Chapter Seven: Pranks that Fail

The next morning, Sirius and Remus awoke, well-rested and ready for a day of Pranking. Yes, this prank would be one to end all pranks. Unfortunately, the first installment of the Marauder's Test was decidedly lackluster, especially since Sirius and Remus were feeling rather lazy.

"I say mate, what about the Spaghetti Caper," suggested Sirius in a casual manner.

"Ah, the classics," sighed Remus.

Harold and Lummy were forced to wake up at dawn to get ready for their six hours of lessons on Saturday morning – they were ready to go through the majority of first year today. They had eaten breakfast in the Hogwarts' kitchens, and had disappeared off to charms with Professor Flitwick.

The Marauders had also gotten up at an early hour. Remus because he was an exemplary student who felt that he needed to get ahead on his homework, Sirius and James because they had five hours of Quidditch practice, and Peter because he did everything the others did. James, as Quidditch Captain, was a rather overzealous trainer, and required at least three hours of practice everyday, much to everyone's dismay. Even Sirius, his best friend, and a superb beater, had no choice about attending. Therefore, it fell to Remus to set up the Spaghetti Caper.

The Spaghetti Caper was one of the Marauders' favorite pranks. They had first implemented it during their second year on one Severus Snape. Since then, they were determined to play it on at least one unlucky student each year. However, due to the popularity of the Marauders, those who were on the receiving end of one of these classic pranks were often thought to be "chosen", rather than "pranked". It was a very simple joke – as soon as the selected student got up from their seat, their plates would spin around them continuously until they were wrapped in Spaghetti. The trick to this particular prank was that the Marauders would have to know beforehand where their victim would be sitting during the meal, something that required months of preparation.

Remus knew that Harold and Lummy's only friends were Sirius and himself. Therefore, they would not sit anywhere else. Remus, in true Marauder tradition, always added a new twist to these classic pranks. The two chairs that Harold and Lummy would be sitting in had their legs replaced with flimsy cork legs, as did the two chairs next to them. This would mark out the prank. During the next twelve minutes, Remus set up the requisite triggering mechanisms and wards to ensure that the prank would go smoothly.

Sirius hated James. It had been raining for the past hour. Each time Sirius turned his broomstick around to hit a bludger out of the way, the rain would whip his face. The seeker, Lucy Phelps, couldn't even see the Snitch. They would probably lose it during practice, Sirius thought bitterly. If only he were with Remus, setting up the Spaghetti Caper. It was one of the first pranks Sirius had ever designed. He glanced at his watch and noticed that there were still two more hours of practice remaining.

Lummy's head was swimming with facts. She had succeeded in turning her matchstick into a needle, but she had also managed to set Devil's Snare on fire during her second Herbology lesson. Professor Sprout had been so angry.

"C'mon, I am absolutely famished," indicated Harold as they set off from their last lesson of the day, History of Magic.

"So am I," breathed Lummy, unable to say anything else.

They noticed Sirius and Remus sitting across from each other again, babbling about something or another. Once again, they sat themselves next to the Marauders, and dove into their lunches. Sirius looked up at Remus, quirked an eyebrow, and murmured,

"Hook, line, and sinker."

In the middle of the meal, Lummy muttered that she had to make a trip to the bathroom. Sirius and Remus looked at each other in panic – the prank wouldn't work unless both Harold and Lummy got up at the same time. Sirius started –

"Why don't you take Harold with you?"

"Why would I do that?"
"You might get lost."

"So would she."

"But together – that's a different story."

"Why is that?"

"You know…magical strength in pairs – your memories will complement each other."

Lummy looked at Harold skeptically, but Harold agreed, and they both stood up at the same time. On cue, their plates began spinning around them, oozing spaghetti and sauce, and wrapping both of them in it. The Great Hall had turned around to watch, the Spaghetti Caper was a crowd favorite.

Lummy began to walk away nonchalantly, but the twist to the Caper was then implemented – the cork legs on their chairs spun away from the table so that the chairs fell to the ground with a clatter, and the legs spun around them. Unfortunately, the chairs next to theirs, where Sirius and Remus were sitting, also had cork legs. Remus and Sirius fell to the ground as well, much to their dismay.

Harold looked at Lummy, and shrugs. Lummy stares straight at Sirius, and remarked,

"I would have picked a different sauce."

Sirius very nearly fell out of his own chair.

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