Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been awed by James's Invisibility Cloak, amusing themselves as they took turns covering their body with it and leaving their head floating around, bursting with laughter each time.
James kept grinning, secretly having a sense of pride that his friends were finding his Cloak so fascinating. He always enjoyed every bit of attention that he could get, whether it was toward him or something that he owned.
"Wait a second," Sirius started after Peter took off the Cloak from around himself, handing it back to James, "isn't this the same Cloak Jenna asked you about?"
James grinned. "Yup."
"The same one your parents thought was stolen."
"Yup."
"And you had it all along."
"Yup." James sniggered.
"But your parents must be so worried, thinking that they've lost something as valuable as this!" said Remus. "You were the one who stole it!"
"This Cloak had always been rightfully mine, so technically, it doesn't count as stealing," James reasoned. "They were going to give it to me when I turned seventeen, anyway. I just decided to take it a few years earlier, that's all."
"Brilliant idea!" Sirius chimed in before Remus could get the chance to say anything. "What use will it have for you when you're of age? We need this now!"
"Agreed!" Peter nodded eagerly, still gushing over the texture of the silvery Cloak.
"My thoughts exactly," James told Sirius, his arrogant smirk returning to his lips. "Now. How about we give this beauty a test?"
The four boys glanced at each with mischief glimmering in their youthful gazes. And in that one look, they knew that they were all thinking the same thing.
It was after curfew when the four boys drew the cloak over themselves, all huddled tight against one another so the cloth would cover their feet as they sneaked out of the dormitory, into the common room, and out through the portrait hole.
Quiet with their steps, they made their way toward the Hogwarts' kitchen, not worried at all to run into a teacher or the grumpy caretaker, knowing that they wouldn't be seen either way.
After ordering sweets from the house elves, they pocketed the wrapped candies and snacks in their robes, hurrying back to the Gryffindor tower.
The hours dragged on and yet the four boys stayed awake the whole night, planning and plotting, eating sweets and laughing as they were all sitting in a circle on their dorm's floor with the candies piled up in the middle.
James had the large book which Remus had taken from the library on his lap, reading the instruction out loud for the potion they were planning on brewing tomorrow.
Peter was sitting cross-legged beside James, listening to him with his mouth slightly open. He couldn't understand half the things he was explaining about the potion, but he still wanted to feel included.
Sirius had placed his pillow on the floor as he laid there with his legs stretched up on the bed. Meanwhile, Remus had already had changed into his baggy pajamas, nibbling on the seventh chocolate of that night as he listened to James and Sirius going back and forth about the prank, coming up with newer and better ideas.
At the end of the night, exhausted from staying awake for so long and with their stomachs too full to move, the four of them fell asleep on the dorm's floor, excited for what awaited them.
***
Two days had passed since the Quidditch tryouts and the day on which Jenna had made it into the Gryffindor team. She had written a letter to her parents two nights ago, and still awaited their reply.
As always, Jenna was first to wake up in her dorm, so she took her time to take a long shower before getting dressed. By the time she got out of their shared bathroom, Lily and Alice were already up. Alice was combing her short hair while Lily was still struggling to wake Marlene.
Marlene didn't have the time to get ready properly that day because she had slept in and so they were running a bit late for breakfast. So she only put on her Hogwarts robes and left the dormitory with the other girls, her blonde hair a big mess.
"I loathe you sometimes, Potter." Marlene glared at her with envy as the four girls walked down the marble staircase and through the entrance hall.
"What's the reason this time?" Jenna asked with a grin that annoyed Marlene further.
"I hate how your hair's alway perfect!" Marlene said grumpily, pointing at her own messy blonde hair.
"I know, right?" Jenna flipped her long blue hair that came down to her waist in graceful waves. Marlene groaned, rolling her eyes.
Alice didn't seem to be listening as she was trying to walk on the lines that the floor's marble stones had created, humming her usual tune. Lily was poring over the class schedule which Professor McGonagall had given them on their first day, trying to see what classes they had that day.
"We have Herbology first," said Lily, still absorbed in the paper as they emerged into the Great Hall, walking between the tables and toward an empty space among the other Gryffindors. "Wonder what plants we'll learn about this year?"
"Don't care," said Marlene, dropping herself down on the seat and immediately taking off a toast from the large dish before them and taking a generous bite from it. "All my mind can think of right now is food."
"Wait a second," said Jenna, staring at Marlene in mock-surprise, "are you saying that you actually have a mind?"
Marlene's mouth was too full to answer her, but the resentful glare she gave her said it all, and so did the rude hand-gesture she made at Jenna.
"Marlene!" Lily scolded, holding Marlene's sleeve and forcefully lowering her arm.
Although their heads turned when they heard the sound of sneaky laughters and sniggers, coming from a few seats ahead of them. Looking over, they saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter there, turning to steal glances at the Slytherin table every once in a while.
Remus was doing a good job at containing himself as he put some scrabbled egg on his plate, meanwhile James and Sirius smirked with their eyes fixed on the Slytherin table. Peter was having a hard time controlling himself as he tried to muffle out the sound of his laughter by holding a hand over his mouth.
Lily frowned. "What are those four up to again?"
Before any of the other girls could get the chance to make a guess, Lily's questioned was answered when a scream erupted from the Slytherin table.
Everyone turned abruptly in their seats and craned their necks to get a better look, only to see that a girl with a pretty afro had shot to her feet, staring down at her hand in horror.
"What's going on?" Marlene asked in confusion, narrowing her eyes in hopes of seeing better.
But Alice, who had immediately realized what was wrong, clapped a hand over her mouth, gasping.
The Slytherin girl's hand was starting to grow great quantities of hair, covering every inch of her skin. The girl rolled her sleeves all the way up in a state of panic, seeing that the hair was growing on her arms as well. Even her legs, neck, and face were growing dark and thick hair that made her look like an gorilla.
But she wasn't the only person. One by one, the Slytherin students shrieked in horror as the ugly hair started to grow on their skin as well, from the first years to the seventh; Avery, Mulciber, Snape, and many others. Everyone started to panic.
As the other students pointed at them and laughed, the teachers immediately hurried forward, trying to see what was going on. They hurried the Slytherins out of the Great Hall, leading them up to the hospital wing.
But the loudest sound of laughter came from James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who were holding their stomachs and wiping away their tears of laughter.