Disclaimer: Tolkien owns everything. Oh, wait...wrong disclaimer. J.K. Rolling, wonderful woman that she is (although I'm beginning to doubt about that. Read a certain chapter in a certain book) owns all. Sometimes, I think, even me.
Notes: Second chapter, although this was written as one long fic. Shortened for convenience.
Sirius walked into Potions class late on Tuesday. He had been trying to enchant his shirt so that it was as soiled as Peter's, but somehow the spell had backfired and his shirt was now cleaner than ever. He mourned the loss of the ketchup stain by the collar that he never had. He sat down between James and Peter and glanced down at Peter's ketchup-stained shirt longingly.
"Sirius, you didn't make Peter's bed this morning. Is the spell wearing off?" James asked hopefully. Sirius tore his gaze away from Peter's discreet food stains.
"I was busy ironing his pants," Sirius replied. James deflated visibly.
"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Hey, I didn't kow you could iron. Will you iron my pants, too?"
"I'm not your slave, James," Sirius told him firmly, before pulling his Potions textbook from his bag. James frowned.
"Damn," he muttered, before following Sirius' example and pulling put his textbook.
The professor swept into the room and regarded them all before insisting that they pair up for their next assignment. Sirius turned to Peter immediately.
"Peter, want to be my partner?" he asked. Peter looked at him.
"...Alright," he said brightly, surprised that for once, he had been chosen over James or Remus. James grumbled, and looked around the room. The only person without a partner was a rather flighty-looking Slytherin girl, who had food stuck in her braces. She smiled at James widely, exhibiting her lunch. James winced.
"Alright, children, carefully add the Wolfsbane to your potions..." instructed the Professor. James was glaring at Sirius and Peter from his spot with the Slytherin with the braces, picking up a jar. Sirius gave a loud bark of laugher at something Peter had said, and James noticed that Peter looked surprised that Sirius had laughed. He grinded his teeth. He felt so shunned. He'd never been picked last for anything!
"That's not Wolfs-" began the Slytherin girl as James, without looking, poured the contents of the jar into their cauldron. She was cut off when the potion splattered up with a loud crack, drenching her in a viscous, yellow liquid. James dropped the jar in shock.
"Auugh, it burns!" cried Braces-Slytherin in agony, trying to rub off the potion. She stepped forward and slipped on one of the shards of glass from the jar James had dropped, falling on her back. She cried out in pain, her glasses splattered with yellow potion as she withered in pain on the floor.
"Ehm...sorry?" James offered awkwardly. All the eyes in the classroom were staring at him condesceningly. He laughed nervously as the potions Professor helped the Slytherin girl up and instructed the class to follow the directions on the board while they took her to the hospital wing.
James looked over at Sirius and Peter, expecting to see them looking at him, quietly amused. Sirius was pouring out an orange liquid into a cup that Peter was holding. He wasn't even looking in James' direction. James glared. If nearly killing a Slytherin girl wouldn't tear Sirius away from Peter, what would?
James seethed silently, making sure he put the proper ingredients into the potion this time.
Padfoot sniffed the air, wagging his tail happily as he caught Wormtail's scent. The full moon hung brightly in the sky as he chased the rat merrily across the field, every so often catching a glimpse of a rat's tail. He could hear Moony padding after him, but he ignored it. He wanted to find Wormtail. Why couldn't HIS animagus form have been a rat?
Moony sped up and jumped in front of him, halting his progress in his quest to find Peter. Padfoot skidded to a halt, looking at Moony questioningly, his ears perking up in impatience. Moony snarled at him, pushing him back whenever he tried to follow Peter.
Padfoot was confused for a moment, before he realized that Moony was trying to keep him from Wormtail. He didn't understand why. Did Moony think that keeping him away from Peter would help the spell wear off faster? He couldn't do that! Padfoot wanted to be around Wormtail, in his human form and animagus form! Peter was just...Peter.
Padfoot barked at Moony, trying to get him to move. Wormtail was getting away! Padfoot looked especially scruffy that night, and it only added to his intimidating image. Moony shook his head slowly, a rather uncharacteristic gesture for a wolf to make, so Padfoot knew he was serious (Peter, thankfully, was in his animagus form and thus unable to speak, but he knew that eventually the reasons keeping him from making a clever pun on Sirius' name would one day be eliminated).
Anger stirred inside the dog. He bared his teeth and lunged at Moony, trying to get him to move. Moony grabbed at his neck, trying to pick him up like wolves did with their cubs to prevent him front going after the rat. Padfoot squirmed madly, trying to get away. He slashed at Moony, trying to get him to let go.
Moony growled, throwing Padfoot to the ground. Padfoot snarled and tried to dart around him again, but Moony wouldn't allow it. He snapped at Padfoot as he neared him, making him back up to avoid being bitten.
A large, majestic stag trotted into the clearing, oblivious to the fight. He looked surprised (or, as surprised as a stag can look) when he saw his two friends fighting. He trotted over to them and stood between them, pushing them apart with his antlers. Padfoot stopped snarling, as did Moony. Both animals looked at the stag blankly. Prongs bowed his head slightly, trying to communicate with them.
Moony stared at Prongs, trying to interpret what Prongs was saying. Padfoot looked at Moony out of the corner of his eye shrewdly. He scratched at his ear, trying to act unsuspicious. While Moony was distracted, Padfoot shot past him, his tongue lolling out of side of his mouth, and resumed his chase. Moony howled and jumped up, chasing after Padfoot. Prongs followed majestically.
Peter lay on the bed in the Hospital Wing, staring at his broken finger mournfully. He sighed, and looked up at his three friends, who were standing around him. Sirius looked like he was about to cry.
"Are you okay, Peter?" asked Remus, eyeing a can filled with oversized needles nervously. Peter sighed loudly.
"I'll survive," he said dramatically, laying his arm over his forehead and accidently knocking his finger on the headboard. "Ow!" he complained. Sirius glared at the headboard.
"I can only hope that one day I'll be as brave as you, Peter," Sirius said meaningfully. Peter nodded.
"One can only hope," he said sagely, getting quite used to being admired. Sirius smiled. James rolled his eyes. Remus edged away from the needles. The grandfather clock in the Hospital Wing struck seven, startling them and causing Peter to whack his finger again.
"We'd better go, you two," James said. Remus nodded. "Come on, Sirius. See you tomorrow, Peter," James added, turning to leave. He walked forward a few steps before realizing that unless Sirius was quite the light stepper, he couldn't hear the other boy's heavy trod behind him.
He looked back, seeing Sirius still standing at the foot of Peter's bed.
"I'm going to stay here," he announced, sitting down on the bed beside Peter's. James sighed.
"Sirius, you can't. It's just a sprained finger, he'll live," James comforted him. Sirius shook his head.
"But it's my fault he's here!" Sirius stressed, laying down on the hospital bed.
"How? It's not like you PUSHED him down the stairs!" James argued. "It's not your fault he stopped walking abruptly, any person who walks normally would have bumped into him. Nor is it your fault he went hurtling down the stairs!"
"I as good as broke his finger with my own hands!" Sirius cried dramatically.
"Sprained," corrected Remus lightly. Sirius threw an arm over his face.
"Why him, God?! Take me instead!" Sirius cried, raising his arms to the heavens.
"I think that's really getting out of hand, Sirius," Remus pointed out. Sirius scoffed.
"Not when it's Peter!" Sirius stressed.
"Ooh, my finger hurts," Peter announced suddenly. He looked up at Sirius hopefully."Maybe you could just read a little of my musical to me? While I heal?" he asked weakly. Sirius pulled a thick pile of parchment out of his bag, held together with a binder clamp.
"Scene one, act one," Sirius began. Remus and James gave up and left.
"Alan: Saints be praised! A miracle child's been born!"