Childhood - Chapter 1
Peter Pettigrew was always a shy kid.
Even when he was a small child, while others learned to explore the world and create their place in it, Peter preferred the comfort of hiding behind his mothers leg, trusting her to protect him from whatever threat laid in front of them.
Eventually He did come out of his shell, if ever so slightly, and he found friends who he trusted and loved. He learned to enjoy the bustle of his small town and the beauty of it. He wanted nothing more in life than to quietly watch the bees hop from flower to flower as the leaves slowly change in shade marking the pass from summer to fall. He spent his mornings reading with a cup of lukewarm tea and his afternoons running through the fields at the edge of town with his two closest friends.
The place Peter grew up in had a very mixed community, filled with both muggles and wizarding folk alike. The relationships created and shared between these villagers was the most uniquely special thing that Peter had the privilege to grow up around. Some of the muggles knew of their wizarding neighbors and were fascinated by them, learning how to brew potions and about the magical world itself. Many of these muggles married into these wizarding families and created a generation of half-bloods in the village, including Peter. Most of the wizarding folk took up jobs as Healers, using their knowledge and magical abilities to help their community, and the muggles who otherwise didn't know of their true identity felt no need to question it. It was a common occurrence for owls to congregate in mass numbers around the village in the days leading up to September, flowers to bloom when the weather wouldn't allow and terrifyingly difficult diseases to treat be gone in an instant. Most ignorant of the true reason for these anomalies learned to treat it as a quirk of the place they called home.
Peter grew up with a wizarding mother and a muggle father. His mother was a short and plump lady, always wearing a flower patterned dress and her favorite apron. She had rosy cheeks and bright auburn curls that would fall down her face. She was kind and sweet and treated Peter like her world. Peter would occasionally sit under the kitchen table while she made herbs and potions to sell to the townsfolk. She was an amazing cook, teaching him how to make the most delicious recipes for as long as he can remember.
Peter's father, on the other hand, was an opposite in many ways. He was tall and slightly lean, always choosing to wear his most neatly pressed suit. He worked in the muggle city a little while's drive away and would leave in the early hours of the morning and return in the wee hours of the night. He never was mean or cold to Peter, he just wasn't really there. During the days he was home during the weekends he would more often than not stay in his office writing away. If Peter wanted to show him something he would listen, but he never went out of his way to check on his son. Peter loved his dad and knew his dad loved him, they just were never really close.
As he grew older, Peter spent more of his time hanging out with his friends. James was a tan boy and often the tallest kid in his class. He was extremely kind and athletic. He would constantly rant to Peter about how excited he was to play real quidditch once he's old enough. Peter would often find him running around in the fields with Marlene, sweat fogging up his round glasses. Marlene was the scary one of the group. She was short like Peter but what she lacked in height she made up for in attitude. She had mid length blonde hair that she would often keep in braids and loved dressing in “boys clothes” as her mother liked to call them.
The three of them made an unlikely trio, but they worked perfectly nonetheless.
One by one they started to turn 11. First Peter, then James and then Marlene. With their age marked their ability to finally go to Hogwarts, the wizarding school in Scotland. James and Marlene would excitedly talk to each other about all the new things they would be able to do when they get to school; getting sorted, Quidditch, learning new things and meeting new people.
Peter, on the other hand, was more nervous than excited. He wasn't ready to be apart from home for so long, apart from his mother for so long. He had heard stories from his mom and his friends' parents about all the fun they had in school but he couldn't get past the idea of leaving the comfort of his house, of his family and of his town. He was much more content with the idea of staying in the safety of his room, reading books and cooking with his mother. But eventually the days leading up to September became fewer and fewer and Peter found himself helpless the day a barn owl delivered his letter. He started at the Hogwarts crest on the seal, begging his mother to let him stay, but she never agreed. “This will be good for you. You will have your friends to keep you company.”
Peter waited until the last possible second to pack. Praying that this was all a bad dream. But eventually he couldn't deny it any longer. He was going to school, whether he liked it or not. So he packed his trunk, and off he went. His dad didn't come to the platform to say goodbye, not like Peter expected it. His mom made sure to bring his favorite homemade rolls as a parting gift and gave him a goodbye kiss on the cheek. He didn't want to leave but his mother told him he had to be brave. So when he saw the familiar face of his friends, he spared one last look at his mother, and went.
James was waving at him with excitement. As Peter walked closer he noticed that Marlene was not with him. “Oh she met some other girl, they are already on the train together.” James had said. Peter wondered how it was so easy for her to make a new friend. He let James grab his arm and drag him onto the train.
It was a lot more crowded inside then Peter expected. All around him were young witches and wizards of all different ages. There was not an inch of space left unfilled and it made him feel very overwhelmed.
James dragged him past compartment after compartment until he finally found one that was empty. Soon after they settled into their seats and Peter opened his book, they were joined by a boy with short black hair who introduced himself as Sirius Black. Peter's blood ran cold at the name. He heard many stories about the blacks, a rich and powerful family, members of the sacred 28 and one of the few left that believed in pureblood supremacy. James didn't seem that fazed after a while however and they soon struck up a conversation about Quidditch.
Right before the train was about to depart another boy stumbled into the compartment. He was slightly taller than James and had bronze fluffy hair. The first thing Peter noticed about him however, was the scars that painted his face. He seemed more nervous like Peter and introduced himself as Remus Lupin.
He sat down and complimented Peter’s book. The more they talked, Peter felt his shyness and anxiety slip away.
The four boys spent the few hour train ride engrossed in conversation. Sirius talked about his family and how he hated to be associated with them. He also talked about his little brother, who he spoke of with such love in his eyes it made Peter feel jealous that he was born an only child. James talked about how he was excited to be sorted into Gryffindor and his love of his favorite sport, a love that Peter soon learned that Sirius shared. Remus was more quiet but occasionally piped into the conversation, telling the other boys about growing up in a completely muggle town. Peter didn't talk much but bonded well with Remus, both enjoying discussing their favorite books with each other. He also learned that Remus had a distant father like Peter.
Eventually Peter forgot the anxiety and dread of going to a completely new place. Instead, he was excited about the new memories he would make with his new friends. And everything started to feel a little less scary.