Characters: Alana Jordan, Penny Haywood, Tonks, Rowan Khanna, Meryla Snyde, Tulip Karasu, Barnaby Lee, Charlie Weasley

Genre: Friendship/Romance/Humor

"Okay you wankers, the name of the game is Truth or Dare," said Tulip sneakily at the six other girls that were in the Artefact Room with her.

Alana, Tonks, Penny, Tulip, Rowan, and surprisingly Merula had gathered for an impromptu slumber party to help Penny not completely lose her senses over Beatrice. So far, the party had been a bit of a drag, with Penny being upset about her younger sister still trapped inside of a portrait, but Tulil thought a challenge may bring something of a smile to the potion master's face.

"What's Truth or Dare?" asked Rowan.

Merula let out an annoyed breath as she rolled her eyes. "You are such a child," she said. "How could you be 15 and not know the game Truth or Dare? What do you Gryffs do in your dorms? Sit around and knit?"

"Stuff it, Merula." sneered Alana.

"Truth or Dare is a game, Ro." said Tonks. "Someone asks you truth or dare, and if you pick truth, you have to answer the person's question, no matter what. And if you choose dare, you have to do whatever the person says to do, not matter how embarassing it is."

Rowan scrunched up her nose. "Sounds rather risky if you ask me. I dont thi k I want to play this game."

"And I thought you lions were brave."

"Leave her alone. Merula." said Alana. "Come on Rowan, it'll be fun. We will start out easy, right Tulip?"

"Sure, easy." laughed Tulip. "You're first then. I've ripped up paper with our names on the pieces and put them in this bowl. Pick a name, and that will be who you ask."

Alana stood up in her Gryffindor PJs and took a piece of parchment out of the bowl.

"I got Penny!" she said gleefully.

Everyone looked over at the long haired blonde. Penny took in a breath and gave Alana a small grin.

"Alright. I'll play." she said. The girls (with the exception of Merula) cheered.

"Truth or Dare?"

"I'll pick Truth."

Alana rubbed her chin. She was hoping that Penny would choose dare, so she could make her do something silly.

"Hmmm...OH! I know!" exclaimed Alana. "Is it true that you put together that hiccupping solution and slipped it into Barn's pumpkin juice last week?"

All the girls laughed as they thought back to last Wednesday, when Barnaby seemed to have uncontrollable hiccups that was propelling his body forward like a broom every time he let one out. Snape had vowed to severely punish whoever had done that to embarrass Slytherin, but after a few days, no one took the noise seriously.

"I mean I did brew it," laughed Penny.

"But it was I that snuck it in," finished Tonks. "I used my ability to change into an ickle Slytherin firstie and poured it in without anyone noticing."

The girls laughed once again, with Penny laughing the loudest. It delighted Alana to see her best friend smiling and laughing voluntarily since a few days before Bea had gone missing.

"Alright, my turn," said Penny with more enthusiasm in her voice. She reached into the bowl and pulled out a name. She eyed the paper and smiled.

"Rowan, truth or dare?" asked Penny.

Rowan rubbed her chin. "Well let me think. If I choose truth, then that means I will have to reveal something ghastly about myself. But if I choose dare, you could force me to do something ghastly. Is it better to tell the truth, or to do something that is-"

"JUST PICK SOMETHING, KHANNA! DAMN!" shouted Merula.

"Truth!" squeaked Rowan.

Penny gave Rowan a sly look. "Okay, so Tonks and I spied you and Billingsley getting pretty chummy in the courtyard last week. What's going on there?"

Rowan gave Alana a quick and nervous glance as all the other girls except for Merula gazed at her with huge grins.

"You dont have to answer that," said Alana, trying to protect her friend.

"I do actually, as those are the rules," said Rowan, taking a deep breath. "Well, if you must know, he was telling me about how he almost got a detention in Defense Against the Dark Arts for trying to sneak Sickleworth a Fizzing WhizbeeWhizbee. I thought the story was comical."

"Enough of that rubbish, do you fancy him?" asked Tonks.

"It wasnt your turn to ask, Tonks." said Rowan smugly. "And I've already answered the question."

The girls went on for the next 15 minutes sounding off truths and dares. Merula had been dared to make her voice high pitched and talk like that for the rest of the night, Tulip had to change her hair back to the black it was originally for a week, and Tonks had to have her face like Snapes till after Potions class the following Monday.

Finally, it came to Alana's turn to do a dare. Unfortunately, Merula was the one that had the opportunity to give it.

"You ready for me, Jordan?"

"Do your worst, Snyde."

Merula grinned sinfully. "Alright. So you know it is close to curfew. People are still out and about."

"I'm aware of this," said Alana. "What do you want me to do? You forget I am a Gryffindor. Nothing you can say will curb me."

"Oh really? Okay then. I dare you to find and kiss Charlie Weasley." said Merula.

Everyone gasped, including Alana, who froze at the words.

"I..."

"Oh? Are you backing out? I thought you were a brave and bad Gryffindor, Jordan. Surely you can kiss a bloke."

"Charlie's my best mate. I cant do that to him," said Alana nervously.

"If you tell him beforehand, maybe he will understand." said Tonks, who was a mix of amused and worried. "Charlie's an alright bloke."

"But what if he thinks its gross?" asked Alana.

Merula rolled her eyes. "Merlin, you two are 15! I would think you would be past the opposite sex have germs stage of our lives."

Alana sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But if something happens, I'll hex you into oblivion."

"Brilliant," said Merula. "Karasu, you and I will tail her to make sure she does it."

Alana groaned as she got up off of her blanket on the cement floor. Tonks and Penny giggled as Alana walked out the door with Merula and Tulip in tow.

Alana walked slowly towards Gryffindor tower with Merula and Tulip smirking behind her. She sighed. She couldnt help but feel like there were pixies flying around in her stomach, jostling it around and making her feel both nauseous and nervous.

She begged Merlin to please let Charlie be asleep or on patrol. She couldnt do this. What was Merula thinking? Kiss Charlie Weasley? What was she playing at?

Not that there was anything wrong with Charlie Weasley. It wasnt as if Charlie was an eyesore. He was an okay looking bloke. Okay, maybe a bit more than okay. He was a very handsome bloke if she was going to be honest with herself. He had these chocolate frog colored eyes that seemed to twinkle when he was excited, especially when he was talking about dragons. He had a smile that was both friendly and alluring. He kept his long hair in a ponytail, it the few times that Alana had seen it loose, it had reminded her of winter nights in front of the fireplace in the common room, especially when the sun would hit it.

He was kind, he was funny, he always seemed to look out for her, and his passion for dragons and wish to work with them was admirable. Plus, after the whole faux dragon egg fiasco, she and he seemed to had gotten closer. She was hanging out with him more than she was Rowan the past couple of weeks.

Alana felt a small grin tug at her lips. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She could trust Charlie with anything. Surely she could trust him with something as small as a kiss.

Even though, it would be her first kiss.

As the trio rounded the steps that led to the tower, Alana stopped as she wanted Barnaby and Charlie heading down them, with Charlie looking down at his feet. Alana sucked in a sharp breath. Merlin sure had an odd sense of humor.

"Oi, Charlie!" said Alana as enthuiastically as she could.

Charlie looked up and looked eyes with Alana. She gave him a confused glance. Charlie looked just as nervous as she was feeling. What was wrong with him? And Barnaby was looking rather...smug.

"Alana, hi." said Charlie, as he stood one step above Alana. He was already a bit taller than her, but with him standing on the second step, he seemed significantly taller.

"Hi," said Alana. "Ummmm...what brings you out?"

Charlie rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He cleared his throat. "Well, uh, the blokes and I were having a get together, and...well...I was...that's to say I..."

"Charlie, what's wrong? You seem more timid than Ben, and that's saying something."

Charlie cleared his throat again. "Its nothing, nothing at all. Ummm what are you doing out? I had looked for you in the tower, but you nor Rowan was there."

"We are having a sleepover in the Artefact Room, the girls and I." said Alana with a smile.

Barnaby looked over Alana's shoulder at the girls behind her.

"Even Merula?" he quizzed.

"Barmy, right?" laughed Alana.

Merula let out a grumble. She then gave Alana a hard nudge in the back.

"Ouch! Bloody hell!" shrieked Alana, rounding on Merula. "What was that for?"

"On with it!" said Merula in a low growl.

Alana turned back to Charlie, who looked concerned.

"Alright, Lonnie?"

Alana sighed. "I'm fine. I just...well I have to do something. And I hope you dont think me a right bugger for it."

Charlie hesitated. "What's going on?"

"Ummmm...are you familiar with the game Truth or Dare?"

Charlie stiffened. "Familiar? Of course! A bit too familiar, but in any case, whats the matter?"

Alana took in a deep breath. It was now or never. She stepped up on the step that Charlie was on so that she could be a bit closer to his face.

"I've been given a dare," she began, "and I just want you not to think me gross for it. And not to hate me in the morning."

Charlie was taken aback. "Why would I-"

Before Charlie could finish his sentence, he was silenced by Alana's lips against his. His eyes grew wide. His mind couldn't grasp that he was being kissed. But when it finally did, he closed his eyes and moved his lips to kiss her back, which stunned Alana.

Her mind was racing. Was Charlie Weasley actually kissing her back? Was this really happening? Were they both sharing a kiss? Equally?. Also, this...this felt rather nice. Should it feel nice? Yes, it should. Charlie's lips were soft, pillowy. They also tasted of sugar and cherries. This was actually turning out better than-

"Ahem?" came Barnaby's voice into Alana's thoughts.

Charlie and Alana broke free of the kiss's hold. They looked at each other and then at Barnaby. Alana was thankful of her brown skin hiding hiding the heat of her blush. Charlie on the other hand, couldnt hide his if he tried. His cheeks and ears was as red as a newly bloomed rose.

"Bloody hell," said Barnaby, as Merula and Tulip laughed. "And here I thought this was a dare. Well done, Weasley."

Alana looked at Charlie and laughed. "No way!"

Charlie shrugged. "Would you believe that ol Lee here dared me to kiss you as well?"

"Actually I dared him to give you a proper snog," laughed Barnaby, "but Weasley here said that wouldnt be proper."

Alana and Charlie laughed nervously at each other. Neither one of them knew what to think. In Alana's mind, her feelings were going haywire. Up was down and right was left. Charlie was one of her best friends. Maybe this weird feeling through her body was the result of a first time kiss. Maybe...

Charlie on the other hand felt like he had caught the snitch in the Quidditch Cup. He had shared his first kiss with bone other than Alana Jordan. And even though it was a dare, he couldnt help but feel the tingle of his powers flowing through him, like what Ben had told him about muggle elect twicity. He wanted to kiss her again. But what if she pushed him away?

"I gotta go," said Alana, both awkwardly and cheerfully. "See you at breakfast?"

"Uhh yeah. Breakfast. Me too" said Charlie.

And with that, Alana took off swiftly towards the Artefact Room, while Charlie tried not to trip up the stairs to the tower. Each one leaving their parties behind.

Barnaby and Tulip looked at each other and chuckled. Merula smirked and leaned against the railing.

"Worked like a charm. Pleasure working with you witches," said Barnaby.

"Glad of that," said Tulip. "Maybe now, Charlie will get with the program and just ask her out already."

"Those Gryffinsnores wont do a thing now but give each other awkward glances across the table now," smirked Merula. "Though I have to admit, at least I wont have to hear Weasley's moans and groans about her when I'm eavesdropping on his conversations anymore."

Barnaby rolled his eyes. Well, at least the three of them had gotten Charlie and Alana that far.

The rest was up to them.