AN: Sorry for the long wait. We were supposed to update sooner, but I feel asleep (my cowriter was pissed), but here you go! Enjoy.

Jolene (Jo) Zocchi

Chapter 6

She went too far this time. I get that my lie sucked and she's angry that I kept her money and didn't stop with the stupid lies (which haven't worked since Hagrid) but this- this is going too far.

It's green. Everything is green. My bed, my trunk, even my wand- all spattered with green paint. I get up and look around. It's not just me- everything is green. I can see the anger and confusion in the eyes of all the girls in the Gryffindor dorm. Yes, it's Halloween. Yes, pranks are fun and funny and all, but this?

"Jeez, Cas." That's all I can say. Me and some other girls go into the common room to escape the mess. Sure enough, we find ourselves in a bigger one. The entire common room is also painted green. Some of the boys are coming in from their dorm- I can see from their faces that their rooms received the same treatment as everywhere else. I see George leaving the common room- maybe to get his brother, the prefect. Honestly, as mad as I am, I'm infinitely more impressed that Cassidy could pull this all off, especially without me.

A minute later the door of the common room opens and George comes back in, looking strangely calm for the circumstances. Then he looks around. He seems...confused. I squeeze through the crowd and make my over to him.

"Did you get Percy? Cause I might know who did this...but like, in the way that I wouldn't tell..." I make a face to emphasize my knowledge and imply just who I'm speaking about.
He just looks around. "You figured it out already? I can't believe I missed it. Crazy right?"
"Wait, you knew? She told you?"
"Ummmm, no. He didn't say anything to me, but, well...let's just-"

"Down to the great hall, everyone!" I swing around to see Percy standing in the middle of the crowd. Wait, Percy's in here?
"Where did you just come from?" I ask George. Now I'm confused. Before he can answer, we get headed down to the Great Hall, most of us still in our paint spattered pajamas. Some of the older girls quickly changed, but most of us just wrap some clean robes tight around us. Gryffindor is the first house in the Great Hall. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff follow, everyone staring at us. Then they come in. Slytherin. Everyone's eyes go wide- we're all shocked. Me included.

They're red. I hear gasps, whispers, a couple of snarls, and one not-so-far-off snort. A proud sort of snort. The sort of snort that someone snorts when they are trying not to laugh. I whip around, and there's George covering his mouth but clearing enjoying himself.

"No. Way." All my reaction does is make him laugh harder.
"So it wasn't Cassidy who painted our dorm? It was Fred?" George can't control himself at this point, and I take his maniacal cackles as a yes. Hold on. That means Fred came into my dorm at night. Fred covered me in paint while I was sleeping. I feel violated.

"And Slytherin-that's you?" Again, I'm forced to assume that his snorts and various sounds of amusement are just an alternate way of his saying yes. Everyone is sitting now. Eating in a scary sort of silence- the kind you know is leading up to a fight. I'm not a big fan of silence- especially the awkward kind that's so awkward it fills the entire Great Hall when it's full of people. It's very much not fun.

"I can break the silence" I whisper to George. I whisper it so quietly I don't think he actually heard me. And then I take a deep breath in- I'll have to be much louder now then I was in the dark forest.

Three...two...one...

Slap! Before I can scream George's sweaty hand clamps down over my mouth, and his brown eyes are so wide you'd think he just saw me use dark magic or something.

"Don't you dare!" He hisses. He leaves his hand over my mouth. For the second time this morning, I feel violated by a Weasley. I glare at him. He doesn't yield. So I lick his palm. Then he yelps. The entire Great Hall simultaneously swivels their heads to stare at him. He turns red but stares right back at everyone. This new silence is even more awkward than before, but the professors start talking and eventually some Hufflepuffs follow suit. After a while the Great Hall sounds about normal again, but the tension is still tangible.

After a while me and George forgot about the tension and the prank- all of that is replaced by excitement. This afternoon is the opening Quidditch match of the year, and the entirety of Hogwarts is going to be there. As we make our way into the stands, George and I are both looking for our Slytherin counterparts- but soon it becomes apparent this is a bad idea. Everyone in Gryffindor and Slytherin are back to their proper colors, no more paint stains on clothes or hair much to George's disappointment. But no one's forgotten the little prank, and there's an obvious divide between the Gryffindors and Slytherins in the Quidditch stands.

Me and George are shoving each other and hanging out with a group of prospective athletes from our year, eyes glued to the players as they take their positions on the pitch. It's Gryffindor against Slytherin- not the best day for it. Probably the worst possible day for it. Everyone looks really hostile, on the pitch and in the stands. Me and George share smirks- our first Quidditch match looks like it'll be extra entertaining. The match begins and it's brilliant- the beaters going at it, the seekers whizzing around.

George points out that his brother Charlie is the Gryffindor seeker. I try to follow Charlie's movements but I swear he's just flying in circles the entire time. Beating looks much more fun- it's direct, physical, and once in a while really funny. Also dangerous. About a half hour in (Charlie still seems to be taking his time finding the snitch) a Slytherin beater sends a bludger towards the stands. The stand where all the Gryffindors are sitting. All the angry Gryffindors. Who are angry at Slytherins.

It was all downhill from there. Some Slytherins who came late were unfortunate enough to be sitting near the Gryffindors without a buffer of yellow or blue from the neutral houses. Those Slytherins got jumped, more or less. That's how the larger group of Slytherins saw it anyway. We actually didn't do anything. The Slytherins were just being stupid. So yeah, they deserve to get heckled a bit.

Then there was a surge, streaming across the stands in what looks like rushing green rivers- through the blue and yellow on both sides of the stadium. Then a roar erupts from the Gryffindors- a battle cry- and the red bursts out from a concentrated area to meet the green. Me and George- we were closer to the center, so it took us a while to squeeze our way through the crowd. I see one Hufflepuff boy on the ground, grabbing the ankles of a Gryffindor I vaguely recognize who is charging towards a Slytherin pack. I press through the chaos, not quite sure that I'm ready to join the fray although it is incredibly amusing to watch. I continue until I come to what looks like a boundary line- a hoarde of older Gryffindors clashing with a formidable line of Slytherins.

I'm about to leap into battle when a whistle blows. A painfully loud whistle. The kind that gives you no choice but to drop your fists and cover yours ears while falling to your knees. It was an effective way to break the battle lines. And they break almost immediately, but the whistle persists. I wonder if Madam Hooch is more upset about the fighting, or the interruption of her Quidditch match.

After the whistle is mercifully silenced, Dumbledore makes it clear he is disappointed. A lot of older kids look pretty hurt over that. George looks like he only half-cares. Then he looks like he has an idea. Then he tells me the idea. I immediately scan the crowd for Cas- not that she'll be willing to help, but it's actually brilliant idea.

AN: Just a reminder that they are still good friends, even though they are in different houses. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and commenting!