AN: Thanks for following thus far! We should hopefully get to some light-hearted pranking again soon, but not quite yet...
Lilyflower49: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!
Guest: Yes, I know that watching them react to Peter's name on the map is frustrating. I figured they wouldn't know what to make of it and wouldn't immediately jump to the answer we all know. Muahaha!
Vadimmom: Thanks!
Tbirdstar: Thanks! I always wondered when folks thought it was weird that Fred and George didn't notice Peter's name near their brother and wanted to explore how else that might have gone.
Things settled almost back to normal. The quartet kept an eye out for signs of pranking preparations, but with classes, Quidditch practice, and needing to get some pranks of their own started, the mystery of the Upstart Prankster was nearly forgotten.
The mystery of Peter Pettigrew still haunted Fred, though he couldn't get any of his friends (even his other half had abandoned him!) interested in it. The name still showed up on the map, usually in the boys' dorm, but every once in a while in a classroom or even in the dining hall. Fred had skived a few times from his own classes to try to glimpse this person, to no avail. They'd never seen anything else like this from their trusty map, and if it was prank from the mapmakers, well it was either really good-because it was driving him mental-or it was so complex they didn't even understand it yet. Sometimes when he daydreamt, he imagined what the full prank would be-maybe a new layer of the map?-because he couldn't quite imagine that the prank was just an fake dot on the map, no matter how often Lee suggested that the fact that Fred was so obsessed with it suggested it was, in fact, a brilliant prank just as it was. But just having an extra name float around, doing boring things didn't have quite the flair that he imagined the brilliant pranksters who made the map would cook up. But he was fast running out of ideas for how to trigger this epic prank and other than morosely checking on this "Peter"'s whereabouts from time to time, even he began to lose interest.
Their collective distraction was heavily influenced by the amount of time Quidditch had taken up in their lives. Their November match was against Slytherin, who had all new brooms courtesy of Malfoy senior. Wood had gone mental, making the team practice whenever they could get the pitch and many times when they couldn't-reviewing strategy or doing all sorts of training exercises he'd read about in Quidditch Monthly. When George had suggested at least they were all looking quite fit, Wood had made them train twice as hard for not taking this seriously. Hermione and Lee were working on some sort of secret project that they swore was Quidditch related. The only reason the twins remotely believed them was because they'd gotten some of the Quidditch mad Gryffindors, including their younger brother, to contribute. But they were almost too tired from practice to investigate!
** JP ** JP ** JP **
The day of the Quidditch match dawned, clear and crisp. Both twins actually felt a bit nervous. The team had been training at a near professional pace for the last couple of weeks and after seeing the little Malfoy brat strutting around bragging about the Slytherin's brooms and how his personal Quidditch trainer had been coaching him all summer, they all were quite invested in pummeling the snakes in this match.
As the team slowly floated into the air, Lee's magically amplified voice boomed around them.
"Both teams have kicked off. The Slytherin team looks pretty fierce on those new brooms that Mr. Malfoy bought for the team, absolutely not on the condition that his son was put on the team. For entirely different reasons."
The twitter of laughter from the stands suggested his deadpan delivery was doing more to undermine Mini-Malfoy's credibility than any out-right attacks.
"The Lions are looking rather fit these days. Rumors suggest that a grueling practice schedule has made them leaner, stronger, and faster, but we'll see how this match goes!"
Lee grinned. Thus far he hadn't said anything to make McGonagall take the mic. His new strategy was going well so far.
"Madame Hooch has released the balls. The game's afoot! The Snitch is already out of sight, both Seekers looking to gain the high ground to search for it.
"Oh, Montague has the Quaffle and making a drive towards the posts… woah! The Lions have just executed a Chudley Chokehold and taken possession! Brilliant work by the Beaters and by Chaser Johnson to execute that play, first used against the Chudley Cannons in 1845. Miss Johnson's really top notch this year, folks!"
The stands erupted in cheers, drowning out the boos from the Slytherin section. Hermione used this time to unveil the project she and others had been working on. Every student in the Gryffindor section held up a placard on her cue, and with a swish of her wand, letters appeared spelling out "Great play Gryffs!"
"And the Gryffindor stands are showing some nifty wandwork here, displaying signs across the whole student section. Quite a lot of team spirit."
Lee winked at Hermione, who smirked and waved her wand again, changing the message to "Gryffindor Chasers chase victory!"
"Spinnet has the Quaffle is flying like a madwoman! Wow, that twist to avoid the Bludger, makes me feel queasy just watching. Bole is sending it back towards her...oh, but Weasley just deflected. Spinnet passes to Johnson, oh no, it was a feint and she scores!"
The signs held by Gryffindor each started cycling through a rainbow of colors, making the whole Gryffindor stand look like a giant disco ball. Many of the students pulled small canisters of enchanted confetti out of their robes to launch into the air, adding to the sense of celebration and chaos.
"And more celebration from the Gryffindor stands. I do hope everyone there realizes the score is still 10-0 and this game is far from over though!"
Lee's pronouncement was met with groans from the Gryffindors and jeers from the Slytherin stands.
"Flint has the Quaffle now and is flanked by this fellow chasers in a neat Dragon's Dodge formation. Really high-level game-play we're seeing here today folks. Oh-oh my! What is Potter doing?"
"Do not watch!" Wood bellowed, his voice somehow carrying despite his lack of amplification.
His team obeyed, but the stands did not. The students were transfixed as a bludger, far from any of the Beaters, pivoted in mid-air to cannon towards the small Gryffindor Seeker. Potter darted away, his eyes never shifting from the Bludger to the air around him.
Again, the Bludger turned and hurled itself towards Potter, who this time flipped upside down to avoid being hit.
"And for the second time in his short Quidditch career, Potter seems to be facing cursed equipment. Incidentally, the last time this occurred was also against Slytherin, which is a very weird coincidence and not at all an accusation."
Gasps filled the air as the Bludger continued to aim for small boy on the broom. Potter was clearly trying to lose altitude, although the quick turns and flips he was continually performing slowed his progress.
"While Potter struggles with the bizarre behavior from the Bludger, the Slytherins have wasted no time trying to press their advantage. Oooh, nice save by Wood! Oh my! Are they really targeting him with the other Bludger right now?"
The Slytherin team had clearly decided that taking Potter out of the game permanently was a reasonable strategy, as both Beaters had abandoned their Chasers and were doggedly passing the remaining Bludger between the two of them, also targeting the small Seeker.
"The Weasleys have joined the fray and-ouch, that looks like it hurt! But, no Madame Hooch is not calling a foul for that, folks."
The black haired Slytherin Beater bared his teeth at Fred, who looked innocently confused after hurtling his broom into the man.
Faint cries of "call time-out" could be heard from the Gryffindor stands, but before Lee could comment or Wood could listen, Potter had started a nosedive.
"Potter is diving, smart move lad, to get away from this fracas. Or not! He's spotted the Snitch! Malfoy is now hot on his trail. Woah, sharp turn there as the two Seekers chase the little fellow. Potter's swinging out wide but gaining ground, oh Merlin!"
In the next few seconds, the rogue Bludger had found its quarry and lifted him clear off his broom. Ignoring his lack of transport, the small boy still reached out his hand for the Snitch.
"Professor! Stop his fall!" Lee shouted.
Fortunately, the safe-guards from the year prior allowed the collective wands of the Hogwarts staff to arrest Potter's fall and freeze the Bludger. When his feet touched the ground, Potter held his fist in the air triumphantly, the fluttering white wings visible through his fingers.
"And incredibly, Potter has proved why he deserves to be the youngest Seeker in a century! Catching the Snitch while de-broomed! Gryffindor wins 160-10!"
The roar of the crowd was deafening, while the confetti, fireworks, and flashing signs from the Gryffindor stands were blinding. Lee's commentary about how Hogwarts really needed to start improving their Quidditch safety and tampering checks went unheard. Despite the trickery, they'd won!
** JP ** JP ** JP **
Hermione rushed from the stands so she could meet the team when they emerged from the locker room. She had to stop by the kitchens first to let the House Elves know they would indeed be needing the cake and punch for a celebratory party afterwards. She hadn't been willing to accidentally jinx their performance by ordering the supplies first.
But on her way back to the locker room, she nearly tripped over a prone Colin Creevy, his camera held in front of his frozen face, smoking gently.
"Oh my gosh! Colin?" she shouted.
Hearing no response, she shook him gently, but his body didn't move at all. She looked desperately down the hallway and cursed as she saw no one. She needed a Professor, immediately, but she was loath to leave the poor first year boy just lying there.
"Help!" she screamed. Her feeble voice seemed to echo in the suddenly foreboding hallway. Distantly she could hear the students laughing and stomping as they exited the stands.
Suddenly, she remembered what the House Elves had told her about the party supplies. She would simply call for Tibby when they were ready to start…
"Tibby!" she cried.
"Mistress Hermione, the cake isn't-oh my! Master Creevy!" The elf's admonition at being called moments after placing the order devolved quickly into sobs.
"Tibby, can you get Professor Dumbledore or Madame Pomfrey here right away?"
The elf nodded, causing tears to fly into the air, and disappeared with a satisfying pop.
Hermione stood there awkwardly, waiting for help to arrive, hoping that whoever had done this to Colin wasn't waiting around the corner for her.
