Chapter 31: Quidditch and Pranks
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Dennis and Colin were heading out for Quidditch practice. The first game of the year was in two days and they wanted to make sure they were ready. Harry was resigned to ride his old Firebolt since no one was allowed to know he was X and they would be suspicious if he had the Silver Phoenix with him when it was supposed to be a one of a kind broom.
"Have you heard who Ravenclaw is playing as seeker yet?" Harry asked Ron. Cho Chang had graduated the year before and he was curious who his new competition was.
"Nope, they're trying to keep it a secret in hopes it will throw you off your game." Ron said with a chuckle, "Not bloody likely if you ask me."
"My money is on Ackerly," Colin told them with a grin. "He has been over excited about something lately and I overheard him mention Quidditch practice. They had a chaser and two reserve positions open up as well so who knows."
"Nobody stands a chance against Harry," Ginny said. "As much as I love the games, the only was someone will beat us is if they can score like 200 more points than us. There is no way Harry is going to let anyone else touch the snitch this year."
"Thanks Gin," he said giving her a kiss which was difficult since they were both on broomsticks.
"All ready for the match?" Lavender asked Hermione and Neville as she sat down next to them at breakfast.
"Yep, I have all the merchandise ready and we have a little booth that we are going to set up near the pitch." Hermione told her with a smile. Neville was in charge of the money and taking any large orders someone might have. They finished their food and headed to the pitch. "This looks like a good spot," she told them when they were about 50 feet from the pitch entrance.
They set up the booth and Hermione tacked fliers for her new beauty product line to the side of the booth as well. She had made signs with a photo of the products she had and their prices. Her low price items were 4 sickles each: small flags, rosettes and buttons. The next price range was 11 sickles each: large flags, pom-poms, medium banner and one of her new beauty potions. Next came 1 galleon 6 sickles: large banner, hats, stuffed stag and Colin's calendar (to pre-order). The 2 galleon range was: XL banner or scarves and the jumpers cost 3 galleons 7 sickles.
"We're all ready," Hermione said with a smile as they watched the first of the students make their way towards them from the school. "Here's to the first official opening of Potter Inc." They both laughed and got ready to do business.
The business was really good thanks to the word of mouth from the last match last year. They sold quite a few of their higher priced items and as anticipated the stuffed stags were quite a hit, especially with the younger girls. "Can you make up some stuff for the other houses as well?" a Hufflepuff boy asked her. "I like the Potter banners but I'd really like a jumper in my house colors." Hermione thanked him for his input and smiled to herself imagining the increased revenue from sales of the other teams' merchandise.
"Your hair looks amazing Hermione," Pavarti Patil gushed at her friends new soft curls. "Can this shampoo really do that?"
"Of course it can," Hermione told her with a smile. "I guarantee its results or your money back. Besides, if it can handle my frizzy mane it can handle anyone's. I'm researching more products to add to my line as well. Just make sure you take a look at Professor Snape's hair and you'll see how great my men's shampoo works." She smiled thinking she sounded like a sales girl.
"Ok, I'll take a scarf, a small flag and a bottle of Gentle Curlz," Pavarti told Neville.
"That will be 2 galleons and 15 sickles please," Neville said as Hermione handed her the merchandise and she rushed off to join Lavender to talk about the new hair care products.
Professor McGonagall walked by then and smiled at all the merchandise. "This looks like quite the set up you have here. Very nice job," she smiled at them.
"Have a Gryffindor rosette on me Minerva," Neville said with a suave smile and handed her one.
"Thank you Neville, I see you've been working on your charm. I'm sure all the young girls will come a running," she smiled and headed up to the teachers box.
Snape was the next one to walk by and Hermione called him over. "I have a special scarf for you sir," she said with a saucy grin and handed him a green and silver striped scarf. On one end it had the Gryffindor lion with a circle around it and a slash going through it and on the other end in Black writing were the words 'I HATE POTTER.' Snape grinned at her and wrapped the scarf around him and made his way to the teachers' box feeling good about himself.
"I can't believe you made him that!" Neville said laughing, "Minerva is going to be so mad!"
"I know, that's why I made it. Plus I needed to get back into his good graces after the whole howler incident." Hermione told him. She had just modified the Gryffindor scarf by transfiguring the colors and wording. The scarves they were selling were red and gold striped with the lion on one end and 'I Love Potter' on the other. She just added the cross out to the lion and changed love to hate for Snape's.
The students had all made it to the pitch so they took down their stand to go watch the match. "I better hurry and find Luna before anyone notices she's sitting with us." Neville told her. "She wanted to cheer for us and knew her house mates would yell at her so she's sitting with us."
They made their way into the stands and sat down in the seats that Luna had saved them to watch the match. The teams had just been announced when they sat down and the match was under way. Harry was hovering at his usual height above the pitch and was amused to see Stewart Ackerly hovering closely and watching his every move. Harry remembered his first match and also remembered that he had to look for the snitch where the Ravenclaw seekers seemed to watch him look for it. Harry started making lazy figure eights around the pitch looking for the snitch. It had only been 10 minutes and Ginny had already scored twice and the quaffle hadn't even been near Ron for him to have to save anything.
About a half hour into the match Harry sprinted to the Ravenclaw side of the pitch just for the fun of watching Ackerly try and keep up. He smirked at the boy who was on his squad for DA and made his way back to the middle of the pitch. He looked over to see if anyone other than staff and students were watching, which they were not, and saw the snitch hovering right above the teachers' box. He grinned to himself and speed full speed right at Snape who was sitting in the top row of the box. Harry was pleased with himself when he saw the startled look on Snape's face for a second before he schooled his features into his typical scowl, crossed his arms and refused to move. Harry grabbed the snitch from above the box and winked at Minerva who was laughing and cheering at the same time.
He went over to join his team mates as they celebrated their first victory of the year Gryffindor 210 Ravenclaw 0. The Ravenclaw team was going to have to practice a lot harder to be able to beat anyone this year, even Hufflepuff. He dismounted and gave Ginny a big hug and kisses for all her goals (5 of them) and congratulated Seamus for his goal as well. Dean looked bummed that the game ended so fast (36 minutes) that he didn't have time to score.
"Way to go Ron, you're first shut out!" Harry said clapping his best friends on the back. "You should be very proud of yourself and your stats as a keeper just went up."
"As long as it isn't mentioned that I only blocked 2 attempts I'm all for it!" He said laughing as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room for the celebration party.
Hermione sold 7 more bottles of shampoo after Ginny came out with glossy ringlets and Harry emerged with almost manageable hair after their showers. "This stuff is wonderful 'Moine!" Ginny said as she hugged her friend while admiring her easy curls. "This would have taken me at least an hour to curl and all I had to do was wash it. You my friend are a right genius."
Hermione just laughed and got to work on her ideas for additional merchandise. She kept to herself in a corner of the room making sure no one got out of hand at the party. She had designed the entire Slytherin line and was working on Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw when she was interrupted by a 3rd year girl. "I was wondering if you would help me make a t-shirt. I like this boy that is one of your friends and wanted to make a shirt he would like."
"Ok, what do you want it to say?" Hermione asked her as the girl handed her an ugly green shirt to work with.
"Well, this is the only shirt I have that I can change without upsetting my mum so I was hoping you could turn it light yellow first. I want it to say "Say Cheese" on the front and "Take My Picture Please" on the back. Does that sound ok?" She looked so nervous answering the questions that Hermione had to laugh.
"Alright I'll help you but I'm going to write down the charms for you so that you can study them in the library and maybe next time do it yourself ok?" Hermione asked her and laughed at the girl's quick nod. She transfigured the shirt to butter yellow and then put the words in light blue writing in a fun curling font.
"Thank you so much!" she said hugging Hermione and hurrying off to change her t-shirt. Hermione chuckled and wondered if Colin would even notice.
She was able to finish her ideas for the other three houses and had even started some ideas for Hogwarts merchandise when she decided it was late enough and the younger students needed to be asleep. "Ok, everyone quiet down it's time for bed. I want this common room cleared out in 30 minutes." Everyone groaned but knew better than to question the head girl.
"Why'd you break up the party so early?" Ron whined after they were some of the few left in the common room.
"It's after midnight, in fact it's almost one. I don't think you want Minerva to come in here so I ended the party." Hermione told him with a smile. "You guys played great today. Congratulations on your shut out," she said kissing his cheek. "I'm going to bed."
"Night 'Moine," Harry said with a yawn as they made their way to their room.
"Hey Harry, want to go put a swamp in the Ravenclaw common room?" Ron asked him once they were safely in their bedroom. "We haven't done anything to them before and that Ackerly kid was sticking to you like glue. Let's teach them to play fair."
"Sounds like fun," Harry said with a grin. "Let's see if Gin wants to help!" They got Ginny out of her room and they put on their invisibility cloaks. The Ravenclaw common room was much easier to find than the Slytherin one and Ginny even had the password from Luna without having to use the map.
Ron grinned as they walked in and the room was empty. "Ron, I have a better idea," Ginny whispered. "Let's put the swamp on the staircases to the dorms so they can't get down without walking through it! Plus it'll leave their common room alone and be much funnier." The boys liked her idea and they split up to get it done faster. Ginny took care of the girls' stairs so they wouldn't turn into a slide and the boys took care of the boys' stairs.
"Come on let's get out of here before anyone hears us," Harry whispered and they hurried out of the common room. "Remus is going to kill me when he finds out," he told them as they laughed and headed back to the Gryffindor common room.
"There's no proof it was us," Ron reminded him. "There were no witnesses and Malfoy will be able to say Hermione was in their rooms all night so they won't think it was us without her being involved."
"Quiet!" Ginny whispered, "Filtch is coming!" She pushed herself up against the wall and they all tried to stay perfectly still and quiet so they wouldn't get caught. Within a few seconds Filtch came by with Mrs. Norris. He had been in a crabby mood ever since his brother came to the school since he thought his brother was just way too nice of a guy.
They all breathed a sigh of relief as he passed by them and they headed on their way to the tower. They were almost out of the hallway when Ron sneezed and Filtch whipped around. "There are students out of bed, come out come out little students," Filtch said with glee and was making his way very quickly to where the three were standing.
"Run!" Harry said and they all took off running toward the tower knowing he couldn't see them and they had to make it back before he caught them and found out about their cloaks. They hurried through the portrait hole and bent down breathing hard.
"That was close, way too close," Ron told them trying to get his breath back from running up so many stairs.
"The teachers are all going to know it was us," Ginny said sadly. "How many other invisible students are there for Filtch to catch out of bed after hours just moments after the swamps were set up in Ravenclaw?"
"I just hope this doesn't earn me another little father son chat," Harry told them with a smile.
"They have no proof it was us. Anyone can buy a swamp from the twins and who is to say that we're the only students with invisibility cloaks?" Ron told them, the logical one for once.
"I'd be more worried about what Hermione is going to say to us," Ginny warned them and they both sighed. "She might not have minded the prank too much but the almost getting caught…"
"Oh well, let's get to bed incase any teachers come looking for students out of bed." Harry told them and they hurried to their rooms just in time as McGonagall came in to wake them minutes later.
"How late did the party go and who was the last ones in the common room?" She asked already knowing full well who it was that had run away from Filtch.
"Hermione broke up the party about 12:30 and everyone was in bed by 1," Ginny told her with a smile. "Nothings the matter is it?" She asked using the years of practice to look innocent.
"Argus Filtch almost caught some students out of bed and assumed it was Gryffindors trying to sneak to the kitchens for more party refreshments," She told them.
"Who did he see? Are they in bed now?" Ginny said reaching for her robe looking like the concerned prefect.
"He didn't see the students since they were invisible, any ideas who that might have been?" Minerva asked with a piercing look.
"Maybe they were using a disillusionment spell," Harry offered. "With the corridors so dark it would have been hard for Filtch to see them."
"That better be the case, I would hate to have to take points from Gryffindor," she told them and headed back to bed.
"That was way too close," Ron said again and went back to bed.
Luna made her way to breakfast in a very good mood. The prank on their house was so funny and everyone was so upset. There were girls crying and screaming it was like Christmas had come early for her. She went about her normal routine and was not surprised when they came to her asking her to try and get rid of the swamp. "Sorry, I don't have any idea how to get rid of it. When they were put up in the Slytherin common room the Weasley twins had to be called in to take it down." She lied to them and cast an impenetrable charm on her robes and walked down the stairs and through the swamp.
She got to the bottom and waved at her classmates before heading off to breakfast humming and smiling. She knew that none of them would dare walk through the swamp and that they would be stuck until the professors rescued them. She grinned at her friends at the Gryffindor table and set down as the sole occupant of the Ravenclaw table.
"Miss Lovegood," Professor Flitwick said as he approached his empty table. "Where are the rest of your classmates this morning, breakfast is almost over."
"There was a situation in the dorms this morning, it seems they are too vain to wade through it and are obviously not nearly as clever as they pretend to be since they can't solve it." Luna said with a captivating smile and a laugh.
"What exactly is the situation?" Flitwick asked nervously, wondering if his house was in trouble.
"Portable swamps on the staircases," she said with a big smile and turned back to her breakfast as Flitwick rushed up to inform the rest of the professors. You could hear Tonks laughing and both Remus and Minerva were glaring at Harry and company.
Hermione decided to see what the fuss was about and went up to the head table. "Is there a problem professors?" She asked also curious about the Ravenclaws. "I was also wondering where the Ravenclaws were."
"It seems that someone put portable swamps on the staircases to the Ravenclaw dorms and the students are trapped," Minerva told her.
"Why didn't they just remove the swamp or wade through it?" Hermione asked not missing the look of pain on the charms professor's face that his students didn't think of that.
"Miss Lovegood was the only one brave enough to attempt to wade through it," Remus told her also amused that the 'oh so smart and clever' Ravenclaws were outdone by a WWW product.
"Perhaps we should go assist them?" Hermione suggested after Draco had joined them as well and was filled in. So the heads of house and the head students made their way to the Ravenclaw common room. "Do you have any idea who did this?" Hermione asked Minerva who was looking upset.
"Oh I have a very good idea who the culprits were I just can't prove it," she told her. "Argus heard some students out of bed last night, invisible students to be more precise." McGonagall knew Hermione had figured it out when she gasped and her eyes narrowed.
The Ravenclaws had made no progress in removing the swamps when they arrived. Hermione tried not to look too smug when she approached the boys' stairs and yelled 'colapso swamp' and snapped her fingers and the swamp folded itself back into its box. Draco did the same for the girls' side and the students rushed out of their dorms happy to be free. Draco and Hermione enjoyed the show of all the students complaining to the professors about how awful a prank it was.
"Really," Draco drawled, "it's a very simple spell to take down the swamp. I would have thought that all you overly clever Ravenclaws would have been able to figure it out. Did you know it's actually printed on the box and a revealing charm on the swamp will show which spell is needed to fold it back up." He enjoyed the looks he got from the 'smart' house and relished in their misfortune. Hermione and he hurried out of the room before they both burst into laughter.
"Did you see the looks on their faces when we took them down just like that?" Hermione said with a laugh.
"I am curious Mr. Malfoy," Snape said from behind them. "When did you learn to collapse a swamp? I recall you said you couldn't do it when there was one in our common room."
"Like I said to the Ravenclaws sir, it's printed on the box. When the one from the prank against us folded up I read the print on the box." Draco told him.
"Very good, 5 points to each of you for your help this morning," Flitwick said as he joined them in the hall. "Now I have to go see if I can figure out who did this."
"Give Potter my compliments on disabling the entire Ravenclaw house," Snape said to Hermione before heading back down to the dungeons.