Plotting and scheming

Mikey reached into his satchel and rummaged through a few broken quill tips, a bent Chocolate Frog card, and scraps of parchment until his fingers closed around something that could be used. The feather was worn, its nib was crooked from years of use, and the shaft had faint teeth marks from nerves during tests, so what he took out could hardly be described as "usable." Nevertheless, he carefully placed it in the center of the parchment between them, holding it up like a prize, as if he were introducing a volunteer at a talent show.
"All right," he muttered, his smile slanting toward mischief. This is our courageous test subject. A feather should have no trouble performing a few moves if a clever witch can make a whole volcano dance.

His piercing blue eyes, which sparkled with a mixture of mischief and anticipation, caught the lamplight as he leaned closer. "Control is the trick. This thing might wind up flopping into the inkpot, scrawling across the walls, or attempting to write its own essay if it takes off. We must be ready for anything”.

He pushed the ink bottle a safe inch away to demonstrate his point, then drew two thick Transfiguration books closer, stacking them like a small corral in an uneven square around the parchment. Although it appeared absurd, the precaution made everything seem more serious, as though they were going to conduct an experiment that would have been fit for the Department of Mysteries.

Mikey leaned back in his chair, content, and briefly balanced on the back legs before catching himself. Above the block letters that listed their list of prank ideas. He tapped the parchment with the quill. He lowered his voice conspiratorially, as if the library walls had ears, and whispered, "Just picture it." "Half the class is dozing off while the professor is rambling on about goblin treaties or wand theory," he said, gently snapping his fingers. As he plays his notes, a feather comes to life and begins to dance. The whole show quill spinning, ink flying. No one in that classroom would ever forget it.

A tiny chuckle escaped his mouth, already picturing the mayhem. It was nearly impossible not to try to imagine the professor attempting to pull his own notes back from a prancing feather. “Ok you want to give it a go?”

Anna seemed thoughtful about the whole idea. If it gone right, then they'd have done one of the greatest pranks the world has ever seen. If they somehow got caught or failed it, however...
"I'm not here to think about this", she thought.
—Sure, I'll try.
She took her wand, which she always carried with her, and moved it so it'd resemble two stick legs, and said, carefully and intently:
—Tarantallegra!
She pronounced each syllable carefully, and watched, although in her mind she wondered if this was a good idea. "Would the Dancing Feet Spell work in an object without feet?", she wondered. "Well, if not, at least it's a quill and not, say, a volcano..."
To her surprisex the quill began to shake, then rose and began to hop and spin chaotically, senselessy. It wasn't quite a dance, but the fact the spell worked enough to do something in a chaotic fashion, was enough to make Anna happy, and she began to clap.
—Great! It worked! We can actually do that in a quill!
She crossed her legs and looked as the quill hopped around the table, hit Aoibheann, and fell.
—There we have it. We could test that in the class of a boring teacher someday... If you want it, of course. What do you think?

Mikey jumped off his seat in wonder as the quill actually jumped up and began to dance back and forth over the desktop like some sort of partygoer. Then a bubble of laughter overflowed out of him before he could catch it, crashing off the bookshelves. He slapped his hand over his mouth, still grinning hard enough to hurt. "You did it!" he cried, voice piping with excitement.

He glanced over to see the quill whirl and jump, half-sitting up. Then his heart closed tightly. Anna's cheers, the quill's desperate tapping, and his own laughter now echoed too loudly. Fear gripped him as he glanced down the library's length to where a few shadowy figures sagged over their books. Maybe one of them will look up. The librarian could suddenly appear with robes flowing like a hawk ready to dive.

His eyes darted to the door as his smile faded. He gasped and gripped his wand, saying, "wait, someone may see!" He quickly aimed the wand at the dancing quill, his sweaty palm on the grip. "Finite Incantatem!" After one last bounce, the feather fell to the page in a rumpled heap, looking completely normal once more. As though it were evidence at a crime scene, Mikey picked it up off the parchment and smoothed it out with his palm. His shoulders dropped as he released a breath he had been holding without realizing it.

He whispered, "Damn," "that was really cool." Still a little buzzed from the success but nervous, he smiled at Anna in a crooked, sheepish way. "The next time, we'll have to be more cunning. More careful. Or, you know, quieter. He looked around anxiously over his shoulder and pushed the quill back onto her palm, not wanting the sight of it to make him laugh again. "Even so... that was incredible." Against his will, he smiled. "Yes, Anna, we do have something. All we have to do is avoid being discovered.

Banner made by Emily Harris

ANNA BLACKBERRY!
HOGWARTS | YEAR 1 | HUFFLEPUFF | ANNA'S SPEECH: "#SPEECH"| 01.04.2025|00:00| WC: 307

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I can't wait to have fun with you again!