Mischief (Marauders and Friends)

[Sirius Black]

Sirius broke into a wide grin at this. James wasn't going to let Lily's presence prevent him from having a little fun with their greasy-haired friend. "All right," Sirius said, giving his friend a punch on the arm. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

He glanced over at Snivellus again with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hmmm. I think the subtle approach is best. If we just push him in, there are too many witnesses to get us in trouble." He paused and gave a meaningful nod in Lily's direction.

"If we use magical means, it might look more like an accident, and they won't be able to prove we did anything."

[James Potter]

"When have I turned down the chance to mess with our greasy-haired friend," James asked with a grin. So what if Lily was there? She would yell at him for something anyway so why not do something that would probably deserve a yelling from?

"Like I said we could do that spell from that joke book, or we could do a trip jinx. That would be funny. Seeing Snivellus trip into the lake." He gave a laugh. "That would make my day I think. What do you say? Snivellus just happens to trip into the lake?"

[Sirius Black]

Sirius smiled. “I like it,” he replied, rubbing his chin. The action probably would have been more impressive if he’d been old enough to have a beard, but it still made him feel like some kind of evil mastermind.

“It’s sheer elegance in its simplicity. I mean, trying to trace a trip jinx to us would be pretty hard, don’t you think? He could trip easily enough on his own. I bet there are some little rocks and things down by the lake. And it’s probably slippery, too, he might get muddy.”

[James Potter]

"It would be hard to trace a trip jinx to us. Of course we might get blamed for it but its really not our fault of poor Snivellus just so happens to take a trip into the lake. We don't have any witnesses that would go against us. Evans has her nose in a book so that is pretty much the only person that would probably turn against us. She will not be paying attention so all the more reason to do it."

James grinned. "We'll probably get yelled at but what's new?" He gave a laugh. Sometimes James would pull pranks just to get Lily to yell at him that way she was paying some kind of attention to him. "Should you do the honors of tripping our greasy haired friend into the water?"

[Lily Evans]

Lily was sitting a short distance away, her nose still buried in her book. She heard voices, but 2was too far away to hear what they were talking about. But a familiar-sounding laugh made her look up, and for just a single moment, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. James was there, with Sirius and another girl. Why was it that she always felt warm when James was around? She hated that. He was such an arrogant prat, with all his pranks. But sometimes.... no. No, she would not allow herself to think that way.

She was staring just a little too long, but somehow, she couldn't make herself look away. Why couldn't he just be a nice guy? Why did he have to pull pranks and laugh too loud and act like he was better than everyone else?

[Brynn De Luca]

As the boys plotted thier prank against Severus, Brynn hung back a little bit. She didn't mnd all too much if the boys were just being playful, as long as no one got hurt. But she didn't really participate either. It was more of James and Sirius's thing. So she'd just watch, entertianed by the two of them until the others came anyway.

Not too far away, Brynn saw that Lily had looked up from her book and Brynn smiled at her before turning back to James and Sirius. She wondered if the boys' prank would be impeded if they knew Lily was watching, or would James just act out more.

"Lily's watching," Brynn said in her usual quiet voice.

[James Potter]

Brynn's voice caught James' attention and he looked in the direction of Lily. His smile faded a little bit. He stared back in Lily's direction and then he put on one of his smirks that he usually would give her. It was a longer stare but then he turned to Sirius, however, not before he winked in Lily's direction. James wasn't for certain if Lily saw him wink or not but that was alright. She had been caught staring at him and that made James feel even more self confident.

"With Lily watching, we could maybe add a little more flare? I mean, they still couldn't exactly pin point it on us but that doesn't mean we can't make a little more show of it."

[Sirius Black]

Sirius wanted to laugh at James, but somehow managed to hold back. Did he seriously think that Lily would be impressed if they made Severus do a backflip before he fell into the water? If she was going to be impressed by anyone in that scenario, it would more likely be Severus.

Still, it did sound kind of funny to Sirius, and he grinned in spite of himself. "Yeah, OK," he said. "Maybe he could sort of tumble head over heels into the water."

[James Potter]

James couldn't help it. Lily never responded to him when he was trying to be nice. He felt awkward trying his best to be nice to every one. So why should he try anymore? Robin liked him even if he pulled pranks on people, why couldn't Lily? Brynn didn't treat James like he was some sort of git. Of course he didn't think of Brynn in any other way but a friend, but still, she was a girl. No one else treated James like Lily did. Maybe that was why James liked her. He liked giving her a hard time and sort of aggravating her, that was for sure.

He knew Lily wasn't going to be impressed with their prank. She wasn't even impressed that he tried to act nice to people. Nothing could impress her, but James was determined to find out what he could do to impress her. However, until then he was going to continue to be himself.

"I think we should just let old Snivellus just trip and see what sort of tricks he pulls out on his own." James gave Sirius a grin.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius returned his friend's smile. Merlin, it was good to have James back to form. That whole "being nice to people" crap just wasn't working for him. Sirius, personally, thought James was wasting his time trying to impress Lily. Even if it had worked for him to quit the pranking and be nice to people, James wouldn't have been acting like himself. Better that Lily like him for who he really was, and not who he was pretending to be.

"I think that sounds like a good plan," Sirius agreed, watching as Snivellus walked ever closer to the water. He shook his head. "Merlin, he's just making it too easy for us. Do you want to do the honors, or should I?"

[James Potter]

He gave a wink. With Lily around, James didn't know what caused him to act out more than usual. His and Sirius' pranks were always on someone else because James would never dare to prank her. However, he didn't care if she saw the results of their pranks on someone else. Lily didn't really like him and he should face that but he couldn't and he wouldn't.

"I think I'll do it this time. You can slip someone that delicious new candy that has been discovered." James laughed and slipped his wand out, putting it to his side so that his wand was hid between him and Sirius. His gaze went to Severus as he pointed his wand toward him. With a loud whisper of the trip jinx, James swiftly moved his wrist as his wand remained hidden. He slipped his wand back into his robe as he watched the result of their prank.

[Severus Snape]

Severus had been trying to walk away from Potter's little gang discreetly when he was hit with a spell. I was sad to say that the normally innocent pebbles of the lake shore were just slick enough with water and mud that strong trip jinx that hit him just so, made him fly backwards into the cold lake.
Severus opened his mouth in shock and pain as his rear end scrapped against stones hidden just beneath the lake's surface, his open mouth however also let in a gush of lake water. He began to thrash wildly to find a purchase for his feet, to stand even in waist deep water.
When he finally did find his feet, he felt himself gagging on water, coughing and sputtering. Every article of heavy wool and cotton clothing sticking to his thin frame with water and his fine hair plastered with mud to his scalp.
He knew who had done it, so he reached for his wand blindly in his wet robe and cast wingardium leviosa on James Potter to direct him toward the lake, he muttered under breath "If you wanted to swim Potter, you should of just asked!"

[Lily Evans]

When James glanced over at her and winked, Lily set her jaw and held the book over her face, trying to pretend that she hadn't been staring at him. Why had she done that? It was such a stupid thing to do. It wasn't like she liked him or anything. Right?

She was so busy trying to studiously ignore James that she didn't realize what was going on until she heard the loud splashing sound from the lake. Immediately, she dropped her book to see poor Severus Snape flailing around in the water. And James and Sirius.... they were snickering guiltily.

Lily jumped to her feet, and was torn for a moment between running over to help Severus and running over to yell at James and Sirius. But the decision was made for her rather quickly, as James suddenly began to levitate into the air. She ran to the lake to see if she could help.

[Severus Snape]

Severus could of whooped in victory just as seeing James start to float in the air. The shock of the fall and water in his lungs was starting to wear off however, and he felt his teeth begin to chatter.
He thought for a moment that his concentration was going to slip, but he tightened his grip on his wand and forced his jaw to stop chattering so much, but he couldn't move out of the water, it took just that much to get his grip steady on his wand.
The thought did flash across his mind that maybe he was wrong and that it might of been Sirius that jinxed him, but one was just as good as the other.

[James Potter]

James couldn't help but start laughing when Severus tripped and fell right into the lake. He would give Severus a 10 for his form on entering the water. Naturally, he expected Lily to rush over and yell at them for causing Severus to fall into the lake. However, the next thing James knew, his feet weren't on the ground anymore. He was floating up in the air, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He saw Lily heading toward the lake, and he had an idea that that was where he was going too. James knew that he would laugh it off if he hit the water. Part of him wondered if Sirius would do anything to help him out or just stand back there and watch amusedly.

The only thing that James could do, was wait to be dropped, wherever Severus decided to drop him. This also made James think that Severus had more of a back bone toward him than before. He was finally fighting back, but the action was only adding fuel to the fire and James knew that he would come back with something else for Severus soon.

[Severus Snape]

*had to change the whenever, sorry!*

Severus floated James toward the lake, aiming for water that was just as deep as he was in or even a bit deeper, it was very hard to tell the depth when it wasn't very clear to begin with.
As Severus cut the spell that was holding James suspended in the air, he started to wade toward the edge of the lake. His feet slipped
on stones hidden under the murky water or at least what he thought was a stone. Severus hadn't realized that the black lake had a few Grindylows in its population of magical water life besides Herbert, the Giant Squid. The angry creature wrapped its fingers around Snape's ankle and began to drag him toward deeper water. Severus splashed back into the water in surprise as he felt his ankle gripped in an unknown hand.
He re-acted like a cat and clawed and sputtered to the surface.
"Argh! stupid Potter!" he yelled as he saw straight again.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius was laughing so hard that he could hardly see straight. Even when James was suspended in to the air and levitated toward the lake, Sirius couldn't seem to stop laughing. In fact, he might have even started laughing harder.

But finally he was able to pull himself out of it and he took an assessment of the situation. Lily was standing there by the lake, trying to help Severus, who seemed like he was being dragged out further. Meanwhile, the spell that had held James over the lake was broken, causing James to plummet into the water below. Sirius choked back a few more laughs, then got up and ran toward the water, trying to think of a way to help James.

[Lily Evans]

Lily watched in horror as something seemed to be dragging Severus into the lake. At the same time, James was plunged into the lake as well, and Lily let out a little scream. There was a part of her--however angry she was at James--that wanted to help him. Yes, he probably deserved it, and he was a bullying git... but she didn't want him to get hurt, either. But Sirius ran up and tried to help James, so Lily turned her attention to Severus.

"Is it a grindylow?" she called to the Slytherin boy as she kicked off her shoes and socks and began to wade into the water after him. "All you have to do is break their grip, you know.... their fingers are really weak. I read it in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them..."

[Severus Snape]

Severus was quickly running out of the extra burst of energy that being terrified affords most people, He heard Lily and would of shouted a thank you or even a nod, but he managed to get a breath before he went back under the water. he opened his eyes to the sting of water and saw the nasty creature at his ankle. With one well aimed kick at it's bony hand it released him. He looked up and thought maybe he wasn't so far from the surface. He made an effort to swim but the lack of air made him weaker and his clothing was so heavy.
Then without much warning something larger than a grindylow wrapped around Severus's waist. He opened his mouth to scream, but only got a mouthful of lake water. He was surprised to feel himself heading toward the surface with greater speed than before and he managed to cough out a large amount of water with a painful sounding hack.
Before he knew it, he was being set down on the lake shore, not far from where he fell in. He was dazed and confused. he coughed again and turned to see one long reddish tentacle seemingly waving at him as it went back down into the water.
he coughed again, spitting as he sat back on his rear end in sopping wet clothing. He'd gladly drop whole loves of bread for Herbert the next time he knicked food from the kitchens.

[James Potter]

As much as James played tricks on other people, he never meant to seriously harm them. He couldn't pay that much attention to what was going on with Severus because he hit the water with a splash. The water was rather cold, but James broke the surface and tried to swim his way to the shore. He wasn't the best swimmer in the world, but he could hold his own in the water.

If James had really known exactly what happened to Severus, he would have felt horrible about it. After all, it wasn't his intention of really hurting anyone. He had a feeling that he might be getting an ear full of what happened soon.

Spotting Sirius, James headed toward him to return to shore.