Chapter two
The boys began their trip out of the library slowly making their way to the Great Hall.
“You know, when we were walking over I heard Elwood say something about rules?” James questioned, both him and Sirius watching their friend intently. Remus didn’t speak for a moment. His friends were much too observant for their own good. Finally he spoke, not looking at either of them as they approached Peter’s class to collect the boy.
“You caught that, did you?” He said carefully not looking at either of his friends.
“‘Course we did, she wasn’t quiet about it.” Sirius scoffed.
“Alright, guess I had to come clean at some point.” Remus stalls in front of the door to Peter’s class and leans against the wall. “Sometimes, when I bring an idea to you for pranks it isn’t my idea.” The two boys stared at their friend, eyes wide in twin expressions of shock.
“What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?”
“Sometimes, when Holly- Elwood- has a good idea or plan for a prank she comes to me with them. It’s an….arrangement we’ve had since her first year.”
James and Sirius looked at Remus with wide eyes and opened mouths.
“So all these years-”
“You mean all your plans-”
“Our pranks-”
“Merlin,” Remus groaned. “I didn’t tell you because she made me swear not to. She doesn’t want any part in it, and she has rules if we use her ideas. One of those being that we keep her out of them.”
“What are the other ones?” James asked curiously, just as Peter’s class began to filter out of the room. Before they continued the conversation they grabbed their blonde friend and filled him in on the situation, the explanation punctuated with multiple eye rolls from Remus.
“Well we can’t use the things she tells me to cause any kind of lasting harm. Nothing that sticks around for more than 24 hours.” Sirius’ nose crinkled at that
“What about-”
“No exceptions.” Sirius huffed and crossed his arms, pouting.
Remus spent the rest of the walk to the dining hall explaining him and Holly’s agreement. No harm, No targeting specific houses every time, and no harassing or truly bullying anyone. The pranks were meant to make people laugh, not upset them or make them feel like targets. He explained how strict Holly was with said rules. Once, he had broken them (mostly by accident) and she hadn’t spoken to him for 2 months. They didn’t talk everyday to begin with, but by the end of the first month Remus was all too aware of her absence from his life and began apologizing. By the time the boys reached the Great Hall, they had decided it was time that Holly talked to all of them, rather than just Remus. Remus, of course, knew that this was a bad idea.