Chapter 4: Rainbow Malfoy

I turn the book around and open it on the other side. Funny enough there are only 372 pages. I raise my hand. “What’s the problem, Miss Van Leeuwen?” “Well, there are only 372 pages.” A few students make consenting noises. Snape points out his wand and whispers a spell. All of the books are suddenly thicker than they were. “Turn to page 394.” He says again, looking in my direction.. I open the book somewhere in the middle and turn a few pages until I end on page 394; Polymerization. I raise my hand again. “What is your problem this time?” Snape is obviously annoyed. “Well, professor, according to the year schedule we would start studying polymerization in the last semester. We also haven’t finished the chapter about reaction-energy and equilibrium yet.” “I agree. I don’t really understand the last subject yet and it is, of course, a chapter that will come back in the exams.” Snape walks to the girl next to me. “How many times, Miss Muldoon, do I have to tell you not to talk when I don’t ask you to?” “But sir, can’t we first finish this subject before starting with poly… poly… whatever it was?” Noreen tries again. Snape puts his hands on her desk what makes her jump up from her chair a bit. “This discussion is over. Turn to page 394.”

After a horrible chemistry class, I turn back to the passage way. Other days I would have my lunch at the usual lunch spot, next to the auditorium, but I have two more classes in the beta building. I sit down against a wall in the passage. After a few minutes, Fred and George arrive from their Biology class, followed by Lotte, who just had an hour of Math. “How was your Chemistry class?” Lotte sits down next to me and grabs a sandwich out of her bag. “Horrible.” I say. “Snape made us study polymerization, while we haven’t even finished the chapter about reaction-energy and equilibrium.” I grab the sandwich I had bought back in the first break. (Maybe you wonder why we have to buy our food while we live at school; Every semester we get an amount of money from the school so we can buy ourselves food from the canteen whenever we want. We have to be careful though, because if we spend all of the money before the semester ends, we don’t get new money from school and have to borrow it from others for the rest of the semester. It’s also a special kind of money, and we can only spend it at school.) “Well, if you find that horrible, try to listen 3 periods to Sprout talking about cystic fibrosis.” “Never again. Sometimes I wonder why I kept it. Anyway, how did it work out with Jack?” I unzip my bag and show the paint-gun and a plastic bag of paint balls in different colors I took with me from the training center. “I have also worked out a plan.” I grab the piece of paper and show it. “Malfoy will be at school again in the next break. I’ve heard professor McGonagall talk with Madame Pomfrey. There’s a meeting about Fluffy’s poisoning. Oh, the seventh period has a duration of 40 minutes instead of 50 and the eight period is cancelled.” “Great, only 40 minutes of Geography from Bella instead of 100.” George seems to be very happy about it. “Bellatrix would love to kill us.” Fred explains. “Ah. Anyway, Malfoy needs to go to the teachers’ room. I’m going to install the paint gun in a way that, when he opens the front door of the school, he will get shot several times. It’s going to be tricky to install it without being seen, and I will need to be fast.” “And you will need to do it before the break. How?” Lotte looks doubtful. “Ah, yes. Well, professor McGonagall told Madame Pomfrey that professor Dumbledore will help her to get the last things, what means he will leave the class long before the end of the period.” “And what if that’s not going to happen and he will stay the whole period?” “Tubbs, you’re starting to look like Hermione if you talk like this.” Lotte gives George a face to tell him to not try to say something like that again. “Then we’ll have to wait until after the meeting. I also have a back-up plan for when that happens, but I’m sure I won’t need it.”
            “Won’t need what?” Chantal walks to us and sits down. “A back-up plan. We’re going to make a rainbow-Malfoy.” “Oh, nice.” Lotte looks at Chantal. “What?” “Well, every time I wonder how you’re able to survive a French class from Alecto Carrow.” “Oh, that’s not too hard. You only have to be as mean as she is.” “So what do you do? Hit her when she hits you?” “Yeah, sorta.” We all chuckle. “Oh, by the way, Beckett, how’s your left foot?” I have to think deeply before I understand why she asks that. “Right. Well, it doesn’t hurt anymore, but your ferret can bite! I believe I still have some bite marks on it.” “Good.”

 I was right about Math. After 50 minutes of Biology from Charlie Weasley, Dumbledore immediately told us this class would only take 30 minutes. He’s now gone for 5 minutes, I think, what means I have 15 more minutes until the break. I walk through the passage way and, when I come to the end, I check the paint-gun and go through the whole plan one more time. I have to go to the little hall with the front door. If I’m there, I need to attach the paint-gun to the wall and attach a little wire from the trigger at the door, which opens to the outside. If that’s finished I need to get out. Simple plan, but, like I told Lotte, Fred and George, I need to be quick and not get busted.
            I put everything back in my bag and open the port. I run to the stairs and go up to the ground floor. It won’t be too hard to get to the hall without being seen; most teachers are still busy with a class or are getting ready in the teachers’ room. I was worried the most about Filch and his cat, but I pass them when he goes downstairs to the lockers. I walk through the corridors, and I’m most careful when I pass the teachers’ room. On my tiptoes I walk to the hall and go in it. I attach the gun and fill it with paintballs. I grab the little wire out of my bag and attach it as planned.
            When I finally succeed connecting the door and the trigger, I only have 5 minutes left until the bell will ring. I grab my bag and take one more look; I’ve attached the gun in a way that it is almost invisible. The same counts for the wire. I leave the hall, but the moment I pass the stairs that leads to the upper floors I hear someone. “So, who are you planning a prank on.” I know I’m busted and turn around. When I see the person who caught me, a feeling of relief goes through my head. “How long have you been standing there?”  I ask. “Just a second, but long enough to see what’s the plan.” “You scared the hell out of me, you know that?” The man laughs. “So, who’s the unlucky person?” “Who do you think?” “Snape?” “No.” He seems disappointed. “Malfoy.” I say, and I can see a smile coming up his face. “You guys are on a roll. First Umbridge and now Malfoy. Yes, I know it were you.” he says when he sees my busted face. “I was there when she told some other teachers about the two ferrets that locked her in a cupboard. You and Lotte are getting better in changing into animals.” I smirk. “We have a good teacher.” “Ah, how I love to hear that. But just wondering, do you still have the problem with your hair?” “Yep, it was black and white this morning. I actually liked it, but I had to change it back or it would suspicious.” The bell rings. “So, Sirius, what’s up with Fluffy?” Sirius looks around, and when he sees the students coming down he says. “I’ll tell you later, okay? Maybe in class tomorrow.” It takes me a few seconds before I figure out he’s talking about the animagi class, and not about Geography. Sirius is one of the few teachers who know Lotte and I are animagi. Others are Lupin and Tonks. Though I believe Dumbledore also knows.
            “Hey Beckett. And Sirius.” Lotte, Fred and George walk around the corner. I can see they have hurried themselves to this place. And this has not come unnoticed by Sirius. “Wanted to see the show, eh?” The three of them didn’t saw that one coming. “He caught me right after I finished.” I say, trying not to say much about the joke, with all the students around. “Okay. Oh, by the way, I think it can happen any moment. We just saw him walking outside.” Lotte hasn’t even finished yet and I hear the paint-gun shooting its bullets. I hear some yelling, and the next moment, a rainbow-Malfoy appears. No, not kidding, he really is fully colored like a rainbow right now. Everyone at the corridor starts laughing. Sadly for me, Lotte and the twins, this is not for a long duration. “You!” Lucius screams while pointing his finger to us. “You! You have done this, haven’t you?” “Now, Lucius, don’t make fast conclusions. I have been talking to these students for the last 10 minutes and they did not have had any chance to make a trap like that.” Sirius needs to push away the urge to start laughing. “Now, students, why aren’t you going to your dormitories while I talk to Mr. Malfoy here.” He gives us a vague nod, and as an answer we walk away. But instead of going to the dormitories, we walk straight ahead to the auditorium.