The Hufflepuff common room was warm with golden firelight and the scent of polished wood, hot cocoa, and parchment. Cushions were scattered near the hearth, and a few students lingered, quietly reading or dozing. The trio had claimed a cozy corner near a gently bubbling barrel of enchanted tea.
Dora stirred her mug slowly, eyes narrowing. "...I'm having the weirdest sense of déjà vu."
Hadrian, curled in the oversized chair next to her, frowned in concentration. "Same. I was rereading my Transfiguration notes, and suddenly I remembered... a quill whispering sweet nothings about sentence structure."
Iris sat cross-legged on a pouf, blinking. "Wait. You too?"
Dora's eyes lit up. "Wait—yes! Whispering quills! Operation Haunting Homework!" Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Guys. It worked."
Hadrian slowly sat forward, blinking as the memories clicked into place. "The charms on the quills... the rhyme enchantments... the rewritten History of Magic essays..."
Iris gasped. "I rewrote someone's homework to rhyme with goblin war chants. I remember now! It was brilliant."
Dora giggled, clapping a hand over her mouth. "And the Charms girl who got her essay back with a chorus line in the margins..."
They fell into a stunned silence for a moment, each reabsorbing the thrill of what they had done.
"Okay," Hadrian said slowly, "that memory-blocking charm is terrifyingly effective."
"But also kind of awesome," Iris admitted, grinning. "We acted completely innocent. Because technically—we were innocent. We didn't remember a thing."
Dora leaned back, hands behind her head. "Which means we totally fooled the staff meeting. I bet Merriman was losing his mind."
"I wonder if Snape suspects anything," Iris added.
Hadrian smirked. "Probably. But he'll never prove it."
Dora's hair turned a triumphant gold. "Hufflepuff's reputation remains spotless. House points safe, prank successful, and—" she paused, raising an eyebrow "—no guilt, because past-us made all the decisions, and present-us is just along for the ride."
"Dangerously efficient," Iris muttered. "This is why they called the Marauders legends."
Hadrian leaned back with a sigh. "We should use this spell sparingly. One day it will backfire."
"But until then," Dora said with a sly grin, "who says studying can't be haunted and entertaining?"
They all clinked their mugs of cocoa together with solemn nods.
"To ghosts of homework past," Iris toasted.
"And future pranks," Hadrian added.
"To memory magic," Dora grinned.
The fire crackled approvingly.