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Written for the Marauders Era Comp, week 3. Prompts used - Controlling, shiny, before, speciality, memorised.

Scapegoat

Detention, Pettigrew.

If Peter had heard those words once, he had heard them a thousand times in his almost seven years at Hogwarts. He told himself it was part of being in the Marauders. He told himself that he was just one of four, and they all took the blame at one point or another, so it was fair game. That's what he told himself. He didn't really believe it.

Detention, Pettigrew.

Remus was the mastermind of the group. He was the quiet one, the dangerous one really, because he was so smart. He was the one with the ideas, the ways to execute the perfect prank, the brains. It wouldn't be fair for him to have to sit the detentions all the time, when he put so much work into the pranks in the first place. Remus was in charge of controlling things from behind the scenes, so he didn't get caught. He didn't get detention. Not like Peter.

Detention, Pettigrew.

James was the fun. James did the pranks, and pulled them off with a flair that few could ever claim. He was the joker, the clown, but he was popular, so people liked him for it. James was the face of the pranks, the shiny cover that made them sparkle. He often got caught, but even the teachers loved him, so he rarely got punished harshly. When he did, Sirius went along for the ride, so James was never alone in detention. Peter often thought that would make all the difference.

Detention, Pettigrew.

Sirius was the charm. He was handsome, and loved by everyone, though he pretended not to notice. Peter thought that was part of the attraction. Sirius was who all the girls wanted, who all the boys wanted to be. Sirius was more for speciality pranks, he preferred those aimed at certain people. He was the master of revenge, and he had proved it time and time again. Whereas Remus was more inclined towards school wide pranks, Sirius was a master at singling people out. Sirius spent some time in detention, but he was never alone. James wouldn't have it that way.

Detention, Pettigrew.

Peter was the scapegoat. Nobody ever said so, but then, nobody really needed to. Peter wasn't as smart as the others, he wasn't handsome or charming. He was lucky, he supposed, that James and Sirius and Remus wanted to be friends with him. Before Hogwarts, Peter had never had a friend before. He tried to be as good as them. During the summer holidays, he memorised the school books as best he could, so he could be as smart as his friends. He researched spells and charms that might make him look better. He read self help books that his mother loved, hoping to pick up tips on how to be charming.

Nothing ever worked though. But still, James and Sirius and Remus all said they liked him as he was. They accepted him. So when Peter spent hours alone in detention, cleaning floors in the dungeons or writing lines for McGonagall, he clung to that thought. So detention alone was lonely. So his friends were probably already planning their next prank without him.

Peter didn't mind being the scapegoat, because it meant he had friends. And that was enough. Right?

Detention, Pettigrew.