Marauder crack

The sad song

The Hufflepuff's seventh-year girl group chat animatedly in a corner of Arithmancy class. There is one of them with long brown curls, freckles on her nose, and a vivacious expression. Peter watches her eagerly, looking away at the crystal ball when she notices her scrutiny, and turns to see if it is his imagination. Remus fixes without saying anything but when he leaves class, he can't take it anymore.

- You could ask her to go out with you, Peter.

He stands on the stairs and gives the feeling that he hasn't heard anything more grotesque in his life.

- Who? Me?- His voice is too high-pitched. - I don't know- he is quick to say. - I don't... No way.

More than any other student in the school, more than anyone in the world, Remus knows what it's like to live in the shadow of two dazzling stars. He likes that space, living on the corner from which he can look at them without the pretense of reaching them. But Peter resents it. He tries to reach. And he can't make it.

- She would say yes- Remus tries to cheer him up as they go downstairs.

There is something about his small stature, about his exciting scared eyes. - Why would she say no?

They reach the bottom of the stairs. Below, the same Hufflepuff girls who were discussing Arithmancy in the tower, walk past a group of Gryffindor back from Muggle Studies. They all greet James effusively, batting their lashes, lengthening the words. Peter looks longingly at the girl with brown curls who is watching Sirius closely, even though he effortlessly ignores her. He sighs so wistfully, that Remus is suddenly full of melancholy.

- Because I'm not James. Nor Sirius - Peter laments.

He doesn't know what to say to cheer him up. He tries a pat on the back.

- We can't all be James, Peter. And luckily we also can't have more than one Sirius per school, either. But there is nothing wrong with being Peter.

- It's not the same as being James.

He looks like a scared mouse and his discomfort is so evident that he just keeps on going downstairs. James asks what the hell is wrong with him. The last thing Peter seems to want to do is to share his feeling of inferiority with the very person he can't help but compare himself to. Remus throws a lifeguard for him.

- Peter and I were talking about how much he misses the summer.

And Peter clings to him enthusiastically.

- Yes- he lies with conviction- winter sucks.

He seems so downcast and so sorry and so much shorter than usual, that Sirius and James rush to cheer him on with "It'll be summer again, man, winter it's not that bad either" and offer him something to make him change his mind. Humor. James offers him chocolate, a motorcycle ride, annoying Finch, torturing Malfoy, poisoning the teachers' dinner with laughing powder, but nothing compares to what Sirius offers him, quietly crouching behind a canine expression.

- We can make it summer, Wormtail.

The three of them turn to him.

- There is nothing that marauders cannot accomplish in this school. How many times do I have to tell you that?