Hero of the Story || James Potter x Hermione Granger Fanfiction

2 | our universe was brought to life - part ii

TW: mentions of alcoholism, mentions of/implied domestic abuse
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ii.

our universe was brought to life – part ii

(Sun by Sleeping at Last)

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January 30, 1971

"Really, Hermione? Reading again?"

She lifted her blue eyes from her book and glanced at her brother. Ten-year-old Peter leant against her doorframe with an amused smile on his face. Tucked underneath his armpit was his worn, but clearly beloved skateboard. It still amused Hermione immensely when she discovered Peter Pettigrew loved to play with his skateboard during his youth; she never really imagined the rat as being fond of it, much less brilliant at it. She always knew his accidental magic was at play, but it didn't ease their poor mother's heart when she saw some of the weird stunts her son would pull on the road.

"I like to read," she said, finally realising she hadn't retorted anything in return. Her brother slinked inside her room and plopped down on her bed, laying the skateboard beside him.

"It's the weekend," Peter claimed as if it was reason enough to question Hermione's hobbies. "Why don't you play with other children or something?"

"We're freaks in this neighbourhood, remember?" she quipped, closing her copy of Charlotte's Web and placing it on her desk. She glanced over at her brother and saw the small smile on his face.

"Of course," he sighed, a tad melodramatically, but Hermione knew he wasn't offended anymore. People had spoken about how eccentric the Pettigrew siblings were. Anya had tried to enrol her children in a Muggle primary school before they received their letter for Hogwarts, just to let them learn the basic math and science which they wouldn't otherwise learn. But, with Peter's disdain and Hermione's blatant disinterest in studying anything but magic, coupled with the strange happenings that followed them wherever they went, Anya gave up and pulled them from school and taught them instead.

Since then, parents in their neighbourhood warned their children to keep away from the Pettigrew children because they were bound to get hurt. Although Hermione didn't mind it at all, since she wasn't interested in making friends anyway, it had deeply hurt Peter. The boy just wanted to belong in a small group of friends; Hermione now understood why his adult counterpart desperately hero-worshipped Sirius Black and James Potter before joining Voldemort's minions.

She tried her hardest to let him know that being at home, with her and their mother, was enough to keep him happy. Anya had been a blessing, keeping her children busy from the sorrow of their isolation, and Hermione wondered what had happened to Peter Pettigrew that made him the evil man he was when he had a mother like Anya Pettigrew.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione then asked, slipping away from her small desk to approach her brother. She sat at the foot of her bed and quizzically stared at him.

"Mum's making me to wash the dishes," Peter explained, a meaningful glance thrown her way.

Hermione had stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "And?" she urged.

"Come on, 'Mione," he insisted, sitting up from her bed. "I hate washing the dishes. And you're brilliant at it. You did say you enjoy washing the dishes."

"You can't always get away from your chores, Petey," she sighed, prompting him to sheepishly smile.

He then rummaged inside his pocket to pull out several toffees she loved dearly. "Peace offering?" he innocently asked.