"Harry Potter must wake up!"
Harry groaned and rolled over, pulling his blankets over his head. It was no use though as the sheets were pulled from his hand.
"Please Harry Potter, you must get up, Dobby fears he has done something terrible!"
Yawning Harry fumbled for his glasses and rubbing the sleep from his eyes sat up. Putting his glasses on he stared blurry-eyed at the form at the end of his bed which slowly came into focus as Dobby the house elf.
"What is it this time Dobby?" He asked grumpily.
"Oh, Harry Potter must come quickly. Dobby is not knowing who else to come to, but Harry Potter is a great wizard and can help Dobby!"
With that Dobby scampered to the door of the tower room Harry shared with Ron and the other Gryffindor 4th year boys.
"Dobby!" Exasperated, Harry slowly got out of bed and pulling his robe over his pajama's started for the door.
"Harry, wait for me!" Ron was just getting up as well. "You never know what that bloody lunatic of house elf will be up to."
"What do you think Dobby wants?" Harry asked as they entered the common room.
"I don't know," Ron replied. "Maybe he broke into Snape's office or something."
In the flickering light from the fireplace Harry saw Dobby beckoning them towards the exit.
"It is Christmas vacation but if we are caught outside the tower we'll get detention for sure!" Harry said. "What do you need Dobby?"
The house elf simply beckoned them towards the exit.
Harry sighed. "Just a minute Dobby, if we are going out we need our wands."
Harry and Ron hurried back to their room and grabbed their wands and Harry scooped up the Marauders Map as well.
Following Dobby, the pair silently hurried through the deserted corridors, narrowly avoiding being seen by Peeves who was cheerfully dragging a soggy mass of . . . something down the once clean hallway.
Finally, Dobby stopped at a door that they knew all too well.
"Dobby, this is Myrtles bathroom!" Ron whispered urgently. "What is going on?"
"Oh sirs! Dobby is so ashamed. Hagrid said Dobby could have them sirs! Dobby promises that he didn't steal them!"
"What are you talking about Dobby?" Harry said, keeping his voice low.
Suddenly from down the hall came the sound of footsteps. Harry glanced at the Map.
"Quick, inside!" He grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him inside the bathroom and peeked out through the door.
"It's Draco and his goons! What are they doing out at this time of night?"
Harry turned to look for a spot to hide and ran right into Ron, who had stopped.
"Harry! There's something under the sink," Ron hissed. "I think it's alive!"
Suddenly a voice was heard from one of the stalls. "Oh sure, alive, let's all torment poor Myrtle! Let's gloat about how alive everything is!"
Myrtle came drifting through door to one of the stalls.
"Here now, what are you looking at?"
Harry was violently motioning for Myrtle to be quiet.
"Did you hear something?" Draco's voice was pitched low but could be heard in the bathroom.
"Probably just that stupid ghost." That could only be Goyle.
"But she's talking to someone." The footsteps came closer. "It's dark in there though so whoever it is must be a student out of bed. I bet we can have some fun with them."
Harry and Ron ducked in the last stall just as the door opened.
"Alright Myrtle, who were you talking to?" Draco demanded.
"Go away! I don't like you!" Myrtle yelled. "Maybe I should call a teacher, you shouldn't be in here you know."
"We heard you talking and thought we could join the party."
Harry and Ron exchanged glances at the sniggers from Crabbe and Goyle, worried that Myrtle would expose them.
"I was only talking to those socks." Myrtle said.
"How sad," Draco's voice oozed with false sincerity. "Reduced to talking to her socks."
"I wouldn't disturb the socks," Myrtle warned.
Harry looked at Ron, confused. Ron simply shook his head as if to indicate he didn't know what was going on either.
"Someone has forgotten their socks." Draco said. "Let's make sure they don't find them again. Crabbe, pick them up."
Harry and Ron heard Crabbe shuffle forward. Suddenly a low growl echoed through the room.
"What was that?" Draco sounded worried. Harry risked opening the stall door a crack to peek out.
Draco had his back to the stall and Goyle was standing next to him. Both were staring at the things under the sink that Harry had seen move earlier. Crabbe had stopped just a few steps from the . . . thing . . . and was now slowly backing up.
"Is - is that alive? What is it?"
Myrtle giggled. "I told you. They're socks!"
Draco was slowly pulling his wand out of his robe.
"I wouldn't do anything hasty," Myrtle warned. "They wouldn't like that."
Draco ignored her. "Lumos!"
The bathroom lit up and Harry had the impression of a colorful mass of something launch itself from under the sink towards Draco.
The light was abruptly extinguished as the mass hit Draco.
There were some screams and bangs as Draco, Crabbe and Goyle stumbled around.
"It bit me!" Draco screamed. "It's trying to kill me!"
The bathroom door flew open and Goyle was briefly silhouetted in the light from the hall. Crabbe stumbled into him, trying to get out. Suddenly Draco appeared, clawing his way over the bodies in the doorway and out of the room.
Goyle bellowed in pain, jumped up and ran out of the room followed closely by Crabbe and a fast moving . . .
Harry rubbed his eyes in disbelief and turned to Ron.
"Don't look at me mate" Ron said slowly. "Even in the wizarding world seeing Draco chased out of a bathroom by a pair of socks is weird!"
"Quickly sirs you must leave! There are teachers coming!" Dobby was back and pulling at their arms.
Harry checked the Marauders Map and saw that Snape and Professor Flitwick were coming toward them.
They took off running with the screams echoing down the hall and didn't stop until they reached the Fat Lady's painting.
"Wattlebird," Ron gasped.
They clambered in the hole behind the painting and sank into the common room easy chairs.
"What were those things?" Harry said once he had caught his breath.
"They looked like socks to me," Ron replied.
Understanding dawned. They both turned to Dobby...