Current mood:	amused
Entry tags:	peter, remus

003: Homework, Cigarettes, Pudding... and Concussions
Peter scowled at his Potions text and slumped down over his homework. "This is ridiculous. Why can't I find anything about the bloody ingredients?"

Remus stifled a yawn and looked over at Peter, lips quirking a bit at the familiar expression. He saw it a lot when they actually tried to focus and study and not goof off. "Have you tried looking in the index?"

Peter shot Remus an exasperated look. "I'm not that stupid, Moony, of course I tried the index. Withering Gravegrass isn't in there. Neither," he added, "is Gravegrass, Withering."

Remus laughed, then winced and looked to the front of the library to make sure Pince wasn't going to come and throw books at him for it. Satisfied he was safe, he looked back, giving Peter a grin and a nudge. "I didn't call you stupid," he said. "What about the Latin name?" He scooted over to look at Peter's text, reaching over him to flip pages. "Um... oh, there," he said pointing. "493."

Peter sighed. "Latin name. Of course. What would I do without you?"

"Study with James?" Remus suggested, and then gave Peter a look that said plainly that was ridiculous.

Peter shook his head and scribbled down the Latin name, then turned to the page Remus had indicated. For a while they worked in silence, but Peter eventually got restless and started glancing over to watch Remus work.

Remus turned back to his parchment. It was tedious, because this potion wasn't particularly interesting, and even if he was a shoddy brewer, it was more interesting to try brewing than it was to write about brewing in mind-numbing detail. He stayed focused for a long while, worrying his lower lip as he wrote, but he eventually became aware of the fact that Peter wasn't really writing anymore. When he looked up, Peter was looking at him. "What? Are you stuck?"

Peter jumped. How long had he been staring at Remus? "Huh? Oh. No, um, just...just distracted, I guess." He could feel his cheeks getting hot and hoped he wasn't blushing. He turned his attention back to his work. "This is boring."

Remus studied his friend for a moment, watching him after he turned away and wondering why his cheeks had gone a little pink. After a moment he turned back to his own paper and shrugged. "I know, but you know how Sluggy is."

"Yeah." Peter sighed. "How many inches have you got? I'm only at seven." He had tiny, scratchy handwriting, which he always thought made it unfair. He started out writing big on all his essays, but before long, he always reverted unconsciously back to the cramped little letters. His face was still hot, so he didn't look away from his parchment.

Remus pursed his lips and frowned at his parchment. "Eleven," he said, not needing to add that he only had one more to go. He rolled his shoulders and sat back, pushing his right thumb backwards to stretch the slightly cramped muscle. "Really, I just used a lot of extra words," he joked to make Peter feel better about only having seven, and gave Peter a lopsided grin.

"I need to learn how to do that," Peter sighed. He propped his chin in his hand and watched Remus for a minute, returning the grin wryly. "Have you started on our Transfiguration homework? I haven't even got to that yet. Thought I'd do it tomorrow." When had Remus' hair got so long? It looked good like that. Peter lowered his gaze back to the tabletop; he shouldn't probably think things like that about his mates.

There was something in that look that made Remus self-conscious, but he couldn't pin it down. "Thought I'd get potions out of the way first. Tranfiguration's easier, so that should go faster." He thought for a moment and then fingered the edge of his Potions text as if to close it, nudging Peter again. "Fancy a smoke?"

"Sure," Peter said, glad for the break. "What time is it?"

Remus snapped his book shut, then slipped his parchment neatly inside. "Half six. Why? Do you have a hot date you haven't told me about?"

Peter laughed, packing up his things as well. "No, don't be stupid. I was just asking." He sighed dramatically. "Wondering if I could get away with skiving off the essay the rest of the night. But obviously not."

Remus shook his head and slung his bag over his shoulder as he stood. "No. Sadly. But at least I'm not losing my study partner to Jashraya Patel," he teased. "Made her move yet?" he added with a wink.

Snickering, Peter shook his head. "I'm still safe, thank goodness. No reason for Sirius to moan about another friend tying the knot straight out of school." He grabbed his bag and followed Remus towards the door.

Remus rolled his eyes, but was quiet as the walked out of the library and through the corridors, moving towards the grounds. He was only idly thinking about Frank and Alice... and James, if he ever managed to get Evans to believe he wasn't an utter berk. He thought it might be easier if he wasn't gay, and then maybe he'd have someone after school, after everyone moved on to their Next Big Thing. He didn't realise he'd been quiet for so long, but they were stepping out on the grounds before he noticed.

"All right?" Peter asked when they got outside. Remus seemed awfully quiet. Perhaps he'd met someone over the summer. Perhaps he fancied someone already. Or perhaps his silence wasn't related to the topic of conversation. Peter fished around for his fags and offered one to Remus.

"Thanks," Remus said, taking the offered cigarette and lighting it wandlessly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... you know, I think it would be rather nice to have someone when we leave school." He shrugged and settled in the grass beneath a tree, looking out at the lake.

Peter lit one for himself and took a drag off it before sprawling down next to Remus. "Well," he said finally, "you'll always have me." Then he threw Remus a grin that said he knew exactly how much that was worth. "Anyway, some lovely, bookish lass will no doubt fall ar--erm, madly in love with you this year. Ravenclaw, that's where you ought to be looking."

Remus laughed a little, but felt his face heat. Peter had all the right bits, at least, but it made Remus slightly uncomfortable to even think things like that. "Nah," Remus replied, twiddling his fag between his fingers before taking another drag. "Don't think dating's really for me," he added as casually as he could.

"Well, you might meet the right person," Peter said lamely. He shrugged, watching Remus smoke. It was good to be back at school. He'd found himself eager to return and get back to his friends. After a moment he realised he was just staring at Remus again, so he looked out over the lake and had a drag off his own cigarette. "Anyway, we can't all meet our soulmates when we're seventeen. Or eleven, as the case may be." He snickered.

Remus thought about saying there wasn't a right person for him. Lightning didn't strike twice, so he wouldn't fool himself into believing the Marauder's acceptance of him would repeat itself in someone else, in someone who actually fancied him.

He felt Peter's eyes on him, but he looked a second too late and missed catching Peter's gaze. He laughed, then laid back on his back and looked at the sky, lacing his hands over his stomach and gingerly avoiding knocking the fag onto himself. "I don't suppose we can. In fact, I'd say it's improbable at best." He sighed and took another drag.

Peter snickered. "Well, if you listen to James talk..." he said, and shifted so he could nudge Remus' foot with his own. "Anyway, if I'm still holding out hope for myself, you've no call at all to give up. You're much better looking than I am." He grinned and sprawled back next to Remus.

"Yeah, well, James is delusional." Remus turned his head to the side and grinned at Peter when he lay back. "It's not a question of looks," he said, still grinning, and poked Peter in the ribs.

Peter looked at him dubiously. "Well, if it isn't about looks, then you've nothing to worry about. You're also clever and patient and kind. And when you say something, you actually mean it, unlike some people we know." Sirius, for example, would say anything to get what he wanted, even if he wasn't, usually, malicious about it.

Remus' smile faded and then he just sort of blinked at Peter for a moment. That was an unexpected string of compliments. Remus might have blushed or smiled at it, that anyone would think all that of him and actually say it out loud, except that his mind kept sticking on the one big flaw in Peter's argument. He wasn't really surprised. Remus wasn't convinced any of his friends took his condition seriously, especially not after what Sirius had done. "Yeah, well, I-- it's not about that, either. Anyway, you're attractive. You could get a girl just as easily as I could."

Peter snorted. "Gone blind over the summer, have you?" He took a drag off his fag, then Vanished it and drew his knees up. "I'm plain, ratty brown hair and ratty brown eyes, and I'm not good at anything but Transfiguration and maybe Herbology." He sighed. "For that matter, I probably won't even make it into the Auror Training Programme."

Remus pursed his lips and eyed Peter. He wasn't handsome per say, but there was nothing unattractive about him, and he was fun to be around. "You're not ratty at all... except for when you're... well... you know." Remus grinned and rolled to face Peter, then scooted back a bit when he realised how close that put them. "And grades are fixable," he added, then hissed as the glowing lit part of his fag burned down to his fingers. He jumped and let it fall between them.

Peter let out a giggle as Remus jumped, but he did a quick spell to make sure the fag didn't set fire to the grass. "It's bloody annoying," he said. "I don't want to take all that time to get good marks, but I can't get a good job unless I get good marks." He was grateful that Remus' fag had fallen apart; it distracted him from how close they suddenly were. Merlin, this was difficult, suddenly noticing his friends that way. It had been much easier when it was just attractive blokes on the beach, from a distance.

"It's a vicious circle," Remus said in mock seriousness, then stuck the burnt part of his finger in his mouth, sucking lightly. After a moment, he pulled his finger away and looked at it. Healing already. At least there was one advantage to being a werewolf. "Hopefully it's less annoying with help." Remus grinned.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~


For some reason, Remus couldn't seem to get the conversation he had with Peter on the grounds out of his mind. There was a small part of him that realised he'd never dared to look at his friends in anything more than a friendly manner. As soon as Peter had said he wasn't anything to look at, however, it was like a switch had been flipped. He found himself looking curiously at Peter just to see, objectively and not as a friend, if he thought Peter was attractive.

He was. In a quirky sort of way. And the thought alone made Remus uncomfortable.

Remus had promptly stopped looking and decided then to focus on the other thing that kept nagging him about their conversation. He didn't like the idea of Peter having so little self confidence. He didn't expect he could help Peter suddenly become the very image of cool and suave, but maybe he could do a little. He resolved to try. It was easier to fix things like this in other people than in himself.

He managed to untangle himself from James' arm, which had been wrapped around his shoulder, vaguely aware that James had been going on and on about something - probably Evans - and excused himself from going with his friend to the dormitory to watch him flirt (which earned him a small pout). Sirius trotted off after James, and Remus thought, not for the first time, that Sirius might be getting a little jealous of James' attention to Evans.

He turned and quirked his lips at Peter, then inclined his head towards where the others ran off to, as if to tell him not to stay behind on his behalf, if Peter wanted to go with them.

Lately, Peter had found himself less interested in what James and Sirius were doing, mostly because it usually involved James chasing Evans. He just couldn't get interested; he wanted James to be happy, but he didn't want any of his friends bothering him about why he hadn't found a nice girl this term. He shrugged and hung back with Remus.

"Not interested in watching him make a fool of himself with Evans again," he muttered, pausing to fish around in his pockets. He thought he had some Droobles. Finding it, finally, he offered a piece to Remus, then took one himself. "You don't seem all that keen, yourself."

He'd been spending more time with Remus, which had been really nice, actually, without Sirius knocking about being loud and obnoxious. He told himself it wasn't because he liked the way Remus' hair fell into his eyes, or the way he bit his lower lip when he was thinking. He wasn't looking at his mate like that. It just wasn't cricket.

Remus' smile bloomed and he shook his head. "Not particularly. It gets a bit repetitive after you've seen it a few times." Still, it was probably more interesting than hanging out with him; Remus couldn't help but feel warmed at that, that Peter wanted to hang out with him instead of the more "exciting" Marauders. He shrugged, then tugged at Peter's sleeve. "Come on."

"Where to, then?" Peter asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and matching Remus' strides.

Remus gave Peter a sheepish grin headed down a flight of stairs toward the ground floor. "I was hoping we could nick some rice pudding from the kitchens. Been craving it."

"All right." Peter grinned back. "I could definitely go for some sticky toffee pudding, if they have it."

"Surely they will." He took the next set of steps a bit fast, brushed his hair out of his eyes once he hit the ground floor, then glanced back to make sure he hadn't got too far ahead before heading toward the kitchens.

Peter kept up until they were close, then made his move to try to tickle the pear first. It had been a game since they learned how their second year, who would be the first to reach the room. James, he'd noticed, tried to resist taking part in the childish game these days. Sirius was always happy for an excuse to rough-house, though. Remus--well, Peter hadn't seen Remus trying lately, but the two of them hadn't come down to the kitchens alone this term. He tried to dart ahead of Remus, wondering if he was going to be tackled, or if Remus would let him win.

Remus hesitated for a moment, barely withholding a sigh. Things had changed last year. A lot had changed, actually, and for the first time ever, Remus had found himself less inclined to indulge in playing games -- or "pranks." And then James had begun his campaign to become a grown up at seventeen and even more had changed. Remus caught the playful look in Peter's eyes though, and suddenly realised he was the only one who hadn't changed, or the only one Remus didn't suddenly feel different about. He automatically sped a little, hesitated again, and then a grin spread across his face and he darted towards the tapestry.

He ran in little bursts of fast and slow, because Peter was slower than him, and when they approached their goal, he let Peter take the lead and beat him to it... of course, he still had to look like he tried. So he "accidentally" ran into Peter's back and tackled him against the wall, panting heavily.

"Oof!" Peter gasped as Remus thumped against him and drove him into the wall. He cracked his forehead against the rough stone, but he couldn't even care about the pain because of the strange happiness he felt that Remus was playing the game with him. He liked bringing out the playfulness in Remus; they didn't see it often enough. "God, Moony, you'll squish me," he said, laughing. He liked the way Remus was leaning against him, though.

As soon as he did it, Remus regretted it, because Peter had hit the wall a lot harder than he'd meant for him to. His brows drew together and he pulled away. "God, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" He waited for Peter to turn around and then made a face because there was already a bump on Peter's forehead. He reached out to brush Peter's fringe away, but pulled his hand back before it quite made it, then grimaced at Peter. "Um. I thought you might like a concussion with your pudding?" he suggested, trying to joke even as he felt terrible.

Peter laughed again, though really, it did hurt quite a lot. "Don't worry, I'm not going to come over faint or anything," he said. Remus looked guilty, which was ridiculous, because Peter had started this, after all. He pushed away from the wall and slung an arm over Remus' shoulders. "Just get me to the kitchen where the elves will feed me and give me butterbeer."

Remus thought he really ought to be better at healing spells than he was, considering his friends, but he'd never got the hang of them. He smiled faintly and put a supportive arm around Peter's waist, then laughed a little as he tickled the pear. "Are you sure? You don't need Pomfrey, do you?"

"'Course not," Peter scoffed. His head hurt, and he was a little dizzy, but that would pass. He didn't want to make Remus feel worse than he already did.

"All right." Remus didn't really believe Peter, but he didn't argue, and he helped Peter to a table once they were in the kitchen. He drew his wand, but just then an Elf approached them and he told it what they wanted before attending to Peter again. He frowned in concentration and cast a cooling charm on the bump on Peter's head. That much he could do. He shrugged, satisfied, and then re-sheathed his wand. "Merlin, we'll never get you a girl if I keep beating you up." He gave Peter a shy smile.

"G-get me a girl?" Peter stuttered, his eyes widening. He appreciated the charm, but he was suddenly more concerned about the girl part. "Um, Moony..." But what could he say in protest? He hadn't forgotten their conversation by the lake--mostly because the sight of Remus sucking on his burnt finger had cropped up in dreams, and (to Peter's embarrassment) daydreams. But that didn't mean he wanted Remus to try setting him up with a girl! He didn't want a girl at all, and he really didn't want Remus setting him up with one.

Remus grinned at Peter. He hadn't really had any sort of plan, but the idea hit him all at once. "Oh, did I not tell you that part?" he asked innocently.

Peter blinked at him. Maybe it was the blow to the head. He was suddenly confused. "What part?"

Remus couldn't help but smile ever wider. "Um. The part where I've just now decided that we're going to find you a girl." Remus nodded once to express the finality of the statement just as the Elves brought their pudding.

"You decided--" Peter frowned. "Look, wait, I told you I had to get good marks this year. I need all those NEWTs. How'm I supposed to raise my marks and find some poor, innocent girl to ask out?"

"Easy. With my help." Remus had no clue how he was going to go about this, but he was now pretty smitten with the idea. Get Peter a girl to help Peter... which helps me, because then I can stop looking at him funny once he has someone. "And anyway, 'poor and innocent'? It's not as if we're hexing them. You're a great guy." That last sentence made Remus' smile falter, because you weren't supposed to say that to other blokes. He shoved his mouth full of rice pudding.

Peter looked dubiously at him. "Maybe that'll sound like a better idea when I'm not concussed," he said, and took a swig of his butterbeer. "But right now I think you're mental. Where are you going to--no, never mind, I'm not asking. Remus, honestly, this sounds like one of Sirius' plans."

Remus frowned and looked up at Peter, then spoke through a half a mouthful of pudding, sounding a little put off. "No one's going to wind up hexed." Or worse.

Peter snorted and nudged Remus under the table with his foot. "Sirius always says that, too. But you trying to foist off a girl on me...I can see lots of hexing opportunities." He thought about that as he took a bite of his pudding. Perhaps there would be other opportunities, as well. Though he wasn't sure what, exactly.

"Unlike Sirius, however," Remus said, swallowing, "I have absolutely nothing but good intent." It took a moment, but Remus' lips quirked again. "Are you concerned with them hexing you, or you hexing them?" he teased.

Peter raised his eyebrows, then giggled. "I had just taken it for granted we'd all want to hex you," he teased back. He propped his head on his hand. The pudding wasn't sitting well in his stomach. "You do realise that I'm the one who ends up getting hexed a disproportionately high amount of the time," he said, grinning. He took another sip of his butterbeer, then decided to rest his head on the table, pillowing it with his arms. "Hm. Hexing. Don't want you to get hexed, either, though, Moony."

Remus laughed and nudged at Peter under the table, a playful little kick for the threatened hexing. He watched Peter for a long moment then, wondering if Peter felt well. Probably wasn't a good sign to get sleepy after a head injury. "I'm used to it," he said, "I get caught in the crossfire enough."

"Shouldn't," Peter said. He sighed. "You're usually the one trying to make us behave." He glanced at Remus. "Then again, maybe that's why." His lips curled in a little grin.

Remus shrugged and didn't reply. He didn't do enough. He watched Peter for a moment, eyes traveling his face before he caught himself, then he reached out and brushed Peter's fringe away from his forehead to look at the bump. "Sure you don't need Pomfrey?"

Peter's eyelids fell closed as Remus touched his hair. It sent a lovely shiver down his spine; he realised that he wanted Remus to keep touching him. "Dunno, 'm a bit dizzy."

Remus' breath caught in his throat at that reaction, but he was able to easily shove the sudden tightness in his chest away when Peter answered. "Merlin, why didn't you tell me?" Remus was out of his seat in a moment, tugging Peter from his to help him to the hospital wing.

"Didn't think it was serious," Peter murmured, leaning on Remus. It felt good to be held up, even though his stomach was lurching oddly from the way his head felt.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," Remus blurted, sounding slightly miserable, then pulled Peter against his side. He sometimes wished it was possible to Apparate and Disapparate inside the castle. Really, an exception should be made for head trauma. "I've given you brain damage before I could even set you up," he joked even as his brows were drawn in a frown.

Peter snorted and blinked rapidly. "Remus, it's not your fault. We were playing, that's all. Sirius' given me worse." Sirius had, in fact, broken Peter's arm the first time they sneaked into the Forbidden Forest.

"Yeah, well..." Remus said dismissively, continuing to pull Peter along.

"Yeah, well, nothing," Peter said. "Don't take things so hard, Moony. It just happened." He turned his head and rested it on Remus' shoulder. "Just hold me up, and we'll be fine."