Disclaimer: Made an edit to the ending of chapter 4. Please see if you haven't already... Also I am not British.
Reminder: Some elements from The Prince of Slytherin will be rightfully stolen and used. As well as another fanfic, but that remains to be seen...
5. Utterly. Idiotic.
September 14, 1988
Our heroes were yet to find a sick owl or a branding spell. Jack claimed he had devised a rune-structure that would work but without the branding element, it would be useless. But still, two of his friends were rather curious about said rune-structure. Two people who both have somewhat of a grudge against Grenhart.
Everything was going as planned so far. The group had persuaded Lenny into hanging out at the Gryffindor House after lunch until the next period started. He'd done it for four days consecutively.
This was successful because Dewey told Anahi, a stunning girl in Gryffindor, he'd give her 5 galleons' worth of free potions if she led Lenny on. Penny assured him she would think about paying him back for it.
After a few stage-whispers, Grenhart would learn about Lenny's after-lunch habits and, in turn, adopted them.
Macy and Mandy were the spies that would watch Grenhart as she walked the same path to her House two days in a row.
Penny: "Now that the rat sniffed the cheese, the trap is bound to snap."
Penny gathered the group. It was herself, Aaron, Maya, Dewey, Mandy and Macy, the last one refusing to be left out.
Penny: "Remember, quick. And subtle. And do not use your real voices. And don't call anyone by their real names... Has anyone forgotten the code names?"
Macy nodded.
Penny: "I. Am Red Wonder..."
Aaron: "It is I, A-A-Ron."
Maya: "You are not using that."
Aaron: "I'm just kidding, Red Bum."
Mandy: "And I. Am Man-Dee!"
Dewey: "That is literally just your name."
Maya: "Anyone calls me Red Bum and they'll be the one with a red bum ! I refuse to be called red anything. I don't even see the need for code names."
Penny: "What was your code name, Dewey?"
Dewey: "..."
Penny: "Dewey."
Dewey: "I am not calling myself 'Redondo'. But if you please, then go ahead."
Penny: "Please, Redondo..."
Aaron: "And I. Am Red Thunder."
Penny and Aaron broke the huddle to high-five each other.
Penny: "Mandy?"
Mandy: "Red Thunder!"
Aaron: "I'm Red Thunder! You're Red Blur !"
Mandy: "Fine, I'm Red Blur !"
Macy: "Red Baby."
Penny: "Yes, Red Baby, perfect. And then Red Bum. Now are we all ready?"
The group was huddled together on #3, going over the plan once more.
Dewey was completely against all of this, but Penny forced him to take part. He was the only one she thought that was competent enough to draw the runes that she can easily control.
But Dewey wasn't sure about his rune-structure. In fact, he was almost positive that he had drawn it incorrectly. But being pressured by Penny, he really didn't have a choice.
The plan was otherwise fool-proof. Dewey had drawn the rune-structure and Penny, the best in Transfiguration among the group, had Transfigured a piece of metal to match it exactly. The group wore black masks and black cloaks to go with old pairs of shoes that Mandy and Macy was asked to "find".
The only downside was that the rune-structure did not include elements of the Memory Charm. So they had to be extra cautious.
Penny would be with Dewey under the Invisibility Cloak. The two will be waiting outside a broom closet along Grenhart's path that is conveniently nearby a secret pathway Aaron knew of.
Aaron will be waiting patiently by said secret pathway, which is accessed through a statue that served as the secret doorway. He refused to give anyone the password thus it had to be him.
He will be Polyjuiced as a Slytherin named Arran Davilia, a nice, outgoing sixth-year who no one would ever suspect of harming anyone. After whispering the password to open the doorway, he would pretend an attempt to help Grenhart, but eventually be pushed aside and knocked down by her aggressors.
Macy was to be walking in the halls, ready to sing her favorite tune once she sees Grenhart. This was unnecessary but she refused to be left out.
Mandy is to make sure Macy doesn't get involved any further.
Once Penny gives the signal, meaning that they have Grenhart Silencio'd and restrained, Maya will burst out of the closet with the metal piece and essentially carve the rune-structure into her skin.
None of them can cast a proper Memory Charm yet, but Maya insisted she'd have a better chance, so that was her second duty.
The hall was mostly empty where they were. A few Slytherins were in sight, but it wasn't a worry for Maya and Penny, both of them being Champions in the Dueling Club at least once. Also, the group of Slytherins would soon take a turn and be out of the area anyway.
Dewey whispers: "I'm telling you, just give me one month, and I can get Polyjuice Potions for all of us. Maybe by then we wouldn't even have to go through with this. Utterly. Idiotic plan."
Penny reminded Dewey that it was too late to back out right when Macy sung her tune.
Dewey: "Oh Merlin. Here we go..."
Estrella Grenhart was walking with a confident stride. Other Slytherins had started to ignore her when she decided to shave her head and talk louder than what's necessary, but she didn't care. She was a new person. A new... man.
She walked down the hall, head slightly tilted upwards, one strap of her bookbag on her right shoulder and not a care in the world.
When suddenly...
Penny with a raspy voice: "Now, Redondo!"
Grenhart: "Wha!? What the hell is going on!?"
"Fuck!" Maya whispered to herself in annoyance of Penny disregarding her only plead in all of this.
The two grabbed Grenhart by her arms, Penny on the right, Dewey on the left.
Penny whispers in Grenhart's ear: "Hello, sweetcakes! "
Grenhart: "HELP!"
She continued to scream but no words left her mouth after Penny casted a Silencing Spell on her.
Penny: "Red Bum!"
The signal was given, but was supposed to be three stomps, which only added to Maya's anger as she kicked the door to the broom closet open.
She ran to Grenhart, who was being restrained by two pairs of arms floating above two pairs of feet. As quickly as she could, she pressed against Grenhart's forearm with the metal piece, being careful to make sure every part of its sharp surface dug into her skin.
Grenhart let out a silent scream as Maya tapped her head with her wand and muttered "Obliviate."
No sign was shown of the Memory Charm working, but the rune-structure being planted on her was good enough for Penny, who threw Grenhart on the ground and ran towards where Aaron was standing, pretending to just have noticed Grenhart's struggle 6 seconds after she screamed.
She ran without warning. Maya knew the drill and took off at the same time she did. Dewey was caught off guard, his behind visible as he ran after Penny while trying to stay under the cloak.
Aaron whispered, "Elf Toss", opening the doorway before he jogged up towards Grenhart and her aggressors.
Macy: "Alright, it's open! C'mon, Red Bird!"
"No!" Mandy shouted in protest as she pulled her little sister back. "We don't need to hide, you nitwit!"
"Oh no! Gren-..." Aaron's eyes widened as the group came across an unforeseen bump in the road.
"What's going on here!?"
The real Arran Davilia heard Grenhart's initial shout, turned to walk back out of curiosity and was now running towards the scene.
Shit, Aaron thought. Seeing as he didn't have a choice, he decided to turn back and enter the pathway himself. That was until Arran pointed his wand towards the hooded figures.
Arran: "Stupefy."
Aaron was running, intending to shield the three with a Protego but got pushed to the ground by Maya, surely much more aggressively than she had to.
The Stunning Spell was only meters away from hitting Dewey when Aaron took his shoe off and tossed it. With perfect timing and a bit of luck, Aaron was able to block the spell from hitting Dewey, who yelped when Aaron's shoe got struck into hitting the back of his head.
The shoe tactic worked perfectly but was unnecessary as Penny was about to cast a Protego of her own but instead decided to see how the shoe tactic would pan out.
After successfully blocking the Stunning Spell, Aaron retrieved his shoe using the Summoning Spell and followed the three into the secret pathway, his eyes fixed on Arran through the gaps of his fingers until he was in the clear.
Arran didn't fling another spell, left dumbfounded by what he just witnessed.
Was that someone Polyjuiced as him?
He came back to his senses and ran to Grenhart. "Are you alright, Estrella?"
She opened her mouth and wriggled her hands as if to show she can't speak.
"Finite Incantatem... What just happened?"
"It was the red-headed Gryffindor girl!"
For some odd reason, the name of the girl she despises so much had escaped her at the moment.
At the sound of the doorway shutting on its own, Penny slowed to a stop, causing Dewey to bump into her. Which in turn led to Penny shoving him into Maya. Which in turn led to Maya calling him a foul name the author wouldn't dare to repeat.
The three was panting, Dewey panting the loudest. As they rested to catch their breath, they heard Aaron running to catch up with them.
Aaron: "By the look on Arran's face, I'm sure that he recognized me. Or himself for that matter."
Maya groaned in anger. "I told you to cast Silencio first!"
Penny: "She screamed too fast!"
Maya groaned again. "That's because you grabbed her first!"
Dewey decided to defuse the situation.
Dewey: "Look! This whole thing was ridiculous to begin with! I believe-..."
Maya groaned a third time. "Silencio! See! How hard could that have been?"
Dewey stopped talking, realizing his mouth was no longer able to make sounds.
Aaron: "That was pretty reckless, Penny. Even for you."
Penny: "..."
...
Penny: "Fine! I wanted to hear her cry for help!"
Maya: "MERLIN'S SHIT PENNY!"
Penny: "What!? "
Maya turned around with her hand on her forehead and her other hand on her hip, muttering indecent things about Penny's mental issues.
Aaron: "But why?"
Maya: "It's about Grenhart hitting her with a Bludger two terms ago! "
Penny: "She did it on purpose!"
Maya: "IT WAS A QUIDDITCH MATCH!"
Penny: "It was obviously more than that for her!"
Maya grunted a fourth time. "C'mon!" And then took lead as she continued to walk down the path again, shoving Dewey to the side as he was in her way, pointing to his mouth for whatever reason.
"Yes, Professor, I'll fetch her right now..."
Charles was consulted by McGonagall, who says that Grenhart had suffered an attack. Grenhart claimed that she was sure Penny Weasley was behind it and was one of three people who directly attacked her.
It was 7:15 in the evening. So, Penny would either be in the commons or maybe out and about, intending to "act normally" as if she had not just attacked a student.
It was the former.
"MERLIN'S SHIT, PENNY! COME HERE!"
With Penny following behind closely, Charles went into his prefect dorm and, after putting up a Soundproof Charm on the walls and door leading to the rest of the Gryffindor House, he began to scold her.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING!? YOU KNOW..."
Maya was outside the dorm, along with Jack, Aaron and the Weasley twins. All with a cup on the walls, hoping that Charles would be so mad that he had forgotten to put the charm over anything else but the door.
"You know, George," Fred begun, "it might be a good idea to invent a magic tool that we can use to replace this muggle tactic."
George wasn't listening as he continued to search for a weak spot in Charles's spell.
"There's no use." Jack said, dropping the plastic cup on the floor before walking off without another word.
At that moment, Jack wanted nothing else in the world but to do the same Charles was doing to Penny unto Aaron, Maya and everyone else that was involved. Minus Mandy and Macy as the two wouldn't even take him serious.
But he figured that his silence alone would let Maya and Aaron know just how he felt. And it did.
Aaron wasn't one who knew how to convey his feelings well, so he often avoided showing them at all. Right now, he simply acted oblivious to his friend's obvious anger.
Maya, on the other hand, watched as Jack walked down the hall until the moment he turned. Filled with guilt, she decided to follow him.
"I don't know, Fred. It sounds a lot like nothing but a bigger cup" was the last words she heard before turning the corner.
"Jack, wait." Maya was practically speed-walking after Jack as they crossed the commons and climbed the stairs. "Are you going to let me explain?"
"Explain what." Jack replied in a dull tone.
"... Alright, there's nothing to explain but would you at least hear me out?" She said, almost shouting.
Jack wasn't as upset as Charles was but he was very disappointed, which made him decide to act just as upset with them to send a message.
Jack stopped in front of the first-years' hallway water closet and looked back at Maya before going in.
She followed him in, shut the door and soundproofed the room.
"Imperturbable... Look-..."
"No, you look! Did whoever cast the Memory Charm, or at least tried for that matter, care to test it out beforehand?"
Maya was silent as she thought back to when she did last practice it.
Maya: "Obliviate... Did it work?"
Penny: "Ye-... did what work?"
Maya: "Penny..."
Penny: "Oh, have you done it already? I think you're getting better, Maya!"
"Well!?"
"I did!" Maya shouted back. And then she groaned and said, "Well, I was practicing on Penny."
"Oh were you! " Jack replied with a sarcastic smile. "I bet you're a ton better now!"
"Jack, our plan was fool-proof ! It would have worked if..." Maya paused briefly. She had habits of sharing the blame with Penny even if she was only involved in the slightest.
"If what?"
"If Penny wasn't seeking revenge for when Grenhart took half of her teeth out!"
"And you knew that was what caused all this!?"
"Of course not ! Otherwise, I would have talked her out of it... It was two terms ago, Jack!"
"And Dewey told the school about her kissing scene on the balcony four years ago."
"Well, if that's how you think, then why even let us in the loop then!?"
Jack turned around, scratching his head in a successful attempt to look upset. But really, he did not know how to reply after Maya put him under check.
He exhaled while looking towards the ceiling to sell his false distress. It indeed sold.
"Jack... I am. Sorry for all of this."
Jack found it amusing how Maya still sounded as if she was the victim even when apologizing.
"I didn't mean to go behind your back. But I truly believed that it was a good plan. And also the quickest way to get it all done... I'm sorry, Jack..."
Jack heard her voice break slightly when she said his name and instantly felt guilty. Although he still subconsciously shook his head as to sell his anger even more, he stopped immediately after noticing and decided that he should end the discussion before she starts shouting again.
"LOOK AT ME, JACK!"
Jack turned around so quick, he almost sprained an ankle.
"Alright, alright... If you were in my position, Maya, what would you do?"
Relieved to find calmness in his tone, Maya replied after a brief pause.
"I'd forgive me..." She tried with a shake of her head and a shrug.
Jack couldn't help but let out a chuckle and smile.
"Jack, mate... I'm really sorry as well..." Aaron said from behind the other side of the door.
Due to her blood pressure rising to go along with the urgency of the matter, Maya had messed up her Soundproof Charm and it didn't work at all.
Maya got behind Jack as he opened the door so she can do her breathing practice to regain her composure.
Outside were Aaron, who got off the door as Jack opened it, Fred and George with cups to the wall. Which was unnecessary, seeing that a bunch of first-years were out in the hall, wondering what all the yelling was about.
"I'm sorry, mate." Aaron repeated.
"Tch..." Jack said with a smile as Aaron pulled him in for a hug.
Jack returned the hug before pushing Aaron back and asking, "Was it your genius idea to Polyjuice Arran?"
Aaron just laughed as he nodded. "Of course, and it almost worked too!"
"You twit." Jack said behind his own laughter.
"Ahem." Maya interrupted the sweet moment and gestured to the oblivious first-years witnessing the heartfelt scene in front of them.
"Right..."
After a long speech about House pride and Gryffindor loyalty, Jack was satisfied enough to leave the first-years' hall and go back downstairs to the commons. And if the speech didn't work, the threats that the two new Beaters of the Gryffindor quidditch team had imposed on the lot was sure to support it.
The commons was rowdy as usual, except it was missing the laughter and storytelling that Jack and his friends usually provided. Up until now, Charles refused to speak with Aaron or even look in his direction. Aaron, on the other hand, started acting as if he didn't even notice anything different with Charles after a couple attempts to start a conversation with him.
The noisy room fell into silence when McGonagall entered the room and requested to see Penny. Seeing the anger in Charles's face, she decided to save him a scolding about not sending his sister to the headmaster's office like she asked him to.
In Charles's defense, he truly did forget as this was the angriest he's been since his older brother Bill had sex with Lexi Lovegood.
A/N: A water closet is a room with just a toilet. Often used by British locals and American contractors.
Another note: Your master bathroom isn't a master bathroom if it is just a water closet... just saying.