cantis: causes one to burst into song.


This was becoming a common occurrence—Remus sitting to the side with some tea and some homework, smiling fondly because his friends were up to no good.

"No good," in this case, meant becoming animagi.

Remus would normally attempt to dissuade his friends, or put up a show about it, at least. Today, the spells that kept people from barging in or hearing the conversations going on in this room were Remus's.

"Okay. We did that, and that, and that," Sirius said, pointing to the list.

"That's not due for another while. What's the next step?" James asked.

"Mandrake leaf on the tongue for a month," Peter provided.

"Right. The one we've been avoiding."

"With good cause!" James exclaimed. "How do you explain we've suddenly decided not to talk? For a month?"

"I'm afraid," Sirius said, "I've come down with a bad case of strep throat."

"Don't be daft, Madame Pomfrey would fix that in a heartbeat. What curses would do that sort of thing?"

Remus looked up. "Nothing for more than two weeks."

"Really?"

"Well," Peter said, "Have you ever done a silent challenge?"

"No…" James and Sirius said slowly. "Is it a Muggle thing?"

"I guess; the more Muggle kids have in 'em, the more likely they know this. Anyway, whoever stays silent the longest, everybody else pays for 'em at the Three Broomsticks for a year. For example."

James and Sirius nodded carefully.

They got the leaves within the hour by sneaking down to the greenhouses, and put them in their mouths that minute. Remus conjured a watch and tapped it. James hung it on his bedpost. It would count down for a month.

James took out a piece of parchment.

Remus is excluded from this whole silent deal, he wrote. He has to talk in classes.

Of course, Sirius responded.

So the game was on.

The month passed in hilarity. Within the first day, the entire school knew of their cover story, the game, helpfully provided by Remus. Within the second, there were pools on who they could get to talk.

Unbeknownst to the students and staff, Remus had placed a charm on all three that made them want to keep their mouth shut. Just in case.

Most teachers took the game in stride, because all in all, it meant a milder month from the Marauders. Professor McGonagall, for some reason, seemed especially understanding.

She knows! wrote James.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Remus.

She isn't saying anything either way, Sirius said.

And either way, we should try not to tip her off any more, Peter concluded.

...

The watch rang at the end of the month.

"Excellent!" Remus said. "Now you can talk!"

James, Sirius, and Peter looked at each other as one, and said nothing.

"What now?" Remus asked.

I'm not paying for butterbeer!

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! You're all paying for your own butterbeer! Cantis!"

James, Peter, and Sirius broke into a three part harmony. Remus grinned.


The end

I spent a very long time looking up spells

tips: I find super rad prompts, headcanons, and what-ifs on Instagram