Disclaimer: You have three guesses.

Another Peter chapter! It's up to you to decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway, I am very pleased as I have managed to write three chapters in three days, which is a record for me. Unfortunately, all that means is that productivity will probably start decreasing soon. Sorry!

And also, yes, I am concentrating on the sub-plot at the moment, but there will be more of the main plot later on.

When Peter woke up the next day, he had the nice feeling that accompanies having a nice dream. As he got ready for the day, he vaguely wondered what it was about. It was probably just one of those random dreams you have where everything is weird yet you are inexplicably happy about it.

'I'm going to breakfast,' he announced to his dorm-mates, as he stood by the door, his bag slung over his shoulder. In response Remus said something incomprehensible with his mouth full of toothpaste, and James grunted from where he lay half-asleep on his bed. Sirius looked up briefly from the previous week's Herbology homework, and nodded at him sleepily.

When Peter arrived in the Great Hall, he saw the sixth-year girls sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating their breakfast. Evans was slowly taking bites of her toast, her eyes only half open, while Hawling and Davies were having a drinking contest, to help wake them up. Gibson was watching and laughing; her braids had obviously been redone as they were no longer fraying at the edges.

When someone accidentally bumped into him, Peter realised he had just been standing there for the past minute or so, blocking the way. He hurried down the steps and settled himself down, by himself, a little ways down from the girls.

'Hah! I won again, Davies. Pay me,' said Caroline, wiping some orange juice off her lips.

'I am not paying you, Miss Hawling,' replied Sarah, 'It wasn't part of the deal, and you cheated.'

Caroline gasped dramatically.

'I did not cheat! I am offended by your baseless accusation!' she exclaimed, in an indignant way. Sarah raised her eyebrows.

'Let's see about that, shall we? Ostendo!'

Orange juice materialised in Caroline's glass. Caroline cursed under her breath, and Sarah smiled sweetly at her.

'Say it!'

'You won…'

'Yes, indeed I did.'

Sarah resumed eating her breakfast. Peter laughed to himself; he could easily imagine his friends doing that. He sighed and helped himself to some Cornflakes. As he was pouring the milk, he heard Sarah's voice.

'Pettigrew?'

He turned to look at her. 'Yes, Davies?'

'Come sit with us until your friends get here!'

Peter was surprised at the offer, but tried not to show it; instead he nodded and scooted down the bench, with his cereal, until he was next to her.

'Thanks,' he said, before tucking into his cereal. He was careful to keep his eating habits in check in front of the girls; he was glad he wasn't as bad as James or Sirius, as even if they toned down their gross eating habits, they would still disgust everyone in the five mile vicinity.

Pleasant conversation passed around the table. It was mostly Caroline, Sarah and Lily talking, with Peter occasionally answering any questions directed at him, and Suzie being exceptionally quiet. She was diligently making her way through a bowl which had been full to the brim of cornflakes, simply listening to the conversation, and nearly dipping her braids in scrambled eggs more than once.

'How did you get on with the Potions homework, Pettigrew?' Lily asked, as she fiddled in her bag.

'Oh, um, fine,' mumbled Peter, 'I'm missing two inches though.'

'Professor Slughorn probably won't mind too much. He never does on mine.'

'Yes, but you're just about his favourite pupil, and you never miss any inches anyway,' argued Sarah, 'But don't worry, Pettigrew, you'll be fine. I'm missing a foot. Caroline's missing a whole essay!'

'I had better things to do yesterday evening than Potions homework,' was Caroline's defence.

'Like set up Li –' Sarah then stopped herself. Lily looked up, her nose wrinkling in confusion.

'What?'

'Nothing, Lily.'

'No, I heard my name, I'm sure.'

'No, you didn't.' At Lily's sceptical look, she added, 'Please, trust me, Lily!'

Lily rolled her eyes and continued eating. While she wasn't looking, Sarah grimaced, in an embarrassed way. Suzie had to stop herself from laughing by taking in double the amount of cereal that fits in the mouth at once, and Caroline tried to concentrate what would have been laughter into a glare, but ended up with a bad case of twitching lips.

After the hysteria had died down, Peter decided to include Suzie in their conversation, instead of leaving her out on the side like all her friends were doing.

'Gibson, how did you get on with the Potions homework?'

Suzie looked up, with an air of surprise, like a deer caught in headlights. She swallowed her mouthful of cornflakes and mumbled,

'Oh, fine, I've got enough,' she mumbled, 'I have big writing.'

Peter nodded and smiled at her. She gave a sort of half-smile, and looked back down at her cereal. Seeing her reaction, Peter almost wished he hadn't asked her; she really was shy.

Saving Suzie any more embarrassment, the remaining three Marauders arrived at the top of the stairs. Sirius roared something to Peter and stormed down, Remus drifted towards the table, his head in a book, and James followed Sirius, but slightly less enthusiastically. They seemed to have become friends again.

'Peter!' yelled Sirius, plonking himself down next to him, 'I see you're sitting with the girls, you sly dog!'

'Or rather, you dirty rat!' agreed James, sitting across, 'How do you get the girls to sit with you, while Evans will never agree to go on a date with me?'

Lily glowered at him from her position further down the table, but he didn't seem to notice.

'It's nothing personal, Prongs, she won't go on a date with me either,' said Sirius.

'You've never asked me,' commented Lily.

'Will you go out with me?'

'No.'

'See?'

Caroline and Sarah mouthed 'persistence' at him. Sirius squinted in concentration.

'What? Position?'

The two girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but didn't answer. Instead they, having finished their breakfast, they picked up their bags.

'I left my textbook in the common room last night; will you come with me to go get it?' asked Sarah.

'Of course, Sarah,' said Caroline, 'Anyone else care to join us?'

They stared at Sirius intently, but he was paying undivided attention to his breakfast. Instead, Lily got up, grabbed her bag, and said, as she started to walk off with Sarah and Caroline, 'I'll go. Suzie?'

Suzie, despite not having finished, glanced at the three risen girls and quickly agreed. She grabbed her bag and ran over to them, her braids flying about and hitting her bag with dull thuds. Peter stared at the four of them until they got out of sight.

For the rest of the day, whenever the Marauders ran into the girls, Sirius asked Lily to go out with him. Peter could see both James and Lily getting more and more irritated; it was obvious that although James and Sirius had made up, their friendship was still on rocky ground.

That evening, in the common room, both of them blew a fuse.

'I will never go out with you, Sirius Black!' yelled Lily, slamming her textbook as he asked her again. 'You're as bad – no, worse – than James Potter, and I never thought I could say that about anyone!'

Forgetting her things in her rage, she stormed up the stairs. Sirius turned to the remaining three girls.

'Look, I've tried my best, can we just give it up now?'

'No,' said Caroline, 'We'll convince her.'

'How are we supposed to do that, Caroline?' asked Sarah.

'We'll find a way, never fear, ma chérie.'

'Ma chérie? How do you know French?'

'Ah, you learn something new every day. But we will work on it, Black, so you're not going to give up, are you?'

'Um…'

'Are you?'

'Of course not, Hawling. I would never even consider it.'

Caroline nodded and waved him away with an airy hand gesture. Sirius slouched back over to Remus, Peter and James, and said,

'Sorry, Prongs, Hawling still wants me to go out with Evans.'

James just looked at him, and snapped, 'Are you a Gryffindor or are you not?'

'That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard you say, James,' said Remus.

'Geez, no need to get so mad about it!' yelled James, and he, in a similar way to Lily, stormed up the stairs.

'He's really taken this Evans thing badly,' said Sirius.

'Yes, well, you could stand up to Hawling,' commented Remus.

'But… she knows!'

'Knows what?'

'She knows!'

'Yes, we gathered that,' said Peter irritably, 'But what?'

'I'm going to bed,' Sirius said, and he got up, and did so. Remus and Peter rolled their eyes at each other.

What could Hawling know that has so much power over Sirius? thought Peter. He sighed, and shook the thought from his mind, and concentrated on his Transfiguration homework.

Graph paper is this chapter's review topic. Deal with it.

Hepsa