Title comes from the lyrics to the song, Mean Green Mother From Outer Space

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The large bucket and scruffy fat backpack that it had been stuffed into had almost been like Erik’s personal utility belt the past few weeks.  If he didn’t have them he was sure that that everything with this whole mad-master plan would’ve been more complicated—at least by fifteen or twenty or so minutes. Of course if there was a Prior Incantatem that could be cast on objects then Erik would be screwed.

Bundled in a brown tweed coat, thick jeans, heavy boots, and snugged in a warm beanie hat, earmuffs,  gloves, and snark, Erik snuck his way past the ghosts lingering in the stoney hallways out onto the old snow and ice-dappled grounds of Hogwarts. He kept looking back at the tower, wondering if someone might lean out of the window and yell at him for managing to involve most of the first year class in drugging the school—well, as far as the people tagging along tonight knew, this was an academically encouraged excursion. Graham should be proud, but Erik was sure the herbology professor would be mortified.

The school towered in the distance as the Gryffindor was no more than a hundred feet from the outer barrier of tall trees of the dark forest. It hissed out streams of chilling fog and lay black and uninviting against the soft-lighted snow-covered night. Erik’s grin pushed his cheeks up past his scarf.

This was a dare.

And like any good dare it should be taken up, and Erik was just generous enough to be one of the few children to do it, however he’d have to wait for his other remaining dare-ers to arrive.  So the young Collins plopped himself between a nearby bolder hunched next to a frilly bush, sitting back against the solid object padded into his backpack as a makeshift chair, and fought to keep himself awake, "Raa, Raa, Snarplark, Have you any goop? Yes sir, Yes sir, one large scoop," He swished his legs through the snow as he sat and sang, "Some for the first years, and more for the second, and the rest for the other wizards, at fixed up for breakfast I reckon."

Bundled up for an Antarctica expedition, Eirene trailed after Erik with much reluctance, constantly glancing behind her at the looming castle with only a few lit windows blinking back at them. All the proper, normal people were in bed! She could scarcely believe that she was out here amongst the barbarous first-year Gryffindors, and yet...

Pippa had told her they'd needed her expertise for an extra credit assignment. An extra credit assignment that she had supposedly missed hearing about, and from one of her favorite professors too! Did Professor Bombay forget about her? Or did he just think she was doing so well that she didn't need any additional points?

Eirene fervently hoped it was the latter.

When she caught up to Erik, she stared at the boy incredulously and remained standing, a good five feet away from him.

"Is he absolutely certain that's the right song?" Eirene whispered to the student closest to her, shaking her head in worry.

"It's so... unspecific," she continued babbling nervously. "Goop. What exactly is goop? And what exactly is one large scoop? It could mean a handful, or it could mean- we need a better measurement system!"

Pippa tromped through the snow after Eirene  - careful to keep the girl within arms reach if she decided to bolt. THe tiny blonde felt a little guilty having lied to her about why they were going on this expidetion. The thing was Eirene didn't know how to have fun, how to cut loose. She needed to be roped into things. Pippa had to be creative! She had to tell little white lies or Eirene would never do anything! She was saving the girl from herself really - not everyone was lucky enough to have a pirate and scally wag for cousins.

Coming up beside the other girl she slung her arm around her fellow Ravencalw's shoulder and smiled brightly, "Oh Ren, can't you ever just have fun? We're on an adventure," she paused clearing her throat, "a school sanctioned adventure! It will be lots more fun if we don't fuss too much," she threw a look to Erik, wondering if he'd have anything reassuring to add, when he didn't pipe up right away she added, "Besides, with a brain the size of yours I am sure we will be able to figure it out once we find what we're looking for. After all that's why I asked you specifically"!