To Be Loyal

Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: HP is JK's.

A/N: Important regarding the Quidditch match: I changed the schedule back to canon due to a change in plans. So Gryffindor is playing Hufflepuff, which is mentioned in this chapter. If you're reading this after 1/2/21, you can disregard this.

Sorry it has been so long. I have almost all of Chapter 20 done, though (I decided to split this chapter into two) and I had some other changes to make. Chapter 20 will be out soon.

I'm wondering if the tone of TBL has been too cheerful lately. Things are definitely going to get harsher pretty soon, so if you're bored, just wait. It's going to get wild.

Also, I changed the summary, my usual style for internal character thoughts-I'm generally not going to use italics for that anymore-and the Hogwarts letter format has been cut down to just the date.

I don't think I'm going to use a canon and fanfic quote each time from now on… probably just the fanfic one unless I find a good canon one that fits. There is one canon quote that I've been saving for a certain chapter way down the line, though. I'm telling you, I've got a plan…

I haven't been giving credit to my beta reader, Rachel, who has beta'd the last few chapters or so and given me feedback on all the ones before that. I appreciate you!

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.

"You could try just reporting what the Slytherins are doing to the teachers, rather than rushing in." —Peter Pettigrew to James Potter and Sirius Black after an altercation with Snape, Avery, and Mulciber

January 29, 1977

The older Gryffindors-especially Sirius-took the excuse of James and Lily's relationship and their success in the fight to throw a party. James, Sirius, and a band of older Gryffindors snuck down to Hogsmeade behind Lily's back and returned with several cases of Butterbeer; a punch bowl and several varieties of Wizarding candy were acquired from the Kitchens, and Ava Williams started playing a hit debut song by a band called the Weird Sisters on her magical record player. Peter watched Ava tie her long brown hair back and began searching through her records for the next song to play, her lips pursed thoughtfully. Her clear complexion was only marred by the mottled purple bruise Mulciber's punch had left. Ava glanced up, her piercing gray eyes landing on Peter, and he quickly looked away.

Peter sat back in his chair and smiled at the antics of his housemates. The furniture of the Common Room had been moved to the edges of the room to make space for the dancers. Sirius was in the thick of it, a slightly manic grin unleashed upon his face as he successfully kept up with the quick rhythm of the song, which was called "Do The Hippogriff." It encouraged the crowd to dance like different magical creatures, and Sirius invented a goofy move for each of those lyrics. The crowd around him laughed as they tried to match him. It was a tad silly, but no one seemed to mind. Peter wasn't much of a dancer, but he clapped along to the beat while sipping a glass of smuggled Firewhisky under Remus's reproachful gaze.

The comforting buzz of the Firewhisky partially resolved the anxious knot in Peter's stomach. As Sirius had told them earlier, the conflict with the Slytherins was only going to escalate, and Peter would bet his broom that their enemies were already planning their next moves. They were from the house of the cunning, after all.

Gryffindor had the upper hand for now, but Peter knew that probably wouldn't last. Sirius, James, and Lily were the better fighters, but the Slytherin leaders had cunning, numbers, and organization on their side. Their next move would likely escalate the violence of the conflict significantly.

Peter would keep his wits about him. He'd be fine. He took a swig of Firewhisky, and a fiery sensation in his stomach seemed to burn his worries away.

"At least I'm participating in the party a little bit," Peter said as Remus shot him another glare. In response, Remus rolled his eyes and returned to the notes he was writing. Peter wasn't sure what he was working on-it didn't look like an essay, and the two animated wolf statues Remus had enchanted to help the Marauders sneak around were prowling across the desk.

"Oi, Padfoot!" Peter called when he saw his friend's long, dark-haired head separate from the throng and head toward the refreshments. "Moony is studying!"

Sirius acted as though Peter had just informed him that a horrible crime was taking place. "No, no, this will not do at all," he said, a stricken note in his voice, and hurried over to them. "I appreciate you helping me research, Moony, but you don't have to work on it right now!"

Peter wondered what project they were working on, but the thought was quickly swept aside as Sirius dragged both Remus and Peter to their feet and over to the dance floor. "Sorry that James, Lily, and I have been doing our own thing lately," he told them with uncharacteristic diffidence. "Let's enjoy the party, yeah?"

Taken aback, Peter could only nod as Sirius ushered him forward toward the center of the crowd, where James and Lily were dancing together and laughing.

The party escalated over the next hour as Gryffindors snuck their Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw friends into the Tower. It was a bit of a blur for Peter, who had another glass or three of Firewhisky that eventually left a scorched taste in his mouth. The music seemed to shake the ground beneath his feet; he lost track of the other Marauders and found himself trapped among the dark shapes of the crowd. He vaguely recalled trying to copy Sirius's dance moves and falling on his face. He was pretty sure James and Remus had helped him up to the dorm.


The next day, Peter felt as though a railroad spike had been driven through his forehead. He moaned and pressed both hands to his temples, trying to suppress the throbbing pain.

"Hey, Pete," someone said, and Peter cracked an eyelid. Thankfully, the curtains around his bed had been drawn, and the dim light didn't sear his sensitive eyes. "How're you feeling?"

Peter groaned and forced his eyes open. Remus was sitting at his bedside, offering him what appeared to be a freshly brewed hangover relief potion. Peter seized it and drained it quickly, nodding his thanks.

"Thanks for not saying, 'I told you so,'" Peter mumbled.

Remus shrugged, though he couldn't suppress a slight smile. "You should thank James and Lily for the potion."

"Where are the others?"

Remus's smile faded. "During the night, the Slytherins painted graffiti all over the castle. It's the same kind of garbage that was on the papers Lily burned. James, Sirius, and Lily are leading teams to try to get rid of it all. They've got about half of Gryffindor involved."

"Bloody hell," Peter hissed, sitting up straight in bed. He slid out of bed and stood up, ignoring the fact that he was still wearing his robes from the previous day. He stumbled and his stomach churned unpleasantly, but his headache had eased somewhat. This was the sort of thing he could help with.

"Hey, take it easy," Remus said, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go help," Peter said as he looked around for his wand. He snatched it off his bedside table and tucked it in his robe pocket. "Are you coming?"

Remus gave him a curious, questioning look, but he nodded. "Alright."

As Peter and Remus descended the ancient moving staircases, they were forced to wait several times for one to swing into the position they wanted. In addition, one of the trick stairs had somehow migrated three steps down, which caught Peter off guard.

"Bloody castle is being impossible today," Peter grunted as he struggled to yank his leg free of what appeared to be solid stone.

Remus grabbed him under the arms and pulled him free, and Peter nodded his thanks. He brushed brown bangs out of his eyes-his hair was really getting rather long-and the two of them hurried down the stairs to the second floor before they could move again.

They found James there with Frank, Alice, Ava, Professor Fenwick, and two other Gryffindors gathered around the Defence Professor's office. Painted in stark red letters on the door was: WHERE LOVING MUGGLE FILTH WILL GET YOU. Soap residue on the wood spoke to the Gryffindors' efforts to use Scouring Charms on the message, but they obviously hadn't had much success. Peter realized that the Slytherins must have enchanted the paint to make it resistant.

Fenwick stared at the message for a long moment, and Peter wished that he could've seen Fenwick's face at that moment. Then the Defence Professor raised his wand and swept it sideways, and the paint dried and peeled away from the wood. Fenwick flicked his wrist, and the shreds of dried paint turned to ash. The towering, thin man limped into his office and slammed the door.

The group stood in silence for a long moment, and then James spoke. "C'mon. Let's go." Remus and Peter melded seamlessly into the group as they marched back toward the Grand Staircase.

"Good to see you on your feet, Pete," James said with a strained smile, and Peter smiled bashfully and nodded. His friend looked none the worse for wear from the party, although his black hair was as untidy as ever.

"I'm impressed by all the people you mobilized for this, James," Peter said. "Your leadership's proving to be pretty effective. Bodes well for the new organization you're building."

James's old cocky smile appeared for a moment. "Well, you know, we have to do what the times require of us, and all that."

"Why did they choose to paint that message specifically on his door?" Peter pried.

James's face turned slightly pale as he shook his head. "That's his business. He lost someone close to him, that's all I'll say."

Ava skillfully changed the subject. "We already dealt with some disgusting threats on McGonagall's door," she said, and the other Gryffindors-Hunter MacDougal and Patricia Blake-nodded in a rather self-satisfied way.

Remus and Marlene quickly struck up a lively conversation about how James and Sirius's mirrors and Remus's enchanted wolf statues might help the new defence group, and Peter drifted toward the back of the group as they passed under a grand stone arch and advanced up the staircase. Shadows from the slowly swinging staircases passed over the group as they gained altitude within the tower. Peter fell into step beside Ava and glanced sideways at her, trying to think of a way to broach the subject on his mind. He didn't know her all that well, but he'd found himself looking at her more and more since the night of James's speech, as they crossed paths in the halls and at a Potions study group. She liked to laugh, and usually had a carefree air about her that Peter liked

"Looking at my shiner, Pettigrew?" she asked, shooting him a friendly, teasing smile.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked abruptly, then quickly added, "if you don't mind."

"Get in the way of a guy twice my size?" Ava said, her silvery eyes twinkling. "Well, I was about to shove my wand in his face and curse him-you see, I figured he wouldn't be able to cast before me if I stepped out in front of him unexpectedly, and I was right, I just didn't expect him to punch me."

Peter blinked at the sudden flood of nonchalant chatter. "Still, that had to take some guts."

"Well, you know, I really didn't like what he said to Evans," she explained as she twirled her wand between her fingers absentmindedly. "Freaked me out a little. And Muggleborns have to look out for each other, and I saw he was going right for her. So I got in the way and-well. It didn't go so great, but sometimes that's how it goes when you choose to get in the way of people like Mulciber." She probed the bruise with her fingers and winced.

"Yeah," Peter said, unsure of how to properly answer that. Her way of thinking was antithetical to his own, but to his own surprise, he was interested rather than repelled by it. James and Sirius seemed to have the same kind of pure bravery, but they were powerful and perpetually by each other's side. This girl had stepped in front of Mulciber for someone that Peter didn't think she knew all that well.

"I liked the music you played last night," he said instead.

"I could tell from your dancing!" she said brightly, and Peter tried to keep himself from blushing. "I've been a Weird Sisters fan since well before they went big," she said. "Everyone thinks 'Do the Hippogriff' is a riot, but-"

"'Magic Works' is amazing and no one appreciates it," Peter said at the same time she did.

"Yes!" she said, her eyes lighting up. "I love that song!"

"It's one of my favorites," Peter agreed, smiling to himself. James and Sirius had rolled their eyes when he played that song in the dorm, but he'd enjoyed it.

"Merlin, that's great. See Hunter, I'm not the only one!" she said loudly, and Hunter gave her an exasperated eye roll over his shoulder.

"Peter, Ava, hurry up!" Remus called, and Peter was about to make fun of him for sounding like a kindergarten teacher when he realized that the two of them had fallen well behind the rest of the group, and the staircase they were on was about cast off from the fourth-floor landing where the others stood.

They clambered up the stairs quickly, but the staircase swung away from the edge before they reached it.

"We'll make our way around!" Peter called to the others. He and Ava clung to the railing as the staircase swung across the tower and locked into place against another landing with a thud.

They kept up their conversation as they found a staircase and made their way to the fourth floor. Peter had known that Ava was from Wales but he discovered that while she loved Hogwarts, she preferred the hidden Wizarding castle of Brookshire near her hometown of Cardiff. She was average in her classes save History of Magic and Ancient Runes, which was her passion. She hoped to become a magical archaeologist one day-"I really wish Binns would teach us about the ancient Wizarding civilizations that I want to learn more about, there's so much we haven't uncovered"-and discover long-lost magical runes that might have modern applications. Peter had never heard of a career quite like that before, and he thought it sounded brilliant.

"My mum's a nurse too," Ava said, "but we don't live right in the middle of Cardiff. It must be awfully exciting to always be seeing new people and watching new businesses pop up."

"I hadn't thought of it that way before," Peter admitted, "though I do know the Alley like the back of my hand."

"I'll have to drag you with me next time I go shopping," Ava said, shooting him a sideways grin and stumbling on one of the steps. Peter reached out and steadied her before she could fall. Ava's hand lashed out and took hold of the railing, and she winced as she stared down at the polished stone underneath their feet. "Ouch, thanks. Hogwarts' staircases aren't kind to falls."

"No problem," Peter said as they continued up the stairs. He realized that he had been wearing a broad smile for the past several minutes, and he decided to let it be. The Marauders chatted all the time, but Peter often ended up blending into the background. Ava and her seemingly irrepressible spirit drew him in without any real effort on his part.

He was a little disappointed when they finally caught up to the others.