peter pettigrew

“Could get your mum to fix ‘em up?” James let out a small laugh. “Don’t reckon they’d fit him, mate, but I can ask.”

Peter flushed at the reminder that he and Sirius were so different. “Yeah, reckon its my best option,” he mumbled, not sure how well his mum would take to it. Maybe she’d take it as James getting married meant he wouldn’t try to live with them anymore. Maybe she’d start letting him go out more. 

Sturgis furrowed his brows. “Do you have a protective charm on your flat?”

“My mums.. yeah.. she’s a bit-- over done.” Peter didn’t even know half of the spells his mum used, and every year it seemed she’d found more to add. Sometimes, he worried she’d protect them into a bubble he could never leave.

“Nah,” James replied, holding up an option Peter had thrown out, wrinkling his nose at the smell of old. As much as he’d insisted to Lily that he had to have all his boys standing up there with him, he’d eventually conceded. Not that he’d admit it, but she did have a point. If they all stood as groomsmen, there would no one left to watch. “These ones could work. Need a wash, though.”

Peter glanced at the robes, “They’re a funny shade, looks a bit like mildew or something,” he mumbled, thinking of Mary seeing him in them and very much not liking that idea. “You sure Padfoot didn’t take mine?”

Vera’s eyes narrowed. “How exactly can one be good at mermaids? They’re a creature, not an activity.”

“I-- well I mean-- I know loads, I can almost, but my mermish is awful. Not that it doesn’t always sound awful, load of screeching, you know?” 

“Is that seriously the best you can do?” Vera asked, crossing her arms.

“Mmhm, I’m-- I’m sorry I didn’t mean... I’m not that great, y’know, at anything. Mermaids, I”m good.”

“We should probably check up on the protection charms and then head inside. Probably no point in just standing out here the whole night.” 

“Oh right,” Peter nodded, gulping as he looked around at the invisible protection. “B-but if you need, I’m alright, you know, being out here.”

Lily agreed.  “I could go for some popcorn or cauldron cakes.  I’m sure we can count on Remus to scope out all of the stands that have chocolate.”

Peter smiled, still somewhat weakly, “Yeah. that’s, yeah.” 

“All of us.” Sturgis looked at the younger wizard perplexed before narrowing his gaze. “Working together.”

Peter eyed the older male, his fingers busy rubbing against his robes sleeves. “And-- wh-what if we can’t? I-- he was probably alone, yeah? We can’t, we’re not always gonna be together. What if they pluck us all off one by one?” It hadn’t occurred to Peter that this was a large coincidence. It was too close. Far too close. Robert had been inside the Marauders flat too many times. They were connected to him. 

“I’m sure he and Sirius and the rest of them are around here somewhere anyway.  Probably digging into one of the many snack tables.”

Peter let out a strained sort of laugh. “Probably. Reckon I may want to too, kinda... you know, all the worrying-- makes me a bit hungry.”

Briar barely bit back the snarky comment that rose to mind. As if food was going to make the situation any better. But then, what would make the situation any better? “Worth a try,” she said instead. “That’s the kind of thing people do after someone dies, right?” 

Peter opened his mouth and then closed it, eyes downcast as he remembered the after effect of his father being declared dead when he’d been missing for too long. A fake funeral, loads of family, old friends, people around them, all bringing so much food. They’d thrown most of it out, much to Peter’s disappointment. “Y-yeah.. it is,” he breathed, wondering if the container would go into the bin, or be one of the few eaten. 

“I hardly think you’re the only one. You should hear the way some of the boys in my healing program talk. Then you’d really stop worrying about it, believe me.”

“Are they-- are they really that bad?” Peter asked, and straight off laughed, “Nevermind, that’s-- stupid question. Sorry they’re how they are, though.” 

“Okay then,”  Lily said with a nod.  “You want to go to that bonfire, then?”

“Yeah, let’s go and find James and everyone.”

“Exactly.  We’ll be just fine.”

“Yeah, we will.”

“If you think about it, it’d be a bit stupid for them to try and pull something off now,”  Lily continued.  “With the dark mark in the air, aurors will be more on guard, and after the charity match, people are more cautious at games too.  So…I’m sure we’ll be alright.”

“Yeah, that’s, yeah. It’ll be loads safe, especially if you know, loads of Order members. It’ll be fine. Yeah, fine.”

messrrjmoony:

siriuslysrs:

Sirius came walking into the room, working on eating whatever he’d found in the fridge for the moment, “Did I hear something about a gift for me and bones?” He looked between his three mates, “Where?!”

“Well you’ve ruined the surprise now, haven’t you? Can’t manage to kick Prongs out, can’t surprise Padfoot, tripping Wormy’s the only success of my day. And that wasn’t even intentional.”

@buckoff-potter​

“You’re sounding way too excited, mate.”

@peteswormtail​

“What's going on!?”

“About whether something’ll go down after the game? I…yeah, I hope so too.  I’ve got a good feeling about it, but…as long as we stay prepared, we’ll be okay.”

Peter nodded, “Yeah, it’ll-- it has to be okay,” he nodded, mind wandering back to the thought of Dementors.. surely they wouldn’t attack such a happy place, right?