"Get up!" Remus called in my ear. "Come on!"
"Moony, stop," I groaned from underneath the covers. "Whattime issit?"
"Around nine, come on!"
"Nine?" I mumbled. "Too early, go 'way."
"Padfoot, wake up!" Remus yanked the covers off of me, and I sat up, rubbing at my eyes crankily.
"You better have a good reason for waking me up at the crack of dawn," I warned him, squinting through the bright sunshine streaming through James's window.
"James, you too, hurry," Remus prompted, prodding at the lump next to me. James scowled at Remus, sitting up reluctantly.
"What is it?" I asked impatiently, pulling the covers around me.
"Wormtail's here," Remus announced, grinning. We both scrambled out of bed, tangling ourselves in the sheets, and jamming my feet into slippers, I raced down the stairs, James and Remus close behind me. Peter stood in the main hall, looking delighted at the sight of us.
"Prongs! Padfoot!" he shouted joyfully, running toward us for a hug. When we let go, he peered up at our faces. "You guys grew so tall," he remarked resentfully.
I beamed down at him. "What took you so long?"
"I was on holiday in Bath," Peter sighed, shrugging. "What've you guys been up to?"
"Well, let's see," I said slowly, still grinning. "I ran away from home, crashed here, got blasted off my family tree, and found out my brother's a murderer and being hunted by the Ministry, so not much, eh?"
Peter gawped at me, his eyes wide. "You never told me any of this!" he exclaimed indignantly.
"Well, it's not a story you can put in a letter," I shrugged. "Tell you later. What's for breakfast? I'm famished."
"I have mail for you!" Mrs. Potter yelled from the kitchen. We looked at each other, curious. Was she finally showing us the Daily Prophet?
When we got to the kitchen, however, the mail turned out to be our Hogwarts letters. I ripped my letter open, skimming my mile-long booklist.
"We need all of these?" I asked incredulously. "Are they planning to let us sleep at all this year?"
"It is your N.E.W.T. year," Mrs. Potter pointed out, pulling out a carton of milk. "Maybe you boys should focus on your studies and getting good marks on your N.E.W.T.s instead of slacking off this year."
"Slack off?" Remus laughed. "They're one of the best----,"
"What?!" James shouted suddenly, staring at his letter. "No way!"
"What?" I asked curiously, trying to peer at his letter.
"I'm Head Boy?" James yelled, showing me a shiny gold badge with a lion and the letters HB carved on it.
"Oh, James!" Mrs. Potter cried, beaming and wringing her hands. She bustled around the corner and wrapped James in a big hug, smoothing down his hair and kissing him repeatedly. "Head Boy, our little Jamesie, oh, I knew you would get it!"
"Mum, gerroff, honestly," muttered James, his face pink, wriggling out of her grip. "How on Earth am I Head Boy?"
"You're clever, I suppose, and----," Remus bit his lip, smiling sheepishly. "Well, I can't really say you set a good example...,"
"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Mrs. Potter said tearfully. "I never thought, what with all the owls I constantly get about the lot of you...oh, I don't know, setting fire to your beds and whatnot----,"
