To say Mary was tired was an understatement.
She was beyond tired. She was exhausted. The o.w.l.s were just around the corner and quidditch training was much more strict since James had become captain.
Seriously James was the sweetest boy but when they were on the field he became another man.
And all her friends were managing this so much better than she was. I mean sure Lily and Remus weren't on the quidditch team but they worked double on their studies. James and Sirius seemed to be naturally talented at everything while still managing to pull pranks with Peter and that was beyond frustrating to everyone around.
Marlene was the more relatable of the lot. She was under stress as well, being on the quidditch team and struggling with some of her schoolwork. But Marlene had something she hadn’t.
Marlene had Dorcas.
And Remus had Sirius and James had Lily and Mary had no one.
Not that she wanted to. She had understood a while ago that she didn’t feel the same way her friends did.
She knew how to love but sometimes it felt as though she didn’t love quite properly. She didn’t love romantically like all her friends.
That's something she should come to terms with but instead she hid away in o.w.l.s revisions and quidditch practice.
And on some evenings, teatime.
As she entered the common room, hair messier than usual and a heavier weight on her shoulder, she locked eyes with peter.
The boy sat alone in an armchair, a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Around this time of the day, the common room was rather empty. Their friends were scattered all around the school; Lily and Remus were probably in the library while James and Sirius were still on the field and Marlene was certainly studying with Dorcas.
So in the end it was just the two of them, as always.
With one glance at Mary, Peter's eyes narrowed as he put his book down, giving his full attention to the girl.
"Rough day ?" He asked as she walked over to him.
"Rough day." Mary practically collapsed on the sofa next to Peter.
On days like this, she still kept a perfect smile on her face around others. She knew how to put on an act, because she knew herself.
She knew how to be Mary Mcdonald, even when she felt so far away from herself.
Yet, somehow, around Peter Pettigrew, things were just easier. She didn’t need to give a big smile or tease or cheer. They just sat in a comfortable silence.
The thing is, Peter loved the quiet. Even while being around the James Potter and the Marlene Mckinnon all his life, he still enjoyed it. But it was lonely. The quiet often brought out the fear of ending up alone.
A fear he didn’t think he'd share with someone as solar and outgoing as Mary.
Yet, while Mary also enjoyed the quiet, she was terrified of it. Always having to talk above it, to put on music, to hum songs and distract her mind. This was her way of avoiding loneliness.
That is until she met Peter and his love for teatime.
Peter who quietly sat with her. Peter who would brush the back of his hand on her shoulder or play with her robes to remind her he was still here. Peter who would make all kinds of delicious tea every time. Peter who would take the time to bake some biscuits.
Peter who just seemed to understand her more than she did.
“Tea ?”
Mary looked at the teapot and noticed it was red rooibos tea, her favorite. She nodded and Peter poured tea in a second teacup he always brought. She whispered a ‘thanks’ and took a sip. As always, Peter’s tea was the best she had ever drunk. The boy had started to learn how to make all different kinds of tea around his second year. Sometimes she would notice him handing a cup to an obviously exhausted Remus. It always seemed to make his day better.
She never understood why until she drank some of his tea herself. It was the first time they had met up like that.
Mary had been at a low point in her life, she couldn’t understand a thing in class, she missed her mom and siblings and she didn’t understand why Marlene was so focused on Dorcas. Furthermore, she couldn’t comprehend why that had bothered her at all.
So when she had entered the common room that day and spotted Peter alone, probably in the same position as today, she didn’t really think, she simply walked over to him and asked for some of his magic tea.
She had cried that day.
Now, if you’d ask her now, she probably wouldn’t be able to tell you why. Surely it was just a breakdown from too many repressed emotions.
After that day, it had become some kind of routine. Every two or three days, Peter would wait for Mary on the same armchair, and he would offer some tea and biscuits. Sometimes they would talk, some other they’d play chess, and some other time they would just sit in silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence.
Today, Mary decided to talk.
“Marls is with Dorcas. Apparently ‘Cas has finally accepted to help her with potions.” She said, keeping her eyes on her tea.
“Really ? Well Dorcas owes me ten galleons then.”
Mary tilted her head to the side in confusion.
“We had a bet going on about how she would end up saying yes to helping Marlene despite their ongoing competition in class.” He clarified.
At that, Mary quietly chuckled, being used to Peter and Dorcas’ antics with bets.
“Is there anything you two don’t bet on ?” She asked fondly.
“Mhm, we have yet to guess our o.w.l.s results," he matches her playful tone, “but tomorrow’s another day.”
He winked at Mary, getting a surprised laugh from her in response.
A comfortable silence installed itself between the two. Peter went back to his book, but still kept one hand free, in case Mary needed to reach him, which she did. She layed on the sofa, and held Peter’s hand, trying to count his moles and tracing patterns on the back of it.
She loved Peter.
Mary knew how to love.
But she didn’t love him the same way Marlene did Dorcas.
What did she do wrong ? Why couldn’t she love the way they did ? What was wrong with her heart ?
Movements got her out of her mind as Peter’s hand slipped away to pour her some more tea. He then faced her, a gentle genuine smile on his face. He always made it look like he knew what was going on in her mind. Always so observant and quiet that people barely noticed him when he was watching.
Mary’s thoughts faded away as the boy pulled out a chessboard.
“Fancy a little game ?”
Mary sat up, a new kind of smile creeping up on her face. She nodded and watched as Peter put the pawns in place.
Peter seemed to understand her more than she ever did. And everytime her thoughts and her heart were disagreeing, he simply served more tea and silently reminded her.
There was nothing wrong with her heart. Love comes in different forms.
And just because they didn’t love the same way their friends did, didn’t mean they didn’t love properly.