pick up on the way their parents were gazing at him, as if waiting for him to deliver grave news. Once he'd flicked through, he folded the paper and put it down on an empty table next to them.

"Nothing," he muttered, before his face broke into a smile. "What's everyone having?" he asked, clapping his hands together as the adults let out sighs of relief. The boys, seated together, glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows.

There was something going on that their parents were refusing to tell them about, and they were all too aware of it.

Finally, James spoke up.

"What aren't you telling us?" he said, frowning as he gazed at his father. "There's something going on, isn't there?"

The adults sent each other nervous glances, before looking at their boys. None of them had yet hit thirteen, and the parents did not yet to ruin what little childhood they had.

"James..." his father whispered, but James shook his head.

"No, it isn't fair. It's happening all the time! Something is going on, and it's something important, isn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't be so on edge about it."

"James, please, be quiet," his mother begged, unable to stand seeing her son getting so wound up. James took a deep breath, leaning forward.

"After all the stuff that has happened in the last year, I can't believe you are still treating us like we're children! We have a right to know."

Remus reached forward, putting a hand on James' shoulder. His eyes locked on his friend, as James slowly turned to look at him. Over Remus' shoulder, he saw Sirius and his family, staring at the table. Mrs Black sneered at them, while Narcissa and Bellatrix had strange smiles on their aristocratic faces. Andromeda was shaking, biting her bottom lip, while Sirius gazed at James, looking worried.

"Some things are best kept secret," Remus whispered, and James felt the blood drain out his face as he calmed down.

To his surprise, Mrs Black approached the table. "Well said, Master Lupin. You are the Lupin boy, aren't you?" She glanced at his parents. "Of course you are. But I do not believe in treating them like children, and I find myself agreeing with..." She eyed James, before looking at Peter. "You must be a Potter." Her eyes snapped to his father. "You all look the same." Her gaze was cold, as she turned once more to James. "You do have a right to know, after all. You can't protect them forever, after all. And it is their Head of House who has died."