EDITED BY: Bunny T AND Orlaith

It was 5:18 in the morning, and a boy lay awake on his bed. He sighed and stared at the ceiling above. Sirius Black was bored, and he couldn’t do anything about it. He wondered why he had agreed to Harry's proposal; Why had he agreed to stay quiet until breakfast time? Sirius grumbled and contemplated on what he ought to do for the next few hours. He pulled the curtains of his bunk aside, and was surprised to see a single sheet of paper by his bureau. His eyes searched the room; it seemed that all his roommates received a similar note. He shrugged and began to read the contents of the note:

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

North, South, East and West

Earth, Air, Fire and Water

In Nature United but Diversified

Such power within them personified

Beware of them my friends and colleagues, beware.

The horses of darkness are the symbol they share

The four dark horses of apocalypse and the serpent

All of them known to be powerful and extremely violent

The hidden Thestrals who restore to death those who escaped

The dark Unicorn ensures that violence and pain is your fate

The Hinoemas, in chaos and destruction do they revel

The Kelpies who tempt and betray at the highest level

Dark creatures, dark family

Stay away from them for the sake of your sanity

Our clan is nearly destroyed

Dark tricks and tactics the Blacks have employed.

This was written by Jordan Whithen back in the 16th century. The Blacks were strong then, and by the 1650's, the Whithens were completely wiped out. We foolishly ignored their warnings. We let ourselves be blinded by the glamour and regality of the Blacks. We ignored evidences that had strongly linked the Blacks to Grindlewald. We therefore allowed the Blacks to once again betray, bring about death, pain, and destruction in the War with You-Know-Who. Never Again! For we now know the true nature of the Blacks.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sirius bit his lower lip, and stared at the pamphlet. He had thought that he had overcome all the prejudices ... well, at least in his house... but, he could no longer deny the fact: people would always hate him because of his name. He stared at the closed curtains that surrounded the bunks of his sleeping roommates and dreaded what was to come. He stood up and decided to go find another place to be alone and wallow in his misery.

The school was empty at this time of the morning; Sirius found solace on a covered bridge way between two of the school's many towers. Large arch-shaped windows covered every four feet of this stone bridge way and allowed the sunlight to spread its warmth onto the whole corridor. Sirius Black sat on one of the window ledges, but the sun did nothing to warm the coldness he felt in his heart. He stared at the glistening lake below and smiled slightly at the sight of a black horse galloping freely by the distant shore.

Some distance away, Remus Lupin also watched the lake; he frowned at the sight before him, closed the windows, and turned to leave his room. He would be a bit too early for the faculty meeting, but he believed that the headmaster should be informed immediately of this dire news. Remus, however, chanced upon a sad looking boy who sat on the window ledge.

“Morning, Sirius.”

The boy looked up, startled that someone would be strolling by this area of the castle at this hour of the morning. “Professor Lupin?”

Remus Lupin gave the boy concerned look, “Is anything the matter? Did you and Mr. Potter have another disagreement?”

Sirius shook his head and continued to stare at the lake below.

Remus sighed and took a seat on the window ledge, opposite to Sirius.

"When I first went to Hogwarts I was afraid to make friends I thought I didn’t deserve them, because of my ... uhm... condition. And when I finally did, I was afraid that they would abandon and despise me should they find out the truth about my condition ..."

Sirius looked to his left and stared at the History Professor.

“But they accepted me, they accepted even the darker parts of my lineage. I could never ask for better friends. True friends will accept you for the whole of you.”

Sirius closed his eyes, pulled out the piece of paper, and waved his wand as it floated towards the perceptive Professor. Remus took the paper, and read its content.

Across from him, Sirius continued to stare at the waters below, “I befriended a kelpie yesterday. I'm not even afraid of him, and I now wear a symbol of that friendship. Does the fact that I got along with a dark creature, mean that I’m a dark wizard? And what if darkness is truly in my blood?”

Remus frowned, for the kelpie was the reason he had wished to seek the headmaster. He watched the boy at the opposite side of him; memories of the words uttered long ago by another messy haired boy, one who dared to maintain a friendship with him. The brave lad had fully known about Remus' condition, yet he was not afraid. That boy was gone now, but Remus found warmth and strength as he repeated the words the boy had spoken. It felt as though the past seamlessly blended to the present.

"Someone once told me that people fear what they don't understand. Creatures that evade our present understanding are immediately labeled as dark. Dark Creatures are merely some of the most misunderstood creatures of all. It's a pity that no one is willing to make an effort to truly find out the nobility shrouded under all those prejudice. As for your other concern, trust me, dark wizards are not determined by their blood, but by the choices they make. History shows us that the most dangerous and the darkest wizards can even come from families known to serve the light."

Sirius turned his head towards the older man, "Who said that?"

Remus smiled sadly, "An old friend of mine." He stared upon the horizon as he remembered James Potter.

"So Seidon and his kind are most likely just misunderstood, because people gave too much credit to myths and old wives tales. Moreover, I shouldn’t really care about what ignorant people think of me.” He cocked his head and gave his professor a small smile.

“Seidon?”

Sirius explained as he pointed to the lake below, “He’s a kelpie. That’s him down there. Come on Professor Lupin, I'm sure he'd like to meet you.” His eyes sparkled, and there was no trace of the loneliness and gloom that was evident, just a few minutes ago.

“Maybe later, right now I’m due for a faculty meeting.”

Sirius slumped back onto the ledge, disappointed.

Remus gave the boy a kind smile, “The meeting will be over by 8:30, and I’d be glad to meet Seidon after breakfast.”

Sirius’ eyes twinkled, and a mischievous smile lighted upon his face.

Remus shook his head, he was amazed at how quickly the boy changed his moods.

“Will Snivellus also be in that meeting?”

“Snivellus? Remus blinked, "Who's Snivellus?” he asked.

Sirius realized what he had let slip, and bit his lower lip, “Ummm...I meant Professor Snape.” He closed his eyes and prayed that he did not put himself in any trouble.

Remus chuckled. "Yes Professor Severus Snape will also be in that meeting. But I should warn you, after that unfortunate incident with the blue feathers, he now locks the potions dungeon room. That room is further protected by a Bubonic Ward."

“A Bubonic Ward?”

“Turns the skin black and bloated, I hear that it can also be quite itchy,” Remus explained.

Sirius stared, “Is he allowed to do that?” His surprise evident from his voice.

“Unfortunately, yes. He should, after all safeguard the potion ingredients in that dungeon. However, there's no need to worry about the ward causing irreparable damage. Madame Pomfrey has already prepared the cures and has them at hand. The dear lady however, is very much against Professor Snape's extreme methods."

Sirius smiled, he had heard plenty about the nurse's over protective manner when it came to Hogwart's students, "I'll bet she told him off good."

Remus Lupin chucked at the memory, "If I remember correctly, her exact words were 'I hope that ward of yours hits you before it does any of our students!' I’ll see you later, Mr. Black.”

Professor Lupin stood up and left. Sirius watched the lake below as his kelpie friend frolicked by the waters. A wicked smile crossed his face, for Sirius Black was once again 'up to no good'.

-0-

Sirius had just used the Summoning Charm to send for his Zonko's professional set. He grinned and began to pick out the items of his choice. Beside him a black stallion cocked its head in bemusement. Sirius grinned, "All set. Don't forget to re-open the portal after 20 minutes."

The horse changed to his human form and shook his head. “I still don’t see the point for all this.”

Sirius patiently explained, “The points are: First, Snivellus is a git and second, pranking is fun.”

The kelpie narrowed his eyes, for he sensed two people headed their way, "A pair of humans are coming."

Sirius turned around and grinned, for the ones Seidon had sensed, were none other than the Weasley twins

“Hey Sirius, we saw your Zonko set fly out of the room.”

“Figured you’re up to something.”

“Quite rude of you not to invite us to join your fun.”

“Who’s your friend?”

The kelpie, in human form stared at the two red haired boys suspiciously. The twins in turn, raised their eyebrows at the stranger’s unfriendly manner.

Sirius placed his arm around the taller dark haired boy by his side, “Relax Seidon, these are friends of mine." He gestured towards the general direction of the two red-haired boys, "may I introduce Fred and George Weasley, my fellow pranksters. Fred and George this is Seidon, a noble creature who now guards this lake.”

The kelpie lifted his chin and smiled for he liked Sirius’ description. “A pleasure to meet the two of you. Friends of Sirius are welcome to join us.”

“Creature?” The twins stared at the boy in front of them in bewilderment, for the boy looked perfectly normal.

“I’m a kelpie.”

Fred and George's jaws dropped in surprise.

Sirius smiled, “I’ll explain later, right now Seidon’s going to help us enter the Potions Dungeon, despite the wards that a certain large nosed git placed onto the doors and windows.” He motioned the twins to come closer towards the lake shore.

The kelpie gave the three a thoughtful look. “Mind if I watch, while you go about this human ritual?”

“But I thought you can’t keep the portal open for over a minute, and that you won’t be able to open another one without a body of water nearby.”

The kelpie walked towards the lake and swirled his finger into the clear blue waters.

Sirius was surprised to see a view of the dungeons, he looked at the kelpie in awe. “That’s a totally rad spying pool.”

“Kelpies do not spy. This trick is mostly used for us to get a good view of our destination before we jump in. It’s important to look before you jump, especially when it comes to portal traveling.” Seidon tossed his head back indignantly.

“Seidon my friend, it seems you still have a lot to learn on how to have fun.” Fred shook his head at the kelpie.

The kelpie ignored him and changed back into a stallion, he trotted further into the lake. The horse reared back and made a huge splash on the water. The water flew upwards and started to swirl, the whirling waters cleared a bit and revealed the potions room. Sirius grinned and jumped into the portal, the twins followed closely behind.

-0-

A dark haired man with a slightly hooked nose glared angrily at the sandy haired one across from him, “That is a preposterous idea Lupin! I would have thought that you’d know better than to listen to a foolish boy," he sneered, "Those creatures are not to be trusted.”

Remus Lupin sighed for he had expected this reaction, “Severus, historically speaking, nothing good has ever come about whenever there was an attempt to drive a kelpie away from its chosen habitat. When threatened, those creatures are known to turn to malice, and they will lash out to all, regardless of age, sex and disposition. We cannot afford that. We would be putting the students in danger.”

Severus Snape growled, “Those creatures do not need incentive to turn to malice. Why do you think they're referred to as 'Dark Creatures'?" dark eyes glinted maliciously, "Then again you're also ...”

Minerva McGonagall stood up to interrupt, “Kelpies are magical creatures that are often categorized as dark creatures. Remus has a point. Most kelpies will not act against human beings until provoked." She sighed, "But the problem is, we know not what provokes these creatures."

"We should however note, that there are plenty of Muggle settlementsthat haveremained unharmed, despite sharing a lake with a kelpie. We have the means to arrange an understanding with the creature, I believe we should take it. This is by far the most peaceful way to handle the situation," Remus argued.

The Deputy Head Mistress frowned, Although she saw the History Professor's point, there was one detail in his plan that she was not comfortable with. "However, I don’t feel it unnecessary to involve the child. Sirius Black, may be an annoyance that I would personally wish to be rid of, but I can not willingly throw him into the middle of a dangerous situation.”

Filius Flitwick's voiced his agreement, “That child is definitely brilliant, although he is not a mere annoyance; he is a major annoyance. I swear even James Potter was never this much trouble.” His brows furrowed as he thought about the troublesome pest.

Most of the faculty members nodded in agreement.

Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Gentlemen, ladies, we are straying from the topic. Unfortunately Minerva, kelpies are suspicious by nature, and Sirius is our best chance to make the creature listen. Professor Lupin has already discovered that the boy has befriended this particular kelpie."

Snape glared darkly at the group, "This is a mistake." He crossed his arms and muttered, "Even the Dark Lord himself, does not wish to deal with those creatures. They're powerful, unpredictable and dangerous." He looked up and glared at no one in particular "What I want to know is: How did this creature get past the magical ward that has protected our lake from their kind? The ward that has served us well for so long."

Flitwick frowned as he thought about the ancient spell, "That ward should have prevented kelpies from seeing or sensing the lake, it is very likely that someone unwitting led the creature there," he paused to contemplate then added, "I suspect that someone had to be Mr. Black."

"I knew that boy was trouble," Snape grumbled.

-0-

The sun continued to shine brightly upon Hogwarts. By the lake shoreline, three figures rolled over with laughter. A taller and older boy, stood a few feet away as he stared at the three. Seidon raised an eyebrow and frowned, “I still don’t understand how pranking can be fun.”

Sirius and the twins looked at one another, each tried to figure out the best way to explain the art of pranking to the kelpie. The creature obviously had not yet discovered a sense of humor.

“Okay Seidon, imagine this ...” Sirius started to explain, “Snivellus will pull down the Bubonic Ward before he enters ...”

The twins looked to one another in confusion, “Snivellus?”

Sirius smirked, “Professor Snape.” The twins once again rolled with laughter.

“As I was saying, Snivellus will pull down his ward and enter. Then, BLAM! The second ward, which we created from that duplicating spell, will hit him! Everyone would think that old Snivellus was simply dumb enough to walk straight into his own ward; that the addled-brain twit forgot to pull it down. Best of all, Madame Pomfrey would never let him live it down.”

"Imagine how silly he'll look with lavender hair too. The dye that we spiked his shampoo with will last 60 hours..." Fred grinned as he imagined the scene.

George gave an identical evil grin, "Of course he'll likely attempt to cover his hair with his bowler hat. The hat which we charmed to turn glittery pink and feathery 15 minutes after he puts it on, that is..."”

Sirius let out his familiar bark-like laugh. “And that’s only for Snivellus alone. The Slytherins, are of course, not forgotten...”

“No, never the Slytherins,” Fred drawled as he wiggled his eyebrows knowingly.

George excitedly hopped from one foot to another, “The Weasley Tail Growth Formula planted on their seats will ensure that they’ll be in for a big surprise.”

Seidon frowned, “I don’t think they’ll be happy about those gifts you’ve left.” The kelpie was now more confused than ever.

“Seidon. They’re not supposed to be happy, but it’s supposed to be funny for everyone else.” Sirius sighed at the kelpie's inability to understand.

The kelpie stared and gave them a blank expression.

Fred shook his head. “Sirius, you might be going about this the wrong way. I’ll do the explaining." He turned towards the horse and attempted to clarify matters. "Look Seidon, what do kelpies do for fun? I mean, activities that involve others, not just of you running and galloping about alone.”

Seidon cocked his head to his right, “Well, we do feel a strong sense of satisfaction whenever we drown the irreverent humans who dare to attempt to pollute our waters.” He tossed his head proudly and scanned the area for humans, who were foolish enough toharm his lake.

Fred and George’s jaws dropped simultaneously.

“Okay Seidon, imagine this; you wish to get on the nerves of someone, but you’re not allowed to drown him. You don’t have a purpose or aim for this stunt, except for a bit of satisfaction, or a laugh. What would you do?” Sirius asked.

Seidon looked thoughtful for a moment. “Get him wet? Humans do not like getting drenched.”

Sirius smiled, for it’s a start, “I know that kelpies are creatures of great cunning and creativity. So do you have a particular tactic in mind?”

The kelpie lifted his head up high, for flattery was something he enjoyed and complied with well. “I’d fill his room with water.”

Fred jumped up enthusiastically, “By George! I think we have a very promising student here! Who should we give the honor to be the recipient of this ingenious prank?”

“I think this would be perfect for dear Professor Quirell. Heaven knows that the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom needs to wash off all that garlicky smell.” George grinned and rubbed his hands in anticipation.

“Not to mention the fact that the water just might sweep off that turban of his,” Sirius added.

-0-

Back in the Gryffindor Tower, a not so merry scene unfolded. Harry Potter marched down toward the common room with a familiar pamphlet at hand, Ron Weasley right behind him.

Harry knew what it is like to be ostracized and to have no friends. Before he came to Hogwarts, people at his old school made fun of him and basically treated him badly, because everyone there had feared Dudley and his gang. Harry did not want Sirius to go through the same thing. The least he could do as a friend was to try to put a stop to all this.

His eyes narrowed as he spotted his target, “Neville! I know that you don’t like him, but this is downright low!.”

The slightly chubby boy across the room jumped, when he heard Harry’s accusation.

Harry felt all eyes turned towards them. Harry never liked all the attention he received, and knew that when he started a scene like this would only make things worse. But he felt the need to do this, for he knew that no one else would stand up to defend Sirius.

Neville stared at Harry, “Harry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shock was evident in his eyes.

Harry glared at the other boy and shoved and pamphlet at him, "You mean to say that you have no idea how this has ended up on every bedside table in this House. The same pamphlet you've shown us on the train ride here. Everyone knows how you feel about Sirius because of the things his parents have done; but you don't even know him! Sirius isn't anything like that!"

“Har-Harry, I-I didn’t... I mean I may not like Sirius Black but...but I didn’t do this...” The boy looked utterly miserable, "...I wouldn't..." he stuttered

Ron Weasley glowered at the slightly chubby boy,“I guess I shouldn’t expect much. Given the cowardly nature of this act, the coward responsible will NOT likely admit.”

Hermione placed her hands on her hips, “Neville said he didn’t do it! Unless either of you have proof otherwise, you can’t throw accusations like that! Have you not heard the term 'innocent until proven guilty'!” She glared at Harry and Ron angrily.

Neville gratefully acknowledged the girl.

Ron opened his mouth to throw back another retort, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“It’s alright guys. What he and the other gits like him think, doesn’t matter to me. What matters, is what my true friends believe.”

Harry and Ron turned around and saw that Sirius, Fred and George stood by the Common room opening.

Ron gaped at the three, “How long were you guys standing there?”

“Long enough to hear Harry say that I’m not anything like my parents andlong enough to hear you defending me as well. Although I’m surprised Weasley, I thought you hated me as much as Longbottom does.”

Ron shrugged, “Like you said Black, we are who we choose to be.”

Sirius gave the other boy a look of confusion, “I don’t remember saying that.”

“Actually it’s Harry’s more understandable translation of your ‘lowly, low and lower’ speech the other night,” Ron explained with a grin.

Fred gestured to the open doorway. “So you guys up for breakfast? We can brief you on our recent activities, as well as our new honorary member.”

“We’d better hurry up so Fred and I can get ready to leave for Hogsmeade. By the way, is there anything you guys want us to get while we’re there?” George added in.

Sirius smirked, “Last one to the breakfast hall is a greasy haired git!”

Harry and Ron laughed and ran out. The halls of Hogwarts rang with laughter as the five boys raced towards the breakfast hall.

-0-

The breakfast hall is now full with students from all the different houses, the Gryffindor table buzzed with discussions on the morning's incident. Feelings were mixed, some admired the strong bonds of friendship that was developed, others feared that ‘the-boy-who-lived’ just made a big mistake by trusting a Black too much. Neville Longbottom miserably sat down on one end of the table with Hermione Granger by his side. On the other end, sat five boys; they were too engrossed in their own conversation, their laughter rang loudly across the room; the stares they received were entirely ignored.

After the morning's pranks were recounted; Sirius, Fred, and George moved on to discuss the design they would like to use for their ‘S.P.A.W.N.’ calling cards. Ron rolled his eyes at the direction of the three, and gave his copy of the Daily Prophet to Harry, “Look here, it says that Gringotts has been infiltrated but nothing was stolen, for the vault targeted was emptied a couple of days before the attempted burglary. My brother Bill told me it was Dumbledore’s vault.”

Harry eyebrows rose, he remembered the small brown paper bag Hagrid had taken out of the vault during their Diagon Alley visit. He then proceeded to tell Ron all about this. Both had decided to ask Hagrid about the package later, when they have their tea with the half-giant.

-0-

As the three boys walked towards the large shack of Hogwart’s ground keeper, Harry silently recounted the afternoon's events. He was still unable to believe that the kelpie actually had dared to create a portal above Professor Lupin and Headmaster Dumbledore’s head. The portal was used to drench the two adults with a deluge of fresh lake water. Seidon claimed that he merely followed 'human traditions' his exact words were: “When with humans, do as human does.”

Harry smiled; Sirius and the twins were definitely a bad influence on the kelpie. Sirius just laughed, thinking the kelpie's antics funny. Fortunately for everyone present, Professor Lupin and the Headmaster were just as amused.

Hagrid apparently saw them coming; the giant of a man stood by the doorway waiting. His face was almost completely hidden by his long, shaggy mane of hair as well as a wild, tangled beard, but they could still make out his eyes, which merrily glinted like black beetles under all the hair. “Ey! Harry! Glad yeh could make it! Come in yeh all! Got cauldron cakes ready fer yeh. Tea is brewing too.”

Harry and Ron sat on the table and pretended to enjoy Hagrid’s rock hard cauldron cakes. Sirius on the other hand was preoccupied, he laughed and wrestled with Hagrid’s giant boar-hound, Fangs.

“Hagrid, have you heard about Gringotts? I hear that the vault targeted was the same one that we...”

Hagrid jumped up, “Harry. Don’t. Fer yer own sake don’t even think about it. Ferget what yeh saw. And just trust Dumbledore on this.” Panic was evident on the half-giant's eyes.

Ron and Harry looked at one another, still unable to figure out this puzzle, but their curiosity now fully piqued.

Hagrid attempted to change the subject, “I’ve heard ye’ve met that magnifecent creature by de lake. If it's not too much, could yeh do me a favor? I’d would like teh see him as well.” His large black eyes shined at the thought of meeting the creature.

Ron grinned at Harry, both of them knew full well how this would end up. “Hey Sirius! Hagrid would like to meet Seidon!”

“Hagrid, I should warn you though, that kelpie had somehow acquired a weird idea on the proper way to greet new acquaintances,” Harry's eyes glinted merrily as he imagined the outcome.

From his position on the floor, Sirius shook his head. “I wonder where that kelpie gets his ideas.”

Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows toward their friend.

Sirius in turn gave them an innocent smile, which would have been believable had Harry and Ron not known better.

-0-

Sirius leaned on his headboard, the now familiar leather chronicle in one hand, a quill on the other. Sirius was not in the mood for any more of Orion's lectures, but neither did he wished to seek more of Aris' headache-causing riddles. Sirius was about to summon the only remaining choice when his curtains were pulled back.

The startled boy looked up and saw a very excited George, “Sirius old pal! Since you were so kind as to allow us to join you in the morning's festivities, we thought we ought to return the favor.” the red haired boy simultaneously handed Sirius a handful of cards. “Oh, we had the cards made. Now we can make sure that we get full credit for all the pranks we’re about to pull - and not the detentions that go with it.”

At the center of the cards were menacing red eyes that gleamed with internal fire, and below it was 'S.P.A.W.N' typed in blood-red ink. Printed in a smaller print at the back of the card was ‘Secret Pranksters Association for Wizarding Nonsense’. What Sirius found notable however was the color chosen for the cards.

“Pink?”

"It’s every respectable prankster’s color of choice!” Fred bounded onto Sirius’ bed.

Ron and Harry reluctantly followed the overly enthusiastic twin.

Sirius shook his head and laughed. “So what are we up to?”

“Our baby brother here, still has to prove himself worthy to become a member of our prestigious organization.” Fred hopped off the bed gleefully and started to mess-up with Ron's hair.

Ron frowned and took a step away from his brother. “Look guys I’m not interested in helping you turn this school upside down.”

“Excellent idea Ron! But, let’s start with the dining hall for now,” Sirius jumped off his bed and grinned.

Harry’s jaw dropped. “And how do you plan to do that?”

Sirius’ eyes once again twinkled with mischief, “The Floatation Charm and then the Permanent Sticking Charm!” he answered.

“You are seriously thinking of using the permanent sticking charm to stick the tables onto the ceiling?” Ron’s eyes widened, as he stared at his insane friend.

Sirius smirked, “Of course I’m Siriusly thinking about it.”

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George groaned at the tired old pun.

Harry attempted to tone down Sirius' enthusiasm. “Sirius, I don’t think we need a permanent sticking charm when a normal sticking charm will do.”

"Have you guys forgotten that it’s past curfew? Filch and Mrs. Norris are circling the grounds at this very moment; not to mention we would likely to be caught by the teachers,” Ron protested.

George turned to his twin, “Show them the map Fred.”

Fred unrolled an old piece of parchment then pointed his wand on it. “I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good.”

The three first years were surprised to see a map of Hogwarts with small moving red dots on it.

“This is the Marauders map. George and I swiped this from Filch’s office. It showed us plenty of secret passageways... among other things. Pointing your wand on the red dots will reveal who’s wandering in that area. All we have to do is avoid those red dots. " George explained.

Sirius grabbed the map and studied it. “Cool! Let’s try out some secret passageways!”

Harry, the twins and Ron looked at one another, amazed at how their friend can be so easily distracted.

“Aren’t we supposed to pull a prank?” Ron asked.

Sirius shrugged and grinned, “We can do it all!”

Harry gave Sirius a firm look. “No Sirius. We can check out the passageways tomorrow. There’s no need for us to sneak around in the middle of the night and run the risk of getting caught unnecessarily.”

Sirius started to protest, “But...” He however saw that he wasn't likely to change the minds of his friends, thus he relented. “Okay then ... let’s go have a little spawn-type fun! Hey, maybe we can also place a sticking charm on the Slyhterins' seats as well. So when the teachers return the tables and chairs onto their proper place...”

Fred grinned, "Phase 2 will take over."

"Operation Sticky Situation is ready to commerce!" George pumped his fist high up in the air enthusiastically.

The five boys left the room, their voices softly echoed through the halls.

"Can I use the permanent sticking charm?"

"NO!"

"I meant on the Slytherins' seat."

"NO!"

"Spoilsport..."

-0-

Late that night the five boys slept peacefully. The moonlight cast a slight silhouette into the room. It revealed a familiar leather book that momentarily lay forgotten on one of the bedside tables. Small green hands reached out and carried the book silently out of the room.

- End of Chapter 7-

Next Chapter... Troll attack, the flying lessons, answers on the Neville situation, and my personal favourate: 'Operation Snivellus Vampirous'.