The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

How Are You Doing?

Peter was sitting on his bed in the dormitories when James, Sirius, and Remus arrived back from DADA to fetch him before going down to lunch in the Great Hall. The moment the door opened, Peter shoved something under his pillow and shifted so it was tucked beneath his round rump.

"What've you got there, Pete?" Sirius asked, seeing the motion, a smirk coming across his face, "Are you taking a look at some fine looking witches?" He winked as he reached for Peter's pillow.

"Oh, don't!" Peter said, batting away Sirius's hand.

"Leave him be," James said, "If he wants to look at dirty magazines while we're gone let him, it isn't as though that is on the list of rules."

Sirius snuffed and went about the end of the bed.

"It isn't that anyway," Peter said, flushing scarlet red.

James raised an eyebrow, "No? You're awfully red for someone who wasn't just... brandishing his wand, so to say."

Sirius's grin widened and he stifled a snicker as he stripped his necktie off and chucked it into the open maw of his trunk, tugging a grey vest from the depths. "Good one, Prongs."

Remus sighed, "Brandishing his wand? Really?"

Peter shook his pink face. "No, no, I wasn't brandishing my -- Merlin, no."

"Well what were you up to then, Pete, that's got you so flustered?" James asked, genuinely curious. "Everything alright?"

Peter hesitated, then he sighed and reached under his pillow, withdrawing an ordinary muggle catalog. He threw it onto the foot of his bed, where James was standing, unbuttoning his school uniform shirt, keen to put on his quidditch jumper before going downstairs. James leaned over the catalog, looking down at a page of muggle jewelry boxes, compact mirrors, make up cases, and hair clips. "It's just Lily's birthday is coming up and--"

James smiled, lifting the catalog up. "You were picking her a gift?"

"Yeah," Peter said. "Except that most of it is too expensive, I haven't got a lot of money, I just -- I thought something small might be nice because she's a very good friend, and --"

Sirius wagged his fingers at James to see the catalog, and James handed it over to him.

"Well that's really nice of you," James said, "I'm sure no matter what you give her she'll lovely, Pete. Don't worry about that."

"Yeah..." Peter said. He crawled up on his knees and pointed, "I wanted to get her that there. That musical jewelry box. But it's way, way more than I've got."

Sirius said, "What if Moonpie and I pitch in as well? It can be from all three of us."

Remus said, "Oh. Um. Well, I don't really have any to--"

"Nonsense, Moony, you've got what I've got, mate." Sirius turned to Pete, "What if we did two thirds and you do one third and Moony will do the wrappings when it comes in? Yeah?"

James was smiling as he pulled on his quidditch jumper. The thoughtfulness of his mates toward his girlfriend was warming up his heart quite a lot. He was struck once again - for about the hundred-millionth time - just how lucky he was to have the relationships that he had in his life. Every one of them meant so very much to him.

"I could do that!" Peter said excitedly. He snatched the catalog up and looked down at the pretty pink musical jewelry box in the catalog with a gigantic grin.

Sirius smiled, too, looking to Remus, who looked a bit apprehensive, but smiled back. "That's settled then, we've solved the Lily's birthday gift dilemma, let's go and eat!"