The nature of the prank was the cause of a great deal of discussion and planning between Harry and Hermione, with assistance from all the Weasleys, including Percy, who, to Hermione's surprise, was no where near the stuck up prig he appeared to outsiders. At first, Harry wanted to do something much more painful and permanent to Snape, but allowed Hermione to convince him to start with something non-violent and relatively harmless. He did stand his ground about making it embarrassing, which Hermione went along with. He also reserved the right to escalate things if Snape still persisted in his unacceptable behavior._