The New Marauders

The Water Prank

It was a bright, crisp afternoon in late spring, and the new Marauders were feeling particularly mischievous. After weeks of brainstorming, they had finally come up with the perfect prank to end the year on a high note. The Slytherins had been strutting around the school all term, especially Ethan Brookes and his gang, and the Marauders decided it was high time they were taken down a peg—harmlessly, of course.

James, Edward, Nate, Sam, and Luke stood hidden in an alcove near the Slytherin common room, glancing down the corridor as they prepared for the prank. Suspended invisibly above the hallway were several enchanted buckets of water, perfectly charmed to pour on the heads of anyone wearing Slytherin robes.

“Alright,” James whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Everything’s set. We just need to wait for them to come out.”

“Are you sure these charms will work?” Nate asked nervously, glancing up at the empty space where the buckets were hidden.

“Positive,” Edward grinned, checking his wand one last time. “They’re timed to drop as soon as the Slytherins walk underneath. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the show.”

Luke snickered. “This is going to be brilliant. I can’t wait to see Brookes drenched.”

They heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and the Marauders ducked further into their hiding spot. A group of Slytherins, led by Ethan Brookes, emerged from their common room, chatting loudly and completely unaware of what awaited them.

As soon as they walked beneath the buckets, the enchanted water did its job. With a sudden splash, freezing cold water poured down in torrents, soaking the entire group of Slytherins from head to toe. The Marauders watched in glee as Brookes and his friends yelped in surprise, shivering as the cold water drenched them.

“What the—!” Brookes spluttered, wiping water out of his eyes as the Slytherins scrambled to get out from under the downpour. His once-pristine green robes were now plastered to his body, completely soaked.

The corridor filled with laughter as the prank unfolded. The Marauders could barely contain themselves, watching Brookes’ face go from shock to fury.

“I’ll kill whoever did this!” Brookes shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.

“Totally worth it,” Sam whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

But just as they were about to retreat from their hiding spot, they heard a familiar, stern voice from behind them.

“And what exactly do you boys think you’re doing?”

The Marauders froze, their hearts sinking. They turned around to see Professor Weasley—Percy Weasley, Deputy Headmaster and James’ uncle—standing with his arms crossed, looking every bit as displeased as they feared.

James felt a knot of panic tighten in his stomach. “Uh… Professor Weasley! We were just—um—”

“Just setting up an elaborate prank to drench your fellow students, were you?” Percy’s eyebrow arched in disapproval, his gaze flicking up to where the buckets had been hanging.

Edward gulped. “It was all in good fun, sir. Nothing harmful.”

“Good fun?” Percy’s voice was sharp. “Soaking your fellow students with freezing water is what you call good fun?”

Luke tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably, the laughter still bubbling up from the prank. “It was just—uh—an end-of-term joke, Professor.”

“Joke or not,” Percy said firmly, “you five should know better than this. Especially you, James. What would your father say?”

James winced at the mention of his dad, but he knew better than to argue with Uncle Percy when he was in serious mode. “We didn’t mean for it to get out of hand…”

Percy let out a deep sigh, clearly exasperated. “You’ll all be serving detention for this, I’m afraid. I won’t tolerate any pranks that disrupt the school or humiliate your classmates, no matter how harmless you think they are.”

The Marauders exchanged guilty glances. The prank had been worth it, but detention wasn’t exactly how they’d planned to end the day.

“But Professor—” Nate started to protest, but Percy held up a hand.

“No buts. Detention. All five of you. Tonight.”

James groaned inwardly. He could already imagine the lecture he’d get from his dad when word got back to him. “Yes, Professor,” he muttered.

Satisfied with their response, Percy gave a curt nod and started to walk away. “I expect to see you all in my office after dinner,” he said over his shoulder. “And no more pranks for the rest of the term.”

Once Percy was out of earshot, the Marauders turned to each other, trying to suppress their laughter despite the looming detention.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Edward muttered, though he was still grinning.

James shook his head, sighing. “Detention with Uncle Percy. Just great.”

Luke slapped him on the back, smirking. “Worth it, though. Did you see Brookes’ face? Priceless.”

Nate chuckled. “Totally worth it.”

Even though they were facing an evening of detention, the Marauders couldn’t help but feel a sense of triumph. They may have been caught, but they’d pulled off a legendary prank—and in their eyes, that was more than worth a little time spent writing lines in Professor Weasley’s office.