Chapter 6: The prank

"Expecto Patronum!" Snape yelled, just then a doe flew out of his wand it walked towards the dementor and it disappeared. Snape put his wand away then bent down to pick up the unconscious Lucy, he legged it to the hospital wing and placed her down on one of the hospital beds.

"What happened Severus?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Dementor, made her faint" Snape rolled his eyes and just stood there annoyed.

Lucy came round after a couple of minutes and saw Snape glaring at her she sat up and stuck out her tongue, Snape shrugged and Lucy sighed. Just then Shona came running in.

"Hey Lucy! Oh man you come here so much it might as well be your second home!" Shona laughed and Lucy hissed at her.

After that Lucy jumped out of bed and made her way to Snape's quarters, she was miserable because she wouldn't be going to Hogsmede tomorrow.

*

Lucy sulked as she watched the Hogsmede people gather into their groups. She watched in disgust as Draco strutted off down the path with other students. Lucy let out a menacing growl.

"God is Snape giving you lessons on how to act like him?" Shona said from behind. Lucy jumped as the teenager walked slowly forward.

"I thought your dad might have let you go to Hogsmede" Lucy joked, Shona stared blankly at the people through the massive clock face.

"Mauderes map get you here? I use this place a lot when i'm being chased by cape man, your dad in other words" they both laughed "no my dad doesn't like magic, he said my grades are 'bad'" she put her hands up at the words. Shona laughed and looked at her wand.

"Nonsense! Your grades are good aren't they?"

"It's not because of my grades. My dad's a muggle, he doesn't agree with much of the wizardy stuff...I'm just happy to be at Hogwarts" Shona said wisely. Suddenly Shona winced.

"You okay?"

"Fine" Shona said quickly, clutching her head "headache"

They started to talk about  Hogsmede and how annoying Draco was until Shona stumbled onto the subject.

"That was an immense punch, the best bit was when you showed him your middle finger!"

"I enjoyed mashing the blond" Lucy remarked. Shona howled with laughter, then she began to tap a tune on the rail "have you got into any fights?"

"Yeah. Once"

"What happened?"

"Didn't agree with bully's. Nearly got expelled" Shona said casually

"Did you get expelled?"

"No" Shona said bluntly "he left his mark. I left mine. The school was pretty traumatised as well..." Shona yelled out in pain and held her head

"You alright?"

"Yeah, like I told you headache" Shona said wincing. Shona turned round suddenly to the side.

"There are people coming" she said quickly, Lucy saw Shona was going mad. She was just staring at the direction she had entered, waiting for something, concentrating hard. A couple of minuets later they saw shadow's approaching them "Snape and Stone!" Shona gasped.

Lucy rummaged in her bag for the invisibility cloak Harry let her borrow, while Shona decided to run around, turning over small bits of rubbish to hide under. Lucy threw books and parchment paper aside, looking for the cloak. The shadows had disappeared now and Lucy could see the feet and hands of the adults. Lucy increased her efforts, going over and over again until, at last she pulled out the invisibility cloak. She scurried under it just as the duo entered 'Shona!' Lucy thought.

'Free run' Shona thought as she ran at the vast clock face. Lucy looked in amazement as Shona jumped off the rail and onto the clock face! Shona scrambled for one of the hands and balanced herself on it.

"I have to say, Severus, I didn't know how many places were hidden away at Hogwarts" Jessica said amazed as they came around the corner. Lucy stayed still as they stood to look over the grounds. They were only a few inches away, standing in the railed hallway. Lucy turned to look at Shona, but she had gone...

"Well some of the places i remember from when I was here" Snape said. Lucy was shocked at the kindness in his voice "you can see all the grounds"

Lucy saw a figure climbing in the background, it was shona, trying to get higher ground, wasn't the clock high enough? Snape and Jessica carried on to talking about teaching and work as Shona ducked in and out of the view of the adults. Then Snape spoke oddly.

"I was wondering..." Snape quivered "would you like to see the quidditch match with me?"

Lucy gasped and Snape turned around quickly. This helped a shocked Shona to fall off the wall and onto the floor un noticed. Snape started to approach where Lucy was standing and Jessica followed.

"What was that?"

"It's not Peeves, that's for sure" Snape whispered to her. The celling was high and wooden and Lucy could see Shona climbing the roof. Shona watched as Snape etched closer to Lucy. Shona found a beam and stood on it quickly, then made a plan. She grabbed one of the chains and swung back to the clock. 'Now where are the cogs...' She thought.

"There's someone watching us Severus" Jessica said. Snape took out his wand...

'DONG!'

The clock struck three. The sound was deafening and Snape was caught off guard, both the adults walked outside and down the stairs and waited for the noise to stop. Shona swung down from the metal chain and laughed.

"Well it wasn't as bad as the fat lady" they both laughed as Lucy took off the invisibility cloak. They then heard the adults approach again. "Quick! There's a hole at the bottom of the clock  face!" Shona sprinted over and Lucy followed. Without even the slightest look of hesitation Shona went feet first through the hole, leaving Lucy to stumble through it. She noticed a window below and realised it opened up to the grounds. Lucy lowered herself and her feet hit the window, she stumbled and fell into the water below. She gasped as she rose out.

"how the hell did you manage to do that?" Shona said, trying to hide the hysteria in her voice. There was a fish wiggling on Lucy's head and Shona started to roll on the floor laughing. Lucy helped herself out and giggled at the fish flopping about on the floor. They looked up to see the snarling face of Snape as he took Jessica away.

"I have an idea" Shona said cunningly. She whispered it to Lucy and she giggled loudly "i'll go get Fred and George and you make the potion, we will attack next potions lesson" Shona bounded off which left Lucy t place the fish back in the water.

Next potions lesson came quickly for Lucy, who was beginning to get butterflies at the thought of what was about to happen. The class took their seats in the dungeons and Lucy looked up to the vent in one of the walls. To the naked eye no body could have seen the camera placed there hidden by the invisibility cloak. Snape strode in as he did and took the register.

"King" he said blankly

"Here"

"Granger"

"Here"

"McGuire" Snape moaned. When there was no answer he lifted his head "where is McGuire?"

"Ill" Lucy told him. Snape grunted and stabbed the initial in for not here and set to work. Lucy winked at Harry and he winked back. The excitement was unbearable...

"Now students today..." Snape droned.

"Now" Lucy muttered into a walkie talkie Shona had given her. She hoped this would work.

"Turn to page 25" Snape moaned "verse five songs 'Snape's a git'"  Snape stopped his mouth and the class laughed. He turned to Harry.

"What do you think your doing!" He yelled but then said "ten points from Slytherin!"

The class laughed and looked through their books. To their absolute amazement there lay a piece of parchment saying 'Snape's a git'. Snape looked pale as the class began to sing

"Oh go oh Snapey!"

"Unloyal and triTRUMPhant!"

"O go away, go away to hell"

"Oh come and laugh at him"

"Born the man of greasy hairness!"

"O come let us hex him! O come let us hex him! O come let us hex him!"

"Snape the git!"

"SHUT UP!" Snape yelled and the class stopped instantly. He rushed over to Harry and picked him up by the tie "I like you Harry Potter, can I join your fan club?"

The whole place blew up with howls and cheers as Snape retreated back to his desk. Lucy was enjoying every minute of Shona's torture for Snape. Snape stormed over to a cupboard and swung the doors open, he took out a bottle and grinned.

"This will stop the little pest" he grinned again "hey I grinned and the earth din't crack in two!"

The class didn't care if they got detention or not because this was like getting an early christmas. Snape took off the stopper of the vial and was going to ram the liquid down his throat... Only he couldn't, his mouth wouldn't open. The contents drenched him in the face and he wiped the liquid off of his eyes.

"I have news children" Snape said calming down. But before he could finish his voice spoke again "I am a woman"

"Who ever is using a contort potion stop!" He shouted at the celling. But no there was no answer. 'Finally!' He thought, it had worn off, the potion only lasts a couple of minutes, he then spoke to the babbling class. "Students!" He yelled, but they wouldn't die down. Then his voice spoke again.

"I will count to three, students" then the prankster butted in "there will not be a four..."

The muggle born witches and wizards laughed at the joke from die hard. The pure blood and half blood's chuckled at the red faced man.Snape couldn't take it any longer.

"Homework! You will write three pages on the evolution of the death potion" he waited for his voice to make a stupid comment, but none came. The students rose out of their seats. "May the force be with you!"

The muggle born's laughed even harder as they left the dungeons. Snape collapsed in his chair and looked at the register. McGuire.

*

Lucy and her friends ran to the Gryffindor common room, pushing past students and teachers alike. They opened the fat lady's frame by force and ran to the girls dormitory. They entered to see Shona, and portable TV on her suitcase and a ray of glasses beside her.

"Wizard pranking rules!" She said in Snape's voice. The crowd laughed at Shona's voice and rushed over.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron yelled and jumped up and down everywhere. Shona laughed in Snape's voice which made them all giggle.

"Now we know how Snape laughs!" Fred joked as he entered

"I don't get it" Ginny said confused "How'd you do that?"

Shona wriggled her fingers like a mad scientist and began to explain.

"Well Lucy stole some ingredients from Snape's cupboard and made what they call a 'contort potion'" Shona said, still speaking in Snape's voice, but in the most humorous way Shona would usually talk. Lucy pulled out her potions book and showed everyone it.

"It's easy enough to make but hard to keep out of the way of Snape's beady eyes" Lucy told them "I added a lengthening potion to it so it would last all lesson but Snape cut it short so Shona's voice will be like Snape's for a while..."

"We got Fred and George to smuggle us a mouthing potion from the stolen property of Mr Filch. Today I pretended to be ill and then took the potions just before lesson. So the potions worked in unison, I could say what I wanted through Snape's mouth. By using the contort potion I sounded like him and that led everyone to believe he was a women..." Shona joked. They all laughed but stopped when they heard footsteps approach.

"MCGUIRE!" Snape rushed in. Shona packed the stuff away and got into bed. Snape stormed in.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY VOICE!" He yelled at her. Shona looked shocked at the mad man.

"She isn't well" Harry said, remembering Shona sounded like Snape.

"And all her friends have come to see her? How touching...." He said sarcastically, he approached Lucy "come with me" he said sharply. He pulled her over and leant close to Shona "don't think this is the end McGuire, now excuse me Lucy's quidditch match is in an hour" he hissed at her face. Shona stayed calm as Lucy was dragged out and down to the dungeons. He turned into the classroom they had just been in and slammed the door. He stood close to Lucy and breathed the words in her face.

"Why did you do that?!?" Snape showed no remorse. Lucy shifted a little but Snape held her in her place 'you have embarrassed me in front of the whole class! Did you think it was wise to do such a thing? Just because you can't go to Hogsmede?" Lucy tried to push his grip off but Snape held her even tighter. Snape pulled her close that they were only a couple of centimetres apart.

"Tell me" he growled. Anger and hatred covered his face and Lucy was forced to look at the fury and frustration in Snape's black eyes. But there was sadness as well, hidden underneath the sharpness in his voice. Suddenly his voice spoke again.

"Now listen carefully, I shall say this once" Snape stared at Lucy as the words poured out of his mouth "it was not Lucy's idea to prank you Snape. Now mw and my friends advise you to let go of her before anything else happens" the threat disturbed Snape. He slowly put his arms down and listened carefully.

"We can see you through a muggle item called a camera. We hope you enjoyed your little prank Snape because there's more where that came from. If you cause any problems you'll be sure to hear from us soon, and since I have a little bit of potion left, I could ruin your date. If you apologise to Lucy we will not ruin your date"

"This is blackmail!" He shouted. It echoed and Shona waited for Snape to speak. Snape looked at Lucy and spoke the words softly "I'm sorry I shouldn't of blamed you so early. I don't blame you if you decide to tell Dumbledore..."

"Woah! That's enough! Ok Snape, i'll take the anti mouthing potion now. But remember, the pranks have only just begun..." Snape's mouth stopped moving and he felt his chest as he was given back full control. There was an odd silence until Lucy hugged him. Snape slowly put his arms around her and held her tight and spoke into her ear.

"Do you really forgive me?"

"Yeah, we all make mistakes" Lucy replied. Snape held her tighter and kissed her on the head. Snape let go and produced a smile. It wasn't a great smile, but it counted to Lucy. Snape took her hand and they walked to their room.