Friends unable to fade
Peter sat on his bed, rolling over what he smelled on the note. He didn't remember anybody who smelled of whiskey and parchment. It was a strange thing to smell of but it wasn't unusual as Sirius always smelled of a pack of cigarettes. The only scent he recognised was his grandmother's kitchen as he had spent most of his childhood there and he always went there every summer for a few weeks before visiting the Potters and he loved every moment of it. It always has fresh treats waiting for him when he arrives, each one more delicious than the last. He always made sure to thank her every time as he wanted to make her feel appreciated and loved.
He brought his attention back to the whiskey and burnt parchment. His mind brought him pictures of Slytherin ties. Two to be exact. He didn't spend much time around the Slytherin but had become friends with Barty and Evan, who were part of Regulus's friend group. They seemed quite nice especially towards him and he always loved their company. They seemed to be a partial break from the loud chaos of Sirius and James but Barty was unpredictable. Sometimes he would act quiet and nice and other times he would act hyper and mischievous. Regulus had mentioned that there was another, completely different, side to him but Peter had yet to see it but he had to take his word as Regulus had known Barty for even longer than he had.
Evan was peaceful and not as chaotic as Barty was but there were times that he was influenced by him. Peter always found them entertaining to watch and fun to talk to, though sometimes he would catch himself staring at them from across the Great Hall during meals and getting concerned when they didn't show up but he waved it off as being a protective friend. He didn't really think much of it and carried on with his day, of paying too much attention to the fact that he had been caught staring multiple times by James and Sirius. Remus grinned at him every time but Peter didn't know why. Then again he had caught Remus and Sirius staring at each other in the past. Same with James and Regulus.
It couldn't be similar for him, could it? Surely not.
Something about them seemed to draw him in but he didn’t know why. He wanted to look away from them every time but he couldn’t. They had known him for quite a while now but it still felt like they had only just met each other in the halls. Regulus had pointed out that Barty and Evan often talked about him in the common rooms and they seemed like they could go on and on about him. It was quite a thing to hear, especially after he had done the same about them in the Gryffindor common rooms just a few moments prior. Peter had played it down to just being good friends.
“Hey Pete! Gone to the clouds?” Sirius called out, walking into the dorms and placing himself next to Peter. He wished that Sirius hadn’t found him at this moment as he was still thinking things over. He had noticed that Barty and Evan had quite a similar scent to the parchment but he wasn’t sure why the Amortentia picked them of all people. It could have just stuck with his grandmother’s kitchen but it picked them for some reason.
“Just thinking.” Peter shrugged, flopping backwards onto his bed and sighing, “No, I do not want to talk about it, Pads.” he added as an afterthought, glaring aSirius.
“Alright. I wasn’t going to ask anyways.”
“Sure.” Peter rolled his eyes.
“Oh come on. I really wasn’t.” Sirius laughed,kicking his foot. Peter groaned, swatting him away, muttering curses under his breath. “Don’t huff at me.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s rude.”
“You’re one to talk, you spent all of yesterday insulting James.”
“With good reason.” Sirius informed him, kicking him once more. Peter didn’t even react and just glared at him. Sirius could be such a pretentious fucker at times.
“What would that reason be?” Peter asked, now curious with what bullshit excuse Sirius had now.
“Well- er-”
“Exactly, you don’t have one.” Peter interrupted him, not caring in the slightest what Sirius was about to come up with. He knew that he had been in an iffy mood all day but he had surprised himself completely. He hadn’t meant to wave off Sirius in this way but whatever worked, worked. He sighed with slight relief as he felt Sirius stand from the bed. He heard him walk off to the windowsill. He was still in sight but he wasn’t bothering him which was a bonus. It was always great to have silence every so often.
Evan and Barty wormed their way into his mind once more, reminding him of why he was stuck in thought in the first place. They were always in the back of his mind, especially since James had made him smell that note. He pushed his thoughts to one side and tried to clear his mind. It was harder than he imagined as his mind was whirling with ideas and thoughts. Thankfully they weren’t of the Slytherin pair and just of his interactions throughout the day. James seemed to be off today and so did Sirius and Remus. It must have been more drama that he had missed again. It always happened so he didn’t think of it as weird. Nobody really talked to him other than a few words which was, again, normal.
James didn’t really talk to him much today but then again he was busy with homework and quidditch so it was understandable why he wouldn’t talk to him much. Remus was busy with full moons and studies but he was still able to talk to him here and there. Sirius was not really caught up with anything but Peter was used to being talked at sometimes. He was only a secret keeper. He wasn’t a major part of the group so he was just there in the background, completely silent and with only one or two people talking to him at a time.