Thank ye all, ye merry people who had the kindness in yer hearts to review! Thank ye, thank ye, thank ye!
Ahem. Yes, this chapter by Atled, and certain things in this chapter might become clearer if you read one of my individual fics, Hogwarts' Greatest Prank Ever, er, I can't remember if there's anything particularly enlightening in Second (or Third) Place, but there might be… Anyway, actually I think it's slightly funnier if you don't know exactly what's going on, so… your choice.
Chapter 3 – The Poor Transfiguration Teacher
Minerva McGonagall took a deep, calming breath. The very same thing had happened during her own sixth year at Hogwarts, only a couple of students had set it up. The stuff they had used had been easy enough to get rid of. But this time, poltergeists had done it. And everyone who had been in the school for a good amount of years (that meant Minerva) knew just what that meant.
Now, poltergeists have an annoying habit of attaching themselves to a certain location. And that certain location happens to be a large castle, packed with stores of magic, the poltergeist in question's power of pranking only increases about tenfold. It isn't particularly strong in liquids, but it still has a certain amount of magical power in it. And that would mean…
"Scourgify!" Minerva shouted, waving her wand around the entrance hall. There was a tremendous clash, a whirlwind of foul-smelling purple smoke, and the slimy concoction (which had originally been a sort of muddy brown) turned a neon-bright, very bright, mind you, shade of green. Just as she expected.
And in all the calamity, Professor Binns had managed to drift through a wall leading into the entrance hall. He took one look around, and knew what had dropped from the doors. "Again?" he asked Professor McGonagall, raising his transparent eyebrows. "I thought you had learned your lesson," he said, as the students who had managed to come out of the Great Hall and pack themselves around the now green doors, looking dumbfounded.
They were all wincing, shielding their eyes against the brightness of the slimy stuff, but they had all managed to witness the even more incredible scene. Minerva McGonagall, rivaled only by Severus Snape in the art of handing out detentions, was being scolded.
And what's more, unless their ears were being deceived very cleverly, she was being accused of the spectacular joke on the first years. Speaking of which, the small newcomers were milling around, trying in vain the wipe the muck off of their new robes, and in one case, looking for a giant tarantula.
Minerva was just about to give a sharp reply to her colleague when one long, hair leg, snaked down her shoulder, exploring the very edible-smelling flesh….
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" As you might have surmised, an ear-piercing shriek added to the incredulity of the situation. If all eyes were not on the poor transfiguration teacher before, they certainly were now. She was performing what looked like an odd sort of jig, attempting to get the rather large spider off herself.
"Harriet!" a small, dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks dashed forward, gave a small jump, and swiped the wet, hairy creature off. "Awww, Harriett," he cooed, "did all the disgusting stuff get on my widdle Harriet-Warriett babby?" he said, snuggling into the beast's thick fur.
The whole entrance hall went dead silent as they stared at this crazy kid. There he was, actually cuddling up to a bit, hairy, monstrosity of a tarantula. And calling it affectionate names. The thought on most of their minds' was, "What is the world coming to?"
Of course, some few might have disagreed, but they were the weirdos, the misfits, the outcasts of Hogwarts society, the ones at the bottom of the student hierarchy, um, this is going straying on the fringes of off-topic territory. Let's just scurry back to our story's territory like nothing happened. Yeah (Insert furtive and shifty glances here).
Anyway, the child suddenly noticed the strange silence and looked around. "Um, what is everyone looking at me now for? I mean, I'm not nearly as interesting as the two poltergeist up there, right?" For, indeed, in their delight and excitement of all the calamity and chaos they had caused, Breena and Peeves had become careless, and very visible again.
"Hello, residents of Hogwarts! I just want to say thank you for your appreciative audience-" Breena couldn't say any more, as her brother had suddenly enchanted her mouth, and was hurriedly tugging her in the air.
Peeves had a very embarrassed expression on his face. Perhaps it was of becoming so careless, perhaps it was at his little sister's still innocent air, perhaps it was at the first-year noticing them so quickly, but he zoomed away, giving a half-hearted cackle.
The silence continued for quite a while. But then the spider-boy, accompanied by the poltergeists' allies, the Weasley twins (whom we have already met), and one girl with long hair, all in beaded braids, made their way through the crowd.
Fred commented to the other boy, "Lee, mate, I don't think many people find you cuddling up to a giant spider, all that usual."
"I think that's why they were all staring you," George continued solemnly. "C'mon, Angelina, don't you have a witty comment to say to him?"
"Nope," Angelina simply replied, and pushed herself through the doors and into the Great Hall to be sorted. Slowly, the other students, ghosts, and teachers followed.