The Dare

Author: liyu

Warning: R, no plot whatsoever

Summary: Draco makes a dare he regrets... or does he?

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: Wasn't going to write a sequel, but I received so many dares to do one that I just had to do it. However, this one has a different feel to it than the first one. Hope you'll like this one too nonetheless. :) Let me know by reviewing through or directly by email.

Thank you all of you who left a review (you know who you are!) and double thanks to those who left a dare!

ooo

Potion class was usually quiet, the only sounds being the strange mixtures bubbling or the various ingredients being chopped, squished and treated. The dark looming presence of the Potion Master held this silence in place. The usual blabbering girls were reduced to, in this class, very silent and seemingly studious students. The animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor houses did not encourage friendly chat or joke. But today, it was a very different class. The Potion Master, thanks to the ingestion of some strange mixture brewed by the second years, was peacefully sleeping in the Infirmary. Professor Sprout was made substitute since she was the only teacher available.

Professor Sprout was a gentle woman, not very young, but not that old. She was liked by all her students because she had the gentleness of a mother, and was friendly and fair in the treatment of all her students. She was a likeable Hufflepuff, but with a certain backbone that created admiration from even the Slytherins. Furthermore, she very rarely deducted house points, which only promoted her popularity.

So this Potion class was unusually friendly, laughter been heard over the cauldrons. The Gryffindors were louder than the Slytherins, letting out all the frustration accumulated by several years of forced silence. One particular redhead was feeling very lively and happy, just in the right mood to cause mischief.

"I tell you, Harry, this is the occasion."

"Ron... I don't think it's such a good idea..."

"Come on mate! Remember all the years we had to be at the suffering end of the git's sick jokes... and having points deducted because of them! Remember all the potions we could have gotten right!"

Harry looked at the bowl of barberry blood in his hands then back towards the Slytherins. The nearest pair was just working at a table diagonally placed from theirs. Malfoy and Parkinson were working together, or, more precisely, Parkinson was following Malfoy's orders while he was slowly stirring the silvery mixture in the cauldron.

"And Sprout wouldn't even take off points! This is the ideal revenge!"

"Sshh! Keep quiet Ron!"

Malfoy was looking at them suspiciously, his eyes narrowing slightly. Seeing the two Gryffindors looking blankly at him, he pursed his lips into a smirk and turned back to his potion. Harry was surprised that Malfoy had acknowledged his presence. Since the dare, Harry had done all things possible to avoid the Slytherin since he had no idea how to act around him. He couldn't really acknowledge what had happened publicly, but how could he go back to the way things were when all he saw when he looked at that pale face was its counterpart flushed in arousal? Fortunately, it had been quite easy to avoid the Slytherin since the other student seemed to be having the same idea in mind. But when they still met, quite by accident, the Slytherin would sneer or say something unpleasant and Harry would reply with something equally nasty, all the while trying to ignore that light in the Slytherin's eyes which, without doubt, was mirrored in his owns.

"Come on, Harry! I can't do it alone and I know you're just dying to do it too!"

Harry looked surprised.

"Do what?"

Ron glared.

"You know what. What are you thinking about? Honestly, I don't understand why you are hesitating. It's Malfoy after all!"

Of course it was Malfoy. It had been Malfoy all days and nights. And that was the problem, Malfoy, in all its new complexity. Harry preferred to keep his life as simple as possible, and just avoid all situations where he had to have some interaction with the Slytherin. Interaction... like that night, pleasant but... urgh so out of character! Definitely something to avoid.

"Harry, are you listening to me?"

"I am, Ron. It just seems a bit... too complicated."

"It's not complicated! Look, you'll just walk by him and I'll pretend to do something to distract you. You'll accidentally trip and the barberry blood you'll be holding will accidentally fall on him, juice and all. On his head, his hair, his face... all gooey, smelly and Gryffindor red unwashable for a whole week!"

"Schht Ron! He's looking at us."

Malfoy was glaring at them, as if he knew that they were planning his humiliation.

"Harry! I dare you to do it!" Ron suddenly said, a bit louder than necessary.

Malfoy's eyebrows rose after hearing the words and suddenly found his potion very interesting. He turned quickly around and began barking orders to Parkinson.

"Harry, you're blushing?"

"Ur... shut up Ron, it's just warm here."

"So you agree?"

Harry sighed. "Let's ask Hermione. If she thinks it's a good idea, we'll do it."

Ron's face fell. "No way, she's never gonna agree!"

Unsurprisingly, Hermione didn't agree. Drenching anyone, even Malfoy, in smelly goo was not something nice or fair to do. Harry didn't actually think that Malfoy should be treated nicely or fairly, but for the sake of avoiding any confrontations, he nodded his head vigorously. But Ron did not let them dampen his mood. He didn't disobey the bossy girl openly either since no one was more aware of how painful Hermione Granger's disapproval could be than Ron Weasley. Instead of the elaborate, smelly and humiliating scheme he concocted, he just aimed an illusion spell towards Malfoy before Harry could argue.

Harry stood with his bowl of useless barberry juice in hand, watching Ron's spell cause fire to appear at the bottom of Malfoy's robe. It was fake flames that didn't burn and Malfoy didn't notice them at first. Suddenly, Parkinson let out a shrill scream pointing at Malfoy's robe. He let go of his stirring rod and tried to find his wand on the working table. Parkinson reached hers first and tried to extinguish the fire by vanishing it. It was an effective spell that would work beautifully on small real fire, but did nothing to end the illusion. Shrieking in panic, she pushed the blond to the ground with such force that his wand was thrown off his hand and tried to wrestle his robe off.

"Pansy! What are you doing!"

"Draco, you're burning! Take it off, take it off!"

The rest of the class was looking at the scene in shock. Ron was on the floor laughing, Hermione beside him looking on in disapproval while trying not to laugh. Harry just looked at the show, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. The other students eventually realized that the flames were just an illusion and joined in the laughter. Malfoy seemed to realize it too and tried to push the screaming girl off him, the only one who didn't catch on the joke.

All the struggling and rolling had upset the cauldron and it suddenly went crashing on the floor, the silvery liquid falling on the fire. Unknown silvery liquid and fire apparently mixed well to form a sudden powerful burst of flames and smoke and Malfoy's robe really caught fire this time. Parkinson's screams were soon joined by the rest of the class'. Everyone was moving frantically around trying to do something to clear up the smoke, but not coming up with anything, while Professor Sprout tried to make a way to the two students. The Potion classroom looked somewhat like a henhouse suddenly being woken up by a particularly nasty fox with all the shrieking and the running in circle.

Harry, being one of the nearest to the Slytherins on fire, reacted on instinct and upended the barberry bowl he had in his hands on the two Slytherins. It had the effect of extinguishing the fire and of shutting off the girl. The two Slytherins blinked, turning their red faces towards Harry who laughed nervously.

Things ended better than Harry had anticipated. Gryffindor house received 25 points for quick reflexes, the two Slytherins were carried off to the Hospital Wing without serious injuries and Malfoy would be covered in smelly red goo for a week. Harry was congratulated by Ron and Hermione and they all had a good laugh at supper when the two Slytherins entered the Great Hall, no less redder than when they had left the Potion classroom and smelling even worse. Their own housemates, in a show of house solidarity, had decided to stay in their usual seats, but the ones nearest to Malfoy and Parkinson had their noses scrunched and were slowly turning blue from lack of breathable air.

All in all, it was a nice day and Harry couldn't help but smile while opening the door to the Prefect's Bathroom. Suddenly a rude odor assaulted his nose and he was rudely pushed from behind into the room to end up sprawled on the tiles of the bathroom. Turning around, he saw Malfoy locking the door in all his red glory. This new version of the boy was so far from the one plaguing Harry's mind that his smile widened.

"Malfoy, you flash. And smell."

Malfoy ignore him and walked into the room, opening the water to fill the pool while he passed them. He laid his towel on the side and began to take off his robe.

"Malfoy, what do you think you are doing?" Harry asked incredibly, eyes widening as he watched the blond, who was presently a redhead, undress.

"The juice of barberries, or sometimes called blood or barberries, is an extremely effective coloring agent. It is used to color various tissues and its durability keeps the color fresh and vibrant even after several washings by muggle or wizarding ways," Malfoy started, apparently reciting a potion book while undoing his tie. "It is also very potent and can color the skin if not handled carefully since it soaks easily through unshielded tissue. It can easily be recognized by its repugnant odor but it surprisingly tastes similar to strawberry jaw. It is also used in cooking since, despite its foul odor, when combined with water, it takes on a very sweet smell."

Harry gaped.

"I don't mind you taking a bath if it would get rid of that smell, but do you have to do it right in front of me?"

Malfoy glared and unbuttoned his shirt, showing red skin underneath.

"If skin is soaked by the juice, the red taint will fade after a week."

Harry smirked.

"However," Malfoy continued ignoring the stare and shrugged off the shirt. "The quickest way to get rid of the coloring is to soak the reddish parts in water then apply saliva."

Harry gaped. "You're joking?"

"Afraid not, it's straight from the book."

He sat down and removed his shoes and socks while Harry hovered nervously in front of the door, trying to unlock it.

"Well, good for you that it's so easy to get rid of. Now unlock the door, I don't fancy seeing you lick yourself."

"Really?" Malfoy leered, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"You look ridiculous."

"I know. And you're nervous."

He stood up and unfastened his belt. Harry looked at the reddish hands working on the pants' buttons, door forgotten.

"I'm lucky you managed to drench my whole body in this disgusting thing. However, I can't reach everywhere with my mouth, can I?"

He dropped the pants and stepped out of them in only his boxer short. Harry's vivid imagination took the sight in front of him and the sentence just been said and made something entirely too embarrassing for the situation. Things he had seen, and felt, on a previous close encounter with the other young man only helped to give further details to the scenarios unfolding in Harry's mind.

By the time he had managed to close his mouth and refocus on the present situation, Malfoy had entered the pool and had tinted the once clear water red. A sweet smell also gradually replaced the disgusting odor that once followed Malfoy everywhere.

"So... care to help me out?"

Unconsciously, Harry took a few steps and found himself at the edge of the pool, looking down. His eyes devoured the sight in front of him, a wet red Malfoy in underwear floating in the pool, emanating a delicious odor of strawberry jam.

"I thought we agreed that'll never happen again."

Malfoy frowned.

"I'm not asking you to have sex with me."

"No, you're just asking me to lick you."

Both stared at each other, daring the other to make the first move and break several weeks of accumulated tension.

Malfoy tilted his head back, the long line of his throat offered.

"So, will you?"

Harry was going to hate himself tomorrow for even considering it as he tried to stand nonchalantly, hands in pockets. His hair fell into his eyes, shielding his thoughts to the blond.

"How do I know it even works?"

Malfoy took his right arm out of the water and licked from the tender parts of the elbow to the wrist while maintaining eye contact. The pale trail left behind was contrasting with the red skin around. Harry's eyes gleamed as Malfoy extended his arms towards him.

"See? As white as usual."

"Very impressive."

But Harry made no other moves. He watched silently as Malfoy swam around a bit. His lowered lashes gave him a seemingly shy countenance but the gleam in them looked on with interest as the Slytherin swam, obviously waiting for a concrete answer.

"Funny, I've heard that Gryffindors were the most courageous, always ready to follow up on a dare."

"Oh, but I did. Ron dared me to turn you red, and here you are, red as a tomato. It would spoil his fun if you weren't to stay this cheerful color for at least one week."

"Ah, yes, I've almost forgotten. You did follow up on dares, and not only this one. I remember well teaching you how to kiss properly."

"Excuse me, but I knew how to kiss."

"Right, that first thing you did, you called that a kiss?"

"Wasn't me who was left breathless and wanting for more at the end."

"Care to try if you can do that again?"

"Now, are you proposing sex or a quick licking session?"

"I'm not proposing, I'm daring you."

The next morning, Malfoy entered the Great Hall, head held high. His hair was still shockingly red, but his skin had returned to its natural color, or at least his face, his hands and his neck, from what the student body could see. Harry hid a small smile, knowing well that all his skin had returned to the pale whiteness it used to be.

Malfoy sat smugly at his table, preparing to face his housemates' questions and the still shockingly red Parkinson's wailing.

Professor Snape's surprised eyes met his student's sharp ones. The Potion Master raised his eyebrow in question and Malfoy only grinned mysteriously. Harry looked on with interest at the exchange until, suddenly, the teacher's icy glare was fixed on him. Harry blushed, feeling strangely embarrassed at being caught looking and reported his attention back to his table.

"How?" gaped Ron.

"Oh, honestly Ron. Don't tell me you haven't read your textbook. Malfoy just asked Professor Snape for barberry leaves. They can be used like sponge to clean out the color." Hermione supplied.

"I thought it was saliva?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked surprisingly at him. "Well saliva works too, but I doubt that Professor Snape could supply enough for Malfoy."

"Uh, the mental image! I'll be blinded forever," Ron exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.

Harry smirked at his eggs. He didn't think Professor Snape would supply any for Malfoy he if ever needed. But with him, it was another story, a question of dare and Gryffindor foolishness.

ooo

A/N: So, what do you think? Pretty much tamer than the first part, uh?