Mischief to manage - chapter 20/Heat of the Summer

-A-

Harry happily splashed in the clear water of the french riviera. Next to him, Susan desperately tried to run away from getting her hair wet(ter). The situation was mirrored by Sirius and Amelia nearby, only the man occasionally turned into a dog to get some extra advantage. They all laughed

On the beach, Draco, Hermione, and Remus sat under the umbrellas, reading books and only occasionally looking over their sunglasses to watch the kids play. further down, Tonks was chasing Bill, who made a mistake and commented on Apolline Delcaour's beauty in her presence. They could both admire a fine tail, but commenting was somewhat too much. They both laughed during it though, so it was clear that it was more of teasing than an actual fight.

Speaking of the Delacour women, all three (mother and two daughters) were sunbathing on deck chairs. They pointedly ignored the antics around them, trying to appear even more royal than usually.

Loki was looking at everything from the nearby bar, where he sipped a cocktail in the company of Nicolas Flammel and Mr. Delacour. They happily watched the scene before them.

"Shame Perenelle couldn't come." James tossed offhandedly.

"She is visiting a friend in India." Nick shrugged.

"Oh?"

"I'm not sure if she found some other immortal and refused to tell me or if she just plays godmother to some family."

"She always was the caring one. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter." Loki smirked. "Remember that girl in the sixteenth century she was adamant about adopting?"

"Don't remind me. She's been swearing vengeance on that prince for decades after the mess that went down."

For his part, Mr. Delacour listened in. It wasn't often that one could participate in a meeting of two immortals. Nicholas Flammel was to French Wizards something close to Merlin. Not quite mystical, but still a living legend who was said to have shaped the way their society looks.

Harry finally got out of the water and approached the three part-veela, specifically the middle one. Fleur just got up and was about to go get something to drink.

"Hey, has anyone ever told you that you look pretty?"

She took one look at the boy.

"You're twelve." She huffed and marched away, leaving a heartbroken Harry.

"And you're just fourteen!" He called after her once he finally got over his shock.

"Ouch. The first crush shot down." Sirius approached Harry while holding a drink. "Don't worry, little one, Uncle Padfoot's gonna teach you everything about picking up girls left and right." He went to place a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, but before he reached him fully he screeched in pain like a little girl.

"Care to repeat?" Amelia stood over him while she twisted his ear.

"Come on! The kid needs help. Ya-ouch!" He scowled as his fiance dragged him away. Instead, Loki almost materialized next to his son.

"Hey, little trickster."

"That age difference won't even matter by the time we're out of school." Harry bemoaned.

"While as a Marauder, I should be proud of you already reaching for the stars… As a father, I'm obliged to tell you that you'll still have time for it later. You don't need to try and grow up too fast."

"I know… still."

"Well, looks like I need to be a responsible parent and give you the Talk." Loki sighed.

Before Harry could try to run away, or indeed realize what his father meant, both of them vanished in a burst of yellow flames.

-/\/\-

Harry sat Hermione in front of him.

"Curse you, Moony! I'm not a bloody teacher."

"Language." Hermione scolded.

"Fine. Whatever." The boy shrugged. "Let's start with the basics. This is what all wizards are expected to know."

"But… why do they not teach it at Hogwarts?"

"Good question, I don't know. They should."

"Then…" She was about to start some debate, but Harry stopped her.

"Wait! I know. Because Purebloods are morons who believe that it's your responsibility to learn, not theirs to teach. You come to their world, so you should learn its customs. And the so-called 'light' faction wants to bring Wizarding World closer to the Muggles. Hence I must teach you three years' worth of education in less than a month."

"If we started right as the summer began, there wouldn't be so little time." She huffed. She's been pestering Harry to start doing something for weeks, but he kept delaying and procrastinating.

"Hey! I needed to prepare. Just because I'm technically the older brother doesn't mean I'm automatically an adult."

"Well, you didn't have a problem trying to ask Fleur Delacour out back at the beach."

"Hardy Har Har. Laugh at my misery, why don't ya'?" He huffed. "Anyway. The three Wizarding values. They are the unwritten principles on which all society is built. Wizards base their traditions, laws, and even economy on those three principles. The first, and most important, is Magic." Harry recalled his own lessons. It was one thing just knowing and another translating that knowledge for someone else. "Magic is the cornerstone of the society. It is respected and preserved."

"I don't understand. We were taught that magic is just energy. A tool."

"Yes. But even tools should be taken care of. Because of how ever-present magic is in the Wizarding society, it is revered. Breaking an oath sworn to magic or a magical contract is not only punished by whatever stipulations were there but also carries a deep social stigma. It's why everyone was so appalled when they heard how Weasley tricked you. It was almost sacrilege. Breaking the fundamental laws of magic is even worse. If a muggle breaks laws of physics, he's given a Nobel, right?" After she nodded, he snickered. "It's the opposite with Magic. Most wizards are aware that magic obeys certain rules that are flexible to a point. But breaking them is highly frowned on. Despite it's been shown that it's sometimes possible to work around them."

"Okay, I kinda get it. Because Magic is so important to the society, it's also respected."

"Yes. Don't mistake that respect for worship. Wizards aren't really religious like that. It's much closer to just… like the Muggles are with… well, I would say with the internet I think. It's a tool, but they couldn't exist without it."

"I wouldn't go that far…" Hermione chuckled.

"Anyway, the second value is family. Something that should be clear by now. Family and its interests are extremely important. To go against one's family is considered almost an unforgivable crime."

"That seems almost wholesome. Where is the catch?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're awfully skeptical, Hermione?"

"Forgive me for doubting the society that wants to treat me like dirt."

"They don't. At least most don't. Look, family is the one constant for all wizards. It's the one thing you can rely on. If one comes to their family for help, they will get anything the family can do."

"Yeah, but that breeds nepotism," Hermione argued. She really wanted to learn more about the wizarding world, but so far her experience was less than pleasant.

"Maybe, but most businesses are family-owned either way. And if someone needs to use family connections to get a job at the ministry, it usually means that their family wants to get them out of their hair. Honestly. Who would've wanted to work in that madhouse."

"Huh? Ronald and his brothers always spoke about Ministry jobs as something respectable."

"Weasleys aren't really… well-respected in the society, so it's probably the best they can hope for unless they start their own business. You want respectable? You go to Gringotts. That's where Bill, the eldest went. You've seen him, he dates Tonks last I checked."

"Okay, I can understand that. You said that most businesses are family-owned. What does that mean?"

Harry face-palmed.

"You do know that there are other wizarding families than those with children currently at Hogwarts?"

"Huh?"

"Did you really think that Hogwarts is the only place where anyone can learn magic in Brittain? That there are less than fifty kids born each year?"

"I… uh… um… well… that is…" Hermione stuttered. She did think that.

"Admittedly, there are still tremendously fewer wizards and witches than muggles, but there are thousands of kids born each year."

"But… then why…"

"Because Hogwarts is a private school. Not many can afford it."

"Then how do those kids learn? And last I checked my parents didn't have to pay any tuition." The girl was scandalized. So many children are without access to proper education!

"Well, starting from the end. Ministry subsidizes muggleborns' education. This is part of the reason why purebloods dislike muggle-borns. You get premiere education for free whereas they need to work hard for it." He sighed. "As for most kids learn, that's rather simple. They do like wizards always learned before Hogwarts was founded. Or how they learn in other countries. The idea of wizarding schools is relatively new compared to millennia of magic existing on earth. The more traditional, and obviously cheaper approach, is homeschooling or apprenticeship."

"But then how can they learn? Not everyone can teach that well. And they can't teach what they don't know. That's just begging for social inequality."

"That's a lot of big words for someone so small." Harry laughed.

In response, his student huffed. "I'm taller than you."

Not one to back away from the challenge, Harry channeled his inner marauder and stood up, taking care to change his height just above that of Hermione.

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that as the older brother, I'm supposed to be the taller one."

Hermione did try to measure up to him, but she couldn't match someone who could alter his height on a whim.

"What's with the older part you and the others stress so often. You do realize that I'm almost a whole year older than you, right?"

"Technically, true. But when we say older, it's in terms of seniority, not actual age. Families are important for wizards, and so are inner family dynamics. The head of the family makes decisions on what to do and don't, how to best deal with certain matters, and so on. Me being older basically means that I have authority over you in certain matters."

"Like what?" This wasn't good. Hermione had no wish to be someone's subordinate. Not if she could help it. She wanted to reach something real. Like becoming a prime minister. Or a respected researcher.

"Well, for now, I'm not yet an adult, so nothing much. But in the future, there is stuff like approving the marriage, bailing you out of prison, helping you get a job, maybe vetoing you moving out of the country, the head of the family is basically like a father (or mother)." Harry shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I didn't get to those parts of my own study yet."

"But… isn't that important?"

"Probably. But Mr. Remus "Professor Mooney" Lupin decided that teaching me history was more important. And D… Loki is something of a history nerd. Well, he's a nerd in general. They all are." He thought about how Marauders acted. Remus was always with his nose in the books and his dad loved studying magic in all its forms and reading history books. Grimbat was one lab coat away from a mad scientist even back at Hogwarts. Okay, maybe Sirius didn't fit the 'nerd' label. He was more of a dorky jock.

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy it. I've heard your discussions. You're just as much of a history nerd as they are." She teased. Harry just shrugged.

"History is fun if you dive into it deeper than the government propaganda." He gave her a knowing grin. "And if there is one thing that the Marauders are great with, it's messing with the government."

Hermione decided to get back to the subject. "Okay, so Magic is the most important, and the family is second. What's next?"

"Knowledge. Wizards value knowledge. So education, research, history, to know more means you are better than others. That's why families often guard their knowledge."

"What? But isn't it like… the opposite of what you just said?"

"No. Why?"

"But what if that knowledge could help more people in the open!?" Hermione argued still.

"Why does Stark keep all those patents of his to himself then? Or why does Oscorp refuse to publish the schematics of their inventions? Sharing knowledge is great and all, but you also need to have something to put in your stomach." Harry snapped, instinctively placing his hand on his smaller copy of Marauder's Grimoire. He received an updated version on his twelve birthday, with more pranking spells and useful notes. They burned the previous one in a big ceremony on the full moon before the adults left to run in one of the French forests. Moony couldn't resist exploring something so new.

"Okay. I can understand that somewhat. But this slows progress. If Isaac Newton held his discoveries to himself, we wouldn't be able to progress the science so well."

"Academic research does exist though. Hogwarts professors earn their masteries and oftentimes publish research papers and books on their subjects."

"Fine. But I still think the knowledge should be shared."

"Maybe, but knowledge is power. Giving everyone and their grandma the step-by-step process for creating an atomic bomb is not a great idea." He paused, contemplating the pros and cons of telling her. "Marauders as a group exist partially to protect the knowledge they've gathered. There are certain things that people shouldn't learn that they did. But destroying knowledge is sacrilege, so instead they gathered all dangerous knowledge into one book and then put enough protections on it to make Gringotts goblins salivate and make their most secure vaults look like average glass boxes with words 'shatter me' scribbled on the sides."

He could've sworn the girl in front of him was salivating.

"Back to that stupid lecture. I wanna still catch some sun today," he grumbled. "Knowledge is important. So much that our very kind is called Wizards. As in those who know too much."

"I never really thought about the etymology. I just assumed that it's something that just came to be…"

"Surprise, surprise." Harry deadpanned. "But yeah, the old adage 'knowledge is power'? It's an even more popular view among wizards. Indeed, Remus said that because they connect knowledge with power, it's often assumed that those powerful must also be knowledgeable. That's how Dumbledore is so respected and people listen to him. He's old and powerful, so obviously he must be wise."

"He is thought. He is an acclaimed researcher and the leader of the light."

"Okay, I see I need to start politics with you too. Damn. Sirius would do it better since he actually is involved with it. Light is just a fancy name for the political faction that Dumbledore leads. And not even the official one. The Wizengamot consists of Traditionalists, Progressives, and Moderates. Or, as they came to be called, Dark, Light, and Gray. By saying that Dumbledore is right because he is the leader of the light is like saying that Tony Blair can't be wrong because he's the leader of the Labour Party."

"What!? But… Wait, really?" Hermione's brain was melted.

"Yup. Anyway, I'm going. Sirius deserves a good pranking for making me do that. It's summer for Asgards' sake!" With that, the boy up and left.

"Harry James Potter! Get back here! We aren't finished!" Hermione chased after him, but there was no chance of catching up to him now. He had pranks to do.

-/\/\-

Before anyone knew it, the summer came to an end. Harry, Draco, Susan, and Hermione all sat inside the train compartment and happily discussed their plans for the upcoming year.

"Obviously, I'm going to join the Slytherin Quidditch team." Draco bragged. "I've watched their abysmal performance last year and as a proud Slytherin, I refuse to let it continue."

"Yeah?" Susan smirked. "And on what position?"

"Seeker of course." The blond huffed. "Higgs is average at best. Everyone knows that it's the most important position."

"Right." Susan was unconvinced. "Keeper is more important if you ask me. If your team has a useless keeper, then before the snitch is caught, the opponents might already score enough points that it doesn't matter. Good chasers and the keeper can make up for an average seeker."

"It's much harder to get a hundred and sixty points lead. If the opposite team…"

Harry tuned out the discussion, choosing to instead focus on his book. A copy of a journal from one of his ancestors. Currently, he was reading through the amazing Vampire hunt that the author participated in.

The relatively-peaceful reading remained uninterrupted despite how loud Draco and Susan got. They seemed to have some… strong opinions on Quidditch. Who would've thought? Luckily though, it was the only form of interruption they had during the journey. Then again, Harry made sure to put a weak notice-me-not charm on the doors when Hermione wasn't looking.

On the way to the castle, they were joined by Neville.

"Sorry that we couldn't come to your birthday party." Harry apologized.

"No problem. I heard from Grandma that Sirius was celebrating his engagement with a trip around the world."

"It wasn't strictly around the world." Harry shrugged. "France, then the Black Island, then a short stop in Morocco." He grinned and pulled a small box seemingly out of nowhere. "Here, for you."

Neville tentatively took the package and tried to pull on the bow, but he hesitated. He gave his best friend a side-way glance, but in the end, his curiosity won. He pulled the tape and quickly moved the box away from his body.

Nothing happened.

After a short pause, Harry started to laugh. Susan and Draco poorly stifled a chuckle while Hermione had a polite smile on her face, though it was rather obvious it was hard for her not to laugh out loud.

"You should've seen your face. The hesitation, the fear fighting with curiosity." After a moment, Harry finally calmed down.

"So… there was no prank?" Neville asked for clarification.

"Nah, the prank was the lack of prank. You would've been too guarded against anything excessive, so I went with a classic."

"That was a good one." Neville chuckled. He opened the box and pulled out a book titled 'Plenty Plants Across Africa'.

"Got it for you in Morocco. I believe you didn't have that one yet."

"Thanks. Sorry, but I didn't get you anything…" Neville averted his gaze in slight shame.

"Nah, don't sweat it. I have everything I need. By the way, did you hear anything about our next DADA professor? Uncle Mooney complained about the quality of the textbooks."

"Well, aunty complained about the amount of them. A whole collection of Lockhart's? It must be some empty-headed witch." Susan shook her head. "And here I was hoping we would get someone competent."

"Eh. If you want to learn some useful magic, you could always join us in more pranks." Harry grinned. "The Trickster is always looking for some useful min… I meant talented companions."

"Wait, you guys haven't read the prophet?" Neville asked, surprised. "Our teacher is Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Wait, so that git made us buy all his books? Isn't it like… against the law or something?" Susan protested.

"Have you been to the ministry? Laws are who has more money." Draco let out a mirthless laugh. "I would bet ten galleons that he just promised to make a donation out of part of the profits he made on the increased book sales to the education department and they turned a blind eye."

"But… but… that's corruption!" Hermione protested. "He's… he's a teacher."

"Hermione, girl, do I have to remind you that our last teacher tried to kill you?" said Harry.

"I… I guess you're right. But… I always believed that teachers are there to help the students."

"Have you met Snape?" Neville deadpanned.

"But…" She grumbled in defeat.

"Face it, teachers aren't all saints." Draco snorted.

"Let her have her crisis of belief in peace." Harry chuckled. "Besides, we've arrived."

He jumped out of the carriage and led the group into the castle. On the way, Susan leaned over. "You have something planned for the feast, correct?"

"You have no proof that I in any way collaborated with Weasleys."

"I never said anything about Weasleys."

"I never said which Weasleys." He countered and sped forward slightly.

The second-year students entered the great hall and separated to join their tables. Harry spotted the Weasley brothers and gave them a completely-not-suspicious wink.

The sorting itself was fairly boring. The hat had to spend good eight minutes pondering on Ginevra Weasley. In the end, she ended up in Gryffindor with the rest of her family. With the last student sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stepped onto the podium once more.

Harry had to resist an urge to rub his hands together like a cartoon villain. With the amount of work he put into this prank, it was guaranteed to be glorious.

In anticipation, he only half-listened to the speech. Instead, he focused on the students. The chaos would begin in just a little bit…

"Let's eat!" Dumbledore proclaimed, and thus the chaos began.

When food appeared, instead of the usual treats, the meat was alive. Alive as in not processed at all. Birds immediately fluttered high up to the ceiling, though they couldn't escape. The pig squeaked and started to run toward the doors, gracefully avoiding the startled students. Four cows looked around, then jumped into the space between the tables and marched to the teachers table. Fish that were supposed to appear on plates were in aquariums. Lobsters had their own containers nearby.

A lot of students laughed while the hungrier ones tried to catch the food that they would probably prepare themselves. One of the fourth-years even sent a bolt of fire at a bird that was particularly fat.

To everyone's surprise, the bird vanished in a puff of smoke, and that student's plate was filled with food.

Some of the more level-headed students figured it out and started to try and hunt for their own meals. While birds vanished after only one hit, it took six different students to take out a pig. The cow finally fell after roughly twenty shots. When all four cows finally 'died', beef appeared on the platters for others to take as well.

Flitwick was happily eating his own bird. Professor Sprout and Sinistra were happy with just the vegetables. McGonagall patiently waited for a steak. Though in Harry's humble opinion, the peak entertainment of the evening was Lockhart, who failed to get any hits, not through the lack of trying. He had a really lousy aim.

The feast was a lot of fun that year.

-/\-

A/N sorry for a really long hiatus. I've been rewriting this chapter over and over and I'm still not fully satisfied with it. But, a new hogwarts year has finally begun, and with it, it's time for more pranks. And Marauders moving in the background still.

The exams are finally over, which means three months of break from Uni. I hope to at least finish the second year in that time, as well as get some other neglected stories moving.
Have an amazing summer and stay safe :)
Panda