A/N:  Hey, we're back.  Sorry that this chapter took so long.  Our computer got a virus on the hard drive and we had too wipe the memory blank.  Luckily, we had a rough draft of this chapter in our room.  Anyway, to respond to our reviews:

Blue Eyes At Midnight- Yeah, you've been taking French longer than we have (we're in our third year, but we plan to take it in all of our years in high school and college).

siriuszsecretlover- Thank you for the nice review!

Red English Rose- Yes, Peter is a strange kid, but he just might grow out of it...

je suis une pizza-  Hey, another French speaker!  Thanks for the review.

brenngt14-  blushes Thank you!  I hope that you enjoy this new chapter just as much as you did with the others.  We'll try to update more quickly.  We know that this one took a long time.

Kamden- Yes, Peter will eventually become their friend, but you will see how in chapters eight and nine.

freakin-person- Wow, lots of people put this fic under "favorites stories"?  We're glad that you loved the story too.

Alteng- Yeah!  Four reviews!  Peter is dim now, but once he starts hanging around Sirius, James, and Remus, he will eventually catch on.  He also has some tricks up his sleeve (like in chapter nine).  Peter plays a very pivotal role in this fanfiction too.

Chapter Five: The One With the Money

"This first month seemed to drag on forever, hasn't it?" Remus said one dull Saturday afternoon. Sirius sighed in agreement.

"Do we have any more homework to do?" James asked. Sirius shook his head.

"I'm bored. We need something to talk about." James looked at Remus and smiled, "How's the family?"

"Good. Haven't gotten an owl from them saying that someone's died or something."

"What are they like?"

"Nice, I guess. My dad works for the Ministry in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Department. My mum is a lawyer."

"She is a what?" Sirius asked.

"A lawyer. She goes to court with clients and she defends them. In court, she and the other lawyer argue over the case and..." Remus stopped explaining once he saw James and Sirius's confused looks, "she's a Muggle, by the way."

"Oh, you're a half-blood? I didn't know that." said James. Remus shrugged.

"I never thought that it mattered. My mum's sister is a Muggleborn, so the whole 'wizard' thing wasn't a big shock for her when she dated my dad. In fact, my aunt introduced my dad to my mum."

"How did your aunt and your dad know each other?" Sirius asked out of curiosity.

"They were Head Boy and Head Girl together." Remus said, "He was in Ravenclaw, and she was in Hufflepuff."

"That's cool," James stated, "my dad was in Ravenclaw too. Mum was a Gryffindor."

"You're a pureblood then?" questioned Sirius. James nodded in response.

"The funny thing about our family is that all of the men look like their fathers, but we all have our mothers' eyes and noses." Peter popped out of nowhere, at least that was what it seemed like.

"That's cool. My parents are purebloods too, but my dad's a squib."

"Peter, what are you doing?" inquired Sirius.

"I'm talking with you guys," Peter piped up, "that's what friends do!"

"Peter," James said slowly, "we are not your friends."

"When are you guys gonna move out of Phase Two?" Peter sighed.

"Phase Two?" The three of them wondered out loud.

"That's denial." Peter explained. Sirius, James, and Remus raised an eyebrow at each other. "My father taught me the 'Four Steps of Friendship': meeting, denial, proving worthy, and then friendship."

"Sounds like his father was a loser too." James whispered to the other two. Sirius snickered quietly, and Remus merely smiled. A pang of guilt quickly swept his smile off his face.

"Ya know, my dad used the 'Four Steps of Friendship' to win my mum over."

"What? You want to marry us?" Sirius asked jestingly.

"No! I don't want to marry ever!" The three boys pushed Peter into their dormitory.

"Now that Peter's gone," James turned to Sirius, "it's your turn."

"Yes," Remus joined in, "everybody acts funny around you. Why is that?" Sirius sat down and brushed his dark hair out of his face. James and Remus sat across from him.

"My family is a family of rich, arrogant Slytherins," he began, "almost every Black lives by the same Muggle-hating, snotty principles. My family tried to raise me to be like that as well. And I was for a few years, until I become friends with a Muggle. Before long, I secretly had many Muggle friends. If my folks found out, I would have been disowned." Sirius pulled a golden ring off of his finger. "This is a Black Family ring. All Blacks have it, and it's supposed to be worn on the middle finger of the right hand. I've worn this since the day I was born. It's enchanted to fit only me, and it grows when I do." He handed Remus the ring. James looked at it over his shoulder.

"See? The outside has my name, and the inside has the family crest and the Slytherin serpent." James watched the snake move around the ring, stop for a moment to flick its tongue out and to glare at Sirius, and then continuing it's never interminable cycle. "It's been angry at me ever since I got into Gryffindor." Sirius slipped the ring back on his finger.

"How rich is your family?"

"Extremely rich."

"Richer than the Murphys?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Remus asked him.

"Rich people like to brag." Sirius said, blushing furiously.

"Are you guys richer than the Crowes?"

"Yes." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"The Elbersons?" Sirius grabbed one of the throw pillows and covered his face ashamedly.

"Yes." He muffled.

"The Knightleys?"

"Yes."

"The Malfoys?"

"Shut up, both of you!" Sirius removed the pillow from his face. "You guys are so irritating!"

"But are you?" James persisted. Sirius laughed uneasily.

"Yes."

"Man! You guys are rich!" Peter exclaimed as he poked his head out from behind the couch.

"Peter? How did- weren't you in the dormitory?"

"I was."

"How did you get out without us seeing you?"

"I crept out, Remus duh."

"Why?"

"Well, rich person, we weren't done hanging out."

"You know what, Peter? You're right," James said, "we need to hang out. We'll meet you at the library in five minutes."

"Okay!" With that said, Peter walked off. Sirius turned to James.

"We're not really meeting at the library are we?"

"No," James scoffed, "he probably won't even find the library. I reckon he's never been in the library before."

"He's a strange kid." Remus added.

"Obviously! Did you hear how he makes friends? He stalks people until they give up!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Let's go outside."

"Yeah."

Peter was wandering around the fifth floor, nowhere near the library. He was hopelessly lost in the castle in which he had been living for the past month. He soon spotted a fellow Gryffindor across the hall. Peter took a deep breath and decided to ask for directions.

"Excuse me, but where is this so-called 'library?'" He asked as politely as he could.

"Huh?" The Gryffindor boy frowned. "We have a library?" Peter shrugged.

"That's what I heard."

"I dunno. Find it yourself." He left without the least bit of concern. Peter looked about hopefully for another student. He found a single, Hufflepuff girl. She seemed irate and was storming in Peter's direction.

"Hey, you're that Pettigrew kid who insulted Hufflepuffs on the first day!" She accused menacingly. "You will rue the day that you made us look bad!" She grabbed Peter and stuffed him in the nearest trash can.

It was a beautiful day outside on the Hogwarts grounds. Three Hufflepuff first years were jumping into piles of newly fallen leaves. A few students were watching a pair of Ravenclaw girls play a prolonged game of Wizard's Chess. Frank Longbottom and Alice Perkins, two fourth year students, were talking under an oak tree. Several students were playing "Who Can Get the Closest to the Whomping Willow Without Getting Killed?" And Snape was engrossed in a book on the other side of the lake. Sirius smiled at James and the pair sent spells at the water. Two giant waves glided across the surface of the lake and drenched Snape. He angrily put down his sopping book and hurled a stone at Sirius and James. He missed.

"Lighten up, Severus!" Sirius called, "We're just joking around!"

"We didn't mean anything." James added.

"Shut up, shitface!" Snape shouted back.

"Woah, woah!" James exclaimed as he cupped his hands over his ears. "My ears!"

"You just shot his virgin ears!" accused Sirius as he helped James cover his ears.

"What's your problem?" James inquired.

"You three idiots won't leave me alone!" Snape yelled.

"Leave me out of this," Remus finally said, "please."

Peter climbed out of the trash can once he decided that the coast was clear. He pulled the Drooble's Best Blowing Gum off his cloak and continued to wander aroundthe fifth floor. A Ravenclaw girl was reading a book to his right. She must know where the library is, Peter thought.

"Do you know where the library is?"

"Don't you?"

"No." Peter said sheepishly. She sighed.

"Second and third floor."

"We have two libraries?!"

"No, it's two stories."

"The library has only two books?!"

"No! It has two floors, two levels, with a staircase." she said slowly to make sure he got it.

"Oh good. That would be quite a pathetic library if there were only two books. So, what floor are we on?"

"Fifth."

"How far down is the second floor?" The girl groaned at his question and continued to read, ignoring Peter.

"I know it was you who spat in my potion, jinxed my wand in Charms, and blew up my lunch the other day!"

"And you play no part in this?" Sirius retorted. "You always retaliate, and push us in the hallways."

"You won't move!"

"We would if you asked!" James responded.

"I won't even bother!" shouted Snape.

"C'mon," Remus gestured for the other two to follow. "Let's watch the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team practice."

"Why? Quidditch is just a silly sport." James complained, but he went along anyway.

Peter had finally found the library. There was a problem, however. Peter never found his "friends." Even worse, Peter couldn't find the exit. He, again, was lost. He didn't want to ask for directions, because he feared that he would by yelled at again, or dumped in another trash can.

"They need one of those, um, non signs that say 'Exit.'"

"Neon," said a Muggleborn girl next to him, "a neon sign." And then she walked off.

Around one o' clock the following morning, Peter finally found his dormitory.

A/N:  Did you like the title?  I mean, Sirius is "The One With the Money." laughs  Okay, that joke sucked.  Don't be confused about James's opinion of Quidditch right now, you'll have to read more of this story to see what happens that causes him to change his mind.

Preview for Chapter Six

"It'll be a nice note."