Hey everyone! Congratulations on making it to chapter three without passing out! Give yourself a pat on the back, w00t! When I started writing this, it was almost New Year and I was still in INSERT LOCATION and I was bored out of my mind. HINT: Midwest America, north of Kansas. I was sitting in the kitchen of my Grandmother's house typing, and I thought, "Finally, I have a moment to myself!" My mom is one out of, like a million, and every one of her siblings has at least two kids. We have; Katie, Michael, Ben, John, Blaine, Emily, David, Tommy, Me, another David (Step-cousin as is Emily) Annaleise, Alyssa, Haley, Lyndsey, Brett and Christian. I think that's it…. But then we have all the adults (12 of 'em!). So any amount of time alone is precious when we're visiting them. Even when it comes to the bathroom! There are 7 of us in my grandmother's house and one bathroom. One. And there is so little hot water, that if you want a some-what-warm shower, then the longest you're gonna' get is about 10 minutes. And they don't have a computer! I'd only been typing the entire time, no reading! How the hell is a nerd supposed to survive there! I was really pissy the entire time and my mom was like, "What's wrong Em?" and I said really quietly, "I'm going through Yamatchi withdrawl." And she was like, "What!" I said, "Never mind."

ON WITH TEH FIC!

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah… you know the drill…

Oh, and in this chapter, the Marauders finally pull the prank, and yes, I know what it is. I've known what it is since the beginning. No worries, I know what I'm doing… sort of… XP

The next morning, the group of teens was lounging in the common room after breakfast. Peter was half way asleep again when James sat up straight suddenly.

"Oh! That's right. I was thinking at breakfast this morning…"

"That's quite a change of pace!" Sirius said smartly. James turned his head and flashed a not very… polite hand sign at Sirius.

"Anyway," he continued, "I was thinking that we should pull the prank tomorrow night."

Lily turned her head sharply in James' direction.

"What prank?" she almost shrieked.

"Damn, Lily! Shhhh! You don't have to tell the whole bloody house!" He whispered shrilly.

"What prank, James Potter?" She commanded.

"Well, it's just a little prank. You know… nothing special…"

"Yeah," Peter said, unsuccessfully trying to help, "All we're going to do is…"

Sirius and James shot forward at the same time and tackled Peter.

"Peter! What the hell have I told you about talking?" Sirius growled through gritted teeth.

"Ummm… don't…?" He said, his voice muffled as it came through James' hand.

"Exactly," James said as he dropped his hand from Peter's face.

"Sorry."

"Yeah…" James grunted.

Remus sat staring at them with an open mouth but Lily was not to be deterred.

"What in the world are you thinking! You could have at least told me!"

"No, Lily, I couldn't."

"And why, pray-tell, not!"

James slapped his hand to his forehead. This "conversation" was not going the way he wanted.

"Because… because… I, well, you wouldn't understand…"

"I wouldn't understand what? Why you're being a giant prat? Because, you're right, that is something I do not understand!"

"Now, Lily… darling…I-"

"Don't 'Lily darling' me, James Potter! I am not in the mood!" Lily screeched, waving a fist threateningly in James' face. A few strands of curly red hair were falling loose from the loose bun on the top of her head as she yelled at James.

"Now," She said, calming down significantly, "I am going to go upstairs to my room. I will await an apology, but until then, consider our date next in Hogsmade next weekend, off. Oh and I am not talking to you until you apologize!"

She turned on her heel and stormed off to the stairs.

"Shit…" James muttered. He slapped his hand against his forehead again. He sighed and slipped into the seat Lily had been sitting in.

"So…" Remus said cautiously after a few moments, "Does this mean the prank is off…?"

After a few moments, James looked up, face set.

"No. I've been planning this for too long." Sirius looked away and tried to disguise the words "three days" as a cough. James glared at Sirius while he continued look the other way.

"Anyway… I still think we should go ahead with this. I mean, what's the big deal? We'll pull the prank, and then I'll apologize to Lily by Tuesday! I'll have her back in time for our date this weekend. Once again, no big deal."

"Okay James… whatever you say… whatever you say…"

The next day, James was pacing the crowded common room anxiously. The rest of the Marauders were sitting in various armchairs in front of him.

"So everyone knows the plan?" He asked.

"No, James, we don't know the plan. Why don't you tell us again?" He said sarcastically.

"Okay, well, first we need to…"

"James!" Remus yelled, "Sarcasm!" He pointed out, proud that he was finally able to spot Sirius sarcasm. "You really need to calm down. It's not the first time you've done this. Plus, this is in no way the most difficult thing we've ever done.

"I know, I know… it's just, this time I'm uh… a little distracted."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout Lily, mate," Sirius commented, "but you really need to get over it. Everything'll work out in the end."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, let's get started. Everyone will be heading down to dinner soon."

The Marauders all stood up and began to leave the common room. A boy named Frank Longbottom looked up from where he was reading a herbology book.

"Where are you lot going?" He asked suspiciously.

"Uh, we're just heading down to dinner a bit early." As James said this, a few more people looked up.

"Oh, right…," Frank said. Everyone noticed a familiar sparkle in James' eyes. Everyone knew when James and the rest of the boys were up to something… like now.

The boys continued walking down to the great hall, but when they got down to the entrance way, they made a sharp right turn down a set of dark stairs. They silently (with the exception of a few stumbles and multiple colorful words) made their way to a narrow, but considerably better lit, hallway. James walked over to a tall painting of a basket of fruit near the end. James glanced over both his shoulders and then reached up to the pear. He tickled the pear; it squealed and jumped to the side. The painting swung forward to reveal a bustling kitchen. James, Sirius and Remus stepped into the kitchen. Peter stayed outside and shut the portrait behind them. House-elves were rushing around, carrying platters back and forth. None of them noticed the boys for several moments. Suddenly, a small green elf, wearing a toga with a Hogwarts seal on it, rushed up to the boys.

"How can I help you, sirs?" He asked in a small, squeaking voice. He bowed deeply, his pencil thin nose almost touching the floor.

"Nothing big today, Dinky. I just need you to sprinkle some of this onto some of the platters. It's just, um, a flavoring spice." James pulled two leather pouches out of his robes and handed them to the house-elf.

"Will that be all, sirs?" he asked.

"Yes, Dinky, that's all for today."

"Thank you sir," he said as he bowed again.

"No, no, no, thank you." James turned and climbed out of the painting, Sirius and Remus in tow. Once they had surfaced into the entrance hall, students were streaming in from every direction.

"Now all we have to do is wait for the show," James muttered as he rubbed his hands together menacingly.

"I wonder where the boys are…" Lily asked vaguely. Her friend, Alice, looked around the common room.

"I don't know. I'll go ask Frank if he's seen them." She abandoned Lily to look for go and find Frank. After a good ten minutes, Alice still hadn't come back. Lily sighed and pulled herself out of the comfortable chair and clambered out of the portrait hole. Deciding she was hungry, she followed the crowd to the Great Hall where dinner was about to be served. She sat down at her usual section of the table, hoping to find the boys there. She didn't see them, but decided to wait for them to show up on their own, instead of wandering the castle aimlessly until they magically appeared.

She sat there, bored, for several minutes, but then she spotted them walking into the hall together. She smiled and waved them over. As soon as they sat down, though, she remembered her fight with James.

"Remus, Sirius, Peter! How have you lot been?" she asked cheerfully, obviously ignoring James. James rolled his eyes and started on a conversation with Sirius.

"Um, fine," Remus said. "Lily, are you okay with, you know, him sitting here," he asked, jerking his head towards James.

"Him, who?" She asked with a forced smile, cocking her head to the side.

"Right, well, just so you know, I don't think you'll want to eat the school food tonight."

"Oh? And why not?" She asked suspiciously.

"No reason, it's just, um, I heard that there was a bit of a… mishap in the kitchens. I don't think you'll want any of it. I grabbed some food ahead of time, so here," he explained, handing her a few items of food, wrapped in a white napkin.

She raised an eyebrow curiously, but took the food anyway. She knew not to take foreign objects (other than floridly wrapped gifts) from James, but Remus was fully trustworthy. Without warning, food appeared on the plates of the students. Examining it, Lily noticed nothing wrong with it… at first. But then she noticed it had a different look to it, almost artificial. Students all around her were eating contently, oblivious to what ever was about to take place.

Then, Lily heard James laughing hysterically, and saw him pointing at the far corner of the hall. Initially, Lily didn't see anything, but then other students began to laugh along.

'What in heaven's name are they laughing about?'

Lily stood up on her seat and looked again. That time, she saw it. A third year Hufflepuff. Floating. Wait… floating!

He was rising gently, a few inches at a time. He looked around bewildered, but then… other students joined him in the air. Students from every house just randomly began hovering in mid-air!

Then, the hand of a young Ravenclaw girl, that she had been using to point and laugh at her classmates, started to slowly disappear! She shrieked in horror and other children, and a few teachers, turned to see what she was screaming about. Shrieks of fright and laughter echoed about the hall as more students started to float and disappear. The professors from the head table were in absolute shock. James, Sirius, Peter and even Remus were almost rolling on the floor, engulfed in bouts of laughter.

Finally, Professor McGonagall (Professor Dumbledore had been absent from this choice meal) stood up and began screaming orders to the other teachers. Spells and charms where accompanied by streaks of colored light, as students began sinking back to the ground, one by one. The laughter died down further as more streaks of light hit invisible spots of air, and students began to appear out of them.

Lily turned to the boys, in shock and amusement more than anger, her mouth gapping.

"Oh," James laughed. "That was simply too hilarious." He wiped a mock tear from his eye and collapsed onto Sirius' shoulder. Sirius shrugged the other boy off of him, and continued to laugh. Peter was now literally rolling on the floor laughing, and Remus was trying to help him up, though failing miserably.

Professor McGonagall looked furious. She raised her wand and with one fluid swish, all the food on the tables disappeared. Another swish produced all new food, which looked much more natural. She tapped a golden utensil on a glass goblet to gain the attention of the students. The taps rang out throughout the hall and students, most still laughing, directed their gazes toward the teachers.

"Please, calm yourselves!" She commanded. "Now, I assure you, this is nothing to worry about. The culprits of this childish prank," Remus could have sworn she threw a quick look at the four boys, "Will be caught. In the mean time, please return to your meal peacefully."

Many of the students looked hesitant.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! The food is fine! Eat!" she ordered, waving her hand at the children.

The students obeyed and dug in. Professor McGonagall sat down with an angry huff.

"James Potter!" Lily hissed. "What in heaven's name did you do?"

"I'm sorry," James said, "I thought you weren't talking to me."

"Not in civilized conversation. Which I don't do anyway," she explained. James grimaced, but said nothing.

"Anyway, what in heaven's name did you do?"

"Why, I did nothing, Lily, darling," he stopped as Lily glared at him. "What even makes you think it was me?" he finished.

"Hm, well, let's see… what was it that you said? Oh yes! 'I think we should pull the prank tonight'," she mocked.

"Well I never!" James placed a hand on his chest as if offended. He turned back to the rest of the group. Remus looked over at Lily.

"I told you not to eat the school food," he laughed.

"And I didn't. Thanks for the warning." Lily picked up a fork and began to eat the new food.

"You're very welcome," Remus replied, picking up his own fork and digging in.

After dinner, the boys and Lily returned to the common room. Remus, Sirius and Peter were sitting in front of the fire, doing absolutely nothing, though the same thing could not be said for James and Lily.

"When do you think they'll be done 'apologizing'?" Remus asked.

"Well, they have to come up for air eventually," Sirius shrugged.

Peter laughed so hard, he almost fell backwards into the fire. Sirius predicted correctly. James popped his head up out of the tangle of limbs.

"Oh, man! I just remembered! I left the bags in the kitchens!"

"So?" Sirius asked. "What's the big deal?"

"Those were my Uncle's! He'll kill me if I lose them! You guy's will have to go get them!"

"I can't," Peter said, lowering his head.

"What? Why?" James' asked in shock.

"I have… homework," he answered lamely.

"Right," James glared, "Well, then you two have to go get them," he ordered, pointing to Sirius and Remus. Remus didn't want to leave, but Sirius was more than, well, not happy, but fine with going to get the bags.

"C'mon, Moony…" Sirius sighed. He pulled himself up and then reached down and grabbed Remus by the arm. Reluctantly, Remus stood up and began to follow Sirius out of the portrait hole.

"Why couldn't James get his own bags?" Remus asked crossly.

"Because he's a lazy prat," Sirius said sarcastically.

Remus laughed. The boys walked back down to the entrance hall. They followed their previous route to the portrait. After Sirius tickled the pear, the portrait swung open once more. House-elves were still rushing around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess from dinner. A pale pink house elf, in an identical uniform as Dinky's, rushed up to them.

"How can I help you sirs?" It asked. Its voice was slightly higher than Dinky's, so it was obviously a girl.

"Yes," Remus began politely, "We were in here earlier and we dropped off two leather bags. Would be so kind as to return them to us?"

"Of course, sir!" She chirped. She skipped off, merrily. A few minutes later, she returned carrying the two leather pouches.

"Here you are, sir," she said, handing the bags to Remus. He smiled pleasantly.
"Thank you very much, miss."

She squealed and blushed a dark pink.

"Thank you, sir!" She gave him a wide smile and ran off.

The boys walked out of the kitchen together.

"See," Sirius said, "That wasn't so har-," Sirius was stopped short by the appearance of a tall hawk-like shadow. Both boys looked up slowly to see the towering figure of an extremely angry Professor McGonagall.

"Well," she said harshly, "I do believe we've caught our culprits."

Okay. I'm finally finished with chapter three. That's to the Bee for actually reviewing chapter two. Love ya' girl! As for the rest of you, in case you didn't know, I know how many hits I get on my story, so I know that you're reading. Review, dammit! XO Well, Happy '06! Peace! II