~ Chapter 13: Violet Joins The Crusade ~
A dark, deserted corridor, midnight or thereabouts
"Shhh."
Draco turned around to glare at the guys following him. Harry, Justin, Seamus, Fred and George (the Ravenclaw had insisted on joining them for this mission) were all dressed exactly like Draco – in black muggle clothing complete with beanies and black shoe polish marks under their eyes.
They were standing in a corridor near the Great Hall, their bodies flattened against the wall.
"I was just-"
"Shhh."
"Stop shhhing me!"
"Harry, if you don't shut up…."
"What?"
"I'll sleep in my own bed tonight."
"……"
Finally satisfied that Harry was not going to keep talking, Draco turned around and continued sneaking along the corridor, being careful to stick to the shadows.
The group came to a halt in front of a portrait of a rather large lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" came the aristocratic drawl, along with a raised eyebrow for good measure.
The twins stepped forward and smiled charmingly at the fat lady. Draco was not at all surprised to see her smile back.
"Hello boys, I've missed you," she said affectionately.
"Hello Violet," Fred said warmly.
"How are the newbie's treating you?" George asked.
Violet scowled. "They are the rudest students I've ever had the misfortune of working with."
Fred and George grinned at each other.
"Why just the other day," Violet said, warming up to her subject, "that Bones boy kicked my frame!"
"Don't worry, Violet, love," George said soothingly.
"We'll take care of them for you, if you'll just let us in for a bit," Fred said cajolingly.
The fat lady looked curious. "What are you going to do?"
"Just a little redecorating," George said conspiratorially.
Violet giggled. "How lovely. Here you go, sugar."
The portrait swung open and the six of them scurried in, the twins whispering their thanks to their old partner in crime.
Silently, the six of them spread out, their tasks already delegated.
Half an hour later, the common room was totally transformed. They gazed around the new room and grinned at each other. The Gryffindorks were going to be pissed when they woke up tomorrow.
The windows had been blackened so that the common room resembled the dungeon. All the red and gold that decorated the room had been changed (using Fred and George's handy colour changing charm) to green and silver. The chairs were transfigured to be lumpy and hard and the rugs had been transfigured into statues of serpents so that the floor, which had been transfigured into stones, would be bare, hard and cold beneath the Gryffindorks' feet.
The room looked far darker now and was obviously Slytherin in design.
The six of them silently left the common room and started to creep away, only to be called back by the fat lady.
"What?" Fred asked as they huddled back around her.
Violet smiled mischievously. "I'm going to change the password so they don't know it tomorrow when they get back from breakfast! What should the new password be? Help me think of something."
"Something Slytherin," Seamus said eagerly.
"Don't be an idiot," George started.
"That's too obvious," Fred finished.
"How about something muggle?" suggested Draco. They all stared at him.
"It's more obscure than something wizard-related," Draco said.
"He's right," George, the Ravenclaw (for a reason), agreed.
"Gryffindors are cowards," Harry said suddenly.
"Perfect," Fred said, grinning at them all.
They all nodded and Violet smiled at them.
"Now this is our secret, boys," she said in a motherly tone.
"Sure," Fred agreed.
"We were never here," George said, winking at her as they slipped down the halls.
The Great Hall, breakfast
The next morning, the five Slytherins, and three Ravenclaws (George, Ginny and Hermione) were the first at breakfast, sitting at their respective tables. They ate leisurely and chatted happily as they speculated on the Gryffindors reaction to the prank. It was surely far superior to the Gryffindork's prank.
They were rewarded, half an hour before breakfast officially ended, as all the members of Gryffindor house entered the hall en masse. They were silent, seething, glaring over at the Slytherins who were laughing and crowing at the Gryffindors. News of the prank had spread through the Slytherins like wild fire.
Harry glanced over at Ron. He was sure that the news would have spread to the Hufflepuffs by now. He was shocked to see the redhead glaring at him. In fact, all the Hufflepuffs were glaring at him. What the hell?
"Draco," Harry said quietly, nudging the blonde boy beside him. Draco spilt his pumpkin juice and swore.
"What?" he asked irritably. His gaze softened as he saw the hurt look on Harry's face. "I'm sorry. What's wrong?"
"Ron's glaring at me…kind of like he hates me," Harry said, he cringed as he heard his voice sound small and pitiful.
*
Draco slipped his hand into Harry's and glanced over at the Hufflepuff table, something he usually avoided doing. Harry was right, the Weasel was glaring at him (he might have to call him Ron to his face, but Draco thought he'd be damned if he'd refer to the Weasel by anything other than his well-deserved nickname in his head). In fact, it seemed as if the entire house was staring at him, or rather, the Slytherins. It appeared that the Hufflepuffs were siding with Gryffindor.
This just proves they're morons, Draco thought sardonically. Siding with the Griffindorks. Going against Slytherins, AND the Weasley twins in a prank war. Well, this just means we have a larger target, Draco thought happily.
"The Hufflepuffs are fair game," Draco said to Harry, Fred, Justin and Seamus, who rubbed his hands together fiendishly.
"The Gryffindors are going to retaliate sometime today probably," Fred said. "We should be ready."
"Whatever we do in response to that should be on a large enough scale that we can take care of the Gryffindors, the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws," Draco said.
"The Ravenclaws?" Justin asked uncertainly.
"If they become involved. If they join us, then of course they are exempt. But if they stay neutral…well, we'll decide on a prank by prank basis," Draco said with a grin.
Draco noticed Harry narrowing his eyes in the direction of the Gryffindors. He was startled to see Ron standing by the seventh years, talking to Alex Bones. He didn't think the Weasel would have the balls to go against Harry and his brothers.
Draco tightened his grip on Harry's hand.
"Ron has joined the enemy," Draco said to the group that made up the core of the Slytherin Resistance.
Fred twisted around and scowled at his younger brother. He glanced over at George and pointed at Ron. George twisted around and then grimaced at Fred. He drew his finger across his throat and Fred nodded emphatically.
"Ron is fair game," Fred said, his voice hardening.
"What?" Harry asked, shocked.
"If Ron is going to go against his family pranking then Ron is no longer a Weasley," Fred said gravely. The Weasley twins took their pranks very seriously.
"So what's next?" Seamus asked.
"Well, there is still part two of this prank," Draco reminded him.
"Part two?" Seamus said.
"The password," Draco whispered. No one else knew about that part of the prank. That was the perfect bit about it. Everyone knew about the common room redecoration part of the prank and assumed that was all the Slytherins had done. Violet would never dob them in and although they would undoubtedly be accused of changing the password, there was no way to prove it.
Seamus giggled. "Oh yeah."
"Are we assuming that their next prank is going to be as lame as their first one was?" Fred asked.
Draco considered this for a moment. "They'll escalate," he said authoritatively. "Of course it will still be lame, just on a larger scale."
"The important thing is to act as if whatever it is is good," Seamus said.
"Hey, we might get lucky and they might do something good," Harry said.
"Why would they do something good?" Justin asked. "I thought they were trying to humiliate us."
"Well, yeah. But they're so stupid, they could do something they might think we'll hate but it's actually really good," Harry explained.
Draco just shook his head at Harry's naiveté. It really was cute.
"Okay, this next prank," Draco said. "I say we-"
Gryffindor Tower
The Gryffindors stood in front of the portrait guarding the entrance to their common room. Those at the back couldn't understand what was taking so long. They had to get their books and get to class. They were going to be late! Those at the front of the group were staring at the fat lady in shock. She was refusing to open.
"Valour," Michael Abbot said for the third time.
"I'm sorry, dear, but that is last weeks password," Violet said serenely.
"No, it bloody well isn't," Alex said angrily.
"Mr Bones, watch your language please," McGonagall said, as she walked down the corridor towards them, her lips pursed in disapproval.
"The fat lady won't let us in!" A third year cried.
Violet glared at the insolent child. None of her children had ever called her the fat lady before Dumbledore's infamous resorting. She didn't like this new group of Gryffindors at all.
"Valour," McGonagall said to the portrait.
"Oh dear me no, that isn't the password," Violet said, smiling apologetically although she was inwardly seething.
"Prefects? Where are the prefects?" McGonagall said irritably. Four students stepped forward.
"Enough of this nonsense. What did you change the password to?" McGonagall asked.
"Er, I didn't change it," Peter, a sixth year, replied.
"Me either," Jennifer said, shrugging.
Susannah shook her head.
"Nor me," Andrew said.
McGonagall, who had heard all about the prank at breakfast from the indignant students, turned to Violet. "Who changed the password?"
"Er, I don't remember, dearie," she replied vaguely.
"Violet," McGonagall said sternly.
"I don't remember who it was, just that she was tall and she knew the correct passwords to change the regular password," Violet said quickly.
"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" McGonagall asked.
Violet nodded her head. "I'm sure."
"Thank you Violet. If you remember anything more, be sure to let me know," McGonagall said. "Now what is the current password?"
"Gryffindors are cowards," Violet said.
Outraged indignation spread through the group.
"It was those Slytherins, I know it!"
"Sneaky Bas…ketballers."
"We're going to get them good for this!"
Slytherin common room
The Slytherins were laughing delightedly at the antics of the angry Gryffindors.
"Great idea, Harry. Charming the biggest mirror to show the corridor in front of Violet's portrait!" Fred said, slapping Harry on the back.
"Leave it like that all the time, Harry," Draco instructed, "It'll be good for surveillance."
Draco was silent for a moment while the others continued laughing. Watching those idiots in the mirror had given him a brilliant idea.
"Hey, I've just had a brilliant idea," Draco said, smirking at the fifth years (and Fred). The others finally managed to control their laughter and turned to listen to the blonde boy.
"After the Gryffs play their prank, we'll lie low for a few days, make them think we've given up," Draco said slyly. "Then when they're not expecting it, I say we charm all the mirrors around the castle to show the inside of Gryffindor Tower and the Hufflepuff common room and dorms. And of course we'll put a few more mirrors around in very public places."
"What about the bathrooms?" Seamus asked.
"Nothing is off limits," Draco replied.
A long, confusing pattern of knocks was heard at the entrance to the Slytherin common room and Fred grinned and stood up to let his twin in.
George looked annoyed as he entered the room. He didn't even take the time to look around at the new surroundings.
"Hannah Abbott has convinced the Ravenclaws to join Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in the war against you," George said grimly. "Lee, Hermione, Ginny and I are on your side of course, but we're the only ones from Ravenclaw who are."
Justin and Seamus groaned as Draco tried to puzzle out where he'd heard the name Abbott before.
"Why does the name Abbott ring a bell?" he asked the group.
Harry stared at him. "Michael Abbott, the guy we set up to take the fall for us with Voldemort."
"Who? Oh right, him. I'd forgotten about that," Draco said, shrugging it off. That pawn wasn't important in the whole scheme of things.
"Yeah," George said. "She was pissed at what you did to her brother and she and Susan Bones are both out for your blood."
"Crap," Harry said, allowing his head to flop back on the couch he was sitting on.
"So Ravenclaw, apart from those few students who are on our side, are in for the next prank," Draco said decisively.
"Yeah, but I think we need a better idea for a prank," Fred said, grinning at George. "One that will allow us to have greater control over who is targeted. As much as I love that mirror prank, Malfoy, the Ravenclaws on our side would be affected by that."
"Let's get Hermione in on this, Ginny and Lee too," Harry suggested. "I don't know anyone who knows as many spells and charms and potions as Herm."
Draco protested. "Hey! You know me!"
"Yeah….?" Harry said, gazing blankly at Draco.
"I know far more than that Mu-Hermione. My fa- er, well, I know a lot of magic that you won't learn here," Draco finished quietly, hoping the others hadn't heard that lame excuse for speech. He was usually much more articulate than that.
Fred looked intrigued. "That could be just what we need. Something that will put us over the edge, but will not cause us to get expelled. What would be perfect would be some form of truth spell or potion, or perhaps a mild love potion that could wreak havoc for a few days."
"Love potions are banned by the Ministry and brewing one is punishable with time in Azkaban," Draco said instantly.
"O-kay," Harry said, looking a bit disturbed by the fact that Draco sounded like he had memorised the law regarding love potions.
"Ooh, how about the Emperor's Curse," Draco suggested.
"That sounds pretty cool," Fred said. "What does it do?"
"You all know the story 'The Emperor's New Clothes'?" Draco asked. All but Seamus nodded. "Finnigan. I should have known. Okay, the story is about a very vain Emperor who changed his clothes several times a day. A couple of guys decided to take advantage of him and they told him they were excellent tailors. They said they knew how to weave a cloth that was so fine and so light that it was invisible to all who were too stupid and too incompetent to see it. And they said that not only would it be invisible, but also that they would weave in all sorts of beautiful colours and patterns. The Emperor was impressed and paid them a lot of money to create a suit for him. He thought that not only would he have an incredible outfit, but that he would also know which of his subjects were stupid and incompetent. When the suit was done, he was embarrassed to find that he couldn't see it but of course he pretended that he could. His subjects, in the town, demanded to see this new suit and so he was talked into a parade. He walked through the streets naked, pretending that he could see the clothes, and all the people did not want anyone to know they were stupid or incompetent, so they pretended they could see it too."
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Seamus asked.
Draco sighed a long-suffering sigh. "The Emperor's Curse is a hex which makes a person's clothes invisible to all but the person wearing them. If I were to curse Harry, he would see his robes, but we would see him in all his naked glory."
Harry blushed.
"You know a spell that would do that?" Justin asked, sounding impressed.
"Yeah, I learnt it when I was ten," Draco replied casually.
Harry looked highly suspicious. "Have you ever used that spell at Hogwarts?"
Draco was offended. "Of course not. As if I would ever do something so unethical."
"Then why are you suggesting we do so now?" George asked.
"This is fucking war. Anything goes in a war," Draco snapped.
TBC