Chapter 4

"Today's the day, Al!" James sang as he passed his little brother's bedroom. "And what a wonderful day it is."

"What's the day?" Albus called out.

James stopped in his tracks and backed up to go inside Albus' room; he closed the door behind him. "The day when I play the ultimate prank."

"What? Oy, James, please don't! Mum's going to kill you. She's already been on edge with you for the past few days."

"Ohhh...she'll be fine. She just needs to lighten up is all. Besides, I need you to change your tune."

Albus gave him a suspicious look. "And why's that?"

"Because...well, because I sort of...need you."

"No way."

"Here me out, Al! How long are you going to live your life not taking any risks?" James asked him; Albus noted that he was beginning to sound like the cars salesman that he had seen on Muggle tellie.

Albus sighed. "I guess you're right..."

"Al listen...wait w..what?" James stammared. "I'm...I'm right? Just like that? Man, I'm getting good."

"Don't flatter yourself," he retorted dryly. "What didya have in mind?"

"Wow. I was expecting a lot more convincing. Okay then, here's the plan..."

"JAMES POTTER!"

James cursed at the sound of his name being screamed so loudly. He knew his dad would be angry, but he didn't think he would be that angry. Harry rarely screamed at his children; no, he was an expert at giving "the look," causing each of them to feel shame for disappointing him. But at the sound of that yell, James began to figure that he was going to get much more than that look.

Lily poked her head into his room with a smile. "Wow! I've never heard him so mad. Good luck with that!" She ducked as James through a bed pillow at her head and disappeared with a giggle back to her bedroom.

James sighed as he heard his name being called again, along with the sound of his father's footsteps stomping toward his room. He could barely contain a laugh when he saw his father appear in the doorway; his hair was bright green, the predicted effect of the Color Creations that Uncle George had given him.

His father grabbed for his arm, but James was quick. He raced out of his room and down the hall to hide behind his mother in the kitchen. His mother, like his father, was also sporting a colorful hairstyle; it was bright purple with pink stripes. But unlike his father, his mother had not yet looked into the mirror that morning.

"James, what in the world?" Ginny said as she turned around to look at him.

"Mum, I didn't mean to do it," James whined. "Tell him to listen to reason."

"James!" Harry yelled as he stormed into the kitchen to catch his son. "Get. Over. Here. Now."

Ginny gasped when she saw her husband's hair. "What did you do!?"

"He did it!" Harry practically growled. "And I guess I wasn't the only one whom he targeted."

She gave him a curious look before realization washed over her face. "No..." she gasped before racing into the bathroom, leaving James unguarded from his angry father. He winced when he heard his mother scream his name; she must have reached the mirror. Now he had two angry parents who weren't laughing like he thought they would be-and now he had no where to go.

Ginny stormed back out and pointed a finger into James' chest. "How?" she snapped. "Why? When?"

James had the decency to look abashed. "I...Uncle George gave them to me. It was supposed to be…funny. I thought you could look like Teddy." Teddy was Harry's godson, the only child of the late Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Tonks had been a Metamorphmagus, able to change her appearance when she pleased. Teddy had inherited this trait and was often sporting a colorful hairstyle, despite the fact that Ginny liked when it was his natural color now that he had a professional career.

"Do you see us laughing?!" Harry yelled. James blinked; he had never heard his father speak like this. In hindsight, he didn't know if he would be laughing if it had happened to him. It had just seemed like something that would have lightened up the stressful mood in the house. His father had been working nonstop, his mother had been distant due to this. No one had been themselves ever since the children came back from Hogwarts. James thought everyone could use a little laugh. But, it was clear now, no one had found humor in it.

"Don't you find it just a little funny?" James asked hopefully. His eyes shot down to the ground at the weight of his parent's angry looks, responding to his question better than words ever would.

Harry grabbed his chin and forced it up to look at him. "I have to work tomorrow!"

"Oh...right..." James sighed. "He said to not do it to anyone on a weeknight. I...I forgot."

"I can't, Ginny," Harry said, looking like he was about to explode on his eldest son. "I can't even look at him. You have to take care of this. I'm going to Hermione's house to see if she can reverse this."

With that, Harry stepped out the door and disapparated. James was glad that he didn't have to bear the angry eyes of his father anymore; but when he turned back to his mother, he remembered that her's weren't much better.

"James," Ginny snapped. "Grounded for two weeks. No broom for two weeks. No friends for two weeks. You better get used to this house because you're not leaving it for anything. And if you think you're going to Uncle George's shop anytime within the next three years, you are horribly mistaken!"

"Mum! It was a prank! A harmless prank!"

"It's funny how everything is a harmless prank. Maybe if you took a litte responsibility for your actions, you wouldn't find yourself grounded for most of the bloody year!"

James silenced at his mother's words, looking ready to say something cruel as a retort but thinking better of it under the circumstances. Suddenly, Albus' head peaked out from around the corner.

"Mum?" her younger son said in a small voice.

"Not now, Al! Can't you see I'm busy?"

Albus stepped out from the shadows and into full view, looking like a soldier ready to die on the battlefield. "I...it wasn't just James."

"Excuse me?" Ginny said in a low voice.

"I...I mean...well...James did your hair. But...I...did...Dad's..."

His mother stood with her mouth agape. "What in the world?"

"Mum, I'm sorry," Albus said, looking down at the floor with shame. "I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to have some fun with James...it wasn't supposed to go like this. Dad wasn't supposed to storm out of here. I...I..."

"Wow," Ginny said simply, taking a deep breath as if that would help her take all of this in. "I can't even process this right now. Both of you to your rooms until your father gets home. Bless your souls, because I don't know if you're going to make it through the night. I have never been more disappointed in the two of you. Especially you, Albus."

Albus flushed. "Mother, I..."

"No, Albus. Go. Both of you." Ginny pointed to the stairs and touched each of her boys on the shoulder to get them moving.

"Bloody hell, she was angry," James said when they were out of earshot. "Over a harmless little prank..."

"You are impossible, you know that?" Albus snapped. "When will you realize when you are in the wrong?"

"I do realize! Trust me. You don't get screamed at like I just did without realizing that you did something wrong..."

"You are bloody thick, you know that?" And with that, Albus slammed the door to his bedroom in his brother's face.