Author's Note: I had fun with this chapter. Hmm, I don't think I have anything to say, except a big thanks to Sonatina, Slinkimalinki, Deeply Disturbed, and Trinity Day for their reviews! Oh, and don't worry Sonatina, there will definitely be plenty of L/J romance, I'm a complete sucker for it...if you don't feel like waiting, check out my story The One.

Disclaimer: The blue kangaroo is mine, all mine! Muahahahaha!


"Oof!" said a third year Hufflepuff as something blue and furry hit him in the face, then continued speeding down the hall.

"Hey!" a sixth year Ravenclaw called indignantly, as the same mysterious object knocked off her glasses.

Bang! Clang! The blue UFO (not that unidentified flying objects were particularly unusual at Hogwarts) rammed into two suits of armor before rounding a corner...

And crashing into three house elves delivering a platter of plum pudding to the Dining Hall. The pudding flew into the air, the elves fell to the ground, and they and Professor McGonagall, who had the misfortune of being right behind them, were covered in the stuff.

Spluttering, the Professor reached out and grabbed the flying object as it was attempting to flee the scene of the crime. "If that's you, Peeves," she growled menacingly. Then she recognized the blue stuffed kangaroo that was struggling in her hands. I should have known, she thought furiously.

Meanwhile, Lily and James were waiting impatiently in the library. "If you had just remembered the stupid stuffed animal..." Lily began.

James was frowning. "I think it's stuck," he told her, feeling resistance in his wand hand.

Lily sighed. "Here, I'll help." Holding up her own wand, she said, "Accio kangaroo!"

The force of the double charm, performed by two of her most powerful students, was too much for the 5'4" 110 pound Professor McGonagall to resist. The stuffed kangaroo took off down the hall, dragging the Professor behind it. A group of first years gaped at the sight of their Transfiguration teacher, covered in plum pudding, flying down the corridor while holding onto a blue blur for dear life.

Lily's brow wrinkled. "This is so weird, I've never felt this kind of resistance before."

"Yeah," James agreed. "Who knew that doll was so heavy?"

Their wondering ceased when the kangaroo and it's passenger flew through the doorway into the Library. Pandemonium ensued. Madam Pince, the librarian, began shrieking that there was pudding all over her carpet. The students occupying the library erupted into hysterical laughter, none more so than Lily and James. Professor McGonagall picked herself up, and they could see that, even under the pudding, she was scarlet-faced and giving them the McGonagall Death Glare.

Bloody hell, James thought, desperately trying to curb his laughter. We're in for it now.


After the pudding had been cleaned up (by James and Lily, of course), the Professor profusely apologized to, and the hysterics smothered, the cause of the mess escaped with a week of detentions and 50 points from Gryffindor. Giggling, the troublemakers hurried to the Dining Hall. They were greeted by a huge cheer from the student body; rumors traveled faster than Summoned stuffed animals at Hogwarts. Red-faced, Lily ran to sit beside Kasey, but James basked in the attention. When he sat down, the entire Gryffindor table was giggling uncontrollably, and Helen Derrickson, who'd been one of the first years fortunate enough to catch the flying McGonagall in action, was repeating the story for the seventeenth time.

"Did anyone get a photo?" a seventh year was asking loudly.

Sirius could hardly stay in his seat for delight. "James Potter," he told his friend, beaming, "I have never been prouder of anyone in my life!"

James could only grin.

Lily, however, was not as pleased. After recovering from the initial pleasure of seeing a teacher covered head to toe in plum pudding, worry was now starting to set in.

"I've never had a detention before!" she told her friends anxiously. "And I've never lost so many points, I can't believe it."

Eve comforted her by saying, "Don't worry about it Lil, McGonagall can't stay mad at you too long. She knows you're not that kind of student, I'm sure she blames Potter for the whole thing."

James overheard this. "Oh sure, blame James, everything's always his fault," he joked.

"Well it was," Lily couldn't resist pointing out. "If you hadn't forgotten the kangaroo, and had the idiotic idea of using a Summoning Charm to get it, none of this would have happened."

"I don't recall hearing you complain at the time!" James retorted.

Kasey, noting the glares the two were shooting at each other, tried to keep the peace. "She didn't mean it, James, she's just upset because it's her first detention."

"Don't worry, Lils," Sirius assured her. "James can show you the ropes, it's his ninety-seventh."

"Ninety-eighth," James corrected proudly.

"Who knows?" Remus couldn't resist adding. "Maybe you'll like it so much, you'll make it a habit, like these two here."

"Excuse me?" Sirius demanded. "I believe you have eighty-two, yourself, Mr. Lupin."

"Eighty-three."

"Eighty-four!" Peter chimed in.

"I've got nineteen," Clarissa contributed shyly.

Sirius gave her an approving look. "Not bad, for a girl."