The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

What About Dinner?

"You had ONE JOB, Wormtail!"

"I've said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't put food in my mouth without a bloody long walk to get it!"

"Let him be, he didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, what Lily's said."

"Oh kiss up to her because she snogs you, why don't you!"

"That's not why!"

"Of course it is! You'd be complaining the same as I am if you weren't guaranteed a good snogging later."

"As if you aren't?"

"Don't look at Remus that way - it isn't as though he's EASY."

"No, but you are."

"Moony, do you hear what they're saying about me?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"Like what? ...Agree?"

"Bollocks. I'm not speaking to any of you!"

"Excellent. Now I'll be able to hear myself think for once."

Lily laughed as James smirked in Sirius's general direction.

Sirius stared at James, appalled.

Remus sighed, "Ah... walking in the woods with the Marauders. Never fails to be an exciting experience." He winked at Lily and Lily nodded.

Peter scurried, trying to keep up with the others, Sirius in the lead by several paces as they walked along the path that led from the Shrieking Shack toward Hogsmeade Village. Remus was hefted onto James's back, as his legs were bothering him with the full moon mere hours away.

Sirius complained, "I'm so bloody hungry."

"You ate like three squirrels in the woods last night," James said, "You're not an elephant, or a whale, or a dragon. You're a boy whose all of ten stone, at most. I think you'll survive a couple hours of hunger."

"The question really is," Remus said, "Whether we will all survive his whining about it."

Sirius said, "No, actually, the real question is whether Wormtail will survive having forgotten the food." He glowered pointedly at Peter's back.

Peter squeaked, turning about so he was trotting backwards to look at Sirius. "I said I'm sorry. And anyways, how do you expect a rat to carry all that food all the way across the forest, 'ey? Why don't you bloody carry it once in a while?" He nearly tripped, stumbling until James (and Remus via James's back) caught him and foisted him up again.

Sirius guffawed loudly and ruffled the straw coloured hair a top Peter's head as he steadied. "Aye and getting a tad feisty in your age, aren't ya Wormtail?"

Peter flushed and struggled to flatten his hair from Sirius's admonishments, his fat face screwed up in displeasure, and he hurriedly turned about and scurried a few steps ahead again.

James shared a bemused smirk with Sirius, who shook his head at Peter's retreating back.

Lily said, "Don't worry, Wormy, Sirius is just steaming because you've gone and told him off. Well I say - here, here! It's about time someone puts the dog in his place!"

"The dog!" Sirius cried, "The bloody dog, she calls me." He looked at Remus.

Remus shook his head, "Don't look at me, love, I'm not going to help you at trying to deny that one, either, I'm afraid. And honestly, you call yourself that all the time. I mean -- you are the bloody dog."