Mischievous-A Marauders Fanfic

9-The Slug Club Heist

Winter was now determinedly setting in, and one morning the Hogwarts students woke up to their castle dusted gently with a light coating of snow. This would have been lovely, if the fifth year Gryffindors hadn't had Herbology with the Slytherins first thing that morning.

They trudged down to the greenhouses, teeth chattering with the cold, to be greeted by an overly cheery and extremely muffled-up Professor Sprout, who informed them, to their dismay, that they would be spending the morning trimming the Devil's Snare patch she had been growing-outside.

"Am I really the only one who brought gloves?" Samantha asked disapprovingly, pulling hers out from inside her robes and slipping them on.

"Yes, you're the only one who brought gloves, Sammie" James muttered bitterly, his breath freezing in clouds as the seven friends traipsed from the warmth of the greenhouses back into the biting cold.

"Cos you're the only one bloody foresighted enough to do something like that, and by Merlin's knickers I hate you for it!" Sirius added grumpily, rubbing his own hands together to try and heat them up a little.

Samantha felt a little hurt, but was comforted by the fact that her hands were heating up nicely.

"Could we not set fire to something?" Halley asked, shivering and cuddling closer to Sephy, whom she was sharing body heat with by wrapping their robes together.

As Sprout clapped to get the class' s attention, James noticed Remus was particularly quiet that morning.

"What's up?" he murmured, guiding the young werewolf away from the others and towards the back of the group, who were being briefed by Professor Sprout on the do's and don'ts of Devil's Snare.

Again.

"The Process" Remus replied, when they were out of earshot of the rest of the class. "Sammie and I have to start brewing another potion in about a week's time. It's got to be ready for when your two-month deadline's up. Problem is, by next week, the Wampus tongue'll have gone off."

"So we need another one?" James presumed, biting his lip. Remus nodded.

"And quick."

James continued to bite his lip. They'd nearly been caught the last time. And Slughorn would get suspicious if they tried what they'd tried at the start of term again.

"Give me, Peppermint, Hal and Sirius a bit of thinking time" he told Remus. "Don't worry. We've got this."

He winked comfortingly at the young werewolf, and the two of them slunk back to the class, who were wrestling in vain with the Devil's Snare. Halley and Sirius in particular were struggling, as a strand of Snare had got itself twined around Halley's leg, and was refusing to let go.

"Come here" Remus sighed, pulling out his wand as the Snare tried to drag Halley towards its core. She squealed and fell practically on top of Sirius, who grabbed her round the waist and tried to pull her free.

"James, Peter, grab that coil. Sephy, Stun any tentacle that tries to grab them" Remus then ordered. "Sammie, once Halley's free, Stun that tentacle and let's trim it."

"Hurry up!" Sirius grunted, as Halley was now hanging around his neck for dear life, and both of them were steadily getting dragged towards the core of the Devil's Snare despite both of their efforts.

"Hal, are you even relaxing?" Sephy asked, eyes on the rest of the Snare.

"I'm trying!" Halley hissed back, sounding anything but relaxed.

"Lumos Solem!" Remus muttered, and a small spark of light blossomed from his wand tip. The Devil's Snare released Halley instantly, and Sirius scooped her up and hauled her free. Peter and James struggled to hold the writhing tentacle, but Samantha had Stunned it before it had the chance to escape them.