:Chapter Fifteen:
"Wake u-hup." Peter said as he shake James awake.
"Hmrf…" was the only thing he got in reply.
"It's ten to one, James." Peter let him know, sitting down on the bed, making it shake heavily. "McGonagall can be here any minute."
"Even Sirius is already out of bed." Remus added. "You don't want to welcome her in your shorts, now do you?"
James turned around and grinned at Remus.
"Would she mind?" he said playfully.
Remus sighed. "I bet she won't. But she'll be forever traumatized if she sees your hair like that."
"Hmrf." James said again, burying his face into the pillow.
"You should be finished in exactly seven minutes." Peter said, checking his watch.
James mumbled something.
"We don't understand you when you talk into the pillow, Prongs." Remus said on a singsong way, taking a comb through his hair.
James lifted his face out of the pillow and said: "But I still have to take a shower."
"For Merlin's sake, James. You've take a shower nine hours ago." Remus said, still not able to understand James's mind in some situations.
"If you'd just fixed your hair and gotten dressed, instead of lying in your bed and having this useless convy, you would have been finished by now." he added sweetly. "It's not dinner with the Queen. It's just a picnic with your Professor Transfiguration. Now get your lazy arse out of that bed."
James produced another complaining sound, but sat up, yawned, scratched his head and went into the bathroom.
Sirius, who was in there too, was busy getting dressed.
"Good morning, sunshine." Sirius said, seeing sleepy James walk in.
"Morning," James muttered, turning the tap open and placing his hands under it.
"Could you move please? King coming through." Sirius said, pushing James playfully aside.
James, however, was just about to throw a hand full of cold water in his face, which now landed all over his bare chest.
"Ah! Bloody hell, that's cold!" he said, pushing Sirius back.
Sirius laughed and splattered some more water over James, who, in his turn did the same to Sirius. It quickly turned into a proper water fight.
The door opened and Remus appeared into the opening.
"She's he-" he stopped and sighed hopelessly, seeing his best friends - who had from the beginning always had been a bit too childish – being soaking wet and laughing joyfully.
"If the two kids are finished playing," Remus said sweetly, "I'd kindly request them to hurry. She's already here."
"But I have to change clothes." Sirius said.
"That'll dry in the sun." he replied with a smile and left.
By the time James had gotten dressed and he and Sirius had fixed their hair, it was already a quarter past one. When they got outside, the others were all waiting but both Minerva and Remus laughed because of the angelic faces James and Sirius pulled.
"Come on. Let's go." Mr Pettigrew suggested.
And they went off.
They settled themselves on a field usually used by Muggles to play volleyball, but the net was broken, so no one was there to use it.
Peter's parents had brought some stuff too, so they had a lovely brunch in the sun.
"So how's our Peter doing at school, Professor McGonagall?" Mrs Pettigrew asked.
"Mu-hum!" Peter said through gritted teeth, his face turning red.
"Just fine, ma'am." Minerva replied. "And if he has any problems with his homework, he gets all the help these gentlemen – she nudged towards Remus, Sirius and James – can give him. Though he does sometimes seem to take too much advice from his friends. This time her eyes only rested on Sirius and James.
Mrs Pettigrew shot a look at Remus, who had just said the other day Peter wasn't effected by Sirius and James's behaviour at all. But Remus seemed to have spotted a bird in a tree, which he seemed to find very interesting indeed.
"Don't worry, Mrs Pettigrew," Minerva continued. "Mr Lupin is keeping an eye on them. Peter will graduate without any extreme difficulties next year."
This seemed to relax Mrs Pettigrew a bit.
"If he's any trouble, I trust you will inform us right away." Mr Pettigrew added.
Minerva smiled. "I promise I will, though it's really not necessary. He's a good boy that does his best."
"So, anyone feel for a tangerine?" James said, opening the net.
Peter praised James into the heavens for changing the subject.
When they were finished eating, they just lounged on the brightly sunlit lawn. Remus made some new friendships with some squirrels, by giving them some toast, while Peter, James and Sirius were playing some silly hide and seek game in the woods.
Minerva was having a pleasant conversation with Mr and Mrs Pettigrew about Hogwarts and it's teachers and students., while sometimes casting satisfied looks at Remus, while she heard the other boys, running laughing and shouting through the woods.
Around five o'clock they decided to call it a day and packed. Minerva left and Peter's parents and the four friends themselves broke down the tents. Everything was finished around seven o'clock.
"What time will our Portkey be put in order?" James asked, zipping the sack of the tent close.
"Let's see," Mr Pettigrew said, reaching into his pocket. He took out a map which showed the times of the Portkeys towards the direction which it was pictured on.
"Where do you have to go?"
James walked over to him and pointed out where he and Sirius had to go.
"Okay… you should be there in ten minutes. What about yours, Remus."
"Mine goes at half past eight. I already checked." Remus said.
"Ours at a quarter to eight. Let's go, or else you'll miss it." he said to James and Sirius.
They nodded and they all left for the Portkey Activation Section. Peter had asked Sirius if he could carry Mayor Muggle and so he happily walked a long with Mayor Muggle curled around his neck.
When they arrived at the spot where they had to be, they had to say good bye.
"Thank you once again, Mr and Mrs Pettigrew," James said politely. "I had a great time."
"You're welcome." they both answered.
"You too, Worm."
"That's alright." Peter said.
"Can I have my Muggle back?" Sirius asked.
Peter laughed because of the silly sentence and handed the iguana back to Sirius, who placed him on the tent sack.
"See ya all," Sirius said. "Bye Mr and Mrs Pettigrew."
"Bye Sirius."
"See you at school!"
James and Sirius walked over to the group of people they'd also arrived with, though one family was missing. (they had probably left yesterday)
They waved and took hold of the purple umbrella, being used for a Portkey. Within minute they were gone.
Remus noticed a tension falling off Mrs Pettigrew's face, who was apparently very relieved the boys had left.
"Maybe," Mr Pettigrew started, "we could go and have a drink at the camping restaurant. Remus's leaves in one hour."
And so they went to have a drink. When they had arrived at the Portkey Activation Section again, Mrs Pettigrew took Remus aside for a minute.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked, as he was taken away from his friend.
Mrs Pettigrew finally stopped and turned to him.
"I heard from your Professor – and I noticed myself- that you are a reasonable person, Remus…" she started.
Remus blushed.
"Why, thank you ma'am."
"I would kindly ask you to let Peter hang around more than with James and Sirius. As you have noticed, I don't think their rash behaviour is any good to Peter."
Remus thought for a moment.
"After so many years, I don't even notice it anymore," he lied "but I must admit, they do have their moments of utter rashness." Remus said, trying to make it sound as if they weren't that bad at all.
Mrs Pettigrew sighed, putting a string of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"It's just that Peter told us all these great stories about all of you, but the others appeared to be a bit different then he had told us. I'm sure they're really nice… as friends… but Peter needs a guide-"
Remus smiled friendly.
"Professor McGonagall already gave me the job of looking after all of them."
"Then I hope you'll succeed your mission." She said friendly, ending the conversation.
"I'll do my best." Remus promised, as they walked back to Peter and his father.
When Remus had said good bye and left, Peter and his parents waited for fifteen more minutes and went home too.