Leo woke up the next day and rolled out of bed. He stumbled over to his bedroom wall to turn on the light, only to find…

"Graaaa! What do you think you're doing?" said Tom, jumping out of his four-poster.

"Tom!" shouted Leo, "You're here! YES! Yes, yes, yes ,yes, YES!"

"Hey man, I think you need a Nyquil or something 'cause you're-"

"Sorry," said Leo in reply, "I just thought, maybe, you were a dream, I mean, this whole thing-"

"Whatever. Just, lay off the face, okay?"

"Gotcha." Leo grinned and pulled his body from the tangle of covers he had managed to get himself into.

"Let's go down," said Tom, patting his stomach, "Been hungry since… well, since last night, I guess."

Leo chortled and stood up, now cover-free, and turned to the large mirror by the door. He flattened his hair with his hand and then turned around to get his robes. He was just lifting the lid when he saw – "Oy! Tom! Over here!"

"Shhhh!" said Tom, pointing at the three other sleeping bodies, "Whaddaya want?"

"I forgot," Leo whispered back in reply, "My dad gave this to me."

"Well, what is it?" said Tom, rather annoyed.

"I dunno… yet." Leo pulled out the silver wrapped package. He slowly started to take off the outer paper, making sure not to rip the outside.

"Oh for God's sake, open it!" said Tom, grabbing for the package and roughly forcing off the paper. He threw it aside to reveal a medium sized silver box. Leo looked at it.

"Sure likes silver, doesn't he?" Tom commented.

"Guess so," said Leo, looking back down at the box. He reached out and took off the lid. Tom and Leo gasped in unison.

"An invisibility cloak!" shouted Leo, pulling out the fluid, silvery cloak from its box.

"Look, a note!" said Tom, picking up a small piece of parchment from the cold stone floor. Leo took the message from Tom and sat down on his bed.

"C'mon, read it!" urged Tom, leaning closer.
Dear Leo –

I hope you are having a wonderful time at school and I'm sorry I couldn't see you off. Don't forget, you can send me lots of letters with your new owl if you want to contact me. On to your gift - this cloak has been passed down from generation to generation. Use it well, and when the time comes, maybe you could pass it on to your son, just as I have passed it on to you. Enjoy your year, and I hope to see you this Christmas!

All my Love,

Dad

PS: I don't want to receive a letter from Professor Dippet saying you've been on midnight excursions. Mind yourself!

Leo grinned and said, "Just like dad… 'I love you, but don't get into trouble!'" Tom laughed and fell back on his bed.

"Man, your dad is so cool !" he said, "Wish my dad'd trust me like that."

"Yeah.." said Leo in reply. He reached down and picked up the cloak again. He was just about to try it on, when-

"What're yuh doin'?" came a gruff voice from the corner, "Wait, isn't that one o' them-"

"Shhhh!" said Tom and Leo in unison.

"Wha- what's going on?" said Matt, whom Leo had talked to the night before.

"Who's been shot?" said another boy, almost jumping out of bed. The other boys laughed and Leo used this time to shove the cloak under his bed.

"Sorry," said the first boy sheepishly, "I'm Sean, Sean Garrington. Who're you?" He was looking at Leo and Thomas.

"Thomas Skats," said Tom, shaking Sean's hand, "and this is my friend, Leo."

"Much obliged," said Leo, doing a fake little bow and holding out his hand curtly. Sean took it uncertainly and Leo broke out into a grin. Sean finally got the joke and smiled back at him, his hand loosening.

"Not to interrupt this nice little get-together, but-"

"Too late," Leo butted in, grinning at his best friend.

"Oh, let's just get some breakfast," said Tom, trying to push Leo out the door.

"Hey Tom!" Matt yelled after him.

"What," he yelled back, "This had better be importan-"

"Forget something?" said Matt, raising his eyebrows at Tom.

"Like clothes?" finished Sean. Tom was still in his PJs.

"Oh, yeah, right," said Tom, blushing furiously and rushing back up to the dormitory. Leo chuckled as they all changed into their school robes. They trooped down through the almost empty common room and headed toward the great hall. After three locked doors, two trick steps, five wrong turns, and an encounter with the school poltergeist, Peeves, the bedraggled looking group tromped into the great hall. Tom tripped on the hem of his robes rushing over to the table. Everyone in the great hall started laughing and Leo went over to help him up. Tom had gotten himself up, however, and was bowing his way to his table, under the tumultuous applause of the smiling great hall. Leo laughed and sat down next to him.

"Smooth move, Romeo," he said, as Tom stood up to take one more bow. Tom chuckled and plopped back down.

"Thanks," he said, running his hands through his golden brown hair, making his hat fall off. "Oops. Forgot I had it on," he said, and shoved it back on his head.

Leo laughed. He probably had the most popular friend in the whole school, smart, funny, and nice, Tom was an all out chick magnet. And just to prove his theory-

"Hey Tom! Can I sit here?" Jennifer Rowling had sat herself down next to Tom before he could answer. If only Leo could act like Tom, he would have all the good-looking girls. But he wasn't that bad, Leo thought to himself.

"Hey Leo, what's up?" a pretty third year had sat down next to him. "I'm Breanne Donner. You can call me Bre." (A/N: Told u I'd add u in there! Miss ya Brittany!!)

"Hey, um…" Leo was saved as Bre started talking to Jennifer. He missed the first part but heard them finish up their conversation.

"So, we'll switch. Thursday night, okay?"

"Okay." The third year went down the table to sit by some other friends.

"That was amazingly weird," Leo said to Tom.

"More like amazingly cool," said Tom, "Did you see that girl? She was totally digging you."

"No way," thought Leo aloud, "Really?" Tom looked at him, exasperated, and went back to his muffin.

***

"First up, Transfiguration with Professor Albus Dumbledore," read Tom off a little sheet of paper that was his schedule, "What do you have?"

"Same," said Leo, grinning up at his friend. "How should we 'greet' the new teacher?"

"Oh, maybe opening up his bag and putting it upside down… What do you think?" Tom smiled.

"And all of his quills will fall out when he picks it up? Brilliant! Bloody brilliant! How do you come up with this stuff?" Leo asked, looking awestruck at Tom.

"It's a gift," said Tom, struggling to open a locked door, "Oh, wait, stand back. Alohomora!" There was a small clicking sound and the door swung open.

"How did you do that?" said Leo, looking more impressed by the minute.

"Oh, you know, was looking through my charms book a little early and I found it. Looked useful, so I practiced over half the summer. I think it turned out good, don't you?" They were about to enter the door when Jennifer Rowling came running up to Tom.

"Hey Tom, do you wanna come to the quidditch game with me a week from Thursday?"

"Oh! Well, okay. Sure."

"Okay then… see ya." Jennifer sauntered away, hands clasped in front of her.

"Whhheeet whoooo!" Leo whistled when she had finally left. "First day of classes and you already have a date! Go Tom!" They high fived and started heading towards the door.

"I actually kinda liked that girl that was talking to you this morning, but-"

"And where, may I ask, are you going?" A blonde haired professor approached them, robes billowing out behind him.

"Going to Transfiguration, professor… er, professor…" Leo glanced back down at his schedule.

"Malfoy. And Transfiguration is that way," he pointed down the corridor they had just been down, "and five points from your house for your stupidity."

"But we were just there- ouch!" Tom yelled when Leo stepped on his foot. The teacher glared at them and stormed away.

"I don't think he's the teacher to argue with," said Leo quietly. "What does he teach? Hopefully not our class."

Tom looked back down at his schedule. "Professor Jadart Malfoy, Arithmancy. Well, that's one class I'm not taking."

"Ditto," said Leo, starting to head down the corridor. Tom quickly caught up to Leo and they started chatting, waiting for the Transfiguration room to suddenly appear. In fact, if it weren't for Jennifer Rowling, the two probably would have missed it completely. While they were on the ever-so-popular subject of quidditch, Jennifer stuck her head out of the Transfiguration door and yelled, "Hey Leo! Tom! Going down to the dungeons?"

"No we're going to transfiguration, stupid," Leo called behind his shoulder. After about two seconds they both stopped, realized where they were going, and turned back towards Jennifer. Leo's cheeks were burning and he hung his head when he stepped into the classroom.

Inside he found many rows of desks and all of his first year classmates.

"Ah, welcome Mister Skats, Mister Potter," said a man up in front with auburn hair and a beard down to his shoulders, "So glad you could join us." His bright blue eyes twinkled and followed them around until they found a pair of desks right next to each other.

"Now, we will begin our lesson by-" There was a knock on the classroom door.

"Albus, I need to speak with you for a moment," said a voice through the cracked open door.

"Okay. Class, hold on a moment, and I'll be right back." Dumbledore left the room and Leo and Tom grinned at each other as the teacher's footsteps echoed down the hallway.

"Now?"

"Now."

They both got up out of their seats and ran towards the teacher's desk. Leo quickly found his bag and put it upside down, with the strap still sticking up. Tom adjusted it. The class was smiling at them as they walked swiftly back to their seats.

Jennifer looked at them speculatingly. She made eye contact with Leo, blushed, and turned around in her seat. Just then the professor walked in.

"So, shall we continue?" he asked, "Everyone take out their quills and let's begin." He reached toward his bag and Leo and Tom simultaneously let out a throaty laugh. "Is there something amusing you, boys?"

"No, sir, nothing at all," Leo said, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Well let's get on with it!" And with that, the professor grabbed his bag, spilling all his things, including the many colored ink bottles. Leo and Tom let loose. By the time the professor had gathered his things, they were on the floor, rolling around and getting high fives from the classmates.

Surprisingly, the teacher smiled. His eyes twinkled as he looked from one boy to another. They got off the floor and scurried back to their seats.

"Well, it seems like I have been greeted by the welcoming party! I must say, this is one of the better pranks I have seen this year."

Leo looked at him in amazement, and Tom laughed a little, clapping his hands together. They looked at each other in wide-eyed astonishment. Leo's of disbelief that the teacher was taking it so well and Tom's in disbelief that they weren't having their butts whipped on the spot. The professor got up and continued to teach the class as if nothing had happened.

After it was over, Leo and Tom raced to the hallway.

"Did you see him? He didn't even care! And it was like he enjoyed seeing the pranks pulled? HE'S AWESOME!"

"I KNOW! I mean, he didn't even punish us or anything! He is THE neatest teacher I've ever had!"

Leo had done it. Instant popularity. He walked through the corridors, slapping hands and talking to people he'd never even met.

Man, he thought I could get used to this!

***

After his grueling day of classes, Leo headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. When they opened the doors, the Gryffindors all stood up and applauded, soon joined by a few others. A precious few had dared to pull a prank on a teacher in many a year, and the pair of tricksters had become sort of celebrities. Tom laughed, put his hands up in the air, and started to do the "Queen of England Wave". Leo laughed at Tom, put his hands up in the air, and attempted a cartwheel, only in the result of him bruising his butt. The whole hall burst out into laughter and Leo grinned, getting a hands-up from Tom and bowed to the hall, soon joined by his best friend. When the applause died down, they headed for their 'usual' spots at the table.

"Smooth move, Romeo," Tom laughed, quoting his best friend.

"Ha ha," Leo replied, "That line's so original, Tom. Where ever did you come up with it?"

"Oh you know, just here and there. I'm a genius, haven't you heard?"

"Riiiiiiiiight…" Leo laughingly came back, "So what's for lunch?"

"Same as every night, dufus, everything. Man, seriously, they have the best roast beef…"

As Tom went on with his ramblings about the school food, Leo caught a glance at Jennifer. He was suddenly filled with resentment for his best friend. Why was he going out with her? Why couldn't someone like Leo catch the eye of a pretty girl? Tom knew he liked her. Why couldn't he just back off? Well, he didn't exactly tell him, but Tom should know. Leo cast an angered look at Tom.

"What?"

"You should know!" said Leo heatedly, getting up from the table and stalking out of the Great Hall.

"What?" said Tom at all the people staring at him. After about five seconds he got up and followed his friend, or supposed friend, out the hall and into the corridor. "Leo, what's wrong?" he said to Leo, who was sitting on the steps with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry… I just… I think I…"

"You think you what? C'mon, you can tell me."

"Well, I kinda have a thing for Jennifer, and since you're kinda going-"

"Oh! Well if that's all it is… no prob. I can cancel the date."

"No, that's okay, go ahead."

"But if you want me to-"

"No… I didn't tell you this before, but that third year, you know, Bre?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, she asked me to the quidditch game too. She's going with some friends, including Jennifer. Obviously they know each other, and I think it would be a little weird, so… I don't think I'm going to go…"

"What? Not go? She's a third year. I would die to go with someone like that. Not that I don't mind some of the first years…" said Tom with a coy look on his face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Leo.

"We'll switch!" the boys shouted together.

"I can't wait till Thursday," Leo said smiling.

"C'mon, let's go back and eat some more food," said Tom looking longingly back at the Great Hall, whose tables were now filled with all sorts of desserts and goodies.

Leo laughed. "All right Tom, let's go."

The two boys took their seats back at the table. Leo lifted his goblet up and shouted, "To Thursday!"

"To Thursday!" Tom said as they clinked their glasses in the air. Both boys smiled. They couldn't wait.