A/N: Written for the Houses Competition. Thanks so much to CP and Alixx for the betas.
House: Ravenclaw
Category: Themed
Prompt: Truth or Dare
Words: 2943
Remus stared grumpily at his porridge, stabbing the white sludge with his spoon over and over again.
"Remus, did you hear that?" He had not, very much on purpose, but he faced James with his best listening face and hoped it was convincing. "D'you think it's a good idea? Because she'll be there tonight, right?"
"I don't know, Prongs," Remus said wearily, guessing that he was talking about Lily and also guessing that whatever he had been talking about was not a good idea. It never was, usually.
"Ask her," Sirius said, and Remus forced himself to look at him for the first time that morning. Instantly, he regretted it. Sirius' t-shirt was slightly too tight for Remus' sanity, and his eyes were shimmering with silent mirth. He smirked, sharp and challenging, and mouthed to Remus, Watch this. Then, he jumped onto his seat and called out, voice sing-song and teasing, "Oi, Evans! James has something to say to you."
"Are you coming to the party tonight?" James asked, and Remus was almost impressed by his lack of self-consciousness and realisation that Sirius was only looking for a bit of entertainment.
Remus could almost feel Lily's burning glare from the other end of the table but before she could reply, Marlene McKinnon stood up and shouted back, "We'll be there, Black." Her tone was flirtatious, inviting, and for a second, Remus couldn't breathe. He tore his gaze away from Sirius and continued stabbing at the now-cold bowl of porridge in front of him. "We'd never miss the annual Potter-Black game of Truth or Dare, would we?"
With the mention of that godforsaken game, she winked at Sirius and sat back down, sucking on a piece of watermelon in a way that Remus guessed was meant to be seductive. It made his stomach churn and he forced his gaze away.
"Did you hear that?" Peter half-whispered, voice breathy with something close to awe. Remus felt a stab of pity for him, before remembering that he didn't have any more luck than poor Pete, who shook like a leave if a girl so much as glanced in his direction. If he was honest with himself, he had almost reached the same level of desperation as Peter. "I think she likes you."
"Really?" Sirius replied, and though he still didn't glance up at him, Remus thought he sounded curious.
"You did see what she did when she sat down? It wasn't the watermelon she was enjoying, if you know what I mean," James wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Remus clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug crescent moons into his palm.
"Excuse me," he said finally, interrupting something Peter was saying about the female psyche - a subject on which he was surprisingly knowledgeable since he had five sisters and countless more girl cousins - and got up from his seat, swinging his bag over his shoulder.
Unable to sit around with the boys, with Sirius, for any longer, Remus bid his friends a curt farewell. "I've got to go to the library. Charms essay to write." He'd never really been good at lying to his friends, and Sirius' searching eyes staring up at him did nothing to improve that.
As he strode out from the Great Hall, Remus could just make out James saying, "But Flitwick didn't assign anything this week. What's he on about?" Remus felt his face flush pink as he left.
Hours later, once he'd stopped pretending that he had things to do at the library and had left, Remus was tucked up in his favourite overstuffed armchair in the Common Room, a book in hand. It was mostly empty, everyone from Third Year onwards at Hogsmeade. Remus would bet his life that most of those were trying desperately to smuggle in Firewhiskey for the party, and that nearly everyone would fail. Sirius, James, and Peter, with the help of the Honeydukes passage and James' Invisibility Cloak, would not, and bring back enough alcohol to get all of Gryffindor Tower nicely plastered. Remus often wished he was a Hufflepuff on nights like those.
"Moo-ny," a familiar voice called from the direction of the portrait hole, and Remus sighed heavily. He'd been hoping to get through at least two more chapters of his novel. "Tell me how brilliant I am."
"Sirius 'Padfoot' Black," Remus replied dryly, looking up to where Sirius was standing next to him, head thrown back proudly. Peter and James were still struggling into the Common Room, lugging a few boxes between them. "You are as brilliant as Peter's potion-making skills."
That was to say, not very brilliant at all.
"Oh, darling," Sirius cried, throwing himself onto the armchair and draping himself all over Remus, who made a show of squirming and looking displeased and long-suffering, but it was mostly for show. "Do you not love me anymore?"
"What makes you think I ever did?" Remus wondered if Sirius was aware of the effect he was having on him. As Sirius twisted and wriggled on Remus' lap, turning so they were face to face, lips only inches apart, Remus decided he didn't. Surely nobody could be that cruel.
"You break my heart," Sirius said, so softly that Remus' ears turned pink. Then his face split open in a sunbeam grin, and he leapt from the chair with a whoop. "Jamsie! Let's show dear Moonykins what we've got."
With a smile almost as big as Sirius', James nodded in the direction of the stairs that led up to the dormitory. "Away from prying eyes, though. It's part of tonight."
Remus groaned internally. Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say, You won't approve, but we all know that you'll do it anyway. Folding down the corner of his book, Remus lifted himself from the safety of his chair. "Fine, I'll look."
Gesturing wildly for Remus to follow him, Sirius bounded up the stairs three at a time, Peter and James close behind. Remus trudged wearily after them, already imagining the worst. Far too soon, they reached the dorm, which was, as usual, a tip. Used to it after six years, Remus plopped himself down on the small patch of floor not covered with mysterious stains. The other three threw themselves and the boxes down with none of the same caution.
"What's this all about then?" Remus asked, eyeing the package warily. Sirius positively lit up at the question.
"Since you asked, dear Moonykins," said Sirius grandly, and Remus could practically hear the childish glee in his voice that so often preceded a week of reshelving library books. "This is what's going to make tonight the best party the Marauders have ever thrown."
"In this box..." James cut in and then paused, presumably for dramatic effect. Always willing to help, Peter drumrolled on the footboard of his bed. "Is fifty bottles of Firewhiskey!"
All three boys grinned at each other, but Remus just heaved a sigh of relief at the revelation. It honestly didn't seem so bad. Really, Remus had expected something far worse.
"Spiked with Veritaserum!" Peter squealed in excitement after a few silent seconds, obviously unable to bear the suspense. "So we'll hand them out to everyone at the party—"
"—except us four, of course," James added, gazing at the crate in the same way a proud father would look at his child.
"Thus, a far more interesting take on the annual game of Truth or Dare," Sirius finished with a self-satisfied smirk. "There's something else mixed in there too, Prongs, what was the guy we got it from saying?"
"Oh, yeah. Moony, you'll love this," James replied energetically, and Remus wondered what he'd done to deserve this. Absolutely everything about these new details screamed expulsion, and yet he couldn't even muster the breath to launch into his disapproving, Prefect spiel. "There's also some new experimental plant he mixed in with it, leaves from this Coactus Tree he found in South America. Means you have to do the dare."
"You're absolutely bonkers!" Remus exploded, cursing himself for not accompanying them to Hogsmeade and steering them away from whichever low-life con-artist they'd gotten the Firewhiskey from. "Are you sure that it's safe? How do you know if it'll even work?" Unfortunately, the phrase 'all money, no sense' was a very fitting way to describe both James and Sirius. Still, that didn't stop Remus from feeling a certain heat rising into his cheeks when Sirius smiled at him, spirited and challenging all at once.
"Don't you trust me?" What sort of question was that meant to be? Sometimes Remus didn't even trust himself, let alone Sirius and his idea of a good party prank.
But, Merlin help him, if he wouldn't agree to anything just to hear Sirius laugh.
Remus sunk into a couch in the Common Room, leaning against a red-faced Lily Evans. The party was in full swing, music blaring and spiked drinks being chugged everywhere he looked. Of course, every special Firewhiskey was marked with a splodge of red ink on the side of the packaging, a task that had taken Peter most of the afternoon, and the four of them were being careful to avoid them. The Truth or Dare game that the drinks were meant for, was not going to be for ages and, although he hated to admit it, Remus was having a rather fun time.
"Remus," she said rather breathlessly into his ear, her hot breath tickling his neck. She sounded rather more girlish, almost more flirtatious, than usual, and it made Remus' skin crawl. Sometimes he worried that she might - but his thoughts were cut off when she continued. "I just wanted to ask-"
"This song is dreadful, isn't it?" Remus interrupted, pulling away from her abruptly. She didn't say anything, just took a sip from her mostly-full glass and swayed slightly in her seat. "Shall we go change it?"
Lily hiccupped in response, which Remus took as a 'yes,' so he sat both of their drinks down on the table next to the sofa. He dragged her in the direction of the record player, unable to stop himself from glancing towards the center of the Common Room where Sirius, dressed in a leather jacket and too-tight skinny jeans, was senselessly flinging himself around in time to the music. Remus felt his heart flutter, but he tore his eyes away and started leafing through the records stacked up on the table.
"Oh, I love this one," Lily exclaimed suddenly, holding out Face to Face, and Remus nodded approvingly. Apparently, Lily had great music taste even when plastered. He was so absorbed in the music, it took him a second to notice the arm slung around his shoulder.
"Having fun over here?" Sirius was pressed against him, the scent of motorcycle grease and cigarettes suddenly overwhelming. Remus forgot how to breathe. "Just don't let James see you at it, or he'll properly have at you."
He nodded to a far off corner of the Common Room, where James and Pete were collapsed against the wall, cradling a bottle of Firewhiskey between them. From the look on James' face, puppy-dog eyes and a contemplative set to his mouth, he was mourning his non-existent relationship with Lily.
The girl in question scoffed derisively, her eyes having followed Remus' gaze, to where James could now be heard wailing what sounded like the 'What light through yonder window breaks' soliloquy, but with 'Juliet' replaced by 'Lily'. "What? Potter's all for show, he doesn't care that Remus and I are close friends. It's just a game to him, anyway."
Sirius smiled almost sadly, and shot Remus a knowing look. They both knew that, although James was a prat and did love to be the center of attention, he did genuinely care for Lily. He was just too much of a knobhead to show it. Finally, he leant in towards Remus, his lips brushing Remus' ear. "Game's starting early tonight. Should be very entertaining." With that and a casual wave, he disappeared back into the throng of people.
Remus swallowed, once, twice, unable to move. The room seemed to spin around him, and he felt slightly lightheaded. Lily gave him an odd look, but he barely registered it, instead raising one hand to where Sirius had touched him. Sparks raced across his skin, and he let himself wonder for just a second...
No. Sirius was his best mate, and that's all he ever wanted to be, he was sure. Remus would just have to move on, forget about it, whatever it might be. But that didn't change the flame that ignited inside of him with each casual touch, each lingering glance.
Maybe tonight could be a good chance to forget all of his unwanted feelings, so when Lily shoved a bottle in his hand Remus accepted it mindlessly, ignoring the unfamiliar, slightly bitter taste on his tongue.
However, many bottles later, Sirius' voice rang out over the Common Room and everyone fell silent. "Welcome, all of you wankers! Hope you're all good and drunk, having fun, and what have you. But now is the time for what you're all really here for - the Annual Potter-Black game of Truth or Dare!"
Cheers erupted from every corner of the room, but Remus barely noticed them, just stumbled drunkenly into the misshapen circle that had formed around the bottle in the middle. Only fifth, sixth, and seventh years were allowed to join in, but the rest of the House gathered around the ring of people, laughing and murmuring in anticipation.
James sat with the bottle in hand - a huge, misshapen, and probably enchanted thing that had been in a cupboard in the Common Room for as long as anyone could remember. Waiting until a layer of hush had settled over the party, he grandly proclaimed, "Let the game begin!"
The bottle was spun, over and over and over again, and every time a question was asked, a completely honest response fell right off the poor player's lips. Each challenge set was completed, down to the most minute detail of the task, and Remus had to begrudgingly admit that it was working well, despite his earlier concerns.
Maybe Remus thought it such a success because he, himself, hadn't been landed on. Alas, he couldn't argue with the bottle. It was nice, too, to be able to sort of pay attention to what was going on, but also to have the chance to stare at Sirius all he liked. Sirius was far too involved in what was going on, dreaming up the riskiest dares and the most soul-bearing questions, to pay any notice to Remus. Only once did Remus catch him looking his way, a strange sort of smile that Remus couldn't quite explain on his face, but it was only for a split-second. Sirius, too, had been more of a bystander than an active participant, never having been landed on. That was, until, Marlene McKinnon had her turn.
The bottle spun once, twice, before slowly coming to a stop, pointing right at Sirius.
Marlene's face lit up, and she asked, letting the words drip seductively from her cherry red lips, "Truth or Dare, darling?"
Sirius' eyes narrowed, and Remus thought he saw something close to apprehension flash in his eyes. But then it was gone and Sirius said, "Don't you know who you're dealing with? Dare." His voice was electrifying, an invitation just waiting to be filled. Something bitter, something like jealousy, pooled on the tip of his tongue. Marlene's lips twisted into her vixen-like smile and, though she drew it out, everyone knew what she was going to ask.
Lily nudged Remus, obviously having felt him tense up beside her, eyes full of concern. "Are you okay? You don't have a problem with this, do you?"
"Of course I have a fucking problem with it. I'm bloody well in love with him, aren't I?" Lily gasped and even Remus clapped a hand over his mouth, shocked at his own inadvertent confession. That was not what he had told his mouth to say. It was the truth, but-
"Shit!" Remus looked down at the bottle in his hand. A red ink stain spread across the label, bright, Gryffindor scarlet and clear as day. "Shit, shit, bloody buggering shit!"
"We're definitely talking about this later," Lily said with a firm glare and Remus nodded, resigned for the inevitable talk about feelings and being yourself that was sure to come. "But I don't think it's a good idea to miss this."
She nodded in the direction of Marlene, who had sauntered over to Sirius' place in the circle and sat down beside him, and was now whispering something in his ear.
"Really?" Sirius looked confused at whatever she had told him. "I never thought," he paused and smiled up at her almost gratefully. "Good on you, McKinnon."
"I may be a bitch, but I'm not that much of a bitch." She tried for a self-deprecating smile, but it looked more wounded to Remus. "Of course I hoped, but after tonight..." Marlene smiled softly and stood, making her way back to her seat beside Alice Fortescue. "Who am I to stand in the way of that?"
"Thanks," replied Sirius and, to Remus, he sounded genuinely grateful.
James suddenly shouted over the confused mutterings that filled the Common Room, "What was the dare?" The corner of Sirius' mouth lifted ever so slightly, and he leant across the circle, something unidentifiable flickering in his eyes.
"This," Sirius said softly, and suddenly, finally, Remus felt his friends lips pressed against his own.