(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapters really stupid, but it's actually pretty long, which surprised me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.
Leo
I extended my arm and caught hold of one of the drain pipes fastened to the side of the building. My feet hit the wall but almost immediately slid against the stone, so rather than digging my heels in and possibly damaging something- myself or the architecture- I let my feet pedal a bit, the friction of them coming into contact with the surface as I 'ran' through the air slowing me down enough that, by the time I reached the ground, I was able to jump off safely. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans after I righted myself, and decided the best thing to do right now would be to wander around the grounds.
With the lack of people who'd stayed for the holidays, and the fact that the sun was beginning to set, I barely had to avoid anyone, other than Minnie looking out her window at one point. It wasn't as though I would get in trouble for breaking curfew- I could always lie, and say I'd been on my way to or from the Forbidden Forest to hunt, and I'd automatically be excused, especially by Minnie- but I just really didn't want to be seen, at the moment.
Eventually, I got bored, and the thought, 'What would the Marauders do?' popped into my head. Which, of course, was almost certainly a catastrophically bad idea, but I ignored my nagging moral compass, and pulled out my wand. "Seclusi Scintillae," I said, and electric blue sparks flew from my wand. Using vampire speed, I moved to the next location I thought might be suitable. "Seclusi Scintillae." I went from place to place rigging up the prank I had devised, rather quickly, in my head. I even made my way back through the castle to just outside the door to the astronomy towers topmost room, and whispered, "Seclusi Scintillae," before hightailing it out of the area.
In the Room of Requirement, I picked out the first book I came across and started to read in the plush chair by the fire, bored enough for it not to matter what the subject matter was. About half an hour later the door opened, and a set of sparks burst overhead, almost like fireworks but with a far quieter popping noise. "Did you do that?" Sirius asked, and I grinned without bothering to look up.
"I got bored."
Elaine caught one of the little sparks in her hand, staring at it with wide eyes as it danced a little bit, and fizzled out without leaving a mark. "Did you set these up all over the school?" I shrugged.
"Pretty much, yeah." James frowned, perching himself on the edge of the couch.
"You know we Marauders are going to get blamed for this, right?" I smirked at him from over my book, and nodded slowly.
"Well, you boys were my inspiration. I got bored, and started thinking, 'What would the Marauders do?'"
Lily rolled her eyes, sitting down on the chair furthest from James with a huff. "Of course you did. Nothing good can come of this." She paused for a second, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Unless it puts them in detention..." Elaine stared at her for a second before turning her attention back to me.
"Since when do you do pranks?" I shrugged again, closing my book and setting it flat in my lap- Huh. Y'know, I hadn't picked up on the fact that I was reading a muggle book about phlebotomy and the role it played in hematology, but I guess there was a first for everything.
"As long as they have," I said, gesturing to the boys. "Though they haven't really done all that many pranks."
Sirius sighed, pretending to look incredibly, dramatically put-out. "We just haven't found the right time. Pranking is an art form, you know. You can't paint a masterpiece without the right materials." Lily stared at him perplexedly for a moment before shaking her head.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," She said, and Sirius turned his head to pout at her but she didn't bother to notice.
"No, it's not," I reminded her, before glancing around. "Where's Brooke?" Elaine glared at the ground- was she still mad about earlier, or...?
"She went to go to bed on our way up here," Remus supplied, and I nodded before I paused for a second and blinked hard.
A range of junk food, both magical and muggle in invention appeared on a long table, a tall pine tree dominated the corner of the room, draped with tinsel and covered in baubles, and seven stockings now hung from the mantel of the fireplace, each embroidered with one of our names. "Ooh, food!" Sirius exclaimed, moving to get up, but James pushed past him and knocked him back down in his chair in his pursuit of foodstuffs. Sirius remained undeterred, and made it to the table only just behind Remus.
"Pretty tree," Lily murmured, moving over to said tree instead of the refreshments and gently skimming her hands across the masses of tinsel.
"She likes shiny things," I whispered conspiratorially to Elaine, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter- I wished she wouldn't, it would've brought me great joy to hear it properly.
"Hey Lilsy-pie, check out these baubles!" James exclaimed, voice muffled by a range of sweets, and he swayed from side to side slowly as he stared into a shiny gold bauble. "This one looks like a Snitch!'
I shook my head, fondly bemused by my friends, and their odd antics. "That makes two of them."
(A/N): So, what did you think?
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This chapter has had edits made to it on 24/3/24 - formatting, and reconfiguring of sentences. Expanded Leo's dismount. Added the part about him saying he wouldn't get in trouble for breaking curfew because he could say he was going hunting. Added Leo's book being about hematology and phlebotomy, because I thought that was funny. I also changed it so James pushed Sirius back into his chair instead of Remus, and so had Sirius reach the table just behind Remus, instead of James, who it originally was. Basically, James and Remus swapped places for that part. In doing so, I removed a reference to Remus being chocolate crazy, because I know it's an overused trope that doesn't entirely make sense, and since it's something I can take out with minimal difficulty, I have done so. I added the line about Leo wishing Elaine hadn't hid her laughter, because it would make him happy to hear it, and I changed the silver bauble to a gold one, and added James saying that it reminded him of a golden snitch. I also added Leo shaking his head fondly at his friends and their 'odd antics', since before it just sort of ended.
Hematology is the study of blood and blood disorders, and Phlebotomy is a procedure in which a needle is used to take blood from a vein, usually for laboratory testing. Phlebotomy is often used in Hematology (for obvious reasons), and I thought it was both fitting and funny that Leo would unwittingly read a book about drawing blood, considering everything.