Chapter Three- Prank

Halloween, 1973. The corridors of Hogwarts Castle were empty and still, limp orange and black decorations hanging here and there, stirred by a slight breeze. Not a single soul, dead or alive, seemed to be present that night. However, all that changed as soon as you stepped into the Great Hall; a mass of laughing, screaming and generally noisy students, adorned for once in their pointy hats. The a thousand and one floating candles that usually lit up the Hall had been replaced by hundreds of giant pumpkins, bobbing as if on water above the heads of the students.

At the Gryffindor table, Lily Evans sat, her hand propping up her chin as she half-listened to Alice, a usually-intelligent fourth-year, gush about the new boy who'd asked her out. Catching Lily sigh exasperatedly as she started about his ever so gentlemanly ways, Alice nudged her, grinning.

"Too young for this, are we, little third-year?" she teased, as Lily shot a look at her. "Not looking at the boys yet?"

Lily grunted in a non-ladylike manner, stabbing a piece of apple pie, and sneaked a look to where Severus sat with the Slytherins, making quiet conversation. The Gryffindor table, by contrast, was loud and rowdy, screaming as ghosts popped out of their plates of food and shrieking and clutching each other as bats swooped over their head.

"But I reckon some of the boys have got their eye on you, Lily," Alice was saying, eyeing Lily slyly. "Especially James Potter-"

"WHAT?" Lily spluttered, coughing up the swig of pumpkin juice she'd just taken. "How'd you get- why would you think- he HATES me!"

"What? Who?" Marlene McKinnon swung around, suddenly interested. She was a fellow third-year and nice enough, though Lily had always thought her a bit too… generic for her taste.

"Alice thinks some boy likes me," Lily mumbled before Alice could open her mouth. "But he doesn't, he HATES me!" she assured quickly.

"That's what they all say," Marlene said, nodding sagely. "And, if Alice says so, it probably is. Aren't you dating that cute fifth year?" the last part directed at Alice, who squealed excitedly and went back to raving. Lily shook her head, smiling. And Alice had made such good company last year… That was, when Severus wasn't there.

She sneaked a glance towards the other end of the table, where, big surprise, Potter was surrounded by all his mates and admirers as he told another lame joke and burst into laughter. However much Lily despised him, sometimes she was that teensy bit jealous of the Marauders and their close-knit friendship. Since this year, Remus and Peter, who'd always hovered on the outskirts, were now firmly part of their group. Indeed, Lily had noticed a change in Remus this year; he seemed so much friendlier, less cautious and just happy. Sometimes she would see him looking on as his friends pulled some silly stunt and laughed themselves stupid, with such an ecstatic expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe they were his friends. Not that she looked over at the Marauders a lot, of course.

Right on cue, Potter looked towards the Head Table, and, incidentally, his eyes passed over her. Seeing Lily blush being caught staring at them, he grinned at her. Shocked at his friendliness, Lily followed his eyes to where the bats where now hovering as a cloud over the teachers, and with an audible plop, preceded to all poop at once, covering the table and splattering them with unnatural, though festive, shades of bright orange and black.

There was laughter and pitying groans as the teachers looked up slowly, all seeming to zone in on the Gryffindor table. James, smiling with the others, met their eyes with an innocent and politely confused look on his face.


At the other end of the table, James put his head down, trying to shovel in bits of potato as his shoulders shook with laughter. Sirius nudged him, concealing his own grin, and nodded towards where Dumbledore was prodding at the bat mess, chuckling. The assembly of students 'ew'ed collectively as he bent close and sniffed.

"Strawberries," the professor declared. "That was one of the more spell-oriented ones, I have to say. I expect great things from the end of year exams!"

This managed to wipe the smirk off Peter's face and he groaned slightly, grabbing a handful of Fizzing Whizbees.

Remus snorted, "You gotta love Dumbledore…"

Sirius looked at him in mock horror. "My poor naïve Moony, I think you might want to turn your affections somewhere else… Take Lily Evans, for example."

James frowned suspiciously at Sirius. "What about her?"

"Well," said Sirius with a sideways glance, "she was practically in raptures staring at Remus here a minute ago."

Remus coloured, suddenly busy staring at the variety of food in front of them. "Well, erm, might as well do stage two now, huh?"

Peter perked up at this and switched his excited gaze to James. "So? Have you picked a target? We still going with Snape?"

"Actually," Sirius interjected, "I was thinking if Moony and Prongs here don't object, how about Miss Evans?"

Remus frowned. "She's not the type to get all worked up over creepy-crawlies, I would say. James?"

"Why not?" he said casually. "She practically mauled us all in the Common Room last week anyway."

Sirius smirked and inconspicuously pulled out his wand. He muttered and flicked his wand towards the ceiling, attracting a couple of eyes his way.

For a moment, there was no change.

Then, almost imperceptibly, a few of the bobbing pumpkins above the Gryffindor table began to converge suspiciously towards where Lily Evans was sitting. As three hovered directly above her, there was a flurry of nudges and whispers, and for a second all eyes turned their way, and there was a hush.

Lily Evans looked up.

And hundreds of small black spiders streamed out of the grinning mouths of the pumpkins and fell onto her. Lily uttered a long piercing scream and her friends around her looked in shock as she jumped up, still screaming in panic and doing a strange brushing dance.

No one laughed. Marlene gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

Sirius nudged Remus and muttered under his breath, "I would say that you're a terrible judge of character."

Remus looked at James with panic in his eyes and James stared back. Peter nibbled nervously on a sweet, breath drawn.

There was a bang, and the spiders on Lily froze and fell to the ground, smouldering gently. She was panting, knuckles white on her wand, not exactly the picture of calm and control.

"You're in trouble now," Frank Longbottom muttered to James, edging slightly away from him.

"Potter!" she screamed, eyes locking onto his hazel ones instantly.

Her strides were long, fast and purposeful, and James scrambled out of his seat, tripping over his feet as he backed away.

"E-Evans? I'm really sorry. Really, really sorry. Um. Lily?"

Lily flourished her wand mercilessly and he broke into a run, looking back over his shoulder as he dashed out of the Great Hall.

"NO! You are NOT getting away this time!" Lily yelled, chasing after him, her reddish-auburn hair streaming behind her.

"Potter! POTTER!"

The running footsteps and shouts receded as they both disappeared, and a single anxious laugh broke out.

Sirius looked from Remus to Peter. "Maybe I shouldn't have suggested that."


An hour later James Potter sat on his four-poster bed in the boys dormitory, staring mournfully at two furry black spider-legs where his hands used to be. Sirius was crying with laughter.

"Where'd she even learn this stuff? I'm the one who's good at Transfiguration, and I can't even pick up my wand!" James moaned.

Not far away, Lily Evans scrubbed furiously at her arms, more angry than disgusted. She was not going to forget this one for a while.