Sisters; Can't Live With Them, Can't Prank Without Them

Mayhem in the night

I walked back to the common room with Gregory and Lucy.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Lione decided not to wait," Gregory lied.

"Gregory said something to her and she left," I informed her. "What did you mean by her jumping off her broom, getting light headed and trying to kill herself?"

"Um..."

"At flying lesson," I pressed. "I thought she just fell off her broom. That's what she said happened. That's what you said happened."

"Leigh tried to kill herself," breathed Lucy. "Why? When?"

"She didn't, I was just saying that because she insulted my flying."

"What happened then?"

"At our first flying lesson last year she fell off her broom, right?"

"But you-"

"Right. But you see I was a lot nearer to her when it happened than anyone else. I saw what actually happened. She flung herself off the broom."

Lucy gasped.

"Why?" I asked.

"That's what I asked her afterwards. Remember, I hung back after everyone left the infirmary? I asked her and she said she didn't remember doing it."

"Maybe she bumped her head on the ground and got amnesia," Lucy suggested. "Really selective amnesia. I saw that in a film once called 'The Majestic' where this guy fell in to a river and bumped his head on the bridge. But he forgot his whole life so maybe it's not similar. Did Kettle forget anything else? Did she think her name was Luke?"

We stared at her. Then decided that the most practical course of action was to pretend she hadn't said anything.

"She said that when she got up in to the air she felt really free and strange. Next thing she knows she's in the infirmary surrounded by the class."

"Weirdness," I commented.

"No duh."

"Leigh is definitely the strangest person I have ever met."

"You know, that's exactly what I said."

***

It was Saturday. Lione was still being cold with Gregory but she seemed perfectly happy sitting, surrounded by people, holding her guitar. She had only got it out to tune it and do a little practice but was bombarded with requests, which she had to deny since most were too complicated for her and the rest required an entire orchestra.

"It's just not possible," Lione was saying. "The chords are simple enough but the tune just isn't recognisable without the violin. No one would be able to keep proper time and we'd all end up finishing at different points."

"Oh go on, anyway."

"No, I'm sorry! Besides, I need to tune this thing."

Lione was just plucking at random strings when Melanie came through the portrait hole in the middle of a conversation with her best friend Katrina Summers.

"Do you know 'Kids'?" Melanie asked her.

"No."

"'Time after Time'?"

"No."

"'At the Beginning With You'?"

"Sorry?"

"'Something Stupid Like I Love You'? How about 'Elephant Medley' from Moulin Rouge?"

"I don't know any of them!"

"Well it was your idea to try for a duet."

"Only because you were showing off with your singing."

Melanie was an excellent singer, I have to give her that. She might have been famous except unlike most pop stars she could actually sing. She was always showing off her skills by bursting in to whatever song was going through her head at the time.

"What about 'California Dreaming'?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Katrina. "I think I know it. The tune, anyway, I don't know the lyrics off by heart."

"You do the echo then," Melanie suggested. "Just follow my lead. Lione, will you stop with that guitar and let someone with actual musical talent have a go?"

Lione stopped and looked up at Melanie in what might have been an expectant expression.

"All the trees are brown," Melanie sang.

From brown Lione suddenly joined in with the guitar. It sounded really good. Unfortunately it put off Katrina until she picked the words up again at 'I went for a walk'.

"On a winters day!"

"On a winters day."

"I'd be safe and warm now."

"I'd be safe and warm now."

"If I was in LA."

"If I was in LA-ay!"

"California..."

"California dreams!"

"On such a winders da-ay."

The Gryffindors clapped.

"Wow Lione. You actually don't suck."

"Why thank you Melanie, you're not so bad yourself."

"What else can you play?"

It was a sickening sight watching my sister and one of my best friends bonding. I could barely dare to watch. And it seemed that if Lione and Melanie would become friends then we would never get round to pranking her like I had dreamed.

***

We sat in the Great Hall, waiting.

"We are going to get in trouble for this," I told them.

"Not if no one says anything," said Lione in a singsong voice.

"Shh," Lucy warned. "You'll put Gregory off."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Go stage one."

The water bomb dropped. A few students looked up as the red blur tumbled downwards. Snape didn't see it coming. He jumped up and screamed with fury. He was dripping wet.

"Stage two."

The second bomb, this time filled with custard, missed Snape by inches but got him with the splash. I was particularly glad to see that it also got Professor Browen.

"Dumbledore!" Lucy cried.

"Stage three is a no go, repeat, stage two is a no go."

"Lione," said Gregory flicking his wand so the third balloon flew out the window and hurriedly putting it away. "I'm sitting right next to you. You don't need to speak as if you've got a walkie-talkie. Hey! Maybe we should get walkie-talkies!"

"Shh!"

Snape flung his arm out to point at us. "You four!"

We looked around at the people around us, pretending to be very interested in whom he was talking about. Everybody in the hall was looking at us. There was a very audible snigger from the Slytherin table.

"Stop being so stupid and get up here!"

"Us?" Gregory inquired. "What did we do?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling. "What on earth did they do, Severus?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Snape cried.

"I have to admit I'm curious to know how and why you came to be covered in custard."

Lucy barely suppressed a giggle.

"Ask them!"

"Mr. Weasley? Have you anything to say?"

"No, sir."

"Have you any idea how this could have occurred?"

"No, sir. Sorry, sir."

"There," said Dumbledore as if that settled it. "I'm afraid that if they don't know what you're talking about and you don't have any evidence otherwise there is nothing I can do."

Snape looked livid as he marched out. "You're too lenient!" he shouted. "You're too flipping lenient."

The minute he disappeared from the doorway the hall burst into laughter.

"Told you we wouldn't get caught," said Lione with delight.

"Serves him right for setting us double homework," said Gregory.

I glanced up at the Staff table. Most of the teachers, including Dumbledore, were laughing. Browen wasn't. He was looking straight at us. Correction, he was looking straight at me. He did not look in the least bit happy.

***

That night we decided to make another trip to the Prankster room for, what Lucy described as, a 'Rummage'. We made our way along the corridors under Gregory's invisibility cloak. Suddenly Gregory stopped in his tracks.

"What is it?" I hissed.

"Something's wrong," he said. "Something's very wrong."

"Maybe there's a crime being committed," Lucy suggested in what she probably thought was a whisper. "I saw something like that in this film called 'Spider Man'. This man could sense when crimes were being committed. Advanced intuition they called it. No they didn't. That's what they called it in 'Unbreakable'. Anyway they called it Spidey sense. Well of course they only called it that-"

"Shh," said Lione, spinning around. "Did you hear that?"

"I couldn't hear anything," I said. "Lucy was too loud."

"I heard someone," breathed Lione.

Even I could hear the panic in her voice.

"It's probably nothing," I said slowly.

Even though we were under an invisibility cloak I could tell that Asher and Kettle didn't believe me.

We made our way further along the corridor we were in. Just as we were about to turn the corner in to the corridor containing the room leading to the Prankster room we came across an invisible barrier. Pandemonium ensued. Lucy and Lione screamed which set Gregory and I off in the shear panic and confusion of the situation. Everyone struck out violently and tried to run in all sorts of directions. Lucy tripped over my foot and fell out of the cloak. She grabbed at Lione and desperation but ended up pulling her out as well. The girls landed in a heap on the floor, clearly visible. Gregory threw the cloak off and went to help them. As I knelt down to pick up the cloak I heard something. Lione's head jolted up as well and I knew she had heard it as well. Sharp intakes of breath followed by a long drawn out breath outwards. Slowly we all got to our feet. Instinctively we moved closer together and looked around wildly. I saw it. The leaves of a plant in the corridor we had just left moved. They moved in exactly the way they normally move if someone moving away from us had brushed against them. But there was no one there.

"Um..." said Gregory. "Let's... er... keep moving."

We made our way along the corridor again and entered the room.

"It must have been a ghost," said Lucy shakily. "There are tons of ghosts around the castle, it could have been any one of them."

"I doubt it," said Gregory, unusually seriously. "Ghosts don't make much of an obstacle, do they?"

There was silence again.

"I'll open the door then shall I?" I suggested.

"Yeah. That might be a good idea."

I let us in to the room. As I did I leaned over to Lione.

"You heard it too, didn't you?"

"Heard what?"

"The breathing."

"You mean, a sharp intake then a long drawn-out breath outwards?"

"Definitely."

"Then yes, I heard it too."

"What was it?"

"Well it sounded to me like a person who was shocked to see us at first then, suddenly, it all made sense."

Not for the first, or last, time I wondered how she did it.

We walked in to the room and, just as Gregory and Lione had done before, I instantly knew that something was wrong. But unlike them I knew what it was.

"It's moved."

"What has?"

I looked up at my friends who were looking at me with concern. "Guys. Did any of you move the box of colour flashing contact lenses?"

"No. Why would we?"

"That's what I thought. Plus I don't remember it being moved. So how come it has."

Last time we had left the storeroom the box had been perched on top of a pile near to the entrance. Now it was sat on top of a shallower pile near the list of pranksters.

"It's scuffed!" Lucy cried

We turned to look at her. She was staring at the list of old Pranksters.

"There, see."

There was a strange mark all down the right side of the plaque. Gregory leaned forward and drew his finger along it. Everywhere his finger went the plaque became clean again. Gregory put his finger in his mouth and tasted it.

"Custard."

"Snape can't have come here!" Lucy cried suddenly. "This is only for pranksters and if he was one he'd have a better sense of humour than he does. Plus his name isn't on the list."

"Maybe it's someone else," I suggested, doubting my own words. "If we found it someone else could. Maybe there are some new pranksters around that haven't had a chance to pull a prank yet. And maybe they haven't worked out how to inscribe their names yet, that's why they wouldn't be on the list."

"That's impossible," said Lione. "We're the only ones who know how to get here."

"They could have found the paper," said Lucy. "We did."

"That," said Lione. "Is even more impossible."

"It's not that impossible, people have been finding that piece of paper for centuries. Someone else could easily find it. All they'd have to do is open the right book."

"No they wouldn't," said Lione. "Because... well... I don't know about Gregory but I've still got my half of the paper we found."

We hurried back to the common room under the invisibility cloak. As soon as we went through the hole Lione threw the cloak off and ran upstairs to the girl's dormitories.

"I didn't leave the door open," said Lucy. "So no one could have just wandered in without knowing how to get in to."

"Could one of the old pranksters be around? How do we know that when we came along there wasn't a prankster around already. You know, in seventh year or something."

"If they were in seventh year last year they would have left already," I pointed out.

"In sixth year then."

"No," said Lucy. "I know that list off by heart and none of the people before us are still around. And before you say anything, none of the teachers are on there either."

Lione came back down the stairs. She held up half the paper.

"This is weirder than we thought." She held up the other half of the paper. "Both halves haven't been touched since we found the place."

Little Grey cells

We sat through all our classes the next day in a daze. I think I was less shocked then the others because I don't exactly take it as seriously as they do. For Lione this was her life. I think she felt like something that was especially for her, and us, had been intruded upon and something sacred had been destroyed. Gregory always thought of himself as one in a line of pranksters. His Uncles weren't the only other Weasley Pranksters on the plaque and I think he always secretly thought of it as a Weasley only trade. The idea that someone else could be touching what was privately ours (we were allowed because we were his best friends so I suppose we were technically helping him. That's what I think he thought anyway) was terrible. For Lucy, whoever was in there had committed a most horrific crime. Lucy loved that plaque like anything and this person had ruined it by smudging it up. And they hadn't left their name down the bottom. For one who was obsessive about the list of pranksters, a rogue was not a good option.

I think I should place here that I was not very good at reading people, so if you're looking for completely accurate descriptions of Lione's, Gregory's and Lucy's psyche at that moment then don't take these. This was just what I thought was going on but, actually, for me it was quite good.

It was lunch and we had just come from Potions.

"I gotta go," said Lione, still putting things in to her bad and fastening it as we walked away.

She seemed to be in an unnatural hurry.

"Why?" asked Gregory. "It's lunch time. Food?"

Lione struggled in her bag again, pulled out some sandwiches and waved them at him. "There. Happy? I've got food, I will eat, but I've got to go."

"Where?" Gregory persisted.

"I've just... gotta go. I'll catch up with you later."

She darted off.

"What is up with her?" Gregory asked no one in particular.

"She's probably still angry about what you said at Quidditch try-outs," said Lucy conversationally. "She's been really distant these past few days."

"She can't still be angry," said Gregory. "Not after this long."

"It hasn't been that long," Lucy told him. "Girls hold grudges. Oh! Did you hear? Jane got the seeker position. You know, Jane Jordan from Slyth-"

"I think we all know which Jane you're talking about," I said.

"Yes well that means the commentator place is wide open."

"That's it then!" cried Gregory. "She must be taking commentating lessons."

"Lione's Mum owns a Quidditch grounds, I think she knows how to be a commentator. How hard can it be?"

"But she has been talking to McGonagall recently."

"I suppose she did hang back after Transfiguration the other day."

We sat entered the Great Hall for lunch and sat down at the Gryffindor table. After only five minutes Lucy jumped up to leave.

"Okay, I gotta go."

"Oh no you don't," said Gregory, pulling her back down. "I know exactly where you plan to go and I'm not letting you."

"I was just going to the library..." said Lucy innocently.

"Lucy," said Gregory sternly. "You know we can't risk going there in the middle of the day."

"What? The library?"

"The prankster room!"

"Oh there. Oh no, I wasn't going to go there."

"Then why have you got paper towels in your bag?"

"What paper towels?"

"You were going to clean the plaque!" I cried, finally realising what they were talking about.

"No I wasn't," said Lucy panicky.

"Then what are the Paper towels for?"

"Oh, all right, I was. But only because it's filthy! There's custard all over it."

"It's only one little spot," I said. "You can barely notice it."

"I notice it," said Lucy. "Come on guys, you know how much I love that thing."

"You've got to leave it there as evidence," said Gregory. "We need to know what it is and where it is to help us know why it is. There. It's a clue."

"But we know what it is!" cried Lucy desperately. "It's custard! It smells like custard, it tastes like custard."

I couldn't help noticing that some Gryffindors were looking at us and glancing at the pickle sandwiches with confusion.

"It's custard. Why do we need to leave it there?"

"I told you. It's a clue. We need to be able to gather all the clues together to solve this and we can't do that if you destroy the evidence."

"Let me guess," I said. "You've going to use your little grey cells."

Gregory and Lucy looked at me. "My what?"

"Your little grey cells. Your brain cells. That's what Poirot says. He's a Belgian detective from an old book."

They looked at me blankly.

"We're not detectives," said Lucy. "Exactly! We're not detectives, Gregory. We wouldn't know what to do with a clue unless we could blow it up."

Gregory seemed to think about this. "True, I suppose."

"Great." Lucy got to her feet. "I'll be off then."

Gregory pulled her down again. "Not so fast, you."

***

"You've got a friend in me,

You've got a friend in me! "

It was evening and we were in the common room doing our homework. Lione had vanished again after dinner. Melanie was singing and we were ignoring her, which was hard since people had started to join in and Lucy had started humming it under her breath. Lione came through the portrait hole. We had our backs to it, so didn't see it - but we could tell she had because Melanie (thankfully) stopped singing.

"Hey Leigh!" she cried.

"Hi, Melanie. Whatcha singing?"

"You've got a friend in me," Melanie replied.

Lione sat down opposite us. "From Toy story? Hi guys."

"Yeah. Do you know how to play it? Will you fetch your guitar?"

"Sorry, I don't."

"Oh."

Melanie wandered away.

"Where've you been?" Gregory demanded.

"I went to see McGonagall. She said that all applicants for the commentating job should go see her after dinner. I got it!"

"Where were you at lunch?" asked Gregory before Lucy and I could come in with 'Congratulations!'

"Somewhere," said Lione vaguely.

"Well somewhere wasn't with us. Where was somewhere?"

"Gees, you're turning in to my Dad."

"Really?"

"No, my Dad is less demanding. What's it to you, Greg?"

"I just wanna know. You weren't... you weren't with Robin Little were you?"

"No. And even if I was it'd be none of your business."

"I'd stay away from Little if I was you, I don't trust him."

"Just because we first met him right before the first vampire attack doesn't mean he's bad news."

"Well it's highly suspicious don't you think."

"You're not suspicious of Arry."

"Well I think someone with half a name isn't a danger. I happen to believe that only people with proper names can hurt you."

"Then you're an idiot!"

"I'm not the one being idiotic! You're the one hanging around with a boy you barely know anything about!"

They were slowly getting louder and people were beginning to turn and stare.

"You know even less about him and you think he's evil!"

"I'm just trying to watch out for one of my best friends."

"Well that's what I am! I'm one of your best friends. I'm not a puppy, you don't keep me on a lead all the time."

"At least then I might know where you were."

"It's none of your business where I was! Can you not even consider that I might have a life that doesn't concern you? Are you so self centred that you can't imagine me existing without your permission?"

"You're twisting my words! I'm not saying that at all. Maybe if you paid attention at all you wouldn't be putting yourself in danger all the time."

"Well I'm paying attention now, what do you have to say?"

She went silent and glared at him. Gregory took a deep breath and started speaking calmly and quietly. Well... more quietly then they had been speaking up to then.

"The only reason I want to know where you are is because I care about you and don't want to see you hurt. Now I think that Robin Little is bad news and I don't think you should be seeing him. And it would be nice to know where you were just in case you need any help at all. After all, every time you have done something in secret you've got in trouble. Remember the first time you went behind the mirror and nearly died?"

Lione stared at him looking shocked and angry. "How dare you throw that back in my face," she said to him in almost a whisper. "I'm still scared about what happened last year. And what about you? You would have done exactly the same thing."

"Yes but-"

"But what? But I'm a girl. Is that what you were going to say? This is all because I'm a girl? I am twice as good as you Gregory Weasley. You don't forget that."

***

That night I dreamed.

Everything was black and white like one of those old films and the old 'rescue' music was playing. Lione was in one of those long dresses tied to a railway track. Everything went black for a moment when the word Scream appeared. Gregory walked in wearing a very dodgy suit and an even stranger hat. It went black like before - except this time the message was "I'll save you because that's what I do". He untied Lione from the tracks. Suddenly a crowd of girls, lead by Lucy, rushed in dressed like the old ladies from Monty Python. They were all holding handbags, which they used to hit Gregory, round the head. Up came the words "You naughty boy!" The crowds disappeared leaving the scene of the railway track empty. Browen entered from the right dressed up as a bad guy from the old films. He had a top hat, cloak, cane and everything. He twiddled his thin moustache and the curtains came down.

***

I woke up with a start. Gregory, the only other person in the dormitory, stared at me.

"Is it normal to dream in subtitles?" I asked him.

"No," he replied.

"Ah."