As Sixth Years the Marauders and Maraudettes didn't have to write any major exams, only school ones so the last 2 months of school were nowhere near as stressful as the previous year or the one coming up. In between activities they did manage to fit in a bit of study time, causing the time that was usually allotted for pranking and planning to disappear.
Before anybody could blink there was just week left of school and exams were over.
It was a mild day for late June but still nice. The sun was shining and everything was glowing after the recent rainfall the previous night. The weather was about all that was peaceful that day. Word had just reached the school about an attack in London. Apparently a number of Death Eaters had invaded a busy muggle street and attacked leaving 11 dead and countless injured. Included in those dead were the Aunt and Mother of a Sixth Year Ravenclaw Girl. This had brought the war home again to a lot of people. Nobody was safe.
Word was going around that the Ministry of Magic was about to fall and Hogwarts was going to be invaded next. Fear was evident on everyone's faces and there was a continues stream of parents coming to take their kids home, no matter how much Dumbledore and the Professors kept saying the Hogwarts was the safest place for anyone to be.
For the next two days everyone walked with their wands in a handy spot and slept with one eye open and it wasn't because of the prank war. The prank war had been forgotten. It wasn't important when people were dieing left, right and center.
The Maraudettes were walking through a tension filled corridor when they were unexpectedly stopped by the Headmaster.
"Professor," Lily said.
"May I talk to you girls? It won't take but a minute," he asked gravely.
"Of course," Molly said.
Dumbledore led them into an empty corridor and said, "You all know what is going on outside the walls of Hogwarts?"
"Yes it's terrible," Rose said, "Is it true though that we're safest here?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "This war has turned everyone mad. People are doing crazy things out of fear. The Professors and I are trying to keep you students safe as well as calm. Now why I've come to you today is because I want to protect my students and I need something to distract them. I've seen your work throughout this year and I'm impressed. Do you think you could come up with something to cheer people up a tad? It doesn't have to be a complicated prank, just cheerful."
"With all due respect Professor," Lily said, "Ignorance isn't bliss. Besides wouldn't it be disrespectful and quite juvenile to be pulling practical jokes in such a dark time?"
"I know Ms. Evans," he said sadly, "But we need something. If only to lighten the mood for a little bit. Do you think that can be done?"
"Yes Professor," Serenity said cutting in, "We'll think of something."
"Thank you. I, we really appreciate it," with a flick of his cloak he disappeared leaving four very skeptical girls.
"What are we going to do?" Rose asked.
"We'll think of something," Molly said, "But we shouldn't do some to extreme."
"Agreed."
"Maybe something to the Professors?" Serenity suggested wistfully.
"Brilliant," Lily exclaimed, "Because if we do it to the Marauders that would seem inconsiderate to the everyone, almost as if we didn't care what happened as long as we just got to keep on pranking."
"Let's get planning."
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Dumbledore also cornered the Marauders and asked them the same thing as he did of the Maraudettes. They too agreed. It wasn't long before they had the perfect idea.
At supper that night the Great Hall was only half full.
"When?" Remus asked as quietly as he could as to not alert the few people sitting around them.
"Now's as good a time as ever," Sirius said.
"Okay go!"
At the same time at the other end of the table The Maraudettes pulled out their wands.
Simultaneously sparks erupted from everyone's wands. Green from the Maraudettes end and Robin's Egg blue from the Marauders.
Once the smoke had cleared and everyone had stopped coughing laughter started to travel through the hall. It was a wonderful sound after all of the crying that had happened.
At the front of the hall all of the Professors were sporting colourful wigs to match the house that they were in when they were students. As well as the colourful hair each of them had on rubber clown nose. That was the Maraudettes job.
The Marauders had also decided to prank the Professors. They had made it so each person was handcuffed to the person next to them.
Dumbledore smiled and winked over in the direction of the Gryffindor Table. McGonagall who usually had no tolerance for any mischief was laughing and admiring her fuzzy, dalmatian printed handcuffs that attached her to Professor Sprout.
Dumbledore's plan had worked and the last week of school went by a bit more happily. It had also created a good end to a well thought out prank war.
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a/n This isn't the end. One more chapter left. Please, Please review and tell me what you like, don't like, etc. I really look forward to hearing it. It's not to hard to take 20 sec. to review after you spent the time reading this. Thank you.