Pranks

I always sat next to Remus in herbology. I never noticed anything out of the ordinary about him. I was in Hufflepuff, and he was in Gryffindor, so we didn't really talk much outside of class, well, except for this one time…

We were all fairly bored, everyone seemed to be going through a dry spell concerning thinking up pranks, so I thought, through all the boredom I could cook something up, I'd got all the ingredients for the coolest prank I'd ever pulled, although, Hogwarts had probably seen better before my time and of course, just later in the same year I was outdone by James and Sirius. Except I needed one more thing to set it all off and no one could help me in my house and since I couldn't get off school grounds, I couldn't get any for myself. So went straight to the only person I knew could help.

It was during herbology that I asked, we always sat next to each other, his name started with an 'L', Lupin and mine with an 'M', Mapstone. I knew that this class we would be looking after the 'Spinade Sepulveda' s, a particularly nice plant, almost behaving like a dog, we had to feed it and we were each given one to look after. Mine refused its' food at first, but after taking a nip of my finger, it proceeded to eat from the pile of greenery laid out in front of it. I found it easiest to look after mine by piling up food in front of it and letting it alone. I took the opportunity to sneak a conversation with Remus as one of the other girls whined that her plant wouldn't take it's feed. I leant over slightly and whispered…

"Remus, I've got some chocolate." Remus, a self-confessed chocoholic spun to face me so quickly that he almost knocked his plant over. His eyes were wide and he looked hungry. I whispered again, "I'll give you some now if you can convince Sirius to give me a couple of fireworks." He grinned and nodded. I coughed and put my hand to my lips, which is when I realised that I couldn't feel my finger. I peered at it. The place where the plant had bitten me was a dark purple colour, and a purple tinge was seeping through the rest of my finger, it had not yet reached the second joint of my finger though. I looked carefully and could actually see the colour spreading. I put up my other hand and Professor Doors came over. "Are these plants poisonous Miss?"

"Yes, Bethany, they are, that is why I asked you all to put on gloves at the beginning of the lesson." I looked around at my classmates' hands. Each pair of hands were covered in a pair of gloves.

"Miss, I think I need to go and see Madame Pomphrey now, my finger's turned purple."

"Oh, Gods, I can't take you up there, but you need someone to take you." Remus span around and smiled up at Miss Doors, "you take her Remus, make sure she doesn't try to sleep on her way up there, for goodness sakes."

So Remus and I left, I remember peering lazily at my finger and watching the color seeping through it, but I don't remember walking. Remus told me afterwards that he practically had to drag me to Madame Pomphrey's office. I don't remember much after that for the next couple of days, but I do remember Sirius dropping in with a bundle and presenting it before my swimming vision, before tucking it under the bed and whispering that I could have the fireworks for no charge because I'd already livened up the common room with rumours about me dying. I also remember Remus bringing me a box of chocolates and apologising for having eaten half of them already. I think it was a week later that I was allowed back out of my bed for a brief stretch of my legs and to eat dinner in the Great Hall for one night. I was made to go in well wrapped up, in slippers, pajamas, dressing gown and even a fuzzy nightcap to keep my ears warm. At some point all of the Marauders, as they were known, came over to congratulate and tease me on my illness and attire respectively. I told Sirius that I would need all of the fireworks he had given me, and assured him that he could receive my trophy to prove I'd done the whole thing myself, told Remus to expect the largest bar of Honeydukes chocolate he'd ever seen from me for Christmas later in the year and asked the whole group of them if they'd any ideas for getting around Hogwarts at dead of night without being seen. They looked shifty for a moment, went into a huddle and then James said that he could get me around the castle, but only if one of them could be in on the act. Since I knew Remus the best, and knew Peter not at all I said that in two weeks we'd meet outside the Great Hall, in the entrance hall after supper to decide what to do later.

I was back in my dorm-room three days later. I found that wandering around looking sickly and malnourished worked as a sympathy device on only so many of the teachers. I knew McGonagall would never stand for it, neither would Professor Luft so that ruled out Potions, and Transfiguration. Professor Doors would only tolerate it for a short while, and in any case we were not supposed to talk in her lessons, and so there was very little chance to play the sympathy card there, however, my Divinations teacher, Professor Rosenthal was convinced I was still going to die, and I played it for all I was worth, much to the chagrin of the others in my class. Most of the others didn't notice, or didn't care that I was injured, and I still couldn't hold a quill in my right hand and my homework was all abysmally scruffy from writing with my left hand.

Two weeks passed and with all my stuff ready I met Remus outside the Hall doors, immediately after we had finished eating. We arranged to meet later outside the entrance to the kitchens. At nearly midnight, the entire castle was almost asleep. We met, and I asked Remus if he mined carrying some of the stuff. My schoolbag was packed, and I handed him all of the stuff for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common rooms. We bugged all of the bathrooms, as I had reasoned that leaving out our houses meant we were bound to be discovered. Also, we rigged Moaning Myrtle's bathroom as the grand finale, giggling at Myrtle's echoing snores coming from her toilet. Then we did the teacher's staff-room and locked Filch in his study, stuffing several self-inflating-never-pop-balloons into the keyhole. Then we did the carpets. It took us nearly two hours and most of the time we were hiding under James' invisibility cloak. Shattered we went to bed, exchanging our farewells and collapsing into our respective beds, or at least we said goodbye and I fell asleep as soon as I reached my bed, I couldn't tell you what Remus did, because I just don't know.

In the morning we were woken by complete pandemonium. I took my shower and washed my hair, on purpose, to make sure I wasn't out of place. Then after dressing in slightly modified robed and with wet hair, I went down for breakfast. On the way I passed several groups of students just standing around gaping at the floor. Every carpet in the castle was tie-dyed in every rainbow colour you could imagine. But breakfast was more interesting. I sat at a nearly empty table watching people filter downstairs to eat. The time delay part on the bathrooms went perfectly, it was halfway through breakfast, when nearly everyone was sat eating that the first one went. I saw it out of the corner of my eye at first, but then the giggling started, and I had to turn around.

On the table next to us, the Ravenclaw table, two sixth year boys' hair was slowly turning a electric blue, starting at the roots, the dye worked it's way all down to the ends of their hair. I managed to stop my self laughing, as more and more of the tables suddenly sprouted different shades. The Slytherin table held many normal coloured heads, simply because not many Slytherins washed their hair every day. But those who had bothered to wash their hair were now sporting a fine fluorescent green, that looked as if it could glow in the dark.

The Ravenclaws now were mostly coloured with electric blue hair, styled in all sorts of ways. My fellow Hufflepuffs, and indeed, myself, nearly all sported a fetching bumble bee design of bright yellow and black streaks. Whilst the Gryffindors, including the Marauders, because I told them to shower, were done out in a mixture of fire-y red and bright-day-glow-pink.

Turning our attentions to the teachers table, we also noted varying shades of purple and orange with hints of deep red in their hair, and their robes, having been subjected to the booby-trapped staff-room were now either covered in glitter that it would take several months to remove, or had small stars flashing on and off all over. I grinned, pleased at the affect, then peered over at the now red-headed Marauders. They were receiving a ton of praise from their house, but they denied it all, saying that although they weren't the culprits they did know who was, but they weren't saying anything. I laughed out loud when Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. His beard was streaked purple, orange and red, and his robes were covered in tiny flashing stars that twinkled gently as he talked.

"I regret to inform you that the person or persons behind this colourful display are not yet known, however, whilst I don't expect the colours to last for very long, I have often said that every-so-often we need a brighter outlook and since life has been fairly monotonous for the past few weeks, I expect you all to enjoy this sudden burst of colour." I grinned whilst Dumbledore waited for the riotous agreement to settle down. "Unfortunately, I think Mr. Filch can be of no assistance to clear up the mess, as it seems to be a fairly strong spell, and in any case he is locked in his study and has been all night apparently. It appears that he person responsible for all the colour, is also responsible for pushing several self-inflating-never-pop-balloons into his keyhole. We have been unable to remove them as of yet, but I am sure Mr. Filch will be extracted from his room sometime during the course of today." A loud roar of chattering went up and I remember eating whilst I had the biggest grin in the world on my face. The Marauders looked impressed I noted, Remus had obviously forgotten to mention Filch to them as he has recounted to them exactly what had happened.

Later in the day, just after Lunchtime I think it was there came a large explosion from the side of the castle on which Myrtle's bathroom was placed. Inside, although I was never allowed to see it, I was told that the walls were streaked with colours of all sorts, every colour there had ever been, and that the stalls were now all covered with a stars, moons and suns, flashing design. All of the toilet seats were coloured bright red, with silver glitter, and one was missing.

So that was my big prank, and they never caught me for it, although they may want to catch me for it now. Of course, Remus got his chocolate, James got some EFB for the use of his cloak, and Peter, got a couple of chocolate frogs because I didn't know him well at all. The Marauders of course came up with a much grander, and more elaborate scheme later that year which completely outdid me. I got to live with Yellow and Black bumble bee hair for a month, and tie-dyed carpets for a term and Sirius got his trophy. I think he still has it somewhere, that old red and silver-glitter-y Hogwarts toilet seat!

AN. Thanx 4 reading, R&R, this is my first MWPP fic, did it turn out good? As you can guess, I'm an old school friend of the Marauders, my name is Bethany Mapstone. I'm a Hufflepuff, through and through, I would never dream of putting myself in Gryffindor, I'm no leader, I'm a side-kick I tell you, a side-kick!

P.S. Can U tell I wrote this from 3am to 6 am? LYL, TaiB the real writer of this fic.