Anger management - who says I need it? (open)

[James Nickols]

'We'll only have detention if we get caught.'

"That's the attitude" grinned James delightedly. He knew now that once Lucy was in on it that it wouldn't take long to persuade his sister to join them-Delilah caved way too easily anyway.

"So you in then Delilah?" he asked turning to his sister with an imploring look. "You'll regret it if you don't."

'Oh and Michael's in the village too.'

A flicker of a frown crossed James' face but he hid it quickly-it was unlikely that even his sister would notice. His plan hadn't involved anything that Michael would be able to take part in as it required a very quick getaway. However, he'd just have to think up something new.

"So how quickly do you guys want a distraction? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?" he asked, while trying to figure out something that they could do with Michael-unfortunately most of James' plans envolved rulebreaking and quick escapes if they were in danger of being caught.

[Delilah Nickols]

'Come on, you know you wana have some fun..my plan doesn't have to involve detention.'

Delilah raised her eyes at this, she very much doubted that, however she let it go and didn't reply. She was very tempted to agree because she knew that it'd be a laugh and what with the stress of the exams lately she could do with getting her mind off things.

'I'm in James.'

Delilah sighed at this, she hadn't expected Lucy to cave that quickly and knew that now she was in James would never give up on getting Delilah to join them. The next couple of hours would be unbearable unless she agreed. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself in for?" she asked Lucy.

Delilah spotted the slight frown on James' face and understood immediately. His plan had involved breaking rules-and Michael would be a hindrence if he were to come along. Not that James' would ever admit to that.

"Fine, I'm in" she sighed. At least if Delilah and Michael were involved James would be less likely to do something extreme.

'So how quickly do you guys want a distraction? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?'

"I've a Potions essay to finish-as do you" reminded Delilah. "So not before Monday. What about the middle of the week?" she asked, turning to James and Lucy.

[lucychiang]

"Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself in for?" she asked Lucy.

Lucy nodded to show she knew what she could end up getting into. She was also very wiling to hex people who might be able to catch them and if it turned out they were people who'd bothered her.. so much the better. A bit of payback for her.

Lucy heard all this and pondered for a few seconds. "I can't speak for Michael but the middle of the week sounds good to me. You'll have a hard job involving him since he's in the library a lot even if there isn't exams. If you've ever tried getting him out of there once he's found a juicy book..." she replied trailing off and chuckling. Not that she'd ever thought her brother would ever join them. Not because of his lack of speed but because what James had in mind wasn't his thing anymore.

When Michael lost his dream of playing pro-quidditch mainly down the fact he couldn't balance that well on a broomstick without full leg power he'd expanded his mind instead. Mainly in the field of duelling spells and hexes and in medi-magic.

[James Nickols]

'Fine, I'm in.'

James grinned widely. "Knew you'd see sense eventually" he said to his sister with a patronizing grin.

'I've a Potions essay to finish-as do you.'

James made a face at Delilah. "Trust you to spoil the fun!" he retorted. He still hadn't even started the essay and would have preferred not to be reminded of it. "Wedensday then?" he asked.

'You'll have a hard job involving him since he's in the library a lot even if there isn't exams.'

James considered this. If Michael refused to be involved then they could consider something more extreme and have a better chance of getting away with it. But if Michael were involved they'd have to stick to something safe.

"I'll talk to him" he replied. "So have you's got any preferences for what we do?" he asked.

[lucychiang]

Lucy seen James grin and then make at face at Delilah when she reiminded him about the potion essay. Lucy had hers finished already since she was trying to take as much pressure of herself as possible.

"I'll talk to him" he replied. "So have you's got any preferences for what we do?" he asked

Lucy paused to consider this, her mind ticking over as she considered what could achieve the maximum pranking effect with the minimum risk. Which would mean having to either not be seen or to make a quick getaway.

"You know James" she said turning her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling slightly in expectation. "I would suggest the Slyths but everybody gets them. They're paranoid by now so why not try and prank the Gryffs. Try and get one of them to carry something into their common room or failing that look like Gryffindors and smuggle it in ourselves.

If you had a prank in a bag which was activated by a keyword spoken to it that would work. They'd appreciate it and think it was one of their own that did it. Thus getting us off the hook."

If Michael was involved he might be able to carry it in for them but knew her brother wouldn't go along with a harmful prank. He still had a bit of the prankster still in him so she added something else.

"Michael might be able to carry it in as well. Then he could tell us how it went.." she chuckled as she could see this clearly in her mind.

[James Nickols]

'Try and get one of them to carry something into their common room or failing that look like Gryffindors and smuggle it in ourselves.'

"I can't see us convincing anyone to sneak in something for us" replied James slowly. He chewed on his bottom lip while he thought things through in his head. It was unlikely that they'd be able to sneak in as themselves either and nobody had an invisibility cloak nor could they cast a disillusionment charm. He sighed, they could try making a polyjuice potion but that would take ages and they only had a month left of school.

"I dunno" he muttered. "We can't get in as we are, nobody will carry something in for us, and a polyjuice potion would take too long to make.." he trailed off as he tried to think of something else.

He decided to come back to that problem in a minute and focus on something else instead.

'If you had a prank in a bag which was activated by a keyword spoken to it that would work.'

"I was thinking along the lines of fireworks" he replied with a grin and a sly glance at his sister to see how she'd take it. "I've got loads of Whiz Bangs left over from the start of the year and I can't take them home cause Mam'l kill me!"

[Delilah Nickols]

'Knew you'd see sense eventually.'

Delilah stuck out her tongue at her brother. "Only cause if I didn't join you's then you'd all get caught. You're no good at getting out of detentions" she retorted.

'We can't get in as we are, nobody will carry something in for us, and a polyjuice potion would take too long to make..'

"A month, it would take a month cause you need a full moon which is next week and then the lacewings have to be stewed for 21 days" she supplied. "But a polyjuice potion is way too risky, if we were caught we'd be expelled for sure."

'I was thinking along the lines of fireworks.'

"Do you want to be on detention for your entire 5th year?" she asked blankly. "We'd get in so much trouble for that-those fireworks would take all night to round up."

[lucychiang]

Lucy listened to the ideas bouncing around as she finished up her lunch. Then after sipping her drink she had something to contribute. "There must be a way to get it in. We've got some classes with the Gryffs and one one of us could slip it into a witches book bag. It could even be disguised as a book or something small even if its not fireworks. Then it could be triggered like we said before" she thoughtfully suggested.

She didn't really know the Zonko's range that well but she did have a suggestion for James. "James, if you need to get rid of the fireworks that badly then make sure they're let off at somebody whose really deserving of them" she added.

[James Nickols]

'A month, it would take a month cause you need a full moon which is next week and then the lacewings have to be stewed for 21 days.'

James stared at his sister for a moment. He knew her well enough to know that although she cared about keeping out of trouble she also loved to test the limits, to see just how much she could get away with. He also knew that the only time she ever volunteered anything at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all was when she was planning on carrying it through.

'But a polyjuice potion is way too risky, if we were caught we'd be expelled for sure.'

"Only if we were caught" replied James carefully. "You were considering it" he accused, cocking his eyebrow slightly as if to say well?

'James, if you need to get rid of the fireworks that badly then make sure they're let off at somebody whose really deserving of them.'

"The Slytherins then" shrugged James.

[lucychiang]

"Exactly James" Lucy replied. A girl who had very good reasons to dislikes snakes on principle although she tried not to. The people who had stolen her innocence and left her in such a state she needed two years of therapy to rebuild a life had never been punished in her eyes and if she could heap a bit of mischief on them so much the better. She'd have to keep dealing with this and the nightmares as long as she lived.

Then she turned to Delilah. "There's no way to have that ready before the end of term so we'll just have to find another way. Nice idea although and perhaps one we can save for our 5th year" she added with a twinkle in her eye.

[Delilah Nickols]

'You were considering it.'

"I wasn't" replied Delilah fiercely, though she blushed deeply at James' accusation. "We'd get in too much trouble if we were caught. It's illegal" she stressed, though she was trying to convince herself more that James.

'There's no way to have that ready before the end of term so we'll just have to find another way.'

"I wasn't" muttered Delilah, going pink again. "I didn't, mean for us to do it. I was just saying" she told her weakly, though her eyes flickered towards her brother slightly, giving away her intentions.

[lucychiang]

"Ok Delilah. So what do we do and where do we go after lunch?" she asked in a curious voice. There wasn't really that much to do once you did a round of the shops and got lunch. She'd rather be putting in some physical training or flying than just hanging around while bored.

She finished of her lunch and sipped her drink. Once she extracted Michael from the bookshop then what could they do?

[James Nickols]

'I didn't, mean for us to do it. I was just saying.'

"Yeah yeah, whatever" replied James lazily. He knew his sister well enough to know that she had considered the idea, but he didn't know how seriously she had considered it. James was going to find out, because if there was any way that he could persuade Delilah to take part in something as exciting as that, then he'd make sure she did. However it would be easier to get her to admit to it when it was just the two of them and so James decided to drop it for now.

With only the smallest of grins in Delilah's direction James dropped the subject of the Polyjuice potion and turned his attention back to the problem at hand. "Ok, so we can't get into the Slytherin common room, but that doesn't mean we can't get the fireworks in" he said, more to himself than to the others. "Does anyone know how to get into the Slytherin common room?" he asked, looking between Delilah and Lucy. "I know it's in the dungeons, but that's about it.." he trailed off as he considered how to get down there without it looking suspicious.

[lucychiang]

Lucy shook her head not knowing the snakes common rooms actual location or even where the door was. You didn't go into the dungeons unless you really had to but she did have a brainwave. "James why not ask Peeves? He's been here a long time and once you know a location you might have a plan. Or else set them all off by magical trigger when theres some snakes around" she suggested.

It was better than nothing if you couldn't get inside their den. It was also fairly risk free.

[Delilah Nickols]

'Yeah yeah, whatever.'

"Think what you want" shrugged Delilah nonchalantly. She wasn't bothered arguing, there was no point, James never caved when he thought he was right. With a small sigh she turned back to Lucy.

'So what do we do and where do we go after lunch?'

Delilah shrugged. Already Hogsmeade had kind of lost it's appeal to her, it was okay, but she figured you could have just as much fun back at Hogwarts. "Well I would suggest Honeydukes" she said as she glanced out the window, "but it's just started raining."

'I know it's in the dungeons, but that's about it.'

"I'm sure we'd find it if we had a look around, if anyone asks, we're lost" she suggested. "People get lost in Hogwarts all the time.. I dunno about asking Peaves though, he'd guess that something was up and I wouldn't trust him to keep his mouth shut for us."