Helium Raven (severity_softly) wrote in ever_fixed_mark, @ 2008-04-06 21:02:00 |
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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.