1971 | The Science of Tardiness
Peter groaned as the sun rose to the noon position, casting a ray of light on the young boy’s closed eyes. Stifling a yawn, Peter rubbed the sleep from his eyes as the world focused around him. “Remus.” the boy called out, his arms stretching in front of him almost involuntarily. After a moment with no reply, Peter looked to the bed next to his, and with widening eyes he knew why there was no reply.
He was late - for the third time this week Peter was late. Moving as quickly as his legs would allow, he made his way from corridor to corridor, each one as empty as the last. His heart sunk into his chest thinking about what Mcgonagall had said to them before the start of term. ‘Any rule breaking and you lose points for your house.’ The memory of her voice rang loud in his ears as he wondered how many points three tardies would cost Gryffindor house. Nearing the door to the Potions room, Peter took a moment to catch his breath. It had been a long time since he exerted that much energy before lunch. Making sure to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he gently opened the door to the room.
Sneakily popping his head in, Peter’s eyes searched the room. Remus, Peter’s only friend at the moment, was in the front of the class seated next to someone he couldn’t recognise. Peter shook his head, he wasn’t one to sit next to someone he wasn’t familiar with, but it seemed he had no other option. He entered swiftly after determining Professor Slughorn wasn’t paying any attention and plopped down in the nearest available seat. “Did I miss anything?”