1
"Alright, Peter, try again. Concentrate," Professor Solaris my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher said, I nodded. I aimed my wand at the wardrobe door yet again and thought of my happiest memory. When I finally managed to turn into my animagus form A rat.
Professor Solaris pointed her wand at the door, and the knob turned and A dementor floated out. "Expecto Patronum!' I squeaked. A small white wisp came out of my wand. I sighed as Professor Solaris pushed the dementor back into the wardrobe with her own dog Patronus.
"Well Peter you'll just have to practice the Patronus for homework tonight." She said as I took my seat. I nodded. This is great just great another load of homework to add to the already growing pile. 6th year sucks.
"Don't worry Wormtail we'll help ya." Sirius said patting my shoulder. I nodded and turned back to Professor Solaris.
"Alright now who's next?" Professor Solaris asked the class. A hand shot up from the second row. "Alright miss Evans." She ushered Lily to the front. Lily took her position in the front of the classroom. She pointed her wand at the door. Asthe door flew open she shouted "Expecto Patronum.' A giant silver bear erupted from the tip of her wand driving the dementor back into the wardrobe.
"Very good Lily! 10 pionts to Gryffindor." Solaris said. Lily smiled as the Gryffindors cheered. Me included of course. She walked back to her seat. I smiled at her and as did James. She seemed to not notice him or me for that matter. "Alright now everyone calm down." After we quieted down she said "anyone from Slytherin who would like to attempt the Patronus?" She looked at the Slytherins as she asked this. Snape stood up.
"I would professor." He said making his way to the front. Professor Solaris nodded .
As he stood at the front of the class James called out "Oi! Snivellus ever heard of shampoo? You might want to use it." This caused most of the class to erupt into a fit of laughter. Professor Solaris threw him a glare.
"Mr.Potter, maybe you would like to try after Severus has done it?" She asked him coldly.
"No problem, Professor Solaris, " James said rolling his tongue at the 'R' sound. Professor Solaris said nothing, fighting down a laugh.
"Please go on Severus." She said motioning for Snape to go on with his Patronus.
"Expecto Patronum!" He shouted, and a long, slithering, greasy snake came out and hissed at the class. "Well go on." Snape said pointing at the fake dementor. The snake hissed at him.
"Oh look the perfect animal- a slithering greasy snake for good old greasy Snivellus," crowed Sirius, making most of the Gryffindors laugh.
"Enough! Now, Mr.Potter your turn." Professor Solaris shouted.
"Right-o" James said, jumping from his eat and shooting a smile at Lily as he made his way to the front of the classroom. Without waiting, he shouted out ,"Expecto Patronum.!" A great lion shot out and roared at the wardrobe. Surprise, surprise, James, the true Gryffindor gets the lion as the animal that best represents him. What a surprise. Yeah right.
"Hey Moony?" I asked Remus. " Doesn't a Patronus take the form of the animal that best represents the person casting the spell?"
"Yes Peter , it does. You know, I'm not at all that surprised James got the lion. Although I am surprised by Lily's bear." Moony turned to look over at Lily.
Hmm. Lily gets a bear. Weird I suppose.
"Very good Mr. Potter! 10 points to Gryffindor." Proffesor Solaris said. Gryffindor clapped while the Slytherins all skulked on their side of the room. The bell finally rang. I stood up only to trip over my own feet. Again.
"Are you alright Peter?" Lily asked me stooping down to help me up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said , dusting off my robes. I couldn't really look her in the eye. If I did, I wouldn't be able to look away. She pushed a stray lock of dark red hair behind her ear.
"C'mon Lils, we're going to be late." Lilys best friend ,Elizabeth Grayson called to her.
"Coming!" She called back to her. "Are you sure your alright?" She asked me.
"I'm fine really. " I mumbled back to her.
"Wormtail! Hurry up, we got Herbology next!" Sirius yelled at the top of his voice. I sighed and walked over to them.
"Can you believe how much homework we have already? And we haven't even had lunch yet!" James complained loudly.
"Yeah, a foot long parchment on the different properties on boomslang in a potion. Fourteen inches on what type of spells would be usefull when facing a dogbug." Sirius chimed in.
"Oh, really, it's not that bad guys," Remus said looking at his watch.
"You are so weird Moony," Sirius said in a disgusted voice. "Studying is not fun . It is the most boring thing to do and a complete waste of time."
"Oh yes and hooking up with random girls isn't?" Moony shot back.
"No, well, yes it is but it's not boring; it's fun." Sirius said winking at a bunch of fifth year Ravenclaws. "Not to mention the fact that it's not torture. Unlike studying is."
James let a snort escape. Remus smiled in spite of himself. I shook my head. This happened everyday at some point in the day.
"Hey, moony when's the next full moon?" James said.
"Next month." Moony answered as we neared the green houses."The last full moon was just last week."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot." James said sheepishly
"Which greenhouse are we in?" I asked the others.
"Twelve," James answered . I turned to ask him another question, but he seemed to be in a dream. I followed his gaze, and it landed on Lily Evans. Lily was talking to her best friends, Elizabeth Grayson and Joanna Portman. As our group neared the greenhouse, I couldn't help but notice how the lake seemed to shine in the sunlight. Shimmering and golden. I looked at James, but he was still eyeing Lily through the corner of his eye.
"Prongs have you noticed you are literally drooling." Sirius asked, staring at James. "You might want to wipe it off." He said, making girl movements of putting make up on.
"Shut up Sirius. " James said cleaning off his drool.
'You seriously got it bad." Sirius said laughing.
"Shut up Sirius," James said looking away from Lily and blushing a bright red color.
"Yeah you do. Look at his face, it's turning red!" Sirius said he was doubled- over from laughing at James so much. James stared at him giving him a hard look. Sirius finally controlled his laughter. "If you like her that much,just try asking her out again.." Sirius said.
"And have her reject me again?" James asked glumly.
"Well, why does she say no to you?" I asked him.
"Because he is an arrogant jerk who is so full of himself, with the heaviest head full of air, that it's a wonder he can be lifted off the ground on his broomstick," Remus said absentmindedly.
"Gee, thanks. " James said sarcastically
"Oh, sorry James," Remus said finally realizing he had spoken out loud.
"Well, do you want her to like you?" I asked.
"Stupid question, Wormtail." Sirius said.
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't worry about it. And yes, I do want her to like me. I just don't know how," James said with a sigh.
"Well, maybe you could—" I was cut off by Professor Corey "Alright you lot get in. Were studying the Lorpent plant today." I was about to unveil an amazing plan and, she just had to cut me off. And then the fact that I tripped again today didn't help either.
I sat in my favorite chair in the Gryffindor common room. I was starting my Transfiguration homework. I flipped through 'advanced transfiguration' until I found the page on transfiguringa potholder into a porcupine. I started writing and didn't look up until I heard the portrait hole open. Elizabeth, Joanna, and Lily climbed through. Elizabeth sat down in the chair across from me as Joanna sat down next to her and Lily next to her.
"What are you studying Peter?" Elizabeth asked me.
"Transfiguration." I answered.
"Have you gotten to professor Slughorn's homework yet?"
"No, I'm doing that after Herbology."
"Oh well I never figured you to be the studious one . I thought Remus was." Lily said with a laugh, eyeing my large stack of books.
"Yeah , well, so did I," I replied. Lily laughed. I felt heat rise to my hands. I'm weird like that; most people turn red. Me? My hands start to sweat and turn pink. I know I'm odd.
Lily checked her watch and jumped up in alarm. "Oh crap, I'm late for a Prefect meeting. Gotta go." She ran out of the common room. Elizabeth looked as if nothing had happened while Joanna was laughing very hard.
"This...is...the...third...time...this...week...she's...done...that" Joanna managed to say through her laughs. Elizabeth glared at her until the laughing subsided.
"This is the third time she's done that." Elizabeth repeated.
"Really? I never would have thought of her being a late person," I said.
"Yeah, well ,most people would never have guessed that her Patronus was a bear either. I personally asked a few people." She said
"A few?" Joanna asked arching an eyebrow, "You asked a good few hundred people Liz."
"Oh, whatever. Though the survey said they thought her most likely a cat." Elizabeth said
"Really?" I asked
"Yes. I mean, look at the facts. She is very protective, like bear. She is very strong, like a bear. And she can be calm and vicious, like the time she yelled at James for playing that prank on Snape, remember?" Elizabeth explained. I nodded. I thought back to this morning's classes. Transfiguration, DADA, Herbology . Herbology. I suddenly rmembered what I had been about to tell James.
" So why does Lily hate James so much?" I asked pretending to write my essay.
"Why does Lily not like James? " Joanna asked shocked
"Yes."
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Elizabeth said.
"How is it obvious?" I asked
"She tells him every time he asks her out–"
"Yes, she says he's arrogant"
"Selfish."
"Annoying."
"Idiotic."
"Stupid."
"If he would put as much effort in his studies as in his pranks he would be second in the class work wise, or the third for that matter, and she'd be impressed." Joanna finished.
"Oh," I said after they both had finished " So if he did all that, she'd like him?" I asked.
They nodded. I turned back to my essay. With my head buzzing with ideas.
The next morning, I sat down with Remus, eating my breakfast. Remus was spooning his porridge into his mouth while reading the latest edition of the daily prophet, and I was going over my plan in my head. James and Sirius sat down across from us.
"Rough night boys?" Remus asked, peering from around the paper to look at a yawning Sirius. Sirius nodded serving himself some coffee.
"Yeah, I was-" James began before I cut him off.
"Shut up. Guys I need to tell you something." I said excitedly. They stared at me in shock for a few moments, obviously over the fact that I told James to shut up and for interrupting. James recovered first.
"What do you need to tell us, Wormtail?" He asked me.
"Well this is mostly for you. On how to get Lily tp date you.." I said. James smiled at the mentioning of Lily.
"Well speaking of Lily, here she comes Prongs." Sirius said nodding at the entrance where Lily was walking in .James swiveled his head to look at an aproaching Lily. He smiled at her. She ignored him and continued to walk down the table to Liz and Jo.
"Nothing I do. She either ignores me glares st me or yells at me. Nothing I do is right." James sighed in defeat.
"Well my idea might change that." I said happily
"Yeah how? It'll take a miracle for Lily to be nice to James." Sirius said through a mouthful of eggs.
"Shut up! And that is disgusting shut your mouth literally." James said in disgust.
"Okay now can you please listen to me?" I asked impatiently.
"What is it?"
I beckoned him forward and whispered in his ear my plan.(A/N: Okay I won't be saying the plan for now just know it'll lead to a few interesting events and character changes in Peter and the others.)
"Interesting wormtail." James said pleased. He seemed to be thinking it over in his head. "I like it." James smiled and turned to look at Lily and gave her an arrogant smile that she returned with a glare. "Yeah I agree with you. I'll do it." James turned his back to Lily and started eating his breakfast.
A few days later after we had peut the plan into action we sat in the great hall eating breakfast
when Professor Dumbledore stood up the entire hall immediatly went quiet. "May I have your attention please?" Silence. "Thank you now I have a few messages for the sixtha and seventh years. There will be a number of balls this year for you. The winter ball, Valentines day ball, the spring ball, and for seventh years only there will be an end of the year prom. We are still deciding the theme so not to worry about it yet. That is all. Thank you." He sat back down and started talking to professor Laberns the astronomy teacher.
"Today's October 1st right?" I asked Moony.
"Yes" He replied
"Excellent that gives a month to find dates. Or at least narrow it down to three girls and let them decide who gets to go with me." Sirius said happily. I nodded. I scanned the tables looking at all the girls. I noticed that a lot of girls were eyeing Sirius and James and whispering and really just trying to get their attention. Apperently I wasn't the only one to notice this. Remus noticed it too. He shook his head. I suppose he was used to it too.
"Well should I ask someone?" James asked in uncertain voice. I was of course mildly surprised but he was with the plan so not so much.
"What d'you mean who are you going to ask? Aren't you going to ask Lily?" Sirius asked surprised.
"No."
Why?"
"Two reasons. A. She'll say no and B. Why bother?" James said looking at his plate and running his hand through his hair.
"Because your bloody James Potter that's why!" Sirius said.
"Yeah well . I want her to like me Padfoot. And the only way that'll happen is if I leave her alone. Right Peter." He said poking my arm.I nodded.
"Fine. Don't ask her."
"Well it seems your life with the girl is giong down the tubes." Remus observed.
"Yes.It.Is." Sirius said through gritted teeth. "And it's taking mine along with it."Sirius said glaring at James.
"Hey you don't need to study with me. I'm not asking you." James pointed out. "I can hang out with Moony."
"And who am I supposed to hang out with? Peter and Remus only study and now that's what your doing.: Sirius said angrily.
James sighed in defeat. "Fine . I'll hang out outsid with you talking toa bunch of girls. Happy?"
"Yes." Sirius turned back to his breakfast.
"Hey moony is another property to Murlam a pioson?" James asked Remus.
"Yes it is.Why?" Remus asked. James shook his head as if to say no reason. Remus shrugged. He checked his watch. "We'd better go. Class starts in five minutes." He said popping the last peice to his muffin in his mouth. And standing up. James and Sirius followed suit. I got up to follow them. James and Sirius were awfully noisy in their exit. People were staring at them. I suddenlt felt eyes on me. I turned at the exit to see if someone was staring. But when I turned no one was watching me or noticing. Nobody ever noticed me. Nobody ever does.