James Sirius Potter had earned a reputation for himself in his year or so at Hogwarts. Only a second year, but he was well on his way to outstripping his namesakes and uncles in number of pranks committed and detentions received. Put together.
And then one day, in his first week of second year, he made a discovery, a brilliant, wonderful, fantastic discovery.
He been collared by Filch for putting trailing mud and other slime back into the castle over Filch's, sacred, shiny marble floors and dragged to his office. Having, brilliant friends in the Scamander twins, he'd been left to escape as they caused a rather large explosion in the corridor outside. And he would have made his usual escape, perfected over a year of not always so successful practical jokes when he saw it. A piece of parchment with his name on it. Literally, and so, he reasoned, that made it his.
When he and the now rather singed Lorcan and Lysander opened it up in their usual corner of the common room, they grinned. Because in front of them, the parchment spelled out the words,
"The Great Halloween Prank #3 – Property of Marauders James Potter, Sirius Black Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. HANDS OFF SNIVELLUS.' It was a plan, a beautifully detailed, intricately planned prank that looked, from the numbering, as if it had been a tradition for his Grandfather and friends. And as he looked to the identical, evil grins that had spread over Lorcan and Lysanders' faces, it was clear that the three of them were thinking the same thing. The tradition of the Hogwarts Halloween Prank was about to be reinstated.
It wasn't easy. They'd had to draft in outside help, a reluctant Teddy mailing them instructions on parts of the more advanced spellwork, and practical advise and potions sent by James' pranking veteran Uncle, George.
And then, it arrived. The 31st of October, 2017 was finally there. One thing was for sure, no one in the room was like;y to forget this Halloween for a very long time. They'd briefly considered cancelling the prank when James' dad showed up, but as he and the twins reassured themselves, they already had all of the plans in place, and besides, wasn't it Harry's Triwizard winnings which had started Weasley's Wizarding wheezes in the first place?
"What do you look so happy about?" Victoire asked James as he and his friends took their places at the Gryffindor table.
"Oh, nothing in particular. Should be a good feast though, eh Vix?" James asked outwardly nonchalant, but inwardly praying that Teddy hadn't blabbed to his Head Girl girlfriend.
His prayers were answered as Victoire merely glowered at him suspiciously and turned to her friends.
A Cheshire Cat grin spread over James' face as the pudding course arrived, one matched by those on Lorcan and Lysanders' faces. Looks that had the rest of the Gryffindor table highly nervous and many of them had start to check their food for tampering. James' little brother Albus, his cousin Rose and their friends Becky and Mouse had started to glance meaningfully between the three of them and Victoire.
James gulped worriedly.
I thought Al and me were equal after the Astronomy tower...
But he needn't have worried. Lysander drew his battered watch from his robes and the three of them crowded round it.
"5...4...3...2...1...ladies and gentlemen, we have lift off!" Murmured Lorcan, and he and Lysander high-fived. James, on the other hand was too focussed on the staff-table, waiting for the results to take effect.
Come on...why is nothing happening? There! He thought, triumphantly as the first hints of their prank came into effect. Professor Grey, the new Comparative Cultures Professor's skin had begun to pale, her usually relatively neat auburn curls rearranging themselves into a birds nest as the spells and potions transformed her into a very cool looking zombie. Her fiancé, Professor Carter, the DADA professor was next as his hair slicked itself back and fangs appeared in his mouth. Then Hendricks the psychotic Potion Mistress became a banshee and Hagrid, a muggle version of a werewolf. The spell spread throughout the teaching staff and finally was complete. The whole lot of them looked as if they'd stepped off the set of a muggle horror film. Even McGonagall.
A stunned silence rippled through the room, and for a moment there was utter quiet.
"What's going on?" Professor Carter's voice broke the silence and James inwardly kicked himself. The man was blind, he wouldn't know what on earth had happened.
"It would appear, Professor, that a person or persons unknown, have spiked the staff's food, and has through spell work contrived to make us all look as if we were going to a muggle Halloween party." Professor Grey answered him, her voice shaking a little.
"Really..." Professor Carter started to reply and the entire student body tensed with bated breath as they waited for his reaction. When an indignant screech came from Professor Hendricks as she saw the extent of the prank in a conjured mirror.
With that, and modicum of self-control that anyone possessed was gone, and the entire Great Hall of Hogwarts resounded with laughter.
James, Lorcan and Lysander leant back in satisfaction at a job well done and waited for the noise to abate.
And then froze as Victoire stood up and revealed she'd known of the plan the entire time, and had only wanted to see if they could pull it off. Although those weren't quite the words she had used.
Nevertheless, despite having being caught red handed as it were, James reflected, it had been worth it just to see the look on everyone's faces as they realised that the Potter and Weasley legacies of mischief and friendly chaos had returned to Hogwarts in full force.