A/N: Ok, this is really important, so I hope you all read this. My computer got a virius, which corrupted the windows file. I can't seem to fix it, and that is why I haven't uploaded in a while. My apolagies. Unfortunatly I only have this chapter saved online, the rest are just on my hard drive. I honestly have no idea if my files will still be there when I get my computer fixed, and well, if they are gone, I will be very very sad. Not only has this story reached 200 pages on Microsoft Word, but I had several other things saved to my computer. So lets all cross our fingers and hope the files are still there...thanks! Anyway, here's the bad news. If I did indeed lose everythigng, I don't know if I will be continuing on with this. I don't care too much that no one commented on the last few chapters, because I was writting this for me, I needed a creative outlet. Unfortunatly, if the story is lost, that is an awful lot to replicate. Even though the first 8 chapters was a good chucnk of the story, I had so much written already, including the last few chapters, and some really important and hard to write stuff that comes later in the story. This is where this author's note becomes very important. IF I lose my files, and that's a big if, it will be up tro my readers if I try to redo this story. If only one person (and I am serious, so speak up) wants me to continue on, I will, as soon as i get a working computer back, and I promise to upload chapters here so at least they are saved online as soon as they are done. It will take longer for updates, becasue frankly, I have other things to do and the early Hogwarts years were really hard for me, but I will do it and if you bear with me, I will try to make it as fabulous (in my opinion) as the version I lost. So, please, if you want me to continue on, let me know. If I get my computer back with the files intact, I will update regardless of what you say, but I really can't tell for sure until my computer is running again. So please, let me know if i should start thinking about trashing this story, or if i should be prepared o rewrite all that I may have lost. Its all up to you!

Just the Two of Us

A lonely mother gazing out of her window
Staring at a son that she just can't touch
If at any time he's in a jam
She'll be by his side
But he doesn't realize he hurts her so much
-"Waterfalls" TLC

Peter Pettigrew loved his life. His mother lived to make him happy. She would spend hours a day baking pies, cookie and cakes for her son to scarf down.

The Pettigrew family lived a comfortable life in a comfortable home in a comfortable town a comfortable distance between city and rural life. Mr. Pettigrew had a decent job working for the Ministry of Magic, where he earned a decent paycheck that supported the Pettigrew family's comfortable lifestyle. Mrs. Pettigrew didn't have a job, but rather made a full time job out of pampering the couple's only son.

Peter grew up sheltered from kids his age. His mother never let him stray to far away from the house, or stay out too late. Peter didn't mind. Up until the age of eleven, Mrs. Pettigrew was her son's best friend. They would play wizards chess (which Mrs. Pettigrew would let her son win), and read together. As Peter began reading on his own, they would sit together on the front porch, Peter reading a book or magazine, and Mrs. Pettigrew knitting.

One sunny afternoon in late April 1969, the news came. Mrs. Pettigrew was knitting a blanket for Peter's bed, and Peter was reading a comic about Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. A messenger from the ministry came up to the porch. Nervously he said, "Mrs. Pettigrew, your husband has been taken to St. Mungo's hospital with chest pains. I am here to escort you and your son to the hospital to see him."

Mrs. Pettigrew gasped and dropped her knitting. Peter never took his eyes off the comic in front of him. Mrs. Pettigrew grabbed him by the arm and led him to the ministry car waiting at the end of the driveway. She sat in the back seat with Peter while the ministry messenger sat in the front passenger seat.

The drive to St. Mungo's wasn't very long. Before Peter even had the chance to finish his comic book, they were at the hospital. The entrance was concealed behind the window display of an abandoned department store, Purge and Dowse Ltd. They walked through the glass into the hospital lobby. Peter had never been to St. Mungo's before, and was in awe of what he saw. There were witches and wizards everywhere, some looking very healthy, others sporting strange ailments.

The ministry wizard led the Pettigrew to the second floor, and into a small ward. Mr. Pettigrew was laying, asleep in a bed at the end of the hall. Mrs. Pettigrew tried to run over to him, but the healer stopped her.

"Mrs. Pettigrew, your husband suffered from a heart attack. This is not a common ailment for wizards, as we have the finest potions for controlling the heart and bloodstream, but for whatever reason it happened. We have given your husband several potions to steady his heart, but there is only so much we can do."

Peter watched his mother's stature slump significantly. It was obvious even to the nine year old boy that something was very wrong with his father.

"Is he…" Mrs. Pettigrew started to ask.

"We can't say for sure right now, but it isn't looking good. The main artery into his heart has been blocked by high levels of cholesterol, and even if he survives this heart attack, it is likely he will suffer another one in the near future."

"What –why –" Mrs. Pettigrew stumbled through her words.

"High fat foods, not getting regular checkups and physicals, high levels of stress, any number of things. Your husband is slightly on the obese side, and that makes it harder for his heart to work."

"So it's my fault! All I ever wanted to do was be a good wife, and I killed him!" Mrs. Pettigrew was in tears. Peter walked away from his mother and over to a witch who was snoring loudly on the other end of the hall. She woke up when she heard him walk up to her.

"'Oo are you?" She asked in a deep, sleepy voice.

"P-Peter." He answered.

"'Ello Peter. Are you 'is boy?" She asked, pointing to Mr. Pettigrew's bed."

Peter nodded his head.

The witch didn't say anything else. Peter lost interest in her after a few minutes of silence and wandered back to his mother. She was now sitting in a chair next to his father. She was mumbling incoherently through heavy sobs.

The funeral came a week later. Peter was dressed in black dress robes. He said goodbye to his dad's lifeless body at the cemetery moments before his casket was lowered into his grave. Mrs. Pettigrew was a mess of tears the entire day. Peter escaped to his bedroom, and read the latest Martin Miggs comic. Friends and relatives thought he was grieving the only way he could, but Peter really just wanted to read Martin Miggs's latest adventure.

The weeks after the funeral were weird. People kept stopping by, making dinner and staying late into the night. Peter didn't understand what was wrong with his mother. She always cooked him dinner, even if she was so sick she could barely stand. Now she was refusing to enter the kitchen at all.

A year after his father's death, Peter was stuck eating salads and skimpy meals. His mother seemed to have blamed herself for her husband's early demise, and did everything in her power to prevent the same fate from happening to her son.

This infuriated Peter to no end. He loved his mother's cooking, and all of a sudden it had turned dry. What would it take to bring back the pies?

Two years after Mr. Pettigrew's death, and the food situation had actually taken a turn for the worst. With no source of income, the Pettigrew's money supply was dwindling. Some nights, Peter would go to bed with his stomach not entirely filled. Mrs. Pettigrew did the only thing she could do to save herself and her son, get a job. She found work as the hired help for some wealthy old witch, Eleanor Hagsby. Mrs. Hagsby requested that Mrs. Pettigrew and Peter move into her home, which was more that large enough for three people, let alone just one. She said she missed having children in the house, and instantly began to spoil Peter.

It seemed that in light of the recent financial problems Mrs. Pettigrew had faced, she had forgotten all about her grief, and her vow to save her son from his father's terrible fate. Mrs. Pettigrew would pamper Mrs. Hagsby and Peter with sweets and cakes, and lavish meals.

Three months into Mrs. Pettigrew's new job, Peter received his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

Dear Mr. Pettigrew,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Peter went to show his mother, who was serving tea to Mrs. Hagsby. Both women were excited to hear Peter's news.

"Excellent Peter! I suppose a trip to Diagon Alley is in order." Mrs. Hagsby said excitedly. "Oh how I have missed this, children starting school."

"When can we go Mum?" Peter asked anxiously.

"Not today Peter, darling, I have work to do."

"Nonsense Delilah, your work can wait. We will take Peter to Diagon Alley toady. Go and get you shoes Peter."

Mrs. Hagsby surprised the Pettigrews by purchasing all of Peter's school supplies, telling Mrs. Pettigrew that if she wanted to but her son something it should be a pet.

Peter walked around the Magical Menagerie for a while before settling on a big white rat. Mrs. Pettigrew told him to pick out something practical, but Peter wouldn't hear any of it. They left the Magical Menagerie with the rat Peter had picked out and named Scabbers.

The last month of the summer flew by. Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Hagsby shared stories and memories of their own school days, making Peter even more anxious for school. Of course he didn't want to leave his mother, but this was Hogwarts!

A/N: Ok, I'm sorry, but I was having so much trouble with Peter's chapter. I just can't imagine what his childhood was like as well as I can with everyone else! Maybe it's because I don't like him so much, but I am really trying to remember that at one point he was good, or at least not evil! Also, I think it has something to do with me being burnt out from the previous six chapters. 11 years is a lot to cover in one chapter, and to do it seven times! Whoa! Luckily, this is the last single character/background chapter I have to write. They were so hard to write because they focused on stuff before school, and for the characters I am just butchering, it was very difficult. My own three characters was easy, but that was only two out of seven chapters. I hope that these first seven chapters have set the stage for my characters in this story, and that you all enjoyed them. Now you get to watch eight 11 year olds grow up before your very own eyes! I'm sure you just can't contain the excitement, so I will leave you to speculate what's coming up next (ok, that was a joke…I haven't started anything yet!) And again I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.