"Dark chocolate. White irises. Black silk."
"White irises, Hermione?" asked Ron incredulously. "Those are the most romantic things you can think of? I thought all girls liked roses."
"Ron," said Ginny very gently, "are you a girl?"
"Um...no?"
"Then shut up."
On his other side, Hermione whacked him with a pillow.
"Is this what you Gryffindors do all day? You're the most mundane and utterly boring lot I've ever met." This speech came from none other than the famed Draco Malfoy, who was lounging like a big cat between Harry and Hermione, hogging the popcorn.
"I don't know why you're even playing," Hermione snapped at him.
"Come on. This is Truth or Dare. What Slytherin worth his salt wouldn't want to join in? Besides, you'd keep me up all night anyway with your bloody racket."
The five were in the Head Girl's private quarters, courtesy of Hermione, and all of them were getting slightly giddy from the combined effect of consuming large amounts of smuggled butterbeer and popcorn and simply being around other giddy teens at 1 a.m.
At the moment, Harry was looking rather disappointed. "Honestly, Hermione. Those are the most romantic things you can think of? What about a good shag?"
Ginny leaned over and, lacking a pillow, smacked Harry upside the head. "Harry Potter! You wouldn't know romance if it kicked you in the gut!"
"What if it hit me like a redheaded bolt of lightning?" he asked in a low and, it must be admitted, rather too melodramatic voice, capturing Ginny's hand. The latter giggled and looked demurely up at him through her lashes.
"Ew," said Ron. "My best friend's snogging my sister."
"Ew," said Hermione. "My best friend's snogging my other best friend."
"Ew," said Draco. "Gryffindor lovebunnies being sappy."
Hermione whacked him with a pillow. "Shut up, Draco. Anyway, it's my turn now. Harry, truth or dare?"
There was a noticable lack of interest indicated from Harry and Ginny's side of the room.
"Um...I'll just...not ask Harry then. Right, Draco. Truth or dare?"
"Damn," Draco said with feeling. "No matter what I pick, you'll make it really good. Or bad, depending on the perspective."
"Just bloody choose already, Draco," she sighed.
"Right. Um, truth."
Ron snickered. "Hermione, ask him something really embarrassing."
"Thanks, Ron. I wouldn't have known what to do without you. Draco..." Hermione tilted her head to the side, considering. "All the classics have already been taken, and I don't know you well enough to think of anything really embarrassing about your personal life..."
The Slytherin shuddered. "Don't think I'm ungrateful for that small mercy."
"I'll have to ask something deep and meaningful that will make us all quiet and thoughtful and awkward until we decide to call it a night."
"Nooo!" wailed Draco. Ron was too busy choking with laughter to comment. "Look," said Draco desperately, "can I change my choice to a dare? Just don'tmake me think too hard right now. I haven't finished the popcorn, and I just know the question's going to be about my loyalties, or my love life, or something like that, and I won't want popcorn afterwards. And the Slytherins can't make good popcorn."
"No," she snapped. "Stop being such a baby. Hold on while I think of something."
While she thought, Draco contemplated the butterbeer. "Hey, anyone object to me 'altering' this stuff? And by 'altering,' I mean 'spelling it so it's 150 more, er, inhibition-reducing.'"
"You're so depraved, Draco," Hermione sighed.
"Genius!" Ron exulted.
"Right then, and remember that once you feeble Gryffindors have all passed out I'll be raiding the place for all the valuables I can carry, including blackmail snapshots."
Once they were all settled with the spiked drinks, including Harry and Ginny, Hermione announced that she had the perfect question.
"I'm going to have nightmares about this, I just know it," Draco groaned.
"What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for a girl? And put your hand on the Veritas stone so we'll know if you're lying."
"Erm," said Draco, reaching out to touch the Veritas stone nicked from some professor's office, "I dunno...I carried Pansy's books once? I'm not a really romantic person." To the surprise of all assembled Gryffindors, the stone remained a serene blue.
"You're kidding." Ginny shook her head disbelievingly. "And here I thought Harry was the worst you could get. At least last Valentine's he was thoughtful enough to - "
Harry hastily clapped a hand over her mouth. "I thought we said that would never ever come to light!"
Swatting his hand away, she rolled her eyes. "Hermione, it wasn't a bad idea, but you should have remembered - this is Draco we're talking about."
"And it is now Draco's turn," said Slytherin announced. "Draco chooses Weasley. Er, I mean, Ron. Truth or dare?"
"Truth." Ron set his jaw defiantly, and Hermione muffled her giggles in the pillow she was holding.
"Heh heh heh," Draco sniggered. "All right, what's your most embarrasing experience with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"
Ron's eyes lost their focus.
"Well?" Draco peered into the empty popcorn bowl. Ron began to rock back and forth slightly.
Sorry for the odd cut. Will be continued.