Painted Scars // WOLFSTAR

Year Four: Moonlit Reunion

After Sirius's summer had finally come to a close, he was eagerly met by a friend's face - Peter. His growth spurt was only made evident by the evening out of some of his childhood chub, and his cheeks were burned red and peeling. A wide grin spread across his face as he caught sight of Sirius.

"Sirius!" he yelled, waving him over excitedly. "Meet my parents!"

Mrs. Pettigrew was tall, very thin, and Sirius's eyes were immediately drawn to her long fingernails. They weren't press-ons like Sirius had seen many witches wearing; they were natural, finely reformed into an almond shape, and they looked like they could break the skin of his arm with lightly applied pressure.

Mr. Pettigrew, however, was entirely unremarkable. Stout, hair brushed into a combover, dressed in a brown, stale muggle suit. Sirius caught a stain of coffee or tea beside a tie that was working overtime attempting to hide it.

Sirius smiled, "Nice to meet you both." He held out his hand as he always did when talking to older witches and wizards. Mr. Pettigrew took the handshake greedily, almost as if he wasn't granted the opportunity to shake people's hands often; like a young child that got overeager at the idea of playing grown-up.

He offered his hand to Mrs. Pettigrew, but she just shook her head and held up a hand that wordlessly told him to stop. Awkwardly, he drew his hand away and shoved it in his pants pocket.

Peter wrapped up his goodbyes with his parents while Sirius stood awkwardly to the side, slightly scorned at the rejection. "Sorry 'bout that," Peter stressed when they walked away from the Pettigrews. "Mum's a germaphobe. She won't even shake my hand, and I'm her son!" Sirius just hummed, hoping to not let on his internal battle.

"Let's just get on the train. I'm knackered."

Sirius followed closely behind Peter into their compartment, the same one they'd ridden in since their first day at Hogwarts. The train rides after summer break were always somewhat dreadful because the muggy London heat would spill into the carriages and warm the seats until they were scorching to the touch. Sirius threw off his robes and set them on the seat to combat it. They waited in comfortable silence for the other two.

Several minutes later, the familiar slide of the compartment door drew Sirius' eyes up to James, and he was reminded of his first ever day at Hogwarts; James opened the compartment door, asking to be let in. Only this time, James didn't look like the starry-eyed eleven-year-old.

His shoulders had broadened even more, and he had on a muggle t-shirt that showed off the muscle he'd earned over the last year and the summer. His face was relatively the same as before, if only a bit slimmer, but he'd grown; wider and taller, like he'd spent the last three months training to be a professional Quidditch player.

"James!" both boys cheered, Peter sliding over to make room for him beside himself. "Look at you!" Sirius said.

"Look at me? Look at you! You look properly grown!" James replied, sitting down next to Peter and grinning at his best mate. "Your hair's grown out, too!" Only by a little, but it was slipping past his ears now and curling against the nape of his neck.

"What can I say, I was ready for a change," Sirius teased, batting his eyelashes girlishly. James playfully shoved him, and Sirius sent him one back.

"Have you seen Remus, yet?" Peter asked James, looking happy to have all three of them back together.

"Oh," James said, voice going low as he leaned in. "Yeah, he's still with his parents. They're bleeding scary, I think even your parents might've been scared of them, Sirius."

Sirius snorted. "Not ruddy likely."

"I don't know," James considered. "They were like a pack of wolves. Didn't even hug him goodbye or anything – it was right weird. I tried to stay away from them after his dad stared me down like I'd kicked his puppy."