hello again! Are you ready for the latest update? I was going to wait awhile more to do so, but I got a smashing comment and loved it so much I decided to be nice and update sooner (since I had an hour till work). I promise I'll try to update sooner next time. Thankyou all my lovely readers for being so patient. Please review and make my day!
ch. Summary: All's fair in love, war, and pranking!
disclaimer: I'm now adding the disclaimer to the story summary, so just for now, I'm letting you know: I do not own anything Harry Potter except for Camy and her odd family members. I don't even own my own copy of the newest book. I had to borrow my cousins. Not that you wanted to know that...oh well. On with the story!
Chapter 9: It lives!
"Can you believe it? Slytherins get to have the new Assistant teacher, but as soon as we show up, she leaves! Must be a Gryffindor curse. Even Ravenclaw had a class with her." Ron grumped, and Lavender hit him on the back of the head. "What! Ow! Hey, stop that!" He demanded, feeling put out.
"Well! Honestly! Ever since she arrived it's like you've dropped off the face of the earth! I'm really beginning to question your loyalties, Ronald Weasly!" Lavender informed him angrily as she stormed off towards the common room. Ron was quick to follow, and the rest of the house followed him. After all, Saemus had said someone'd attacked their beloved tower.
Lavender was about to enter the common room when a little first year stuck in the middle of a sea of what looked like pink shavingn cream. Lavender froze in surprise, and Ron walked into her, having bent his head so as to walk at a faster speed, so as to catch up with her. Lavender screeched as she nearly fell into the stuff, but Ron put an arm around her waist and yanked her back just in time. She was staring at him in amazement when the first year spoke, sounding panicked.
"There's some sort of glue in this stuff! I can't get out on my own! Help me, please!" The little first year cried. The other students looked on in horror for a moment before Hermione came to her senses and accio-ed (a/n is that how one spells it?) the poor little boy out of the stuff. He was shivering and it took a moment before he could answer questions.
"Someone's trespassing on our tower room! Who would dare prank us, Forge!" Fred demanded.
"Dunno Gred, but they're gonna regret it, Gred." George replied ominously.
"Did you see who did it?" Fred asked the little boy, eyes gleaming.
Wait a minute, do you mean to tell me that you two didn't do it? No way! You two are sooo lying through your teeth!" Ginny replied, eyes sparking.
"No, we aren't, Ginerva Anne Weasely! You know very well we always take credit for our pranks!" Gred replied angrily.
"So, did you see who did it?" Feorge once more asked the kid.
"No, I just walked into the common room, coming back from the library, when suddenly the stuff appeared, and I was trapped. Then Saemus was about to come in, but I warned him not to, and he ran off, leaving me there. It was the wierdest thing, though! I was in the middle of trying to escape, and suddenly this wierd tingly feeling came all over me. It was like riding a rollercoaster straight down and eating chocolate at the same time. It was...wierd." The boy replied, shivering slightly at the memory. The others patted his back in a condoling sort of way, while Fred and George raised their wands. They were, after all, the prank masters, and they intended to undo this prank.
"Scourgify!" They said simultaneously. This had the result that the stuff grew a foot higher. The twins were trying almost everything they could think of to rid their common rooms of the stuff, but nothing seemed to be working. Bye this point the people just behind Fred and George had started shifting places with those at the back of the crowd so that everyone might see what monstrosity had taken over thier common room. The twins soon expired their range of cleaning spells (usually others cleaned their messes up or they had to do it the muggle way for punishment).
Someone even dragged a house-elf up to help, but it's magic (along with everyone else's) only made them multiply, and faster each time. She tried everything she could think of, but nothing seemed to work.
Suddenly Magonagal was there. She raised her wand and muttered something, but the cream only started to change color. Turning pink, Magonagal tried another spell. The cream started to growl ominously, multiplying faster, until they started to go up the stairs and push the Gryffindors backwards out through the portrait. Finally Magonagal had reached the end of her rope and tried to make it disappear or melt. To everyone elses' horror, the pink stuff started flashing neon colors and grew a mouth. The Gryffindors barely had time to close the portrait before the stuff could spill out into the hallway. It was then that Luna Lovegood walked serenly up to them.
"Magonagal, Professor Lupin is on his way up. He said to tell you he'd only be a few moments. Oh, and he said to thank the boy who came to get him." Luna said vaguely before looking at the fat lady with interest. The students were busy trying to figure out who had summoned Professor Lupin when said Professor rounded the corner and started walking down the hall towards them. Next to him walked his young Assistant. The two made an odd contrast, with Lupin looking tired and worried, while Camy looked cheerful and amused.
"What happened?" Camy asked upon seeing Professor Magonagal.
"Some students did something to the shaving cream in there and now I can't get rid of it." Magonagal looked as mad as anyone had seen her, and as Fred and George could be heard saying later, that was quite a lot considering they were in the crowd.
"What did they do to it?" Camy asked. Magonagal sighed.
"It I knew that, Miss Smith, then I would be able to counter it, wouldn't I?" Magonagal retorted. Camy just shrugged.
"Maybe. I dunno, I heard this house belongs to some brilliant pranksters. Anyways, can we let one of them out?" Camy asked, as Remus looked on, allowing the young girl to handle things. The other students were amazed. Why wasn't Professor Lupin doing anything? She was just an Assistant, after all. Ginny hid her grin. She knew why. She caught Camy's eye and winked. Camy inclined her head slightly, but only enough that Ginny would notice.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Smith. The stuff is no doubt falling out the windows by now. If we don't open it, then it can't get to the rest of the school." Magonagal reasoned, loosing patience.
"But I don't see or hear anything. Maybe it's gone?" Camy insisted. It was then that Magonagal lost it.
"Fine! You want us to be invaded! Then by all means open the door. But don't say I didn't warn you!" She growled. Camy just smiled blithely, and the students were instantly reminded of the Headmaster. She opened the door, and went inside. Professor Lupin followed her and the portrait closed behind them. For several moments there wasn't a sound, and then they came back out, and started to walk away.
"Well?" An irritated but worried Magonagal asked.
"There was nothing there. All we found was a big floating illusion that said 'Gotcha'. It's still there, if you'd like to see." Camy replied, then turned back to Lupin, who hadn't said a word the whole time, and left, both of them now yawning. Ginny hid her smile. Everything was going perfectly. Well, almost. She went inside behind the rest of the students, and sat in a chair in the corner. She was surprised when Seamus, Ron, and Harry followed.
"So...did you help with this?" Harry asked, and Ron seemed Flabbergasted.
"Harry! WE would never...!" Seamus began, but was interrupted by Ron who exclaimed "That's Fred and George's area!"
"I was talking to Ginny." Harry replied, looking at Ginny suspicously. The other two boys looked at Ginny in confusion.
"Why would Ginny have anything to do with this?" Ron asked, and Seamus too looked baffled.
"I don't know, but her and Miss Smith were trading signs before the things disappeared. I was wondering why." Harry replied, still watching Ginny. Ginny laughed and couldn't help but think Voldemort was making him paranoid.
"Alright you caught me, but not for what you think!" Ginny giggled some more.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, now that all three looked confused.
"See, we didn't want to tell anyone becuase it might cause complaints to the headmaster that I was getting special treatment, but Camy and I have been friends for a long time." Ginny replied.
"That's rubbish! I never once met her, and if she were your friend, I would have." Ron responded automatically. Ginny just shrugged.
"Not really. She usually only came while school was in session, and before that we used to meet out in the woods behind our house. You guys didn't want me to be hanging around so much when you started to get older, so I found someone else to make friends with. And boy am I glad. She's so cool! Seriously. She found out about Serious and she was like 'cool. I never thought he'd make a good villian anyways. Villians don't usually put on such a display when they vanish. On second thought, yeah, they do, but it makes more sense for Rattail, or whatsizbucket? To be behind it. 'Sides, he's Harry's godfather, right? That would be seriously uncool if he was, like, all rotten.' and then she smaked herself upside the head cause she'd been using an accent she didn't like, apparently it sounds to...airheaded. Anyways, you guys should come meet her. I'm going to meet her in her room after classes, you should come. She said the house elves will be leaving some food in her room for us, and there's no way she's gonna be able to eat it. I bet she'd love to meet you. She's really a fan of your works." Ginny gushed, eyes lighting up.
"What do you mean, a fan of our works?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Well, she really admires they way you two fly for the Quidditch team, cause she's afraid of heights. And she really thinks our red hair's awesome. Not only that, but even Fred and George amuse her! Dunno why, though it might have to do with her family's tendencies..." She was saying when suddenly someone behind her spoke.
"We amuse her? How so?" One of the twins asked, grinning.
"Who is it we amuse again, I've forgotten." The other added.
"Camy, the new Assistant Teacher. She seems to think some of your jokes are funny, though she's the first to admit she doesn't react well when jokes are pulled on her. Amazing how much we have in common, really." Ginny replied easily.
"Yeah, she said something about us earlier, but I kinda figured she had heard it from the teachers." Fred mused.
"Actually, she heard it from her sibs. Her brothers are pranksters too, and apparently they like to know who the competition is." Ginny replied. Her brothers looked surprised.
"She has brothers who are pranksters?" They asked in unison.
"Yep, two of them. They aren't twins though, they're quads. Technically they used to be quints, but...that was before." Ginny replied, looking slightly sad.
"Quints? Quads?" The twins asked, still speaking in unison.
"Quintuplets are five children born within the same brithing, much like twins, while Quadruplets are four born in the same time." Seamus replied, looking interested. Ginny shrugged.
"Anyways, you guys should all come. I mean, I'm goin to see her and play some games, but you guys can do whatever. She promised we wouldn't get in trouble for staying out late. And she always keeps her promises." Ginny said, before leaving for her next class.
Okay, well, that's it for this chapter. Tune in next time to find out what happened before Camy and Lupin came around the corner, what's in store for the party, and why Camy felt weak after cleaning the classroom for Remy! Bare with me a little longer and more of the romantic stuff will be added! Oh, did you like the 'action' I've added? Please review and let me know! I have a tendency to wait until I get a new review before I update. So...if you want more...let me know! oh, and if your not a fanfic registered user, but still want to know when I update, drop me a review with your email and I'll add you to the list. Thanks a bunch!
Wings