year 1, chapter 4 - The birth of pranking
Remus Lupin was unsure whether the 1st year boys of Gryffindor tower loved him, or hated him.
For instance, when James potter saw Remus talking to Lily Evans, he threw an absolute fit.
"EVANS!!" You've been talking to Evans?" He shouted at Remus.
During the first charms class of the day Remus found himself sitting next to Lily. She was altogether a sweet girl, and seemed truly interested in what Flitwick had to say, especially in comparison to James and Sirius who wouldn't stop tossing bits of paper into Marlene's hair, and then somehow managing to blame it on Peter who sat directly beside her.
"Wingardium Leviosa" Flitwick was sqeaking, and as he did so the feather lifted off of his desk and flew gracefully into the quill holder beside him.
To be quite frank, Remus almost expected it to be harder, considering it was their first lesson ever using magic. But alas, Remus was the first student to successfully complete the spell, a fact that his housemates wouldn't soon forget.
As the class ended, Lily dragged Remus by the arm and absolutely screeched at him - "Remus that was amazing! How on earth did you manage it on your third try? You simply have to study with me!" and of course, this being Lily, she said it all in one breath.
"Erm, yea, that might work out, but really it's not that difficult." He scratched his neck as they continued walking down the corridor. She opened her mouth seeming to retort, when Remus got absolutely pounced on by the other boys.
"Aww, our poor Remus is selling himself short. Of course it's really unfair considering that big secret he's keeping." Sirius said, while wagging his eyebrows at lily. But little did he know how exactly those words would affect Remus. Pure terrror is what shot through his veins in that moment. How? How could he know? there hadn't even been a full moon yet.
Sirius must have seen it on his face because he quickly sidetracked, "but of course Evans dear, we can't tell you about Lupin's travels in piracy without having to kill you."
a grin spread across James face at that, "now you've really done it mate, nothing left to do but to go through with it."
Remus simply groaned and said, "perhaps it can wait until after we've finished avoiding being late for our first potions class?"
"Right you are, simply wouldn't be good conduct to perform such a ghastly act in the broad daylight, no, it must be undertaken at night!" Sirius declared, as he held his robes up in front of his mouth and nose like a vampires cape.
Lily seemed fully bored with the whole exchange and merely rolled her eyes and said to Remus, "Just come find me if you ever want to study, preferably without these buffoons." and she left to join the other girls with a wave to Remus and a foul look to James and Sirius.
This was when James turned to Remus with a sour face and said, "Evans? you've been talking to Evans?" But why? She's so stuck up and snooty."
"Oh professor, professor look over here! I can do the spell!" Sirius mocked. "As if. Remus got it first anyways."
Remus couldn't really understand their disdain for her, so he merely shrugged and said " Lily's good company, plus she really just wants to make up for all the time she feels like she missed living in the muggle world."
James and Sirius looked first at each other, and then back at Remus shaking their heads in unison.
"Listen mate, I don't know what drug you're on, but Lily Evans has got to be certified swot." He said while scrunching his nose. This boy seemed to have a certain distrust, or dislike for people he deemed unimportant, and Lily happened to fall on that list.
"Right you are again Mr. Black! Shall we race to the dungeons in order to test your newly founded theory?" He asked with his trademark grin once again plastered across his face. And so they did. As they sprinted down the hallway, you could see a trail where the two rowdy boys had knocked down other students without a care.
They had had charms class with the Ravenclaw first years, and as James and Sirius left a group of three thought this was the time to approach Remus.
One boy in particular seemed to be leading the group.
"Hello there," The boy said in a tone that radiated authority, "My name is Frank Longbottom. My friends and I all thought it was quite impressive what you did, and thought we might like to extend and invitation to our study group tonight."
The girl was quick to add, "We aren't usually ones to invite others, protect the knowledge and all that, but we are encouraged to include those who show particular talents."
"So here we are, including and such." She finished with a grin.
To be quite honest Remus was surprised by the offer, after all it really wasn't all that difficult. But from what he could tell, he would probably be needing all the help he could get. So he said, "Yeah sure, that'll be great." He smiled at them. "So your frank," he said, motioning to the boy, "But i didn't quite catch your names." Remus added to the other girl and boy.
"Why hello, Gilderoy Lockhart at your service." He said dramatically, going so far as to include a bow. but straightening up he said, "You can just call me roy." Roy had very nice blonde hair, and seemed like a nice enough fellow. The girl however was simply a different breed. Her long dark braids went far down her back, and had pieces of blonde strung in to contrast her dark hair and skin.
She stepped up to Remus, offering her hand, and said, "Dorcas, Dorcas Meadows."
Before Remus could say anything else, Peter grabbed onto his hand and started motioning frantically.
"Peter, mate, you've really got to use your words if you want to be understood." He said wryly.
"Oh right, well, just thought i should mention that potions starts in less than five minutes." Peter mumbled, seemingly unable to make eye contact with the Ravenclaw students. Poor Pete struggled a bit with meeting new people, it would seem.
"Ah right you are, well suppose I'll see you three later?" He said nodding at them, but peter was already grabbing his hand and stringing him along, so who knows if the message ever made it to them.
*******
Potions class had been an absolute disaster. Sirius and James had wanted to try going off book on one of the recipes, but of course they couldn't experiment on their own cauldron. So Severus, who happened to be partnered with Lily, became their target of choice.
The potion that the first years were instructed to make was a Hair raising potion, which, as the name suggests, causes the drinkers hair to stand on end. Professor Slughorn had been walking around the class, inspecting their potions as he worked. He seemed quite taken by Lily and Snape's Potion. Or that is, until James accidentally slipped and dropped a whole handful of Rattails into their Potion.
And so havoc struck. The potion started to boil, and a strange, green looking fume was coming out of it.
As Remus looked on, he could see the hair on Snape and Lily's heads raise so high, that it seemed almost as if their feet would leave the ground.
The rest of the class promptly broke into heaps of laughter as they noticed what was going on. James also had his hair going up on his head, but as it was quite shorter, and usually quite messy anyways, the effect wasn't quite the same.
"James Potter what is WRONG with you?" Lily hissed at him. "You did that on purpose, I know you did." She continued, with her voice rising octave after octave, until Remus wasn't sure if it was possible for it to get any higher.
Snape didn't seem to think that that was a very effective way to show his displeasure, as he was already whipping out his wand and pointing it at James. What he planned to do with it was lost on Remus, seeing as it was only the first day of class and all they could do was levitate a quill, or turn it into a needle.
"Now, now Severus," Slughorn scolded, "We all saw James slip. However, it isn't safe to assume that all that will happen is for your hair to raise above your head, so you and miss Evans really should head off to the hospital wing to be safe." he said. And adding to James, "That is why it is of utmost importance to be cautious when working in a potions lab, because you never know what could happen if you add the wrong ingredient to a potion."
Continuing on he said, "In fact one of my previous students, Josie Burtram, perhaps you've heard of her shes become quite the successful-" But luckily the students were saved by the ringing of the bell which signaled that it was time for lunch.
*******
At lunch, the other three boys were still ecstatic over their successful prank.
"Really James, it was brilliant!" Sirius continued to laugh, as he had been for the last 30 minutes. "Did you see the look on Snivellous's face? I don't think I'll ever forget." He added wistfully.
The girls had chosen to sit with them, minus Lily of course,and seemed not to find it all so funny. In fact Emmeline took this moment to interject with, "Oh glad to see you're a sadist, Sirius. Something I'll be sure to add when I'm telling the school what absolute bullies you all are." She said, while attempting to look down her nose at them, even though she was at least 2 inches shorter than even peter, who was the smallest of the group.
"Oh buzz off Vance, it was just a little bit of fun, and if it helps Evans to know, we really weren't targeting her, she just happened to be near Snivellous. It's not our fault who she chooses to spend time with." James says with a scrunch of his nose.
Sirius spent this time whispering to Remus to ask him what a sadist was. After finding out the answer, he shoots up and looks at Emmeline mock appalled.
"Why Ms. Vance, you wound me. I believe you must have me mistaken for my parents, who most certainly are, as you say it sadists." He says with a grin to imply that he's joking. But no one else at the table joins in. It isn't really a secret amongst the magical community that the Black family is, as some would put it, quite harsh on their children. Remus notices the tension, and looks to break it before it grows any more tight.
"Emmeline really is right you know, James." He said with a regretful look towards him. "She didn't do anything wrong, other than choose to be partners with a douchebag, which I'm sure none of the girls disagree with." He got grateful looks from Sirius and Emmeline, granted it was for two different reasons.
"That's very true, Remus. After all it was our own Alice who gave him his nickname." Mary said with a pat onto her friends back.
Alice merely blushed and said something about not having meant to.
"Ah now Alice, don't sell yourself short. That nickname was one of true genius, and we will come to you with whatever needs we may have for any others." James said, while attempting to catch her hand to give it a large, smacking kiss. She merely giggled and pulled away. The meal went on after that, with the kids sharing pleasant conversation for the rest of the hour they had.
*******
That night, as Remus lay in bed, he couldn't sleep because of the whispering going on beside him in James's bed. He had heard Sirius and Peter crawl over there earlier in the night, but hadn't wanted to intrude where he wasn't invited. After all, he had only known these boys for a few days. It wasn't like they could really be friends. No, Remus decided. He was a monster, and something broken. Why would they want him to talk when they had three other, perfectly human options right next to them?
To make it worse, he heard a mumbled whisper of, "Do you think he can hear us," from the bed.
A pair of footsteps walks over to his bed, most likely to confirm that he is asleep.
But Remus was surprised when the voice hissed, "Remus, Remus?" "Are you awake?" Another voice called from the bed.
Remus made a decision in that moment. He didn't want this. He didn't want these people, because they were too good. Too pure. he would just corrupt them. So he just kept his mouth shut, and stayed silent.