Double Dog Dare PV Aodhan Shaw

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──────────────────────────────── 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 ✰ Coming back to Hogwarts felt like the equivalent of a prison sentence. Summer had been wonderful, practically a dream with all he managed to experience in July. Travelling to another country with friends, witnessing a different culture firsthand, eating addicting foods, and goofing off until the sun kissed the horizon... It was as if the perfect vacation had fallen directly into his lap. Unfortunately, though, it was a dream he couldn't stay in forever. Come August, he returned home and faced the consequences of his genius dishonest and stupidly reckless actions (words courtesy of his mother, not him). Not only had he been grounded for almost two weeks, but he was forced to do all of the housework, from scrubbing floors to cleaning the bathrooms and doing his family's laundry. An outcome he admittedly calculated before making his escapade to South Korea, but a horrific experience nonetheless. Especially when it came to scrubbing down the toilet. This pain had been curbed by his visit to the annual school summer camp, where he got to relish in his newfound freedom and win fun little prizes. However, nothing would truly compare to that fateful July. So yes, now he was back to school—back to jail against his will compared to all he experienced weeks prior. Beyond suffering in his usual classes—otherwise known as history of magic—along with attending club meetings and quidditch practice, his return had been rather uneventful. The only peculiarity lied in the complete absence of Gekko. Not that they spent much time hanging out to begin with, but to not even spot her during the entrance ceremony, let alone the shared dining hall later on? Odd. A mystery, even, if he let his mind wander as he usually did. With that in mind, he was stuck wandering Hogwarts in his free time, racking his brain for potential explanations of the sudden disappearance. She could have simply moved away, all without saying a single word... but that was boring. Boring and somewhat irritating to think about, so he quickly changed tracks and conjured up far more enticing ideas, like— "Ereht yeh. Thgir gnivah er'ew rehtaew ecin?" What the hell? Aodhan blinked, suddenly face-to-face with a boy sporting fiery red hair, looking to be roughly his own age if their features were anything to go by. And this stranger, rather than greeting him like a normal human being, was... speaking gibberish. No, that didn't make sense. Why would someone just walk up and speak gibberish? Not even he could understand something so random. However, a lack of understanding did nothing to stop his curiosity. "Uh," he started off intelligently, head tilting as he stared down the new face, "Was that English or did you just speak in minecraft enchantment table language?" The more rational part of his mind doubted it, but that would no doubt be impressive to pull off. Especially in such an uncultured institution like Hogwarts, where even cartoons were a foreign concept to some people. In fact... "Actually, please say yes to the second thing. That'll give you at least 500 cool points right off the bat." ✰ 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑹𝒀 ────────────────────────────────

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──────────────────────────────── 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 ✰ They kept going. They were still speaking nothing but gibberish. Seriously, Aodhan had hoped this guy would throw him a bone. Perhaps an actual nod of the head, or some other form of universal, non-verbal communication. But no. He couldn't even receive actual confirmation on whether this was Minecraft related, or actual, pure gibberish. The youth struggled to withhold a pout, confusedly staring at his new acquaintance as his brain tried logically putting everything together. Okay, maybe... maybe it wasn't an imaginary language, but a real one? After all, wasn't this the same feeling he had in South Korea? Surrounded on all sides by new faces, walking along new streets, flooded with nothing but "gibberish" that was really just a different form of communication? Gaining a new sense of direction, he smiled, wide and confident as he lifted a finger to point at the stranger's face. "Pabo!" he exclaimed with unquestionable certainty. No doubt he cracked the code! But... on second thought... wasn't Korean a bit more... foreign and polished than whatever the hell was going on? For once, he frowned and scrunched his face, retracting his finger in momentary doubt. Oh well. At least he got an excuse to his new, favorite word. In the midst of his mental gymnastics, though, he was thankfully able to catch something peculiar. Either this Johnny Test wannabe had anxiety, or simply couldn't sit still (much like himself), for the other's gaze kept moving back and forth. To him, to the side, to him, to the side, on and on. So, Aodhan couldn't help it. He stole a peek at that very same angle, noticing an odd group of students huddled up nearby, watching their interaction with little to no sense of discretion. They had the decency to look away upon catching his own eyes, but come on. They really sucked at this. Wait. Did that mean this whole thing was a stunt? Were they playing a prank on him? Huh. Not bad, but surely they could have been more creative. He'd give them a five out of ten, with a gold star for effort. His assumption was proven correct once the Kirishima lookalike spoke even more nonsense, just to soon devolve into a heap of giggles and chortles. It forced an amused huff out of Aodhan who—luckily for these onlookers—knew how to roll with a joke. "I'm sorry dude. Your reaction was too funny, my name's Fire. Do you got any money?" Nevermind. He was no longer amused. He was just confused again. "Bro," he deadpanned, lifting a single brow at the badger, "Sure I know your name, but you don't even know my name. How can you ask me for cash?" There was no way, absolutely no way this kid thought he'd just hand out money to a stranger. Especially for nothing in return. Or maybe it didn't have to be for nothing? Suddenly, a wide, mischievous smile played out across his lips. "Actually, you look new. What year are you in? Know any spells yet?" he asked conversationally, walking closer to the other. He only stopped once he was able to swing an arm around the guy's shoulders, bringing him in as if sharing a deadly secret. "If you really want money..." he began in low murmur, his smile gaining more strength with every passing second, "How about you cast Tarantallegra on the dudes who put you up to this? Sound like a deal?" The boy let his words linger before humming, realizing that if he really wanted this plan to get carried out, he needed a more enticing offer. Nothing crazy like last year's potion bargaining stunt, but reasonable for someone potentially around his age. Especially someone willing to act foolish who was desperate for pocket change. "My bad. Unlike your buddies, I value your time and effort. If you do what I'm asking, I'll give you two galleons and an easy way into Hogsmeade. What do you say, Fireball?" Even if this strang—Fire. Even if Fire refused to do anything—which would be disappointingly lame—Aodhan would simply walk up and do it himself. Regardless of his appreciation for good jokes, he had a nonexistent reputation to maintain. Under no circumstance would he let this slide without consequence. ✰ 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑹𝒀 ────────────────────────────────

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