DECEMBER 15 FRIDAY

James and Sirius couldn't believe the injustice the next morning. They had both received a rotten potato. Again! And not just them. Remus and Peter had received rotten potatoes too. James shook his head bitterly.

"Some people! Once they've made up their mind about somebody!"

Peter was shaking violently from fear.

"Will I be eaten by Yule Lads now?"

"No because you will get 12 rotten potatoes at most," said Remus.

Peter sighed from relief and went to the bathroom.

"I don't know why I even bother," said Sirius. "Face it, Prongs. Once you have been labelled a villain you will be forever treated as one."

"Ain't that the truth, Padfoot!" said James. "And it only makes me want to be one even more!"

"Villain is a bit extreme," said Remus.

"The Yule Lads are counting my potatoes and I'm the extreme one? They are thirsting after my blood! Well if they think I am going to beg for mercy before they slaughter me they can guess again! I shall fight them fair and square!"

"Or, you could just take your shoe from the window."

"That would just be giving in to the oppression!"

The idea that the Yule Lads had some way of watching over them began to piss them off. The sheer disrespect in watching their every move! Some people had no decency!

At breakfast the yoghurt tasted off. So did the tea. Even the marmalade tasted like fish. It dawned on them that today was the day of the Yule Lad Spoon-Licker.

They were turning spoons to candied apples at transfiguration class and they tasted of whale in everyone's mouth.

At potions class James and Sirius whispered to everybody except Snape to make sure the spoons they used were clean, so as to not mess up their potions. Snape's potions were hilariously ruined and had to go in the sink. It looked like today was going to be a good day.

The school paper came out and charms class had to be cancelled because of health and safety requirements.

"Whatelse can we expect tomorrow besides a devil snare devil snare?" James asked when they were in a private study room.

"Sometimes it's not a question of who, but of who knows..," said Sirius.

"You're really into this whole Warlock Gnomes fanfiction lark aren't you?"

"Professor McGonagall."

"I don't think they'll put McGonagall there, but it would be effective."

"Everything has to go through McGonagall. McGonagall has all the details, she knows the what and where."

"Of course she does. But where does she keep these details? In her mind!"

"In her mind? Excuse me, how old do you think McGonagall is? 20?"

"Her mug says: 52 is the new 62."

"Yet she doesn't look a day over 18..."

"She doesn't look a day over 81!"

"The point is that McGonagall is really old. And old people have to write everything down to remember them."

"Moony isn't old and he has to write everything down to remember them and then he doesn't anyway."

"Well remember when we established he is really a little old lady?"

They all agreed that it was likely that McGonagall kept a list. They needed to search her office for this list. If only there was a way they could tell, if she was in there or not!