ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ʀᴀɪɴꜱ ☾ ʀᴇᴍᴜꜱ ʟᴜᴘɪɴ

I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost

Halloween at Hogwarts had always been the Marauders absolute favourite holiday — more than April Fools some daresay — especially when the 31st fell on a weekday and therefore everyone would be forced to cope with their antics. But, this years was especially exciting, the five teenagers positively shaking with anticipation.

Approximately four days ago, on the 26th of October, the full moon hit it's peak, completing the cycle for: James, Sirius, Peter and Jo to complete the next step of the Animagi process. Adding the mandrake leaf, and their hairs — along with a dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched... that Jo provided them all with, despite not refusing to reveal the process — and a chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth into their respective crystal phials.

With these hidden under a floorboard in one of the abandoned classrooms closest to the courtyard that led to the forbidden forest and James on Peter duty — making sure he got up to speak the incantation every dawn and dusk until the next lightning storm — they could pretty much focus on their annual Halloween fiasco. And as Remus' transformation had passed, boy did they go all out.

It all began with an idea Jo had after a conversation she had with Nearly-headless Nick while waiting for the boys to get out of a detention with Professor Flitwick — after accidentally hurtling a series of porcupine spikes onto his face. See, the poor ghost was complaining that the older students seemed to be bored of them, that they didn't find them interesting let alone scary, and most of the ghosts were at a loss because they thought everyone enjoyed their Halloween performances during the feast.

That's when Jo had, as the muggles say, a light bulb moment — she was going get every single one of the Hogwarts ghosts, including Peeves, involved in this years Halloween prank. She could sense the chaos already, the tricks in every corner of the classroom, and so lying in bed with her charms textbook open on her pillow, Jo began brainstorming.

The Marauders had been sat in their dormitory, their self-proclaimed "council" meeting in full swing. It was the first proper gathering since Jo's newest prank proposal had come to light during Hogsmeade — one that left the boys both astounded and slightly miffed that they weren't immediately involved and that she had managed to plan it without their usual meddling.

"Right, gentlemen," Jo began, standing confidently in the centre of the room, parchment clutched in one hand, wand in the other. She tapped the parchment, which immediately enlarged and floated in the air. Her chaotic scribbles resembled some sort of ancient, cryptic map. "Prepare yourselves for genius."

Sirius, perched on his bed with a paper crown tilted haphazardly on his head, crossed his arms and sighed dramatically. "Finally! I've been waiting two weeks for this shit, and here we are, still clueless."

James nodded from the corner, mock-solemn. "Must be something big, good sir, or the council riots."

Jo ignored their theatrics and began pacing. "We're going to dye them."

The boys stared blankly. "Dye... what, exactly?" Remus finally asked, eyebrows raised.

"Patience, my dear Moony. All will be revealed." Jo flicked her wand, causing the parchment to shift, revealing a poorly drawn outline of what looked like a ghost. "You see, I've been doing extensive research on potions, powders, charms — everything. The plan? This Halloween, we're going to dye all the Hogwarts ghosts... to look like Muggle monsters."

There was a beat of silence. Sirius blinked, as if trying to process the absurdity. "All two hundred and thirteen of them?" Remus asked, incredulous.

"On the dot!" Jo grinned, her excitement bubbling over. "And before you ask how — because I know you're all dying to know — I've discovered that if you grind up unicorn bones into powder, it won't fall through a ghost's form. Combine that with a colour-changing charm, and voila! We can make them zombies, mummies, vampires, skeletons, the grim reaper, ghouls — even Frankenstein's monster — oh! Or the boogeyman!"