Chapter 3: Competition

It was now day three since the Hogwarts Prank Club began the countdown and Remus' badge displayed only one prank. He had to raise his number but wondered what counted as a prank and how the point system worked and so he tried out a few simple ideas.

He pulled a chair from under one unsuspecting student, which sent him to the floor. He checked his badge afterwards - it incremented.

And so simple, silly pranks counted.

In that case, he did not hold back his simple, silly ideas, causing small mayhem everywhere he went but careful to not prank the same person twice, and of course, to not get caught.

He swapped one Ravenclaw's full ink bottle with his empty one - his badge incremented.

He snuck into the Quidditch changing room and filled the Hufflepuff Seeker's gloves with sand - his badge incremented.

He admired the number four on his badge and wondered how many pranks fellow HPC members could have executed by now.

As the week progressed, he spotted evidence of the Club's work.

Someone pranked Professor Flitwick which they found out during Charms.

"It won't escape your notice. I'm sure you will hear in time," said the short Professor while stacking books on the floor, "that all day today - I will talk in rhyme."

He climbed the books like stairs and sat down on his desk while the students looked among themselves, wondering what he was talking about.

"It was a charm contained within a piece of paper. I opened it - and out came enchanted vapor. I don't know who did it or why they chose me, but I sort of like this joke so I'll let it be."

The class chuckled and the short Professor beamed at them.

"I'm not opposed to laughter, you know how my lessons are run, but I think we can all have the same amount of fun. And so I ask you to speak in rhyme as well. Turn your books to page fifteen and let's learn the new spell."

And the whole lesson he did not allow anyone to say anything that wasn't in rhyme. The four of them took it as their cue to have fun with it and finish each other's sentences.

Sirius beamed at them. "I love this class. The humor is simply poetic."

"None of the other classes are so energetic," said James.

"Whoever did it was a genius," said Peter.

Remus couldn't think of a rhyme so he blurted, "His name sure wasn't Remus."

After the fun class ended, their faces were stiff from all the grinning. They got so used to talking in rhyme by now that they found it hard to stop.

The experience reminded Remus that he had fierce competition. None of his pranks were this much fun yet. He had to step up his prank game.

Inspired by the rhyming prank, he wanted to use magic. He didn't know a lot of spells yet so he had to do some research in the Hogwarts Library first.

Over the next few days, Remus continued pulling silly little pranks to keep up his numbers but in the meantime, he practiced a charm he was going to need for his big prank, something he could be proud of. It was difficult, definitely beyond the first-year curriculum but Remus was determined to learn it.

Saturday morning, he got up very early and ran to the Great Hall, determined to arrive before anyone else got there. He brought a bucket of slow-drying paint and the stamp he created and began his work.

He was done before the first people started arriving and slipped out unnoticed, a bead of sweat on his forehead. He was able to cast the Disillusionment Charm multiple times as he planned but it sure was draining. He hid the evidence and tried to look innocent as he made his way back.

He sat down and was soon joined by his roommates.

"Where did you go?" Sirius asked.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk."

Thankfully, they didn't ask more questions and Remus patiently waited for his prank to be noticed.

The first Slytherins started getting up after having finished breakfast and a murmur went through the Hall.

"What's that on their robes?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Is that an eagle eating a snake?"

Remus chuckled as he watched the Slytherins accuse each other of messing with their robes. They didn't know yet that every single one of them had the same problem. He stamped each bench by the Slytherin table with an insignia of a snake being eaten by an eagle and so everyone now had their robes or trousers marked with it. The paint was hidden by a Disillusionment Charm so they didn't know that it was the benches that were responsible.

It was a paint that could be washed off, he wasn't a mean prankster, but it sure was fun to watch them panic. He initially wanted to make a stamp of a lion as a tribute to his House but decided that he didn't want to get his House in trouble. He got the idea for an eagle and a snake from the fountain in the courtyard. And wasn't it fitting? It diverted the accusation away from Gryffindors and suggested Ravenclaws since the eagle was their symbol.

Professor Slughorn, the Potions Master and Slytherin Head of House, got up to investigate and was able to vanish the paint from their robes. But then more of them started to get up with the same issue and he looked like he did not feel like doing it for everyone.

"What's going on over there?" Sirius asked, craning his neck to see the commotion.

"It looks like Slytherins got pranked," James said with a grin. "Bloody genius too, these Ravenclaws."

Remus chuckled silently and enjoyed his breakfast, feeling like a proper prankster.

Next week was coming to a close and Remus was starting to feel the effects of the moon already. He felt fatigue wash over him throughout the day and tried to cover it up so no one would notice. It was unfair that he had to deal with this but there was no cure for his condition. Soon, he would get to test the arrangements Professor Dumbledore made for him. He had only a few days left.

He tried to not think about it and enjoy the time with his friends, pranking people whenever possible, but then witnessed something which put him in a dilemma.

James secretly hooked a string to the hood of a Slytherin boy during their flying lesson. And so when the boy took off, the broom flew forward and he was wrenched off of it, painfully landing on his back.

Lily, a Gryffindor first-year, came to check on him and discovered the string.

"Who did this?" she yelled and snapped her auburn head around until her eyes landed on James, Sirius, and Peter who were laughing. "You're such a jerk, James Potter!"

James shrugged and raised his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Slytherin boy got up with his wand raised. "You'll regret this, Potter!"

James crossed his arms and fixed the glasses on his nose with one finger. "Don't blame others for your lack of skill on a broom, Snivelus."

"Burn," Sirius and Peter sounded out together among chuckles.

"Boys," Madam Hooch interfered and eyed the scene, which now comprised of several Gryffindors against one Slytherin who was in a dueling stance, "you're here to learn how to fly on a broomstick. Keep those silly House feuds out of my lessons."

And she clapped her hands at them all to disperse the crowd.

Remus was in a pickle. It was possible that James was part of HPC and had just executed one of his pranks. Remus could easily eliminate him by telling Madam Hooch what he witnessed, getting caught by a teacher was one of the methods to lose, but he couldn't quite make himself do it.

These three boys, James, Sirius, and Peter, treated him like one of their pack and he wanted to keep it this way. He needed them. As much as he wanted to win, he couldn't jeopardize their growing friendship.

He discreetly checked his badge which by now had number "15" on it. It was unnerving to not know how many pranks his fellow Club members had executed and if he even had a chance. For all he knew, James could be ahead of him.

It didn't take him long to choose. Remus decided that he didn't want to win by being a snitch. He just hoped he would not regret this decision later.

A/N: Do you think Remus' decision will bite him in the tail?