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.
~*~
The Fourth Marauder by ginnygirl16
Chapter Notes: Thanks to Molly (OliveOil_Med) for doing a brilliant job beta-ing.
--ginnygirl16
Chapter Endnotes: Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
--ginnygirl16