~ CHAPTER TWO ~
When the burning in his throat subsided, Harry turned to hand the bottle to Malfoy. The Slytherin was much more subdued now that the war was over. It made sense — Malfoy's father was in Azkaban, and his mother was on temporary house arrest. The only reason that he had avoided the same fate as his parents was because he was underage when he took the Dark Mark, and because of a letter of Dumbledore's, discovered posthumously, explaining how he had been manipulated by Voldemort. Even so, Malfoy was required to return to Hogwarts to finish his education, and after Hogwarts, he was sentenced to community service. If Harry had been in his shoes, he would've tried to fly under the radar, too. Still, there was something unnerving about seeing Malfoy so reserved. Call him absolutely batty, but he almost missed their heated arguments and snappish remarks, no matter how much of a prat Malfoy was. Anything was better than seeing this bland, distantly polite, quiet version of Malfoy sitting next to him.
Malfoy took the bottle of firewhisky, avoiding eye contact. He was nearly as gaunt as he had been during their sixth year, Harry noticed. The flickering light and shadows probably weren't helping. He looked as though a good wind would blow him over. Then, as he tipped his head back to take a swig, he made eye contact with Harry. His eyes, normally a cold grey, were like liquid mercury in the firelight. Harry looked away as Parkinson took the bottle from Malfoy.
"Excellent." She held up the bottle and swirled the dregs round the bottom before downing what was left. "Now we can begin."
She placed the bottle in the middle of the circle, bending down to position it.
"I thought this was a game of Truth or Dare, not Spin the Bottle," Malfoy said roughly. It was the first time he had spoken all night, at least since Harry had gotten there.
Parkinson smirked at him. "Relax, Draco, this is how we're going to pick who goes first. Unless you want it to become a game of Spin the Bottle?"
There were a couple of chuckles and low whoops in response. Malfoy glared at her. It was the harshest look Harry had ever seen him give a fellow Slytherin.
"Okay, here's how it's going to go." Parkinson leaned back on her haunches, her eyes floating round the circle. "I'm going to spin the bottle to see who goes first. That person gets to pick next, and so on. No back and forth between two people, and try to pick someone who hasn't gone yet so everyone gets a shot. Got it?"
Murmurs of assent rippled throughout the students. Parkinson gave the bottle a flick of her wrist. Then she sat back, reclaiming her spot in Zabini's lap. The empty bottle spun unevenly across the rug, before coming to a stop on Seamus.
"Alright, mate," Dean said approvingly, slapping him on the back. "You go first."
"Dean," said Seamus in response, suddenly looking serious. "Truth or dare?"
Dean tipped his head. In the darkness, Harry couldn't make out the expression on his face.
"Truth," Dean said quietly.
"Do you want to kiss me?"
There were a couple of audible murmurs and low whoops, and then Dean took Seamus's face in his hands and kissed him with so much vigor that the whoops turned into wolf-whistles and cheers. As much as it made Harry feel awkward, it was about damn time. Everyone knew that they had been dancing around each other for almost as long as Ron and Hermione. For all their bravery, Gryffindors were notoriously bad at relationships.
Parkinson cleared her throat. "Hey! I need you guys to stop snogging, at least for the moment, yeah? It's your turn, Dean."
Seamus and Dean broke apart, breathing heavily. They grinned at each other, clasping hands tightly and sitting so close that it looked as though they had no concept of personal space.
"Uh, yes, right," said Dean, looking dazed but deliriously happy. He turned his head, resting it on Seamus's shoulder so he could look across the circle. "Uh, Padma. Truth or dare?"
Neville, Ernie, Justin, and Parvati laughed and gave Padma amused looks. She sat back, her long black plait glistening in the firelight. "Truth."
"Have you ever swapped places with Parvati and gotten away with it?"
Everyone started laughing. Padma and Parvati grinned at each other.
"Yeah," Padma admitted. "I took one for the team and did detention with Snape once. And, uh...we actually swapped places during the Yule Ball to see if Harry or Ron would notice. They didn't."
The circle roared with laughter, while Harry and Ron sheepishly muttered their apologies.
Padma waved it away, laughing. Then she turned, a defiant look on her face.
"Parkinson. Truth or dare?"
Parkinson's eyes sparkled with glee. "Hmm, let's go with truth," she drawled, twisting the thin gold ring on her pinky finger.
"What is your actual motive behind setting up this game?"
Parkinson smirked broadly.
"I've been truthful about it all along," she said smoothly. "My motive is as stands: improving inter-House relations." She dragged out the last word, letting it hang longer in the air than necessary.
Padma didn't look satisfied, but it was clear that she was telling the truth. Parkinson clapped her hands together, looking delighted. "Alright, that means I go next! Draco," she said sweetly, leaning in his direction. "Truth or dare?"
Malfoy eyed her disdainfully. The harsh look on his face hadn't waned.
"Dare," he drawled, after what felt like ten years.
The grin that Parkinson gave him sent a shiver down Harry's spin. He'd never seen a look so predatory and satisfied. It wasn't even directed at him, and yet the feeling of being a canary cornered by a cat came back in full force.
Parkinson leaned her head back, eyes trained on Malfoy and a smirk playing at her lips.
"I dare you to steal the ingredients for Veritaserum from Slughorn's office...with Potter."