Thanks to Caprice Ann Hedican-Kocur, Dracula5555 andImRunN2 for reading and reviewing. As before, my disclaimer is in the first chapter, so nobody sue me, please! Any criticisms are welcome, as long as they are worded nicely. Any flames will be used to burn my principal alive.
Everyone arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and were all abuzz over Remus's new motorcycle. "Now, now, everyone will get a ride on it. Since Hermione and I are going out, she got the first ride. Harry, I'll take you and Ron on a trip around London tomorrow, and Ginny car ride back with me when we go to the station. Okay?" They were all fine with this.
No one was expecting as good a dinner as Remus served up. "Where did all this stuff come from?" Ron asked excitedly. "I cooked it." Remus answered, nonplussed. 4 jaws dropped open. "You cook like this?" Ginny queried, looking like Remus had just sprouted 2 additional heads. "Yes, I did."
Ginny looked at Hermione. "When you two get married, I'm moving in so he can cook for me too!" The others chuckled. "That'd sort of be a bummer on the love life..." her friend mused. "Argh, stop there! I don't want to hear this!" Harry yelled. "Me either!" Ron announced with a look of distaste. "No offense to you, Remus." "None taken." The werewolf replied.
Once the dishes were cleared and leftovers put in the fridge, they gathered in the living room. "Well, what shall we do for fun?" Remus asked brightly. They all sat pondering a moment, until Hermione said, "How about Truth?" "What's that?" Ron asked. "It's a Muggle game that my American cousin taught me. There's another version called Truth or Dare, but that one gets people into trouble. Basically, you ask someone a question, and they have to answer it, no matter how embarrassing it is. However, if you really don't want to answer it, everyone else who's playing gets to punch you in the arm." "Doesn't sound too hard. Let's do it!" Harry said.
The others nodded their assent, and Hermione began to look around the room. "Um...Ron. Who do you have a crush on right now?" The Weasley turned red. "Lavender Brown" he mumbled. There were a couple of catcalls and he chucked a pillow at Harry. "Ok Ron, now you ask somebody a question."
"Harry...how much do you like my sister?" "I don't like your sister. I love her." His friend replied simply. "Awww..." Hermione cooed disgustingly. "Isn't he just the cutest thing?" Remus added. "Oh, just for that, Remus, what's your worst memory?" Harry challenged.
He thought for a long moment, then said, "The day my Dad left my Mum and I. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had been bitten and taken to St. Mungo's, where they told my parents there was nothing to be done for me. The next day, after I was allowed to come home, we woke up to find him and his things gone." He smiled bitterly. "Mum had a nervous breakdown shortly thereafter, and I was sent to live with my grandfather. I was so happy there. He was good man, and didn't care if I was a lycanthrope or not."
"You were lucky to have him." Harry commented softly. "Yes, I was. Hermione, what about you?" She thought about it. "Probably the day that my brother Alex died. He was the one who taught me how to read, and I always vowed that I would get good grades, like him."
They sat there for a moment before Hermione roused herself and asked Ginny, "Who was the first person you ever had a crush on?" The girl turned beet red. "Harry." She muttered. "Well, at least it wasn't Gilderoy Lockheart!" Harry said, in her defense. "I thought I told you to shut up about that!" Hermione yelped. "Gilderoy Lockhart? That namby-pamby twit?" Remus asked, in between snickers. "I had to tutor him in Defense Against the Dark Arts when I was a seventh year and he was a first because he couldn't even face a Cornish Pixie without screaming like a woman!"
Harry and Ron were doubled over, and even Ginny was laughing. "He brought some Cornish Pixies to class when he taught!" Ron wheezed. "Did he let them out, then run away and let someone else put them back in?" Remus asked. "Yep. Hermione said he was just giving us some hands on experience." "Oh yes, he's big on that." Remus quipped. "If you people are quite through talking about my horrible lack of taste in men back when I was a second year, we can move on." Hermione said majestically.
A few snickers were still heard, but were quickly smothered when she began to use the patented Granger Death Glare on the ones who were snickering. "Right then, does anybody else know a game we can play?" "I've got Twister in my suitcase." Ginny offered. "Oy vey! I don't know if I can be that flexible anymore!" Remus moaned. "Suck it up, wolf boy." The youngest Weasley told him. "Oooo... Ginny's getting tough on you!" Ron told him. "I know...why can't she save it for Harry?" "Better you than me!"
As Ginny went up the stairs, a smack was heard, then the yelping of Harry as he was put into the Loony Lupin Lock hold.
Twister proved to be the best thing that ever happened in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Ron was the first one out, followed closely by Hermione. "I'm not flexible!" she complained. "Me either. Let's see who wins." Ron said as he spun the dial. "Left hand blue!"
Ginny tried valiantly, but lost her balance and toppled over. Now it was down to Harry and Remus. "Left foot red!" Ron said. Harry almost reached it, but began to wobble and overcompensated. He tumbled to the floor. Remus neatly moved his left foot over to the red. "Aw, bollocks! I want a re-match!" Harry groused playfully. "Tomorrow, Grasshopper. Confucius say that old men need rest before playing Twister again." Remus replied.
"I don't recall Confucius ever saying that..." Hermione said. "Yes, but you didn't read Zen and the Art of Playing Twister." Came the quick reply. Hermione groaned while Ginny whacked him on the arm. This was going to be a very fun vacation, even if it wasn't as romantic as she'd been envisioning.