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Warning for extreme wackiness that comes around whenever the Marauders are involved. Word count is 3,140 words. I hope you all enjoy The Date Plan.
Sirius let out a slow low sigh as he walked into the Gryffindor common room after his second detention of the week had ended. Truly he hadn't meant to get in trouble. He hadn't. But the opening to turn Snivellus's hair a vivid obnoxious shade of pink was sitting right there. Out in the open like the other boy didn't know it was going to happen.
He chuckled to himself at the thought of what the Snape boy had looked like. His baggy Slytherin uniform hanging from his shoulders. His hair had turned a horribly horrible shade of pink hanging over his face which had also amazingly turned a shade of pink that would have matched his hair. But all thoughts of pink-haired Snape went out the tower window when he looked into the common room proper.
There in the middle of the room pacing back and forth in the firelight cast by the fireplace was Peter. He looked like he was either going to cry or rip his hair out or a combination of the two. Which made Sirius wonder what was truly going on with his friend. He walked over and started pacing back and forth to match Peter's pace.
"Why are we walking back and forth in the common room, Wormy?" Sirius asked, looking over the chubby blond boy. "You aren't concerned about old Slughorn's homework assignment for the week, are you? You know that James has talked Lily into at least giving us all an outline to gather ideas from."
"It's not that," Peter said, raising his hands as though to put them in his hair but thinking better of it and letting them fall to his side. "It's more complicated than homework problems."
"More complicated than homework problems?" Sirius asked, musing as to what could be more complicated than homework problems. "That surprise quiz on Charms that Professor Flitwick keeps threatening to throw at us. You know he's not going to do that, Wormy. He likes us too much. We give the teachers a bit of levity to lighten up their day."
"Is that why McGonagall and Slughorn both gave you detention for turning Snivellus's hair pink?" Peter asked, something present and clear in his voice. It sounded like he was actually trying to be serious for a while. "Sirius, can you ever be serious about anything? This is an important matter to me."
"I'm always Sirius, Wormy," Sirius said with a chuckle. He then took one look at Peter's face and all levity left him. Something seemed to be genuinely bothering the happy-go-lucky boy. "Is everything alright, Peter? Is it your mother?"
"No," Peter said, shaking his head reassuringly. "Mum's fine. She sends her love to you guys by the way. It's a bit embarrassing."
"Now I have to know what it is," Sirius said, grabbing Peter's arm and dragging him over to one of the oversized red couches in the common room. "Spill the beans, Pete. What's going on with you?"
Peter's face went a shade of red that Sirius had never seen it take on before ever in the time he'd known the other boy. He looked like he was fighting internally over whether or not to tell Sirius what his problem was. But the side that seemed to be for telling won out.
"IlikeDorcasMeadowsandwanttoaskheroutbutcan'tfigureouthowtoaskher," Peter shouted, hiding his face in his hands.
Sirius could see several people looking over at them and wondered if Peter knew what he looked and sounded like to their peers. He must not because he was looking at Sirius expectantly. As though Sirius understood a thing that Peter had just said. All he could make out properly was Dorcas Meadows.
"Do you want to try that again, Peter?" he asked, motioning for the boy to lower his voice to a normal talking tone. "Preferably in an indoor type voice as McGonagall's always calling it during class."
Peter looked at his shoes and Sirius was afraid that he was going to repeat what he'd said. He was about to ask again when the blond started speaking.
"I like Dorcas Meadows," Peter said in a hushed tone of voice. "Ever since our fourth year." Sirius nodded for him to continue which seemed to give Peter the courage to finish off his confession. "I've wanted to ask her out for a while now but there's never been a proper time. I don't know what to do. What do I do, Sirius?"
"What exactly is a proper time for asking someone out, Pete?" Sirius asked, watching the smaller boy try and think out the question. He felt pity for the poor boy. Peter wouldn't be popular if it wasn't for James and Sirius. In fact, he was pretty sure that more people would pick on the small, chubby blond boy if the Marauders weren't his friends.
"I don't know," Peter said, putting his head in his hands looking like he was more defeated than Slytherin after James made a lunging leap for the Snitch to end their last Quidditch game.
Sirius's eyes lit up with delight as he caught sight of something across the common room on the notice board. "That," he said, pointing to the notice.
"Cleaning erasers for McGonagall sounds more like a punishment than something one would do on a date," Peter said, looking at the notice board too. "But if you think that Dorcas will find that to be a fun…"
"Not that one, Pete," he said, look down.
"Cat grooming classes?"
"Down one more."
"The Valentine's Day formal that Professor Maybelle from Muggle Studies is throwing," Peter said, looking at Sirius in abject terror.
"Yes. It's a school dance, Peter. Not some sort of plague."
"But that's the problem. I don't know how to ask her out. I don't know what to say or what to do. I tried to do it once but ended up stammering and tripping over my own tongue enough that I gave up halfway through."
"Well, Wormy, my dear friend, you've come to the right place for advice," Sirius said, putting an arm around Peter and leading him from the common room towards the stairs to the boy's dormitory. "I've asked out several girls in my storied career as a Hogwarts student. I know just the way you should ask her."
"This isn't going to be some big dramatic Sirius production, is it?" Peter asked as he followed Sirius up the spiral staircase. "I want to ask her out not make her want to avoid me because of how dramatic I'm being."
"I'm not dramatic," Sirius said, walking into the dorm where their other friends were sleeping. "What you have do is perform some sort of grand heroic gesture and then ask her to the dance, do you think you can do that?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Sirius," Peter said, shaking his head but knowing he was going to do it anyway. After all, Sirius did have more of a handle for this than Peter did. He'd asked out slews of girls where Peter was afraid to just ask out one.
The Next Night
Peter glared at Sirius as they sat in the common room and tried to brainstorm another idea to help Peter ask out Dorcas. To say that the first idea had ended badly would be an understatement of the facts. It had ended more than just bad. It had ended horribly. Terribly even.
"You were supposed to catch her before she went into the Black Lake, Peter," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "It also didn't help that you followed right after her and almost drowned the both of you in water that was high enough to stand in without needing to get your shirttails wet."
"I slipped on that soggy log you told me to stand on," Peter sighed. "What now?"
Sirius looked over at Peter deep in thought. This was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would. His eyes lit up with a maniacal light as an idea formed in his brain. He grabbed Peter's hand and drug him out of the common room and down many hallways to the Hogwarts kitchens.
"Do you know what her favorite desert is?" Sirius asked Peter, watching his friend go into thought.
"Treacle Tarts," Peter said, thinking of the mouthwatering confections that made Peter hungry. "I think that's her favorite. I've seen her eating them."
"Here," Sirius said, handing Peter a piece of paper that he'd magicked to be edible. "Write it down in a message and we'll sneak it to her in her tart. How does that sound?"
"Master Sirius, sir, might Ella suggest not doing that," a rather small, at least by house-elf standards, house elf said, wringing her hands as she looked up with the hugest bluest eyes either boy had ever seen. "Ella believes that the young lady will eat the message it won't be delivered."
"That won't happen," Sirius told both Ella and Peter. "She'll feel the paper in her mouth and take it out and read it."
"As you say," Ella said, taking the message and putting it into one of the confections that were set aside for tomorrow night's desert.
"Thank you, Ella," Peter said, watching as the house-elf's large elephantine ears turned a beet red.
The Next Evening at Dinnertime
Peter watched Dorcas without making it look like he was watching her. He had to see if she'd get his note. He wanted to see the look on her face. Most people wouldn't think of him as a charming person. They'd think that of James and Sirius. Maybe even Remus. But they'd think of him a little chubby no one. But if Dorcas didn't look disappointed at the fact that it was him he'd be very happy.
"Treacle Tart, Dorcas," Marlene said, calling Peter's attention to the spot of the table where Lily and her friends were sitting together.
"I can't," Dorcas said, causing Peter's heart to jump into his throat. "I broke a tooth earlier this morning and Madame Pomfrey fixed it. She said not to eat anything to9 solid for a few days just to make sure."
Peter looked over to Sirius who was looking back at him. Both boys were in shock of how terrible this plan was going. Then the shock turned to pure horror as Marlene picked up the tart that was meant for Dorcas and bit into it. She didn't stop eating until there was nothing left of the tart. She had eaten the note and all. Looks like Ella was right about putting the note in a tart after all.
"What now?" Peter asked, looking at Sirius as though begging him to take back what had just happened. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"Okay," Sirius said, taking Peter by the shoulders and shaking him a bit. "Calm down. You're making people stare at us." He pointed down the long table at the attention they were getting from their own house and then at the smattering of attention they were getting from the other tables. "It's not over yet. We still have our ace in the hole."
"What is that?" Peter asked, fearing that it was going to be some outlandish plan. He could already picture himself falling back into the lake because Sirius told him to do something like rescue Dorcas again.
"You can have one of your friends go up and ask her for you," Sirius suggested. "I can do it. Marlene and I are going to meet up with her for some studying."
"You don't study, Sirius," Peter pointed out.
"Which will send Dorcas out of the picture and back up to the common room…." He stopped mid-planning and smirked once more. Peter didn't like the look of that smirk. The last time that smirk had appeared he'd ended up in the Black Lake with a very angry and wet Dorcas glaring at him. "I just got an even better idea."
"Sirius, this doesn't include another trip into the Black Lake, does it?" Peter asked, fearing that it did indeed call for that.
"No," Sirius said, chuckling. "Although if you want another swim with the Giant Squid go right ahead."
"Not funny, Sirius," Peter said, folding his arms across his chest and looking pointed at Sirius. "What does this new plan entail?"
"All you have to do is be yourself and be in the common room in a few minutes," Sirius said, smirking at his own cunning. "The rest will take care of itself. Do you think you can do that, Pete?"
Peter nodded.
"Then for the last time," Sirius said, smiling and putting his hand on Peter's shoulder," get ready to commence with Operation Wormtail's First Date."
A few minutes later in the library
Dorcas couldn't believe the gall of Marlene. She had been invited here to study for the Charms quiz they were having tomorrow. Not sit here and watch Sirius and Marlene make out with each other. She could see that any old day of the week.
"You guys, are we going to study or what?" she asked, watching the two grow even more entangled in each other's arms. "Nevermind. I'm going back to the common room. You two have fun with what you're doing."
Dorcas packed up her bags and headed to the library door. If she'd have looked back she'd have noticed that Marlene and Sirius were watching her go with smirks on their faces. But she didn't and thus didn't see this.
She was very relieved when she reached the common room and found it practically empty save for Peter Pettigrew. If she was being honest with herself the strawberry blonde-haired girl had had a crush on Peter since first year. She'd just been too afraid to act upon it. She was afraid of being rejected and had tried her hardest to remain on the outskirts of every encounter her group and his had. But there were no groups around now to keep them from talking to each other.
Peter looked towards the common room door with a smile that warmed Dorcas all the way through. His smile was his best feature in her mind. He left the couch that he'd been sitting on and walked over to her.
"I thought you, Sirius, and Marlene were going to be studying in the library for a while," Peter said, trying to look like he wasn't as panicked about this encounter as she was.
"I was but you know Marlene and Sirius," she said.
"Yeah." He hesitated a bit before motioning towards the couch he'd just left. It was one the comfortable ones right next to the fireplace which was burning away merrily. "Do you want to sit with me for a while?"
"Um….uh...sure," she said, brushing a strand of her long hair behind her ear. "If you're sure that you want me to, that is."
"I am," Peter said, leading her past the sign that announced the dance. As though just noticing it for the first time he smiled. "Do you have anyone that you're going with to this dance thing the Muggle Studies Professor is throwing?"
"No," Dorcas said, looking at her feet. "Guys have asked but not the right guy. If you know what I mean?"
"Who's the right guy?" Peter asked, feeling his both crash and speed up at the same time. He'd fight this right guy person for Dorcas any day of the week. "Do I know him?"
"You do," Dorcas said, smiling. "He's cute. Kind of chubby but in an adorable sort of way. He's blond with the most beautiful blues you've ever seen. He has four friends that he hangs out with and he has no clue that I even exist."
"He sounds like an idiot," Peter said, not realizing that she'd just described him perfectly to the t. "How could he not know you exist? You're one of the most beautiful girls in this school and he'd be very lucky to be able to take you the dance. If he doesn't end up asking you, would you maybe want to go to dance with me?"
Dorcas giggled hating the way that she sounded just Marlene around Sirius. "Well, considering the fact that he just asked and he happens to also be you, I'd say that's a definite yes," she said, smiling as Peter tried to work out what she'd just said. Before she could lose her nerve she leaned over and kissed him. "Goodnight Peter."
She could hear Peter excitedly murmuring to himself as she headed up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. It was then that she realized she now had to buy some new dress robes for this dance next Hogsmeade weekend. She'd invite Lily and Marlene to make a day of the trip. She was very sure they'd like that very much.
Back in the Gryffindor Common Room
Sirius and Marlene tumbled back through the door of the common room to find Peter grinning like an idiot. Sirius said good evening to Marlene and watched as she skipped up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. Once he'd told her the plan after dinner she'd agreed to play along with him. After all, she did say she shipped it. Peter and Dorcas, that is. He walked over to the couch that he and Peter had sat on the first night he'd helped deal with this problem and sat down next to his smiling friend.
"So, how'd it go, Peter?" Sirius asked, watching the chubby boy's face light up even more if that was even possible.
"It went brilliantly," Peter said, fearing that his face was going to split in two from how much smiling he was doing. "I asked her and for a little while I was afraid she was saying no. Because she said that she'd been asked but not by the right guy."
"What happened next?" Sirius asked, leaning forward in interest.
"Well she started describing the guy to me and all the while I was getting jealous of this guy that I thought she was describing she was really describing me. I only found that out after asking if she'd go with me if the guy didn't ask her."
"Really?"
"She said that the guy who she described had just asked her out," Peter said, practically jumping out of his chair in his excitement. "I did it, Sirius! I got a date to the dance!"
"That's great, Pete," Sirius said, an alarming thought coming to his mind. "But now to solve a second problem you've got. What are you going to wear?"
This sent Peter into another round of panic which Sirius hadn't intended to happen. He finally quieted Peter down by saying that they'd all go dress robe shopping this Hogsmeade weekend coming up.
I hope you all enjoyed The Date Plan as much as I enjoyed writing it.
