By YoukaiJilly
Summary:
Peter Pettigrew was not what his friends were. Good-looking, intelligent, skilled at Quidditch, he was just Peter. He was the Marauder who always stuffed himself at mealtime. Peter loves his friends, being they were the only ones he has, but now he wants something for himself. Some glory, some fame, some recognition...and he will do anything to get it.
Chapter Two: Friends Like These
Last Chapter:
"Night everyone. May the Marauders have a successful fifth year!" grumbled James as he snuggled into the covers of his bed.
"Hear, hear!" yawned Remus.
"Shut your yaps!" growled Sirius. "I'm trying to bloody sleep!"
Peter sighed. Like this year was going to be any different from the last. His mind suddenly thought of the beautiful red head that stood outside their compartment door, green eyes ablaze with fire.
'Like a goddess...' Peter thought, his mind drifting into a hazy sleep.
The Story Continues...
The next morning, Sirius and James yanked off Peter's bed covers and tackled him to wake him up. He groaned and pushed them off, grumbling, "That he heck is wrong with you two?"
"Aw c'mon Wormy." Said Sirius. "We know you wouldn't want to miss your favorite part of the day."
"Oh yeah?" asked Peter. "What's that?"
"Are you that deluded Pete?" asked James, yanking on his school uniform shirt. "Mealtime." He and Sirius started laughing and Peter just grumbled at them to shut up. Remus came in fully clothed and said if they wanted to eat anything they better hurry up. Peter scrambled into his clothes, watching James run his hand through his hair yet again, making it look completely trashed but still so attractive.
Peter looked at his limp blonde hair in the mirror and tried to make it look more presentable, dragging his own hand through it. The rest of the Marauders waited for him and James yanked on his arm as a way of saying hurry up. Peter knew why James was so anxious to go to breakfast. He wanted to see Lily. Peter squirmed at the thought. James didn't deserve Lily. She was too wonderful for him.
There were times in the previous years that Peter felt like jinxing James himself when he teased Lily or made her upset, but he wasn't very good at doing that. Plus, James and Sirius had faster reflexes. He would have been counter-jinxed before he would know what hit him.
"Are you all right Peter?" asked Remus, glancing at him sideways.
"Yeah, fine. Just a bit tired is all." Replied Peter. He mentally hit himself. These where his friends! He would never do anything to hurt them! He would do anything for them, hadn't he proved that all ready?
In their first year, when the Marauders had formed he had convinced Filch that Sirius and James hadn't set off a whole slew of dung bombs during their spring term to get a break from classes. Of course he had to actually through a few dung bombs while Filch watched him and he got 15 points taken away and had a detention but it was worth it.
The group headed down to the Great Hall and seated themselves in their normal place near the end of the table. "D'yah think that Winnie remembered to put the extra good stuff near us?" whispered James, stealing a glance at Lily.
As Dumbledore finished his year speech, which hardly ever seemed to change year after year, the tables suddenly burst to life as the plates magically filled themselves with food. Peter quickly looked down the table to see that the food wasn't as neatly prepared or quite as proportional as near their end of the table. He chuckled, telling himself he would have to thank Winnie.
"I think that this would answer your question," said Remus through a mouthful of apple tart, a few crumbs falling onto his robes.
"This year we have O.W.Ls don't we?" asked Sirius. "Wonder what classes are going to be like."
"Ah, thanks for reminding me. Here, I got these from the common room this morning." Remus said, mouth now empty, reaching into his bag. He produced four bits of parchment and handed them out. "Seems okay. Don't have doubles with Slytherin for awhile today."
"One thing I love about getting older," said James, scanning the parchment with his dark brown eyes. "Is that we have a fresh crop of first years to prank." He glanced sideways at a group of rather young looking students and sly smile slid across his face. "Aw the poor saps."
"Might want to watch it James," joked Peter. "We have a Prefect in the group now. We have to be careful."
"Remus won't turn us in if he wants our stash from the kitchens." Said Sirius, flinging a bit of tart at Remus. Remus skillfully caught it in his mouth. James, Sirius and Peter stared at him and suddenly burst out laughing.
"What?" demanded Remus.
"What you did..." gasped Sirius.
"Made you look," choked Peter.
"Just like a dog!" James finished. As the group laughed, Remus looked quite annoyed and stuck his tongue out at them. As the laughter winded down and the people in the Great Hall began to leave, they waited a bit before dashing off to class. According to the schedule, they had Herbology first.
"At least it's something somewhat enjoyable that forces us to pay attention." Said James airily. They were walking along the path to the greenhouses as they talked. "And I get to see Lily!"
"Geez James, you talk about her so much it sounds like you're in love with her or something." Commented Peter, hoping to draw some information out of James. He had always kept his friends in the dark as to his exact feelings about Lily.
"Call me crazy Wormtail," said James wistfully. "But I think I am."
The group was silent and Remus, Sirius and Peter stared at James.
"Wow..." said Sirius. "That's...wonderful James! You finally admit it! I say we celebrate this night. Who's up for sneaking into Honeydukes?"
"First night?" asked Remus.
"Excellent!" said Peter.
"Settled." Put in Sirius.
"Now why don't we go and hurry and see if we can lighten up the first day of term for our classmates hm?" said James as he sped up. The group followed him and laughed at some face he made as they entered the greenhouse.
"Guys, I have a question to ask you before we go in." said Remus.
"What is it Moony?"
"Do you...remember last year when you...?" he said nervously as a few students rushed into the greenhouse.
"Yeah, so?" asked Sirius. "We weren't dumb Remus and still aren't. We would have found out one way or another."
"Well, what I'm asking about is why we came up with our nicknames? I can understand Moony for me, but why did you want nicknames as well?" asked Remus quietly.
James, Sirius and Peter exchanged looks. Remus didn't know about their "plans." It was James who spoke up first. "Because Moony, you don't think you can be the only Marauder with a nickname do you? We came up with our lovely nicknames so your head wouldn't get too big."
"Oh," said Remus with a laugh.
"Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew! Are you coming in or not!" yelled Professor Sprout as she narrowed her eyes at them, as though trying to see if they were planning to cook up trouble in her class.
"Coming!" they said simultaneously as they ran in and quickly changed into their proper attire for Herbology.
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After Transfiguration, Charms, the History of Magic, the Marauders had double Potions with the Slytherins. It was probably one of the more uninteresting classes for the Marauders even if they were slightly fond of the teacher, Professor Gideon.
"Now, I am sure you have about the importance of your O.W.Ls this year my dear pupils and I should say you must be quite exhausted of hearing about their importance." Said Professor Gideon. "So, I shall note bore you with that little trifle but I shall say this, if you have any goals of succeeding in this world, you should try your best on them. With that, let us start right away shall we?"
With a wave of his wand, Professor Gideon let the directions for the potion appear on the board and the class set out to make it. James and Sirius were paired at a cauldron as Remus and Peter were paired at the one right next to them. As Remus helped Peter with his potion, a few of the Slytherins pointed and sniggered. Peter wished they would shut up; he was bad enough at Potions as it was.
But it did not stop. The Slytherins near them happened to be a few friends of Lucius Malfoy who was staying on one more year after his seventh to pick up a few more spells from the teachers. Instead they "whispered" a conversation that they wanted the Marauders to pick up.
"Look at the Lard Boy, needing help with his potions. Good thing he has that bookworm Lupin helping him otherwise he'd blow us all to bits!" sniggered a girl with pasty yellow hair, un-neatly done in a braid and pulled so tight it looked as if her skin was straining to stay in their roots.
"I've seen him eat I have," put in another student, a boy with muddy brown hair and watery blue eyes. "Like a maddened Hippogriff he his!"
"Makes me what to make me loose me own lunch!" put in a boy at the cauldron next to them.
"That's about enough!" growled Remus. "I'm a Prefect so you better watch your mouth!"
"Ooooh," said the group.
"Yeh going to give us detentions bookworm? Have us alphabetize yer precious library?" sniggered the boy.
"No," said Remus with an air of confidence. "I'll report you to Professor McGonagall and she'll talk to your house head. I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear how've you been acting."
That shut the Slytherins up, seeing as their house head did not take kindly to trouble makers that were actually reported. It was a miracle that a full out war didn't erupt between most of the Slytherin and Gryffindor house seeing as they had bitterness for so long. Every winter, the grounds were turned into a battleground between the two houses.
Peter flushed, angry at himself. 'Why can't I stand up for myself?' he thought, adding his potion ingredients. The potion turned a sickly pale of green and started to bubble. "Is that right Rem?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's a bit pale though but it will work. Great job Pete." Said Remus. "I reckon we're about done. Just need to get a bit into the flask like everyone else." Peter did as he was told and brought it up as most of the class finished and started to do the same.
Peter felt a small pride in placing the first flask on Professor Gideon's desk with a slight smile. Remus and Peter collected their things and stuffed them into their bags as they waited for Sirius and James. They smiled happily as they walked behind the Slytherins that had been teasing Peter. Sirius winked at them and they smiled and suddenly James "tripped" and went crashing into the boy with the flask of potion. They sprawled out on the floor and the flash burst open and oozed the potion onto the floor.
"So sorry mates. I'll run and get you some more," said Sirius, grabbing the flask off the floor. He made his way back to the cauldron where his school bag was strategically placed and he moved so that he was out of view. He pretended to refill the flask and "dropped" it again. "Er, sorry. I got it."
Peter watched as Sirius ducked down and pulled another flask from his school bag, tucking the real potion back into his bag. He glanced at Peter and flashed him the smile that won him many fancies from the girls. He slinked back up to the desk and put it down. With that he clapped James on the shoulder and the group exited the dungeons.
"What was that?" asked Peter.
"A wonderful Bubblegum Potion. The minute that Gideon opens it, it will stick to just about EVERYTHING." Laughed Sirius.
"What won't it stick to?" questioned Peter. It was near dinnertime and he was quite hungry.
"We think mostly eyeballs and bottoms." Said James. "Now how 'bout some food? I'm starving! I wonder what Lily's eating..."
"No, stop." Said the group together as they rolled their eyes. James stuck his tongue out at them and they walked in, happily, bellowing out another round of the school anthem.
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Author's Note:
Please forgive me for not updating. This is my first HP fic and I had quite a bother coming up with ideas. I am going to take quite a bit of time to try and get ahead so please be patient if the chapters are a little spaced out. I am currently getting ready to go back to school, work on this story and a fan fiction contest for
My sister, Lady of Tears won 3rd place last time. (I didn't enter.) So, we will both be entering this time and I people wish me luck! I'm gonna need it as this story is an example of how crappy my brain is. Tah!
Please review! (I love you...platonically)