Prologue

Prologue

Sergeant Bob James heard a huge racket. Laughing, shouting, jeering, crashing. He sighed. He thought it was obviously a bunch of drunkards. He rounded the corner, and was greeted with what looked like the entire student body of the local high school. He took another look and found that it wasn't quite that many. Most of the obviously drunk teenagers definitely looked underage, and when a black-haired boy took a puff of what didn't look like a cigarette and passed it on to a red-headed boy, he decided he better look into it. Demmed druggies, he thought frustratedly. Why did they always show up on his shift?

"Alright, kids, hold it," he shouted, bringing the gaggle to a slow halt, although another black-haired boy who looked remarkably like the first one except for the fact he had glasses tripped over a cobblestone and toppled into a wall before coming to a standstill on the ground, causing a young red-haired girl to give a contemptuous snort.

"Son, hand over whatever that is you're smoking," Bob said beckoning to the red-head who now held the joint.

"Why should I?' he asked belligerently.

"Hand it over."

"Cory, just give the damned thing to him," a girl with light brown hair said, rolling her eyes. The boy-Cory- shrugged and handed it over.

"It is weed, if that's what you wanna know," he said as Bob looked at it.

"We've got E too, if you want a hit," a tall, purple and blue haired boy with his arm around a strawberry blonde girl said. Bob shook his head in amazement. These kids were obviously really drunk or really stoned, telling a uniformed they were in possession of illegal substances.

"Come with me. You're all coming down to the station." This was met with blank stares.

"We don't wanna catch a train," Cory said.

"Yeah, school only starts in a couple days," the boy on the floor said. Cory, the tall crazy haired boy, the strawberry blonde haired girl and the first black haired boy laughed, with the black haired boy yelling "For you guys!!"

"The police station!" Bob yelled. They were silent again. Then:

"Aw, man, not again!" a the brunette complained.

"We really should learn to recognise their uniforms," a blonde girl muttered.

They all followed him glumly, muttering among each other. Bob thought he heard some nonsense words like "apparation" , and "side-along apparation", but he regarded them as drunken conversation, because those weren't real words.

"You kids are going to have to spend the night in a cell, at least," Bob told them over his shoulder, shepherding them into said cell and locking it behind the last one of the twelve.

"Merlin, James, Mom's gonna kill us. Not to mention Dad. Or Gramma," the black-haired boy with glasses said once Bob had left.

"Albus, stop being such a worry-wart. None of them are going to know," the brunette said, rolling her eyes.

"And how do you suppose that's gonna happen?" Albus demanded.

"These cells are meant to keep Muggles in," she told him.

"Rose, what are you getting at?" Albus asked.

The blonde wiggled her fingers. "Not magic," she said.

"Thank you, ,Marly," Rose nodded.

"How exactly are you planning to get us out of here using magic?"

"Haven't you noticed we're all sober?" the crazy-haired boy said.

Albus considered this. "No, Teddy, no I didn't," he admitted.

"That's because Victoire here, being slightly less trashed then the rest of us, cast a sobering up spell," Teddy said proudly, hugging the strawberry blonde.

"So? How's that gonna get us out of here?" Albus asked Teddy.

"We apparate." Marly –Marguerite, really- examined her nails.

"What about those of us who can't apparate?" asked the red-haired girl.

"Namely me and Lily," A young red-head added.

"Side along apparation," James-the other black-haired boy-said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Albus' mouth formed a silent 'o'.

"Okay, is anyone coming?" Rose asked.

"Coming where?" Albus asked.

"Is anyone coming down the corridor that isn't meant to see us apparate," Marly elaborated.

"Ooooh…" Albus nodded.

"No-ones coming," interrupted Lily.

"Okay. Hugo, you're with James, Lily, with me," Victoire ordered.

Hugo and Lily went to their respective 'lifts'. Everyone peeked around. Rose whispered "One...two…three.,."

On three, all those in the cell turned and vanished with a loud 'pop'!