Inane Chatter : 7spells [G: Peter Pettigrew]
Title: Inane Chatter
Character(s): Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, mentions of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Lily Potter, and Severus Snape.
Prompt: tomorrow is something we remember
Rating: G
Word Count: 833
Summary: James and Peter stay up late.
Author's Notes: I’m such a canon rapist when it comes to family trees. *coughs* Un-betaed
“Tomorrow is a full moon,” James voiced weakly from cross the table, his head bent over his homework.
“I remember,” Peter replied, leaning back against the couch, his homework having been done hours before.
“You always seem to, Pete... Care to share the second of your success in remembering that subject when you can’t seem to remember anything else without an extreme amount of effort?”
“Days like tomorrow are the days I feel like I’m truly needed. It’s hard to forget something like that,” Peter said softly, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at the grandfather clock against the wall.
Three in the morning. This wasn’t as bad as some of the nights. James was an insomniac, and Peter was his enabler. Peter was his enabler in a great many things, but this was by far the worst of the lot. Remus would retire around ten, saying that they were going to regret staying up because their marks would drop. Sirius would pass out around midnight or one, and Peter would have to levitate him up to the dorms. And then Peter would sit with James in the empty common room, watching him do his homework and just talking about inane things. They usually got to bed late, four or five am, if they got to bed at all. Tonight was probably going to one of those not at all times.
“All your work done, mate?” James asked, looking up from his essay briefly to smile at Peter.
“As always,” Peter said, pulling out his wand and just rolling in over in his hand. “You really need to learn to work on everything before it hits midnight, mate.”
“I know,” James mumbled, crossing out a sentence in his essay. “I asked Lily if I could borrow her potions notes yesterday. She said I’d be more likely to get them from Snivelly.”
“Did you call her Evans, ruffle your hair, and punctuate your sentence with a smirk?”
“Errr... Yeah. Pete, I don’t need another lecture,” James sighed.
“I’m just saying, mate, that if you stop acting like a ruddy peacock, you might actually get somewhere.”
“Clearly she just prefers to spend her free time studying with greasy Slytherins, know it all Ravenclaws, and ruddy little Hufflepuffs,” James growled, stabbing his essay with his quill. Peter shuddered as the parchment tore. James drew out his wand and sighed as he repaired the hole.
“One of those Hufflepuffs is your cousin, mate,” Peter said, frowning. “And it’s not our place to pass judgements on her friends.”
“I suppose you’re right... But...if she’ll give Snape the benefit of the doubt, why won’t she give it to me?”
“Because you act like a prat around everyone, rather than just Gryffindors?”
James shot Peter a glare, “You know, I liked it better when you still hero-worshipped.”
Peter laughed, “Got over that in the middle of 6th year, mate. Remember? After Sirius decided that I was too much of a pain to have around when I was doing all that clapping.”
“And told you to knock it off, or he was going to hex you from here to Constantinople?” James laughed softly. “And you told him that Constantinople didn’t exist anymore, and he just kinda stared at you like the big dumb dog that he is. Yeah, I remember.”
“But I knocked it off,” Peter said, yawning.
“Much to my ego’s disappointment,” James glanced sidelong at Peter. “It needs a good stroking.”
“Spend some time with the firsties tomorrow, and you’ll be properly stated.”
“Ha ha. I wouldn’t be caught dead with firsties.”
“Now, wouldn’t your father be disappointed his son, the Head Boy, isn’t setting a good enough example for the younger students?”
“If he weren’t dead, he might be.”
“You’re lucky, mate. I’d give anything for my dad to be dead,” Peter muttered, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling.
“Your dad is a bit of a prat, mate... But at least yours doesn’t compare you to other members of your family, trying to make you feel worthless like mine did...”
“You never did tell us who this fabulous cousin of yours is that your Dad always said you should try and be more like...”
“Just a Slytherin non-issue,” James sighed, finishing his essay with a slight flourish of his pen. “Mum says her sister married a muggle instead of who she was betrothed to, so Grandpa and Grandmum Prince disowned her. Nothing for you to worry about, mate. My family, my problems.”
“It must really get up your nose that everyone thinks he’s better than you.”
“It’s just the fact that he exists, really. I think I’m going to go to bed, mate. You should probably be getting there yourself.”
Peter smiled, nodding at James, yawning, “Sounds like a good idea to me, mate. Tomorrow after dinner, right?”
“I’ll bring the cloak down in my top pocket,” James said, smirking. “Don’t forget, mate.”
“Do I ever?”
“True enough. Night.”
“Night, James.”