The Last Dare of the Game by themistresssnape and beaweasley2

The Last Dare of the Game by themistresssnape and beaweasley2

Thanks: to everyone who participated in my insanity of tormenting dear Professor Severus Snape. Pookah, thank you for your suggestions and the alpha read, themistresssnape for her suggestions in co-writing this final chapter, and beta kudos slot! And to the creators of the '101 Ways To Annoy Severus Snape' video on U-tube for inspiring the idea.

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Many of the girls were in the library, spread out in small groups, revising or working on their essays. With the pranks all done, everyone was feeling a sense of relief. With few exceptions, most of the girls had managed to pull off their pranks without repercussions. A few detentions, but only two of them actually failed to complete their dares... well, and Vera. She still sported a rather unusual engagement ring made from Professor Snape's spoon. Carlie was still rotund with the immaculate conception of Snape's not-a-love child. Poor thing. And Domina was still sporting the latest in 'armour' fashions, as she called it.

Suddenly chaos erupted. Sadie shrieked, Marianne jumped as if someone had goosed her, and Sally almost stumbled off the ladder between the bookshelves! She would have fallen if Wade Johnson hadn't been there to steady her. Bernise jumped up yelping as she turned around looking for her twin, and Fern stood up so fast her chair fell over as she reached for something in her pocket.

Margarite gasped as she yanked a glowing cards from her pocket and shouted, "Oh, yes!" loud enough to make the first-years behind her jump.

One by one, each of the girls who had been involved with the prank were slipping small cards from their pockets, each pulsating with a red glow, each girl clearly confused and apprehensive as to what was going on. Emma and Carlie, followed shortly by Angharad and Jemima, bolted into the library and ran up to the twins, all four holding their cards in their hands.

"I was on my way to the common room," Angharad stated, her face going pale, "when this just...I dunno...went off! How? It...I...it wasn't in my pocket..."

"Like I'd be carrying around this..." Jemima said with a slightly panicked expression.

"The cards simply appeared in my shirt pocket," Carlie stated, holding her cards in her fingers.

All the cards had seemed to have materialized in the pockets of the girls who had drew them, vibrated or caused a static shock to gain the girls attention, and started glowing red, pulsing like a heartbeat, growing faster as each girl's anxiety went up.

"Let's not discuss this here in the middle of the library! Everyone's staring!" Emma tugged on Angharad's sleeve and motioned for Carlie and Marianne to follow her.

The others, seeing the girls slipping into the Potions section, casually strolled into the aisle as quickly as possible.

"This can't be... I left my card in my trunk!" Robin declared, staring at the card in her hand.

"Me, too," Jemima said anxiously as Tracey hissed, "So did I!" too nervous to whisper.

"I did, too! There was no way I was going to carry it around in my pocket all this time! What if he'd asked me to turn them out!" Catherine hissed, trying to keep her voice down and failing.

Emma looked at her with one hand on her hip and her card glowing fisted in her other. "You think I've been carrying mine around all this time?"

"How did it get into my pocket?" Fern asked, gazing at the letters through the red glow. "The words haven't changed. 'Ask him how he's feeling and rant about my period, then ask him if he has any Midol...' so it's not giving me new directions."

"Oh, Merlin's tits! Does that mean we have to do the pranks over?" Robin asked, leaning against the bookshelf.

"I wouldn't put that past Fred and George," Sally said sarcastically.

"Does everyone have theirs?" Beatrise asked, looking around at the faces of her friends. Two more girls slid into the aisle, each holding their cards and just as confused as the others.

"Apparently," Carlie said waspishly, glaring at her cards. "But how it got in my pocket is a mystery."

"By magic, apparently!" Margarite said with a grin and nudged Sally playfully with a wink.

"Let's not get hysterical," Vera said as if trying to calm everyone down. "We just have to figure out what's going on."

Margaret held her card up, her hand shaking slightly. "But this means that the game isn't over!"

"Let's get back to the Room of Requirement and take a look at the box. Maybe we missed something," Austrina suggested.

Carlie looked at Austrina. "Austrina's right! It could simply mean that we haven't all gone back to the Room of Requirement to finish the game."

"What more can it want of us?" Sadie asked nervously.

"Maybe we have to return the cards," Bernise said, looking around the gathered faces. "Well, it is possible!"

They separated, each going to collect their things to meet up in the corridor. They trouped off to the seventh floor, many of the girls still speculating on how the cards found their way from their trunks into their pockets. Bernise reached the door first and quickly paced the required three times, willing the room to appear as it did the night of the slumber party.

"You could have simply asked for the game and a large table," Sadie said with a grimace at purple sleeping bags, huge cushions, and beanbag chairs that cluttered the thick, brown shag carpet as if the girls had never left. Although, this time the bowls on the coffee tables were empty. The latest tune of the Weird Sisters was coming from the record player, and in the middle of the floor was the game board, all nineteen of the silver game pieces, in different shapes of creatures and magical items, had moved as if someone had been playing the game. Most of the pieces rested on various rectangles representing magical shops. Domina's sat on the space for Hogwart's Express, Carlie's on the space for the Floo Network, and Vera's piece sat on the space for Neufield's Jewelers on top of the wedding ring. Austrina's and Sadie's pieces were in the Azkaban square in the corner.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Carlie said, placing her cards on the game board. Nothing happened. The card still pulsed with a red glow in time with her heartbeat.

Margarite picked up the lid of the box and began scanning the directions with Emma trying to read it over her shoulder. "There. After the card glows, return it to the center of the game board on the Sickle..." Emma said.

"What Sickle? There isn't any Sickle?" Bernise stated, looking up, alarmed. "There is a Knut!"

"Maybe that's where the Truth cards were supposed to be," Jemima stated.

"You think?" Sally said sarcastically.

"According to the box, we have to say, 'mischief managed' and then place the card down," Margarite said, looking up, "on the Sickle."

Carlie reached out and picked up the stack of cards. "There is a picture of a Galleon under the rest of the dare cards."

"I wouldn't have picked those up! Hopefully that doesn't mean you have to do all of them!" Jemima screeched from beside Carlie, pulling her hands to her chest so as not to be near the cards just in case.

"My card is changing!" Sally said, grasping Emma's arm as her eyes grew large. "'Return tonight to place all cards to the board and finish your turns. Be warned, it must be before midnight. Consequence: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes written on your forehead in purple permanent ink for a month!' Does everyone's say this?"

"Why don't we just do this now! Why do we have to return tonight?" Beatrise asked, confused.

Vera crinkled her brow in confusion. "I don't understand why we can't return the cards now either, instead of coming back later. Unless Sally's card read something like 'at the end of the day.' I find it strange that the card specified at night, but before midnight," she said, turning to Sally.

"Nope, 'return tonight and finish...' but it does say we have to do this all before midnight," Sally stated. "I suppose because at midnight it'd be another day or something. This is really weird."

"Looks like we're having another slumber party!" Margarite said excitedly.

"But we'll have to get permission," Robin said with a huge sigh.

Bernise sank back on her heels. "We can ask our head of house... or just meet back here after dinner...that classifies as tonight to me. Worse case, we stay until here until just before curfew..."

"Then what?" Tracie asked.

"You're asking me?" Marianne answered her, her eyes wide and brows arched.

"There has to be some way of ending the game," Bernise said, practically a whine. "If we can't, I'm all in favor of killing Fred and George."

That evening, everybody hurried up to the Room of Requirement after dinner. The girls all huddled around the game board, once again trying to figure out how to end the game, but none of the cards would stop glowing red. "Oh, just give them to me," Emma finally stated.

"Maybe they need to be in the order in which we did the dares?" Phyllis stated. "Carlie, you were first, put your card down on the board."

"Face down," Emma stated firmly.

Shrugging, Carlie laid down her card, "Okay that one was for my first dare, what now?"

Robin held up a hand to stop Emma from putting down hers. "I think you might have to tell us what the dare was, you know, like it said in the rules."

Carlie did, and the glow began to fade. However, the orb developed a mist that separated into the words, 'Congratulations, Carlie Cohen, for successfully completing this dare.'

"Well, now we know what the orb is for," Beatrise said with a grimace. "This will take all night!"

Robin ignored her and turned to Emma. "All right, Emma, your turn."

Each girl took turns, laying down their card and briefly stating what their dare was and that they'd pulled it off. Each time the orb in the middle of the board, formed the words 'congratulations to,' with each girl's name, followed by "you have completed your dare.' Until Austrina's name came up.

After she laid down her card and admitted that she'd just didn't have the heart to do her dare, the mist swirled, reading, Austrina Lamia – You paid for your failure and cowardice and are known now and always as a shirker.

"So that's it, right?" Tracie asked. "You're done?"

"Thankfully," Austrina said, sitting back with a sigh. "Who cares what a game board calls me."

Margarite and Fern each took their turn and were both congratulated by the orb.

As soon as Domina placed her card down, the orb began forming words. Domina Arcanum – Congratulations to the delectable Domina for completing her dare. As a reward, she will be given an all-day double-date with Messrs. Fred and George Weasley...who do indeed find her absolutely delectable, and who are willing to be her abject love-slaves for the entirety of said day. "Well that's not surprising, my card said that ages ago," she admitted. The other girls looked at her in shock. "It was either them or Crabbe and Goyle! I'd pick the twins over those two thugs any day."

Vera looked at her remaining card. "Okay, my second card, right?" she asked, placing her card on the board. Like with Domina's, the orb started forming words right away.

Vera Sappleton – Your dare is fulfilled, however, congratulations on your engagement. Too bad the bat didn't let you off.

"So, I suppose I don't have to confess to you lot," she said with a mirthless laugh. "You know how it went."

"Buck up, Vera, Snape has to let you go at the end of the year," Tracie said encouragingly.

Jemima, Margarite, and Angharad were congratulated by the orb when they each took their turn. However, the orb read: Sadie Fawcet – You paid for your failure and cowardice and are known now and always as a shirker, after Sadie finished admitting that she'd failed to do her dare.

"The same thing it said for you, Austrina," she said with a sad smile.

And then Beatrise's name appeared. Beatrise Bedford – You used you dare for financial gains. You owe us money! We'll be in touch. She set her card down. "Bugger."

"Well, this is for my last dare," Carlie said, laying a hand over her swollen abdomen as she leaned forward to add her card to the small pile. The mist started to form words before she started her confession. Carlie Cohen – You've been pregnant with Severus' not-a-love child, waddling around bravely, nine months pregnant. You paid for your failure with dignity and pride, so now you're released without a stain on your honor or stretch marks on your belly. Carlie grasped her abdomen as her stomach made a belching sound and began to shrink with a rude sound, similar to air being released from a balloon, coming from her navel.

"At least you're not going home with a distended belly," Margarite pointed out.

"Thanks," Carlie said sarcastically. "But I've never had my navel fart before. Sorry."

"It's all right," Margarite said, stifling a laugh. "Better than the alternative, I suppose."

"Yeah, like explaining a false nine-month-pregnancy bulge to your Dad," Austrina said, smirking.

The rest of the girls laid their cards down and were congratulated by the orb. When they were done, all thirteen stared dumfounded as the pieces all flew back into the box, followed by the game board, and the lid flipped into place.

"Now that was truly enlightening," a cold voice said as Professor Snape stepped out from the shadows. All the girls jumped, the ones with their back to him turning at the sound of his voice. "Oh, don't bother getting up on my account," he added coolly, holding his wand casually in his hand. "It's so convenient, having you all here, gathered around the game."

Beatrise quickly closed her robes to hide her Snape T-shirt.

"No point covering up, Miss Bedsworth, I'm well aware of your T-shirts," he said smoothly. His eyes swept each of their faces before he spoke again. "I cannot understand why all you would want to spend a month's detentions with me this close to the N.E.W.T. exams. This...all of this, because you wanted to play that idiotic game! You all decided to embarrass and harass me simply because you were more afraid of a few consequences than facing my wrath?" Professor Snape hissed.

A few of the girls hung their heads, several nodded, but Margarite looked him square in the eyes. "Robin would like her teddy bear back..." she started to say.

"SILENCE!" he roared. "Those twits never did give me my cut of the profits, and, yes, I'll be receiving my cut of the T-shirts. But I'll deal with them later."

There was a ringing sound and Professor Snape smiled, a cold, mirthless grin. "You will all remain right where you are." He turned and opened the door. "Mr. Lathum, Mr. Blain, enter and take a seat." Drew Latham and Randal Blain walked into to the room, nervously looking around. "Sit," Professor Snape snapped as he indicated that they sit on the floor with the girls.

They complied quickly. "Why are we here?" Drew asked, looking at Emma and Carlie suspiciously.

"You were told to come here for letting that Skrewt-thing into my classroom," Professor Snape replied, glaring at him intently. "Well, you knew I'd find out who let that creature into my classroom, didn't you?"

Randal stared at Professor Snape for a few seconds, then looked down at his boot and plucked at his bootlace. Likewise, Professor Snape stared at Drew, until Drew started to squirm.

"I want to know why you, all of you, didn't consider the fact that there isn't anything Fred and George Weasley could devise that Madam Pomfrey or I could not reverse? What have you to say for yourselves?" he snarled. "Why did you choose to be disruptive during my class and assault me in front of everyone, rather than ask my assistance or that of your professors? I can assume that none of you has gone completely mad nor do any of you have a death wish. I will have you know that I did not appreciate being the brunt of these rude and insinuating comments, humiliating and inane conversations, and numerous gifts."

He glared ominously at each astonished face, Tracie, Angharad, and Carlie in particular, stopping to glare at Beatrice. "How could you think to get away with embarrassing me in front of the entire school with these pranks, T-shirts, and posters. Yes, Miss Bedsworth, I know about the posters!" he snarled as he turned his gaze to Catherine and narrowed his eyes. "You, Miss Smith, I am disturbed to see you here among the group and very disappointed to find out that your visit to my office was part of this game."

Catherine nodded, blushing and unable to meet his glare. "Yes, it was," she replied.

"Very cleverly executed, Miss Smith, however, quite the display of your lack of judgment. Miss Whitby, I assume that's why you set me up to humiliate me in front of my colleagues, and you, Miss Banks, as much as I did not appreciate your serenade, your insufferable toy is in the Headmaster's office. He insists that I return it to you. I had rather thought to give it to the Grindylows!"

Robin inhaled sharply, rubbing one hand over the other against her stomach. "Thank you, sir, for not..." she started to say bravely, and then faltered.

"Miss Lamina, Miss Fawcett, since neither of you chose to humiliate or torment me to amuse your peers, fifty points to each of you and my thanks. You may leave," he dismissed them with a glance in their directions. "You will not discuss this with anyone. Go."

"Yes, sir," they both said, scrambling to their feet and scurrying for the door.

"Mr. Latham," Professor Snape said with a glance in his direction that would freeze any first-year, "since you were simply an unsuspecting pawn in these shenanigans, you too may leave." Drew scrambled to his feet and walked to the door as Professor Snape turned on Domina. "Miss Arcanum, I expect you to be in the regular school uniform by dinner. I don't care what your consequences are. You are to cease wearing that ridiculous outfit. If I see you in anything other than the approved school robes, you will lose twenty points from Ravenclaw each time I see you, and I will be looking. Am I understood?"

Domina nodded in assent, obviously relieved, as Vera asked, "So does that mean that you'll end this farce of an engagement and..."

"No. You I will deal with later," he said, his lips curling into a smile that did not erase the hard coldness in his eyes. "Leave."

Vera rose and walked to the door, turning to wave to her friends in encouragement before exiting the room with Drew.

"Miss Steek, you will bring the game with you, and all of you will follow me," Professor Snape said coolly.

He made Randal and all the remaining girls follow him to the Headmaster's tower to turn the game over to Dumbledore, and to announce his decision for their detentions. Dumbledore thought Severus' proposal was harsh, but Severus would not relent, so Randal and the girls had scarlet letters cursed onto their foreheads until the end of the term, appropriate to their sins in his opinion, like 'L' for liar, 'T' for tease, 'D' for disturbing his class, and 'S' for being a scold. However, Dumbledore did reduce the amount of time to be served each night to only two hours so they could revise for their N.E.W.T.s. Every evening, they had to line up along a corridor, scrubbing the floors and loos with their toothbrushes, under Professor Snape's sneering or Filch's malevolent supervision.

As for Vera, Professor Snape insisted on making her sit next to him at meals in the Great Hall and to sit with him in the staff lounge, chaperoned by one of the female professors, each evening before he escorted her to her common room before curfew.

***** *****

It was a pleasant morning in June when Vera Sappleton and Severus Snape's breakfast was interrupted by a magenta-banded, grey barn owl that dropped a scroll by his plate. Magnanimously, Severus handed the owl a sausage before picking up the scroll as Vera feigned disinterest. He unfurled the scroll and scoffed at the contents. "An itemized financial statement plus a renewed contract proposal with a revised profits sharing offer," he said softly, barely a whisper in Vera's direction. "Not as profitable a proposition as the existing arrangement, I assure you."

She quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion. "A potions contract?"

"No." He laughed as he rolled the parchments and held one end in the flame of the candle before him.

Professor McGonagall leaned over and asked, "Bad news, Severus?"

"A dissatisfactory proposal and a pathetic attempt to weasel out of an agreement," he replied, setting the offending item on his bread plate to watch it burn as he ate his eggs. He picked up the last remaining charred fragment of parchment when he'd finished eating and wrote, 'no' before he handed it to the owl. "My reply. Safe flight."

The owl bobbed once and took off graciously.

"For someone who received bad news, you're in a good mood," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Indeed," he replied with a smile.

Fred and George Weasley arrived up that evening in the staff lounge with a big bag of Galleons and dropped it on the small table next to Snape saying, "You're not going to renegotiate are you?"

Vera turned to Severus as he replied, 'Nope," while casually turning the page in his book.

"You'd be surprised how many of those we've sold!" One twin stated, Vera couldn't be sure which.

"But it's the darnedest thing, they keep blowing up!" the other replied, frowning.

"We haven't figured out why," the first one stated.

The first twin pointed at the bag of money. "Anyway, here you go, greasy git, a third of the profits like we promised."

"And the two hundred Galleons for the twenty students who played the game?"

"There were only nineteen who played the game," one twin stated firmly.

"So the ninety-five Galleons are included," the other said, crossing his arms. "The boy wasn't a player."

"Probably only pulled a prank..."

"Enough." Severus closed his book, one finger between the pages to mark his place. "Nineteen then."

"So, what happened to the game?" one twin asked.

"We'd like to finish the board..."

Severus scowled at the twins as Vera held her breath waiting for the answer. "It seems to have vanished," Severus sneered, his eyes narrowing and a tick appearing in his cheek. "I tossed it in the fireplace, and it seemed to have Flooed itself somewhere."

Fred and George both grinned and nodded, turned and smiled at each other. "So, we're even."

"Until next month or some fool plays that ridiculous game," Severus replied as he reopened his book. "You may go."

Vera slumped in her seat as she watched the twins bristle and exit the room while mumbling to themselves, leaving her to ponder exactly what arrangement Professor Snape had with the twins, and where the game had sent itself.

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Finite

Author's notes:

The original prompt is: Finally the last one – we have to give him the list! Or, in this case, confess our dares.

Yes, this is the end. I want to thank each and every one of my cohorts for their participations. You ladies came out with gusto and really made this a fun experience.

And to all the admins of TPP for putting up with this nonsense! You really were very supportive, and I appreciated it very much. Thank you.

If anyone wants to add to this Round Robin, feel free to ask, but be warned, Professor Snape will know what's up if you do!