Chapter 10- The Socks Go Marching...
Day 1
Stewart groaned as he quickly re-read the letter that had messily landed in his Fruit Loops that morning.
"Why did they have to choose me?" he muttered to himself. "How do they expect me to pull all of this off in three days? Seventy-five pairs of socks. That's freaking insane.
"I'm not cunning and stealthy like the Slytherins that have gone through this before me; I'm definitely not courageous and reckless like those bloody Gryffindors." he mentally snorted at the next thought that went through his head. "I don't even have the brains of them Ravenclaws to back me up."
As he buried himself deeper and deeper in self-doubt, he failed to notice a pretty blond sit down next to him, until she asked him to pass the bacon. He did so without looking up at his table mate.
"Thank you," came the airy reply.
Stewart's head shot up as he finally recognized the voice. It was Loony Lovegood, a sixth year Ravenclaw, and one of the heroic members of Dumbledore's Army
"L-L-Luna what a surprise... what brings you to this side of the hall?"
"Oh you know, the Snekleys are attacking anyone trying to touch what they think is their property... which in this case is the bacon, and I saw you sitting down here all alone looking so depressed, so I thought maybe you might want some company. I see that you got the latest letter. Do you need help with anything? Or am I even allowed to help?"
"I can have help but they're not supposed to volunteer, or find out why they're helping... I think that means I lose. I wish the rules were a little more defined then 'do it, but don't let anyone find out, oh but by the way you're allowed help.'"
"Well the way I read it, is that if you didn't tell me what's going on, then I'm not completely sure that it's actually what's going on. Now what do you mysteriously need help doing?
"I need to do five creative things with a bunch of socks. I've thought of one so far, but I'm not sure where to go from there. I want each to be better than the last..."
"Alright, then how about you pull off the two ideas you have, and then if by supper tonight, you haven't thought of anything else, then I'll ask my friends. Discreetly of course. They'll never know that it was you that needs the help."
"Sounds like a plan. So I will see you at supper then?"
"If I don't get abducted by pimply-pronged-gnats before then." she replied with a vague grin
Stewart waved at Luna as she quietly slipped back to her own table. All of a sudden the day was looking a whole lot better. Now he only had to find out how to do the proper incantations.
The rest of the afternoon was unusually quiet. The Weasley Twins had set off their customary fire cracker display in the fourth floor corridor, but that had become an everyday occurrence after the first week of class. They had wanted to prove that they were bigger and even better than before they had left two years prior, and they had definitely succeeded. Everyone was in higher spirits because of the twins as well as the 'dares'. They were starting to realize that it wasn't a one time thing and that anyone was liable to be picked next.
Supper that evening was a normal affair. The house elves were trying to show the students and staff that the war would not deter them from their usual flair and so had upped their usual standards of preparation.
Stewart waited outside the great hall doors trying to gage when the best time to pull off the first of five acts would be, and finally decided that just after dinner and before dessert when everyone would be full but not stuffed to the point of explosion. With that decided, he walked through the door and sat at his usual spot, not surprised this time to find Luna sitting in the seat next to him.
"Did you think of anything else?" she asked quietly.
"No I still only have the two, but I have a couple more days to think about it. I'm hoping that something will come up."
Luna smiled secretively. "I'm sure something will... pop up. I have to go talk to some people. I'll see you later Stu... do you mind if I call you Stu?"
"Er... no, I don't mind. I'll see you later."
And with that she was gone again, humming a little tune under her breath as she skipped over to the Gryffindor table and plopped herself down on Ron Weasley's lap, much to the displeasure of some of the other girls sitting at the table.
Finally the last of the supper dishes were cleared away and people were starting to think about heading back to their common rooms and relaxing for the night.
"Animatus Theatrics. Maximus Engorgio" Stewart whispered quietly, as he pointed his wand at the front of the hall.
Suddenly the little box that had been sitting up at the front of the room unnoticed sprang to life and seemingly transformed itself into a large and beautiful theater. The stage looked to be made of rich walnut. The curtains were a royal blue bordering on purple, and there was an excited house elf bouncing off to the side, waiting to pull up the curtain.
A voice came from the ceiling of the hall and everyone looked around in wonder. They knew it had something to do with the latest dares but no one except those in on the planning knew anything about it.
"Ladies and Gents, ghosts and ghouls, your attention please! If I may direct your attention to the stage up front, I will introduce the cast of tonight's act."
"First up is Winky. She will be playing the part of Herine Ginger, and Lora Luvgol."
"Second is Pepper. He will be doing the roles of Harol Putty as well as Nettles Loosefoot."
After him is Stepples who volunteered to play Almond Bumblebee, and Sir Hold-the-Fort"
"Next is Dobby, who is doing Harols best friend Robly Westerly, and his sister Jolive Westerly."
"And finally Borgie, Nisol, and Falun who agreed to play all of the bad guys as well as the smaller characters and the Minister."
Scattered applause was heard throughout the room, it was coming more frequently and with more enthusiasm from the Gryffindor table as they seemed to realize what was going on and who it was really about.
The three elves quickly took their bows and retreated back behind the curtains, embarrassed at being in the spotlight like that.
The play went fairly smoothly, and everyone got a giggle when they saw that the characters weren't actually being played by the little elves, but with their hands. Each character portrayed was a sock. Red ones (Robly and Jolive), green ones (Harol and Hold-the-Fort), neon blue with bronze sparkled star and moons that actually twinkled as though they were real, (Lora), a thick gray and scraggly looking one that had been partially dyed to look like it was wearing a robe (Bumblebee) , and a red and gold stereotypical version of a Gryffindor. (Nettles)
The play started in what looked to be a forest and six of the eight puppets were on stage arguing about whether they should go save the family that had been stolen from them by Sir Hold-the-Fort. Then the curtain went down and the scene was replaced by a scene that looked to be a courtroom but lacking the jury stand. Up at the top of the audience panel was a curtained Mirror. People gasped when they saw the amount of detail that had gone into the settings. Anyone who had heard the tale knew what was being shown and really started to get into the story and the telling of it from a different point of view instead of just the ministries.
Finally the big battle started and people were outright cheering for their favorite people to win whether it was Harol or Hold-the Fort, or Larry Melchoy or Nettles. They were enjoying themselves and were finally being given an accurate telling of what really happened that night just over a year ago.
When the play ended, everybody stood up and applauded the elves for their performance. None of the little creatures wanted to go back up on stage and accept the credit, until Dumbledore gently pushed Winky up; the rest slowly followed though albeit reluctantly.
'Ten down, sixty-five to go.' Stewart thought to himself as he clapped loudly along with everyone else.
Day 2
The next morning Stewart was up earlier than everyone else because he had some preparations to get done before the day was officially allowed to start. He grabbed the box of socks that had been used the night before, and headed into the common room to start setting up. This was going to be good; he just knew it.
He set out a pair of socks for each person in his year as well as the fifth and sixth years, and personally addressed each one. Then he set the spell to take each person to where ever or whoever they were thinking about at the time of contact.
Then he slipped out of the tower and headed towards the Gryffindor towers since they were the next easiest to get into. He repeated the pattern with the lions den, addressing a pair of sock to each of the 4th fifth and sixth years in the house and setting the transporting spell on each pair. Then he slipped back out and thanked the Fat Lady for granting him entry even though he wasn't a Gryffindor. She said that he was welcome; she knew he didn't come to cause harm and that she knew that he was the next up for the dares. She was looking forward to hearing about the outcome.
Stewart thanked her again and raced down the halls to where he guessed Hufflepuff's den to be. After pleading with the guardian there for ten minutes or so, Susan Bones came through the door wanting to know what all the ruckus was about. He explained that he was trying to get in so that he could leave a gift for a girl that he liked, but he didn't want her to know that it was from him. Susan smiled and motioned for him to follow her. Once inside he took out a wrapped package and set if down by the fireplace. As soon as his hands left the parcel it seemed to explode. Susan gave a small squeak but then realized that Stewart was still standing calmly and relaxed a little. He explained that he was giving socks to the kids in years four, five and six, but couldn't explain why at the moment. He then asked her to not tell anyone that he was there; she agreed. He walked out the door, and went in search of Slytherin's rooms.
It took a lot of watching and waiting until he found the Slytherins. He was almost ready to give up and go back to his bed for an hour or so when he saw none other than Draco Malfoy walk out of the seemingly concrete wall, and head down towards the bathroom. Knowing that he would have to come back sooner or later Stewart leaned back against the wall and waited patiently.
Finally Malfoy did return and spoke the password in a normal voice, clearly assuming that it was too early for spies.
Stewart followed him in when he figured it would be safe to do so, knowing that the snake pit was one of the least safe places for him to be. He put the last package down, set a time delay for when he was gone and quickly left before anyone else could come down the stairs.
The whole morning was complete and utter chaos around the school once the students figured out how to use the socks, you see it wasn't one time transportation, but a pseudo portkey for the entire day. No one had to worry about being in class on time or meeting their friend on time, they just had to think of where they wanted to be and poof they were there! Most of the kids gave one of their socks to an older or younger friend/classmate that didn't receive a pair, and so double the people that were supposed to get them, had them.
Come lunch time everyone could be seen with a sock in hand or walking with someone with a sock in hand. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces and every once in a while a Weasley twin would pop out of existence in the main hall then pop back in soaking wet, and laughing. At the Ravenclaw table one girl was telling her friend how when she'd picked up her pair of socked she popped into the Hufflepuff's common room and onto the lap of the seventh year boy she had a crush on, and now they were kind of dating. Another was telling his buddies that he got drenched when he was thinking about trying to get to the showers before his dorm mates.
And that is how the rest of the day went on. People popping at random times, and the teachers were starting to get annoyed at the kids popping into their classes instead of walking like normal people. Unfortunately for them they were on their own, because Dumbledore was turning a blind ear to their complaints. It was nice to see that his precious socks were being used to bring such happiness to his pupils, even though his feet hadn't been properly warm in two days.
His poor socks! The pink ones for when he was feeling warm and fuzzy, the red ones for when he needed to control his temper. Then there were the best pair of all, the ones that he wore more often than any other. His vibrating socks. They were an unassuming white pair of socks when they were off the feet, but once you put them on... WOW! They were thought controlled, so when he was alone, or with a student he needed to hold his patience with (Harry Potter - ring a bell anyone?) all he needed to do was think of them and they upped in power. When he was in a meeting, or needed to appear serious, he politely asked them to tone down and they became a calming buzz, just stronger than a tickle. Yes, Dumbledore loved his white unassuming vibrating socks more than any other pair, and he hoped dearly that Mr. Ackerley was taking very good care of his precious socks.
The rest of the day went on much the same as it started. Come supper time the whole school had become excited to see what would happen next, there was a feeling of anticipation in the air and Stewart wasn't about to let his peers down.
Dessert that night was uneventful but when the last of the dishes cleared, a couple people made a shout of disbelief when their socks suddenly shot out from their bags and changed shapes. Luna Lovegood's became a rabbit, Ginny Weasley's became a horse, and soon there was a room full of animals, some of them became physical forms of patronui, some became favorite animals, but it was once again a noisy after-dinner.
'Sixty-nine down, six to go' Stewart thought with a grin, it was the end of the second night and now he just had to think of two things to do with six pairs of socks. That was far more reasonable than the seventy-five he had stated with.
Day 3
The next morning, Stewart was getting dressed when he realized that all of his uniform socks were dirty and that the house elves had taken them the night before. Knowing that his feet would scream at him in the way of blisters by the end of the day, he ducked under his bed, pulled out the last box of socks and rummaged through them looking for a normal pair of white socks, so that he could go down to breakfast. Finally he found a single pair. One pair of plain white cotton socks. He pulled them on in a hurry knowing that he had only twelve hours left to think of two things to do to use the rest of the socks, before he was forced to wear the nauseating pink hair.
Breakfast was quiet. There were no noises or explosions. A small amount of chatter was coming from the Slytherin table, but the rest of the hall was silent. Everyone was waiting to see if anything else involving socks would happen.
Lunch was a similar affair. Stewart was starting to panic. Six hours left to go, and he had no ideas. Suddenly a note popped onto his plate of fish and chips.
Mr. Ackerley
I've noticed that you are having a spot of trouble coming up with a final idea. Our records show that you have completed four of the five required tasks. While I can't come right out and give you a hint, I can say that the task does not have to include the whole school. It can be directed at one person.
Good luck in the rest of the task.
Hogwarts
Stewart stared at the letter in disbelief. Four out of five have been done? How was that possible? Suddenly the plain boring socks that he had on started vibrating. He nearly jumped out of his skin. While he managed to stay in his seat, he did give a very loud yelp of surprise. He looked around trying to figure out who jinxed his socks. When none of the other students looked guilty, his eyes moved to the head table where he locked gazes with the Headmaster. Then the puzzle pieces fell into place. Where the socks had come from, why there were so many pairs, and what he had to do with the last six pairs of socks.
Dumbledore was enjoying the look of confusion on Stewart Ackerleys face, but then realization dawned, he got up from his chair and walked out the doors as calmly as possible.
Albus put the ideas out of his head for the moment, and tried to focus on his meal. It worked rather well until a small brown owl landed ungracefully in front of him holding a hastily wrapped brown package.
Dumbledore didn't dare hope for what was going through his mind. 'He wouldn't have, would he?'
'HE DID! THANK YOU FOR HELPING HIM FIGURE IT OUT!' he mentally shouted and rejoiced. Outwardly he remained as calm as ever. Inside the box were seven pairs of socks, including a pair of white vibrating socks. Dumbledore hugged the box tightly and Stewart grinned boldly as felt the tingle that proved he's completed the seemingly impossible task. A bright green ribbon appeared on his collar, and he pulled out a piece of parchment.
To one Dean Thomas,
Welcome to the Hogwarts Dare Club. Here you have a chance to show off just how creative Gryffindors' can be.
You have the choice as to whether you accept or decline the dare. But know that if you agree, you must follow through or pay the price, for if you fail, a most foul color shall be your hair for 24 hours. But should you succeed, a ribbon in the most beautiful color you know, is your reward as well as the right to choose the next member of our group.
Think carefully, you have three days from the time of your acceptance.
Your dare you ask? Have the seventh year boys in each house stuck in their underwear without them knowing about it. Worry not. They will not receive detentions, just a little humility.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing how you pull this off.
Yours,
The Ninth Hogwarts Dared
Yo GofferGurl you're up next! Let's see what you can do
A/N Both the Pimply-Pronged-Gnats, and the Snekleys are of my own invention.
A/N #2 Thank you to our four readers who reviewed the last chapter they are very much appreciated. It's nice to know that we haven't lost all of our readers over the Christmas holidays.
A/N #3 I'm really and truly sorry if this chapter isn't up to usual standards. I had an impossible time trying to get the writing juices going again. Hopefully things will start to get better once we all get back into the rhythm of things. Dares and ideas are still always welcome, no matter what they are or whom they're pointed at.
A/N #4 You might have noticed that I named Stewart the Ninth dared. If you go back and count the darees in each chapter, you will see that we were having a bit of trouble counting in a few chapters.
BETA'S NOTE: wow, this is fun to edit. My only thought is that we need more readers – so shameless plugging is in order here people. Well done to Luin and I can't wait for Goffer's chapter! Thanks, mysteryredhead.
PLUG AWAY, people.
