dray.
"That's my cap you're wearing!" I shouted at Otto as I snagged the black beanie off his head.
"Yeah, well, I ain't got one," Otto snatched the beanie back. "Besides, your hair's black anyways. You could see my hair from a mile away."
"Quiet down. Okay," Johnny interrupted as he tied his shoes, "So, we can get into her room from the back entrance, right?"
"Which is through the Charms room," Rocco added.
"Right. And then we've got about four minutes to grab whatever we can and get out," I finished.
"That's the plan. And if we run into anybody-"
"We knock them out."
"No," Johnny corrected me, "This is different from knocking someone out." He lifted a rag from the liquid it had been soaking in, and carefully placed it inside a zip-lock bag. "It's a sleep-inducing drought."
"Sounds like knocking out to me," I muttered. Johnny punched me in the arm.
"Ready?" Rocco asked us.
"Ready," the three of us responded.
Carefully, Rocco eased open the door of Hufflepuff Common Room. He peered around the corner for a second, and then opened the door wider so all of us could tiptoe out.
Once out, we ran through the Dungeon hallways, and up the staircase into the Main Entrance. From there, we made our way up the Marble Staircase, and quickly made a beeline for the Enchanted Staircase. The staircase was just about to move as we reached it. Otto made it before the rest of us, and Johnny and Rocco weren't far behind. I had to check for Filch before I could get on(that was the plan), so I barely had time to leap onto the staircase before it moved too far away.
"Nice one," Otto whispered to me as I barely landed on the first step.
Two stair shifts later, we were on our way up the stairs to the Charms room. From there we would go through the closet into the secret entrance to the DADA boarding room.
Rocco made it to the door first. Just as he was about to take out his wand for the 'Alohamora', he stopped. As I reached him, a smiled started to creep apon his face. He looked at the rest of us with wide eyes, and signaled us to be quiet.
"What?" I mouthed to him. Rocco grinned and pointed at the door. Johnny cupped his hand to his ear, and pressed against the door.
"Holy snitch, someone's having a go in the Charms Room!" he whispered frantically, a wide smile playing his face.
I followed Johnny's actions, and listened as hard as I could. Sure enough, noise was coming from the other side of the door. Otto had started laughing silently while Rocco tried to get a look through the key hole.
"I wonder who it is," I said softly, listening as hard as I could.
"Sshh, I think they're talking now," Johnny said, still smiling.
"Do you think we could go back to your room?" I heard, muffled but clear enough, a girl's voice from the other side of the door.
"Em," another person said, this one definitely a male, "Not tonight. Some other time."
"Oooo, someone's getting turned down," Rocco sneered.
"SH!" Johnny silenced him.
"Why not?" the girl protested, "We've been seeing each other like this for a month. How long can you avoid it for?" Otto was trying hard not to make a noise by laughing into his sweatshirt.
"I'm not avoiding it!" the boy said quickly, "That's not it. It's just-" here he paused, "well, I've been testing one of the products."
"What's it been doing to you?" I felt myself frown, and I pressed my ear closer to the door.
"It's, er, sort of been giving me boils. In that area. I'll stop testing it, I promise, I'll make Fred take this one by himself. It should all be sorted out by next week." By this point, Otto was barely able to breathe, and Johnny was trying very hard not to laugh himself. I had started to chuckle softly, when footsteps started heading towards the door.
"I hope so. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then-"
A wind suddenly passed by my ear, and I fell to the ground as the door opened from the inside. I heard an intake of breath, and a 'What the hell?' before I knew what had happened.
I looked up, and saw Plum staring frantically down at me. I gaped.
"What are you doing?" she hissed at us. Otto was still laughing on the ground as Johnny and I stood up.
"Nothing, we swear," Rocco whispered, "we didn't even know people were in here. Promise!" he added as a boy appeared by Plum's side. He frowned at us from underneath his long, red hair.
"What are you people doing then?" he asked us, staring at our black clothing, "Robbing Flitwick?"
"Just playing a harmless prank," Johnny whispered cheerfully. Otto nodded as he attempted to stand up, still laughing. A bile had risen in my throat. I was still looking at Plum, unable to stare at this other boy. "Oh. Carry on, then," the boy responded, and he made a move to get around me, "C'mon, Plum, let's go. 'Scuse me," he said to Plum and then me. I refused to move, but the boy made it around me all the same. Plum followed suit.
"See you later, Dray," she murmured as she passed. I looked away, unable to speak.
The band rushed into the classroom, and felt along the wall until they found the closet.
"Dray, we gotta move!" Otto spoke softly to me, "Close the door, and get moving!" I closed the classroom door and walked over to the closet.
"Got it," Rocco muttered, and he pressed a brick into the back wall of the closet. The back popped away from us, and moved to the left, leaving a clear view of Umbridge's closet.
"Go, go, go!" Johnny hissed, and he and Rocco raced out of the closet and into Umbridge's room. Otto started grabbing at random things in the closet and throwing them behind him. I walked out of the closet slowly, my hands in my pockets.
"Here," Johnny said, thrusting a vase at my chest as soon as I came in sight. I held the vase as I watched Rocco mutter a spell. As soon as he spoke, a stream of red spray paint issued from the tip of his wand.
"Dray, help me out!" he whispered to me. I glumly took out my wand and muttered,
"Pingere." Blue spray paint shot out of my wand. I walked around the dark room, waving my wand at the walls, floor, and ceiling, until I came full circle back to the closet. By that point, Otto had gotten most of the things that had occupied it. I walked back into the Charms classroom. Johnny was helping Otto stuff their findings into the bags we had brought. As soon as Rocco was done, he rushed out of the closet, shutting the door behind him. We all hurried out of the classroom, and as soon as we were in the hall, we walked to the last destination.
"It's all downhill from here," Johnny muttered reassuringly to himself. Otto nodded, and started to hum again.
"I wonder why she likes him?" I asked out loud. Rocco frowned at me.
"What? Plum? Does it really matter? Besides, Plum doesn't seem like the kind of girl to settle for one guy. I'm sure she's just in it for the sex." I snorted at Rocco's words.
"What does it matter to you?" he asked me again. I shook my head.
"It doesn't. Was just thinking," I said under my breath.
"She had a nice arse, that one," Otto said jokingly, grinning.
"Yeah. Good view from the floor, too," Johnny played along, "If only she had been wearing a skirt-"
I punched him in the arm as Johnny started to laugh.
"That makes us even," I whispered to him. Just then, we approached the door of the DADA classroom.
"Okay, get the stuff out," Rocco said, and he started to unzip one of the bags. I helped unload the vases, lamps, dolls, plates, and photos that Otto and Johnny had salvaged. Otto laid the items carefully on the doorstep. Rocco then handed Johnny and I hammers.
"Tools at the ready," Rocco said as if he was leading a firing squad, "And- smash!"
I took one look at the purple kittens wrestling on of the plates, and brought my hammer down hard.