Hermione furtively watched Remus at breakfast on Sunday, studying the way he interacted with everybody, particularly the girls, and trying to figure out if Lily was right. She needed to know if he regarded her any differently than the others. She needed to know if he liked her or not.
Her observation that morning yielded no conclusion, however, because Remus noticed her watching him very early on and gave her a questioning look. Blushing at having been caught staring, Hermione hastily turned her gaze away from him and pretended to be absorbed in the conversation Marcia and Sirius were having. She was too self-conscious after that to look at Remus again during breakfast or to try to study him again when they were all hanging out in the Gryffindor common room later that day.
After a few rounds of Exploding Snap, James announced he was growing bored of the game.
"Let's play something we've never played before," Sirius suggested. He made a quick trip up to his dormitory and returned with the bottle of potion he'd gotten at Zonko's the previous day. "Who's up for Truth of Dare?"
"What's that?" James asked, and Hermione couldn't believe he and Sirius had never played the common Muggle game.
Once Marcia explained the game to him, James was eager to play. Most everybody else was too, but Hermione was not one of them. She'd played a couple of years ago with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George, and though it'd been fun, it had also been embarrassing. Participating in this game often meant performing humiliating stunts and spilling secrets you would have otherwise kept to your grave.
Kirsten and Peter were reluctant to play as well. Peter suddenly remembered he had to finish an essay for class and ran off to the library, but the rest of the gang managed to convince Hermione and Kirsten to play.
They all sat in a circle on the floor away from everybody else in the common room, and Sirius began to pour the potion from Zonko's into the seven shot glasses it had come with.
"Okay," he said when he'd finished filling the glasses. "First things first. To ensure that we only reveal the truth when asked a question and that we go through with all the dares assigned to us, we drink up."
Everybody grabbed a glass and downed their serving of potion at the same time.
"Since I poured the potion, I spin the bottle and ask first," Sirius told them. He spun the bottle, and Hermione watched with everyone else as it rotated. Sirius looked pleased when it landed on Marcia. "Truth or dare?"
After a moment's hesitation, Marcia answered, "Truth."
"What were you girls talking about at the Three Broomsticks yesterday, when Remus and I came over with the drinks, that made you all laugh like hyenas?"
"We were talking about guys that we fancy."
"Who do you fancy?"
"I don't have to answer any follow up questions. What do you care, anyway?"
Sirius shrugged. "Just curious is all."
It was Marcia's turn to spin the bottle. It landed on her Quidditch captain.
"Truth or dare, James?"
"Dare, of course."
Marcia glanced around the room, looking thoughtful, before her eyes settled on one of her other Quidditch teammates and lit up.
"I dare you to go run your fingers through Darren's hair."
"What?" James exclaimed amidst the laughter from the others. "I can't do that!"
"Why not? His hair's gorgeous," Marcia said, and the girls agreed.
"Then why don't you go run your fingers through it?"
"Because that would be weird."
"And how do you suppose it'd look if I did that?"
Marcia grinned. "Priceless."
James got to his feet and headed toward the group Darren was standing with, quietly moving up behind the stocky, blonde Gryffindor Beater. He shot a glare back at his snickering friends, then awkwardly reached out his hand to touch Darren's hair.
Darren turned around, startled.
"Oi!" he said, stepping back when he saw James. "What are you doing?"
Hermione could barely hear James's response over the laughter from her and the others.
"Er… practice on Tuesday," he told Darren. "Don't be late."
Darren stared strangely after his Quidditch captain as he hurried away from him to rejoin his teasing friends.
"I hope you all enjoyed that," James said, grabbing the bottle to spin it next.
"Very much so," Kirsten replied, but her enjoyment faded when the bottle landed on her.
"Truth or dare?"
Looking anxious, Kirsten said, "I suppose I'll pick truth."
"Have you ever fancied one of the guys in this circle?"
Kirsten blushed brilliantly. Marcia had to nudge her before she admitted, "Yes."
James grinned at her. "I know who."
"Me too," said Sirius.
The two of them stared pointedly at Remus.
"Me?" Remus asked in astonishment.
Kirsten giggled nervously and told him, "Don't worry. It was a long time ago."
Hermione was glad to hear that.
"Truth or dare?" Kirsten asked Lily after the bottle landed on her.
Lily answered with a bold, "Dare."
Kirsten thought for a moment, then said, "I dare you to get up on that table and sing for everyone."
"Oh no," said Lily, appearing to regret her choice. "I'm a terrible singer."
Marcia smiled. "Which will only make this all the more fun to watch."
"What am I supposed to sing?" Lily asked.
"The first song that pops into your head," Kirsten told her.
James helped Lily climb onto the nearest table, and several people around the common room turned their attention toward the Head Girl. Her face went pink, and she began to sing.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts..."
Lily paused as more people began to stare at her, some of them bemused and some of them entertained by her obvious embarrassment. She tentatively continued to sing. James joined her and encouraged their fellow Gryffindors to do the same. Many of them did, and soon, nearly everybody was belting out the school song.
"Just do your best, we'll do the rest, and learn until our brains all rot."
Everybody cheered at the finish and applauded for Lily who took a humble bow before jumping off the table, clearly relieved that the ordeal was over.
Kirsten smiled at her. "You're not so bad after all. You got a standing ovation and everything."
Lily spun the bottle. It landed on Sirius.
"Truth or—"
"Dare," Sirius interrupted, looking ready for a challenge.
Lily smiled at him impishly. "I dare you to wear Kirsten's Tinker Bell dress for the rest of the game."
The girls giggled, and a resigned Sirius asked, "Where is it?"
Kirsten retrieved her Halloween costume from her dorm and gave it to Sirius who disappeared behind the door to the boys' dormitories while he changed. A brief time later, Sirius reemerged, wearing the bright green dress. He swaggered into the common room, iridescent wings bouncing on his shoulders, and roars of laughter erupted from Remus and James. An extreme case of the giggles affected the girls, and the others in the common room who had noticed Sirius, which was everybody, began whistling and catcalling.
Sirius smirked as he rejoined the circle and said to Kirsten, "I think I wear this dress better than you do."
Kirsten agreed through her uncontrollable giggles.
Hermione was wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes when Sirius turned his gaze to her.
"Truth or Dare, Jean?"
Hermione sobered, realizing the bottle was pointed at her. She stared at Sirius warily. She knew either choice she made would be dangerous with him picking the question or dare.
"Truth," she decided, hoping he wouldn't ask about Remus.
Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm sexy, even in this dress?"
Hermione couldn't deny it.
"Yes," she answered, rolling her eyes.
Sirius grinned.
"Remus, truth or dare?" Hermione asked after spinning.
"Dare."
Inspired by Sirius's costume, she said, "I dare you to throw fairy dust on the next person who comes into the common room."
Remus took the pouch of pixie dust from Sirius and stationed himself over by the portrait hole. It didn't take long for somebody to arrive. Remus already had a handful of fairy dust prepared, ready to throw it immediately upon the person's entrance into the common room, but as he was casting his shot, while he was in mid-motion, his eyes went wide—the person stepping into the room was Professor McGonagall.
A collective gasp sounded from Hermione and the others, but Remus reacted with incredible speed. The fairy dust flew out of his right hand, but with his left he drew his wand and miraculously halted the trajectory of the glittering material just before it reached the Transfiguration professor.
McGonagall looked between the sparkling dust suspended in mid-air and the sparkly-handed Remus. She narrowed her eyes at him, but then walked past without comment.
"Nice save," Sirius said to Remus when he rejoined the circle and returned him the pouch necklace.
Remus spun the bottle. "James, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to act out that dream you had about McGonagall," Remus said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "with McGonagall."
James gaped at him in mild horror, and Sirius laughed.
"Good one, Remus!"
"You had a dream about McGonagall?" Lily asked her boyfriend, eyebrows raised.
James nodded, looking embarrassed for the first time Hermione had ever seen.
"Go on, then," Sirius prodded his friend, and James got to his feet again.
He waited for McGonagall to finish speaking with one of the prefects before approaching her.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?"
James appeared to steel himself. Then, catching the Transfiguration teacher completely off guard, he threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly, and cried, "I love you, Mama Bear!"
He quickly released his grip from the stunned McGonagall and gave her a sheepish grin. McGonagall looked sternly between him and the circle of students dying from laughter. Her gaze settled on the bottle of Truth or Dare Potion, and she rolled her eyes. Without another word, she departed from Gryffindor tower.
"Mama Bear?" Marcia said before bursting out laughing again.
James scowled at Remus and Sirius. "Why did I ever tell you guys about that dream?"
He spun the bottle, and his mood improved when it landed on his girlfriend.
"What is it about me that you like the most?" he asked Lily with a grin.
Marcia rolled her eyes like McGonagall had done moments ago, but Lily looked thoughtful as she considered the question.
"What I like the most about you…"
"My good looks? My amazing talent on and off the Quidditch pitch?" suggested James.
Lily shook her head and answered instead, "I suppose it would be your loyalty to the people you care about. You really trust and respect the people in your life, and I know you would do anything for them. That's a wonderful quality to have."
The two shared a warm look before Lily spun and asked the question of the game to Marcia. Marcia chose dare this time.
"I dare you to surprise Christopher with a trust fall."
Marcia seemed eager as she got to her feet and walked toward Christopher just as he was crossing the room toward his dormitory. When their paths met, Marcia abruptly cried out, "Surprise trust fall!" and allowed herself to drop over backwards. Hermione and the others laughed at Christopher's alarmed face, but the Gryffindor reacted promptly, catching Marcia before she hit the floor. He righted her again and gave her a confused look.
After they'd exchanged a few words and Marcia had returned to the circle, she looked back at Christopher, who had stared after her, and gave him a wink. His face went pink.
"You know that boy fancies you," Sirius said to Marcia. "It's not nice of you to get his hopes up like that if you're not interested."
"Who says I'm not interested?" Marcia replied.
"Come off it," Sirius said, sounding slightly peeved. "You can't fancy him."
"Why not? He's a nice guy."
"He's not your type."
"You don't know what my type is."
Hermione noticed Lily and James exchange a meaningful look between them as their best friends silently contemplated each other for a few moments. Then Marcia spun the bottle.
"Truth or dare?" she asked Sirius.
"Dare."
"I dare you to go on a date with the Fat Lady."
"What? But she's a painting!"
"So what if she's two-dimensional? That seems to be your type."
Sirius chose to ignore her statement.
"Are you going to ask her out now or later?" Remus teased.
In mock curiosity, James asked, "Do you think she's the kind of portrait who snogs on the first date?"
"No way am I snogging her," Sirius said. "Besides the fact that it goes against all my gentlemanly instincts—"
"Sirius a gentleman, ha!" Marcia scoffed.
Sirius chose to ignore this as well and spun the bottle.
"Jean, truth or dare?"
Hermione picked truth again.
"We all know that James has had a dream about McGonagall, but I wonder, has a good teacher's pet like you ever had a less than innocent dream about a professor?"
Fred Weasley had asked her that same question two years ago, and just as she'd done back then, Hermione blushed terribly with embarrassment now.
Reluctantly, she admitted, "Yes."
"Who?" Sirius asked, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Someone here at Hogwarts?"
"Was it Flitwick? I had one about him once," Marcia revealed.
Kirsten giggled. "Flitwick, really?"
Marcia shrugged. "Who was it then?"
"I don't want to say," Hermione replied, determinedly not looking in Remus's direction. "Kirsten, truth or dare?"
The blonde chose truth.
"What's your most embarrassing moment?"
"My most embarrassing moment…I've had so many. I suppose it would be the time I accidentally went into the boys' bathroom. As soon as I saw the urinals, I knew I was in the wrong place. I ran out the door just as a Hufflepuff boy was coming in. He freaked out and thought he was in the wrong place, but I told him I was, and it was really awkward."
Kirsten turned as red as a tomato at the memory, and Lily laughed.
"I remember that. Just be glad no one was using the urinals when you walked in. That would've been infinitely more awkward."
James chose dare when Kirsten asked him.
"I dare you to get in the middle of the circle and show us all your amazing dance skills."
"Happily," James said and jumped to the center of the circle.
He did everything from disco to belly dancing as the rest of the group cheered him on.
After he was done, James turned to Sirius. "Dare, right?"
"You know it."
"I dare you to profess undying love to Moaning Myrtle, and you have to do it right now."
Everybody laughed, and Sirius sighed.
"Fine, but she better not start haunting me. I'll have enough to deal with once I go out with the Fat Lady."
James went with Sirius to make sure he completed his dare while Hermione and the others talked amongst each other and awaited their return.
A short while later, the two Marauders came back into the common room. Sirius was soaking wet and scowling.
"I confess undying love for her and she attacks me! She starts yelling and throwing a fit, telling me that I'm only trying to ridicule her, and the pipes burst, and now I'm drenched!"
James and Remus couldn't contain their laughter. Lily, however, kindly pointed her wand at Sirius and dried him off.
"Remus, truth or dare?"
Remus's laughter died. He appeared suddenly wary of his friend, and Hermione thought she would be too if Sirius were looking at her with that dangerous glint in his eyes.
After a long hesitation, Remus answered, "Dare."
Sirius grinned at him wickedly. "I dare you to kiss Jean."
A small gasp escaped from Hermione. Remus's eyes widened slightly. Somebody giggled.
Slowly, Remus turned his gaze away from Sirius, and his eyes met with Hermione's. She stared back at him in an utter panic. Merlin's beard—was he really going to kiss her?
"What are you waiting for?" Sirius asked his friend and pushed him to his feet.
Remus started towards her, and Hermione could feel everybody staring at them. She heard their friends giggling, whistling, and encouraging them on, but she knew she shouldn't let this happen. She knew she should stop this. But how? They'd all taken that potion. Remus had to go through with the dare. He had to. There was no way for her to stop him. And anyway, did she honestly want to?
Her heart beat frantically as Remus approached her. She felt Lily nudge her and tell her to get up, but Hermione couldn't. She sat there, frozen, while Remus stepped before her. He gave her a small smile and held out his hand for hers. Blushing furiously, she gave it to him, thinking he was going to help her to her feet, but instead, after his eyes had searched hers for a long moment, he raised the back of her hand to his lips.
Sirius groaned in disappointment.
"I meant a proper kiss, Remus! On the lips!"
"You didn't specify," Lily said fairly.
"And Remus actually is a gentleman," said Marcia pointedly.
The game went on, but Hermione's heart was still racing, her mind still stuck on what had just happened. She knew she should feel relieved, and part of her was, but the rest of her shared in Sirius's disappointment. Why hadn't Remus kissed her?
When Hermione could focus on the game again, she heard Lily tell Marcia, "I dare you to play peek-a-boo with that girl over there."
Marcia went over to the third-year girl Lily had indicated, tapped her on the shoulder, and then hid her face behind her hands. The girl turned toward her, and Marcia uncovered her face.
"Peek-a-boo!"
The frightened third-year hurried away from the crazy person.
When Marcia posed the question of the game to Kirsten, Sirius interrupted before she could answer.
"You have to pick dare. You haven't done one yet."
"But I don't want to."
"It's not so bad," Lily told her. "The rest of us have done it."
"Okay. Fine. Dare."
Marcia's eyes brightened. "I dare you to run up into the seventh year boys' dormitory and steal someone's underpants."
Kirsten gaped at her. "But what if somebody's up there?"
Remus looked around the common room, then said, "It's empty. Everyone's down here."
"Oh, all right," Kirsten said, steeling herself.
"Our dorm is the one at the top," Sirius told her.
Kirsten made her way through the door leading up to the boys' dormitories. A couple of minutes later, she came back, daintily holding someone's boxers away from her.
"Those are mine," James informed them.
Kirsten giggled and threw them at Lily.
"Hey, I don't want these," Lily said and tossed them to their owner.
"Remus, truth or dare?" Kirsten asked.
"Truth."
Kirsten giggled again before asking, "Have you ever been alone with a girl in your dormitory?"
A faint blush spread over Remus's face. "Yes."
"What? You've never told us about this," James said reproachfully.
"Who?" Kirsten asked curiously.
"And what exactly were you doing up there all alone with this girl?" asked Sirius, looking both amused and impressed with his friend.
Hermione would have very much liked to know that as well, but Remus, avoiding everybody's gaze, responded with, "I'm not required to answer any follow up questions."
Sirius smirked at him, then said to Marcia, "Maybe he's not as much of a gentleman as you think."
The next time the bottle landed on Hermione was when Marcia spun.
"Truth or dare, Jean?"
"You have to pick dare," Sirius told her. "Kirsten did."
"I—"
"You are a Gryffindor, aren't you?" Sirius challenged.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, a little annoyed. "Of course I am. And I was going to choose dare anyway."
Marcia seemed delighted by her choice.
"I dare you to hex Sirius," she said.
Hermione pulled out her wand, smiling wickedly at Sirius, and it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. He knew she was very good with spells.
"What're you going to do to me?" he asked her warily.
Later that night, Hermione found herself studying her hand where Remus's lips had touched her and wondering again why he hadn't kissed her properly. If he really did like her as Lily claimed, wouldn't he have taken advantage of that perfect opportunity to kiss her? Perhaps he was only being a gentleman as Marcia had said. Or maybe he simply didn't want to kiss her. Maybe he wasn't interested in her in that way after all. She tried not to feel disappointed about this and reminded herself that it was better this way.
Hermione also thought about the question Kirsten had asked him about having a girl alone in his dormitory. It had occurred to her that the girl Remus had referred to could've been her—she had been alone with him in his dormitory the morning she'd time traveled here. But another thought, an unwelcome and unpleasant one, had occurred to her as well: What if he'd been alone with another girl and in a less innocent situation? What if he'd been with Rachel the Ravenclaw or some other admirer Lily had mentioned?
Hermione didn't like the idea of that one bit. She tried to keep her mind from wandering that direction and instead smiled at what she'd done to Sirius. She'd taken a page out of Ginny's book and done a brilliant Bat-Bogey hex on him. They'd all had a good laugh.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed!