~ Chapter 6: Party Time! Excellent! ~

"I hope this is going to be worth it," Ron grumbled as he, Harry, and Neville made their way up to the seventh floor corridor. Each of them was carrying a schoolbag with bottles of butterbeer and firewhisky nestled alongside their homework.

"Of course it will," said Neville. "It's just a party."

"'Mione looked awfully mad," Ron said.

"She'll get over it," Harry said, hurrying down the hall. The bottles he was carrying clinked a bit, despite the books and parchment he'd shoved between them to reduce the noise. But he could already see the door fading into existence opposite Barnabas the Barmy, so the three of them quickly stepped inside, heedless of the clinking.

"Good, you made it," Seamus greeted them. He looked back and forth between Harry and Ron. "Didn't Hermione want to come?" Harry noticed a mischievous twinkle in his eye, but Ron didn't seem to.

Ron set down his bag carefully, then straightened up with a sigh. "Are you kidding? She didn't even want me to come. Kept going on about 'the Headmistress wouldn't approve,' blah blah blah."

"That's a shame," Seamus said, smirking at Harry and Neville.

"I mean, did you really have to add 'please bring booze?' I'm going to get a month's worth of lectures for this, I just know it. If she doesn't rat us out to McGonagall."

"You can't have a decent party without booze," Neville said with a perfectly straight face, and Ron gaped at him.

Harry thought it seemed like a good time to mingle with the other students. As usual, the Slytherins kept to themselves in a small cluster. When Harry approached them, Draco smiled, while the others folded their arms and tried to look menacing.

"Would you stop?" Draco hissed to them. "This is supposed to be a party."

"Remember what we told you, Potter," Parkinson said, but she and the others did relax a bit.

"Any idea what this is about?" Draco asked while Harry tried to ignore Ron's curious gaze from across the room.

Harry shook his head. "I think this is Seamus's idea of helping us," he said. "I'm not really sure I want to know the details."

"So, Finnigan knows about you two?" said Zabini, glancing over at Harry's friends.

"I think the entire school knows," said Harry.

"Of course he does," Parkinson said at the same time. "Don't you remember the Kiss Cam?"

Zabini and Parkinson exchanged a look. Then, much to Harry's surprise, they crossed the room to where Neville was helping Seamus set up for the party.

"Well, that was unexpected," Harry said as the Slytherins started chatting animatedly with the Gryffindors. Ron and Dean had left the group, and Harry couldn't help wondering if that was intentional.

"All right, let's get this party started!" Seamus announced after a few minutes. "Everyone grab a drink, and let's gather 'round for a game of Truth or Dare!"

Parkinson said something, and she and Seamus had a quick, hushed conversation.

"Change of plans," Seamus said. "We're going to start with Never Have I Ever, to loosen everyone up first." Waving a bottle of firewhisky, he directed the others to sit in a large circle in the middle of the room.

Ron reappeared as Harry was sitting down next to Draco. With a suspicious glare at Draco, Ron plopped down on Harry's other side.

"The rules are simple," said Seamus. "We'll go around the circle, and when it's your turn, you name something you've never done. And anyone who has done that has to take a drink. Got it?"

He met Harry's eyes and smirked mischievously. "I'll start. Let's see . . . " He thought for a minute, eyes still twinkling. "Never have I ever . . . snogged Harry Potter!"

Draco took a drink, and Ron snorted in Harry's ear. "The Kiss Cam doesn't count."

Harry fervently hoped that the rest of the game wasn't going to be aimed at himself and Draco, but he decided he had nothing to worry about when Susan Bones went next and said, "Never have I ever . . . kissed a girl!"

At least half the circle took a drink, and when Morag MacDougal said, "Never have I ever been out past curfew," there were plenty of groans while nearly everyone else drank.

Ron looked ill when Terry Boot revealed he'd never kissed a Slytherin and Harry had to drink, and it was a relief when the game moved to more neutral territory. Finding out who had and hadn't gotten a T on their homework, served a detention with Snape, or even that Harry was among those who hadn't had sex with a girl were all safe enough.

When it was his turn, Harry blanked for a moment, then said, "Never have I ever snuck into the girls' dorm."

There was a chorus of groans, and Ron cried, "That's cheating — you can't get to the girls' dorm!"

But there were also giggles among the Slytherins, and several Slytherin boys took drinks, including Draco. "Don't you dare ask," he said to Harry.

Harry snorted. "You know I'm going to."

They made their way around the circle, and Harry was just starting to let his guard down when Dean announced, "Never have I ever secretly dated a Slytherin," causing Harry and several others to drink and Ron's eyes to widen in horror.

Seamus winked at Harry from across the circle, looking pleased with himself. "Well, that was fun," he said. "Now, let's play Truth or Dare." He glanced over at Parkinson questioningly and she nodded. Harry was a little surprised at how quickly they'd set aside their differences.

Someone produced an empty bottle, and Seamus gave it a spin. Harry couldn't help feeling relieved when it landed on Ernie MacMillan — he just knew whatever Seamus asked would be embarrassing. And likely give Ron a heart attack.

The effects of the alcohol were becoming apparent as the game got going. After a few embarrassing questions and raunchy dares, which revolved around removing clothes and other suggestive acts, the bottle landed on Harry.

He looked up to see Neville grinning at him, and wondered if he actually had dodged a bullet, after all. Neville had grown much more confident over the past year — and more unpredictable. And the fact that he'd been helping Seamus put Harry on his guard.

"Harry, truth or dare?" Neville said, still grinning.

Harry thought for a minute. There was no telling what Neville might dare him to do — kiss Draco, give him a lap dance, take off all his clothes (or Draco's) — "Truth."

"Do you think Malfoy is hot?"

Harry smiled as relief washed over him. He'd been expecting something much, much worse. "Oh, yeah," he said, giving Draco a lascivious look. "He's totally hot."

Harry could hear gagging sounds behind him, and thought it might be best not to turn around and face Ron just then. He rested his hand on Draco's knee.

"It's your turn, Harry," Ron said, sounding strangled.

Harry turned and gave the bottle a lazy spin. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ron, looking positively green.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Draco groaned, and Harry realized that the bottle was pointing straight at him. "That doesn't count. You didn't spin it hard enough."

"Rules are rules," Harry said with no small amount of glee. "Draco, truth or dare?"

"It went all the way around," Seamus said as Draco glowered at Harry, and others chimed in their agreement. "It totally counts."

"Fine, fine, truth," Draco grumbled, and Harry beamed. "No! I meant dare! Dare!"

"I heard truth," Harry said, knowing he was going to pay for this later.

"You said truth first," someone else said.

"You haven't even asked the question yet," Draco protested.

"Okay, you're right," said Harry. "I dare you to get naked and—"

"Okay, truth, then! And don't think you're going to get away with any of this."

"I want to hear more about this 'get-naked' dare," Seamus said, but Harry silenced him with a look. He did want to come out of this evening relatively unscathed. And he really only meant to tease his boyfriend, not outright humiliate him.

Harry turned to Draco with a grin, ignoring the suspicious glare he was getting in return. "I really need to know more about this 'sneaking up to the girls' dorm' thing."

"That's not a question," Draco said without missing a beat.

Harry hadn't expected Draco to make it easy for him, so he was unfazed. "Right," he said, glancing at the other Slytherins. Most of them were giggling, which was a good sign. "So, tell me . . . " He trailed off, stalling for time and watching the Slytherins for some hint as to the best way to ask. How was his main question, but he suspected Draco would give him some unsatisfyingly technical answer. Parkinson was mouthing something that looked like why, so he went with that.

"What made you decide to do that in the first place?"

Draco was also facing the Slytherins, so Harry couldn't see his expression, but he was no doubt glaring at them. Before Harry could ask again, Draco turned back around, tossing his head defiantly. "They wanted me up there," he said with a shrug.

There were groans all around the circle, and Parkinson called out, "That's not an answer!"

"Okay, why did they want you up there?" Harry asked, undeterred.

"That's two questions," Draco said, looking smug.

"No, it isn't!" said Parkinson. "It's the same one. You just didn't answer it the first time."

Harry could almost see smoke coming out of Draco's ears as he glared at Parkinson again, but her only reaction was to feign terror as the rest of them laughed.

Now Draco directed his glare at Harry. "They wanted to give me a makeover," he muttered.

Harry's mouth dropped open, Draco turned pink, and Seamus yelled, "I didn't hear that!"

Unfortunately, Ron had heard, and while Harry was trying to avoid repeating it, Ron gleefully cried out, "They wanted to give him a makeover!"

As the rest of the eighth-years exploded around them, Draco buried his pink face in his hands, both of which were making obscene gestures at Harry, and Harry rubbed his shoulder in sympathy. "Well, I think you're pretty enough already," he said in Draco's ear.

Draco shrugged him off and went to spin the bottle, but there was a tiny smile on his face. Behind him, Harry heard retching sounds again and suspected Ron had heard him, but he couldn't worry about that now.

After Draco dared a blushing Lisa Turpin to sit in Ernie MacMillan's lap, Harry managed to relax a bit. He took Draco's hand, lightly rubbing his thumb over the back of it, and Draco sighed and leaned his head on Harry's shoulder. "You know you're going to pay for that, right?" he murmured.

"I'm looking forward to it," Harry said with a grin.

Draco raised his head just long enough to give him a look of disdain. "You're an idiot," he said as he snuggled up against Harry once again.

"I hope you know I'm going to be asking Parkinson for details later," Harry said.

Draco was quiet for a minute, but then Harry both felt and heard his soft laughter. "You really are begging for it."

Harry was just starting to register how quiet it had become when Seamus said, "I don't know, I kind of hate to disturb them when they look so cute." This was followed by a chorus of giggles, and Harry looked up to see the bottle pointed straight at him.

Here it comes, he thought, doubting it was a coincidence that Seamus had landed on him.

Seeing he had Harry's attention, Seamus grinned. "Harry, truth or dare?"

Harry weighed his options for a moment, then said, "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss the person you're in love with," Seamus called out gleefully, and Harry just knew he'd been waiting for that moment all night.

"But what if they're not in this room?" Harry heard Ron ask behind him, sounding as though he was still trying very hard to convince himself. Harry turned to give him an apologetic look, and already he could see clear resignation in Ron's eyes.

Well, at least we've finally gotten through to him, Harry thought before turning back around to kiss Draco. As expected, the room erupted in cheers and catcalls around them, and Harry took the time to enjoy thoroughly snogging Draco before pulling back to admire his flushed, satisfied face and tousled hair.

The sound of Seamus clearing his throat broke the moment, but Harry couldn't bring himself to feel embarrassed as he gave the bottle a spin. This was what he'd wanted. And after the weeks of denial he'd endured, it felt well-earned.

One down, one to go, he thought with satisfaction.

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