*****
"I've got it!"
James shot up out of his bed at the sound of the sudden voice. He looked around him trying to place his surroundings as he woke from the dreamless sleep he hadn't even realized he'd fallen into.
"What have you got?" James heard Remus ask as a rustle of curtains opening followed the outburst.
"The perfect prank." James rolled his eyes and opened his curtains and looked around at a barely awake Remus and a scared Peter. He turned to Sirius.
"Did you even get to sleep?"
Sirius stopped to think before he replied, "No."
James sighed and got out of bed, checked the clock (7:00), and grabbed his robes. He didn't even want to know what Sirius had managed to come up with. Remus made himself busy by putting his clothes on a collecting his Potions and Herbology books, while Peter asked Sirius countless questions about the upcoming prank which Sirius answered none of them.
James, though, decided to head down to breakfast alone not wanting to bother the others. He took his seat by the Weasley family and began to eat his breakfast in peace. This didn't last long though because his friends joined him approximately the same time the mail arrived. James watched as the owls dropped packages to their owners. Then four parcels were dropped for each of them. Remus had gotten his return letter, which he wouldn't let any of the others read, Peter a box full of sweets his mother made for him. As for Sirius and James they had both received identical red enveloped letters. Sirius stared at it as if it might explode, James looked at his like a large stench had just entered his vicinity.
"Well," He started as Sirius looked up from the letter, "We should open them together so they drown each other out." Sirius nodded to afraid to speak - his mother was not one to mess with, and he often got on her bad side. "On three. One...two�three!" The two ripped open the letters. In an instant the sound of two angry women started with their own versions of "I NEVER EXPECTED YOU WOULD DO SUCH A THING!" James' mother having the cleaner version. James and Sirius looked at each other both horrified as all eyes in the Great Hall fell on them. Some of the students held their hands firmly over their ears to escape the screaming mothers while others murmured to one another laughing amongst themselves about the Howlers.
Sirius was staring at his wide eyed as if it were going to bite him and James was just shocked that his mother could even speak such words. When the screaming ceased the letters hastily blew up. James looked up from the pile of ashes that had fallen onto his breakfast and looked at the rest of his friends all of which were pale with fright. "Well, that was pleasant." He stated as he poked at his food that was now uneatable.
"I never want to get one of those." Remus said pushing his own bowl away from him, now feeling sick with fright.
James shrugged his shoulders, it wasn't the first Howler he'd received but it was definitely the worst, or maybe not. It did come close to the one his father sent him when he was away with Sirius' family and the two decided to blow up a potion Sirius' mum was brewing for his little brother, Regulus�, cold. Actually, the blowing up part had been an accident. They had really just wanted to make it so the side effects of the altered potion would prevent him from talking for a month.
James sighed and looked down at his watch, then back up at his friends. "We should probably be getting off to class." The others nodded and collected their books before leaving the Great Hall where all eyes followed them as the left.
The boys made their way down to the dungeons where they were to attend there first lesson of the day; Potions...with the Slytherins. James entered the classroom first. It was dark and cold, only a few students, mostly Slytherins, were seated in the desk towards the left side of the classroom. James looked around at the bookshelves that lined the room full of assorted Potions books, and ingredients. He directed his friends to the back seats on the right side and sat down. The others followed suit but Sirius kept his eyes on Snape, who had made himself comfortable next to another dark haired boy but this one seemed to have heard of shampoo because his hair was not at all greasy. James listened to snippets of the conversation as Snape went on about how his mother always told his he was wonderful at Potions. Sirius chuckled at his side; obviously he heard Snape's comments as well. James turned to his friend who un-perceptibly mouthed "Mama's boy." They both burst out into a small fit of giggles (Yes, the hero's in this story giggle) before regaining composure once more.
They turned back to Remus and Peter and smiled wickedly half-listening to Snapes discussion on Potions. "Honestly, who cares how good he is in this class?" Sirius said bluntly as he stared at the boy.
James nodded in agreement. A second later the Professor stormed into the room, she practically glided to the front of the classroom for her robes barely moved and her head didn't bob as she walked. She was quite young with long flowing black hair but it was her eyes that made the class weary. They were icy blue with no source of feeling to give you any sense of warmth or goodness. James heard a chair creak as Peter leaned over his desk to say, "Talk about creepy." James just nodded.
Sirius added his ten cents, "Yeah, try spending the night in a room with her guarding the only exit."
James heard Peter mumble, "I said I was sorry." As he leaned back into his desk and Sirius took some parchment out of James' bag (where Sirius had put his own belongings because his bag was currently in the garbage) and listened as the teacher gave her short introduction to the class.
"Good morning class, my name is Professor Lamia-"
"Her first name is Professor, never would have thought it." Sirius stated as James laughed silently to himself.
"And for further knowledge I am not a vampire, despite the current rumor circulating around this school."
Remus leaned forward, "Now why would we ever think that?" He mumbled to the others.
"Is something funny?" She asked looking at the four boys who all shook their heads in protest. "Good, because I would hate to have to separate all of you." She said her cold voice was soaked with sarcasm.
James saw Snape smirking from his seat showing off his despicable yellow teeth. James grimaced and mumbled something about Sirius' prank.
Professor Lamia then went into her lesson about what sort of ingredients go together and what ones never should be mixed. James was once again reminded of his one and only Potions experience. She periodically would quiz the class and for every question she asked Snape would raise his had. Sirius took special note of this and leaned into James, "What a geek." And then he went back to his notes.
"Well, that pretty much covers the basics. Please take out your potions book and turn to page ten. Collect the supplies you will need from the counter to my left, follow the instructions on the board,� She flicked her wand and the ingredients for the potion appeared on a blackboard to her left, �and for homework I want the assignment on page 12 chapter one section one complete and ready by the beginning of your next class." James stared at the list of potion's ingredients and took out the things he did have in his kit and set up the cauldron and started to add the first few ingredients while Sirius went up to the counter and got the supplies that the teacher kept in a back shelf in her office that no one would have otherwise.
They went on with the class for a while following what the chalkboard instructed them to do. Snape walked by their desk and tripped over Peter's bag almost knocking over the cauldron Remus and Peter were sharing onto both James and Sirius who were sitting directly in front of them. Sirius said a few words that only his mother could have taught him and then went back to his work without another word.
Towards the end of the class as James added the last ingredient (Boomslang) a large explosion resounded from behind them echoing loudly in the dark classroom. The class turned around to see Peter covered with the potion that he and Remus had been making. The exposed parts of their skin began to shrivel. Remus was too shocked to be angry or even distressed but Peter looked as if he was going to cry as Professor Lamia instructed Remus and Peter to go down to the infirmary her face reddening with rage. Then, after they had left, she announced that she would be taking twenty points from Gryffindor for their lack of paying attention in class. James by instinct looked over at Snape who was sneering venomously.
The bell rang shortly after the class had finally settled down from the commotion caused by the explosion and James put his and Sirius' things into his bag and joined the line that was filing out of the classroom. Once the two had managed to exit they walked past the countless number of students until they heard someone behind them. They turned around and faced Snape and a small boy they had not yet seen, but apparently Snape had managed to make a new friend. "Doesn't your friend know that you should never add Boomslag to Billywig stings?"
"And where would he get the Billywig stings? It wasn't even in the potion ingredients."
James felt his mouth drop at Sirius' words. Snape had tripped over Peter's bag, he must have placed it in there while he was pretending to try and prevent the cauldron from falling. "You did it!" James said staring at the pale boy.
"Very good. And you stupid gits didn't even realize I had until it was too late." He paused smiling wickedly. �I mean the potion wasn�t even the right col-�
In that instant James had lunged himself at Snape punching anything he could get a hold of. Sirius tried to pry him off but the smaller boy was stronger than him. He looked around not knowing what else to do. If Professor Lamia came out they'd all get another detention, yet, at the same time Snape did deserve every hit James gave him.
"James," No answer so Sirius tried once more. "James, stop. Do you want another detention?" James' hand stopped in mid-blow showing off Snape with one swollen eye and a very bloody nose. James looked at the boy as consciousness started to dawn on him, this was the first time he'd ever lost it like that.
He picked himself up off the ground noticing the numbness in his legs and walked off out of the dungeons leaving Sirius with nothing to do but to follow. They walked the full distance to Gryffindor tower in silence and only began to talk to one another when they had settled down in the common room getting a grip on their tempers, which were flaring. Once they had gained composure they took the time to notice a bandaged Peter who sat on the couch crying next to Remus, who also had a few bandages on his hands, who was trying his best to comfort the weeping boy.
James joined him, scolding himself silently for losing it around Snape and looked at Remus who had an expression of pain on his face. He silently wondered if he too was getting sick because the boys face had gone quite pale. Peter broke the silence with what was on everyone's mind. "He put something in the potion."
"We know." Sirius answered knowing exactly who "he" was.
James thought for a second and then smiled viciously, "Sirius, the prank."
"What prank?" Sirius and Remus asked in unison.
James sighed honestly sometimes Sirius was just daft. "The one you stayed up all night figuring out." Sirius' eyes lit with an expression of dawning knowledge.
"Oh yeah."
"Is it as good as you say it is?" James asked positive that it was. Sirius nodded. "Well, what is it?"
Sirius stared at them for a while before he began. He then took out a piece of parchment from James' bag. It had writing all over it and small diagrams drawn out in Sirius' unruly hand. He smiled at the boys as he began to explain the diagrams. "Well, the whole point is to make him cry in humiliation. Which is going to be hard in itself, but I figure we can do it, right?" They boys nodded in agreement. "Okay well, first we need to figure out the password to the Slytherin common room. Then we need to get a hold of what dorm is his-"
"Why do we need that?" Peter inquired.
"Because were going to watch his every move, until he does something stupid, then we'll pounce." He smiled proud of his wonderful work.
James frowned at his best friend. "Sirius, that is the worst thing I've ever heard. How is that a prank?"
Sirius' grin faded. "That's what I thought too, but you know as well as I do; your best ideas are usually your first." Peter gave him a confused glare. "Okay let's put it this way. When you come up with a plan you play with it a bit until it is to elaborate to even accomplish. So you put yourself right back where you started, and most of the time you find the one idea you started with is the one that makes the most sense so you use it. Therefore, your original plans are generally your best."
Remus nodded. "Yes, but I'm still with James, how is being a peeping-tom brilliant?"
Sirius could no longer hide his disappointment. These guys had no imagination. "Okay, let me make this as simple as I can so you gits can understand. What do you do when you are all alone?" He looked at each of them evenly as they each pondered his question. "And how many of you would want someone to see that?" He watched their faces as understanding began to illustrate plainly on their faces showing their changing moods.
"Brilliant." James stated. "Absolutely, brilliant!"
"I know."
Remus and Peter sat in silence. Peter in shock and Remus because he was in deep thought. There was no doubt this was an excellent plan but how could they show the whole school something like that. "I hate to burst your bubble but how are we going to show anyone this?"
James looked at Remus. Why did he always put a damper on things? Why did he have to be the practical one? And still he found the words being formed on his lips that questioned his friend�s brilliant plan. "Yeah, Sirius, how?"
"There's a simple version of a memory charm and it shows things like a muggle tilephesion does. My Uncle Alphard told me about it, and I'm sure we could find it in the library somewhere." He paused. "I also figured we would cast the spell during dinner, on the enchanted ceiling so we can make sure that the whole school sees it."
The four boys smiled at each other. "So when do we get started?" Remus asked.
"Immediately, I don't know how long it will take us to find the spell or the password but we have to do this. We cannot have that jerk picking on us all the time. We need to put him in his place." They looked at each other communicating with each other silently. They knew their individual jobs and each got up and went to their separate posts to get the information they would need for this particular event.
