As the sun sank lower into the horizon, its rays leaked warmly through the gilded windows of Hogwarts castle, bathing its students in a wave of melted gold. Far in the east, the moon loomed closer to its prime. Remus shivered a little. It was time again.
He averted his attention from the moon and his eyes fell instead on Sirius sitting a few seats ahead of him. Smirking slightly, he and James were busy transforming their porcupine bristles into mysterious cylinder-shaped tubes, each with a string hanging from one end. His brain took a few seconds to register them as fireworks, and he wondered why he couldn't think straight. He had transfigured his own bristles into finely sharpened sewing needles a few minutes earlier, at which point he had been gazing out of the window and seen the moon. My brain's screwing up already...
Sirius caught his eye and smiled, an almost maniacal smile as he held up a writhing insect, a centipede, over Amelia Prewett's head. Remus felt the pit in his stomach deepen. Here it comes, everybody...
He closed his eyes as a scream rent through the classroom, and the air was filled with screeching green and yellow sparks.
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"Padfoot, my friend, you are a genius." James laughed as they made their way out of the stairway matrix.
"Why Prongs, it was your idea!" Sirius exclaimed in mock alarm, a smile still pasted on his young face.
"The centipede, Padfoot, the centipede! Amelia howled beautifully, didn't she, Moony?"
Remus looked up. "What?"
"More like a banshee, that one," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Exactly my point! Now, if she wasn't part banshee the distraction wouldn't have been effective. Who knew she was so scared of bugs?"
"I did!" Peter squeaked, and nearly tripped over his own shoelace.
Remus didn't say anything. He had known Amelia had been afraid of bugs ever since first year, when a third year decided she didn't eat enough fiber and put earthworms in her soup.
"Speaking of howling," James said, leaning the conversation to include Remus once more." the full moon's tonight, isnt it?"
"Yes," Remus said. He hoped they hadn't seen him shiver.
"Great! The perfect reason to skive off Kettleburn's essay," Sirius sighed, grabbing both James and Remus around the neck and leading them towards the dormitory.