Mischief Not Managed Yet

Chapter 6: Breakfast

23rd December 1998

It was a quiet morning in the castle, as always. The few Slytherins and Ravenclaws that were staying over the holidays were in the Great Hall already, having breakfast.

It was somehow a tradition to only use one table for the students and teachers when so few people were there, but Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall still felt uncomfortable and exchanged uneasy looks.

It was too quiet. Normally, the Christmas holidays were the loudest time at Hogwarts, no matter how many students went home.

But not this time.

Professor McGonagall wondered where the newly invocated ghosts and the Gryffindor siblings were. Sir Nicholas had told her and the other teachers about the plan of the Hogwarts ghosts, but so far, Professor McGonagall didn't sense a difference in the castle's atmosphere.

The headmistress even conjured new dormitories for each house, after the older ghost told her that the marauders weren't house ghosts and were supposed to be able to live in every house.
Professor McGonagall figured that the marauders had stayed in their Gryffindor dormitory over night, so she wondered where all the Gryffindors were.

She got an answer when the silence was replaced by screams in the distance and amused laughter approaching the Great Hall.

The teachers started to smile when they recognised the voices. And heard the laughter.
The seven students in the Great Hall all had the same confused expression on their faces and turned to look at the door of the room. Who on earth was being so loud?
Considering the fact that only two chairs at the table were empty, they knew that only two Gryffindors were left in the castle. But the laughter came from at least five people.

"Hey, damnit, we can't even tackle them!"
"But we can't either, so it's only fair! Stop whining!"

Professor McGonagall confusedly stared at the door of the Great Hall.
Merlin, what are they doing now?

The doors banged open and the Brant siblings entered the Great Hall, panting heavily, with huge grins on their faces. Oh, and Gwendolyn was giving Henry a piggy back ride.
"Ha! I told you we'd beat you," Henry shouted triumphantly when Remus (carrying James on his back) and Fred (carrying Sirius on his back) sprinted into the room after the siblings.

James scoffed and jumped off Remus' back. "Still doesn't mean it's a fair win! I didn't do any sport in about 17 years!"

"But I was the one running and carrying you," Remus dead panned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

James gave Remus a glare that clearly  asked 'whose side are you on?'

"And I", Fred spoke up, "Was only so slow because someone", he dropped Sirius and gave him an accusing glare, "kept pulling my hair!"

"Whimp," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Excu-"

"Doesn't matter," Gwendolyn interjected. "We won and you lost, deal with it." She had already set her brother down, and they gave each other a high five.

Then she turned to sit down between a Ravenclaw and an empty chair next to a Slytherin. Henry took the last seat, suddenly wondering why everything was dead silent.
Then he realised that everyone was staring at the four ghosts, who just stared back.

"Woooow Professor Sinistra, you got old!"

"It's very nice to see you again, too, Mr Black."

"Thank you!"

"I think that was sarcasm, Padfoot."
James turned to face everyone in the Great Hall. "Hello Professors, I'm sure you haven't missed us, but we're here anyway, so we might as well make the best of it, right?"

"Of course!" Professor Slughorn beamed, and a glint appeared in Professor Sprout's eyes.
He winked. "I think you four is exactly what the school needs at the moment, if you know what I mean."

Professor McGonagall sighed quietly. Horace had never been a very subtle person, although he begged to differ.

"I'm sorry, but what is going on?" A fourth year Ravenclaw boy dared to speak up. He gestured at the marauders. "Who are they? New ghosts? But how, and why?"

Mr Flitwick patiently laid his fork on the table and sighed before answering. "I'm afraid, we cannot answer every question of yours, Mr Jaspers. We only know one half of it, which is that these four men were students at the school, died and returned, even though their death has happened a while ago already. The other ghosts of the school have invocated them, I suppose they wanted some new companions."

Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance at that. Sure, that's why one invocates dead people that don't want to live.

Sirius opened his mouth to mutter a sarcastic remark, but Remus' warning glare stopped him. It was probably for the better, considering that the students weren't supposed to know that the new ghosts only existed to brighten the mood. That knowledge would probably only depress the students more.

Mr Jaspers still looked doubful, but didn't ask further questions.

"So they are just new ghosts? That's all?" A young Slytherin girl asked, her eyes traveling back and forth between the four ghosts and the teachers.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall answered with her usual thin lipped smile. "They are friendly ghosts, supposed to help every student in need. You can always approach them when you need someone, no matter what the problem or situation is. Like immortal prefects, in a way."

Remus tried his best not to flinch at that word. Immortal. Wasn't that exactly what he and the others didn't want to be? And now that word was used to describe their job and future?

Remus hated it.

James had similar thoughts. When he glanced left, he saw Remus' stiff posture and gave his best not to sigh. They couldn't live like this. Not for all of eternity. He had to do something.

"They have dormitories in every house, so everyone can build a relationship and friendship with them, no matter your house," Professor McGonagall continued, and James was surprised. He did not know or expect that. But, thinking about it, it was a good idea.
House boundaries was the exact opposite of what the students of Hogwarts needed at the moment.

"I have an idea," James exclaimed, at the exact moment Fred grabbed a slice of toast- or tried to, at least.
His smile faded when his hands only glided through the food.

Fred put his hand behind his back and tried to regain his posture with as much dignity as possible, as if he didn't feel as if someone had just twisted a knife in his chest. He looked at James expectively, curious as of what the idea of Harry's father was, and trying to forget his own sadness and frustration.

"We obviously don't know a lot about one another, and I want that to change. It seems pretty easy, considering we're only thirteen people. So how about we all meet in a comfy empty classroom at twelve pm, and get to know each other? We'll tell you which room we chose after you've had breakfast, alright?"

Noone replied. Instead, everyone just looked at James with a curious but somehow still blank expression.
No one complained, and the teachers seemed to like the idea as well, if James interpreted their approving looks right. Professor Fliwick gave him an encouraging smile, nodding slightly.

"I take that as a yes," James said quietly, with a last glance at everybody. He nodded towards the teachers with a polite smile and then faced his friends, who were already looking at him.
"Let's go!"