AN: By Beta hasn't read this yet, so I apologise for spelling mistakes in advance. I will update the correct version when he comes back from vacation. (lucky bastard)
Always have a backup plan!
"Invisibility cloak?"
"Check!"
"Dungbombs?"
"Check!"
"Dungbombs?"
"For distraction."
"Right. Continue."
"Marauders Map?"
"Check!"
"Wands?"
"Of course I do, do you think I'm stupid?"
"You know Fred, he has a point."
"I agree dear brother."
"Our own boy-who-pranks…"
"Would never walk around the school…"
"Without a wand."
"Stupid of us…"
"Yeah well, we only got three O.W.L.'s, what did they expect of us?"
"Continue."
"Yes Sir!"
Harry rolled his eyes at the Weasley boys antics. Trust them to turn a serious mission into one big joke. He quickly looked around, swearing he could feel someone watching him, but a quick service scan proved no results.
The twins continued talking so Harry reluctantly focused back on their conversation.
"Gred, did you think of today's back up plan?"
"Yes I did, it is good to go."
"I hope it's better than last time boys, that one was just ridiculous." Remembering the pink ferret's in green tutu's was not something Harry liked to remember.
"Aww, come on Harry…"
"Admit it…"
"You found that one funny."
"It was so so, I've seen better." Knowing the twins for 5 years now, Harry knew how to push their buttons.
"If you weren't the son and godson of the holy Marauders, minus one of course, you would be pranked right now."
"And you wouldn't have the Marauders Map or an invisibility cloak."
"I think he got us there dear brother…"
"Shame, he always wins our discussions with blackmail."
"We are so proud of him…"
While Fred and George were wiping their fake tears away Harry scanned the common room again. The feeling of being watched was stronger than the last time. Sure enough he found a pair of brown eyes watching him from one of the couches.
Ginny rose from the couch on the backside of the common room and slowly walked towards the three pranksters. She had a pretty good idea what they were about to do, and she wanted in. Not every day she had the chance to retaliate against Umbridge. What she did to Luna was unforgivable, she didn't even write that article, that was her father. No, she had to pay. Big time. She walked right up towards the boys and looked right into their eyes.
"You are going to prank Umbridge right?"
Harry looked at her sceptically, like he was trying to figure out what was safe to say to her. He trusted her but in this climate at school, you couldn't even trust your friends. He learned that the hard way with Dean and Seamus. The scars were still visible. "And what if we do?"
"Oh cut the crap. I know you are pranking Umbridge and I want in." There, all cards on the table. We Weasley's don't do small talk, we go straight to the point. And if they didn't agree she still had some… interesting information about them to tell her mother.
The boys looked at each other for 3 seconds before turning towards her.
"Welcome on the team!" Fred and George gave her a pat on the shoulder and Harry excitedly shook her hand.
"Wait, just like that?" She imaged big negotiations, a few Dungbombs and revealing some pranks of her but all she had to do was ask!?
Harry looked at her with a smile. "We know about your pranks at night, I've seen you sneaking around the castle to many times. We just wanted to make sure you weren't going to rat us out."
"Damnit, and I thought I was so smooth."
"Oh but you are." Harry smiled. "Or at least, we think so. A 1 out of 10 caught record is pretty impressive."
"Go ahead Harry…"
"Make her ego even bigger…"
"Now she thinks she is as good as we are…"
"We can't have that."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That is what team-ups are for you idiots. To make sure nobody gets a big egotistical head. And for the record, I would never rat you out. I like to admire your ass and I can't do that when you're in detention."
The twins groaned and covered their ears chanting. "Not again…"
"Not again…"
"Not again…"
Harry ignored the twins and turned towards the smirking red head. "So, you like to check out my ass huh. Wait till you see the front, even more impressive."
"Well then mister Potter, it seems we need to put our pranking plans on hold. I can't let you go without checking that claim."
"Damn, I thought I really had you there."
It was a well common know fact that Ginny had a huge crush on Harry. To the point that she would run from the common room when he walked in. Harry was uncomfortable, he wanted to get to know her, be her friend but he never got the chance. He asked Hermione about it but unfortunately the twins overheard his question and gave him the answer themselves. Go flirt with her, get her to go over her crush to become friends. Hermione promised to make sure Ginny knew it was flirting to help her over her crush, not actually hitting on her. They all agreed they didn't want to break her heart.
At first it was just plain out hilarious for the people around them. Harry, as expected of a 13-year-old boy, was horrible at flirting and Ginny still blushed tomato red. But in the years to come the common room began to regret encouraging them to flirt because as soon as they had mastered the art of flirting, they used it every time they could and now the common room was victim of their endless flirting war. The one who blushes loses. It was driving the whole school mad. Even Ron had locked them in a cupboard more than once saying. "Oh just get together you two." Not that it helped. They would make some well-placed noises and a fuming Ron would unlock the cupboard once again.
Harry opened his mouth to start another round when another voice interrupted him.
"Hey! Are you going to prank or not? I can't keep everyone distracted forever." Hermione was walking towards them with an irritated look on her face.
"Don't worry Mione, we're going!" Harry and the twins saluted and went out of the portrait hole towards the hallway. Giving Hermione an eye roll Ginny followed the boys out of the common room and into dangerous territory. How did they get Mione at their side? Must have been a hell of a negotiation.
Looking left and right to see if the coast is clear the boys crept out of the portrait hole. Checking the Marauders map again the boys checked if the coast was still clear. That was a clear message they had learned after a few detentions: Never assume, always check.
"Rounds are normal and minimal prefect coverage. Looks like we're safe for now boys. AU! Fine! Looks like we're safe boys and girl. Yeez, now we know why you don't have a boyfriend. AU, Alright alright I'll stop." Harry muttered massaging his ribs. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw something that made his night a success already. "Oh would you look at that, someone is about to get busted." He pointed at the dot of a certain Draco Malfoy with an extremely close standing dot of Pansy Parkinson. The four of them saw the dot of a certain Minerva McGonagall moving closer and closer until she stood still before the door. They snorted when they saw the two being escorted back to their common room by the Professor. "That gives us one Professor less to worry about."
"I don't think so." Ginny pointed out. "Look, if she takes that way, she will end up in the entrance hall."
"Oh…"
"Bugger." Even swearing the twins couldn't escape their twin speak.
"I take it the plan was to go to the Great Hall?"
"Damnit!" Harry swore. He did what he always did when coming across a problem, he began pacing. He unconsciously pulled his hand through his hair. "It's too soon to go to prank b. Everyone agree to keep prank a but keep the backup plan close by?" Everyone nodded, he wanted to say something but Ginny was faster.
"Wait, backup plan?"
"Yes Ginnykins, a backup plan…"
"Is that so surprising?"
"Of course not," Ginny shrugged, "it's rule One of the pranking book. 'Always have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.' Everyone knows that."
"Look Harry…"
"Everyone knows the first rule." The twins smirked at the boy. And Harry grumbled.
"Alright alright. I give, you were right." He pointed at the gloating twins. "Gloating can wait till later, we wasted enough of our time. Let's start this prank. Ginny, you're with me. Gred, Forge, you are team solid. We take team scout."
"We really…"
"Really…"
"Need to find better names for that."
"Shut up and go to work."
"Yes boss."
"3 minutes."
The twins saluted. "We know boss." They placed a camouflage charm on themselves and hid against the wall. Because Harry had the Marauders Map and the invisibility cloak they needed to be careful. Anyone could come around the corner every moment.
Harry threw his cloak over his and Ginny's heads and put a silencing charm over the cloak. "So we can talk while under the cloak. I advise to whisper, just in case. I resized it so we can walk next to each other. Learned that lesson last year."
"Was that the night you came back all red in the face from a prank?"
"Yeah, three people under a small cloak was no success. We were pressed together to evade Filch. At some point I seriously debated making run for it."
"Oh you big whiner. But I'm glad for it, it means I get more space for myself." Ginny immediately regretted her words, knowing she made an opening for his flirting. After flirting for years with him she knew when he would start his attack.
"My my Miss Weasley, isn't it every girls dream to be pressed together with the one and only boy-who-lived." Harry teased. Unfortunately for Harry Ginny only laughed and smacked him on the arm. "Nice try, don't get that ego to high or it wouldn't fit under the cloak anymore. And pouting won't work either."
Harry sighed, he knew he lost this round. "We need to get moving, or the twins will beat us to the finish line."
Moving slowly forward the duo made their way to the Great Hall, checking every corner on the Marauders Map. But even with the Marauder Map in their possession they couldn't prevent this incoming threat.
It always goes wrong somewhere. Even the best thought out plans have a flaw somewhere that can collapse the whole plan. And in their case, it was a fuming McGonagall. Harry quickly pressed Ginny an him against the wall to avoid a collision with the Professor in question. Harry made a sign for her to be quiet, Ginny simply answered with a raised eyebrow. It was not like this was her first rodeo. Harry nodded and they both held their breaths. Standing still before them was a Professor who had, thanks to her cat animagus, an amazing nose. Swearing under his breath Harry quickly cast a charm that would mask their body scents. Sure enough Minerva her nose twitched once, twitched twice, twitched even thrice. But it appeared she couldn't find the source of the smell because she resumed her patrol towards the next corridor.
Harry and Ginny both took a deep breath before Harry softly pushed Ginny away and pulled a coin out of his pocket, he ignored her curious look and double tapped the coin with his wand. Ginny opened her mouth to ask what the hell was going on but Harry held his hand up signalling her to be quiet. The coin vibrated and he tapped the coin again and put the coin back in his pocket. He looked up at Ginny. "We stole the idea form the DA coins and modified it into something cooler."
Ginny raised her eyebrow. "Like activating a backup plan?"
"Exactly."
"No Gred, Mandarin root into that one would increase the pain effect, not remove it." George pulled away from the wall and started to walk towards the Great Hall. The 3 minutes were over, Harry and Ginny should be well on their way, if not, already there.
"You could be right about that Forge. What if we used Moonblossem seeds?" Fred quickly followed his brother. He knew they were taking a risk, talking out loud in the night, but he felt they were on a breakthrough. And that, was a lot more important than a little detention.
Although, Harry would kill them for screwing up. And Ginny would never stop teasing them. Maybe they should put this conversation to rest until they were safe in their dorms.
"You know Gred, you could be right about that. And in combination with Baradin leaves it would increase the effect"
Fred completely forgot his last decision to shut up, he became enthusiastic again at the idea of solving their problem. "You know Forge? I think we are amazing."
"No, I am amazing, you just look good."
"I'll take it, girls dig beauty, not brains."
"Keep dreaming. They dig brains. Look at our scrawny boy-who-gets-the-girls-he-doesn't-want."
"That one was just horrible, what immediately makes the rest of the statement incorrect too."
"Since when?"
"Since your naming was just plain out horrible."
"What!? Since wh-" George felt their coin vibrate, he picked it out of his pocket and felt it vibrate again. "Looks like he ran in trouble." He felt it vibrate again. "Trouble confirmed." He looked at Fred with a grin. "This is going to be a fun back up plan. Ready brother?"
"I was born ready."
"We really need to stop watching those stupid movies. Those lines of you get worse and worse."
Lee was pacing in his room, fine and all, being a backup plan, but waiting if the actual thing is going to happen or not is a disaster. The last 5 times the coin wasn't activated meaning the prank went smooth with no problems. But you never know, maybe today was his day to shine. To bring as much mayhem in the common room as possible. The last record was in hands of a certain James Potter and Sirius Black with 4.20 minutes. Fred and George hadn't managed to break the record yet but were trying every year again.
There, the coin vibrated two times. He quickly answered with a tap and held his breath in, would this be the day… After receiving confirmation he smiled. Time to get crazy.
AN: To my friend Moony The Sheep. Yes I did remember to write on our story. I just couldn't get this story out of my head.
