The Calm - The Three Broomsticks | Peter

[Daisy Hookum]

Daisy had been looking forward to this day, as well as dreading it, for the past couple of weeks. As excited as she was to see Peter again, the thought that perhaps the conversation they would have today wouldn't end well was tearing at her heart. She wanted him back, but her fear of the unknown in his job was still so high. She could lose him at any moment, and that was still weighing on her mind. War came with causalities, and while she had complete faith in his abilities as a wizard, there was always a risk.

She knew, deep in her heart, that not everyone was going to survive. She was going to lose someone that she loved to the other side, probably more than one person. She had so many friends who had joined the Order, and she had heard whispers through the school of others considering joining. She woke up everyday prepared to be pulled aside, for someone to tell her that one of her friends had died. Even if they were still working desk jobs, it was risky. Even openly opposing the Dark Lord could lead to unpleasant events. And while she would never support him, she avoided those who were open about their political stances as much as possible. She didn't need to cause trouble for herself, or for anyone else.

And so it was with much confusion that she awoke to an owl pecking at the window in the morning, groggily climbing out of bed to let it in. She recognized it immediately, it was from her mother. And while it wasn't uncommon for her mother to write, usually the letters were received during meals with everyone else. A letter this early in the morning? Her heart sunk into her stomach as she tore it open.

_{My darling,} 

I know this owl will probably wake you up, but I wanted to tell you how much I love you. You are a precious gift that I have never regretted. I know the choice you are facing is hard one, but if you really love him I know you will stand by his side. It's what you should do, and I know you don't need me to tell you that.  

Cane is a good man, and he will take care of you. Please give him my love. 

I love you Daisy. No matter what. 

Mum 

It took a few times of reading the letter before she was able to breathe a sigh of relief, but it still bothered her. Peter had mentioned in his letters that her mother had seemed anxious, and this letter was no exception. They had taken to discussing things in code about Peter, should the letter ever be intercepted. This one was no different, referring to Peter by his middle name. It wasn't a very creative code name, but middle names weren't used very often to where they believed it would be easily understood by someone who didn't know Peter.

Gathering herself together, she managed to get dressed, shoving the letter in the pocket of her sweater as she went down to get breakfast. She had a few last minute things to buy for her outfit tonight, and she wanted to make sure she had plenty of time before meeting with Peter. And as her luck would have it, her early morning wake up call had given her more time than she needed. Arriving at The Three Broomsticks early, she grabbed herself a butterbeer before settling down at the table her and Peter had usually claimed on their Hogsmeade visits during school.

[Peter Pettigrew]

Lately, quite despite himself, Peter felt as if he were observing the words from a great distance. Or rather he was there in the thick of it but could not appreciate it properly, like there was a great wall separating him from everyone else. Peter imagined the only way to the other side, would be to climb the wall; he guessed that was what rock bottom felt like. He had hit it.

But he was working on it. Slowly but surely he was chipping away at the mortar that held his brick wall together, soon there would be a foothold and if all went well by the end of the night he should be able to climb out. He planned to surprise Daisy. Remus was going to see Charlotte at the Masquerade, why shouldn’t he see Daisy too? Except of course that they were split up. Fingers crossed that by the end of the dance tonight they wouldn’t be.

Peter had felt stuck between a rock and hard place for a very long time now. He was already in with the Order, like all the Marauders were. However, he had made that decision without ever talking to Daisy; because some part of him knew that she wouldn’t be well with his life’s plan, and he was right wasn’t he? So Daisy was gone and he couldn’t leave his friends and the Order!

He couldn’t give Daisy what she wanted, peace of mind, but it hardly mattered he needed her, he had to get her back. They would face the world together, no matter what it was war and it would come for them all whether they fought or not. He had to get her to see that they loved each other too fiercely to let a little thing like uncertainty stand in the way. With a renewed set of his jaw Peter shouldered his way into the Broomsticks.

There was a flicker of memories: the boys and him on their first trip, he and Daisy snogging in a booth in the corner. All there friends in Gryffindor. They felt distant, as if that had been someone else’s life. He spotted Daisy easily; he could see her in a crowd of thousands. And he smiled, the way only Daisy could make him smile.

It had been so long since his face had cracked in such a way, it felt foreign. She was just as sweetly beautiful as she had always been. He sat down across from her, awkwardly half rising again to kiss her cheek, sat back down, shifted, folded his hand on the table…”I missed you.” Oh great start rubber lips! Peter tried to recover. “I mean, how have you been?”

[Daisy Hookum]

Daisy fidgeted anxiously in her seat, wondering if meeting up with Peter was the right idea. She loved him, so much. And after her talk with Charlotte last month, she had plenty of time to consider things. But their letters back and forth hadn't reached a resolution. She couldn't admit to him what she really wanted, what she was really feeling. Today may not be any different. It would be so easy to drag him off, distract him from the conversation. But she had promised herself she wouldn't do that. Her future - their future - needed to be set in stone. Regardless of which way. If he didn't want her back, she could accept it. She just needed to know.

But when she caught sight of him, her resolve melted away. Just seeing him the Three Broomsticks, the way he smiled as he walked towards her. She was doomed, and she knew it. He was everything she had wanted in life, but losing him would be too painful. At least this way, with them apart, she could move on. And if the day did come when his job took his life - she'd already know how to grieve losing him. He sat down across from her, placing a kiss on her cheek that left it tingling.

She gave a smile at his words, glad to hear them. Even as he tried to cover it up, she couldn't help but be happy. She had counted down the days to this trip, knowing she would get to see him again. "I missed you too Peter. And I've been alright, just the normal school nonsense," she answered as nonchalantly as possible. She wanted him to move over and sit next to her, wrap his arm around her shoulder as he had once done. Keep it together girl.

"I got a letter from Mum this morning, and it's just so strange. She seems a bit off, like you mentioned in your letters. Here," she stated, fishing it out of her pocket. Her face flushed as she realized the contents of the letter, knowing he would catch on to the fact her and her Mum had been talking about him. "Uhm, how have you been?"

[Peter Pettigrew]

He would never understand, not in a million years, how his girl Daisy managed to remain chipper. She seemed happy even, as if everything was as it normally was and he wasn’t sitting across from her with a bleeding heart. But that was just Daisy, she was the best at making the best of things and that’s one of the reasons he loved her so much. She brought out the best in him; in everything.

“Good, good. It’s almost over, hang in there.” Peter remembered how he had felt in his final year; he could barely believe it was only last year. He was also jumping inside that she had missed him as well but something told him not to jump on the opportunity to plead his case to her…again. He had to play it cool, don't be too desperate...

He was glad he hadn’t jumped into his planned out speak, she was handing him a letter and speaking of her mother. “I knew it.” Peter muttered under his breath as he took the creased page from her. There was a moment when he almost touched her fingers and he had to fight hard to keep from catching her hand and nursing it to his cheek. He flicked the letter open, a knot forming in his gut as he skimmed.

He was reading the correspondence a second time when Daisy spoke. “Miserable.” He said without thinking. He gave her a rueful face, an apology clear in his eyes; Daisy didn’t want to hear how mopey he was. “Better now that I know you’re mums on my side.” He added, going for the tease even though it really did make him feel better that Daisy’s mum thought he was right for her and that they should be together. 

But he couldn’t ignore the rest of the contents of the letter. Alarm rang in his head; something was obviously wrong with the woman he had considered his mother over the last years. When he spoke next he was considerably more serious, giving her back the letter somberly. “Dais, I’m worried. Maybe I should pop over there and see what’s up, maybe we both should?”

[Daisy Hookum]

This was so unnatural. It wasn't them, sitting across from each other like this. Making polite conversation - talking about school! That was the last thing Daisy wanted to talk about, yet the first thing she brought up. But if she really wanted to talk to him about them, she needed to ease into the conversation. Her heart ached to just blurt it out, but she needed to take her time. She wasn't sure what she wanted yet, and she didn't know exactly how things would work out. There was a good chance he would deny her, and she couldn't be upset with him if he did.

His hand had nearly brushed hers when he took the letter from her, and she wanted to hold on to it, but instead pulled back and fiddled with the edge of the table. He was muttering under his breathe as he read the letter, and that made her even more concerned. What could possibly be going on with her Mum? Was there something that she had missed in the letter, was there something Peter knew that she didn't? She knew her mother was an avid supporter of the Order - she'd given Daisy plenty of grief about her decision to end things with Peter.

But his answer to her question caught her off guard, and she couldn't stop the sadness appearing on her face. Peter was trying to cover it up with a joke, and she forced a smile. She knew the letter would make him happy, at least in that way. She hadn't even been entirely honest about the amount of letters she had received from home about her decision to break up with him. Her mother hadn't been mad - but disappointed. She had this crazy belief that Daisy could handle it. But Charlotte had said the same thing, and they couldn't both be wrong...

Daisy took the letter back from him, shaking her head at his words as she pocketed it. "I'm worried too, and the fact you are worried doesn't help. But I can't just pop over and check on her. She's already going to be at work, and she'll have a fit if we just show up to Mungo's while she's busy. But...could you check on her later tonight for me?" It was really too much to ask, especially when she wanted nothing more than to dance with him at the Halloween masquerade. That she hadn't invited him too.

Shifting in her seat, she stared down at her butterbeer for a few moments as the silence fell between them. She could very easily distract him, suggest that they head to the Shrieking Shack and spend some time involved in other activities. But she'd never hear the end of it from her mother or Charlotte if she didn't go ahead and get this conversation over with. "I'm sorry that I chose to end things because of your...job. It was a foolish mistake on my part. And I regret it, I really do."

[Peter Pettigrew]

The pulse in Peter’s neck began to beat a vicious tattoo as Daisy spoke. No, no! He didn’t want to go check on her mom tonight of all nights. He had been looking forward to this night for so long now, but Daisy didn't know that. He looked down, not wanting her to see his thoughts on his face; he focused instead on his hands in his lab, clutched together in panic. 

He had planned on surprising Daisy tonight at the Halloween Ball. He had convinced Moony to go and be with Charlotte; but mostly it was all so he could go too and not seem absolutely desperate. But Daisy’s mum was like his mum, since the one who birthed him was such a raving b*tch. And he really was worried about her. The letter she sent her daughter only confirmed it. He could do it, for Daisy, for himself. He could do it and then meet Remus and hopefully his ex, later tonight at Hogwarts. It was doable.

“You’re right.” He said with a nod, looking up into the expressive face of the woman he loved more than he thought he could love anything. “Of course, I’ll check on her. And I’ll tell you…in a letter. Overnight post.” Perfect save. He had almost told her he would see her tonight, but one: he didn’t want to ruin the surprise, and two: he didn’t know if he would make it. If he found Daisy’s mom and… Stop. It would all work out.

Daisy was speaking again and his eyes snapped to her. Hope, hot and painful, flared in his chest. Did she really mean it? Maybe she was only saying it to be sure he looked after her mum. Well she needn’t worry! But what if she really did regret leaving him? He took a deep breath. Trying not to do exactly what he wanted to do every time he laid eyes on her lately.

Launch himself over the table and hug her fiercely to his body. Whisper how much he had missed her and how she could never leave ever again. Place his world back on her axis where it belonged. Peter carefully put his hands flat on the table to keep them from shaking. “Does this…Does this mean that you are okay with my…work? You will have me back in spite of it?”

[Daisy Hookum]

Peter wouldn't make eye contact with her after she asked him to check on her mother, and it made her heart race. What did he know? Her mother couldn't be in that serious of trouble, could she? She was a healer a St. Mungos, she wasn't in the Order! She was hardly involved in the war other than dealing with patching people up - regardless of what side they were on. It simply wasn't possible that anything bad could be happening.

When he finally looked up and met her gaze, her heart didn't calm down. But it was beating fast for another reason. The way he looked at her, so concerned and filled with love. She had missed him so much, missed the way he cared for her and her mother. She gave a nod, content with his answer. It was so sweet of him to make sure that she would get the letter soon, he had to be able to tell how worried she was. But she needed to push the thought from her mind for now, and let him handle things. "Thank you Peter. That means a lot to me."

It was hard to keep her breathing normal as she confessed how she had been feeling. And the glance in her direction, the calm way he was speaking to her, it was maddening. She wanted him to pull her into his arms and hold her close. She wanted the same relationship she had with him before her foolishness had gotten to her. But she didn't know if that was something they could ever have again, not with the way she had hurt him. Taking a long breath, she gave him a sad look. "I love you Peter. Nothing will ever change that. And I'm not...okay...with you work. It scares the living hell out of me. You could go out and never come back."

Would it kill her, sitting at home waiting for his return. Or was she strong enough to handle it like everyone said? She wouldn't be alone - she would have Charlotte. Their boys, fighting on the right side of the war. They could do this together. And Peter needed her to come home to, he needed something positive in this bleak world. "If you will have me back, then yes. I want to be with you."

[Peter Pettigrew]

It seemed there was a lot going unspoken between him and Daisy. The air was charged as he looked up at her, finally, decision made that her mum would come first. It always seemed to be with them, but this time it was more, it felt like more. Daisy made everything feel like more. He wanted to reach out and cover her hand but he didn’t want to push his luck. Lately Daisy felt like a feather, with the stiff breeze she would float right out of his reach. “I know. She means a lot to me too.” He admitted, the feeling to hold her always overwhelming.

But he stayed strong, he let her be, he didn’t want to influence her in any way. Peter wanted everything to be completely perfect in this moment, as he listened to Daisy, saying the things he only dreamed she would say. He was just about to blurt out how much he loved her as well when her next words stuck his own in the tight space of his throat. His heart sank back down a little, she was still not okay with his decision to fight for the Order.

“Dais,” he began his voice clear with pain and hesitation. “We are at war that could happen to anyone. When you leave Hogwarts, it could be you; I want to be able to protect you as much as I can.” Peter flipped his hands over and held them out imploringly to her, as if she could see how much blood he was willing to coat them with to keep her safe.

He needn’t have bothered, Daisy was saying yes. Yes, she wanted him back. Yes, she could be his again. Love swelled in his chest for her. Even though she was scared, even though she didn’t agree, she would deal with it; for him. Hot tears pricked at his eyes and he blinked them away in a daze. Slowly he nudged his way around the table until he was sitting next to his world.

He swallowed thickly, rested his head against hers, closed his eyes, and simply breathed her in. A million memories cascaded behind his eyes. Daisy in the snow, laughing. Daisy in front of the fire, her red hair ablaze. Daisy rising above him, her mouth a perfect O…”Daisy.” His voice was sluggish with unshed tears but he pushed on resolutely. “Since that first day, when you told me it wasn’t Sirius you had the crush on, ever since that day all I have ever wanted was you. And I want you still. I will want you forever.”

---

OOC: I have decided to start sharing some of my inspiration with you guys. So for this post I was inspired by this song: Believe – Mumford & Sons
Hope you Like!

[Daisy Hookum]

Daisy knew that her request was a simple one, even if it was weighing heavy on her. She had met the Pettigrew's, and she wasn't fond of them. Peter's parents were not her kind of people, and she was sure that they were pleased she had decided to break up with Peter before the start of the school year. But her mother was different, and she had taken in Peter like he was her own son after Daisy and him had started dating. Peter cared about her just as much as Daisy did. It was clear in his concern, it was clear in the way spoke to Daisy about her mother.

But when he spoke to her, the pain and hesitation in his voice cutting directly to her heart, she had to fight back tears that sprung to the corner of her eyes. She hadn't concerned it before now, that when she walked out of the halls of her school it could be her life hanging in the balance. She had no desire to join the Order, as much as she supported the cause. But so many innocent people did die constantly. And it could be her, just as easily as it could be him.

But he was moving around the table, resting his head against hers and Daisy felt the pieces of her heart that had been broken start to mend. Peter, her Peter, was here. And he wanted her, always and forever. Words she had always wanted to hear, that she had taken for granted in the past. "It's always been you for me as well Peter. And I made a huge mistake and I'm sorry that I ever ended things between us. I'm so scared, I really am. What if this is a war we can't win? What if..." She trailed off, tears finally falling.

"Promise me you won't let anything happen to me. To us."

[Peter Pettigrew]

A fierce feeling roared up in Peter’s chest as Daisy spoke, and with her last pleading – desperate even – words, something in him seemed to snap. He jerked back and caught Daisy by her arm, holding her still so he could glare down at her. “I am not going to let anything happen to you. Never. Not as long as I have breath in me.” How could she think he would ever let something happen to her? Even when they weren't 'together' he still made sure she was well, he still looked out for her, he swore to himself he always would.

He wrapped her up in his arms as tightly as he could and rested his head on hers. His chest was so tight with emotion he didn’t think he could have said much more anyway. The thought of anything happening to Daisy…well it was just too much. Peter just wanted to hold her for a little while; it had been so long since they had just sat together. He just missed the constant comfort he always got when she was near.

But he couldn’t waste too much of his time. Dais would need to get back to school before nightfall and he needed to go straight to her mums to check on her if he had any chance of surprising Daisy tonight; and that was allotting for something being seriously wrong. The recent graduate could hardly help his cautious ways lately; one never knew what they were walking into when walking into a friend’s house nowadays. The war was leaving its mark on everything. Firmly he told himself that it would not be that way tonight, mum would be fine - maybe a little sickly at worst - but she would be alive.

Realizing he was dwelling painfully on bad things he tried perking up. After all Daisy had just said she was sorry and that it was all a mistake; which he already knew that. They were meant to be together. He nudged her with his shoulder and when he had her attention he smiled. “Hey, how about we start over? Before you – we broke up, that was kid Daisy and Pete. Now – from now on we are adult Peter and Daisy, we get a clean slate. Mhm? What do you say? No dwelling on the past.”

[Daisy Hookum]

Daisy wasn't expecting the reaction from Peter that she received, but his words sparked her heart more than she could have ever imagined. She didn't doubt him - not for a minute - she knew he would defend her. That he was perfectly capable of it. But she had needed to hear him say it, to know that he cared. She clutched his shirt as he held her tightly, letting the silence speak for them. She had known they were meant to be, had never thought any besides that from the beginning. How could she have been so foolish to think she could let him go?

As he pulled away, she brushed at the tears that had fallen, smiling back at him as he looked at her. "You're right. Clean slate - adult Peter and Daisy. I love you, I always have and I always will, she replied, moving to hold his hand and give it a squeeze. No matter what happened, there was a future for the two of them. They would make it past anything else, if they could come together after these past few months.

And as much as she wanted to spend the rest of the night with him, she had made promises to her friends about where she would be. And Charlotte needed Daisy there to drag her to the ball, since things weren't completely back to normal between Charlotte and Remus. "I don't want to leave, but I should get back to the castle soon. I've got to help Charlotte get ready for tonight."

[Peter Pettigrew]

Peter sighed and closed his eyes. It had been too long since he had heard her say those words. It felt glorious hearing them now. He opened his eyes and smiled down at her, glad she agreed with him. Of course, if she really wanted to hash out the past and 'work through it', he would do it. He would do anything. So, it was a special treat that she, like he, was simply ready to move forward.


“I'm happy to hear it, I love you more than you know.” He leaned in then, and almost chastely, placed a kiss on her lips. He pulled back to check her reaction, the way he used to do in the early days of their relationship, when he wanted to make sure he wasn't ever 'pushing' her. He used to pull back and then when her eyes gave him that look, he would go back in and have more of a taste. But this time he found himself simply adoring her face and hugging her again. Pressing her to him as if to make sure that she was real and this was happening.

At Daisy's last, Peter gave another sigh. He didn't want to leave her anymore than she wanted to leave him, but they both had obligations. And he was quickly running out of time for his master scheme to work out perfectly, now that he also had to check on Daisy's mum, on top of getting Remus and himself to the ball. He wanted to get there as soon as possible, to have more time with Daisy. “I understand.” he said with a nod, sliding out of his seat, offering a hand to Daisy to help her out of hers. “I should really go too.” he added, not sounding at all like that was what he wanted to do. Spontaneously he leaned in for another kiss and when they broke apart he felt all the lighter for it. “I wish I could stay, I wish we could just stay here, together.”

[Daisy Hookum]

She was making the right decision, fixing this between them. Charlotte was having a hard time - but it had little to do with the Order. At least, as far as the two of them had figured out in their conversations. She was going to worry about Peter, regardless of his position in the order. They were just supposed to be, regardless of how hard things got. This war was real, and it wasn't going anywhere. And she hadn't told him, but she was proud of him for joining. Sacrificing his safety for the chance to help stop one of the biggest things she did fear - an evil wizard with a death wish for all. People like her, who could be accused of being a muggle due to the lack of proof that both her parents were magical. Proof she couldn't even provide, seeing as her father had been a muggle.

But obligations meant they had to part ways, and she accepted his help out of her seat, smiling as he gave her another kiss. "I know," she replied, placing a hand on his face as she looked up at him. "But it's only a couple months until Christmas, and you can come and see my in Hogsmeade, yeah?" That sounded awful, having so much time between now and the winter break. But she knew her mother would be fine with her staying at Peter's, she had accepted it over the summer. "Oh, I'm going with Arnie to the ball tonight. As friends, of course. Since Dorcas graduated last year as well. But I'll owl you after it's over." She leaned in to give him one last kiss, taking her time pulling away from him. She gave him a smile, waving as she stopped at the door before heading back towards the castle.