I don't own JK Rowling's Harry Potter, but I own this fanfiction. ;-)
Chapter 8: Halloween Part III
Lily, Joseph, and Monique had no idea that Sirius and Remus had been sitting behind them listening in to their conversation at the Three Broomsticks. While the three teenagers were busy talking, Padfoot and Moony snuck out of the Three Broomsticks without being noticed.
"Moony, that wasn't the reaction that I expected from Lily at all!" Sirius exclaimed. "I thought she'd be angry that James was going out with someone else."
"You thought wrong! What exactly happened today?" Remus asked, warily.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, from the way it sounds, you, Prongs, and Wormtail first decided to curse Severus Snape in front of Lily," Remus said. (Remus had been at the Hospital Wing for most of the day, getting checked by Madam Pomfrey. He, Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey had planned out the night for Remus as they usually did.) "Excellent move, mate!" he added sarcastically.
"I already told you, Moony," protested Sirius, "we couldn't help it. He was trying to buy jokes from Zonko's to get us back for last year after the O.W.L.'s."
Remus just glared at him. "It doesn't matter, Padfoot! The point is that Lily saw it! She got mad, didn't she?"
Sirius muttered, "Well, she sort of slapped him."
"What! She hit him?" Remus shouted.
"There's no need to yell! Calm down!" Sirius waved his hands frantically.
Remus breathed slowly, trying not to flip out. "Fine. Whatever. So what is going on with Morinia Vane now?" he asked.
"Oh," Sirius said brightly, "He asked her out!"
"WHY?" Remus yelled.
"You said to make her jealous!" Sirius explained. "I just egged Prongs on. I told him that Lily would be jealous if she saw him with another girl, so he asked Morinia out."
Remus shook his head. "No, no, no, Sirius! I said 'We should find a way to make Lily see what she is missing out on when she refuses to go out with James'. I didn't say the word 'jealous'."
Sirius said stupidly, "Oh." Remus scowled, but didn't reprimand his friend any more.
They headed down to Honeydukes, where they found Peter. Remus proceeded to spend a hefty amount of money buying candy. Peter's favorite was Bertie Botts. Sirius and Remus both loved Chocolate Frogs. Remus, being a good friend, bought enough candy to last until July.
This whole Operation Emerald Arrogance was stressing him out a little. Remus thought to himself, maybe I should try to go and talk to James myself. Also, he'd be howling and scratching away at himself under the Whomping Willow soon. While other students were partying on Halloween, he'd be stuck in his werewolf form.
He felt a great rush of gratitude towards the other Marauders for skipping Halloween and coming to spend time with him.
Sirius, Peter, and Remus walked out of Honeydukes to visit some other stores just as James went into the sweet shop. He was with Morinia, and one of his arms was glued around her waist. The dark haired girl looked very pleased to be in his company. James winked as he passed his friends.
Remus smiled weakly, but Sirius winked back.
Lily and her two friends walked into Honeydukes just ten minutes after James and his new girlfriend had. She didn't notice James, but he noticed her. He casually and subtly stared at her, feeling desperate to make her feel bad for slapping him.
Hoping that Lily would be extremely jealous upon see him and Morinia together, James turned to Morinia with his most charming and flirtatious smile. "Morinia, darling," he said very loudly. "I just can't believe I didn't notice your beauty before! You are amazing!"
Morinia giggled, but didn't blush. Obviously, she was enjoying the attention. "Oh, thank you, Jamsie!"
Ignoring the annoying feeling that he always got when someone called him "Jamsie", he leaned and told her, "No problem." He kissed her, first lightly and then more passionately. Soon, it turned into a full blown make out session, right in the middle of Honeydukes.
When he pulled away, James had to take in a little air for breath. He turned to look at Lily. She was walking out of the sweet shop. James noticed, with great pleasure, that she looked very agitated as he saw her face in profile, leaving the store.
Outside, in the streets of Hogsmeade, Lily was laughing so loud that people were staring at her. "Did you see that show he put on for everyone in there?" Lily had left the candy shop as soon as possible when James had started kissing his girlfriend. She hadn't been able to contain herself, thinking that it was too funny.
Joseph and Monique laughed too, even though they tried not to. Looking from Lily's point of view, James Potter's obvious and open attempt to get attention was very amusing.
"He's so stupid, sometimes," Lily said. "I swear, if I had stayed in that store for one second longer, I would've exploded!"
Along with many other students, Lily, Monique, and Joseph were walking down the road that led back to Hogwarts. The Halloween Feast was going to begin soon. All in all, it had been a very fun day for her. The encounters with James Potter were an exception, of course.
The sky was growing darker, and unbeknownst to Lily or her friends, Remus Lupin was now running back to Gryffindor tower with the Marauders.
"It took you long enough to snog Morinia!" Remus yelled.
"Sorry Moony," James said earnestly. "I really didn't realize. I lost track of – I'm sorry!" He honestly looked sorry that he had made Remus late.
Remus panicked. "I'm going to be late. Oh my God, look how dark it's getting outside!"
Sirius tried to calm him down. "It's fine, Moony. Just grab your stuff and we'll walk you to the entrance hall, and Dumbledore will be there to help you."
Remus was sputtering and beside himself with worry. So, the other boys raced up to Gryffindor tower with him at top speed. They gathered all their things, and they ran back down to the entrance hall.
Professor Albus Dumbledore, wearing black robes with sparkling orange stars, smiled at them from the front door. "Good evening, Remus. James. Sirius. Peter. That is very kind of you, accompanying your friend, as he leaves school for a short while."
James muttered, "It's nothing, Professor Dumbledore." He didn't quite meet Dumbledore's eyes. Remus hadn't told Dumbledore that his three friends knew about him being a werewolf, but no one was really sure if Dumbledore knew the truth or not.
James said sympathetically to Remus, "Hey, you didn't get to eat dinner, did you?" Remus shook his head no.
Dumbledore put a gentle hand on Remus' shoulder. "The house elves in the kitchen made a meal for you, which I have put aside for you." He turned to James. "I am, once again, impressed at how concerned you are for your friend, Mr. Potter."
James just shrugged the compliment away, as if it meant nothing.
Dumbledore clapped his hands, and said cheerily. "Well, we must be going now. See you at the Feast, boys! I won't be long. Come, Remus."
Remus picked up his bags and smiled, despite himself, as he waved to his friends. "Talk to you soon, mates!" With that, Professor Dumbledore and Remus walked out onto the grounds of Hogwarts, Dumbledore closing the door after them.
James, Sirius, and Peter were left in the abandoned entrance hall.
"You have the Cloak with you, right Prongs?" Sirius asked.
"Yep." James pointed to the silvery Invisibility Cloak hidden under his robes.
"Well, it's a while before dinner…" Peter said.
James smirked, looking at Sirius. "Maybe we could fit in a little prank for tonight."
Sirius smiled back. "I like how you're thinking, Prongs…"
A short while later, the entire school, with the exception of Remus, filled the Great Hall with laughter and shrill chattering. Live bats and hundreds of candlelit Jack-o-Lanterns added to eeriness of the Halloween Feast.
Both Lily and James were sitting with their own group of friends, sharing the stories of their Hogsmeade trip. It turned out that many people had spotted Joseph at least once with his bright orange hair.
Then Dumbledore stood up to speak. The room went silent, as was custom when Albus Dumbledore had to say something. He opened his mouth to speak, but then a loud howl came from outside. It was of a wolf.
Some of the students jumped. The Marauders smirked at each other, knowing that there could be only one wolf that could make that sound.
Dumbledore kept a bemused expression on his face, and, with eyes twinkling, he said cheerily, "Happy Halloween. Eat up!"
The food appeared on the table instantly and students stuffed the glorious potatoes, chickens, hams, and vegetables down. Then dessert appeared, as gloriously tasty as ever.
Once the food was gone, James and Sirius knew that the time for their prank had come. James began to count down. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…!"
BOOM. All the pumpkins in the room exploded in room at the same time! The sound was deafening, and there were small glowing spheres of fire where the pumpkins had previously been.
Many people screamed and ducked for cover. The Marauders laughed. From the exploded pumpkins, golden pieces of paper floated down in the students' hands. They read:
Happy Halloween, 1976.
Even Lily Evans could smile at this prank.
After everyone had gone off to their dormitory to continue their Halloween festivities, James, Sirius, and Peter sneaked out of the Gryffindor Common Room under the Invisibility Cloak.
As they went out to the grounds, Peter transformed into his rat form. He quickly ran beneath the Whomping Willow and touched the knot in the trunk of the tree so it would stop moving and thrashing about so wildly.
Then James and Sirius transformed into their Animagus forms, the large shaggy dog and the stag. They crept into the tunnels of the Whomping Willow to meet Remus Lupin in his werewolf form. They found him thrashing about in the Shrieking Shack. With Moony, they left the enclosed tunnel where the werewolf was supposed to stay.
They went out into the night, under the silvery moon. As animals, their interaction was different. Still, the four held the same, strong brotherly bond. They shared many adventures throughout Halloween night, prowling through the woods. They found unicorns together in the woods. Once or twice they saw a few Centaurs from afar. The pushed their limits, trying to go as far as they possibly could outside of Hogwarts without getting caught.
As much as they were being rebellious and dangerous, Padfoot and Prongs had to be cautious about being seen. It was ironic that they were the most careful on the one night in the month when they broke the most rules.
In all, it was a very exciting night. The Marauders had the most fun on the full moon.
Lily and the girls in her dormitory were having a slumber party. Yet again, Lily had convinced all the girls to play Truth or Dare.
It was Alice's turn. She looked around, trying to decide who to pick. "Monique…Truth or Dare?"
Monique giggled. "Dare, of course!"
Alice smirked. "You have to grow a beard and wear it tomorrow. All day!"
Monique looked appalled. No, she looked like the world had just ended. She was friends with very modest people, but she was a very different girl. In fact, her favorite characteristic about herself was her beautiful face. She herself couldn't deny it. "No! Alice, you can't possibly – "
Alice cut in, grinning. "A very long beard."
Monique pouted and said sadly. "Fine."
Lily offered, "Let me get my Charms book. I'll do it." She retrieved her thick Advanced Charms book and started sifting through it. "Here," she said, pointing to a small spell. "This spell is used to grow temporary hair on a person's body. It is usually used for beards on the face."
Alice looked the spell over and nodded. "Good, Lily. You can do the honors."
Lily smiled and got her wand out. She concentrated very hard on Monique's chin, where the beard would grow.
Monique, on the other hand, was wincing as if someone was about to stab her with a long needle. She had her eyes closed and her hands were clenched to the bed beside her.
Lily said the charm, "Morfeus Folliculus".
All the girls squealed loudly with laughter as a long brown beard and matching mustache grew out of Monique's beautiful face. It started out as a goatee, but then the hair on her chin grew longer until it reached her waist. Monique ran desperately to the mirror and let out a despairing cry.
The girls in the dormitory didn't hear her, though. They were rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter.
Merlin, thought Lily to herself as she wiped away tears from her eyes, I do start trouble, don't I?
Monique came back and sat down, looking half furious and half amused. "Lily Evans, Truth or Dare?"
Automatically, Lily said, "Dare." She instantly regretted it as she saw the smile creep up on Monique's bearded face.
"Good choice. I dare you to spend the whole night, without getting caught, in a boys' dormitory." There was a dramatic pause and Monique finally said, "James Potter's dormitory."
The room exploded with laughter and cheers. Lily stared at Monique, mouth wide open in shock. "You're evil," she whispered.
Monique just shrugged and laughed, her beard wagging up and down.
Lily smirked. She said defiantly, "Fine. I'll do it. But you're covering for me. Tomorrow. I'll do it."
Monique replied, "No problem."
Lily said, without fear or reservation, "I'll do it. I'll spend the night in Potter's dorm. He's not the only one who's good at not getting caught." She had a determined look on her face, resilient and strong.
