Pranks, Full Moons, and Betrayals

Marauders Fic Ch. II

"What should we use?" wondered James once they were safely back in their dorm with Brains, Bones, and Gum. "What've we got that's reflective?"

"Well," began Remus, casting searching eyes around at their possessions. "A mirror's the obvious option, of course. The problem I see with a window is that it's not as crisp as a mirror, but it's clearly harder to leave lying around."

"Bugger findability, or whatever you're talking about, Moony. We'll be careful is all. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to be thick enough to leave the mirror where someone like Bertha Jorkins can get at it!" Sirius protested. James' and Remus' eyes flicked almost unnoticeably towards Peter, but he didn't notice, and simply continued to stare eagerly at the tome.

"I think I've got a mirror somewhere. My mum likes me to keep my hair combed, but last Hogsmeade trip I got a self combing comb, so I don't need my mirror anymore," Peter offered enthusiastically, his pudgy face lighting up at the chance to do something helpful for once.

"Excellent. Could you fetch it, Wormtail?" On James' request, Peter hurried to his trunk. "And Moony, I believe you missed the Potions lesson a few weeks ago when we made the Reviving draft, which involves much armadillo bile, so you'd have more than the rest of us." Remus nodded obligingly, smiling a little at the reference to his full-moon related absence.

When the mirror and bile were collected, the four boys sat in a circle and placed the needed objects in the middle. Sirius opened the book, and explained the procedure.

"All we've got to do is spill a little bile on the mirror, and recite the charm. There's some tricky wand-work here, but it should be manageable." He, James, and Peter watched impatiently as Remus dripped some green-yellow bile on the pristine surface of the mirror, and it spread with a faint sizzle. Peter looked apprehensively at the noxious fumes rising from his mirror, but kept silent as James, eyes not on the mirror but on the book, flicked his wand and muttered "Vederetu."

Immediately, the mirror went from sleek silver to a cool green color, glinting from the midafternoon sun streaming through the dormitory window. They stared at it, not sure what to do next.

"I want to get something on Snape, damn it! There's no point in doing clever spell work just so we can spend the afternoon staring at a green mirror," Sirius complained insistently. He reached for his wand.

Remus, still the prefect, held out a hand. "We should test it first, on a thing, or an animal. For all we know, it allows us to see them--"

"Well, that is what we want, isn't it?"

"Being struck by lightning or some such thing," Remus finished. He put a hand out for the mirror, and Sirius grudgingly pushed it towards him.

"Do Mrs. Norris, at least. I'd love to see her get struck by lightning."

With an exasperated sigh followed by a raised eyebrow, Remus raised his wand. "Vederetu Mrs. Norris!"

And the mangy gray cat was prowling shiftily on the other side of the mirror. James let out his tense breath, and punched the air with glee. Sirius reclined languidly and watched the cat stalk along the corridor, occasionally poking the mirror to test the limits of its magic. Peter, who could hardly contain his excitement, dove for the mirror.

"I want to try! You never let me do anything." Seeing the worried looks the other three exchanged, he pouted. "I won't try a person."

"Well, we can't stop you..." James started.

"Yes you bloody well could," muttered Sirius angrily, but Peter had seized the glass, and tapped it with his remarkably stubby wand. "Vederetu Giant Squid!" To everyone's surprise, the Giant Squid appeared lethargically propelling itself under the ice that coated the lake.

"Do I get a turn now? Or are we going to look at every damn animal in the castle before you let me say Vederetu Snivellus?" whined Sirius as the others interestedly watched the Giant Squid squirt a mermaid with blue-black ink.

"Can I just try one thing?" asked James, uncharacteristically bashfully. "I just want to see--"

"Yeah, we know, whether Lily Evans is undressing. I promise you, Prongs, she's not. Give me mirror already!"

Relenting, James handed it over. However, the bitterness faded quickly as Sirius muttered "Vederetu Snape!" He, James, and Peter leaned over the surface eagerly, while Remus looked on, obviously trying to shake the guilt that he felt for not telling them off, even with his prefect's badge. However, shortly, he was staring equally eagerly at the thin form reflected in the mirror.

Snape was sitting dejectedly with a Slytherin seventh year called Lucius Malfoy, and they were surrounded by empty butterbeer bottles.

"Stupid fool. Want's to get drunk, should get himself some firewhiskey," muttered Sirius, but the others shushed him.

"You see, it's not that she doesn't like me, I think, just that she doesn't want to be seen with a fecking Slytherin. I'm too greasy." Snape's cynical laugh echoed tinnily around the Gryffindor dorm.

"She's a Mudblood, Severus. And, offence intended, you're not what I'd call desirable," drawled Malfoy, sipping delicately from a butterbeer and smoothing his silver-blond hair. This action seemed to Sirius to be a taunt to Snape, who's already grungy black hair was more bedraggled and matted than usual.

"I know she's a Mudblood! That's why it's so disgraceful, but so tempting. My father would hate it." Even in the miniature reflection version, Snape shivered visibly.

"I wonder why he's so afraid of his father?" James pondered aloud, but the other three shushed him.

"She always defends me... I suppose she might like me a little bit," Snape hiccoughed hopefully, but Malfoy smirked.

"Severus, that red-headed bitch doesn't care about you. She just cares about showing Potter that she's too good for him."

James started angrily. "Slytherin bastard! I'll string him from the Whomping Willow by his ankles, I will. Too good my--"

"Prongsie, calm yourself down. Who cares what a piece of Slytherin slime says anyway?" Remus examined the suave seventh year in the glass. "I believe, although I'm far from a gossip monger, that that particular piece of Slytherin slime is dating your lovely cousin Narcissa, Padfoot." He grinned at the pleased expression on Sirius's face.

"Ha! They deserve each other, those two do," he glowered.

James turned to Sirius, who was still holding Brains, Bones, and Gum. "This is sickening. How do you clear it?" As Sirius scanned the page for the answer, he went ghoulish, his paling face contrasting sharply with his dark hair. He looked up at the other three, his blue eyes atypically frightened.

"We've got to go talk to the person to stop the mirror."

Peter, who had been watching Snape and Malfoy quietly, not wanting to say the wrong thing, made a small noise that sounded remarkably like "Twibblemeep!"

"I could have phrased it a bit more eloquently, Wormy, but you've got it right," sighed Sirius. "This has put us in a rather buggered situation. We can either keep the mirror going forever until Prongs sneaks it out in the middle of the night, or we can go find Snivellus and tell him to shut his face."

"As tempting as that is, I somehow think it very unwise," Remus said, his face looking even more exhausted than usual.

"Like hell it's unwise! I'm going, if just to give Malfoy a good kick up the backside!" James stormed as he strode out of the dormitory.

Sirius followed without thinking, as he'd done so many times, and as James had done for him so many times. Looking aggravated, Remus exited also, shaking his head, but with a malicious glint in his brown eyes. And finally, Peter, looking positively petrified, started after his friends.