Note: Lily's handwriting is written in italics, Dorcas' is bold and Emmeline's is italic and bold.
.x.x.x.
"Lily, you have to wake up right now!"
"Dorcas, come on, it's a Thursday…"
"Lily!"
I opened my eyes a crack and saw Dorcas standing over me. Her long hair tickled my nose.
"What? What is it?"
"Tinkle," said Dorcas maliciously.
That woke me up. I snapped my eyes opened and jumped out of bed.
Landing on my bad ankle.
"Ouch!"
"Oh stop it. Come on, you have to come downstairs."
I got dressed quickly and followed Dorcas out our door. "Where's Emmeline?" I asked.
"Breakfast," said Dorcas. "She missed out. Sucker."
I gave Dorcas a slightly scared look. I didn't think I wanted to see what ever the hell was going on.
We reached the foot of the stairs. I looked at what the Marauders had done with shock.
So this was why she wasn't in her bed this morning.
Kelly was strung up with rope to the ceiling (and it was a damn high ceiling at that) above a pit of Flobberworms. And everybody knows that Kelly Tinkle hates Flobberworms.
Funnily enough, I couldn't hear her screaming. Or maybe that was because she had a piece of tape over her mouth.
"Step right up ladies and gents!" boomed a voice from next to the pit of Flobberworms. If he hadn't made me look at him every day for the past seven years, I may not have recognized him.
But I did recognize him. And it was James Potter.
"One movement from this young lady up here and she will fall at her own peril to this lovely pit of extremely friendly Flobberworms! But it's not like she knows that!" James grinned at the crowd, tipping his boater hat to the ladies.
I looked at Dorcas. She was grinning with absolute maniacal happiness. She really hates Kelly.
I found myself smiling. That is, until Gryffindor Tower was visited by our very angry Head of House.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"
"Bother," muttered Dorcas. "I want her to fall."
"She still might," I said. "Look at her wiggle!"
Professor McGonagall stormed over to the pit and Kelly. "Who are you, young man? Because you are in a lot of trouble!"
Kelly gave one last strong jerk to get some attention towards her, and that's what she got. The rope snapped and she plummeted into the pit with a sticky-taped scream and roars from the crowd.
James smiled at all the applauding people, and then turned back to McGonagall.
"I," said James, not removing his fake moustache, "am the Surprise Spruiker!" He then threw down some kind of pod and disappeared in the smoke that followed.
All the gathered Gryffindors clapped wildly for him.
"QUIET!" roared Professor McGonagall. She glared at us. "Get to breakfast, all of you. I have to rescue Miss Tinkle."
I swear she sighed after saying that.
We all hurried out of the Tower and down the marble staircase to the Great Hall. We streamed in, chattering excitedly about what had happened.
Dorcas and I found Emmeline and sat next to her.
"You would not believe what you missed," said Dorcas with the biggest smile.
Peter, Remus and Sirius sat down across from us. "Hello ladies," said Sirius smoothly. "How's Tinkle this morning?"
"You're brilliant," said Dorcas with pure admiration in her voice. "Brilliant."
"Oh, I can't take all the credit," said Sirius modestly. "It was mostly James after all."
Remus just rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.
"Did she scream?" asked Sirius, an eager look on his face.
"Oh yeah," I said. "Like a Banshee."
Sirius held up his hand for Remus to hi-five. Remus gave Sirius a look. Sirius gave Remus a fiercer look. Remus gave an even fiercer look. Sirius sighed and let his hand drop. Remus smiled triumphantly.
"Uh, anyway," said Dorcas, giving the boys an odd look. She turned away from them and back to me and Emmeline. "So, now that we have everyone's reply, we can focus on the catering."
Emmeline and I looked at Dorcas with shocked looks.
"What?" said Dorcas, her eyes wide. Her hand was holding a quill poised over her parchment.
"You," Emmeline said.
"You're – You're – You're organized," I said, blinking to make sure that it was indeed Dorcas in front of me.
Dorcas gave me a quizzical look. "Um, yeah. So?"
Emmeline and I both shook our heads.
"What are we gonna do?" asked Emmeline. "Do it all ourselves, or get a house-elf to do it? Personally, I'm leaning towards the house-elf."
Dorcas and I gave her a look. "That's because you've had one since you've been born," I said.
"You know, I bet she doesn't even know how to cook," said Dorcas. "Pure-bloods and their –"
"We're cooking it ourselves," said Emmeline firmly. "Write it down. We'll have to start cooking early Saturday morning."
Dorcas leaned over to me. "I think that we might have to start Friday morning, actually," she whispered.
I laughed. Emmeline looked at me sharply.
"What? What are you sniggering at?"
"Nothing," I said, struggling to stop myself from laughing.
I looked over at Dorcas, who mimed burning herself with her pumpkin juice. I couldn't help it, and neither could Dorcas. We both burst out laughing.
.x.x.x.
"It's a party Lily! A party! At night! It's not a lunch!"
"Oh, come on Emmeline, admit it, you can't cook a turkey!"
"I can so!" Emmeline scowled. "But it's also the fact that people aren't gonna be sitting down and taking a nice little plate of turkey, and those vegetables that everyone has at this time of year."
I rolled my eyes. "What about chicken then?"
"Lily…"
"Who has chicken for Christmas lunch anyway?"
"Australians. Fine, not chicken. How about duck?"
"Lily, face it, we are not having any traditional foods. Think desserts for this party."
Emmeline, Dorcas and I were all sitting in our dormitory during lunch. We were trying to brainstorm food ideas. It wasn't so successful so far.
"Desserts… How 'bout plum pudding?" asked Dorcas.
"Good," said Emmeline, writing it down.
"Ice cream?"
"Traditional, Lily."
"Oh, so one minute we want desserts, next minute it's traditional desserts," I said haughtily.
"What about…trifle?" suggested Dorcas.
"Okay," said Emmeline. "Lily?"
"Honey biscuits?"
"Uh, okay."
"My grandma makes them."
"Right."
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry Dorcas."
"Yeah, but we skipped lunch to discuss food, and now I'm really hungry."
"Fine. Let's go and get some lunch."
.x.x.x.
So how much do we have to cook now?
Well, I hope you have a recipe for honey biscuits, because I certainly don't.
Biscuits? What else was there?
Trifle.
Oh dear.
Told you she couldn't cook!
I can so! Just not very well.
Emmeline, it was either do it ourselves, or get the house-elves. And you firmly said yourself that we were gonna do it ourselves.
Yeah but –
Face it. You can't cook.
I can!
Well, what can you cook? I doubt toast is gonna go down well.
What do you have against toast?
Nothing. I'm just –
I can cook … uh … pancakes.
Liar.
I can!
Look, we'll just get the house-elves to –
No! We will cook it ourselves.
Why is there suddenly an image in my mind of the castle burning down?
"Girls…what is the meaning of this?"
"Nothing sir," I said quickly, snatching the parchment off the desk.
Professor Flitwick still looked suspicious. "Miss Evans…"
I then did something I never thought that I would do. I scrunched up the parchment and shoved it into my mouth.
Professor Flitwick looked disgusted. "Please see me after class, Miss Evans. We must discuss this new … behaviour."
"Yes sir," I managed to say around the soggy parchment ball.
.x.x.x.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things related don't belong to me because... Well, I don't have the room, okay?
Thanks for reading!! I wrote this chapter whilst listening to all the Christmas songs I just put onto my mp3. Does anyone else think I'm mad?
If anyone has any more ideas for desserts, feel free to send them in. :D I'd really appreciate it. I was gonna put in monopoles, as my grandfather makes them every year, but then I thought that I might be the only one who knows what they are! My grandma actually does make the honey biscuits too. I only eat the ones with icing on top. Aren't I picky?
Reviews are so nice! Spread the Christmas cheer!
