A/N: Hello people and thank you so much for your support! Here's a third part to this prank war in their younger years!
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"Cursed?" Corene cocked her head after she offered an answer to the question which Elaine had just asked.
"Certainly not," Elaine shook her head and stomped her foot. Nobody could have gotten away with cursing them. Harry's luck was just… divine. He had to be a favoured soul of some creature beyond to escape so many a well thought out prank. "He's simply frustratingly fortunate, and has too many others that wish to do as we've been doing."
Corene cocked her head to the side. "Why?"
"A myriad of reasons, from what I've found — wait, aren't you oft the one that has answers?" Elaine furrowed her brows upon such a realisation. "How strange."
"Often. Not always." Corene's response was very Corene-like. "Father's contacts don't help when it comes to something so mundane. Will we continue?"
"Continue?"
"To prank him." Corene blinked, her visage otherwise blank. "Tedious."
Elaine sighed. It was tedious. And boring. And stupid. But what else would they do? They fancied him, and they couldn't very well walk right up to him and demand his attention; this way, it was a game.
It'd already worked too, hadn't it? When he'd said their names?
She folded her arms at the memory. "We're going to continue. He's aware of us now, isn't he?"
"He is."
"Then we're getting his attention, aren't we?" Elaine raised her nose, her mind now decidedly made up on their course of action. "We'll continue, and we'll get him. Luck can only get one so far, isn't that right?"
"Probability, yes," Corene dipped her head.
"Wonderful."
Corene blinked at her then. "Today?"
This time Elaine wasn't quite as confident. She still had to formulate a plan, go over what might happen, factor in Harry's extraordinary luck, and perfect all of it. "We'll resume tomorrow. It's already mid-day."
"Tomorrow."
Tomorrow came quite quickly. Quicker than either of the two had expected it to, at the very least, and so Elaine and Corene were left waiting near to the revolving staircases in an alcove of a long-abandoned classroom. Hogwarts had been quite large at one point in its history, but that no-longer rang true — thankfully.
With so many hidden passages and empty spaces, it felt like Hogwarts itself was aiding them in pulling the wool over Harry's eyes. The muskiness and dankness of the school would cover lingering scents should they use something that has them. Torchlight, orange and bright, would likewise aid in illusions given the flickering of said light. All the alcoves, statues and other such objects would make for many a hiding spot as well; too many for Harry to keep watch over.
Elaine puffed out her chest in pride. She'd used her map of the school and knowledge of where Gryffindor's common room was with an expertise even her seniors lacked when it came to planning. It came naturally to her, and any blanks would be filled in by Corene.
"You're certain you're able to pull it off?" Elaine's tone was hush as could be reflexively; the privacy charm she'd put up would see to her silence beyond the bubble thereof.
"Shadows are easy to manipulate. Yes." Corene dipped her head, and spoke in a more normal-tone of voice. Clearly, unlike Elaine, she didn't allow her eagerness or other such emotions to get the better of her. "Scary?"
"Morgana, no," Elaine shook her head. "We don't wish to terrify him, just distract him. Should you do so, I can activate the ward and cast the spell sequentially, and quickly. We'd finally score the victory we so desire and have him agree to a Hogsmeade day with us — one that isn't on an official weekend."
Corene blinked. "Oh." she then shrugged, small as could be. "Understood. Not terrifying."
Elaine dipped her head in acknowledgment… and then cast a tempus so as to see the time; as she suspected, it was near evening, which meant he should be going to the Great Hall at any time. Corene was ready for her shadowplay, Elaine was ready to activate the ward, but Harry wasn't ready, given that he wasn't in the hall.
Had she misplanned?
No, that was impossible. Elaine was never wrong, nor were the plans she'd craft, careful as could be.
She huffed. "You know Hogwarts' layout, Corene, don't you?"
"Yes."
"... Is there a chance that Harry took another way to the Great Hall?" Elaine hoped that wasn't the case. Still, doubt had begun to cre—
Footsteps.
The sound of them silenced Elaine altogether, and filled her fleeting confidence back to the brim. "Be ready," she whispered, suddenly eager and alive once more.
Corene peeked out, disillusioned as she was, and aimed her wand at the far wall. The shadows that flickered as a result of the torchlight began to shift into a figure. One that was missable, but slowly forming into something more coherent as the seconds ticked by, and the steps grew louder.
"Is it him?" Elaine didn't wish to lower her hand from the position she had it in; she'd planned out the best area to aim so that she could strike him and activate the ward in one motion.
"It's him." Corene's answer was swiftly said. "Obtuse. He's not looking ahead of himself at the wall."
"Carry the shadows across the floor too — that should get his attention. If not, I'll improvise," Elaine took in a breath, and she began to hold it. If he were moving quickly as boys tended to, she'd have to ensure her wand was steady and the strike was swift.
Corene nodded, but remained otherwise silent. Her wandwork, however, did exactly as Elaine had asked of her. The shadows on the opposite wall danced and shifted in the shape of figures, figures that raced from the wall they'd started on, to the floor before Harry. For seconds, Elaine watched it all whilst Harry had little or less by way of a reaction.
But eventually, even somebody as thick-headed as the boy they fancied simply had to see what was happening before his very eyes. Harry's steps slowed before they came to a stop altogether — a touch earlier than she'd have liked — and then, rather than be weirded out or stunned, he snorted loud enough for the pair to hear.
"Hogwarts and its bloody ghosts," his voice carried with undertones of amusement, and then his steps sounded off once more.
Slower as well. Elaine was pleased when she realised that.
"Close." Corene said but one word.
It made Elaine adjust the grip she had over her wand in anticipation. Harry was near. Each step grew louder, and with it, so too did the pounding of her chest; she knew it shouldn't make her feel so eager, but this game of theirs was entirely too much fun.
He came into view, and in an instant, Elaine's wand-arm acted.
The ward activated, and the spell she'd had at the forefront of her mind, was cast.
But work, it did not.
Harry had reacted quickly — certainly quicker than either of them had expected — and cast a spell of some sort to stop the blinding light that'd burst forth so as to temporarily blind him. As a result, he'd already moved from the spot Elaine had aimed, and with her sight messed up as well as a result of the light, hence her pre-aim, she'd failed.
Corene didn't outwardly seem overly shocked, but all the same, she grabbed Elaine, and saw them back into the classroom.
Right as he began to look around.
Elaine followed after the other witch with stumbling steps, thoroughly annoyed. There'll always be another day — but how long would she have to repeat such a mantra to herself?
"He's fast." Elaine's voice was a mixture of annoyance, and something that resembled pride. There was a reason she had a crush on him. He wasn't stupid and loud and as immature as the other wizards near their age — he was strong too, and clever; she could go on. "Traps won't work, I think."
Corene cocked her head. "What, if not traps? Do we slip something into his food?"
"Morgana, no. The risk of being caught would be high," Elaine shook her head, whilst her inward reaction was one of bemusement. She hadn't expected such words from Corene, the demure, quiet and typically bored-looking witch that she was. "We put a hex on his broom, or robes. If not that, we simply disillusion ourselves and wait to hit him with a stunning spell each. These other plans have relied on ideal conditions for what we've planned to go right."
"Understood." Corene nodded. "He's too fortunate."
"Entirely too lucky, yes," Elaine did hope to harness that luck for herself by having him at the side Corene didn't occupy. "Hex first, I believe."
"Dangerous?" Corene asked as she hopped up atop the nearest desk, and began swinging her legs. "What hex?"
Elaine snapped her wand up, and to the side whilst she muttered an incantation. Chocolates flew from her bag, into the air before them. "Nothing dangerous, certainly not. Something to make it do the opposite of what he desires. He'll need it fixed, and so in the week or so leading up to, we'll ensure word gets out that we're the best at Quidditch equipment repair."
Corene cocked her head to the other side, and a second later, a rarity occurred. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "We don't know how to repair Quidditch equipment. What if others approach us?"
"Why would we help others?"
"Information or spells?" Corene's answer was that which she always sought, even when she was by Elaine's side. "Our pick."
Elaine huffed. "It'd not be hard, learning such magic," she kicked her legs. "We'll go to the storage shed now, and examine everything present. Bring your scribe quills, I've already plenty of parchment in my bag."
And just like that, their new plan had begun preparation.
It was perfect.
The pair had taken up much of their evening the past few weeks to go over the many enchantments cast over Quidditch equipment, and each felt comfortable enough to work on the items, rare as problems would likely be. In that time, only recently, Elaine had placed the hex upon Harry's broom.
She'd even placed one on the snitch, as a fail safe; it was her preferred plan, but the other, well, they were entirely too invested already.
At worst, she gained insight as to how flying charms and enchantments worked. There was already a spell she had in mind, but it would require her knowing how to apparate as well. Still, the notes had been helpful.
"He'll be out soon." Corene said, speaking up from her side as the crowd grew louder.
Elaine was completely shaken from her reminiscence of the past few weeks, and aware of the mass of people she found herself sitting with in one of the stands along Hogwarts' Quidditch Pitch.
Already, those from Ravenclaw had taken to the pitch and began to fly around. She'd made sure to add the hex to those who had the same broom as Harry, and no others. Consistency of an issue would point to the maker, and away from her and Corene.
"You're ready to deactivate it just in case, aren't you?" Elaine did have to make sure. This was, after all, all for the sake of getting his attention. The last thing either of the pair wished to do was have him left wounded in the hospital ward.
"Ready per person," Corene dipped her head.
Elaine returned the gesture. "Good," the crowd grew louder, and her eyes picked out the mass of Quidditch players in their standout jerseys running from the dressing rooms. "Finally."
They pumped their fists and played up the crowd, and once all were out, they took to the sky.
Immediately, those with the brooms Harry possessed began to swerve differently. Harry, for his part, seemed to catch on… but not before he was very near to their stands.
Elaine half thought they'd have to cancel it early, but then he righted himself at the last possible moment, flying over them with nary a hand space between his feet and the heads of those in the crowd.
"Cancel?"
"Yes. I believe it's had its point made," Elaine folded her arms. "With any luck, he'll be by soon."
They could hope.