Once upon a time, within the walls of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there were four girls. They were each different and resided in separate houses within Hogwarts; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Their friendship was timeless; they had been friends since their toddler years. Despite all their differences, they never fought. They were sisters from different families, they were tighter than all the skinny jeans in the world. And in their seventh year of schooling, their friendship would be tested and stretched to its limits.

It all started with The Tradition (please note the capitalization). Every year, without fail, they met in secret on the first night of the school year, and gave each other one challenge to fulfill in the duration of the school year. At first, they were small things: pass Transfiguration, get kissed by a boy on the cheek, learn how to play Quidditch. As they grew older, the dares got deeper, and this year it was going to be as deep as it had ever been.

—x—

Mandy Thomas tripped her way into one of the many abandoned classroom in Hogwarts. Sitting before her, used to her tardiness, were her three best friends: Jess Morgan, their resident Slytherin, Trish Campbell from the Hufflepuff house, and Eliza Frankson, the Ravenclaw, which left Mandy as their one and only Gryffindor.

"We ready now?" Eliza asked, pulling some parchment out of her satchel.

Mandy took her seat between Trish and Jess in their small circle. "Ready," she announced, grabbing a flavored bean from the bowl full of them on the desk behind them.

"Alright," Eliza said. "As you know, we are gathered here for The Tradition."

"Oh, yuck," Mandy interrupted. "I got vomit." She swallowed with difficulty and then clawed at her throat as if in agony.

"We've all been brainstorming possible dares for each four of us," Eliza continued, ignoring Mandy, "and tonight we will–"

"Can we skip all these formalities?" Jess asked, blowing some of her black hair out of her face and crossing her arms tight over her chest. "We already know why we're here and how it's done."

Eliza huffed. "Fine." She started ripping the parchment in slips as she continued her instructions, "Take three slips of paper and write down the dares you want the others to complete."

The other three girls shuffled to get three slips of parchment and pulled out their quills. Trish, whose quill was pink and had more feathers than necessary, chewed her lip, asking, "What's your least favorite color, Eliza?"

Eliza eyed her. "What for?"

"For your dare, silly."

Jess grumbled under her breath, scribbling loudly onto the parchment. "Shut it, you two," she muttered. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"You need absolute silence to write down what you've known since the end of last year?" Eliza asked shrewdly.

"Yes."

After a few more seconds of mumbled arguments and Trish whistling, the slips were separated by person and Eliza's was put in a hat. "Alright, Trish, it's your turn to pick for me," she said.

Trish grinned. "Ooh, goody!" she said delightedly, fishing her hand through the slips of parchment. "I hope it's mine, I had a really good one..." She pulled one of the slips out and unfolded it carefully. "Aw, drat! It's not mine. So much for the yellow underwear...Okay, Liza, here you go: To finally seal the deal with Robert Adams."

Trish, Jess, and Mandy 'oooh'ed appropriately at Eliza's mortified face. "I will not!" she declared. "There is no way I'm going–going to...have sex with Robert Adams!"

"Aw, why not, E?" Jess mocked. "Scared of a little intimacy?"

"No," Eliza denied vehemently. "But I'm not even dating Robert."

Mandy snorted. "So?"

"So I refuse! Who wrote the dare?" Silence. "Who?" she demanded, still blushing.

Mandy rose her hand slowly, a sheepish grin on her face. Jess laughed loudly and high-fived her while Eliza growled. "Come on, E," she laughed, "Loosen up. You know you want to."

Eliza's blush deepened.

"Aha!" Mandy yelled victoriously. "See? I'm doing you a favor."

"Besides," Trish put in, "You never like your dares. But you still have to do it."

Eliza glared. "Fine," she huffed.. "Who's next?"

"Ooh, me, me!" Trish exclaimed, raising her hand.

Eliza put the slips for Trish into the hat and shook it around. Mandy fished her hand around and came up with one. She cleared her throat. "Alright, Trish, here we go. You have to..." she unfolded the slip tauntingly slow, "Skinny dip in the Lake with at least five guys." She laughed loudly along with the other girls.

"That's horrid! I can't do that!"

"Well, would you rather screw Robert Adams?"

"Come on," Mandy coaxed. "It won't be too bad."

Jess snorted. "Yes, it will." Mandy nudged her and told her to hush.

"Lemme guess," Trish said. "It was yours, Jess?"

Jess grinned. "The one and only, baby."

Trish kicked her in the leg. "That's for being such a whore!"

Jess laughed, rubbing her shin. "My turn!" she announced.

The slips were again put in the hat, and this time Eliza went through them. She picked one and read it to herself before reading it aloud. "Ha! This one was mine!" she cried. "Okay, Jay, you must steal Alice Logan's boyfriend, Paul Goode."

Jess grinned. "Man, you should have come up with something better. I can accomplish that one in one week, tops."

Mandy snorted. "We'll see. They are attached at the hip and hopelessly in love."

"Until I flash him a little skin," Jess added, winking.

Mandy laughed. "Whatever," she dismissed. "I want my dare, now."

Jess was the one to grab her dare. She pulled it out and stared at it for a few silent moments before erupting in laughter. "This one's priceless! Man, E, you're a genius!"

"It's mine?" Eliza asked, instantly perking up and grinning. "How can you tell?"

"Only you would choose this dare."

"What is it?" Mandy demanded.

"You're not going to like it," Jess told her.

"Lay it on me," Mandy instructed.

"Okay," Jess said skeptically. "You have to seduce Sirius Black."

"That's easy," Mandy said, confused.

"That's not all of it," Jess said.

"You have to seduce him," Eliza cut in, "Make him fall in love with you...and then pull it all out from under him."