I can’t believe it.
I am sharing a dormitory with two of the most popular boys of my year.
Somebody, anybody, pinch me.
“Hey, Pettigrew, mind closing the door?”
At the sound of my name, I jump, barely able to suppress my squeak of surprise. I hastily move away from the doorway and close the door behind me. I make my way to the only four-poster bed left, the one in the farthest corner away from the door.
The boy who had called to me, Sirius Black, sighs contently as he attacks the neatly made bed. “This is the life.” He lets out a deafening belch and pats his stomach proudly. “I could get used to this, couldn’t you, Potter?”
A boy with the bed on my right side nods as he removes his wire-rimmed glasses and places them carefully on his dresser. He, too, jumps eagerly under the covers. “A hearty meal to die for, a comfy bed to sleep in, and a castle ready to be pranked. What more could a boy want?” he snickers.
The owner of the bed on my left side smiles in response. “Don’t get too relaxed. Remember, we still have classes to attend and homework to do.”
Sirius Black and James Potter seem unfazed. “Lupin, if we were destined to spend our school days with homework and studies, we would’ve been Sorted into Ravenclaw, don’t you think?” Sirius replies as he lazily opens one eye.
James smirks. “Besides, I don’t think Professor McGonagall would get too upset if her top students miss out on a day or two of class.”
Remus Lupin rolls his eyes.
This is it, Pettigrew. Say something. Anything. Just show them how witty and smart you are.
“What was that, Pettigrew?”
I freeze. Had I said something? I frantically try to recall what I’d just said.
Now Sirius sits up and watches me with amusement. Great first impression, Pettigrew. “You just gurgled something.” I could tell by his shaking shoulders and tilted head that Sirius is trying very hard to hold back his laughter. I glance at James Potter’s bed and see the maroon covers quivering.
“Nothing,” I mumble as I crawl meekly into my bed. I fight back tears as giggles escape from the other beds. I’ll shine one day “ just let them wait and see.
I will my legs to walk faster. James’ and Sirius’ laughter echo down the corridor just around the corner. I pant as I try my best to catch up, but I mustn’t run after them like some dog. I desperately long to walk beside them as an equal, but after last night, I’m sure my chances of doing so have dimmed considerably. Now, I’ve doomed myself to obscurity, all because I had decided to sleep in late.
Just as I round the corner, heaving my book bag after me, the laughter I had been following stops. In my confusion, I nearly collide with Sirius Black’s back, though none of my House mates seem to notice my presence. Being significantly shorter than the others, I glance between their suddenly stiff figures and gasp.
A tall, pale-haired boy with hard, chiseled features looks down on my companions with cold, metallic grey eyes. From his attire, I’m sure he’s a Slytherin and certainly much older. I suppress a shudder as I catch sight of his cohorts, each dwarfing him as they flanked each of his sides. Though their heavy-lidded eyes give me the impression they’d be no more intelligent than the average five-year-old Muggle, I keep my distance warily from their beefy, crossed arms.
“So. If it isn’t the new clever Gryffindors. Black and Potter “ the infamous blood traitors. Your antics last night were just what we’d expect from your kind “ dull.”
Sirius keeps his tone even, though from his clenched fists, I know he struggles to do even that. “Lucius Malfoy.”
A Malfoy? Father has always lauded the Malfoys for being one of the most powerful and richest bloodlines in the wizard world. For generations, they’d had some control over the school and over the Ministry itself. Though their family tree extended with many branches, several of them unimportant, the Malfoys, the ones who carried that affluent surname, were regarded most highly. Despite the tangible loathing between my future friends and Malfoy, I couldn’t help but become enthralled by the power this mere boy possessed over his peers and me.
Could I, Peter Pettigrew, exert such an influence on others? Could I rise to fame and fortune and bring the Pettigrew name from the shadows and the muck and into the history books?
I imagine myself in Lucius Malfoy’s position, complete with bodyguards and expensive robes. I tweak the image in my mind slightly, replacing his cold, malicious countenance with my own rounder and more inviting face. I will be better than Malfoy, I decide. I’ll be known for not only my power but my knowledge and my apathy.
But why stop there, I ask myself. Dare I imagine myself higher, say, to the Minister of Magic’s place? I feel my pulse quicken and my desire intensify. My breathing slows as the scene around me dissolves into the plush office at the Ministry.
At that moment, something shoves into me “ hard. I fall with a loud smack on the stone floors.
“Stupid blood traitors and their baby tricks. You’re a disgrace to the Black family name, Sirius!”
Sirius had fallen on top of me as one of Malfoy’s “ Lucius’ “ goons pushed him. He doesn’t notice though, being so blinded by his own fury. He pushes himself right back up and whips out his wand as I struggle to stand.
“Sirius, don’t be stupid.” Remus appears at Sirius’ side as the Slytherins laugh harder. “They’re seventh years. They can hurt you more than you could hurt them. They won’t restrain their jinxes on you,” he murmured softly in Sirius’ ear.
Step on the ladder, Pettigrew. “He’s right, Sirius,” I pipe up. “They’ll do anything they can to hurt you.”
I have no chance of getting to where Lucius Malfoy is now, not if I don’t begin my own following. Black, Potter, and Lupin would make excellent followers. But for now, I silently promise myself, I will play the follower. Later, we will switch roles as I emerge as leader.
Still fuming, Sirius pockets his wand and stalks away, trembling in his efforts to ignore the still ringing sound of Slytherin tauntings. James glares at the older boys before following his friend to the Great Hall. Remus and I quickly stride after them, not bothering to look back over our shoulders.
We meet Sirius and James at the Gryffindor table, Sirius still scowling at his oatmeal.
I plop down across from Sirius and muster as much confidence and courage as I can.
“I thought unleashing a hundred chocolate frogs at the welcoming feast was an excellent way to start the new term. To hell with the Slytherins,” I remark as casually as I can as I pile a few pancakes on my plate. Sirius doesn’t seem to hear me, but from the twinkle in James Potter’s eyes, I know I’ve scored a point.
I glance over at the Slytherin table longingly. Lucius and his goons are greeted by other Slytherins with laughs and applause. That will be me one day, I vow. That will be me.
End notes: This chapter follows as closely to canon as my knowledge of the Harry Potter universe as of January 7, 2007 allows. Any information revealed to be false by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be changed.
Reviews are graciously accepted and appreciated.