A/N: Somehow, I got two detentions for one prank. Guess I really shouldn't have turned the Deputy Headmistress fuchsia.
Sitting in the detention office, flipping my quill back and forth between index and middle finger, I stared sourly down at my parchment. Honestly. How could she give us two detentions for the same thing? Okay, so I knew why she had split it into two detentions – not only had we changed every Slytherin to a wacky and unnatural (for humans, anyway) color, but we had also turned our wands on two of the staff (sure, it was just a continuation of the same prank, but apparently changing staff members fuchsia and golden-yellow counted as something else entirely).
Then there was the unstated reason – by giving us two detentions, we were one detention away from losing house points, an act that would surely set the entirety of both our houses against us. Thus the punishment effectively put a stop to our pranking ways – at least until the end of the month. Five detentions in one month resulted in a loss of five points – and that was unacceptable after all the hard work we (and our housemates) had put into getting those points.
Well played, Professor Claire, I thought, shifting my acerbic gaze to the woman presiding over the detention hall. Well played.
Turning my eyes once more to the parchment, I settled on my topic and began to write.
"I regained consciousness to the sound of the Headmistress stating that, with the two detentions she had just given us, we had racked up five detentions in one month – and threatening that one more incident like our genius prank to brighten up the lives of the Slytherins would result in the loss of house points. Immediately, I sat up and stared at her with horrified eyes – but Red was already responding.
'No it doesn't!' my friend and partner-in-crime cried. 'We only have four detentions.'
'That's right!' I said, relieved. 'I've only written two detention pieces so far. That means even if you give us two, we only have four.'
'And you can't give us two for the same prank!' Red further objected. 'So we only have three!' I thanked Merlin for the debate team background the Gryffindor had.
From another part of the common room, Loki, the Durmstrang transfer student, cried out against her assigned detention as well – only to start plotting immediately a more 'detention-worthy' action. From another direction, I heard one of the Slytherins mutter in disbelief – about what, I couldn't be sure from where I was. If I had been a little less caught up in our own detention drama, I might have laughed at Loki's response.
Professor Claire responded to the protest in her sternest manner – I did not envy the woman's children should they misbehave, though personally, Professor Xanda was much more intimidating – before laughing at Red's and my reactions. 'Made you look!' she laughed. 'That enough to scare you?'
Loki continued to grumble about the unworthiness of trying to give a teacher a feathered tail – even mentioning Professor Dumblebore. I had to agree with her assessment that the deceased Headmaster would have rocked a tail, but I didn't think it would help her case with our current Headmistress.
Then said Headmistress sobered, responding to Red's claim that she could not give us two detentions in a chillingly calm voice. 'Oh, I can and I will! It's not bad enough you turned deputy headmistress Xanda a different color, you then decided to turn your wands on me! So two it is!' Her expression brooked no argument.
'She's proof that Hufflepuffs are secretly evil,' I murmured, staring at the professor in despair. She heard me and smiled, going so far as to wink at me.
'I can be a bitch when it's required! Ask my kids.'
Still, Red tried to get us out of at least one of the detentions. 'Professor Claire, we can't write about the same pranks twice.' Turning up the charm, the Gryffindor added, 'Yellow looks good on you.'
Joining my fellow prankster in the mission to get us out of at least part of our punishment, I smiled winningly. 'If you dress in black, Headmistress, you'll be our House colors!' Okay, so maybe I just wanted to poke fun at the results of our prank."
I stopped writing to scowl at the parchment, then glanced to the side to see how Red was fairing with this second assignment. The sight of her scribbling the same thing, "Professor Claire Can't Take a Joke", over and over again on her paper had me covering my mouth to stifle a laugh. If only I'd thought of that! Still, I had my word count now, which was all that mattered.
A/N: For a look at the planning that goes into these pranks (if anyone besides our Headmistress Clairebear1982 or Deputy Headmistress Little. Miss. Xanda is reading this), check out RedButterfly33's fic of the similar title, Detention, at s/11355381/4/Detention
Until next time, dearies!
