Author's note: Just a note to say that this story completely disregards books 6 & 7 except for a few things: Ron did date Lavender but they broke up and Luna doesn't exist so that cuts her out entirely. Felicity replaces her. Just so you know. Enjoy.

Chapter 5: Truth or Dare…

"Bye Tim, thanks for coming. See you, Eliza, good luck in your swimming trials…" Hermione was standing at the door, farewelling all her guests as they left. They all gave her hugs and kisses as they departed, their parents picking them up or they were driving home themselves.

"See you at school, Hermione," said Ginny, hugging Hermione.

"Wait, I thought you were staying?" Hermione asked, very confused.

"Sorry, Hermione, but Felicity kind of wanted me to stay round at her place. Harry and Ron are still staying though," she said, trying to be optimistic.

"That's alright, Gin, I understand," Hermione replied. "So, who's picking you up?"

"My mum is," Felicity answered, glancing out the door. "She should be here any minute now…ah there she is!" a blue car had just pulled up on the driveway, headlights blazing. It was a Mercedes Benz by the looks of it.

"Is that a –" Hermione started to ask.

"Yes, it's a Mercedes Benz," Felicity groaned, rolling her eyes. "Mum couldn't help herself, but buy one. She now has three cars and Dad doesn't even know how to drive. She's trying to teach him, but it's a absolute nightmare. Anyway, see you on the Hogwarts Express!" She hugged Hermione and headed outside, followed by Ginny.

Hermione closed the door behind her and headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

"Hey, Hermione, where are we supposed to sleep?"

She turned around to see Harry and Ron sitting in the upstairs TV room, obviously waiting for her. Oh dear, this is going to be a bit of a kerfuffle. She racked her brains for a solution.

"Um, well, I guess you two will have to sleep in the guest room. One will sleep in the bed and one on the floor, you figure out which one that will be."

"And what about me? I'm supposed to be sleeping in that room!" Annabel came out of the bathroom, brushing her teeth.

Hermione sighed heavily. She had forgotten about Annabel sleeping in the guest room. She could almost say she forgot about Annabel altogether. "Well, I guess you'll have to be in my room for the night then, sleeping on the floor. Does that sound alright to you?"

Annabel shrugged. "I suppose," she mumbled huffily. She turned around and walked back into the bathroom, spitting out some toothpaste.

Great, she had to share a room with her cousin for the night. It was going to be one hell of a time. Sure, she would be allowed to talk, but not about shopping, magazines, Spice Girls, her friends and how spoilt she was, which would cut out ninety-nine percent of her topics of interest, leaving only books to talk about. She probably wouldn't be allowed to talk about boys at all, including Draco…

Annabel paused for a minute, glancing at the mirror.

Hey, I've got a great idea, why don't I get her to play truth or dare with me and I can somehow talk Hermione to go and snog Draco. Then surely they would realise they like each other and get together. Hermione never passes up a dare, she even ate a pinecone when she was eight but it nearly killed her. I can't ask her that straight away, I have to build up on it…

Annabel smiled wickedly to herself as she finished cleaning her teeth. Oh yes, this was going to be one hell of a night.

"Want to play Truth or Dare Hermione?" Annabel asked as she lied down on the mattress on the floor of Hermione's room.

They always played this game whenever they got together and Hermione enjoyed playing it as she would find out most of Annabel's secrets and make her do things that humiliated her. Of course, Annabel would do the same thing back to her, but it was fun.

"Okay. You go first though. Truth or Dare?"

Annabel thought about it. "Dare."

"Okay then. I dare you to…" Hermione paused, wondering what she should dare Annabel to do. "I dare you to jump into the pool next door, fully clothed." She couldn't tell her to do it naked or she would get into trouble by her parents even though the neighbours were away for the holidays.

"Okay, I'll be right back," said Annabel, leaving the room.

Hermione heard her quietly go downstairs and out the back door. She ran to the window and looked out to see Annabel climb over the fence that divided the boundary between the Grangers and the next door neighbours. Annabel opened the pool gate and dived into the backyard pool.

Hermione couldn't help, but laugh silently as Annabel emerged from the pool, pyjamas soaked. She was still laughing when Annabel returned, water dripping on the carpet.

"Satisfied?" she asked, humiliated. She grabbed a towel and draped it over her shoulders and searched her suitcase for a new pair of pyjamas, going into the bathroom to change. "Your turn," she said when she got back under the covers of her mattress.

"Truth," Hermione replied, still sniggering at her shivering cousin.

"Have you ever asked a guy out? And I mean those who go to your school."

"No," answered Hermione truthfully.

"Really? Not even Draco Malfoy?"

"Annabel, I've already told you and I'll tell you again, me and Malfoy aren't friends."

"Truth for me," Annabel mumbled, looking very disappointed with Hermione's answer.

"How much do you really love your boyfriend?"

"What boyfriend?" asked Annabel, looking very confused for a second. "Oh Marcus! I-I love him very much," she stammered, flustered. She was about to say she broke up with him, but she didn't want Hermione to know that yet. "What do you pick, Hermione?"

"I think I'll have a dare. Throw whatever you got at me."

"Alright. I dare you to go and sing "Bananas in Pyjamas" to Harry and Ron."

Hermione looked horrified and opened her mouth to say she wasn't going to do it, but she didn't want Annabel to think she was a chicken. "Alright then. I'll go and sing "Bananas in Pyjamas" to them." She got out of bed and left the room.

"And you better sing loud enough for me to hear!" Annabel called after her.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she opened the door and walked into the guest room. "Hey guys."

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" asked Ron, surprised she had walked in.

Ok it's now or never. Hermione took a deep breath and began to sing:

Bananas in Pyjamas

Are coming down the stairs

Bananas in Pyjamas

Are coming down in pairs

Bananas in Pyjamas

Are chasing teddy bears

Cause on Tuesdays days

They try all to catch them unawares

As soon as she had finished, she turned and ran back to her room, Harry and Ron's laughter echoing in her head. Annabel was laughing so hard she was practically rolling around in laughter.

"That was the FUNNIEST thing I have ever heard since I dared my friend Janet to climb the school roof and sing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" in the middle of May!"

"Oh shut up," Hermione snapped, climbing back into bed, shaking with embarrassment. "Ok, it's your turn.

"I'll pick truth since it's too late to do more dares," Annabel replied, once she recovered from her laughter.

"Do you like any other guys besides your boyfriend at the moment and be honest."

Annabel wondered for a second on how she was going to answer that. She was going out with one of Hermione's friends, Ron. She had snogged him at the party tonight and felt something that none of her previous twenty-five or so boyfriends had ever given her.

"No, I don't like anyone at the moment. I think Draco is hot though."

"Can you please stop mentioning him?" asked Hermione, annoyed that her cousin mentioned him yet again.

"Okay, okay. Do you like anyone, Hermy?"

"No." Hermione was telling the truth. "You didn't let me pick!"

Annabel ignored Hermione's comment, but looked surprised at her answer. "Really? I thought you looked cosy with Harry while dancing with him to "Dancing Queen"."

"Think what you want to think, Bel, but me and Harry are friends, there's nothing between us. I told you that before. I would never like him in that way, not in a million years."

Perfect, easier for me to convince her to hook up with Draco, Annabel thought, smirking. Maybe it was time she should bring it up…

"Come on, it's your turn," Hermione spoke up, bring Annabel out of her thoughts

"I pick truth again,"

"Did you go shopping when I went to Harry's party and what did you buy?"

"What a pathetic question! Of course I went shopping and I brought more clothes including a really nice blue dress but something odd happened to me that day," Annabel added mysteriously.

"What?"

"I was walking down the street, on the footpath when suddenly I wasn't there anymore, I was somewhere else. I looked and saw I was standing in front of a large white manor in front of a forest and Draco was there."

Hermione froze. Annabel ended up in front of Malfoy's house without walking across it; she was suddenly there, how?

"How did you get there?" she asked suspiciously.

Annabel shrugged. "I don't know, but we had a nice little chat and before I knew it I was back at the footpath as if nothing had happened. Now it's your turn and I want you to do a dare so please pick dare."

"Fine, I pick dare. What do you dare me to do?" asked Hermione, hoping Annabel wasn't going to ask her to jump in the pool, naked.

"I dare you to go and snog Draco when you get back to school."

"Annabel!"

"Or be friends with him instead," said Annabel, quickly trying to cover up her mistake. Damn, it was too early! Maybe I shouldn't have done that…

"Why would you even ask me that?"

"I don't know, but you two would look good together that's all…"

"We DO NOT look good together. Besides, even if I liked him and asked him out, he would say no. Even if he said yes, everyone would be against it as our houses are rivals. The relationship would be forbidden. But that would never happen, I hate him."

"So what? You hate him yet you don't really know him –"

"I do know him for your information! He's an arrogant, selfish, emotionless person who loves to call me names and make everyone else's life hell!"

"But have you really talked to him, you know a normal conversation?"

Hermione didn't have anything to say at that, but Annabel got the gist of it.

"See? If you really talked to him, you would see that he actually has feelings and he can be very nice…you just have to see past the hatred you have towards him –"

"I'm sure he probably is capable of feelings and might be nice, but listen to me, Annabel, we have–"

"No, Hermione, you listen to me. All I'm asking you is to befriend him. He could use a friend –"

"But that friend will not be me. End of discussion." Hermione turned away from Annabel, lying on her left side and closing her eyes. She could hear Annabel clicking her tongue in disapproval and start to talk to herself.

"She's hated him for so long, how are they going to see that they are alike in so many ways? They would look so good together and she could really help him. God, do something please…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and fell asleep, trying to forget what Annabel said about Malfoy. Why would she even think of daring Hermione to kiss someone she absolutely hated? Annabel can be so evil sometimes, in Hermione's opinion.

And she didn't really think Annabel answered her questions on how much she loved her boyfriend and whether she liked any guys…

"What the hell was that?" Ron gasped out, when he had stopped laughing.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to get the words out but he was still shaking with laughter. "Hermione just sang the theme to a little kids TV show called "Bananas in Pyjamas". There's a family of kids next door to me who watched that show."

"But why would Hermione be singing that to us?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe she was sleep walking?"

"I don't think so, she was wide awake. And while I'm at it, why was Annabel soaking wet? She looked like she jumped in a lake or something…and there was a splash."

Harry remembered hearing a splash as if someone had jumped in a pool next door and seeing Annabel come upstairs all wet. He realised what was up with Hermione as he put two and two together.

"I think they're playing "Truth or Dare"," he finally answered.

"What's that?" asked Ron, who looked confused.

"It's a game where you pick someone to be in and you pick either truth or dare. If you pick truth, you ask the person who's in a question and they have to answer it truthfully. If you pick dare, you can make them do anything you want."

"Can we play?" asked Ron, very interested.

"Ok, but only truth because it's too late to do any dares."

"Alright. You're in, Harry. Do you think Annabel is hot?"

"To be honest I don't and not just because she's your girlfriend, she's just not my type. Do you really like Annabel?"

"Harry, you already know that."

"Just answer the question."

"Yes I do. Was Cho a good kisser?"

"Why would I tell you that?"

"Oh come on, Harry, spill the beans…"

"She was alright, I guess…I wouldn't know who is better than her because she's been my only girlfriend. Was Lavender a good kisser and do you still like her a bit?"

Ron made a disgusted face at Harry. "I don't like her in that way anymore! I like Annabel! To answer your first question she was a good kisser, but Annabel is better."

"I didn't need to know that extra piece of information," said Harry, also making a disgusted face. He had to duck as Ron threw a pillow at him. "Can we change topics?"

"Alright then. Who would you prefer to win the Qudditch Cup: Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"

"That's a tough one. I would have to go with Hufflepuff, their team got really good chasers in the past two years."

"Damn, I would have picked Ravenclaw, their beaters kick ass."

"Who do you think will be Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?"

"Don't know, Harry, but I always hoped Lupin would come back."

"Same," said Harry, smiling and imaging if Lupin came back to teach.

"I'm going to change the topic back to girls. Would you like Pansy if she wasn't in Slytherin?"

"Ew of course not! She still looks like a pig-faced bitch. What do you think of Felicity?"

"She's alright. She's got cool hair and is what Muggles call a rock chick. She doesn't act like all the other girls, really funny and plus she's heaps nicer than the other girls in Ginny's year. Who do you prefer Harry, Ginny or Hermione?"

Harry froze at Ron's question. He was torn between which one he liked.

He had always known Ginny liked him since he was in second year, but she got over him, according to Hermione. Harry thought for awhile last year if he liked her as more than a friend but he really wasn't sure and he didn't want to tell Ron in case he got mad.

As for Hermione, well she was his best friend, yet he had kind of liked her since sometime in first year. He wanted to tell her in fourth year and was going to take her to the Yule Ball, but decided to ask Cho instead and had regretted it ever since.

And tonight, he had finally danced with her and all these emotions rose up inside him and after that he didn't know what to think.

Ron watched the play of emotions run over his best mate's face and could tell Harry was thinking hard. "What's wrong, Harry?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"I don't know," Harry finally answered. "Maybe I like Hermione. I felt all these emotions when I danced with her…"

"Oh good. I'm glad it's not Ginny you like, she's too young to have a relationship. Thankfully she's single now. She broke up with Dean, thank God. Anyway I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. Night, Harry." He turned away from Harry and fell asleep.

Harry sighed in relief. Maybe Ron was going to kill him if he liked Ginny, that's why he asked, to check that Harry didn't fancy Ginny. But still, Harry didn't know whether he liked Ginny or Hermione…and whether either of them felt the same way about him.

He shook his head, trying to rid of these crazy thoughts and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Draco was trying to get to sleep in the Malfoy manor. It was cold, dark and lonely these days living in the huge mansion. Since Narcissa died, it was only him and the three house-elves living in the manor. He sighed in frustration and looked up at the canopy, insane thoughts running through his head.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Annabel said a few weeks ago, about how he and Mudblood Granger would look good together. What kind of crazy girl was she? Someone who obviously didn't know he really hated Granger and thought she was a really ugly girl…though she wasn't as ugly as Pansy that's for sure…

Wait, did I just say that Granger is better looking than Pansy?

No, that can't be right. Sure Pansy the ugliest girl I've seen, but Granger isn't any better. I'm just saying that cause I think the rest of the girls at Hogwarts are better looking than Pansy…yeah that's it.

Still, that didn't explain why Annabel said Draco and Granger would be good together. Why he brought Annabel to his house in the first place he didn't know. He saw her walking down the street and then suddenly she was with him in front if his house. He couldn't remember exactly why he wanted to talk to her.

A tap on the window interrupted his thoughts and he gazed over to the window to see a barn owl standing on the balcony railing. It had a letter clasped in its beak which beared the Hogwarts Crest.

He sighed and got out of bed, heading to open the balcony door. I wonder why they're writing to me now…

Please review! :D I'll update soon. Hope you enjoyed it.