By mutual agreement, both groups lay low and paused in their tasks, to allow the professors a chance to cool down and not be as suspicious. Hermione avoided Draco, afraid of what his actions revealed about her own desires.
The week before Halloween, Hermione called the boys over to her corner in the common room, pulling out the list. "I think it's time that we started on our list again. They're ahead of us by one, but this is the perfect chance for this one." She pointed to a specific line on the list. Dumbledore had announced a few weeks previous that there would be a Halloween masked ball, to encourage 'interhouse relationships,' and their task would be the perfect lead up to it.
Harry smiled. "That one is perfect and I have so many ideas."
Ron looked between the two. "I get the feeling that most of these are going to be muggle, aren't they?" He asked.
Hermione and Harry glanced at each other and grinned. "Of course! But just wait until you hear what we choose." Ron nodded hesitantly
Monday began their task at dinnertime. Hermione has stayed behind in Defense class to ask Professor Lupin a few questions, causing him to be late and the last person to enter the hall. The lights dimmed and Lupin blinked to find a spotlight centered on him. He found his body started to dance as music played.
Can you hear it, the calling of the moon
It is reaching for me now
It's a primal rage building up in me
Cannot stop it to break free
And in its white light there are voices telling me
To kill and eat is my destiny
Just when I thought that I had found my place in life
The full moon fever strikes again
Bloodline deceiver this is my call
I am the blazing full moon
Bloodline deceiver I gaze from above
I bring the madness that makes your blood boil
The music faded out and Lupin finally stopped fist-pumping as the rock music quieted. He took a deep breath and shook his head, laughing. He bowed to the laughing and applauding students, taking the prank in stride.
Tuesday before lunchtime found Harry sneaking along the corridor near the Transfiguration corridor. It had been voted unanimously that, since he was the fastest, that he was the distraction. He took a deep breath and threw the dungbomb into the office, sprinting down one of the nearby secrete passages, not looking behind him when he heard the Scottish voice yelling in anger. He ran all the way down to the Great Hall, scooting into his seat beside Hermione, breaths heaving.
They eyed the doorway, making sure she didn't come in before anyone else, but the dungbomb kept her busy enough that she was the last to enter the hall for the meal. Again, the lights dimmed and a spotlight centered on Professor McGonagall. Hermione could have sworn she heard the professor mutter, "Fuck," but she must have heard wrong.
What's new pussycat whoa
What's new pussycat whoa oh
Pussycat, pussycat, I've got flowers
And lots of hours to spend time with you
So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose
Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do
You and your pussycat nose
What's new pussycat whoa
What's new pussycat whoa oh oh
Midway through the song, the students could see Professor McGonagall trying to fight the compulsion charm by changing into her animagus form, but that just made everything much funnier to see the tabby swaying in time to the song. As the song faded out, the professor stalked up to the head table, tale slashing back and forth, refusing to turn back into her human form.
Tuesday night saw Professor Flitwick rushing to get into the Great Hall, only to find a spotlight on him. The trio had cast a charm on the stack of books he normally stood on in class, so that whenever he blinked the stack would steadily get taller. It finally got to the point that he couldn't get back down and had to have all three of them levitate him back down. He started fist-pumping and rave dancing as the techno song started playing.
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard-gard-gard
What did you say?
The hobbits, the hobbits, the hobbits, the hobbits to Isengard, to Isengard
The hobbits, the hobbits, the hobbits, the hobbits to Isengard, to Isengard
They're taking the hobbits to Isengard, gar-gar-gar-gard.
The song faded out and Flitwick shrugged sheepishly, laughing along with the rest of the hall.
Wednesday lunchtime saw Professor Sinistra as the chosen target. Being the astronomy professor, she was just getting up for the day and traveling from the astronomy tower, making her the last to lunch normally, luckily for the trio. As she was stretching, she found the spotlight on herself and she cringed.
Twinkle twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Although a simple song, Hermione made the professor pantomime singing it as though she were a soulful artist, singing out her pain. Her face contorted with passion as she pretended to belt out the lyrics. As the song ended, Professor Sinistra straightened and strode up to the head table as though nothing had happened.
Dinner that night found Professor Sprout as the target. Ron had 'accidentally' knocked into Neville, who tripped over a pot and fell into the Venomous Tentacula. They were the last two into the Great Hall, Sprout bringing up the rear. Again, the lights dimmed and she started to dance, flapping her arms around, as the music started.
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honnah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff, oh!
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name, oh!
The Great Hall roared in laughter as they heard the lyrics and Sprout huffed as the song ended, out of breath. She waved her hand, like a beauty queen, and headed up to the head table.
Thursday lunchtime found Professor Vector as the chosen professor. Mysteriously, he had been locked in his office until everyone was in the Great Hall and then it had suddenly unlocked itself. He hurried to the hall, only to groan as the lights dimmed.
The song chosen didn't really have words that anyone could make out, but it was understood to be some type of chanting by monks. The three had had a difficult time choosing music for him since he was the Ancient Runes professor, until Hermione gave up and randomly chose something humorous. Professor Vector was making strange movements, between crossing himself and raising his hands to the heavens, as though praising someone. The song got louder until it ended with a dramatic flourish of the professor's arms.
Thursday dinnertime promised to be another entertaining meal. All Ron had to tell Professor Trelawny was that if she came down to the Great Hall first then her future looked bleak. She made sure she was last to the meal, only to blink her magnified eyes when the spotlight shone on her.
Why is the rum gone?
Why is the rum gone?
The entire royal navy is out
The entire royal navy is out
Yes, the rum is gone,
Why is the rum gone?
Yes, the rum is gone
Why is the rum gone?
The rum is gone
That's not good enough.
She had been fist-pumping and grinding her hips to the techno mix, blinking in a dazed fashion when the song faded out. The entire hall was roaring in laughter as she toddled to the head table, even Professor McGonagall was trying hard not to laugh.
Friday lunchtime showed everyone rushing to the Great Hall to see the entertainment. Hagrid had been detained by the Spotted Dracoliths mysteriously escaping. Ron could not be seen fleeing because of the invisibility cloak. As he stomped into the Great Hall, the lights dimmed and the hall waited in anticipation.
I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
The song faded out and Hagrid stopped line dancing, grinning as he said, "Tha' was more fun 'n wrestlin' gators!"
Friday night would prove to be just as entertaining as Dumbledore was the last to enter the Great Hall. He smiled serenely as the music started to play and he started to dance hip hop.
These tricks that I'll attempt will blow your mind
Pick a verse, any verse, I'll hypnotize you with every line
I'll have you time-travellin', have your mind babblin'
People tryin' to inherit the skill, so they askin' me
You know I'm no Pinocchio, I've never told a lie
So call me Mr. Magic Man, I float on Cloud 9
I got the magic in me
Everybody knows I've got the magic in me
When I hit the flow, the boys come snappin' at me
Now everybody wants presto magic
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
I got the magic in me
Dumbledore smiled and bowed, taking the cheers and laughter from the hall in good humor. Snape sneered, but secretly feared what was coming next. Every other professor had been chosen. Everyone, but him.
Halloween morning dawned bright, with Professor Snape avoiding the Great Hall. Dumbledore flooed to his office to have a chat. "Why hello, Severus."
Snape just stared at him. "Were you expecting someone else in my office?" He said waspishly.
The old wizard smiled. "No, my dear boy, but it's nice not to have to chase you down. Lemon drop?" He pulled one out of his pocket and offered it to Snape, who looked at it and then back at the headmaster.
"I think those have addled your mind," he said dismissively.
Dumbledore picked what looked suspiciously like pocket fuzz and popped it in his mouth. "Now, we missed you at breakfast this morning. As a professor, it is a requirement to be present at at least 2 meals a day in the Great Hall."
Snape froze and glared at him. "Since when?!"
Dumbledore chuckled. "I added it into your teaching contract last year, but you were more interested in the addition of sexual education taught to each house by their head."
Snape scowled. "Fine, I will be there, but if I dance to anything, there will be hell to pay."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in that infernal way. "We wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I do believe it's time for my beard grooming. I do hope Fawkes is awake, he always does it the best." The old wizard mumbled to himself as he stepped through the green fire and was gone.
Lunchtime came around and Snape didn't realize it until the Hall was already filled. He tried to sneak in, but Hermione had been waiting for him and the lights dimmed. Snape scowled, waving his wand around, but it only served to add to the song and didn't stop anything. The hall quieted instantly as the Imperial March from Star Wars started to play (the Darth Vader song). Everytime Snape waved his wand to try to stop it, lightsaber noises were added to the music. After about 10 seconds of the music, it suddenly stopped and then changed. Snape found his body tiptoeing and sneaking around, stealing food off of student's plates as the music played.
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel,
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!
You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick crocodile!
Snape tried everything he could think of, but, to his horror, none of it worked and he had to suffer through the whole song snippet. Once it ended, he straightened and pointed his wand at the trio.
"Potter! I know you had something to do with this!" He bellowed. Sparks flickered off the end of the wand in his rage.
Dumbledore stood up, stroking his beard. "Now, Severus, we have no proof of who was doing this to all of us, but it seems to be a harmless Halloween prank."
"Harmless?" Snape shrieked. "HARMLESS?! I WAS INSULTED AND TREATED DISRESPECTFULLY BY A STUDENT!" Seeing he was getting nowhere, he stomped out of the Great Hall, finally allowing the frightened students to laugh. Draco looked up at the Gryffindor table to find Hermione twinkling at him, and then, that minx winked! His jaw dropped as she smirked and looked away, knowing he knew who did the pranks. He found himself admiring her form and shook his head. Time to get back to our own list.
A/N: You all have been great and asking for new chapters, so here it is! I have the next chapter already written and I'm trying to stay a few chapters ahead so I can update often. I love your reviews and am so excited about the response I've had for this story. Please forgive me for the weaker story parts, but I'm trying to tighten it up as the story progresses. Any future pranks you want to see, let me know! Hopefully you enjoy this longer chapter.
Songs used (in order) are Curse of the Werewolf by Timeless Miracle, What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones, They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard Remix, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary, Why is the Rum Gone Remix, The Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett, Magic by B.O.B., and You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Thurl Ravenscroft. I own none of the rights to any of these songs or Harry Potter.