October, 1970
Halloween
Remus found his mind slipping back into consciousness at the sun rose. He was too tired and too worn out to get up. He found huge bite marks and gashed all over his body when he sat up. Wincing with pain, he forced himself not to cry. He had to be strong. He wouldn't feel sorry for himself. There was no use. It would be twenty-nine days until the beast arose again, and until then, he just had to bear the scars of a broken day. Too tired to speak, he finally fell back to sleep on the wooden floor.
A figure arrived at the tunnel as Remus slept, walking silently. Madam Pomfrey caught her breath at the sight of the limp, small boy on the wooden floor. Sorrow filled in her heart. Remus had been through so much.
"Mobilicorpus," she muttered, pointing her wand at Remus, taking him with her back to the hospital wing.
James, Sirius and Peter were in a rut. They never realized how much they needed Remus until Remus was gone. Remus was the good boy. He always made them do their homework and study. James and Sirius complained, but deep in their hearts they knew that he cared and didn't want them to flunk out of Hogwarts.
Peter, of course, was in a bigger rut. Without Remus to be patient with him, he was way too nervous for tutoring with James and Sirius. It just made matters worse. A lot worse. When Remus wasn;t around, much of their study time was dedicated to frustration, anger, apologies, and a whole lot of yelling.
"Merlin's pants, Peter!" Sirius yelled in their dormitory. "This is the fifth time! Swish and flick! Is it that hard?"
"I'm sorry," Peter moaned.
"And it's Wingardium Leviosa, not Wingding Leverosa," James said, trying to be as calm as possible. However, he was clearly frustrated. He was furiously gripping his hair, making it stick up even more oddly than before.
"I'm sorry," Peter moaned again.
"Here, I'll demonstrate." Sirius brandished his wand, then swished and flicked. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The book that he had been pointing at levitated a few inches off the desk.
"Now you try," James said to Peter. Peter nervously gripped his wand with his sweaty palm.
"W-Wingardium Leviosa!" Then, Peter swished. But he didn't flick. He jabbed the book so hard that it set on fire.
"ARGH!" Sirius groaned loudly, putting out the fire with a cup of water sitting nearby. "Peter! IT'S NOT THAT HARD!"
"Sorry!" Peter moaned again.
After a while, after everyone had calmed down, James and Sirius apologized to Peter. Peter apologized too. The three boys went to bed, each moody and wholeheartedly wishing Remus was back.
Remus did return, in due time. Two days after they saw him left he returned, looking incredibly tired but grinning.
"Remus!" Peter squealed, running over to him and holding a Transfiguration book. Remus laughed. It felt good to be needed, even if it was for homework purposes.
"How's your mum?" James asked, coming over.
Instantly, Remus's face blanched. James looked at his shoes, feeling guilty. "Sorry, mate, didn't mean to bring that up."
"It's okay," Remus mumbled.
Sirius came over as well. "It's just a little party here, isn't it? Remus, why did you leave? It's been no fun without you." He cast Peter a look. Peter flushed and headed back to the table. Sirius followed. It was his turn to tutor.
"Peter will never pass the first year if you don't tutor him," James whispered to Remus, casting a sidelong glance at Peter. Remus laughed. Sirius was throwing down his book in frustration. Sirius had given up on trying to tutor Peter. James walked over to take a turn.
Sirius walked over to Remus, a determined look on his face. "I can't tutor Peter anymore. It's killing me."
"Come on, Sirius, you're great at Defense Against the Dark Arts. You're not too shabby in the other subjects either. Come on. Peter really needs your help," Remus pleaded.
Sirius looked at Remus. "You're smart. And you're patient. I don't have the patience to explain everything to him."
Remus looked right back at Sirius. "He's our friend. Friends help each other. He would do the same for you."
Sirius let out a laugh. "Peter, tutor me?" It was lucky Peter was too absorbed in trying not to make James mad to hear. Sirius saw a look on Remus's face.
"I would never abandon my friends," Remus said quietly.
Sirius, seeing Remus was dead serious, said "okay, I'll tutor him. Just because I'm so good at everything, I'll be nice. And I would never abandon my friends either."
Remus smiled. In his heart, he felt a weight. He somehow knew Sirius would abandon him if he knew what he really was.
Halloween was coming up. All the first years were incredibly excited about the feast. They had heard magnificent things about what the food would be like. There were to be pumpkins levitating on the ceiling, and many great decorations. The first years were most excited. After all, it was the first holiday they would be spending in the castle.
James wasn't exactly a Potions geek. Professor Slughorn had his hand-picked favorites in class, and James wasn't one of them. Lily was, however, and Snape as well. It didnt' bother James too much that he wasn't great at the subject, but it helped toward his animosity for the Slytherins.
Lily and Snape were always partnered at the same table. Usually she was chatting animatedly with him while he gazed at her, a small smile on the corner of his lips. James shook his head every time he saw them together - how anyone could be friends with Snape, especially Lily Evans, was beyond his apprehension.
After a particularly nasty double potions class, in which the Gryffindors received many whispered insults from the Slytherins behind Slughorn's back, James rounded up his friends. He had a plan.
"James, are you sure you want to do this?" Remus asked nervously after James had sounded out the prank. "We could get into so much trouble for this if the teachers find out."
Sirius grinned. "Hey, Potter has a good idea. Where's all the fun without the risk? Besides, the teachers are never going to know who did it."
"Well..." Remus said hesitantly.
"Come on, Remus, lighten up," James grinned.
"Yeah," Peter echoed.
"Please?" Sirius said, trying his best to make a sad face.
Remus stopped trying to argue with them. It was pointless. "Alright, who are we pranking this time?" he said defeatedly.
"And he gives in!" Sirius cheered.
Remus rolled his eyes.
James grinned. "Anyway, we're pranking that greasy-haired Slytherin kid by the same of Severus."
Sirius frowned. "I thought it was Snivellus."
James laughed. "Maybe you're right. Snivellus, then."
"Isn't that Lily's friend?" Remus spoke up.
James scowled.
"Why don't we do the whole of Slytherin?" Sirius said, face lighting up. Slughorn liked him, but he had his personal animosity toward they Slytherin house.
"Yeah," James said enthusiastically.
"Hold on," Remus said slowly. "I'm okay with Snivellus, but the whole Slytherin house? Don't you think that's going to be a bit too harsh?"
"No," Sirius scoffed. "They deserve it."
"I don't know..." Remus said, shaking his head.
"Remus, please? Pleaaaase?" James said, pleading.
"You agreed to it already," Sirius said, grinning. "Don't back down."
"Well..." he took a look at Sirius and James's eager faces. "Fine," he sighed. "If we get into trouble, I'm blaming it on you two, right Peter?"
Peter laughed.
"Deal," Sirius grinned.
"Anyway, we can play a prank on him, and the whole of Slytherin. It will be so funny! Maybe they will all take a shower after this." James grinned malevolently. "Especially Snivelly."
Remus rolled his eyes. "One question."
"Yes?"
"Why?"
James shot Sirius an exasperated look, then turned to look at Remus. "He's a slimy, greasy Slytherin git. Need I say more?"
Peter laughed. Remus smiled in exasperation. James and Sirius were never going to change.
Halloween indeed came in due time. The Gryffindor first years had a free period right before the feast. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus took this as a god-given blessing. After all, if they were going to prank Snivellus, they'd better set up early. And quick.
James sneaked into the Great Hall half an hour before the feast. He made his way to the Slytherin table. Large pumpkins were levitated near the ceiling as a celebration to Halloween. Candles floated everywhere, and orange and black decorations hung all throughout the Great Hall. James beckoned to his friends, who were peeking at the door to come inside.
"Shhh!" whispered James as Peter accidentally ran into a bench.
"Sorry!" Peter moaned.
James shot Sirius a look. They both shook their head
They all made it to the Slytherin table. They clambered up upon the tables and looked for good pumpkins. There were quite a couple hanging straight over the Slytherin table.
"Perfect," Sirius said, grinning. He took out a huge bottle of shrinking potion they had been making in Potions class. He dumped just enough of its contents to each pumpkin so that the liquid didn't spill out of the hollow, knife-carved mouth of the pumpkins. Peter, Remus and James watched him, suppressing laughter. Tonight, old Snivelly would get it.
"It's time to go," Remus whispered nervously.
"Are you scared," Sirius said in a baby voice.
"No," Remus laughed. "But if we get caught I don't want to be expelled."
"Point taken," Sirius grinned. "Our job is done anyway. Let's go."
They slipped back out the Great Hall quietly. "Do you think anyone saw us?" Peter asked anxiously.
James shook his head. "I don't think so. Who would waste their time spying on us?"
The four boys went back up to the common room to try to get some work done. No such luck. James and Sirius, who were already allergic to work, was concentrating even less than usual. Soon Peter forgot all about the levitating spell.
"Hey, why don't we skive off homework for one night?" Remus suggested, grinning.
The other three looked at him in surprise. This was definitely a first. Remus saying they should put off homework?
"Well, I mean really, I can't concentrate with the excitement of Halloween." Remus smiled and winked.
The other boys agreed heartily. No one was in the mood for any work.
They went down to the Great Hall as soon as it was open for dinner. They saw they were definitely not the first. It seems so many students had gathered it was scary. They all filed in to the Great Hall, chattering excitedly. James and Sirius had identical evil grins on their faces. Remus and Peter had identical worried looks on their faces.
James and Sirius sat down at their usual spot. As a group, they decided Remus and James would do the aiming. Peter and Sirius would be the lookouts.
The Great Hall was soon filled full. Everyone was eating their hearts out, delighted at the pies and pastries that appeared before them. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter ate as well, stuffing their face. At one point Lily, who was eating neatly with a fork, looked over to see James and Sirius cramming food with their hand into their mouths.
"They're disgusting," she whispered to her friend, Marcella. "You would think that people so smart would know not to eat with their hands."
Marcella just laughed. "Lily, I think James has a little crush on you."
This was the last thing she expected. "What?"
"He's always looking at you, Lily. He stares at you. I swear he has drool coming out of his mouth at some points."
Lily looked disgusted. "Ew," was all she said.
Sirius looked at the other side of the table. She saw Lily looking a James for a brief point. "Hey, Potter, Evans is looking at you!"
James turned to her, frantically. "Where? When?"
Sirius laughed. "Just now. Mind you, she was looking disgusted."
James sighed. "She loves me."
Sirius shook his head. Unbelievable.
Peter tapped James in the back of the head. "Hey, James, is the prank still on?
"Right you are, Peter," James said, snapping out of whatever he was thinking. "Okay, here's the plan. Remus and I aim. Sirius, you and Peter can tell us when none of the professors are looking." He looked around at the Slytherin table. "Looks like there's two pumpkins close to Snivellus's head. Remus, you aim for that one." James pointed.
Remus nodded. "Ready?"
Sirius and Peter looked at the teachers. "Now!" they whispered.
"Reducto!" muttered both James and Remus. Their aim was true. However, James aimed for the right one and Remus, misunderstanding James's point, also aimed for the right one. The boys watched in horror as the two jets of light bounced off each other in midair, creating a firework of jets of light flying everywhere. Almost all the pumpkins at the Slytherin end exploded.
"AAAAA!" Bellatrix Black shrieked as a pumpkin above her head smashed into pieces, and sprayed the contents of the shrinking potion everywhere. All the heads in the Great Hall turned to the Slytherin table. Sirius watched in pure satisfaction as her head shrunk to the size of a mouse.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" All the other Slytherin girls were shrieking. The boys were also yelling non-stop. Almost every Slytherin's head had turned to the size of a gumball.
"This is so much better than the food," James grinned.
The whole room exploded into laughter. People everywhere were pointing and guffawing.
"Oh, that was great," Sirius shouted above all the noise. He was clutching his stomach and laughing so hard he thought his lungs would burst. To some degree of pure enlightenment, he saw that Snape's head had also shrunk. He now looked like a greasy baby.
James was laughing too hard to even make a sound. Peter was deliriously happy. Remus just smiled and chuckled to himself.
Dumbledore managed to calm everyone down and restore heads to their normal sizes. He looked not very angry, but still not happy. Everyone knew by now James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were troublemakers, but as they never had real proof, the blame couldn't fall upon them. Dumbledore had always said innocent until proven guilty.
"That was great," James grinned.
"I think now we can truly call ourselves masters of pranks," Sirius laughed.
Even Remus smiled. "Can't argue with you there."
Sirius, James, Peter and Remus returned to their dormitory that night, feeling a little more than on top of the world. They felt invincible. Their first Halloween could not have been better.
