Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I hold any claim to said literature

A/n: special thanks to Zaniac for reviewing. Did I get the characterizations right? Sorry it took so damn long.

Chapter 2

Cursing under his breath, Peter wandered around the corridors, thinking to himself.
"Who the hell does Black think he is? Just because he can mix up some stupid gook to make us into animals so we can help that riffraff Lupin... The werewolf... I'm not safe with such an animal running around the campus. And what in the world is Potter doing hanging around with scum like those two. He could so much more an asset to me...If I was bigger... Ah well, all my problems would be solved if I had been different. But they always pick on the weak one, they do. They haven't the slightest idea of what I'm going through! I'm very fragile-" Peter collided solidly with something, so solid in fact that he fell to the floor, nearly knocked senseless.
"Lost your bearings there, Pettigrew? Wouldn't be the first time." Slow, dimwitted laughter arose.
Peter opened his eyes, revealing shiny black leather shoes, emblazoned on the tongues of which were a snake encircling a flask. Glancing about, he saw similar shoes, but all with different coats of arms.
"Stop admiring what you can never have, Pettigrew. Get up and tell us why you're here in the Slytherin wing."
"Severus, old friend!" Peter hastily got up, his head reeling.
"Ah, you mistake me for another Severus, then. I was never friends with you." Snape's lip curled with a sneer.
"Of course, of course Severus. Merely semantics, I'll wager!" Peter nervously laughed, trying to come off jauntily surprised-it didn't really work.
" Quite. Barty, what do you think we do with this intruder? I mean, you are a prefect. Do you think we should alert the head of his house? Or deal with him instead."
Barty Crouch stepped forward and sized Peter up, from head to toe as if he were a prize heifer.
"Well Severus, you are my fellow prefect. What do you propose we do with him?"
"Do you think Professor Malfoy will be pleased that we found the rascal? He'll know exactly what to do for Mr. Pettigrew."
Terrified of the Slytherin House Head because of his sarcastic tongue and evilness in giving detentions, Peter stammered out,
"I'll tell you why I was here. I need to ask you something, Barty. It is very important and horribly secret, for its dangerous."
"Pettigrew, you wouldn't be involved in something dangerous if your life depended on it!" Scoffed Crouch, getting laughter from all sides.
Still chuckling like a madman, Peter answered him with a sickening demeanor.
"But it's true! All of it! I'm to ask everybody if they know if the Whomping willow is as dangerous underground as it above. Do any of you know?
"I do." Said Lestrange, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm very proficient at Herbology, so proficient, in fact that Professor Sprout had me plant it alongside her. Now, why does an ickle Gryffindor like you want to know?"
"Well, one of my fellow Gryffindors needs to know, quite royally. So, it is as dangerous underground?"
"Much more. There's a little passageway, which leads into Hogsmeade. The roots can reach every nook and cranny of that passageway. Anybody passing through will surely be maimed." A sneer all around... Peter's haphazard confidence drained away from him, and he was left, a shivering mass of fright, mixed with cowardice.
"H-how does o-one turn it off? Is there a switch of some sort?"
"No, no. You saw our cards. Now show us yours. Who is this Gryffindor who needs this information? And why are you sticking your neck out for them?"
Breathing out slowly, Peter debated whether or not to tell the Slytherins. In one hand, there was the huge possibility of getting marred. In the other hand, there was popularity abound, and him escaping with all his limbs and wits intact. Needles to say he chose the latter.
"Well, I'm doing my research for Potter and Black."
"Potter and Black?" Aghast by his answer, Snape took off down the hall. Cloaks swishing every which way, Peter was left desolate, doddering.

* * *
Meanwhile, at the library Sirius and James were poring over the books.
"Aha! Look at this!" Exclaimed Sirius. "Becoming an Animagi is perplexing because of two main factors. The first one being that if the incantation goes wrong, terrible deaths will come to pass. Secondly, the wand spell is very difficult for many wizards, resulting in more horrible occurrences. If attempted to be done, this procedure should be under strict supervision of other Animagi. The ingredients for the potion are as follows..."
"Well? Go on!"
"I can't. There's nothing more." Sirius searched frantically through the remaining pages of the book. "It's all about what one must do to register!"
"That's impossible!"
"SSH!" There was a resounding echo all throughout the stuffy library.
"S-sorry. Didn't mean to be loud."
Packing up the books, Sirius happened upon a grand idea.
"James! I saw a book on difficult wand spells in the restricted section of the library once. Do you think we can come back tonight and find it?"
"Well, what about the incantation and the potion we have to drink?"
"Moste Potente Potions can take care of that. Ye olde Incantations is another one. Wand spells were never my specialty though, and we'll have to research on it."
"Ah, the benefits of having a brilliant friend. Now, my brilliant friend, how EXACTLY do we carry out these fantastical plans of yours?" James thundered.
"Now, now, no need to get nasty. I know exactly how to get it! And so do you, Mr. Potter. So, stop acting so stupid and get your invisibility cloak ready. We'll wait for the common room to empty so we can study in peace."
"What? How do you know about my cloak?"
"James, I've been in close quarters with you for six years. Seeing you magically disappear once or twice a year didn't sway my suspicions one bit. Now, off you go, I'm going hunting."
"Hunting? For what?"
"A little rat we call Peter. I have a nasty misgiving that he peached."
"Peached?"
"A nasty muggles expression I picked up somewhere. It means to squeal."
"Squeal?"
"Helpless!" Said Sirius, throwing his hands up in mock despair.
Flashing a smile, James tilted his head and looked past Sirius. The smile draining from James' face, Sirius whirled around to come face to face with Lily Evans and her friends.
"Lily! Tara! Athena! How nice to see you all." Sirius said winningly, pulling Lily up close to him and giving her a big kiss on the cheek.
"Ah ah ah, Black! Not to close, or Maximillian will cream you, royally."
"Why should I care what that great duffer has to say? He can't even do the simplest of spells! I, however, am a very promising young duele-crap! I have the dueling club tonight! James, take over."
Shoving the books and manuscripts into James' arms, Sirius took off down the hallway, robes billowing.
"Great man, that one is." Tara giggled and nudged Athena.
"I don't know what you see in him, really. Just a big mess of hair and muscles, and brains! He'll never get far..." Athena said, quite sarcastically.
"But that's exactly what I see in him! just a big tangles mess of hair muscles and brains!"
"Uh, Lily?" James ventured.
"Yes? What is it, James?" She said it like he was just a client at a shop, totally impersonal and uncompassionate.
"Uh, you don't mind me leaving, would you? I have somewhere I rather be."
"Mind? why should I mind?"
"Uh, no reason." James smiled nervously. "Well, I'll be off then. Tara, Athena. Lily, can I talk to you later in the common room?"
"Busy. Sorry."
Let down pretty bad, James trudged down the corridor, leading to the Ravenclaw wing.