George stalked into the dorm room, scowling. His hair was plastered to his skull and covered in white pieces of egg shell. His robes were soaked through similarly, and he was nursing a bloody finger.
"What happened?" Fred stared, mouth agape. He was laying on the bed with a pack of cards.
"Some stupid fourth years decided to ambush me," George grumbled, plopping down on his bed. Luckily, their roommates were missing at the moment.
"What?" Fred sat up and frowned. "It's only the third day. And you're a first year."
"I know that. They apparently don't." George rolled his eyes and disappeared into the bathroom.
Fred sat back against the headboard of his bed, the first stirrings of anger hitting him. No one got to do that to his brother and get away with it.
Fred couldn't do anything violent, he knew. That kind of retribution was really only accepted in the mentality of the mafia. Tsuna, with his innate sense of kindness that never really went away even with the darkness of murder, was the only one to refrain from violence when slighted. He preferred to use politics. Even Takeshi had stayed away from that area; he could handle basic meetings, but any long term planning he tended to revert to his 'fool' persona, something not really suitable for the cutthroat mafia.
For this prank, Fred decided to honor his former Sky by using humiliation. Especially to teenagers, embarrassment could prove practically fatal. Fred and George had made extensive use of it, especially with their siblings, though nothing overtly cruel. That one time with Ron and the spider was lesson enough to not.
It helped that there were already some ingrained ideals in the targets that made it easier to really hurt them. He had the perfect idea...
A week later, the Great Hall was bustling with the mayhem of dinner. It was the one time during the day that most of the school was together breakfast and lunch being disrupted by classes and sleeping schedules.
It started with something innocuous: hiccups. All three broke off from their conversation, slightly embarrassed, to grab a cup of juice. Fred smiled.
The first boy stood up, standing on his seat. "How now, my headstrong! where have you been gadding?" The boy's voice echoed through the hall, cracking intermittently, making everyone fall silent. He face slowly turned red, as he held a dramatic pose with a strained expression.
His friend, sitting a few seats away, stood up as well. "Where! I have learn'd me to repend my sin…Of disobedient opposition! Henceforth, I am ever ruled by you!" The friend blushed fiercely, realizing what he said.
The first boy responded, "I met the youthful lord at Lawrence's cell; And gave him what becomed love I might!" Giggles surged through the hall. The boy looked like he wanted to melt to the floor.
"Not step o'er the bounds of modesty!" The other girl joined in, clambering on to the table, sending dishes flying. Everyone laughed.
A wave of the wand, and suddenly the first boy was wearing a full Victorian dress. It was a beautiful work, if Fred could say so himself.
"O Romeo, Romeo!" The boy yelled at the ceiling. Various muggleborns grinned as they recognized the script. "Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny the father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love!" He turned towards the other boy, who was suddenly adorned with red plumage and puffy sleeves.
The puffy sleeved boy turned to the Hall. "Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" A roar met him, and he nodded decisively.
"Take all myself!" The boy in a dress and the girl cried in unison. The girl sprouted a matching dress in complementary colors. The Hall practically exploded in laughter.
The red plumaged boy said, solemnly, "I take thee at thyself."
All three sat down, the girl missing her seat and plopping down on the floor. The Great Hall erupted into applause.
The three came out of the spell (an advanced puppet spell combined with a controlled Babbling charm) with anger and humiliation warring across their faces. Their clothes didn't disappear with the spell. The Hall was still roaring with laughter and many insults were being thrown across to the Slytherins.
Fred didn't feel guilty, even as they fled from the Hall, one boy hiding obvious tears.
George turned to look at Fred with a huge smile on his face. "That was utterly brilliant!"
"I try." Fred grinned back. "Just wait until they try to take the clothes off."
I don't own Shakespeare.
What's in thy name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet