The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

The Entire State Building

Sirius's hospital room may as well have been a party, with how packed it was. There was Charlus and Dora Potter, James and Lily, Peter Pettigrew, Dorcas Meadows, Gideon Prewitt (who'd come from the ministry to get an official report), Frank Longbottom (who'd come with him - having just begun the auror training program that very morning), Ali Prewett (who heard from Frank what had happened), Dumbledore, Remus, and, of course, Sirius himself.

"That's it, that's it! This patient needs rest," the mediwitch announced, clapping her hands, "Three person limit, enforced the rest of the evening!

There was a great jostling of visitors as the spare bid Sirius a quick healing and left to file their reports and to see other patients, Dumbledore resigned himself to completing the reviewing of the various CVs on his desk ("alas, the classes wont' be teaching themselves this term," he said), and Dora Potter realized that it was late in the afternoon and she hadn't even started preparing a meal for Mrs. Evans yet... until all that was left in the room was Lily, Peter, Remus, James and Sirius.

"C'mon Pete, pull up a chair here," James said, waving for Peter to come over and join him and Lily on Sirius's right side, while Remus sat on his left, holding his hand tightly.

Peter hovered in the doorway, looking very nervous indeed, "I - I'm alright here," he said shakily, keeping his eyes averted downward.

"What'sa matter, Wormy?" Sirius asked, "Squeamish of the skooze?" He looked at James, "Get it? Skin ooze? Skooze?"

"Brilliant," James nodded, grinning.

"I - yes," Peter stammered, nodding, "Yes, that's it. I'm sorry. Makes me rather ill to watch it bubble."

"Didn't bother you earlier," Sirius remarked, "I do believe the term you used was cool?"

Peter shrugged, "Bothers me now." He added, "Plus the mediwitch said three person limit and technically I'm a fourth and she looked like she meant it."

"Well fuck the mediwitch!" Sirius said snuffily. "I want you here, too!"

Peter shuffled the tiniest bit closer, careful to stay to the left, but not coming as close as the others, still sort of hovering about a meter back.

Remus broke a chocolate bar that he had gotten from the gift shop and handed about the pieces, leaning back to give Peter his.

James leaned forward against his knees, "So who do we reckon this funny man that Remus met in the woods is?" he asked - for Remus had just finished whispering his tale to the four of them.

"A werewolf, obviously," Sirius said, nodding with certainty as Remus stuck a piece of chocolate into his mouth, "Donnt trusshim uddall!"

"But why would a werewolf be collecting other werewolves's teeth for?" Lily asked, "He sounds like some sort of hunter or something to me. The teeth would be like his trophies." She made a disgusted face.

James chewed quietly on his chocolate, then said, "Well what if he's a bit of both?"

"A hunter and a wolf?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah."

"Well that seems counter productive, he'd be hunting himself then, wouldn't he?" Sirius pointed out.

Remus was taking his third bite of the chocolate already.

"Perhaps they're alpha teeth," Peter suggested.

They all looked at him.

"You know, alphas that run a pack? Maybe he keeps the teeth of the alphas whose packs he adds to his own," Peter shivered at the thought of it.