The Pettigrew Perspective

Chapter 7. Halloween 1971

As the school days continued into mid fall where the leaves outside started changing into beautiful colours Peter started being constantly reminded that Halloween was coming up.
Mostly by James, who said it was his favourite holiday because he got to dress up and get free candy. Not to mention the pranks. Sirius, who only celebrated Christmas and birthdays, had never even heard of Halloween and when James found he he looked like he could kick Sirius out of the group just for that, like it was his fault.

The rest of their friends all celebrated it the normal amount, dress up, go door to door asking for candy, say thank you and walk away.
James was appalled when he found out about nobody doing pranks. Even Marlene, who seems shy but actually seems to be quite the evil genius when it comes to pranks. Needless to say, James and Marlene get along amazingly. They also both like Quidditch to a point where it's almost religiously.

"What do we do though?" Asks James, for the millionth time, lying flat on his back, across the sofa facing the fireplace. His legs were lying on top of Peter and Mary, as they quietly discuss cameras. Peter has taken quite and interest to them.
Marlene was sitting on the ground, legs making a triangle shape with her knees and she was lying her back against the arm of the sofa with a soft hunch, near James's head, like she was doing a sit-up.
She had a piece of parchment lying against a text boom for transfiguration that was leaning against her legs, quill in her hand. She was muttering some stuff under her breathe. Peter could only tell because he saw her mouth moving and every now and again he would hear her voice say something unintelligibly.
Lily was leaning against the other arm of the sofa, crossed legged, reading a book, softly smiling to herself. Peter noticed that James hasn't hassled her yet. Most likely because he was too caught in thoughts and ideas of pranks to do.
Remus and Sirius were playing a game of exploding snap, with enchanted cards that explode if you don't hit them with another card that could also explode any second in time. But if you also place it too soon it explodes. These were old cards though that they found in a drawer of a random side table so they could explode from just touching them. They didn't hurt. It felt just a wee bit hot, in fact.
It was actually a pretty close game. They kept taking turns on who's winning.

"Marlssss," James groans, turning his head to look at Marlene, who only hummed in response, still very focused and locked in on her transfiguration essay. She was nibbling the end of her quill.
"Yk McGonagal loves me," James starts. Marlene glares at him.
"And?" She asks.
"Well I just get good grades in transfiguration," Jame shrugs to the best of his ability in his position.
"Where are you going with this James?" Marlene asks.
"If you help my figure out and plan the Halloween prank I will write your essay for you," he says, finally getting to the point.
Marlene very suddenly switches positions, know on her knees, eye level with James. Textbook parchment and quill beside.
"It will be higher than an Acceptable," she starts bargaining.
"Depends how well you do with helping me do the prank," James responds, matching her deal.
That was the thing about James, he was very good at matching energy. Peter admires that of him.
"Deal," Says Marlene, sticking out her hand. James promptly shakes it.
"When's it due?" James asks.
"Monday," she responds. It was currently Friday evening. Not too bad. Peter would do his essay on Sunday night.
"Ok so I have this weekend to write this essay and then the rest of the week to plan the prank," James recites under his breathe as Halloween took place not in two days but the next Sunday.

***

James kept to his word and finished that essay for Marlene the next morning and as promised by Marlene, they spent all their free time planning a prank on Halloween. James said it had to be a prank related to Halloween some way.

They thought about forcing people to dress up by charming their robes but that would be too much and too difficult of magic.
They also thought about doing that but to the staff but that would get the detention for at least a month, which James didn't mind too much, yet Marlene did.
Marlene, who was constantly keeping up with the Quidditch pitch, though you have to at least be in year two to join the team, figured out that there is a quidditch match that day (Hufflepuff vs Slytherin) so they decided to focus their prank on that.