I was lined up with the rest of the school, awaiting the arrival of the new kids.
Unlike most, I thought this was a wonderful idea.
But maybe that's just because James had it.
As the limo pulled up, my pulse grew stronger. James could obviously tell, because he put a steadying hand on my shoulder, grounding me.
I was going to combust.
James
James
James
Is this platonic?
Probably, right?
I'm not gay.
Right?
Whatever.
The door to the car flung over and out stumbled 3 teenagers.
Oh. Holy shit, they're wasted.
I glanced over at James, who was completely unfazed.
Once they had collected themselves, and the last had joined them, as much as they could, James stepped up.
"Hi there! I'm James! You must be Pandora?"
He walked over to the only seemingly sober person of the group, extending his hand.
"Yes, hi James."
"Nice to meet you,"
He grinned, pleased that she showed no hostility.
She smiled back.
He stepped to the side,
"Marlene,"
The girl introduced herself, struggling slightly to keep her balance.
James grabbed her by the arm, catching her as she stumbled forward.
I felt a twinge of jealousy.
That's normal for friends, right?
Best friends.
James smiled at the girl,
"Pleased to meet you, Marlene,"
The next kid was leaning against another, taller boy for support.
"Hi, I'm James,"
"Hiya, James! I'm Sirius," the boy giggled as he spoke, clearly the drunkest of them all.
"I feel like we're going to be best friends,"
Sirius declared boldly, James smiled broadly.
"I can see that happening,"
What?
I'm James' best friend.
Me.
Not Sirius Black, me.
Absolutely not.
I need to fix this.
I'm James' best friend.
I'm practically a Potter.
Not some lowlife child of killers who hooked up.
Me.
Before James could move onto the last boy, I stepped forward.
"Hi Sirius, I'm Peter. I'm James' best friend."
Sirius smirked at me,
"Hi there, Peter."
He clicked his tongue,
"I like your tie. It kinda looks like a rat,"
James continued, oblivious to the tension.
I stepped back again.
"You must be Remus,"
"Yeah, you must be James."
"Yes,"
Remus smiled, as did James.
"Well, I'll have Dorcas show you to your rooms."
Dorcas Meadows stepped up, at the ready.
"I'll come, too!"
I said, walking in her direction with the other teenagers.
She nodded,
"Alright, so there's a room for the girls and another for the boys. I'll show you to your room," she gestured to Marlene and Pandora, "and I trust Peter, here can show you to yours." She gestured to Sirius and Remus.
"Okay, great." The words came out slurred from Black's mouth.
It took me a second to decipher what he was saying, but once I did, I nodded and began leading them to the boy's dorms.
"So, Pete."
"Yes?" I turned to Lupin,
"You have a last name?"
"Pettigrew."
He hummed,
"Peter Pettigrew,"
"Yeah,"
Sirius tuned into the conversation.
"Ooh," he giggled, causing a faint flush to dust Lupin's cheeks and nose, the corner of his lips curving upward.
"that's catchy,"
I smiled,
"Yeah, I guess it is."
Maybe Sirius wasn't as bad as I was envisioning.
Maybe we could get along.
"I'm gonna call you Wormtail."
