House: Gryffindor

Position: HoH

Category: Additional (A Happy Occasion)

Prompt: April Fools Day

Word Count (excluding header and AN): 1142

Beta: Tigger

AN- There isn't any canon evidence for midday detentions, but it makes sense that students might have to serve shorter detentions during their free periods for minor infractions.

"I'd really hoped that I wouldn't have to give you two another midday detention," Professor Flitwick complained. "You are some of my brightest and most promising first year students."

"Thank you," Fred and George chimed together.

"But I wish you'd apply your skills to your classwork rather than your, um, extracurricular activities."

Cocking his head to the side, Fred said, "You mean you didn't enjoy the singing charm we put on the stone gargoyle sconces in the Great Hall at breakfast?"

"We thought you'd be impressed," George added.

Professor Flitwick nodded. "While it was a good bit of Charms work, I think Professor Snape found it less than amusing. Whenever he'd start to speak, the sconces would break out into choruses of Happy Birthday."

"What better way to celebrate our birthday than a harmless prank. It is April Fools Day after all. It would just be wrong to not embrace that."

"Yes, well," Flitwick struggled to retain a stern look on his face. It was his responsibility as a professor to discipline students for rule breaking, but he did love a good prank. "In the future, please refrain from enchanting the Great Hall sconces to serenade you. Actually, avoid pranks and jokes in the Great Hall all together. And avoid interrupting Professor Snape at all costs."

Fred and George rapidly nodded in agreement.

"We'll be perfect angels," George promised.

"No more pranks from us today," Fred assured.

Flitwick gave them a mildly disbelieving look, but didn't press further. "I'll hold you to that. Now, I'd like you to organize the classroom. My fourth year classes left a bit of a mess when they were practicing their summoning charms. You may leave once your free period is over and head straight to the Great Hall for lunch."

"We won't let you down," George chirped.

"And to assure myself that you don't dodge out early, I've asked the portraits by the doorway to alert me in my office if you leave." With that, he hurried out of the room.

"It's like he doesn't trust us," Fred laughed.

"He's so smart," George admitted.

Fred and George got to work collecting the stray pillows that were thrown about the classroom. They stacked the pillows in a neat pile at the back of the classroom, ready for the next group of fourth years to mess them up again.

Fred's ear perked up when he heard a familiar song, but he couldn't quite place it. "What're you humming over there, Georgie?"

"Me? I thought it was you. I'm not humming anything." The sound got a little louder. Recognizing it, he asked, "Is that a Christmas carol?"

Both Fred and George stopped moving to limit their noise so that they could hear the song more clearly.

"It's the most wonderful day of the year

With the kids all a-pranking

They all should be thanking me for the chaos

It's the most wonderful day of the—"

A semi-corporeal form burst through the pile of pillows, scattering them about the room once more. "—YEAR!" it yelled.

Fred and George burst out laughing.

"I've heard a lot about you two."

"We're honored to make your acquaintance, Peeves," Fred said as he stuck out his hand.

Peeves grasped Fred's hand and a small shock jolted through Fred's body. Peeves flipped away letting out a rolling belly laugh at Fred's expense.

Fred shook out his hand and smoothed down his hair that had spiked with the electric current.

"We've been dying to meet you," George said. "We asked all the castle ghosts and portraits where we could go to meet you, but none of them would help us out."

"They can be such spoilsports," Peeves griped. "But now I'm here. I loved what you did at breakfast. You are so lucky to have your birthday on the most wonderful day of the year. I don't have a birthday, so everyday is my unbirthday. And there's no better way to celebrate than mayhem in the Great Hall!"

"Fred and I are stuck in detention until lunch. And Flitwick made us promise to not do more pranks in the Great Hall."

"He said that you couldn't do pranks in the Great Hall?" Peeves asked.

"Yes," Fred and George replied together.

"But did he say that someone couldn't pull a prank in the Great Hall on your behalf as a birthday present?"

Fred's face broke out in a grin and he turned to George, who wore an identical expression. "No, Professor Flitwick didn't say that was against the rules."

Peeves let out a hysterical laugh. "Then leave it all to Peeves." He smiled wickedly and dove back through the mess of pillows, disappearing from the Charms classroom.

"It's the hap-happiest day of them all

With the joking and poking and professors for soaking

Pandemonium calls

It's the hap-happiest day of them all"

Peeves's song faded away, leaving Fred and George behind in the messy classroom.

"Well, you better get started on cleaning again if we want to be on time for lunch," Fred said.

George agreed, "I don't want to miss whatever Peeves has in store."

Fred and George ran to the Great Hall as soon as their detention ended, eager to be the first students to enter. However, when they walked in, they were slightly disappointed. They expected Peeves to have 'Wrecked the Halls' in their honor, but the room looked clean and tidy.

Walking to the Gryffindor table, they were waylaid by Professor Flitwick. He glared up at them and sighed. "I don't know how you two did it. I consulted with the portraits and they assured me that neither of you left the classroom."

Fred glanced around the room. He found nothing amiss on the tables, floor, or walls.

Seeing the perplexed looking on the twins' faces, Flitwick pointed up.

The twins' jaws dropped. The ceiling, which was normally bewitched to look like the sky, was now a massive fluffy cloud. That wouldn't be so shocking if there weren't hundreds of cats and crups attached to parachutes which were starting to float down from the cloud.

All around the Great Hall cries of panic arose when it became clear that it was raining cats and crups.

"Oh, no! My poor Fizzwick!"

"Pip! Get down here now!"

"Is that you, Minerva?"

Fred gulped. Addressing Professor Flitwick, he said, "We didn't do this. We didn't leave the Charms classroom."

"I know that," Flitwick said. "The portraits would have told me. But I'm keeping an eye on you."

A now familiar song rang out through the Great Hall.

"It's the most wonderful day

Yes the most wonderful day

Oh the most wonderful day

Of the year. Hehehehehehehe!"

As the parachuting pets landed and were scooped up by their panicking owners, the twins settled into the Gryffindor table for lunch.

"Happy April Fools Day, Gred."

"Happy Birthday, Forge."