Before || A Marauders Era Story

Chapter Twelve: Remus

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had missed dinner while they'd gone to Hogsmeade to buy the candy for their prank, but none of them minded that much. They were still buzzing from the excitement of their little adventure. 

Once they were safely back in their dormitory, James pulled his invisibility cloak off them and stuffed it under his bed. "We have to make Snivellus get this, somehow."

"Just give it to him," Sirius said. Remus sat down on the floor, pulling his legs to his chest.

"Really?" he asked. "You think he'd willingly take candy from you? I think he'd be suspicious." 

"We could say it's a peace offering." Sirius suggested. 

"No, that's stupid," James said. "He tripped me and Peter in the corridor this morning, we don't want to offer him peace." 

"Yeah!" Peter agreed. 

"We could put his by his plate before breakfast." James suggested. 

"Yeah--wait. Where does he sit?" Sirius wondered. "Does he sit in the same spot every morning?"

"Right." James nodded. "We don't know that."

"Besides, it would be weird if he was only one who had sweets by his plate." Remus added.

"Oh, I know!" James said. "We can just slip it in his pocket when he walks past."

"We can do that!" Peter nodded.

"You think?" Remus asked.

"Yeah." James nodded.

"Me too." Sirius added.

"Me three." Peter said.

Remus shrugged. "Me four, I suppose. Let's just hope he doesn't wonder where it came from." 

"Eh, he'll just be glad he has candy." James said.

"Yeah, he definitely should be," Peter agreed. 

"It's a plan, then!" Sirius announced, rising dramatically to his feet. "We should all get our beauty sleep so we're prepared for tomorrow!" 

ϟϟϟ

"There he comes!" James hissed as they were on their way to charms class the next morning. "Can I have the candy, Remus?" 

Remus glanced at Snape, who was walking down the corridor in their direction, and nodded. He fished the wrapped sweet out of his pocket and pressed it into James's hand. James and Sirius picked up their pace, heading towards Snape. James accidentally bumped into him. Or, he pretended it was an accident. 

"Eh, sorry?" 

"Get out of my way, you prick!" Snape exclaimed, glaring at him. 

"You're in our way!" Sirius snapped, pointing over Snape's shoulder at the door to the charms classroom. "We have to be in there." 

Snape huffed, glaring at them, before running down the corridor and away from them. Lily Evans, who had been coming down the corridor as well, pushed angrily past James and headed into the classroom. James and Sirius stood waiting for Peter and Remus to catch up, grinning.

"I did it!" James exclaimed. "He's got the candy, next time we see him he'll probably be all colorful!" 

James was right.

As they ambled through the corridors during their fifteen minute break between Herbology and Potions, they caught sight of Snape, who did not look happy. 

His skin was also an unaturally bright red. 

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus exploded into laughter, trying (but failing) to keep quiet. Snape's skin began to change from red to green, then to blue, and then to purple. Lily stared at him, confused.

"Sev, what've you done?"

"N-nothing!" Snape looked mortified. "I didn't do anything! Why am I--?" 

"Let's go to the hospital wing," Lily interrupted him, grabbing his arm. They began making their way down the corridor, and Remus tugged on Sirius's sleeve so they could start heading away, but Remus's friends were so busy laughing and whispering they didn't notice Remus trying to get them to move. 

"Hey!" Snape said, pulling his arm out of Lily's grip and pushing past giggling students towards them. "I bet it was you! What were you thinking? Huh?" He balled his hand into a fist, lunging towards James.

"Woah!" James stopped laughing and scrambled away from him. "Hey! Stop!"

Snape ignored him, pulling out his wand and pointing it at them. "I--"

"Stop!" Lily stormed up to him, pushing his hand down. "You're going to get in trouble. Now, let's go--"

"Shut up!" Snape snapped. "Leave me alone!" He turned and stomped down the corridor angrily. Lily looked appalled for a moment, before glancing at the four boys and turning to leave.

"Evans--" James started to say but Lily narrowed her green eyes at him in an intimidating manner.

"What is your problem, Potter?" she hissed. "Leave my friend alone!" And she turned and walked away.

"Well, we got Snivellus, alright." Sirius said, shrugging. 

"Yeah, and we almost started a fight," Remus added. "C'mon, let's go, and hope Filch wasn't around." 

"Why did they immediately suspect us, anyways?" James asked.

"Yeah, we didn't really do anything before." Peter piped up. "But Snape kind of doesn't like you, does he?" 

Sirius snorted. "No, of course he doesn't like us. Did you see him just now? Well, doesn't matter. We don't like him, either."

"Good thing you didn't end up in Slytherin." James said.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. Remus was about to say they should head to Potions when they were approached by Filch, the caretaker. 

"Well," he started. "I have recently been notified that you gave Snape a prank candy and hexed 'im. That'll be twenty points from Gryffindor and a night of detention."

"What?" the four of them asked in unison.

"You heard me, didn't ya?" Filch grinned, an evil glint in his eye. "Detention's Wednesday night, come to my office, lads."

"Wait, but--We never hexed Snape, sir." James said, frowning.

"I'm quite sure you did, boy," Filch told him. "See you lads Wednesday."

"No way!" Sirius exclaimed as Filch began to shuffle away. "Hey, that's not fair! We never hexed anyone!"

Remus was baffled. Sirius was right--they hadn't. Sure, they had given Snape the candy, but they'd never hexed him. 

"Wait, we hexed Snape?" Peter asked, visibly confused. Remus patted his shoulder.

"No, we didn't." he said. Peter looked even more confused.

"But then... Huh?"

In Potions, everyone else was either congratulating the four of them for pranking Snape or ignoring them because they'd lost Gryffindor house points. Remus was pretty sure the Belladonna fluids Lily somehow got all over James' and Sirius's faces didn't get there by accident.

"Great, well, she hates us now." James muttered, wiping off his robes. Sirius chuckled, wringing the potions ingredient from his hair.

"Nah, she doesn't."