"What are these? Lily asked, staring at the squares of paper suspiciously. Anna's head dropped into her hands.
"Invitations," came the muffled voice. "She invited the entire bloody house. 'Small private party.' Yeah, whatever." She sighed. "What was the Charms homework?"
"No clue," Sirius said brightly. Anna's head went thump on the table.
"Ignore him, Anna. I've got it here somewhere…"
-
"'No magic' she says. 'Got to do it the traditional way.'" The ladder she was on tilted dangerously. I won't even be able to cushion my fall, she thought. Cora had asked Dumbledore to put a No-Magic hex on the room. Anna was on a twenty-foot ladder, putting up streamers. She started to carefully back down the ladder, but a voice startled her– "I can see up your skirt" –and she slipped. There was a second of fear, and then Sirius caught her with a grunt.
Lily, James, and Remus entered at THE worst moment.
"Um…are interrupting something?" Anna struggled out of Sirius' arms and stood up.
"NO, you not interrupting something. I just fell off the bloody ladder! Which was his fault anyways." Remus smiled, not at all convinced.
"Really?" Sirius' face wasn't helping matters any; he had a very self-satisfied grin plastered on his face.
"What else would I be doing in his arms?" James wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Lily and Remus were both smirking. "I did not phrase that right." Sirius was now unbearable. "I have to go change. As Black so kindly reminded me, a skirt is not the best thing to wear on a ladder." James and Remus broke down and had to lean on each other for support. "I need to just shut up." Lily followed Anna from the room and back towards their dorm.
"I just fell off the ladder!" Lily struggled to contain her laughter.
"I didn't say anything!" she chuckled. Anna twisted so she was walking backwards.
"You were thinking it!"
"You have to admit, you walked into it. What else would I be doing in his arms? That's prime Marauder materiel. Come to think about it, that's prime for just about everyone." Anna could hold it anymore.
"Careful, you laugh any faster you'll hyperventilate. Not that you don't deserve it." She turned away from the gasping girl and found herself facing the portrait hole. "Tinkerbell."
"How did he remind you about the skirt?" Lily asked after she recovered a bit. She received a glare as thanks for her concern.
"He kindly informed me I could see up my skirt. Scared the hell out of me, too." She stomped up the staircase as Lily burst into laughter again.
She went back to the party room wearing a pair of fitted fashionable jeans and a tight t-shirt that read 'adult supervision required.' Sirius whistled as they came through the door. "Why are you still here?" Remus pulled his eyes back into his head and shrugged.
"To help put the party stuff up." She looked closer at Sirius as she scooped up the streamers.
"You tried to use magic, didn't you?" His face turned red, enhancing the effects of the Hex. His eyebrows were blue, not quite bright yet, but they would be. His black hair was starting to grow blue streaks. Anna started laughing so hard she dropped the streamers again and slumped against the wall.
"I think it's cool," James said as he pulled his wand and chanted a simple hex. His hair started to streak bright green. Anna grinned and slipped her wand from a belt loop. She said a summoning charm in unison with Remus.
His hair was now turquoise, while Anna's was growing hot pink. Lily chuckled as her's turned yellow.
"Dumbledore's coming," Remus laughed. Sirius' face lit up.
"Hurry up and sit down." He grabbed a handful of balloons and passed them out. "Act casual." They sat and blew the balloons up partway. Footsteps passed the door, then stopped, reversed, and halted in the doorway.
"What's going on here?" Lily was trying in vain to keep a smile from her face, but Anna turned.
"We're just blowing up balloons for the party, Professor." She turned back around and shared a grin with Sirius. "Okay. Dinner's in ten minutes."
"Thank you, Dad." Sirius' face was a deadpan. Dumbledore looked like most parents would if they came home and found their kids with brightly streaked hair.
They waited until the footsteps died away before laughing.
"Did you see his face?" Anna giggled a reply.
"We need to go eat. Imagine the teacher's table." Remus staggered to his feet. "I want to see McGonagall's face." They staggered out, giggling and laughing.
-
The Great Hall was already full of chattering voices. As soon as the group walked through the doors, all conversation stopped. Faces carefully arranged, they sat down at the Gryffindor table. As one they turned to Dumbledore.
Sirius leapt on the table. James and Remus followed closely.
"Friends, students, teachers, We-" the boys pulled the girls onto the table- "are here to demonstrate the effects of a No-Magic Hex. As you can see-" he held up a blue lock-"it did the impossible; made my hair look even cooler." Several girls giggled. "James, Remus, Lily, Anna and I decided this was a lesson that needed a visual demonstration." With that, all five bowed and climbed down. Dumbledore sighed loud enough for the whole school to hear.
"Tuck in."
