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When Lightning Strikes by rebelwithoutacause
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When Lightning Strikes

rebelwithoutacause

A/N: I'm so sorry! I didn't realize this many people like my story. It hasn't been too popular other places.

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K.

-Fight-

"Well, what's keeping us? Dig in!" Albus Dumbledore's strong voice echoed throughout the moonlit hall. As usual, the sparkling golden plates that sat on the tables in front of them were magically filled with an assortment of wondrous foods. Lily politely reached for the closest dish, which happened to be roast.

Just before she set the meat over the plate, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Her crimson hair tumbled down her back and curled slightly at her shoulders. Her sparkling green eyes stared back at her. For once, she liked what she saw. Time seemed to stand still, until her face broke out into a smile. She gently laid the food over her smiling face.

People from all around her were pointing and whispering. They seemed to be pointing at something directly behind her. She sighed as she laid her fork and knife back onto the table and swiveled curiously around in her seat.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she suppressed a laugh. There was a great commotion at the Slytherin table. The surface of their table was completely bare, but the air around and above it was swarming with food.

The Slytherins were groping pitifully for it, dumbfounded. Lily concluded from her short observation that whenever a Slytherin would reach for the food, it would fly at least 10 feet n the other direction. Most of the thicker Slytherins, meaning the majority of the house, were now running wildly around, talking after the runaway food.

Professor Dreadnought, head of Slytherin house, had now stood up, her wand raised. She muttered something Lily couldn't hear. Three of four dishes zoomed towards her, splattering the front of her robes. The entire hall erupted with laughter.

Lily could hear the unmistakable laughter of a particularly arrogant group of boys called themselves `the marauders. She turned to find Sirius rolling around on the ground like a potato bug, James slapping the table and causing it to shake rather dangerously, and Remus clutching his gut, doubled over in undoubtedly painful laughter.

Lily rolled her eyes and refocused her attention on the real action.

The Slytherins now had their own wands out and were attempting to summon or magick the food to them. This of course, was a huge mistake. They were all receiving the same results as Professor Dreadnought, just at different levels of intensity.

Lily was already receiving detailed visions of exact procedures and spells she would be using to capture the food. Lily stole a quick glance at Professor Dumbledore, and was take a-back to find him going about his business, eating his roast without a care in the world. Lily, still shocked, scanned the hall for other prefects. She spotted a loyal few grouped over by the Hufflepuff table. She quickly sprang off the bench and sprinted towards them.

Lucius Malfoy growled and swiftly strutted across the hall. He hastily shoved his hand into the bowl of mashed potatoes at the Hufflepuff table, pulling out a handful. Some timid first year Hufflepuffs who had been laughing and pointing at the spectacle, happened to be sitting around the particular bowl of potatoes. They sat frozen and if they had been stunned. Looks of utter terror masked their pale faces.

Malfoy continued his parade across the hall and halted in front of the Gryffindor table. James could feel Malfoy's piercing eyes on his back. James slowly lifted his head. Malfoy was now making his way towards the marauders. The laughter abruptly let James's eyes. He bent down; eyes still locked on Malfoy, and shook Sirius's shoulder.

Silently he gestured towards Malfoy, but words weren't necessary. Sirius's face hardened and he slowly crawled to his feet. Malfoy was now standing directly in front of them. Sirius nudged Remus, who quickly straightened and cleared his throat.

"Potter…Black…Lupin…" he drawled. He was still clutching the mashed potatoes, which were dripping menacingly.

Malfoy's cronies, Crabbe and Nott stalked up behind him, cracking their knuckles. Suddenly, Malfoy jumped, smashing the fistful of mush directly in Sirius's face. The entire hall was silenced, every eye on Sirius. Nonchalantly, he wiped the much from his face and smiled sarcastically.

Maniac grin still plastered on his face, he reached for a piece of bread a second year girl was about to bite into. He then smeared the butter and jam side all over Malfoy's face. Before Malfoy or his cronies could reach him, he leapt on top of the table, raised the bread, and yelled, "Food Fight!"

He chucked the remaining bread with quidditch beater precision and strength at Malfoy. It hit him square in the chest, knocking him off his feet. It was as if Sirius had lit a fuse. The great hall exploded! Food and people were flying everywhere.

Sirius jumped off the table and grinned at James. "Nice move, Padfoot," James managed to get in before ducking a leg of chicken.

"Food Fight!" Lily whipped around, but seconds too late. The great hall exploded in a whirl of food, shouts, and spells.

"Stop this nonsense!" Lily screamed, but nobody hear. She turned again and shot an exasperated look at the remaining prefects.

"Dumbledore!" Lily saw the head boy, Erik Whittam mouth. She didn't need telling twice. She sprinted after him towards the head table where Dumbledore sat, perplexed in the least. They approached the table, but froze dead in their tracks as Dumbledore lifted a wrinkled, long-fingered hand. It seemed to be happening in slow motion, to Lily. He reached for the gravy picture, but instead of pouring it onto his plate, he brought it up above Professor McGonagall's head. Slowly he let it slide out, creating a tremendous puddle atop her head. It began running down her forehead and she screamed, her hands flying in all directions as if something had bit her in the rear. Lily jaw dropped, literally dropped; farther than she had thought possible.

She turned, mortified, to Erik. Behind him she could see Professor Flitwick levitating a bowl of stew above Professor Brewstend's head. Erik simply shrugged his shoulders and sn@tched the nearest dish, throwing it high into the air.

James looked up not a minute too soon. What he saw both shocked and delighted him. Dumbledore was holding a large pitcher of gravy over and unsuspecting Professor McGonagall's head. For a split second, Dumbledore stopped, his eyes met James's.

The next thing Dumbledore did shocked James even more than the fact that he was about to pour gravy over the top of the Deputy Headmistress's head.

He winked at James, the shadow of a smile embedded in his face. He had winked as if he knew James was responsible for the entire mess, and he was congratulating him for it.

Dumbledore had never failed to mystify and astonish James, let alone anyone James knew. He grinned encouragingly back and Dumbledore slowly poured the contents of the pitcher over Professor McGonagall's head.

At this point, the other teachers let go and joined in. James almost fainted, literally, when he say Professor Dreadnought toss and apple at the back of Flitwick's head. She had a pretty decent aim.

James ducked, and shoved one of the Slytherin chasers, Will Draper's, head into a bowl of soup.

·:·:.:·:·

Whack! Warm, dead weight connected with the side of Lily's cherry red face. She screamed, running her fingers through the moist layer of mush.

She turned, furious, to find Bellatrix and Narcissa Black laughing haughtily at her. She glared at them intensely, but they just glared straight back, and if daring her to do something more.

The next thing Lily did was rash, and without any evaluation or thought.

She reached for the nearest dish, didn't even get a glimpse at what it was. She hurled it at the two Slytherins, her face screwed up in utter concentration.

The bowl shattered on Bellatrix as the contents, cooked peas, pelted Narcissa like tiny bullets, leaving a small green stain wherever they hit. Lily cocked her head to the side, as a gesture of triumph.

Bellatrix stared Lily down so harshly; the younger, naive part of her half expected her skin to start bubbling.

Narcissa began to wail uncontrollably, her once ivory pale face tear streaked and blotchy.

Lily laughed scornfully and turned on her heel.

James thought that the evening couldn't possibly get anymore bizarre, until he spotted Lily. She had mashed potatoes smeared across the right side of her face. Her face was so red and she looked so mad, that the child inside James was afraid the mashed potatoes would boil. He had never seen her this mad, not even when she was mad at him. Suddenly, as if the sight wasn't strange enough already, Lily sn@tched a bowl of peas from the nearest table and chucked them straight at Bellatrix and Narcissa Black. She threw it hard too, much harder than James would have imagined she had in her. She threw it so hard, that the bowl shattered all over Bellatrix, tearing the front of her robes to shreds. The actual peas spattered across Narcissa so hard that James figured some of them wouldn't scrub off for days. He smiled triumphantly to himself.

·:·:.:·:·

"Evanesco!" Food that had been lying everywhere, most of it smeared and splattered, disappeared in the blink of an eye. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Now that we have all relieved ourselves of our excess energy," his eyes twinkled, but he had a strange weariness about him. "I need to make it very clear that this should never happen again, and if it shall, the offenders shall suffer harsh consequences." Dumbledore's eyes connected with each of the marauders in turn. McGonagall's face was back to its normal stern state, and she too stared directly at the marauders.

"This year," he continued, "has been another great one. I will be glad to see all of you again next year." It was obvious that his speech had ended, due to the finishing note in his voice. He slowly sat back down as the entire hall began to stand, tired and covered in food.

·:·:.:·:·

The air was filled with steam and hissing. Students were rushing out of the horseless carriages to get a spot on the train. The Hogwarts Express stood gleaming in the Hogsmeade station. Meanwhile, four sour looking boys sauntered towards the back of the train.

"I don't want to leave," groaned Sirius.

"We understand mate," said Remus.

"I'll owl all of you about a time you can come stay at my house," James reminded them, "Padfoot, if you ever need a place to crash, you are always welcome at my place."

"As well as mine," Remus added reassuringly.

The boys sat down in their usual compartment at the back of the train. They shut the door tightly as the train began chugging faster and faster. They all sighed as Hogsmeade station faded into the distance.

Remus pulled out a book, James and Sirius started a game of Exploding Snap, and Peter gazed gloomily out the window as the scenery flew by.

The boys jumped as someone rapped on the compartment door. Sirius, who was closest, opened the door to find Frank standing there, looking very eager.

"Any of you lot got a knut I can borrow? Its all I need to get some Pumpkin Pasties."

The boys rummaged through the pockets of their robes for a knut. James found one first.

"Sure thing mate," he smiled at Frank as he tossed the knut to him.

Frank caught it and replied cheerfully, "Thanks a million." He turned and headed towards the front of the train, leaving the marauders to themselves.

About 5 minutes later they heard the lunch trolley clattering down the hallway towards them. They bought some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to share as the started a heated debate about quidditch.

Well, Sirius and James did at least. Remus had to leave to go to a prefect meeting, and Peter had a look of fake enjoyment plastered on his face as he bobbed his head, only half listening to Sirius and James.

As the train slowed to a stop they said their goodbyes and headed their own ways.

A/N: Sorry the train ride is pretty boring, I wrote it a long time ago. Its rather colorless, but the next chapter gets more interesting. Please Review!

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