The news about Delphini’s new position at the Ministry of Magic and her campaign plan soon spread like wildfire. It was all everyone seemed to talk about; of course, the news eventually got to Alyssa Parkinson.

 The Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins had Charms together. One day, Parkinson decided to sit at a desk next to the one where David was sitting.

 “It seems like you won’t be here for long, Edwards.” she scoffed at him. “You and your people will soon be kicked out from the wizarding world. I’d start preparing to leave if I were you.”

* * *

 During study hall, David told his friends about what Parkinson had said to him. Marigold, Andrew and James were furious.

 “We can’t let that banshee get away with saying disgusting stuff like that anymore,” Marigold whispered angrily. “It’s time we teach her a lesson.”

 “But how?” Andrew asked.

 “I’ve got an idea,” James said.

 “What is it?”

 “We’ll give her a Ton-Tongue Toffee.”

 “What’s that?” David asked.

 “It’s something my uncle George invented with his twin brother. I got it last summer from the shop he owns with my uncle Ron.” James explained. “If Parkinson eats it, her tongue will grow fat and as long as four feet.”

 “That’s brilliant!” Marigold said.

 “But do you think Parkinson will take it?” David asked. “She would never accept anything from Harry Potter’s son.”

 “So you’re saying that she’ll take it as long as she doesn’t see James or any of us holding it,” Marigold said. “She’ll take it if she sees it in the middle of nowhere.”

 The boys tried to process what Marigold had just said until James snapped his fingers.

 “Goldie, you’re a genius.”

* * *

 Marigold and her friends hid behind the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor. Andrew pulled out his wand and pointed it towards the Ton-Tongue Toffee, which stood a few feet away.

 “Wingardium Leviosa.” he waved his wand.

 The toffee rose a few feet from the ground.

 “Now we just need to wait for Parkinson,” Marigold said.

 They waited and waited. But even after ten minutes, there was no sign of anyone.

 “When is she coming?” James asked.

 “Maybe we should just give up,” David said.

 As soon as he said that, Parkinson passed the corridor, with Bulstrode by her side; they immediately noticed the tiny sweet floating in front of them.

 “Why is this toffee floating in the air?” Parkinson asked.

 “I don’t know, but it looks good,” Bulstrode said.

 “It does,” Parkinson replied.

 Marigold, Andrew, James and David started snickering as Parkinson threw the toffee into her mouth without a second thought.

 “What an idiot,” Marigold sneered.

 “I can’t believe she fell for it,” James added.

 Parkinson’s tongue quickly started swelling; it soon became a foot-long, slimy, purple snake. Marigold and her friends laughed and high-fived each other.

 “Oh no! Alyssa!” Bulstrode screamed as her friend started sputtering and gagging. “Someone get a teacher!”

 Professor McGonagall, Professor Longbottom and Professor Slughorn heard the commotion and came running.

 “Merlin!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed. “Ms Parkinson, what happened?”

 “There - there was a toffee floating in the air!” Bulstrode wailed; she could barely speak. “Alyssa ate it, and then her tongue started growing!”

 “Ms Parkinson, let’s first take you to the Hospital Wing.” Professor Slughorn said; he hurriedly left with Parkinson, who could now barely breathe.

 Professor McGonagall looked around; she noticed Marigold’s blue eyes peeking from behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

 “Ms Lupin-Black? What are you doing here?” she asked as Marigold and her friends froze. “And Mr Potter? Mr Laird? And Mr Edwards? You four have nothing to do with this, do you?”

 Marigold shot her friends a panicked look before walking out from behind the statue; they followed her.

 “We did, professor,” she confessed. “We were the ones who put the toffee there.”

 “I’m surprised, Ms Lupin-Black. I expected better from you.” Professor McGonagall frowned.

 “It wasn’t her fault, ma’am.” James stepped forward. “It was my idea.”

 “I’m also responsible, professor,” Andrew said.

 “And I was also a part of it, ma’am,” David added.

 “I am very disappointed in all of you.” Professor McGonagall said. “But Ms Lupin-Black, Mr Potter and Mr Laird, since I’m not the head of Gryffindor, it is not my duty to decide the consequences of your actions. I will leave it to Professor Longbottom. And Mr Edwards, you will be hearing from Professor Sprout.”

 The four quietly nodded.

 “Marigold, Andrew and James, why don’t you follow me to my office?” Professor Longbottom said. “And David, I want you to come with us.”

* * *

 “I can’t believe you four would give her that,” Professor Longbottom said. “Ms Parkinson was suffocating. You could’ve put her life at risk.”

 Marigold wanted to say that someone like that didn’t deserve to live, but she knew better than to say it out loud; she held her tongue.

 “Is there, perhaps, a reason why you decided to pull that prank?” he asked.

 “Well,” Marigold began. “We did it because Parkinson is so mean. David told us that she told him that Delphini will kick him out of the country for being Muggle-born.”

 Professor Longbottom was visibly taken aback.

 “I see now.” he frowned. “So let me get this straight - Ms Parkinson made anti-Muggle remarks towards Mr Edwards, so Ms Lupin-Black, Mr Potter and Mr Laird, you decided to give her the Ton-Tongue Toffee to get revenge?”

 Marigold, Andrew, James and David nodded like bobbleheads. Professor Longbottom’s expression softened.

 “I appreciate you four being honest with me,” he said. “And it does seem like Ms Parkinson started it, so I will take ten points off of Slytherin. I will also be sure to speak to Professor Slughorn about her behaviour.”

 Marigold smiled with relief, knowing that Parkinson will be punished.

 “But I also want you four to realise that the prank you pulled was very dangerous. And I wish that will never happen again in the future. Mr Potter, Mr Laird and Ms Lupin-Black, I will take five points from Gryffindor, and I will be writing to your parents tonight.”

 Marigold and her friends quietly nodded.

* * *

 The next morning, Marigold, Andrew, James and David all sat together at the Gryffindor table again.

 “Professor Sprout asked me if I was okay earlier,” David said.

 “Professor Longbottom must’ve explained everything to her,” Marigold said. “I mean, you were the victim, so it wouldn’t be fair at all if you got punished for the Ton-Tongue Toffee thing.”

Clover flew over the Gryffindor table with another Daily Prophet newspaper and a red envelope. James’s owl, Castor, and Andrew’s owl, Fiona, followed him behind. The owls dropped off the mail in front of their owners.

 Marigold set the newspaper aside and picked up the red envelope, which turned out to be a Howler.

 “Oh no!”

 “Look!” Hercules exclaimed. “Lupin-Black got herself a Howler! And it looks like Potter also got one!”

 “Go on,” Andrew said. “It will explode if you ignore it.”

 Marigold opened hers first.

 “Hey, Marigold!” it was Sirius’s voice. “We heard about the Ton-Tongue Toffee prank. I’m not mad at you, I’m proud! Merlin’s beard, it was brilliant! That little bullying git Parkinson totally deserved it. Five points for Gryffindor!”

 “Sirius, no!” Remus’s voice yelled in the background.

 Everyone in the Great Hall, including Marigold, roared with laughter. Only Parkinson and her cronies shot dirty looks towards them.

 James also opened his Howler, hoping that his parents also responded the way Marigold’s did.

 “JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!” the Howler screamed in Ginny’s voice. “HOW DARE YOU PULL THAT PRANK! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!”

 “Ginny, calm down!” Harry’s voice said.

 “YOU COULD’VE KILLED THE GIRL! ANY MORE FUNNY BUSINESS, AND YOU’RE GOING STRAIGHT HOME! IS THAT CLEAR?!”

 James nodded, visibly frightened. The Howler blew a raspberry and ripped itself into pieces.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” David said concernedly. “I don’t want you to lose points for Gryffindor or get in trouble just because of me.”

 “It was only five points,” James reassured. “And my mum and my uncles pulled even bigger pranks when they were younger.”

 “Yeah, and we can’t just sit by and watch that git say those disgusting things to you,” Andrew added.

 “Unfortunately, there are other wizards like Parkinson out there who think that Muggle-borns are scum,” Marigold warned. “And with Delphini in the Ministry, it’s just gonna get worse and worse.”