A/N- Who doesn't love socks? Oh, and I'm a little obsessed with Fred's
ponytail. Sorry I keep mentioning it. Ditto to Professor Dumbledore's
'twinkling eyes'.
The next morning, there was a mad rush to get to the Great Hall. Everyone was hoping that there would be an announcement as to who would be going to the dance with whom.
"You guys are so lucky," Neville said as he walked down the stairs with Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean, "You don't have to worry about asking anyone to the dance." The other four boys shook their heads. "We're not as lucky as you think, Neville," Ron admitted, "What if we get paired with someone totally awful?"
Everyone was thinking along the same lines as they sat down at the different house tables. Fred and George were looking especially worried. They had figured the whole time that they would have this whole thing in the bag, but now they had found out that they wouldn't even get to choose who they would end up with.
"Fred, stop worrying," Angelina said, playfully tugging his ponytail, "Everything will be fine. Socks are fine! You're fine! So just relax. I'm sure you'll wind up with someone great." Fred couldn't help but grin. "You're right," he said, smiling, "Socks are our friends, right?"
George, Oliver, Alicia, and Katie came and sat down next to them while they were talking. "What are you talking about? Why are socks our friends all of a sudden?" Oliver asked, completely confused. "Don't ask, Oliver," George said knowingly. Oliver shrugged. He figured, knowing Fred and George, that he didn't want to know anyway.
"That was so bloody embarrassing!" Draco said to Pansy at the Slytherin table, "Why the hell would Dumbledore go and invite my parents?" Pansy laughed, running her hand down Draco's arm. "He probably just loves seeing you all riled up," she said, rolling her eyes sympathetically, "Don't give him OR your parents the satisfaction. Just enjoy yourself when you're at the ball with me, and you can be the one having the last laugh." Draco couldn't help smiling, thinking of how much fun he would have with Pansy at the ball. "Yeah, that will be perfect. I can't wait," he said.
Up at the staff table, Lucius Malfoy and Professor Snape were arguing vehemently with Sirius Black and Lupin. "No Sirius, I absolutely refuse," Snape snapped, shaking his head at how immature Black could be. "Oh come on, Sevvie, it would be so much fun to have a game of Truth or Dare at the dance!" Sirius smiled, having the time of his life.
"No," Lucius sneered, "Severus and I will not take part in such a teenage game." Sirius imitated his sneer, and cracked himself up. "Why, are you scared?" he asked, knowing the way to get his way was to make it hurt their pride. Snape and Lucius knew he knew what he was doing, which made them all the more reluctant to agree. "Of course not," Snape said, defending himself.
"Then prove it," Lupin said, pushing, "when we start it up, get involved. Or everyone will find out what really happened at that New Years Party." Sevvie and Lucius frowned, knowing they were stuck. "Fine," Lucius agreed, "we will."
"I wonder who I'll be paired with," Cho said thoughtfully at the Ravenclaw table, "I hope it's not someone ugly." Padma rolled her eyes. Cho could be so shallow. But then again, she could be sort of flaky too. "Me too," Padma said, sighing and going with the flow.
Back with the Gryffindors, Percy was complaining up a storm. "That was so embarrassing! I can't believe I let myself be humiliated like that!" he said, whining to Penelope. Penny grinned. She had felt exactly the same way until she had gotten on the show and realized that it made no difference what she said because everyone already knew about that whole deal with her kissing Percy in the classroom. If you've told Ginny, you've told Ron, and if you've told Ron, you've told everyone.
Suddenly, up at the staff table, Professor Dumbledore stood up. Everyone immediately fell silent. "I'm getting better at getting your attention," he said, noting that he didn't have to ask Professor Snape to scream at the students anymore, "Now, how many of you want to know who you are going to be paired with?"
There was a huge uproar as everyone started screaming and stomping their feet and banging on the table. Draco Malfoy was looking extremely self- satisfied as he banged his goblet on the Slytherin table. "Well tell us already!" yelled Fred and George at the top of their lungs.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled, and everyone got quiet again so that he could talk. "Thanks for your opinions, Mr. and Mr. Weasley," he said calmly, "Now I know that you know more than everyone else because you helped organize this lovely idea. But I think I should make this announcement before I allow anyone to find out their perfect match."
The whole Great Hall got even more tensely excited. "Okay," said Professor Dumbledore, "I'm sure you have all been wondering who will be doing the matching. I have heard rumors that it would be I, or Fred and George Weasley- In fact, I even heard someone say they thought it might be Professor Snape! And I'm proud to announce that you are all wrong."
Most of the student body seemed shocked by this. If it wasn't going to be one of them, they didn't know who it would be! Fred and George and their friends knew, of course, but they were the only ones. "So let me announce," the headmaster continued, smiling, "that your perfect match from the show will be concluded by none other than a very special, very impartial sock!"
No one spoke for a minute, but then laughter filled the Great Hall. Even Fred and George found it funny now that everyone else did. Ron grinned at Hermione and Harry. "This is great!" he said, which seemed strange coming from Ron about a sock, "I have connections!"
"Ron, what the heck are you talking about?" Hermione asked, completely confused. Harry had a similar expression of bewilderment on his face. "Well you see," Ron said smartly, "My best friend is Harry. Harry is friends with Dobby (the house-elf). Dobby has an obsession with socks. So I'm connected to socks through three degrees of separation!" Harry and Hermione looked at him strangely. They couldn't deny that he was right, but he was really weirdly right.
About a minute later, everyone stopped talking about the impartial sock and looked up at Dumbledore expectantly realizing that he hadn't told them their perfect matches. The professor realized that they realized this, and stood back up at his place at the staff table.
"I'm assuming you all just noticed that I didn't tell you your perfect match yet," he said, eyes twinkling. The whole student body started yelling at him. "Calm down," he said, "you will be finding out today! Lee Jordan will be making an announcement later on as to when you should all come down to the Great Hall. Once you are down there, the impartial sock will say a few words, and then it will announce the pairings! Now off to class!"
Complaining about not yet knowing, everyone started walking out of the Great Hall. Up at the staff table, Sirius Black turned to Professor Dumbledore excitedly. "What should Lucius and Cissa and I do?" he asked, grinning a mile wide. "We can stay in our rooms and await the torture of a smelly sock," suggested Lucius, cocking an eyebrow at the headmaster.
Professor Dumbledore shook his head, eyes getting that familiar twinkle again. "I wouldn't want to put you through all that!" he said, laughing at the look on Lucius' face, "You may all attend classes today!" Sirius looked super excited. "Great!" he said, and stood there waiting for further instructions.
"Sirius, you can attend classes with Harry and Ron. Lucius, Cissa, just go to all the classes that Draco has," Professor Dumbledore said happily. Lucius gave the headmaster an evil glare to rival all evil glares. "Do you have any idea what I would like to do to you right now?" he asked, sneering at him.
"I do! You'd like to hug him and thank him for this wonderful opportunity," Sirius said, knowing that he was pushing his luck with Lucius. "Thank you Sirius," Dumbledore smiled, "but you should all get to class now. You wouldn't want to be late!"
"I always was," Sirius said, smiling (3 guesses as to why he was late). "I remember that well," Professor Dumbledore said, "I particularly recall you getting accidentally locked in the staff wardrobe and not being able to get out until I went to hang up my coat. But you better get to class, all of you, so you won't be TOO much of a distraction! Bye!"
"Imagine Sirius Black being a distraction," Lucius said, smirking as the three visitors walked out of the Great Hall. "Hmm," said Sirius, laughing, "I think I've always been somewhat distracting to the ladies."
"No, that was probably the smell of your gym socks," Lucius said spitefully. Narcissa nodded, arching an eyebrow. "Don't be so blonde, Lucius," Sirius said, cracking up, "We don't take gym. And besides that, you don't want to go around dissing socks. After all, who knows how impartial this impartial sock really is!"
The next morning, there was a mad rush to get to the Great Hall. Everyone was hoping that there would be an announcement as to who would be going to the dance with whom.
"You guys are so lucky," Neville said as he walked down the stairs with Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean, "You don't have to worry about asking anyone to the dance." The other four boys shook their heads. "We're not as lucky as you think, Neville," Ron admitted, "What if we get paired with someone totally awful?"
Everyone was thinking along the same lines as they sat down at the different house tables. Fred and George were looking especially worried. They had figured the whole time that they would have this whole thing in the bag, but now they had found out that they wouldn't even get to choose who they would end up with.
"Fred, stop worrying," Angelina said, playfully tugging his ponytail, "Everything will be fine. Socks are fine! You're fine! So just relax. I'm sure you'll wind up with someone great." Fred couldn't help but grin. "You're right," he said, smiling, "Socks are our friends, right?"
George, Oliver, Alicia, and Katie came and sat down next to them while they were talking. "What are you talking about? Why are socks our friends all of a sudden?" Oliver asked, completely confused. "Don't ask, Oliver," George said knowingly. Oliver shrugged. He figured, knowing Fred and George, that he didn't want to know anyway.
"That was so bloody embarrassing!" Draco said to Pansy at the Slytherin table, "Why the hell would Dumbledore go and invite my parents?" Pansy laughed, running her hand down Draco's arm. "He probably just loves seeing you all riled up," she said, rolling her eyes sympathetically, "Don't give him OR your parents the satisfaction. Just enjoy yourself when you're at the ball with me, and you can be the one having the last laugh." Draco couldn't help smiling, thinking of how much fun he would have with Pansy at the ball. "Yeah, that will be perfect. I can't wait," he said.
Up at the staff table, Lucius Malfoy and Professor Snape were arguing vehemently with Sirius Black and Lupin. "No Sirius, I absolutely refuse," Snape snapped, shaking his head at how immature Black could be. "Oh come on, Sevvie, it would be so much fun to have a game of Truth or Dare at the dance!" Sirius smiled, having the time of his life.
"No," Lucius sneered, "Severus and I will not take part in such a teenage game." Sirius imitated his sneer, and cracked himself up. "Why, are you scared?" he asked, knowing the way to get his way was to make it hurt their pride. Snape and Lucius knew he knew what he was doing, which made them all the more reluctant to agree. "Of course not," Snape said, defending himself.
"Then prove it," Lupin said, pushing, "when we start it up, get involved. Or everyone will find out what really happened at that New Years Party." Sevvie and Lucius frowned, knowing they were stuck. "Fine," Lucius agreed, "we will."
"I wonder who I'll be paired with," Cho said thoughtfully at the Ravenclaw table, "I hope it's not someone ugly." Padma rolled her eyes. Cho could be so shallow. But then again, she could be sort of flaky too. "Me too," Padma said, sighing and going with the flow.
Back with the Gryffindors, Percy was complaining up a storm. "That was so embarrassing! I can't believe I let myself be humiliated like that!" he said, whining to Penelope. Penny grinned. She had felt exactly the same way until she had gotten on the show and realized that it made no difference what she said because everyone already knew about that whole deal with her kissing Percy in the classroom. If you've told Ginny, you've told Ron, and if you've told Ron, you've told everyone.
Suddenly, up at the staff table, Professor Dumbledore stood up. Everyone immediately fell silent. "I'm getting better at getting your attention," he said, noting that he didn't have to ask Professor Snape to scream at the students anymore, "Now, how many of you want to know who you are going to be paired with?"
There was a huge uproar as everyone started screaming and stomping their feet and banging on the table. Draco Malfoy was looking extremely self- satisfied as he banged his goblet on the Slytherin table. "Well tell us already!" yelled Fred and George at the top of their lungs.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled, and everyone got quiet again so that he could talk. "Thanks for your opinions, Mr. and Mr. Weasley," he said calmly, "Now I know that you know more than everyone else because you helped organize this lovely idea. But I think I should make this announcement before I allow anyone to find out their perfect match."
The whole Great Hall got even more tensely excited. "Okay," said Professor Dumbledore, "I'm sure you have all been wondering who will be doing the matching. I have heard rumors that it would be I, or Fred and George Weasley- In fact, I even heard someone say they thought it might be Professor Snape! And I'm proud to announce that you are all wrong."
Most of the student body seemed shocked by this. If it wasn't going to be one of them, they didn't know who it would be! Fred and George and their friends knew, of course, but they were the only ones. "So let me announce," the headmaster continued, smiling, "that your perfect match from the show will be concluded by none other than a very special, very impartial sock!"
No one spoke for a minute, but then laughter filled the Great Hall. Even Fred and George found it funny now that everyone else did. Ron grinned at Hermione and Harry. "This is great!" he said, which seemed strange coming from Ron about a sock, "I have connections!"
"Ron, what the heck are you talking about?" Hermione asked, completely confused. Harry had a similar expression of bewilderment on his face. "Well you see," Ron said smartly, "My best friend is Harry. Harry is friends with Dobby (the house-elf). Dobby has an obsession with socks. So I'm connected to socks through three degrees of separation!" Harry and Hermione looked at him strangely. They couldn't deny that he was right, but he was really weirdly right.
About a minute later, everyone stopped talking about the impartial sock and looked up at Dumbledore expectantly realizing that he hadn't told them their perfect matches. The professor realized that they realized this, and stood back up at his place at the staff table.
"I'm assuming you all just noticed that I didn't tell you your perfect match yet," he said, eyes twinkling. The whole student body started yelling at him. "Calm down," he said, "you will be finding out today! Lee Jordan will be making an announcement later on as to when you should all come down to the Great Hall. Once you are down there, the impartial sock will say a few words, and then it will announce the pairings! Now off to class!"
Complaining about not yet knowing, everyone started walking out of the Great Hall. Up at the staff table, Sirius Black turned to Professor Dumbledore excitedly. "What should Lucius and Cissa and I do?" he asked, grinning a mile wide. "We can stay in our rooms and await the torture of a smelly sock," suggested Lucius, cocking an eyebrow at the headmaster.
Professor Dumbledore shook his head, eyes getting that familiar twinkle again. "I wouldn't want to put you through all that!" he said, laughing at the look on Lucius' face, "You may all attend classes today!" Sirius looked super excited. "Great!" he said, and stood there waiting for further instructions.
"Sirius, you can attend classes with Harry and Ron. Lucius, Cissa, just go to all the classes that Draco has," Professor Dumbledore said happily. Lucius gave the headmaster an evil glare to rival all evil glares. "Do you have any idea what I would like to do to you right now?" he asked, sneering at him.
"I do! You'd like to hug him and thank him for this wonderful opportunity," Sirius said, knowing that he was pushing his luck with Lucius. "Thank you Sirius," Dumbledore smiled, "but you should all get to class now. You wouldn't want to be late!"
"I always was," Sirius said, smiling (3 guesses as to why he was late). "I remember that well," Professor Dumbledore said, "I particularly recall you getting accidentally locked in the staff wardrobe and not being able to get out until I went to hang up my coat. But you better get to class, all of you, so you won't be TOO much of a distraction! Bye!"
"Imagine Sirius Black being a distraction," Lucius said, smirking as the three visitors walked out of the Great Hall. "Hmm," said Sirius, laughing, "I think I've always been somewhat distracting to the ladies."
"No, that was probably the smell of your gym socks," Lucius said spitefully. Narcissa nodded, arching an eyebrow. "Don't be so blonde, Lucius," Sirius said, cracking up, "We don't take gym. And besides that, you don't want to go around dissing socks. After all, who knows how impartial this impartial sock really is!"
