~
Madam Pomfrey pulled one of Peter’s eyelids open. Even after ten minutes, he was still unconscious. “You say he fell out of his bed?” she asked suspiciously.
“Yes, Madam Pomfrey,” Remus replied, avoiding her eyes. “Things got rowdy up in the dormitory, and he jumped off.”
“That’s exactly what happened,” Sirius added. “He yelled something about how he could fly like an eagle and just jumped right off his bed. He tried to do a somersault in the air, but didn’t make it all the way around. So, he landed on his head and one hand.”
Madam Pomfrey still looked doubtful.
James nodded. “His hand made this disgusting crunching noise, and Peter blacked out immediately after he fell. We rushed him down here as fast as we could.”
Finally, Madam Pomfrey seemed at least somewhat convinced. She turned back to Peter and tapped his wrist with her wand. Peter flinched in his sleep, but still didn’t wake.
“Well, that should do him for now. I mended his wrist as best as possible. It will still be sore for a week or so, but otherwise perfectly capable. If he only fell off the bed, then he shouldn’t have suffered any serious head damage. I’ll keep him here for the rest of the night since he is hardly in a state to move, though he shouldn’t need any additional treatment for his head.” She studied the three boys through narrowed eyes. “I would advise you to warn Mr. Pettigrew from jumping off his bed in the future. Now, I think it’s about time you three get back to your own beds. I, for one, would like to get back to mine.” She ushered Sirius, Remus, and James out the door and slammed it behind them.
“She’s right,” Remus said once they were in the hall. “We should go to sleep.”
“We’ll just have to cure Sirius’ phobia tomorrow night,” James said.
Sirius shrugged and threw the invisibility cloak over them. “We’ll just have to avoid any squirrels on the way back to Gryffindor tower.”
~
The next morning, Madam Pomfrey released Peter from the Hospital Wing as soon as the other Marauders arrived. “Go on and take him,” Madam Pomfrey said eagerly as she shoved him into their arms. “He woke up screaming, shouting something about heights and demanding where he was. I managed to finally calm him down, but he’s been incessantly complaining about his wrist ever since.” She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself and turned to Peter. “That wrist of yours should be just fine in a week or so as long as you don’t strain it. Now, give me some peace and quiet and get on down to breakfast.”
She began to usher the boys out when Peter interrupted, “But Madam Pomfrey! What am I going to do about the pain?”
She rolled her eyes, but nevertheless reached into her apron and withdrew a small blue capsule. “You can take this if the pain becomes too unbearable for you, though I doubt a sturdy young man like yourself wouldn’t be able to stand a little twinge in the arm.”
Peter immediately grabbed the pill and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing hard. Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly. After a moment of silence, Peter gave a low moan.
“It’s not working. Do you have any more? I need at least a few more, maybe nine or ten,” he groaned.
“Tsk, tsk, Mr. Pettigrew. That one is enough for a full day. I can’t hand out unnecessary medication whenever someone asks for it. Now, you’ll be late for class if you boys wait around here much longer.”
“I’ve got a bump the size of a dragon egg on my head and you’re telling me to worry about getting to class on time,” he mumbled, but followed his friends to leave the Hospital Wing.
A blonde girl wearing Ravenclaw robes met them on their way to Potions class. “There you are, Sirius!” she exclaimed as she spotted the group. “I didn’t see you at breakfast.” Her eyes slid over Remus’ scarred face, James’ messy hair, and Peter gingerly cradling his wrist, before she focused back on Sirius. “So, are we still on for tonight?”
“Tonight?” Sirius recognized the girl as Claire Kettleburn.
“Yeah. You know, our date?” Claire looked at him skeptically, as if she suddenly thought the date wasn’t a good idea. “You asked me last Sunday, and I told you I’d be free Friday night. Tonight. I mean, not even Ravenclaws do homework on a Friday.”
“Oh, right! Of course. How could I forget?” But Sirius’ thoughts strayed to Sunday night when Snape had heard his secret. So much had changed since he asked Claire on a date.
She didn’t seem to notice his far-off gaze and blank expression, however, too excited for their date. “Okay, then, Sirius,” Claire said. “Well, I don’t want to be late for Charms. You know how Professor Flitwick can get.”
“At least you don’t have to serenade him,” Sirius muttered as she walked away with an extra bounce to her step.
James patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, mate. I’m sure dear Professor McGonagall will be utterly flattered by your singing.”
~
In Potions class, Professor Slughorn assigned the students in pairs to brew Vimatha Horasho, a potion that makes the consumer incredibly flexible. James jumped up to search the supply cupboard for the necessary ingredients, while Sirius prepared the cauldron and read the instructions in his textbook. Remus was left to endure Peter’s endless whining as he brewed the potion for the both of them. As always, Peter was completely useless in Potions and couldn’t be trusted with even the simplest of tasks.
Usually, Slytherins preferred to sit on the left and Gryffindors, on the right. This day, however, Severus Snape chose the seat directly behind Sirius. His partner, Mulciber, followed after James to fetch the ingredients. Once they were both alone, Snape pulled his wand out of his pocket and extinguished the fire beneath Sirius’ cauldron.
Sirius glanced up from his textbook. At once, he lit the burner again and returned to his reading. Snape smiled and put out the fire once more. Sirius stared at the burner, confused, and decided to examine it for the problem. After a short investigation, he leaned back in his chair, apparently dumbfounded as to what was wrong. He lifted his wand, hesitating before restarting the fire. He waited to see if it would go out. When it did not, he shrugged and began reading the instructions again. As soon as Sirius looked down, Snape flicked his wand and the fire disappeared for the third time.
“What’s the bloody wrong with you?” Sirius yelled, jumping up from his chair.
The entire class turned around at the shout, all staring at Sirius. Some had expression of annoyance and others, bemusement. Several of the Slytherins, however, burst into a roar of laughter at Sirius’ sudden outburst.
“Oh, uh, nothing to see here, folks,” Sirius said, trying to save his dignity despite the Slytherins’ laughter. “I “ my burner “ no fire “”
“Having trouble with your burner, Black?” Snape interrupted.
Sirius spun around, furious, but stopped short, grabbing his neck in pain.
“Whiplash?”
Sirius scowled. Snape had asked him the same question hardly a few days before, the night he discovered Sirius’ secret. Sirius managed to ignore the memory, however. There were other matters to attend to. “You were messing with me the whole time, weren’t you?” he asked.
Snape smirked. “For once in your life, you got something right.”
“I’ll hex you so hard “”
“Maybe you’re forgetting something, Black. I doubt you want me to, say, let something slip in the Great Hall to the entire school,” Snape warned. “Hexing me won’t help your situation. Surely even you can see that.”
Sirius growled with increased ferocity. “You can’t spread my secret if you’re dead,” he threatened.
“Now, now, Black,” Snape said in return as if lecturing a small child. “We both know that you don’t have the courage to try a stunt like that.”
“Gryffindor,” Sirius barely managed to spit through his clenched teeth.
“And yet you have still failed to kill me.”
For a brief second, Sirius considered doing the deed right there. “Has anyone ever told you what an irritating little roach you are?”
“Many times.” Snape’s grin widened, but faded away as he spotted James returning. He looked down and pretended to read his textbook. “We’ll continue our conversation later to discuss my demands when your little friends are not lurking around.”
“Okay, I got the slugs, doxy eggs, snakeskin, chamomile, and horseradish,” James said to Sirius as he came closer. “Did I miss anything?”
Sirius glared at Snape over his shoulder. “Only the salt and pepper. I just hope our burner works.”
“Oh, is that why you were yelling?” James asked. “I wondered what that was about. Why wouldn’t it work?”
“Sabotage.”
Knowing Sirius, James thought better than to ask for an explanation. Instead, he distracted himself with the ingredients, but after a moment’s silence, he began chuckling uncontrollably. “Salt and pepper! Good one, Sirius!”
~
As they left Potions class, Sirius suddenly stopped, blocking the doorway. A mob quickly arose out of the twenty or so students desperate to leave the cold dungeons. They knocked Sirius down to the ground and stampeded through, leaving the Marauders in the dust.
“Sirius! Are you alright?” James cried, rushing forward to lift his friend off the floor. Sirius had bruises all over his body and a large bump on his forehead.
He hardly noticed. “I have the best plan in the history of plans,” he said, staring at a stone wall in awe. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of it before.”
“Well, what is it?” Peter asked impatiently.
“The best plan ever,” Sirius replied.
Sirius' Serious Squirrel Secret by The Scribbler
Chapter Notes: Thank you, JK Rowling, for allowing me to play in your world. :)