Cookie and Toasty here,
This was written by two people, a rewrite of a oneshot we wrote last January, just less ooc. This is set the night before the Christmas holidays.
Rules of the game (skip if you already know):
Everyone playing sits in a circle with their eyes closed. One person that isn't playing picks a murderer and a detective. The detective goes outside the room while the murder is chosen. Once the murderer is chosen, the detective re-enters and stands in the middle. The aim for the murderer is to murder everyone in the circle without the detective spotting you.
You murder people by winking at them. Once you have been murdered, you must make a noise and lie down, you are out.
If you are dead, or alive you can not call out the name of the murderer unless you are the detective. The detective has 3 goes at guessing the murderer.
The embarrassing fact that Harry still hadn't got a date loomed over him. How mortifying it would be to turn up without a date, especially considering that eyes would be on him on the party, and the fact that Slug horn had told him gleefully that the Daily Prophet would be covering it. As if he really needed that, give them something else to pick on- he didn't have a date! He could have had a date, if she wasn't otherwise occupied- seriously occupied.
Romilda Vane kept sending him looks, but he purposely ignored them. Staring at his hands with his head in the clouds seemed far better then a moment with Romilda. It wasn't exactly fair; he'd never been good at dates and that kind of thing!
It was the last night before the holidays- and the common room atmosphere was extremely relaxed. People were just playing Wizard Chess, eating Chocolate Frogs or snogging. Take Dean and Ginny for example who could not keep their hands off each other for one blessed minute- not that he cared of course. 'Won-Won' and Lavender were just the same, God, how hormonal could this year get?
Hermione was starting an essay which wasn't due in till after the holidays- except when Harry tentatively pointed this out to her she completely snapped. "What else am I meant to do Harry? Sit and do absolutely nothing like you? "
"You could help me find a partner?" Harry stretched out his legs to warm them by the fire. The crackling wood seemed too sooth away al l worries about the get together; after all it was only a stupid party- who cared?
"It's your fault for leaving it so late Harry," She was going to lecture him again- he could just tell," It's not like you have no one to ask. Everyone here would jump at the chance to go with the Chosen One, I'm sure many girls would appreciate that. Oh maybe you could ask Romilda, she seems all too happy." Okay, he cared about the stupid party.
"Shut up Hermione!" He went pink- that kind of pink you associate with girls, not 16 year old boys. "Who are you going with anyway?"
"Nobody in particular" She said vaguely, fiddling with a strand of hair which annoyed Harry. If he tells her all his secrets, shouldn't she do that as well?
"What has you so cross anyway?" Harry asked, half regretting even going in to it, after all they'd been through at the end of the day she was still very girly and still able to have very girly rants.
"Oh nothing! Nothing of course, why would you think something is bothering me? It has nothing to do with stupid Won-won," Hermione snapped the book she was studying shut and glared across at Harry, her eyes burning in the light of the fire.
He was suddenly hit by a pleasant smell; it was flowery and reminded him of whenever Slughorn made Amortentia in the potion dungeon.
"Hey Hermione…hiya Harry" Ginny smiled, bouncing over with Dean following behind her- almost like some kind of lost puppy needing to be found, at least that was Harry's view.
"Hey Ginny. What are you doing?" Hermione asked, as Ginny gave her a quick hug. Harry didn't want to be jealous of Hermione of all people but honestly- hug the world why not?
"Nothing much… really bored actually. Hey, want to do something?" Ginny suggested, her auburn hair bouncing on her shoulders.
"What, isn't snogging Dean interesting?" Harry remarked. It came out much more coldly then he imagined… maybe that wasn't such good thing but Ginny simply smiled over at him- some how that made it even worse.
"It loses its charm after a while. Let's play a game..."Hermione nodded vigorously.
"How about we play this muggle party game? It is called Wink wink murder; I'll explain all the rules."
"Yeah!" Dean roared enthusiastically, and grinned at Harry, a grin that Harry did not return.
"Alright, I am in!" Ginny smiled cheerfully, trying to ease the clear tension between Dean and Harry, if ever two people looked like they disliked each other it was then.
"What is with boys?" Ginny whispered to Hermione as they walked into the centre of the common room together. "You could cut the tension between them with a bloody butter knife!" she continued waving her arms around to emphasize her point which caused a smile to appear on Hermione's face for the first time in a while. With a small shrug, Hermione sat down and began to explain the rules.
"Wait a second, I do not remember all you guys…" Hermione trailed off as tons of Gryffindors came over, and by the end of her instructions, virtually all the common room was sitting in the circle listening intently to every word coming from her mouth.
"Okay then, any questions?" Hermione asked to the silent room. It was kind of strange sitting there in utter silence with everyone staring at her- after all it was the common room, silence was only available at 3am and even then you were lucky.
"Close your eyes then!" Ginny said breaking the silence that had fallen.
Hermione stood up and told the group, "If I tap your head once, you are the murderer. If I tap your head twice, you are the detective, got it?"
She was then nearly whacked in the face as Colin Creevy's hand shot up at an apparent 90 mph. "Um Hermione, how do you murder someone by winking at them? And isn't this game a little dangerous since people die?" He said quickly, as if trying to say it all in one breath. Hermione sighed and decided just to ignore him as she started walking around the circle. She couldn't pick Harry as it would be too obvious. Glancing at the eyes tightly shut around the circle, and let her eyes fall on the one she missed the most. Ron. He was snuggled up to that bimbo and she looked as pathetic as ever curled up to him. Hermione walked over to her and tapped her on the head once-or rather punched.-no real difference. She picked one of the random second years to be the detective, who looked overjoyed at it.
Hermione sat down in her place next to Ginny and watched as her fiery friend cast a side long glance at Harry. She spoke to the silent common room," Okay. Open your eyes. And move around! Take a different spot to the place you were before!" Hermione took a seat by the fire, and Cormac took a seat next to her before draping his arm loosely around her. Hermione had no clue what to do, so she smiled sheepishly and slowly edge away from him towards her left, nearly hitting the person there. Of course it just had to be the one person she'd been trying to avoid like hell: Ron. Lavender pouted at being separated from her special won-won before pouting harder as she saw Hermione. She focused on the middle of the circle eventually though and Hermione reckoned she may as well get the ball rolling.
"Okay then. Start the game!"
The second year happily whispered to her neighbour that she was the detective, and Lavender flustered around. She looked really odd and not in a good way. She winked very dramatically to her friends who began to fall with the most spectacular sighs which really belonged in the theatre. The girl was too busy bragging that she was the detective to notice.
"Um the detective needs to stand in the middle!" Hermione called out helpfully as Lavender's friends dropped down like flies. Ginny just slapped her forehead.
"Oh… ok." She mumbled as she got up and started staring at everyone. Then scary took a whole new level as she moved really close to everyone and pressed her head against the nearest person's head, staring into their eyes with pure determination they would live.
"Does she think blocking their eyes will seriously work? Cause that keeps what, one guy alive?" Ginny muttered to Harry beside her and Harry couldn't suppress a grin. What she said wasn't particularly funny, but it made her happy and that was what mattered to Harry.
"I think…" The girl was broken off by the sound of Ron squealing as he fell dead.
Lavender, I thought you loved me?" Ron cried as he fell to the floor looking very unimpressed and glaring at Lavender .Lavender meanwhile looked daggers at Ron, who had made her the centre of attention.
'Thought she would be used to it' Hermione thought to herself, holding the laughter and disguising the giggles as coughs.
"I think it is LAVENDER!" The girl said loudly, clapping and jumping whilst her friends cheered.
"NO!" Lavender shouted, standing up suddenly. "You're wrong!"
"Hermione?" The second year asked and Hermione stood up also.
"Um yeah, you were. Well done… urm… yeah just well done," Hermione finished as she realized she had no idea what the girl's name was.
The second year looked elated and hugged her friends, though it looked more like she was suffocating them. The rest of Gryffindors began planning to start a new game.
"Won-Won tell her!" Lavender squealed and Ron looked alarmed. Everyone in the common room turned to look at him, and his and Hermione's eyes met for a while.
"Lavender, you did lose. But it's only a game."
"Exactly!" Hermione agreed, and Lavender went a strange shade of pink.
"Fine! Agree with her." Her voice edged on anger and had gone up several decibels. With as much dignity as she could manage, she stomped out the common room. Hermione raised her eyebrows at her, simply bemused while Ron, with a look at Hermione, followed her.
Meanwhile, in the silence of the abandoned girl's bathroom, Harry and Ginny stood laughing together at some joke Harry had mentioned. It had been Ginny's idea- she'd said she was too hot in the common room what with the first years going crazy over Hermione's game. The cool of the old stone calmed Ginny as she rested her back against one of the tall columns.
"You know, Dean isn't all that amazing," Ginny murmured so quietly Harry wasn't quite sure he heard her. "In fact, he's beginning to get kind of possessive… like he thinks I might be in love with some one else. I mean that's a crazy idea and all-" Ginny didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Harry's lips met hers and his hands wrapped around her slim waist. After a few moments, he pulled back and rested his fore head gently against her flushed cheek.
"You were saying?"
"I didn't say a word," Ginny replied, lifting his head to kiss him once more.
In the halls, Ron ran up to Lavender, panting slightly she turned to him with a look of disgust.
"You know I love you!"
She sighed, 'he is such a doofus' she thought.
"If I could re-arrange the alphabet, I would put U and I together!" He muttered, thinking of the cheesiest line he could think of. He'd seen it before in a valentine's day card and even then he'd thought it had sounded stupid.
Lavender turned, "Really? If I could I would put F and U together!"
"Lav-Lav..." He said, using the nickname she had desperately begged him to use for so long, and to think he was using it now of all times.
"Okay Ron, here's a question. If you could be with me, or Hermione- Who would you choose?"
He only hesitated for a second, but it was a second too long for Lavender. She turned off, leaving Ron not broken- but sort of relieved.
Ron traipsed up to the dormitory, it was quiet which was some what unsettling. He moodily told the password to the Fat Lady who gave him a beaming and annoying smile.
"It's Christmas." She cried as she looked at his sullen face.
"What about it?" He pushed through her and walked into the main common room. Ron caught sight of what he dreaded or more what he'd feared for a while- Cormac and Hermione sitting together closely, and Cormac moving the hair away from her eyes. Ron felt something rise inside him, something he hadn't felt before, and he stormed up to them.
"Hermione!" He snapped and Hermione turned to him.
"Yes Ron?"
"I need to talk to you!" He couldn't see why he was saying this, but the only thing that mattered right now was her. Not Lavender- Hermione.
"Well she's busy, can't you see?" Cormac hissed back, and he pulled Hermione in for a kiss.
"Cormac!" Hermione dodged out of it quickly and sighed heavily. "Listen I'm just going to go and see what he wants!"
"Uh, Mione. I'm your boyfriend!"
" I told you, I don't like being called Mione!"
"Sure thing Mione."
"Sorry Cormac, I'll be back soon okay?"
"You stay here now or I'll dump you!"
She took a deep breath, steadying herself . "Fine. I'll see you around, I guess."
Cormac's jaw fell open, he had never been dumped, he was always the dumper. Hermione however left the common room (with Ron behind her) and sat down outside the Fat Lady.
"It's too tense in there." She murmured, rather to herself than Ron.
"Hermione?" Ron asked gently, careful not to agitate her further.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Umm I dumped Lavender.."
"Yes..."
"I'm kind of sorry. I guess. No actually I am sorry-Lots. I can't-" He couldn't even finish his sentence.
They were on the stairs to the dormitory, sitting side by side. "I asked you to the party, you said yes, then you-" Her voice faltered," You go out with her?"
"I'm sorry. I-" His voice went quiet." I just wanted to make you jealous…"
Hermione smirked." I guess I thought the same."
"Can we just forget this whole bloody year?"
"I'm not totally pathetic Ron just to forgive you like that. But I will come around, soon…"
"Thank you," He said softly, and hugged her to him. "I'm sorry about Lavender."
"It's okay."
"She's a total scarlet woman"
"Yes 'Won-Won" Hermione laughed, and Ron pretended to hit her. "She got me the most hideous necklace for Christmas it's in here" They pushed open the door of the boy's dormitory only to see Harry and Ginny kissing rather heavily in the corner.
"Bloody hell!"
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