Chapter 20: Operation Snake Knickers
Lexie was pouring over more library books looking for any mention of Almeda Carrow's trial, but Hogwarts apparently didn't cater to recent events.
Pushing aside yet another book outlining the intricacies of Magic Law and the role of the Ministry in cases she massaged her tired eyes. It had been well over a month since Sirius had told her about the murder of Malcom Carrow and she was making no progress.
"Still nothing huh?" said Sirius approaching her table.
Lexie sighed, "Nope. I officially have a more than basic understanding of the Wizengamot court system and know more than I would like about some of the wizards and witches who have served on the court, but absolutely nothing about whether Almeda Carrow actually killed her husband and why she was let off."
"I'm telling you, the Daily Prophet is your best bet for information."
"Yeah, yeah, except I don't have any access to their archives and wouldn't even know the first step in getting access to them. I think this might just be a lost cause."
Sirius looked thoughtful for a minute watching Lexie carelessly shove her books into her bag. When Lexie swung her bag onto her shoulders she turned to Sirius, "So we doing this or what? I still have a Charms essay to start and a Transfiguration one to finish."
Sirius grinned, "Oh operation 'snake knickers' is officially in session. And don't you dare blame your unfinished schoolwork on me, it's not my fault you spend half your time buried in law books."
"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Lexie said following Sirius out of the library and down to the dungeons where they had discovered the Slytherin common room. "The rest of the gang is already there I assume?"
"Yup, just waiting on you."
Lexie and Sirius approached the stretch of wall that led to the common room when James, Remus, and Peter stepped out from behind a statue of a gargoyle.
"Did you get the password?" asked Lexie.
"Yeah, took bloody forever but finally a little firstie came along. It's 'Hairy Heart'"
Lexie shuddered "Ugh gross."
"Okay so Sirius and I will go in and head up to the boys dormitory. Hopefully there aren't any other passwords once we get in. While we grab the goods you all keep a lookout just in case.
Once we grab as many as we can at a time we will bring them down here. Lexie and Remus you start on the shrinking charm and Peter will keep a lookout. Once we have everything we will head straight to the Great Hall. And remember rule zero."
"If any of us get caught we acted alone," the other four whispered in unison.
"Ok then, let's go," said James as he and Sirius vanished under his invisibility cloak.
Lexie heard the password muttered and saw the passage open. After less than five minutes she saw it open again and heard two sets of feet make their way to where she and Remus were still hiding.
A huge pile of boys knickers appeared from thin air before the footsteps retreated again back to the passage.
Remus and Lexie went straight to work muttering a shrinking charm on every pair of underwear that had been dropped.
"Ugh, I still can't believe I'm touching boys knickers."
Remus held up a particularly stained pair with his wand "Trust me Lexie, I also cannot believe I got roped into this."
Lexie grimaced. For over an hour more knickers were brought to them by an invisible James and Sirius until James finally pulled off the cloak "I think this is the last of them. How's the shrinking coming?"
"Just these left," said Lexie pointing to the pile they had just dropped.
Sirius, James, and Remus finished up the last remaining ones. When they were done the five looked around at the hundreds of knickers surrounding them that had been miniaturized.
"Someone is coming! You've got 60 seconds if that!" Peter squeaked as he appearing around the corner.
"Shit!" whispered Lexie, "James cloak, Remus bag. Now!"
Remus pulled a large cloth sack from behind the statue and the four of them quickly shoved the evidence in the bag. James tossed the cloak over all five of them, but they quickly realized after a summer's worth of growth spurts that it wasn't large enough for all four.
Lexie let out a small squeak realizing she was only partially covered and knew that there was no way half her body sticking out would go unnoticed. She immediately enacted a tuck and roll out from under the cloak and since she was easily the smallest in the group hunched behind the gargoyle hoping whoever was coming was going to the common room and not farther down the corridor.
When she heard someone say the password to the common room, she breathed a silent sigh of relief.
After a minute James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter appeared from under the cloak.
"Coast is clear Lexie. Nice moves! You might have just saved our asses," breathed James relieved.
"Where the hell did you learn that maneuver," asked Sirius, "One minute you were next to me and the next you were hidden behind the statue tucked out of the way."
"Years of practice boys, your rule zero might be to not tattle but mine is to never get caught in the first place. Now let's get the hell out of here before we do get caught. James you hide with the bag just in case we run into a Prefect or something."
James vanished with the now bulging bag of knickers and the five cautiously made their way to the Great Hall. Luckily the corridors were empty and they managed to enter the Great Hall without any further problems.
"Ok, let's make this as quick as possible. James, Sirius, and Peter, you string 'em and Remus will levitate me up. And Remus, if you drop me I will never ever forgive you."
Remus chuckled, "Scouts honor" he said before performing a very well-cast Wigardium Leviosa spell on Lexie as James handed her his completed section.
Several minutes later the five looked up at the Great Hall ceiling.
"It really is a thing of beauty isn't it?" said Sirius grinning.
The rest agreed and the five very tired mischief makers finally made their way back to the Gryffindor common room after a successful night of pranking.
The next morning the Slytherin boys would wake up to no knickers to put on and the rest of the students would dine under a rather unique bunting strung up amongst the house banners.