Truth or Dare
A story through the eyes of no one.
It was a night like any other night at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, except for the fact that it was Halloween. Everyone who had stayed for the holiday was gathered on the outer grounds and were circled around a giant blazing fire, to keep them warm.
At this time a rousing game of 'Truth or Dare' would be played. All of the houses that were present were included, at this moment in time there were 6 Hufflepuffs, 12 Ravenclaws, 9 Slytherns, 17 Gryffindors and, of course the teachers; Professors Dumbledore, Snape, Flitwick, Trelawney, Sprout, Sinistra, Madams Hooch, Pomfrey, Pince, and, of course Hagrid. All of them were having a jolly time playing , but a certain stern, strict, never silly Transfiguration teacher refused to play.
"Come on, Minerva…" Albus Dumbledore pleaded as he put his hand on her shoulder closest to him and gave it a squeeze.
"Over my dead, lifeless body, Albus Dumbledore" Minerva McGonagall replied as she removed her best friend's hand from it's place.
"You know you want to", Rolanda Hooch poked fun at her friend, Minerva did not seem the least bit amused.
"Alright everyone" Professor Dumbledore stood up, "Here are the rules, no ping pong, meaning you cant ask the person who had just done you, now the enforced rules" Minerva was a little confused, she had never bothered to come to this silly ritual, so she didn't know the 'rules'. "There is a truth charm, so you might as well just tell it straight out. Also if you choose to back down from a dare that has been placed upon your shoulders 200 points shall be taken from your house, I will not rescue you from your fellow students or you head of house, as they might attack me too.", his famous twinkle appeared in his blue eyes. "Let the games begin…Hmmm…Any volunteers on going first?" not a single person raised their hand. "Ah, Harry, you will go first"
"Ok Professor", Harry Potter replied, he scanned the crowd, "Madam Hooch? Truth or Dare?"
Rolanda Hooch thought that saying truth was stupid and no one ever had any good, embarrassing questions to ask, not even she could thing of a good truth question. "Alright Potter, try your luck, Dare" She challenged him with her eyes staring into his.
Harry laughed and whispered what he was about to say to his best friend, Ron Weasley. Ron laughed so hysterically that he fell backwards off of his, Harry and Ginny's log. The rest of the group laughed in amusement as they waited for Harry to speak.
"Ok, Madam Hooch, you asked for it" Harry's eyes glanced at Professor Snape, causing Madame Hooch's to do the same. Rolanda Hooch looked at Harry in horror as she wondered what despicable deed she would have to do with the potions master and if it was worth loosing 200 house points, she, being a teacher did not want to lose the points.
"Give me your best shot, Potter" She said, trying to look confident.
"I dare you to hug Professor Snape, tightly, for thirty seconds"
"Potter, you're gonna die" she joked at him.
"There's always the 200 points…"
Madame Hooch and Professor Snape stood up at the same time, both wanting this to be over with as fast as it could be. They embraced and Minerva couldn't help but laugh, she knew that the two had despised each other on first sight, and thanked Merlin that she was not playing.
The students counted to thirty slowly in unison.
"25...26...27...28...29...30"
The two Hogwarts professors jumped away from the 'hug', as Potter had so innocently called it, as if the other was a poison and neither of them wanted to get infected. Rolanda sat next to Minerva and pretended to throw up. Minerva laughed and Rolanda spoke.
"Minerva? Want to play?"
"No, no, no, Rolanda Hooch, don't you even think about it." Minerva thought to herself, The things that I might have to confess if I were to choose truth and even worse what might I have to do, should I pick dare? She shuddered at the thought.
"Is wittle Minerva McGonagall scared to have a wittle fun?"
The students looked at Madame Hooch in disbelief, Was she really trying to tempt the Scottish witch? Rolanda smiled, knowing that would get her friend to play.
"I'm not scared."
"Are too."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Are not."
"Prove it."
Minerva groaned. "Fine."
"My turn, is it?" Madame Hooch asked.
"Yes, Rolanda, go ahead now" the Headmaster replied.
"Alright, Potter, my reven-"
"No ping-pong" Harry smiled, happy to escape what he thought was as near death as he had gotten, since, well, you know.
Rolanda's smile disappeared, "Fine, then, if I can't pick on Potter, I'll have to use his girlfriend", Obviously Rolanda has not heard her friend's agreement to play. "Ginny, truth or dare?"
Ginny did not want to be dared to do something horrible, like what Harry had made the two professors do, only moments ago. She shuddered at the thought of hugging the potions master, himself. "Truth" Ginny nervously said.
"Alright" Madame Hooch was wringing her hands in deep thought, "Hmmmm…Ginny, Ginny, Ginny"
Ginny was becoming uneasy, Harry noticed and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. Ginny blushed and continued to wonder, along with the rest of what was left of the school at the moment, what Madame Hooch was about to say.
"This is a good one. Where is the most odd place you've ever snogged Harry?" This time both Harry and Ginny blushed matching shades of reddish pink.
"Well…I…I…"
"Come on Weasley, spit it out", Madame Hooch encouraged.
"In Professor Dumbledore's office" Harry and Ginny blushed deep scarlet as the whole group laughed their heads off.
Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat awkwardly and fingered the collar of his shirt before saying, "Ginny, it's your turn now"
"Ok Professor", She remembered Professor McGonagall was playing.
"Professor McGonagall", Minerva looked at Ginny, surprised that someone had actually asked her. "Truth or Dare?"
Minerva was afraid to say truth, because of the confession to Albus that she did not want to make, at least in front of the students and her friends, the staff members. She confidently said, "Dare" just as Ginny had wanted her to.
Ginny acted as though she was thinking what to ask her transfiguration teacher to do, she knew exactly what she wanted, but decided to hold everyone off for a few more moments. Ginny did not think of what to ask, instead she thought about the look that was going to be on her professor's face after she said the words out loud. "Professor McGonagall, I dare you to…", Ginny went into a giggling fit, "I dare you to…" she did it again.
Minerva looked confused at Ginny and then said, "Come on, out with it, before I die, Weasley!" She smiled at Ginny.
All of the students laughed and thought at the same time, Did Professor stern, strict, never fun McGonagall just make a joke?
Ginny finally caught her breath and waited for everyone to stop laughing and said, "Ok, ok…ok. I dare you to stand up, along with him", she pointed to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, "and…and…." she laughed again and then quickly stopped, "We all know you want to so, don't even say you don't"
Professor McGonagall looked at Ginny horrified, wondering what she'd say next, and could already feel herself blushing from head to toe.
"I dare you to snogg Professor Dumbledore…for…oh…say…three whole minutes"
Every single person in the group's eyes became huge, but none were bigger than Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall's. The two professors looked at each other, bushed and looked away, then embarrassment was almost too much for the most powerful witch and wizard of the day and age.
"Weasley, you're dead" she glared at Ginny and the smiled to show Ginny that she wasn't in harm's way.
Albus had already stood up and offered his hand to her, she took it as he helped her off of the log that had previously been occupied by himself, her, and Madame Hooch, who was snickering. When Minerva heard, she gave Rolanda a glare that could've shattered her face, had she wanted it to. Minerva turned her blushing face to her fellow victim and with out waiting for him to be ready she threw her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, still blushing madly, and proceeded to 'check his tonsils' as she had heard some of the students whisper. After the first minute she opened her eyes and found his were still wide open, she tried so hard now to laugh, closed her eyes again and felt herself automatically lifting her foot and bending her leg at the knee. Merlin's beard! Did I just pop my foot? Oh, my God. The students will be talking about this for a long time.
Poppy Pomfrey yelled, "You go girl!" The students that weren't frozen in shock started whistling and whooping and yelling encouraging phrases.
Again the students counted down in unison.
"5...4...3...2...1...0"
Minerva made to pull away, but Albus tightened his hold on her waist and kissed her more. Her eyes flew open and her eyebrows went up in disbelief, as did everyone else's. His eyes were still closed, so she followed suit. After about another two minutes he pulled away as did she. Albus smiled contently at Minerva, noticing her face was almost a deeper shade of scarlet than Harry and Ginny's had been after Ginny's truth question.
The two professors took their seats and the students were still staring.
"It's about ruddy time!" Someone yelled, Minerva couldn't tell who had yelled, if she had found out that person would have been as good as dead, or maybe literally dead.
"Well, Tabby, it seems to be your turn" she looked at him as if he had betrayed her, she did not want him calling her the nickname the staff had given her in front of her students, who probably would never treat her that same ever again anyway.
"Umm…." she scanned the audience, looking anywhere but at Albus, trying to look as if she hadn't been affected. "Poppy, you found that amusing, so let's poke some fun at you." Minerva smiled evilly in the direction of Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts' school nurse. "Truth or Dare?"
"Dare" Poppy didn't seem like one to say dare, but one shouldn't read a book by its cover now, should we?
Wanting revenge, she said, "Same as previous dare, but on Severus." Minerva smiled evilly as Albus had started to rub her back, no one else noticed but she did. In order not to make a spectacle she didn't say anything, just smiled at him and then evilly again back at Poppy's horrified face. Minerva seemed to notice that being horrified was a growing trend in this circle of people. Poppy glared at Minerva with hatred that Minerva would've never expected from the ever happy mediwitch. No one else had expected this either, and there was no reassuring smile to make Minerva not feel guilty for the dare.
Poppy and Severus completed the dirty task and bolted away just as they had on the previous dare that Severus had been involved in. Poppy made motions at Minerva as to illustrate the fact that, yes, she was going to see her lunch, of sugar quills, chocolate frogs and other such sweets, again. Then Poppy did what Minerva had been waiting for her to do, she smiled. Minerva smiled back apologetically and to her knowledge then apology was accepted.
The silly game went on for hours until finally it was midnight. Albus waved his hand at the sky, Minerva looked at him like he was a daft old man, which he was, then she looked where he was looking, still at the sky. The other people of the group followed suit and looked up. Candy rained down on the group for all of about three minutes, each piece carefully missing the fire.
Minerva loved it when he could light up the students' faces, by doing these generous things. Their smiles made the night seem a little less dark. She leaned back against Abus, when she realized what her back had hit she looked up at him, blushing, and smiled. Albus smiled back at her and kissed the top of her head.
Then next thing Minerva knew, she thought she was being carried up a flight of stairs, her eyes still closed, she felt a pair of strong, warm arms around her. When she got the courage she glanced up quickly as so not to be noticed and realized that Albus was carrying her to her rooms. She opened her eyes fully at once and attempted to get out of his arms. He had detected that she was awake and held her tighter.
"Honestly Albus, I think I can carry myself to my own bed chambers."
"I'm sorry, my dear, but one who looks so peaceful while sleeping does not deserve to be awoken. So, as I see you've noticed, I took the liberty of carrying you to your rooms. So do an old man's heart good and go back to sleep."
Before she could protest and before he had even finished talking to her Minerva McGonagall had fallen asleep, once again. Albus saw and he smiled down at her, and kissed her forehead. Her chambers were only a few doors away. When they reached the oh, so, familiar door Albus muttered her password softly, as he did not want to wake the sleeping angel in his arms again.
"Tabby at Midnight"
The door opened and her carried her to her bed, tucked her in, kissed her forehead once again (he was getting quite used to that), and walked out the door. He shut the door only half way and then whispered;
"Good night, Tabby"
The now content Albus Dumbledore walked to his own chambers and gave into sleep himself.
FINITE
A/N: I love reviewers!!!!!!!!!! Please push the shiny button, you know you want to!!!!!!!!!
