Harry Potter and the Lantern of Lurve…
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters, slogans, locations etc aren't mine, and sadly probably never will be. I don't make any money out of this so please don't sue me. Oh, and if anyone powerful (JK, Chris Columbus, WB etc) reads this: Can I have Oliver Wood? PLEASE? No? How about Sean Biggerstaff then? Please? no? *sighs* ( Worth a try, right?
Chapter One – Boredom and Brilliant Ideas
Life at Hogwarts had changed noticeably since the return of You-Know-Who. The normal cheery atmosphere had vanished, and in its place there was a definite air of tension about the castle.
Everyone is more serious now. Harry Potter mused one day. It's like they are just waiting for an attack to happen. In all their worrying about when Voldemort will attack and when they will die, it's as if they have stopped living.
It was true. The sound of carefree laughter was a rarity in the castle these days, and even the Weasley twins were affected. Harry couldn't think of any pranks that they had played in the past few months. He knew that both Fred and George were in their final year of school, and as such should probably be studying for their NEWTS, but he still expected some jokes from them.
Even a Canary Cream slipped into someone's dessert would have been better than nothing. The atmosphere here is just so…depressing… sombre… pathetic. We need to do something to cheer these people up!
Harry quit his pondering and went to find Fred and George.
He found the two in the seventh years boys' dormitory. George was studying, and Fred was quietly reading. Wow, you can tell that things have changed when the Weasley twins are together and QUIET! Harry smiled to himself.
"Oy, you two! Just the pair I was looking for! I have an idea I wanted to talk to you two about…"
They looked at him curiously. "What's up Harry?" Fred asked.
"Never mind that Fred! What you should be asking is whether this idea involves us making mischief! Mother-dear might want us to do well on the NEWTs, but I for one am getting mighty sick of study! We need a good prank or something to do! Anything but study!" George said dramatically.
Harry grinned. "Well, it's not necessarily a prank, but I promise you it is not study related!"
The twins grinned back at him and gestured for him to sit on Fred's bed with them.
"So what is this about then, Harry?"
"Well, Fred, I was just thinking… (George faked a gasp) Everyone has been moping around and being overly serious this year, and it's getting rather boring." The twins nodded. "So, I think that we should do something to cheer everyone up a bit."
The twins' faces lit up. "Yeah!" "That sounds great Harry!" "But what? A prank?"
"Well, I was thinking. Pranks are good, and make people laugh, but since you usually play the prank on someone, someone gets hurt. So, I'd prefer to do something where everyone has fun."
"Hmmm ... yeah, that's a good point. You seem to have thought about this a bit. Have you got any idea what you'd like to do, Harry?"
"I was thinking about maybe a ball?" Harry suggested. "Obviously not a Yule Ball, that would bring back some bad memories…" He trailed off, and looked down at his hands, lost in his thoughts. He was brought back to reality by the feeling of someone touching his shoulder. He looked up to see both Fred and George looking at him sadly. Fred's hand was on his shoulder reassuringly.
"You okay, Harry?" George asked softly. Harry smiled gratefully at him and shook his head as if to gather his thoughts.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying I don't think a Yule Ball would be a good idea given the circumstances, but perhaps a Valentine's Day Ball? I mean, we never really do much for Valentines Day around here, apart from that year Lockhart was here!" He shuddered, recalling the teasing and the Valentine he had received that year. The twins were grinning evilly, and he could tell that they were remembering the same poem, so he hurried on. "Erm, so I was thinking that we could go to Dumbledore and ask for permission and then we could help organise it and everything."
The twins look delighted. "That sounds great Harry!
The three boys sat in the dormitory for hours brainstorming, until they were rudely interrupted by a loud growl from George's stomach. He blushed and smiled sheepishly before looking at his watch and loudly exclaiming "look at the time! If we don't hurry we'll be late for lunch!" They hurried down to the Great Hall, but not before agreeing to keep their plan a secret for the time being.
After a fine Sunday lunch, with succulent roast lamb and delicious vegetables, Harry accompanied Fred and George back to their dormitory, where they spent a further hour perfecting the details of their plan. Finally, George jotted down the final details and looked up with a grin on his face. "Done!" He pronounced grandly. Fred and Harry grinned.
"Now, we take it to Dumbledore." Harry proclaimed.
A shadow came over Fred's face.
"But… we don't know where to find him! His office's location is one of the few things we DON'T know at Hogwarts." George added. Harry just grinned.
"Finally! My turn to teach you two something!" The twins looked puzzled. "Trust me. I know where his office is. Just follow me." The twins did as he said and followed him out of their dormitory, through the common room and out of the Gryffindor tower.
As Harry had predicted, Professor Dumbledore was supportive of their idea. He read over their proposal, making some suggestions and advising them of improvements that could be made. Eventually he looked up and smiled at them with a twinkle in his eye. "You've done a fine job, boys. I am very proud of you! I am afraid, however, that there is one little problem with this plan. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to pay for… ahem…(he looked down at the parchment containing the proposal) …the Frankston Freaks to provide us with entertainment of the musical variety. I'm sorry. You'll have to find another way."
Fred and George looked thoroughly demoralised at this news. Harry, who had never heard of the Frankston Freaks, was not about to let this defeat him.
"Never mind, you two. We'll go back to the dormitory and this of a way around this." He thanked the Headmaster and led the twins back to Gryffindor tower.
The three of them sat around in the dormitory for what seemed like hours trying to come up with an acceptable alternative. The twins couldn't think of any other wizarding groups that would be allowed at Hogwarts, and certainly none that would be any cheaper to hire.
"How about you owl them, Harry, and explain the situation and see if you can't get them to play for free?" George suggested.
"I guess it's worth a try… Hand me that parchment then, will you?"
Author's notes : Yay! I finally got around to submitting a story. I have a few on my computer that I haven't quite finished and haven't started posting yet…. However I finally got off my rear end and posted. Please review and let me know what you think… Flames will be used to light candles for a romantic dinner between …. and … You'll have to read on to find out who exactly grins evilly
The story will continue, with some humour, some romance and a little angst ( Please be warned that there may be some slashy mentions in the next chapter, but nothing major. Just characters mentioning they find others of the same gender attractive. If anything majorly slashy comes up I will warn you… otherwise please just read around it ( There are decent non-slashy bits too!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters, slogans, locations etc aren't mine, and sadly probably never will be. I don't make any money out of this so please don't sue me. Oh, and if anyone powerful (JK, Chris Columbus, WB etc) reads this: Can I have Oliver Wood? PLEASE? No? How about Sean Biggerstaff then? Please? no? *sighs* ( Worth a try, right?
Chapter One – Boredom and Brilliant Ideas
Life at Hogwarts had changed noticeably since the return of You-Know-Who. The normal cheery atmosphere had vanished, and in its place there was a definite air of tension about the castle.
Everyone is more serious now. Harry Potter mused one day. It's like they are just waiting for an attack to happen. In all their worrying about when Voldemort will attack and when they will die, it's as if they have stopped living.
It was true. The sound of carefree laughter was a rarity in the castle these days, and even the Weasley twins were affected. Harry couldn't think of any pranks that they had played in the past few months. He knew that both Fred and George were in their final year of school, and as such should probably be studying for their NEWTS, but he still expected some jokes from them.
Even a Canary Cream slipped into someone's dessert would have been better than nothing. The atmosphere here is just so…depressing… sombre… pathetic. We need to do something to cheer these people up!
Harry quit his pondering and went to find Fred and George.
He found the two in the seventh years boys' dormitory. George was studying, and Fred was quietly reading. Wow, you can tell that things have changed when the Weasley twins are together and QUIET! Harry smiled to himself.
"Oy, you two! Just the pair I was looking for! I have an idea I wanted to talk to you two about…"
They looked at him curiously. "What's up Harry?" Fred asked.
"Never mind that Fred! What you should be asking is whether this idea involves us making mischief! Mother-dear might want us to do well on the NEWTs, but I for one am getting mighty sick of study! We need a good prank or something to do! Anything but study!" George said dramatically.
Harry grinned. "Well, it's not necessarily a prank, but I promise you it is not study related!"
The twins grinned back at him and gestured for him to sit on Fred's bed with them.
"So what is this about then, Harry?"
"Well, Fred, I was just thinking… (George faked a gasp) Everyone has been moping around and being overly serious this year, and it's getting rather boring." The twins nodded. "So, I think that we should do something to cheer everyone up a bit."
The twins' faces lit up. "Yeah!" "That sounds great Harry!" "But what? A prank?"
"Well, I was thinking. Pranks are good, and make people laugh, but since you usually play the prank on someone, someone gets hurt. So, I'd prefer to do something where everyone has fun."
"Hmmm ... yeah, that's a good point. You seem to have thought about this a bit. Have you got any idea what you'd like to do, Harry?"
"I was thinking about maybe a ball?" Harry suggested. "Obviously not a Yule Ball, that would bring back some bad memories…" He trailed off, and looked down at his hands, lost in his thoughts. He was brought back to reality by the feeling of someone touching his shoulder. He looked up to see both Fred and George looking at him sadly. Fred's hand was on his shoulder reassuringly.
"You okay, Harry?" George asked softly. Harry smiled gratefully at him and shook his head as if to gather his thoughts.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying I don't think a Yule Ball would be a good idea given the circumstances, but perhaps a Valentine's Day Ball? I mean, we never really do much for Valentines Day around here, apart from that year Lockhart was here!" He shuddered, recalling the teasing and the Valentine he had received that year. The twins were grinning evilly, and he could tell that they were remembering the same poem, so he hurried on. "Erm, so I was thinking that we could go to Dumbledore and ask for permission and then we could help organise it and everything."
The twins look delighted. "That sounds great Harry!
The three boys sat in the dormitory for hours brainstorming, until they were rudely interrupted by a loud growl from George's stomach. He blushed and smiled sheepishly before looking at his watch and loudly exclaiming "look at the time! If we don't hurry we'll be late for lunch!" They hurried down to the Great Hall, but not before agreeing to keep their plan a secret for the time being.
After a fine Sunday lunch, with succulent roast lamb and delicious vegetables, Harry accompanied Fred and George back to their dormitory, where they spent a further hour perfecting the details of their plan. Finally, George jotted down the final details and looked up with a grin on his face. "Done!" He pronounced grandly. Fred and Harry grinned.
"Now, we take it to Dumbledore." Harry proclaimed.
A shadow came over Fred's face.
"But… we don't know where to find him! His office's location is one of the few things we DON'T know at Hogwarts." George added. Harry just grinned.
"Finally! My turn to teach you two something!" The twins looked puzzled. "Trust me. I know where his office is. Just follow me." The twins did as he said and followed him out of their dormitory, through the common room and out of the Gryffindor tower.
As Harry had predicted, Professor Dumbledore was supportive of their idea. He read over their proposal, making some suggestions and advising them of improvements that could be made. Eventually he looked up and smiled at them with a twinkle in his eye. "You've done a fine job, boys. I am very proud of you! I am afraid, however, that there is one little problem with this plan. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to pay for… ahem…(he looked down at the parchment containing the proposal) …the Frankston Freaks to provide us with entertainment of the musical variety. I'm sorry. You'll have to find another way."
Fred and George looked thoroughly demoralised at this news. Harry, who had never heard of the Frankston Freaks, was not about to let this defeat him.
"Never mind, you two. We'll go back to the dormitory and this of a way around this." He thanked the Headmaster and led the twins back to Gryffindor tower.
The three of them sat around in the dormitory for what seemed like hours trying to come up with an acceptable alternative. The twins couldn't think of any other wizarding groups that would be allowed at Hogwarts, and certainly none that would be any cheaper to hire.
"How about you owl them, Harry, and explain the situation and see if you can't get them to play for free?" George suggested.
"I guess it's worth a try… Hand me that parchment then, will you?"
Author's notes : Yay! I finally got around to submitting a story. I have a few on my computer that I haven't quite finished and haven't started posting yet…. However I finally got off my rear end and posted. Please review and let me know what you think… Flames will be used to light candles for a romantic dinner between …. and … You'll have to read on to find out who exactly grins evilly
The story will continue, with some humour, some romance and a little angst ( Please be warned that there may be some slashy mentions in the next chapter, but nothing major. Just characters mentioning they find others of the same gender attractive. If anything majorly slashy comes up I will warn you… otherwise please just read around it ( There are decent non-slashy bits too!