ooc: damnit I totally replied to this like three days ago! It was a long one too - sigh
Doubts? Too bloody likely, Peter thought. It was all very well to say that other wizards experienced similar problems. He doubted any of those wizards had gone through the dark magic withdrawal period, twice, only to have their hands hacked off. As for Transfiguration, that was hardly any comfort. James and Sirius had always done all the real work, frustrated by his inability to grasp what they considered simple concepts, and constantly having to wait for him to catch up when it came to physical exercises. He remembered, in a dull, long-ago sort of way, having to spent several days sleeping in the Hospital Wing after being up all night doing magic that totally drained him, while the others were, if a little sleepy, at least capable of going to classes. Madam Pomfrey had diagnosed him with a weak constitution, or something, and blamed it on lack of fresh air. Little did she know, of course.
And Dumbledore was a lot like James and Sirius in a way, he thought, watching him. More like James - that easy self confidence that came from knowing there was almost anything you could not do. Conjuration and complex Transfiguration with barely a second thought, he noticed. And like James he was handsome - though in a different way, Peter thought, boyish and graceful, rather than tall and dark.
What on earth are you thinking??? demanded his mother's voice, and he had to drag himself back to the task at hand. "Er, right," he said, unsteadily, shaking his wand out of his sleeve. "Anything? I mean, not Dark Magic, obviously," even if that's what I'm best at, "but..." he hesitated. Did he start with the most complex thing he thought he could manage, and risk making a fool of himself, or try something easy and look like an idiot either way? The eternal dilemma.