Chapter Six
Pranksters
"An atom bomb went off?" she mused, a faint smirk on her lips. Snape glanced at her, confused, reminding her that he was a wizard and had no idea what atom bomb was. "It's…a really, really big bomb. Could wipe out London and the surrounding towns without much trouble."
"Muggles actually invented something that destructive?"
"They've invented a lot of things." She said offhandedly. "Don't you have Muggle Studies here?"
He glared at her. "Yes but it has been a long time since I was in school and I also didn't take it."
"It's not a requirement here?" she looked at him surprised. "Back home we were required to take one year of it so we would have a basic understanding of the subject."
"I see."
She rose to her feet and tried to understand this man. He seemed…it almost seemed as if he cared. "Can I go now?"
"You are perfectly capable of leaving. The correct way of asking, though, is 'may I leave now'?"
She made a face. "Whatever." She said turning on her heel and walking towards the door.
"Lenore," his voice slowed her pace but she didn't stop. "Dinner tonight will be served in my rooms, at seven sharp. Do not be late. I will inform my portrait to let you in."
She looked at him, stopping just before the doors. "And if I say no?"
"You do not have that option."
"Why not?" she shot back. "You can't order me. Your not my…mother." She paused, she had been about to say father, a saying that she got used to saying at school and elsewhere.
"No but I am your father and legally you have to obey me."
Her eyes hardened at him. "You haven't been my father for the last fifteen years, what makes you want to now?" she snapped, anger boiling in her.
He didn't answer her and she didn't really give him time to because she turned on her heel and walked out. An entire summer trapped alone with an insane old man who tricked her and a man dressed in black who took fifteen years to gain a parental instinct. She stomped towards the room and stopped in front of it. 'Cassandra' glanced at her and obviously saw that she was pissed.
"Didn't go that well?"
"I lit the Great Hall on fire by accident." She retorted. "Look, if you hear this when I walk up," She thought the password, sending it to the girl. Shock registered on the girl's face. "Open up, all right?"
"How did you do that?"
"Quarter elf, now open up." She snapped.
The portrait obeyed her and Lenore stepped through. How long did she have to stay before leaving for the Weasleys? She thought back to when Albus had told her. Two weeks. She thought moving towards the bookcase. Two long weeks. A smirk appeared on her face. Two weeks to prank him. She grabbed a large book from the shelf and turned to sit when she winced. The colors…. She waved her hand and the colors changed. The couches became a deep rich blue and the armchairs a dark, midnight blue. The rug was a shaggy and a mix of blues. The rug in front of the fireplace was a dark maroon now, accenting the room nicely. The window seat, which had been a vivid yellow-green, changed into a rather pretty pale yellow that should have been in contrast to the rest of the room but seemed to fit just right. The chair in front of her desk changed into a hunter green completing this room.
She sat in the corner of one of the couches, next to a table lamp, and opened the book. It was the last present that her mother had ever given her. You seen, Lenore had this thing about practical joking (she was in love with it), every week at her old school she tried a new joke but there were still hundred of thousands of jokes she hadn't tried yet. Her smirk grew when she thought about the perfect subject she had for the joke: Snape.
She turned the page as someone moved from her bedroom. She looked up sharply, wand instantly in hand. "How did you get in here!" she snapped rolling her eyes.
"I asked Cassandra to let me in." She rolled her eyes looking back at the book. "There is an entire joke shop in Diagon Alley, you might be interested in it." Albus commented looking about the room.
She looked up sharply, surprised. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Neat!" she exclaimed, smiling.
"Lenore, I wish to speak with you about your behavior at lunch today." She closed her book with a thud. "It was—"
"Horrible, immature, bla-bla-bla." She said waving her hand. "I don't care. If you've come to lecture me about that I'd suggest you leave because I won't listen." She got up and put the book back on the shelf, she'd read it later.
"I'm sorry you are upset at me and feel I set you up. I merely wished that—"
"Upset would be an understatement, Albus. Take a look at the Great Hall." She muttered.
He chuckled. "Yes, well, there must be one time for everything and this is the first time someone has nearly burnt down the Great Hall." She stifled a laugh, which turned into a snort. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for long."
"Albus, I doubt anyone can stay mad at you for long, you always act like you don't know anything when in fact you seem to know everything!" Lenore said, leaning against her desk. He merely smiled at her. "So," She grinned. "When can I go to the joke shop you told me about?"
"My, my, you are an anxious one,"
She shrugged, looking at the corner of the desk, tracing it with her fingers. "I'm American, we like things done now."
"I will be willing to take you," Lenore squealed, jumping to her feet. "On one condition," She froze and looked at him. Of course one condition you idiot, he's the headmaster of the school. She scolded herself. "No defacing school property."
"Deal!" she exclaimed with a broad grin. "Where to?" He pulled out a bag of floo powder and she let out a moan, scrunching up her face in disgust. "Oh yuck, do we have to, I hate traveling by floo."
"Yes, Lenore, though it is not the safest form of travel at the moment you are too young to disapparate from Hogsmade." Dumbledore said smiling less enthusiastically.
"Oh, what about a portkey?"
"Ministry would have my head."
"You're not in favor with them or whatever because of the Ministry of Magic thingie?"
"You Americans think that you get rewarded for doing what's right?"
"Sometimes, but no. I just thought a little gratitude would have been in order after what you told me happened. I mean, you could have slapped a big huge, 'I told you so' up because of that idiot Ministry and they take all the credit." Lenore said making a face as he handed her the container of floo powder. "Yuck. What's this place called again?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Weasley's Wizarding Wheesbys."
"You English people have odd names for things, you know that?" He laughed again. "Weasley…as in?"
"Yes, they are the twins in the family that I told you about."
She smirked. "Cool." she said throwing a handful into the fire before repeating the name.
Tumbling out the other side she tripped on the edge of the fireplace and went flying forward. "Watch it!" exclaimed a voice as two arms caught her. She coughed slightly as she got her balance before looking at the person who had stopped her from falling. His hair was vivid red and he had freckles scattered all over his face. He was tall and lean but had broad muscles. He smiled at her, a curious look in his hazel brown eyes. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Just fine. I really hate traveling by floo, though." She said with a grin.
"Ah, Mr. Weasley, I see that you've already met Lenore." That infernal amused voice said.
She shot him a look as the Weasley who held her in his arms and another voice chimed in saying: "Professor Dumbledore!"
They stepped back from each other as he went with an identical red head over to Dumbledore, shaking his hand, broad grins on their faces. "Good day Mr. Weasleys, business good?"
"Extremely," one said grinning.
"Good," the other started after the first.
"Business." This they said in unison.
"And who may I ask," started the other twin (he was in a nice slate-blue collared shirt with dark pinstripes going through it and a pair of black slacks, so until she found out their names she would call him blue-shirt.)
"Is this," the twin who had caught her said (he wore a green collared shirt with a sort of bronze color pinstripe going through it with a pair of black slacks.)
"Beautiful," blue shirt said smiling.
"Girl, who flew at me,"
"From the floo," they spoke together now.
"Do they always do that?" she asked curiously, giving Dumbledore a side ways glance.
Dumbledore merely smiled. "This, my good boys, is Lenore Keller, due to circumstances beyond her control she was forced to move here and feels that she should prank the offending party. I would request that you give Lenore any advice to practical joking that you have for her."
Both twins looked at each other and then at Lenore. Immediately both were at her side pulling her by the arms further into the shop, each twin placing their other hand on her back. "This way!"
"So, Lenore," started blue shirt.
"Leo, please."
"As in the lion?" the other asked. "Like the one on your shirt?"
"Yeah, I guess. Part of it is because my birthday is August 15th and that means I'm a Leo and the other is because one of my Animagus forms is a lion." She said looking about the shop before looking back at them. "Before we go on, lets make it fair, you know my name, I only know your last name."
They shared a laugh. "I'm Gred, otherwise known as Fred." Said blue shirt smiling at her.
"I'm Feorge, otherwise known as George."
"Pleasure to meet you." She said with a giggle. "Which name do you prefer?"
"Either,"
"Will,"
"Work." They spoke in unison causing her to laugh.
For the next hour the twins explained each joke in the shop, Dumbledore made the mistake taking a Canary Cream and turned into bright yellow Canary for several minutes (Lenore took a bag of the sweets). They were handing her different jokes and explaining how to use them. "So, out of curiosity," George said as he placed one of the items back on the shelf. "Who are you planning on joking at Hogwarts?"
She made a face looking at another joke. "My slimy, no-good, ass of a man I have to call my father." She muttered to George (Fred had to hurry over to Dumbledore, who had popped a yellow candy that caused the chicken pox to appear on his face, and help rid him of the spots).
"Please don't tell me that your father is," George grimaced at the thought.
"Severus Snape, unfortunately yes." She groaned out leaning against the wall waiting for Fred to return.
"You poor thing. I wish we could help." He said smiling at her.
"You already are." She said examining another joke.
"Are you allowed out at all?"
"What do you mean? I'm not under house arrest." She picked up a tin that reminded her of a box of mints. "What is this?" she asked after reading the name. "Aryah's Music?"
"That is a mint that will make your voice sing beautifully for a recital or something if you want to impress your friends. The other mint in there will cause you to squat like bird." He answered as she laughed. She placed it back on the shelf. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to meet some more people from Hogwarts because on Friday, not this Friday, but next week's Friday, Fred and I are having a little get-together in Hogsmade. If you would like to come you're invited."
An embarrassed grin lit her face. 'Thank you, I'll try to fit into my busy pranking schedule." She joked.
He laughed. "So Snape is back at Hogwarts now?"
She continued to walk around the store slowly after glancing towards Fred. He was telling Dumbledore not to touch anything else (who wasn't listening because he was currently smiling as he put on a hat that turned him bright blue) and then Fred went to help a customer who had walked in. "What do you mean 'back'?"
"He had been living at his home since school ended. The only reason I know is because of the Order meetings, he always came from a house no one knew about at first." He explained, the smile gone from his face.
"I wish he stayed there." She muttered as they reached the end of the shelves. "So, how much will this all cost me?"
"Don't worry about it, think of it as a welcome-to the family gift." Fred said returning after
"Really?" she questioned surprised.
"Really." Both of them said.
"Thanks."
"So what will be your first prank on the greasy git?" asked George.
She smirked walking towards the back of the store (Dumbledore had taken off the hat and was sniffing a blue candy before popping it into his mouth. He turned into a blue bird and let out a small screech of what probably was laughter.). "I don't think my jokes are quite up your alley," she said arching her eyebrow at Albus.
"What do you mean?" Fred asked changing Dumbledore back by feeding the bird another candy causally.
"Well, during the school year at least, I'm gonna give that greasy man a bunny tail that won't go away till he complements Harry Potter, I heard that he hated him so," she shrugged grinning. "Over the summer I was thinking of changing his robes into something like a bright pink and they won't change back until he endures helping Hagrid with the animals without insulting him. Or maybe turning the robes into a cartoon character, like Superman or something that will last a week."
"Brilliant, but be careful, Snape has a bad temper." George warned as Dumbledore handed her the floo powder, saying his goodbyes.
She raised her eyebrow taking a handful of floo. "Yeah I know," she threw it in the fire. "But so do I,"
