“Peter!� A plump lady with blond hair called after a boy as she followed her son to the train station.

“Look, Mum, there it is!� Peter exclaimed as he pointed towards the shiny red Hogwarts Express.

“Peter, how many times must I ask you not to run? It’s not good for your asthma.� Mrs. Pettigrew looked reproachfully at her son. He was a lot like his father, ready to jump into anything without thinking of the repercussions that would follow.

Peter sighed. “I know, Mum. But look! Can’t you see it? I can’t believe I’m finally going!�

Mrs. Pettigrew smiled at her son. “Well, we best get you onto that train then. We don’t want you to miss it.� She hurried him off towards the train where students were boarding and saying good-bye to their families.

Mrs. Pettigrew and Peter were having a bit of trouble loading the trunk onto the carriage when a tall man with black hair came over to them. He was dressed in the finest silk robes, and was wearing many silver rings, that looked as if they were made for royalty. Peter could make out the small crests that were engraved on each one of them.

“May I help you, ma’am?�

Mrs. Pettigrew nodded with appreciation.

“Oh, I’m Orion Black. This is my son, Sirius.� He gestured towards a boy about Peter’s age who had just come up to him. “He’s starting his first year.�

The boy nodded towards Peter but didn’t say anything. He had black hair that swept across his face in a careless way. His eyes were gray, and he was very well dressed. It was obvious that he came from one of the oldest and wealthiest wizarding families.

“I’m Lucille Pett—� Peter’s mum started, but Mr. Black cut her off.

“I know who you are. You husband works in the Ministry with me. Charles Pettigrew, isn’t he?�

Mrs. Pettigrew smiled.

“At any rate, it’s good to see that some of the old families are still around,� said Mr. Black, as he looked towards a couple with their two daughters. One had long, red hair and was very excited.

“Petunia, look! There it is. Oh, I wish you could come with me,� the red headed girl said. The taller of the two, with blonde hair didn’t reply, but sneered.

Mr. Black frowned. “I don’t know why the Board of Governors allows those Muggles in…� he trailed off.

Peter noticed that his mother looked uncomfortable. “Yes, well, we best get you on the train, Peter. Thank you for your help, Mr. Black.�

The man nodded. “My pleasure. It’s always a pleasure to assist my fellow wizards.� He headed off with his son, Sirius, following behind him.

“Come, Peter, we best get you on the train,� said Mrs. Pettigrew, as she began to push through the students who were now boarding the train.

With one minute until eleven, Peter found a window seat, and glanced out towards his mother.

“Now you behave yourself, Peter, and make sure you don’t overwork yourself—�

“Mum—�

“—Make sure that you listen to your professors, oh! And don’t forget to wear your glasses. Your eyes puff up if you don’t—�

The train began to lurch.

“Mum—�

“Don’t forget to write now. I’ve made sure you that you have plenty of parchment, but all the same, you may want to owl Hogsmeade if you start to run out, and—�

“Mum—�

The train was now beginning to pick up speed, and as Peter looked out the window, he saw his mother still calling out directions to him.

“Bye, Mum!� Peter called out the window, and then she was gone. He grinned to himself as he looked out and saw trees and rivers rushing past him. He was finally going to Hogwarts.

~*~

“Firs’-years, over here! C’mon, firs’-years. Yeh’ll want to get in the boats here. Oy! You! Yer don’ want te go steppin’ in the lake now. There’s a big ol’ Giant Squid yer gotta watch out fer �

A large man with a long black beard was waving the first-years over towards the lake. Peter followed the young redheaded girl he had seen in the train station and a black haired boy.

“Look, Sev! Isn’t this so exciting?� said the girl, her hair flowing behind her. She had eyes of deepest green, and seemed unable to contain her excitement.
“Just wait until you see the Great Hall. You’re going to love it, Lily!� the boy said. He had long black hair that hung down to his shoulders, and he looked as if he couldn’t afford the socks he was wearing. Still, his black eyes were vibrant and alive.

The three of them entered into one of the boats. The boy named ‘Sev’ turned and faced Peter.

“Who are you?� he asked, not impolitely, but not warmly either.

“Peter Pettigrew.�

“Lily Evans,� said the girl.

The black haired boy paused for a moment before saying, “Severus Snape.�

“Nice to meet you. Do you know what houses you will be in yet?� asked Peter. He had been anxious about the Sorting for the past month, worried about which house he would be put in.

“Severus, here, wants to be in Slytherin. I suppose that would be the house I would want to be put in too,� said Lily.

Peter smiled. From all that he had heard, Slytherin did not have the best reputation. But still, his Grandfather Pettigrew had been Slytherin, and these two seemed pretty nice. Perhaps they weren’t as bad as everyone said. “I’m hoping to be in Ravenclaw, like my Dad.�

Snape smiled slightly. “Well, it’s better than Gryffindor. I don’t think that you could pay me to be in that house.�

Talk of houses carried the three young students to the doors of Hogwarts where they joined the queue of students waiting to be sorted.

~*~

“Pettigrew, Peter,� called out the stern-looking woman who was Professor McGonagall.

Peter practically ran up to the chair, ready to be sorted.

He looked out and saw a sea of students in front of him, all watching to see what house he would be in, and then the hat fell down over his face and all he saw was black.

“Ahh, and who have we here?� asked a voice inside his head, which Peter knew, from his readings of Hogwarts, was the famous Sorting Hat which had belonged to the great Godric Gryffindor himself.

“Oh, you’ve got a brain, that is certain. Could Ravenclaw be for you?� Peter shook slightly. Ravenclaw had been his father’s house, and the one he hoped to be put in it for years.

“But I see you have Hufflepuff qualities as well.� Peter shrugged. Hufflepuff was his mother’s house. There wouldn’t be any shame in that one either.

“Then again, you have a certain air about you. You want to prove yourself. There is courage deep down. And daring, oh definitely. Yes, now I see. The best place for you would be, GRYFFINDOR!�

The words were still ringing in his head when Peter clambered off the seat happily, feeling dazed as he walked towards his new house. Sure, he had wanted to be sorted into Ravenclaw, but just wait until news got out that he had been made a Gryffindor! He must have been the first one in the Pettigrew family for years!

He watched as another boy, Potter, walked up to be sorted.

“GRYFFINDOR!� the hat called, and Peter joined in the clapping as the Potter boy made his way down to the table. Peter moved over to let him sit beside him, but Potter took a seat down the table farther, beside another black-haired boy.

This one, Peter recognized as Sirius Black. He was the first-year he had met at Kings Cross, and the hall had suddenly become quite quiet when he had been announced as a Gryffindor. He must have been the first one ever to break with the well-known Black tradition. Peter could just imagine the look on Mr. Black’s face when he would find out the news.

Peter turned his head back to the front and joined in clapping as Severus Snape became a Slytherin, and then Tams, Isabelle was made a Ravenclaw.

As Peter finished his pudding, he happened to catch a few words of a conversation down the table.

“Of course I knew I would be Gryffindor; every Potter has been. But you, Sirius, when you got in, I couldn’t believe it!�

“Neither could anyone else,� said Sirius. “Did you see that Slytherin girl faint? She’s a second-cousin, twice removed.�

“Yeah, and what about McGonagall? I swear, her jaw dropped down to her knees!�

“Yeah, well that’s nothing compared to what my parents’ reaction will be when they find out! I’m sure there will be a Howler here by morning!�

Peter laughed out loud, and Sirius and James turned towards him.

“Who are you?� asked James.

“Pet—� started Peter, but he was cut off by Sirius.

“I know you. You’re that Pettigrew bloke. My dad helped him with his trunk. Said his Dad’s an old friend.� He sneered slightly. “How’d you end up in Gryffindor?�

Peter was slightly annoyed at this remark. “What do you mean? Why shouldn’t I be in Gryffindor?�
“Well, look at you. I thought you’d be a Hufflepuff for sure.�

Peter huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. I’m sure there are good people in every house. Besides, I thought you would be a Slytherin for sure.�

Sirius looked at him scornfully. “Slytherin, yeah right. Look Pettigrew, I don’t care how friendly your father is with my father. Just mind your own business okay?�

Peter started to say that it was James and Sirius who had started the conversation in the first place, asking how he managed to get into Gryffindor, but noticed that the two boys were no longer paying attention to him.

He sighed. It was only his first day at Hogwarts and he had already managed to get on someone’s bad side.
~*~

If Peter thought he should be in Ravenclaw before school began, he now knew that he was definitely wrong. In his second week of school, he was still having difficulties turning his match into a needle. Only yesterday, he got too excited when he saw a gleam of silver, and his match caught fire, causing Potter and Black to laugh mercilessly at him behind Professor McGonagall’s back.

In Potions, Professor Slughorn was fed up with his incapability to brew potions, and had declared him a “hopeless case,� when Peter’s swelling solution exploded over several near-by classmates, causing their bodies to swell up to ten times their size. “You’d do well to take a leaf out of Miss Evans’ or Mr. Snape’s book,� he had muttered, shaking his head.

Charms weren’t going much better. Though, he had, in fact, been able to perform the levitation charm, Wingardium Leviosa, correctly, he had pointed his wand at Professor Flitwick rather then his feather, causing the tiny professor to levitate high above his head before crashing to the floor.

The only classes that Peter was doing well in were History of Magic and Herbology. Which also were the two classes that the other first-years had the hardest time with. Peter couldn’t understand his classmates. Goblin Rebellions were much more fascinating then learning defensive spells, but maybe he had just found interest in the subject after listening to his father’s stories about medieval witch-hunting for the past eleven years. As far as Herbology was concerned, despite the fact that Professor Sprout annoyed Peter with the voice she spoke to him with, as if she was talking to a five year old, he found that tackling mad plants gave him pleasure and allowed him to release the anger he bottled up inside him every time that Potter and Black threw an insult his way.

Regardless, Peter spent all of his time in library, reviewing the day’s notes, and trying to improve his inept potion-making ability. He avoided Potter and Black, who had taken it upon themselves to take the mickey out of him every time he made a mistake in class. Just the other day, when Peter had tried to fix his needle in Transfiguration, he accidently confused the Solvo Charm with Stupefy, which resulted in Professor McGonagall being stunned to the head, and twenty points being taken from Gryffindor for his incapability to control his magic.

Peter had once or twice been tempted to point out their own potion-making skills were well below the standard set by Severus and Lily. But whenever they made a mistake, the pair of them would turn it into some kind of joke, causing several other Gryffindor girls around them to laugh.

One night, as Peter was walking towards the common room, two loud voices rang through the corridor, causing him to slip behind a statue. Knowing the voices of Potter and Black, he made sure to stay out of sight. He didn’t want to give them another excuse to make fun of him.

“So, did you hear that Taylor is looking for two new Chasers?�

“Taylor…the Gryffindor Quidditch captain?� asked Sirius.

“Yeah, and he’s looking for new players this year. What do you say, Sirius?� questioned James.

“What do I say? I don’t know. What do I say?� Sirius laughed.

“I mean, do you want to try out for the team, or what?�

Sirius stopped laughing. “You don’t think that they would take two first-years, would they?�

“Why not? I mean, I’m a fair flyer and growing up in an old wizarding family like yours, you must have played some Quidditch.�

Peter saw Sirius frown at the mention of his family. The first day of classes, Peter had arrived for breakfast to watch a Howler from Mrs. Black blow up in Sirius face, yelling things about disgracing the family name, and ruining the family pride. From what Peter could tell, Sirius was now on the wrong side of his family and he didn’t seem to care.

“Well, my mum never thought that a Quidditch player was a very respectable career path, and that we should uphold some of the finer traditions of Wizarding culture. It was my dad who would sneak a couple of brooms into the house when she wasn’t home, and we’d head over to a field and play. I was always Beater, so I don’t know how well I would do as Chaser…�

“Oh, come off it! You’ll be great, Sirius,� said James encouragingly. Sirius smiled, and they continued up the hall towards the common room.

When Peter was sure that the coast was clear, he emerged from his hiding place and continued up the corridor.

You know, I might just try out for the Quidditch team myself, thought Peter. He had never played, but his dad had taken him to the Quidditch World Cup when he was younger, and he had thoroughly enjoyed it. I wonder how good Potter really is?

When he arrived in the common room, Peter took a seat in his favorite chair before noticing Quidditch Throughout the Ages lying on a table near him. He went over and picked it up. If he was going to try out for the Quidditch team, he should probably know as much as he could.

The only significant change in Chasing came about in 1884, one year after the substitution of goal hoops for goal baskets. A new rule was introduced which stated that only the Chaser carrying the Quaffle could enter the scoring area. If more than Chaser entered, the goal would be disallowed. The rule was designed to outlaw “stooging� (see “Fouls� below), a move by which two Chasers would enter the scoring area and ram the Keeper aside, leaving a goal hoop clear for a third Chaser. Reaction to this new rule was reported in the Daily Prophet of the time.

Peter had just begun to read the clipping about “stooging� when he heard a voice behind him.

“That’s a brilliant book you’re reading there, Pettigrew,� came James Potter’s voice.

“Cracking book,� agreed the voice of Sirius Black.

“It’s a shame it belongs to me,� James said.

“What were you doing reading that book anyways?� asked Sirius. “Not planning to try out for the team are you?�

“So what if I am? There’s no rule saying I can’t!� exclaimed Peter, angrily.

“Sorry,� said James, shaking his head. “We were only trying to warn you. Quidditch is a man’s game. Don’t want you getting hurt. Your mummy just might have herself a stroke if anything happened to you.�

Peter’s fists clutched in anger. His face began to turn purple and his eyes narrowed into little slits.

“Uh oh,� said Sirius. “Looks like little Peter is going to have a big tantrum. We best get out of here.� He laughed as he stepped backwards.

“Oh, and I’ll take my book back, thanks,� said James, laughing as the two of them headed up the stairs.

~*~

The sky was clear and blue, yet the air was bitter. Potter and Black were standing around casually, remarking on plays.

�Did you see that? Amazing!�

“What did he even bother showing up for?�

Peter stood off to the side, not wanting to give them any more reasons to make fun of him.

“First-years?� came the captain’s voice. “You do know that a first-year hasn’t made the Quidditch team in a good fifty years, right?� said Brandon Taylor, the sixth-year Captain.

Potter stepped forward. “Yes, but myself and Sirius, here, think that we might be able to break that tradition.�

Taylor grinned.

“Alright, then! Pettigrew, Potter, Quirk, you’re up. Show us what you’ve got!� Potter mounted his broom looking smug.

“All right, Pettigrew? Now don’t feel bad when I’m lapping you. You can just pretend that you’re in first because there will be nobody around you!�

“Why don’t you leave him alone,� said Quirk.

James’ eyes narrowed. “Who are you?� he asked.

“Trevor Quirk,� said the boy. He had brown hair, and was a good foot taller than Potter.

“Yeah, well, Quirk, you know that Comet of yours is rubbish. My father bought me the latest model this year, and it outstrips yours by a good bit.�

Quirk shrugged. “Well, seeing as first-years aren’t allowed their own brooms, you best have some talent of your own, because my Comet can outstrip a school broom any day.�

This shut Potter up, and Peter laughed before he mounted his broom, and pushed off of the ground excitedly.

“On my whistle then, I want you to race around the pitch. I will be timing you. After that, we’ll see how well you shoot,� called the captain.

When the whistle blew, James shot up the pitch with Peter trailing behind him. Wow, this isn’t so hard, thought Peter as he trailed closely behind Potter. Just then, though, as he tried to turn, he felt himself loosing his grip. He tried to veer left, and clipped Potter in the shoulder, causing them both to tumble off the broom.

He felt himself falling…everything around him was a blur before a hard and painful thud. Everything went black.

~*~

When he opened his eyes, Peter saw a woman busying herself over him, and realized he was in a bed.

“Where am I?� groaned Peter, as he looked around.

“You are in the Hospital Wing,� said the woman’s voice. Peter looked up to see the face he knew as Madam Pomfrey looking at him.

“What happened?� Peter heard James’ voice from the bed beside him.

“Young Mr. Pettigrew here clipped you as you were racing around the Quidditch Pitch on those preposterous brooms. Or so young Mr. Black tells me.�

Peter looked around to see Sirius standing over by James bed. He was glaring at Peter.

“Yes, it is lucky that you were not high off the ground or you could have been seriously injured. Why Dumbledore allows such nonsense sports to continue is beyond me,� she said as she spooned some awful tasting liquid into Peter’s mouth.

“I’ll be back to check on you both later. Mr. Black, you have ten minutes,� she said as she left the room.

James groaned.

“Good job, Pettigrew,� said Sirius, in a menacing tone.

“How is this my fault?� asked Peter.

“You just screwed James’ chances to make the Quidditch team. And he would have made it too!�

“Why’d you have to show up? It’s not like you had any chance. You couldn’t even stay on your broom,� James said, trying to keep his voice calm, though his eyes showed differently.

“I’m sorry,� Peter began to say, but was cut off.

“Sorry isn’t good enough, Pettigrew. It’s going to be a whole year until James can try-out again. If Madam Pomfrey wasn’t in the next room, I would hex you so hard, you wouldn’t sit down for a week,� Sirius said angrily before stomping out of the room.

Peter and James were dismissed from the Hospital Wing two days later, seeing as neither of them had sustained any life-threatening injuries, and also, they suspected, because Madam Pomfrey was afraid of walking into a dueling match between the two of them. On the first evening of their stay they had managed to get into a food fight and ended up very hungry that evening. Madam Pomfrey, who had just entered the room, ended up with mashed potatoes in her face, something which a visiting Sirius Black found very amusing.

Neither spoke to the other unless it was to insult them and when Peter was able to attend regular classes he wished that he was back in the Hospital Wing where he only had to deal with Potter. Not only was Black glaring at him and purposely trying to get him in trouble—he had thrown a spit ball at Severus Snape in Potions and then blamed Peter which resulted in extra homework being assigned to him—but the other students who had seen the display supported Potter and Black, saying that Peter had no business trying out for the team and that Gryffindor hadn’t won the Quidditch cup in the past ten years. How dare he ruin the chances of the boy who could have brought the cup back to Gryffindor at last?

The only Gryffindor who wasn’t mad at him was Lily Evans.

“Just ignore them,� she had said, glaring over at Potter and Black while they pointed at the two of them and laughed.

Lily, whose best friend was in Slytherin, had been enduring almost as much torment as Peter. Everyone knew that Slytherins and Gryffindors did not associate with each other unless it was to hex the other, and no one understood why Lily Evans even bothered with Severus Snape.

Besides Lily, Severus seemed friendless. The Slytherins didn’t talk to him because he wasn’t “pure-blooded� and the Gryffindors made fun of him for being a Slytherin. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, as Peter suspected were jealous of his intelligence and despised him for finding amusement in other people’s suffering, often making fun of him as he passed in the halls or else chose to ignore him all together.

Though, he tried to look menacing on the outside, Peter could tell that there was a soft spot there somewhere. He often noticed this when Snape was around Lily. He completely engaged himself in conversations and Peter couldn’t help but see his eyes flick towards Lily with a longing look every so often.

Lily, however, was very unlike Snape. She was clever, but she was witty, and had a sort of air about her that seemed to bring warmth into whatever room she entered. She wanted to learn whatever she could about the magical world, and was open to everyone. For some reason, her other Gryffindor peers could not understand why she hung around with Snape, but whatever her reasons, Peter was sure they were good.

And so, Lily, Severus and Peter retreated into the library during their free breaks in order to avoid Potter, Black, and all the other Gryffindors and Slytherins who teased them.

The library was almost empty. After dinner, most students would retreat to their common rooms leaving Peter, Lily and Severus by themselves.

“I’m sorry you didn’t make the Quidditch team,� Lily said to Peter.

Severus frowned at the mention of ‘Quidditch’, but chose not to say anything.

“Ah well, I don’t suppose I was meant to be the next Josef Wronski anyways,� said Peter with a laugh.

They continued working in silence for a few more minutes until Lily began checking over Peter’s Potions essay. “No, Peter. There is no difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane.� Lily sighed as she corrected his paper.

Peter grimaced and leaned back on his chair. “Oh. I mustn’t have heard Slughorn say that.�

Severus rolled his eyes. “He said it about five times. Weren’t you paying attention?�

“Well, that was when Black Wingardium Leviosa’d my ink bottle so that it spilled all over my parchment.�

Lily looked at him consolingly. “Why don’t you go to McGonagall? Or Dumbledore?�

Peter shook his head. “No. That would make things worse,� he said.

Lily looked at Peter. “Peter, it’s only going to get worse. You can’t let them keep teasing you like this,� she said consolingly as she sucked on the end of her quill.

“What would be a good cure for most poisons?� asked Severus.

Without looking up, Lily replied, “Try a bezoar.�

Severus looked at here strangely. “How’d you know that?�

Lily shrugged. “I guess I just read up on it.�

Peter sighed. “This doesn’t help my problem, unless Potter and Black decide to poison me next.�

Severus turned to him. “If I were you, I would jinx those two so hard that Potter would have more things to worry about besides Quidditch!�

“Sev! Those two might be hot-headed, but two wrongs don’t make it right.�

“Sure, Lily, and what about all those times you lied to your sister, or tried to get her in trouble?�

Lily’s cheeks blushed red. “Well…that doesn’t matter…it was her own fault…�

Severus smirked, his black eyes vibrant.

“I best get going. I’m feeling rather sleepy, goodnight,� she said, as she packed up her books and walked quickly out of the room.

Severus was still grinning at her retreating figure, before he realized that he was now alone with Peter. As he began to pack up his own books Peter asked, “You knew Lily before coming here?�

“Yes. She lives near me. I shouldn’t have teased her, her sister is awful.�

“Have I met her before?� asked Peter.

“No. She’s a Muggle.�

“Oh,� said Peter. Lily seemed so smart, he never would have guessed that she was a Muggle-born.

There was a pause, as Severus rummaged through his note bag, making sure he had his quill.

Peter racked his brains, trying to think of something to say. “I never told you before, but congratulations.�

“What do you mean?� asked Severus, a curious look in his eyes.

“Well, you were sorted into Slytherin. The house you wanted.�

“Oh, yes,� said Snape, not looking directly at Peter.

“Is something wrong with it?�

“No…it’s just that I don’t really fit in there. Lily—a Mud…Muggle-born—is my best friend and the others just don’t understand.

“So you don’t fit into your house either?� Peter sighed. “We seem to have the same problem.�

“So, what should we do about it?�

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Lily? I’m sure she’ll come up with something,� said Peter, as he slung his book bag over his shoulder and made to leave.

Severus stood up too. “I don’t really want to bring Lily into this,� he muttered, slowly. “She’s the main reason for the others not speaking to me and…well, just don’t let Potter and Black get the best of you. They can talk, but they aren’t as intimidating when you have a wand pointed at their noses.�

They came to the staircase where they would go their own way. “How do you know?� asked Peter.

Severus grinned. “Because I ran into them the other day. See you around!� He turned and made his way down to the dungeons.

Peter watched Severus’ retreating figure. He knew that Lily was right and that he couldn’t keep letting Potter and Black make fun of him. But he also agreed with Snape, and if it came down to it, the next time he met those two in the halls, they might find themselves in the center of a dueling ring.
~*~

As Peter sat in Transfiguration the next day, it took all of his will-power to keep his eyes on McGonagall’s face as she taught the lesson. He had taken to heart Snape’s suggestion. He was just as good as Potter and Black. But how would he prove it?�

A voice shook him from his thoughts.

“Black, Pettigrew, Potter, I want you to partner up to practice transfiguring your match sticks. You will be graded on this at the end of class. I expect you to work together and help each other to accomplish this,� said Professor McGonagall, who obviously did not know of the consequences that could result from this group.

James and Sirius sighed dramatically.

“Pettigrew? Well, there goes our marks, down the drain,� Sirius whispered, loud enough so that the whole corner of the room could hear as Peter made his way glumly over to their desks. There was no way that they would bother moving over to sit with him.

“Pettigrew, I’m warning you. Sirius and I are the best in the class at this. If you screw up our marks, we want you to be prepared to enter a dormitory this evening with a pile of dung bombs on your bed!�

Peter didn’t say anything, and when Sirius and James didn’t get the reaction that they were hoping for, they began to work, pointing out, here and there Peter’s incapability to perform simple transfiguration.

Potter and Black worked well. They discussed reactions, possible changes to their wand movements and helped each other out so that they both produced a beautifully transfigured match.

For being so talented and expecting him to do as well as them, Peter thought that they could have at least tried to help him out a bit. After all, it was a group effort. Potter and Black, however, ignored him and instead played tic-tac-toe on a scrap of parchment.

“You know, Sirius, I don’t even think that his stupidness is his own fault,� said James, as he marked an ‘X’ in a square.

“You’re right, James. His entire family must be stupid. Maybe it’s a genetic thing,� Sirius said with a smirk as he scored a line of zeros.

Peter clutched his fists. He scrunched his face and concentrated on a mouse that was running in and out of a hole in the wall.

“Or maybe, he was just dropped on his head when he was a baby.� James laughed.

That was it. Peter stood up and pointed his wand at James.

“…I’m now going to be coming around to assess your projects. Those of you who have not shown any progress will be given a zero for incompletion,� said Professor McGonagall as she began to make her way around the room.

James and Sirius looked at Peter’s plain match stick.

“Hurry up, Pettigrew!� exclaimed Black.

If it wasn’t for the fact that screwing this up would give Black and Potter another reason to hate him, Peter wouldn’t have even cared about the dumb matchstick. Still…

He pointed his wand at the matchstick and…

“Black, Pettigrew, Potter. What is this? I don’t recall asking for you to burn up your matchsticks. You will receive a mark of zero for this assignment. I hope you will put more effort into your next one,� said McGonagall as the boys watched her write a big zero on their marking page.

James and Sirius turned to Peter, glaring menacingly. Peter could see their hands twitching towards the handle of their wands.

“So, Peter...� began Sirius.

“I guess you better get used to dung bombs,� finished James.

“You’re going to smell them for the rest of your life, now.�

Just then the bell rang, and Peter left the class in such a hurry, that he forgot half of his books. Lily caught up to him in the halls, returned them and asked if he planned on joining her and Snape in the library after dinner.

“No thanks, Lily. I’m afraid I have too many things on my mind,� he said as he trudged away, avoided eye contact with Severus, who he knew had watched the entire exchange with Potter and Black.
~*~

After dinner that evening, as Peter made his way out of the Great Hall, he walked right into the middle of a great scene.

Potter, Black, and Severus were brawling on the floor, wands cast aside, performing a perfect display of Muggle fighting.

“I don’t care whether you’re a Potter or not…Why don’t you stop teasing other people because…� came Severus’ muffled voice from the mess.

“Shut up, Snivellus. You and your little Slytherin friends can just mind…� Peter heard the voices of Potter right before Black emerged himself and dealt a heavy blow to Severus’ left eye.

“Potter, Black, Snape, what is the meaning of this?� came the horrified voice of Professor McGonagall as she ran out into the hallway. All around, students were gathering, chanting, “Fight, Fight.�

“Enough. I said enough!� cried the professor, pulling Potter off of Severus, whose eye was already turning a nasty shade of purple. Potter, Peter was glad to see, was sporting a cut lip, and Black had a bloody nose. “What a poor display. I am ashamed of you! What is the meaning of this?�

“Well, professor,� started Black, “it all started when, Snape, here, decided he was going to have a go at James and started dealing out curses.�

“Well, I managed to get out of the way and then Sirius and I stopped him by getting his wand,� said Potter.

“That’s not what happened,� snarled Severus. “They provoked me. They started making fun of me and my friends, and said they were going to…� he paused for a moment before saying quietly, “well, they were going to curse me.�

“Wait, professor! You’re not going to believe that?�

“Quiet!� exclaimed Professor McGonagall, “I don’t care who started it. I am ending it, now! The three of you will have detention for the remainder of the week. Forty points from Gryffindor, Twenty from Slytherin. I don’t want to see this again or it will be more, now, to my office. Now!�

Potter, Black and Severus grumbled under their breath as they made their way down the corridor followed by McGonagall who was looking sterner then Peter had ever seen her. He laughed as he made his way up the stairs. He felt sorry for Severus, but at least Potter and Black had gotten what they deserved.

When he arrived in the common room he saw Lily sitting in front of the fire, reading a book.

“Lily, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to study in the library?�

Lily looked up with a smile. “Yes; well, without you and Severus it would have been quite lonely, so I just decided to study up here. Besides, the fire is so nice and it’s almost as if I’m back home.�

“Do you miss your family?� Peter asked.

Lily laughed. “Well, obviously I miss them, but I’d rather be here. What’s really bothering me is Petunia.�

“Your sister?�

“Yes. She’s always been there for me. She was like my best friend until…until I got my letter. She hates me now…and I feel terrible…�

And before Peter knew it, Lily was crying.

“Lily, shhh…it’s okay.�

“Oh I’m sorry, Peter. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I never told Sev any of this and I just couldn’t keep it bottled up anymore. You know,� she started, “Sev has been the only reason why I haven’t lost my mind…�

Peter had never thought of Severus Snape as being a “good friend� but now he was starting to see him in a different light, as someone who was a genuine friend.

Lily and Peter talked for a while longer before Lily decided to head to bed, looking much more cheerful.

“Thank you, Peter. I feel much better now,� said Lily.

Peter smiled. “You’re welcome, Lily.�

Sure enough, that night, as Peter made his way into his room, he caught a whiff of a ghastly smell, and when he turned over his blanket, a large pile of dung bombs greeted him.
~*~