Disclaimer - not mine, just having fun.

Chapter 7

On Saturday, it seemed that both Peter and his mum were taking their time getting ready for the trip to Diagon Alley. In fact, when they still had not left by eleven o'clock, Mrs. Pettigrew said, "Why don't we leave at lunch time. We can start the trip at Florean Fortescue's."

"Mm-hmm," Peter nodded his agreement.

They traveled by floo powder and landed in Gringotts. After brushing themselves off, they headed straight to Florean's for some ice cream. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor had the most delicious ice cream in almost every flavor imaginable, including some that didn't at all sound appetizing. Peter got a two-scoop ice cream cone, one strawberry and the other cherry, with sprinkles. His mother ordered just a small cup of chocolate. Peter found himself relaxing as he ate the food and he began to chat freely. Food had always been a source of comfort for him. He looked around the small shop and noticed a boy his age watching him. The boy was wearing glasses and had a mass of black hair that would have deeply embarrassed his mother. It stuck out at odd angles, especially in the back, and Peter couldn't help but wonder if this was an intentional "style" or if the boy was just that careless with his appearance. On closer inspection, he noticed the boy was well dressed, though in casual attire. Peter decided the hair-style must be intentional, though he couldn't imagine why anyone would want his hair to look like that.

After the ice cream, Peter and his mother headed down the street to buy his things. There were so many books. Peter glanced through a few of them. He was particularly intimidated by potions, but a few of the other courses seemed more interesting… or at least more doable. His mother then bought robes for him and, finally, they went to Ollivander's Wand shop.

Peter stepped into the store and was immediately awed. The place seemed to pulse with subtle magical energy. He watched Mr. Ollivander finish up with another customer. The wizard had pale eyes that seemed to penetrate into Peter when he looked at him. It was as if he were searching his very soul in order to find the perfect wand. This made Peter shift nervously from foot to foot. When Mr. Ollivander told Peter to step forward for measuring, Peter jumped slightly and let out a soft squeak. He stepped forward and allowed the tape measure to beginning taking various measurements. He vaguely wondered what the length of his nose had to do with his wand, but who was he to question. After a short time, Mr. Ollivander appeared to be satisfied with the measurements taken and commanded the tape measure to stop. It took roughly 30 minutes of testing wands before Peter took hold of the one he knew was his. Something like an electric current ran through Peter's fingers as he held up this wand. He felt its power and it thrilled him. Within minutes, the wand was tucked safely in a bag with his other possessions. Peter smiled fondly in memory of the wand and his excitement grew in anticipation of being able to use it.

Over the next several weeks, time seemed to alternate between slipping by much too quickly and dragging on at a turtle's pace. These alterations matched his moods. Sometimes, even after making a choice to accept something, the living with that choice doesn't get any easier. It didn't help, either, that his mother seemed to be just as reluctant to have Peter leave. While she was proud of him and tried to act excited, Peter could tell that she was already feeling the loneliness that would follow his departure. He wondered what she would do with no one in the house to keep her company. At times he even felt guilty, though he wasn't quite sure why.

But just as he knew it would, September 1st arrived, and Peter and his mum were heading to the train station. They traveled in silence, the air heavy between them. When they reached the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, Mrs. Pettigrew gave Peter gentle directions for making it through, and followed close behind him.

He loaded his things onto the train with the help of an older student. This helped calm some of his unease. At last it was time to say good bye. Mrs. Pettigrew gave Peter a long hug, then let him go with a kiss on his cheek. Peter turned and boarded the train.

Before he had a chance to find a seat, the train started moving. He was almost at the back of the train, thinking about his parting with his mother, and not paying particular attention to where he was going. His eyes had started tearing up, so he tried to wipe them surreptitiously on his sleeve. While his head was still bowed, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Pardon me," he said.

"Watch where you're going!" said a harsh voice.

When Peter looked up, he was standing face-to-face with a thin, greasy-haired boy his age. Cold, black eyes stared back at him and a malicious grin spread across the boy's pale face. Peter glanced around and noticed that there were a boy and girl with this one, and a few older, mean-looking students were watching the exchange with interest.

"S-sorry," Peter blushed. He knew instantly his show of weakness had just made things worse for him.

"Look! He's crying," pointed out the girl and the group of onlookers started laughing.

"I am not!" Peter protested, and tried to back away.

"Bulstrode, I think he just called you a liar. Did you call her a liar?" The cold-eyed boy gave him a slight push. Between Peter already trying to back up, the push, and the unfamiliar movement of the train, Peter fell to the floor with a thump, only increasing the laughter around him. This was definitely not the beginning he had been hoping for.

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A/N Thanks again to all who read. I hope you're enjoying the story (even though this chapter is about Peter). Thanks to those who review. And much love to my stalwart companions Mom, mei mei, and Sifi.