A/N: Thank you to Roseusvortex for the great beta work!
Round 1 Scenario: "Hell's Grannies". Best moment? When the grannies start graffitiing "Make tea, not love" on the walls. Write about someone who looks innocent but is evil on the inside. (Tom Riddle is not allowed for this prompt)
Prompt: Cream (colour)
Setting: During the time the Marauders were still students in Hogwarts.
Warning: This is my first time writing the Marauders.
He crept as quietly as he could across the floor until he stopped to loom over a snoring black-haired boy. He smiled thinly before he squatted and searched around the bed for a brown bag. Gingerly, he pulled on the zip to open the bag. Every couple of seconds, he would pause to shudder, and cringe and wince at the sound that seemed to echo loudly in the bedroom. Finally, the gap was large enough for him to slip a soft cream-coloured cloth, that he had folded neatly into the size of his palm, into the bag. Biting his bottom lip, he struggled to swallow his laughter as he returned the bag to where he found it and in its original state. He looked back at the snoring boy and vowed softly, "You won't even know what hit you, James."
Quickly, he tiptoed to his bed, coughed to hide his laughter and closed his eyes with a wide smile. Now, all he had to do were to remain patient and wait until the end of James' detention, trust in the James' predictable behavior, and let nature do its work. After all, revenge was best served cold.
It was almost the end of another hectic day when a messy-haired wizard came rushing into the Gryffindor's Common Room. He sought out for his long haired best friend - whom he had not met because of his detention for setting stupid and weak Snivellus on fire, made his way across the room before he unceremoniously dropped into the vacant seat at the study area.
"What's the excitement, Prongs?" the long, curly-haired boy asked as he lifted an eyebrow while he returned his quill into the bottle of ink and observed his perspiring friend, "You look like you just ran a mile."
"That's because I did!" Prongs answered indignantly as he pulled his bag onto his lap. Patting the top of his bag almost too affectionately, he dropped his voice into a whisper and smiled slyly, "I've a secret, Padfoot. A glorious secret."
"Well, spill it then," Padfoot urged as he waved impatiently and turned his body to fully look at the bespectacled boy.
Glancing furtively around him, Prongs smiled widely at his curious friend before he unzipped his bag as slowly as possible. Then, he slipped his hand into the bag and very gingerly, pulled out a small cream coloured item.
Snatching it away, Padfoot ignored the harsh soft admonishments from his best friend who warned him to treat it gently. Padfoot put the item on the table, spread it and prodded it. No matter what he did, no matter how he looked at it, there was no denying it. It was a cream coloured - very silky, admittedly - underwear. "This…" Padfoot asked a little incredulously at his smirking friend who looked strangely proud of his secret, "this… thing is your secret?"
"Yes!"
"It's a woman's underwear, James," Padfoot deadpanned as he held the clothing mockingly in front of the grinning boy, "You're into cross-"
"Don't be an idiot, Sirius!" James huffed irritably as he snatched the cream panties away, turned it around before he spread it on the table in front of him. Pulling on Sirius' ear, he dragged the boy towards the clothing so that they were looking at the same thing. "See here, the name is L Evans," James smirked as he pointed at the name written on hemline of the clothing, "and how many Evans do we know?"
"1..?" Sirius mulled aloud before the realization set in and he shared the triumphant smirk on James' face. "Oh, James, my man!" he cheered as he playfully punched James's shoulder, "How did you do it? I mean, how did you get Lily's p-"
"My what, Mr Black?" A voice asked sweetly but there was no mistaking the venomous tone underlying it. The boys slowly turned to stare at the girl with auburn hair and bright emerald eyes that glowered at them with restrained fury.
"Oh hey, Lily!" James spluttered as he smiled lopsidedly at his fellow house and waved limply at her, "Your… your eyes are great!" He gulped nervously as he tried to glance at his best friend from the corner of his eye. Merlin, he hoped Sirius would not sell him and they escape her wrath his trophy. After all, was he not blessed by the Gods with this trophy that he had found folded neatly in his bag? It was fated! The Gods loved him and blessed him by answering his wish! It was therefore, his right to keep his bountiful bles-
"Why, Lily, darling. Tell me, when did James get together with you?" Sirius asked with a wide charming smile as he looked from the uncomfortable, fidgety boy to the furious girl. Truly, he did not understand her obvious fury nor James' nervousness. After all, what was there to be embarrassed about? It had been rumoured and even bets had been placed on them doing the deed - everyone just needed the proof that it was real.
"Excuse me?" Lily asked as her voice went a little high pitched, "Do you want to repeat that, Mr Black?" She folded her arms across her chest and turned her attention from Potter to Black.
"You and James together," Sirius repeated as he frowned at the angry girl. Turning swiftly, without taking his eyes away from her - he did not trust her not to hex him with his back to her - he held the cream coloured panties in front of her. Despite his nervousness, he smiled as he challenged her, "Why else would this be in his bag?"
For a moment, Sirius observed with fascination as the pretty girl's face turned from red to pale. Mortification shined in her green eyes before they vanished and the unquenchable rage returned with immense hatred that together burnt brightly in her eyes. Swiftly, she snatched the clothing out of his hand, shoved it into her robes before she glared hatefully at them. Sirius stared mutely at her as his jaw slackened and he pulled a daring quick glance at his best friend who looked a mixture of terrified and grief-stricken. Could it be he was wrong?
"Hey...Prongs?" Sirius whispered hoarsely as he fixed his eyes on the scary girl in front of him, "Did you...steal it?"
"N-no, I…" James was about to answer but a scream slipped between his lips as angry red rashes appeared over his skin. Before he could begin to scratch himself, his body scrambled away. Dazzling bolts of lights continued chasing and hitting his retreating back, and transforming him into various small animals as he scampered over the chairs and tables. Ever so often, he would knock over ink bottles and leaving an ink trail of various animal foot prints over parchments.
Sirius stared at the debacle before he tried to stealthily climb the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He was halfway up the stairs when a sandy-haired boy obstructed his way.
"What's going on with Lily and James?" the blonde asked loudly as he peered over Sirius' shoulder to observe the chaos, "Did James provoke her again?"
"Lower your voice, Moony!" Sirius hissed as he pushed against the lycan who seemed insistent to stand his ground, "Let's go back to the dorm and I'll tell you."
"Why can't you say it here?" Moony asked curiously in a softer voice as he tilted his head and blinked a few times.
Sirius huffed and surrendered. He jerked his chin over his shoulder towards the angry witch and sighed despondently when Remus continued to look puzzled and confused. It was not like the werewolf to be so thick-headed and obtuse - he expected that from Wormtail - but perhaps, today was Remus' slow day and truly, he did not have the luxury to ponder that when his life was at stake.
Breathing deeply, Sirius mustered his most woeful and kicked-puppy look as he peered up at his friend. As the seconds passed, Sirius shuddered when he noticed the small gleeful smile that curled at the corner of Remus' lips. He watched in muted horror as Remus called out loudly and mercilessly, "Oh hey, Sirius! Where are you going?"
"Sirius Black," the witch hissed as she slowly turned and made her way towards the ill-looking boy. Tapping her wand gently on her hand, she looked down at him vengefully. "Give me a good reason why you shouldn't be like your best friend."
"I'm innocent?" Sirius answered weakly as he looked up at her sheepishly.
"What do you think, Remus?"
"What did they do, Lily?" Remus asked as he glanced at the pitiful looking boy at his feet.
"They stole my…" she started before her cheeks flushed brightly and she averted her eyes from the calm prefect. "They stole my things!" she said hastily as she glared at Sirius who seemed to shrink a little more, "Private personal things!"
Remus hummed as he looked down at his pitiful looking housemate before he smiled a little too sympathetically to be considered genuine. "I see," he answered and nodded in understanding when he returned his attention to her, "In that case, they are guilty."
Without hesitation, Lily hexed the black haired boy who yelped and leaped off the stairs. Unrelenting and angry, she chased him and continued hexing him while Remus remained in his spot as he observed them with a satisfied smile.
Finally, after Lily had calmed down, Remus came up behind her and they stared at Sirius who looked to be in the same poor state as the unconscious James. "You have poor choices of friends, Remus," she commented as she turned away to return to the girls' dormitory.
"On behalf of my poor mannered friends, my deep apologies to you, Lily," he apologized gallantly to her retreating back before he squatted in front of his friends.
"Moony, you set me to die…" Sirius whined accusingly and petulantly as he scratched himself, "you're the poor friend."
"Yes well," Remus agreed as he smiled toothily, "it's only fair after you and James got me into trouble with Professor McGonagall on Valentine's Day."
Sirius blinked as he stared at the grinning werewolf and recalled the previous month. It was a prank that he and Prongs had planned since Moony confessed that he admired their professor. The night before Valentine's Day, they had drugged the lycan. They stripped him, wrapped him in a red robe and a neat ribbon, and left him in the Transfiguration class with note: A present to my loveliest and dearest professor. With love, Remus. Their prank had resulted in massive house-points deduction as well as Remus' detention for days on end for his supposedly unsavory actions.
"This was your-"
"Doing? Yes," Remus laughed as he returned to the boys' dormitory, "enjoy the payback. You should check in with Madame Pomfrey for those rashes."
Sirius stared and chuckled at the lycan's back. Well, turn about is fair pla- Did that mean Moony stole the panties and framed Prongs? Moony. Stole. Panties. Oh, it was always going to be the quietest ones.
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P.s. DMBM is still being reworked.
