The Marauders: Year Four

The Invitation

The Invitation

Dear Peter & James,
You are cordially invited to the formal house warming party of
Messers Moony & Padfoot
for the weekend following Friday July 12, 1974
Don't ask us where, as the address is variable day to day
but meet us at 13h in front of
The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London
to be escorted to our new and humble-ish abode.
Prepare for a weekend of
MISCHIEF, MAYHEM
and, of course, most importantly,
MARAUDING.
Please bring food as a house-warming present (and lots of it),
especially if you don't fancy trying to eat a fire-roasted squirrel.
(Messer Moony would kindly like to request that you bring chocolate,
as he is currently suffering from really bad withdrawals) (Firewhiskey is also appreciated if you can knick it, adds Messer Padfoot)
Please RSVP via Owl as soon as possible
(you both better be coming, you gits)
We will see you after the full moon.
Sincerely,
Remus J. Lupin (Moony)
Sirius O. Black (Padfoot - but you ought to have worked that out on your own)

"Any good news with your owl today, Peter?" Cecil Pettigrew looked up from his rather comatose state before the telly, where he'd sort of roosted over the last month since his wife had been gone. It was the first thing he'd said all day. Granted, it was still before noon, but Peter and Maggie had been sitting in the open area room since sunrise with him and none of them had said a single word, besides Peter, who'd said good morning when he first went in and started working on his homework at the dining room table. The sound of a voice in the Pettigrew house was shockingly loud in the silence that had engulfed them.

Peter looked at the letter in his hands, the parchment decorated with doodles of trees and firewhiskey bottles that poured into squat little cups and hopping chocolate frogs with little "ribbit!" talk bubbles coming out of their mouths. Under each name was a pawprint and an insignia banner, clearly drawn by Remus because of it's excellent use of shading, which read Itinerarium Maraudentium or, roughly translated Peter thought, It is good for the Marauder to take a risk.

This was not at all the sort of parchment you let your father see. Particularly if you have any hope at all of getting to actually go to the event that it describes. Peter shook his head, "Just a note from my mate Remus," he said, "Reminding me of..." and he thought quickly, looking at the date on the parchment. "Of an early birthday party they're thinking of tossing me 'round his house. The weekend of July 12. Is that okay?"

But Cecil had already mostly stopped paying attention and he nodded, his eyes sort of vague and face slack. "Yes... yeah, of course. Whatever you like, Peter." With that, he turned back to the telly.

Peter looked back at the parchment and quickly ripped off the corner.

Deciding it would be quite funny to mimic the words that the boys had written to him (they'd appreciate his matching their third person humour). But what to call himself? What to call himself... Moony was a play on Remus's "moon allergy" obviously, and Padfoot must be on account of a dog's foot being made up of pads. Well what did rats have? He contemplated the options a moment. Sharptooth? Whiskerface? Scurrytoes? Biter? Then it occurred to him and he grinned happily and Peter wrote the following:

Messer Wormtail wishes to be counted in for any and all instances of
MISCHIEF, MAYHEM, and MARAUDING.

Below that, he sketched a shoddy version of the insignia banner. Intinerarium Maraudentium indeed.