The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

The Bascule Chamber

James found Peter in Diagon Alley, sitting rather dejectedly on a bench outside of Honeydukes, ruck sack in his lap. "Pete!" he cried, relieved when he saw him. "We've been looking everywhere for you," he said, though this was an exaggeration, as Honeydukes had been perhaps the third place he'd looked, if you included the Leaky Cauldron, which he'd walked through to get into Diagon Alley, and the alley directly behind the Cauldron, where rows of illegal street vendors quietly sold wares that the Ministry would eventually shut them down for. "I'm so bloody glad you're here. We went to your house."

Peter looked up. "You - you did?" His eyes were wide and red and deeply sad, so sad that James felt his heart break with guilt.

"Yeah, me and Sirius both did, we saw your mum... I'm sorry we didn't find you for the full moon, we --"

"But you tried!" Peter cried out, misunderstanding James's meaning, and he leaped up, his rucksack falling to the ground, and wrapped his arms about James emphatically, his face pressing into James's torso. "That's all that really matters in the end is that you did, that you wanted me there!" He held on tight.

"Of course we wanted you there, Pete," James lied, feeling guiltier for lying, but also not wanting to hurt Peter's feelings with the truth. There was no need for that. He patted Peter's back. "If it's any help there wasn't much excitement this month. We went to the old camp behind the Dumbledore house, out in Godric's Hollow."

"Godric's Hollow!" Peter cried, slapping his forehead with his palm, "I should've guessed it! I should've known! Oh I don't know why I didn't think of that! I tried to find your flat, and I didn't know where to even look, I wandered about St. James park and I slept under a bench. It wasn't very pleasant, what with the rain and everything, and I figured at worst I would see you lot at the wedding but --"

James felt his stomach flip a little bit. He'd forgotten to send Peter an owl about the wedding, too? What kind of rotter friend was he? He said, "Well, Pete, about the wedding, there's been a sort of change of plans anyhow. Here, c'mon with me, I'll tell you all about it. I've just got another quick errand to run while we're here, then I'll bring you to the flat, yeah?"

"Okay." Peter nodded eagerly, snatched up his rucksack, and hurried after James.

"Are you hungry?"

"Bloody starving," Peter nodded.

James chuckled. "Well, we'll make a dinner back at the flat."

"Alright."

"Why didn't you go home?" James asked, "When you couldn't find the flat?"

Peter shrugged.

James was walking towards Madam Malkin's shop. "Do you want to spend a couple nights with us, Pete?" he asked.

"Very much," Peter replied.

James nodded, "Settled, then, you can kip on the pullout couch. It's splended, unfolds right into a bed, mate, you'll love it. And I'll tell you about the new wedding plans - but you've got to keep it a secret, alright? Sirius doesn't know."

"Sirius doesn't know?" Peter looked confused, "About his own wedding?"

James grinned. "No. And that's the brilliance of it. Come on, then, mate." They ducked into the store.

If you'd asked Peter Pettigrew about it, that night was one of the best ever. They sat about in the cheap flat in East London, laughing and talking like they'd done all those years in the Shrieking Shack, except there was real heat and an actual kitchen so they could make real food and they watched the telly that James and Sirius had taken from the Shack and drank firewhiskey that made Sirius sing loudly and everyone was just happy. Plus, Lily came to visit and anytime that Lily was around, Peter felt more included because she took it upon herself to make sure that he was by asking him questions so that he always was taking part in the conversation. He even felt extra special because James had told him about the secret plans that they had, and it made Peter feel secure in a way that he'd not felt for awhile, even before the Marauders had graduated. That night, when he curled up in the blankets on the pull out couch that James had promised him, he tucked his twitchy nose beneath his tail and he felt nothing but comfortable and happy.