Chapter 5: Challenges

Chapter 5: Challenges

By Shaya n'ha Margali

Beta: higginszoo

Chapter 5: Challenges

They all remained still and silent while the door was opened slightly and a pair of green eyes peeked in. Professor Jenkins looked from the students to Mr. Filch, still asleep in the chair and shook her head. She walked over to the caretaker and shook his shoulder lightly. "Mr. Filch?" The old man grumbled in his sleep. "Mr. Filch!" The professor's voice was louder and she shook him rather violently for such an old and thin man.

"Keep wiping, keep wiping!" Mr. Filch woke with a start, and they all turned very abruptly in order to hide snickers.

"Mr. Filch?"

"Oh, 'ello Professor Jenkins. Got another one for me, have you?"

"Well, not actually. It seems there's a problem with Peeves and some of the school pets. We need you in the Owlery."

"Right." The old man stood up slowly. "You lot, you stay and wipe. And remember, no magic. I'll be back before you can say Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

Both Filch and the DADA teacher left, locking the door behind them and leaving the youngsters to resume their assignments.

Sue immediately dropped her flannel on the nearest shelf and plopped in the chair, crossing her legs. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Rose looked at her, dumbfounded. Steel was not going to clean anymore? That would leave more work for them, which was very unfair! She's very mistaken if she thinks I'm going to work for her!

Scorpius shook his head. He would have loved to just get out of there, but he knew it wouldn't help his cause at all, and procrastinating detention didn't mean getting out of it completely. It would only be worse if Filch came back to find they hadn't done their work.

Albus mouth was ajar. What was Steel suggesting, that they not do their detention work? We can do that? "Brilliant!", he said, also discarding his flannel on the shelf and sitting on the floor near the chair.

Both Rose and Scorpius turned to him, more surprised than ever. Then they looked at each other and Rose blushed and looked back down. Scorpius smiled slightly. "You mean you're also quitting, Potter?"

"Sure, why not?"

"You can't do that, Al! We can't do that!"

"What's stopping us, Rosie?"

"Well… we… We did something wrong, so we have to pay detention… I mean, that's how it works."

"Says who?" S ue looked at the her defiantly.

"Hum… says, says… the rules!"

Sue started laughing so hard she soon had tears in her eyes. "Says… oh, Merlin!... The… rules!" She just couldn't stop herself.

Albus giggled, not finding it so funny, but trying to sound confident. Rose looked absolutely mortified. Scorpius sighed. "That's not the major problem." They all looked at him and even Sue stopped laughing. Successfully gaining all their attention, he proceeded. "The problem is that if we haven't advanced in our work when Filch gets back, our punishment will only grow. Besides, I have a feeling we're only getting out of here once we've finished, and I don't know about you, but I want that to happen as soon as possible."

"Oh, come on!" Sue stood up, ready to defend her point of view. "Filch can't hold us here until late, even if he wants to! And for all he knows, we are working. I mean, we don't need to go anywhere… And when he comes back, we just start cleaning up again, like that's all we've been doing."

"Sounds reasonable," agreed Albus.

"Reas… That's not reasonable, it's insane!"

"Come on, perfect girl, don't be so uptight!"

"I'm not… Oh, alright, if you're not working, I won't be doing your jobs!" Rose threw her flannel on the floor and sat down. All eyes turned to Scorpius, who simply shrugged and set aside his own flannel, joining the others on the floor.

Silence took over the room for several seconds, while Rose looked admiringly at Scorpius, Scorpius looked questioningly at Albus, Albus looked curiously at Sue and Sue looked absent-mindedly at her own fingernails. Finally, Albus popped out the question that was in everyone's mind: "Well, what now?"

Sue looked up and gave him a smile that promised mischief. He liked that. "Now, we play a game… Ever heard of Truth or Dare?"

Rose gaped. "I'm not playing that game with you!"

"Why not? Got something to hide, Weasley?"

Rose felt her cheeks burning. Don't look at him, don't look at him! She snorted in mockery, but she only sounded nervous. "Noooo. Of course not!"

"Good! Then you'll have no objections! Anyone else?"

Neither of the boys spoke: Albus really wanted to play and have some fun, something he rarely got the chance to do, and Scorpius couldn't care less, but fell into I-just-wanna-please-you mode.

"Good! I'll start!" Sue grabbed her wand from her pocket and sat on the floor between Albus and Scorpius and across from Rose. She spun the wand in the middle of the circle and it stopped pointing to Albus. Sue could barely hide her disappointment. Potter? What does he have to hide? "Truth or dare?" I hope he picks dare!'

Albus snickered. This was just the opportunity he needed to prove that he wasn't the good boy they all believed him to be. "Dare!"

The brunette girl looked around, but couldn't think of anything he could do. "Well, I dare you to… Er, let's see… I dare you to… Kiss me!"

Rose looked at her in shock. "You don't need to do that, Al!"

"Of course he does! Those are the rules. I thought you were the one who liked rules."

"It's all right. I'll do it." He wasn't about to admit he had never kissed a girl before. And who knew when he'd have the opportunity to kiss such a pretty girl again? His heart thumping in his chest, he leaned towards her, his gaze fixed upon hers. His eyelids closed when he softly captured her lips with his own. She surprised him by forcing her tongue between his lips and deepening the kiss. He brought a hand to her face and caressed the soft skin while she put both her hands in his hair and pulled him closer. He was so caught up in the blissful moment that he took a couple seconds to realize she was pulling away. He smiled and sat with a back sigh, looking down to avoid the look of disgust he knew his cousin was giving him.

Sue smiled back at him. Not bad. Could use some improvement, but he's a sweet kisser… Very sweet. She wasn't used to kisses like that. Usually her kisses were hungry and anxious, a means to something else – either sex or favors. Or both. But Potter had kissed her like that was all he needed. That was strange. But it wasn't any bad. "Your turn."

"Hum? Oh! Yeah…" Albus turned the wand and it stopped pointing towards his cousin. "Truth or dare?"

Rose stared at Albus, thinking. She could pick "truth": she didn't have anything to hide – well, at least not something her cousin would be cunning enough to ask. She knew very well Truth or Dare was a game meant for teenagers to ask each other questions concerning the amount of sexual experience each had and to use the "dare" part to make sure that experience grew. But Al was very naïve and wouldn't ask that kind of questions – especially not her, who was his cousin and friend. Relieved, she answered, "Truth."

Albus racked his brains for something to ask the redhead. Finally, he remembered something his brother had told him over the summer and that he had not believed at the time and thus hadn't had the courage to ask Rose about. Well, now it seemed the perfect occasion to clarify things. "Is it true that you and Kevin Wood kissed on James' birthday party?"

Rose's eyes widened with shock. How did he know that? She was sure nobody had seen it! They had been in the backyard for some fresh air when Kevin looked at her in such a loving way that she couldn't resist it. It was a warm night, the stars were all visible, they were alone and… well, both a bit drunk. It had been a mistake, and she knew it, for now every time she saw Kevin there was this awkwardness between them and she had caught him looking at her in a different way a few times. He was really a sweet guy and she hated herself for not being in love with him. It would make things a lot easier to be in love with such a nice boy, who was also in love with her and that everyone in her family absolutely adored. Her father had gone as far as to hint something about Kevin over dinner once, but the look her mum had given him was enough for him not to mention it again. Looking down, she nodded. "Yes, it's true." I'll deal with you later, Albus Severus Potter! She quickly took the wand and twirled it, and, when it pointed to Malfoy, said in a squeaked voice: "Truth or dare?"

Scorpius didn't even blink, "Dare." Like hell he was going to let someone ask him personal questions like that! There was a good reason why they were called personal.

Rose looked around the room, thinking of something to dare him. She couldn't dare him to kiss her. Not that she wouldn't have liked to kiss him, but to do it because of a game took away all the romance of it. She wanted him to kiss her, yes, but only if he wanted to, which was very different. Besides, that would be putting herself in place of comparison to Steel, and that she wouldn't admit. She gazed deeply at Malfoy, taking the opportunity to openly admire his nice features: the greyish-blue eyes, the platinum blonde hair… She smiled to herself, an idea formed in her mind. "I dare you to stay one hour with your hair bright pink! I'll do it myself, if you let me."

Scorpius twisted his mouth. He had thought she was going to go easy on him. His mistake. He just nodded and bowed his head to her. She took off her wand and waved it over his hair, not even saying the incantation aloud, like the teachers now insisted they did. She really was an intelligent girl. Within seconds, his hair was a very luminous shade of pink. Not that he could see it, but judging by the way the other three were laughing, Weasley should have been successful. Even he had to admit that it was a bit funny. Seeing the other ones laughing so easily made him want to do it as well, but he only allowed himself a smile. Ok, a grin. It was his turn and he smiled inwardly when the wand pointed at Steel. He had already a few questions popping in his mind and was, thus, disappointed when she picked "dare". What would he dare her? She seemed the kind of girl who would do anything. Literally. And the fun of the game was to oblige the other person to do something he wouldn't voluntarily do and possibly wouldn't like to do. He narrowed his eyes at the Ravenclaw. "I dare you to… hug Weasley." That would also be a revenge to the redhead, so it was getting two for the price of one.

Rose, who was still laughing at his expense, choked when she heard him. It was Steel's dare, not hers! Why did she had to suffer as well?

Sue crawled to Weasley and hugged her, although trying to have as less contact as possible in the situation and all the time looking like she had eaten some very nasty Every Flavored Beans. Rose, on the other hand, stood rigid during the so called hug and gave Scorpius her death glare. She was surprised, though, because instead of flinching, like her brother and her cousins would have, he just smiled at her.

Sue quickly sat back down and turned the wand. Her whole face lit up when it stopped pointing to the Gryffindor girl. Rose's face, on the other hand, paled considerably. "Well, Weasley… Truth or dare?"

Rose swallowed hard. "Truth" meant having to answer what would probably be a very intimate question. Steel was not as naïve as Albus – hell, she was not naïve at all – and would certainly ask her something embarrassing. However, she really did have nothing to hide – at least not anymore. And if she answered "dare", Steel would probably want her to do something embarrassing, which was far worse. An information is quickly forgotten if it isn't relevant, whereas and image could stick endlessly to someone's mind. Still apprehensive, she picked "truth."

Sue had a wicked smile in her face. She knew whatever Weasley picked would become real fun – for Sue, of course. She talked deliberately slowly, knowing that would only make the other girl panic even more. "Is it true… that you've done… some favors to Wood?"

Rose blushed crimson. "No!"

"Are you sure? You've just confessed you've kissed him… You know, you can't lie in this game."

"Nothing happened! It was just a kiss, no more!" Rose raised her voice considerably and looked very menacingly at Steel.

"Well, if you say so… I just asked because I heard some rumors that you had… You know… Shagged him…" She looked down and twisted a tip of her hair, pretending to be ashamed to say those words.

"That's a lie!" Rose was shouting now. "You were the one who invented those rumors! Why do you do that to me? Why don't you like me? What have I ever done to you?"

"Wow, calm down! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you! I just wanted to know if it was true, and since you had already confessed that you had kissed him, I thought…"

"Shut up!"

"My turn!" Scorpius proclaimed, picking the wand.

Rose snapped back into herself. "No, it isn't! It's my turn!"

Scorpius looked at her very calmly. "Not anymore." He didn't even bother turning the wand. Instead, he put back on the floor pointing to Steel. "Truth or dare? Truth!" He ignored the girl's protests. "Is it true that, although there are many guys that would give an arm to kiss you, you've never really liked any of them, and the only one you've actually fallen for is the one who doesn't want to be with you because he's in love with Weasley instead, that is: the Keeper and Captain of the Gryffindor's Quidditch team, Kevin Wood?"

Sue gasped. What is this guy, a fortuneteller? She shook her head, but several seconds passed before she could actually say "no," in a very weak voice.

"Are you sure?" Malfoy asked, in a perfect imitation of the tone she had used with Weasley earlier. "You know, you can't lie in this game."

She swallowed hard and took her wand from his hand. "My turn!" she said, very hastily. "I dare you… all of you… I dare you all to…" She thought for a second, wanting to ask something that put them in danger. Or at least in big trouble. "To go to the Forbidden Forest!"

Rose chuckled. "Are you mental? Why would we do such a thing?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's insane." Scorpius argued. "And pretty stupid."

"You're not afraid, are you? Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Everybody knows Malfoys are cowards."

Scorpius knew she was trying to get to his nerve, and felt angry at himself for realizing she was actually succeeding. Offending his family was always a way to get him angry – even if he did the same quite so often. But he was allowed to, he was family. He took a deep breath, determined not to let Steel win this one.

"What about you? I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be the boldest. You don't look very courageous to me. I wonder if the Sorting Hat didn't make a mistake putting you there."

Rose couldn't help wondering if Steel was right. She had thought the same time and again over the years. She had wanted to be in Gryffindor when she arrived at Hogwarts – both her parents had been Gryffindors, as well as all her uncles and her aunt Ginny and the great majority of her cousins. She felt that she belonged in Gryffindor only for being a Weasley. Besides, she knew her dad would be disappointed if she was in any other house. Only later she realized that she lacked the main quality Gryffindors should have: courage. She wasn't like her parents, who were very brave and had fought in a real war when they were younger and who now worked to make sure peace was maintained. She wasn't even like her cousins or her brother, who were always looking for adventures, fearing nothing and risking anything. She was afraid of many things: giants, spiders, thunderstorms, being alone, dying, someone close to her dying… She had a recurring nightmare where she was taken away by giant spiders in the middle of a thunderstorm, becoming completely alone and dying in the end. The variation was someone close to her dying in the end. She wasn't brave. Maybe she really wasn't a Gryffindor. Her face hardened and she stood up, determined not to show Steel how she truly felt. "I'm going."

"Me too!" Albus shouted, excited, while standing up as well. He had hesitated at first, but finally decided that was just the kind of adventure he needed to prove he was a bad boy. And if Rose was going, just the better.

Scorpius sighed. Were those two complete morons? Steel had easily manipulated Weasley using her obvious insecurities and Potter didn't even had to be convinced; he seemed eager to go! Well, letting those two wander through the Forbidden Forest on their own could as well be qualified as homicide. Making a decision, he rose. "I'm going… if you are going," he finished, looking daringly at Steel.

"What? No way! It's your challenge! I am daring you!"

"You know what? It makes sense!" said Rose. "I'm only going if you go too!"

Sue took a moment to consider the situation. She really wanted the other three to get into big trouble. But if she was with them… Well, she could try to sneak out, she was certainly smart enough to do that. And if that didn't work, she could always make her most innocent face and swear they had forced her to go with them. "All right. But you all have to swear that none of us is going to denounce the others if he or she is discovered."

"I swear," they all said in unison.

"I swear," Sue completed, sighing. They all smiled. This promised to be interesting.

Author's note: thanks again to higginszoo for being my beta!

J.T. Smithe: I had already written this chapter when I read your review (thanks, btw), so I guess it's not a big surprise. Anyway, hope you like this chapter!

GabriellaJean and Emmy: Thanks for reviews! About chapter 2, I don't know what happened, but the website showed it to me as being there, but no one could read it! I had to delete it and re-post it, but it's available now!

justinsgrl22: I'm really glad to know you're enjoying the story. And Sue's a mistery even to me! Well both have to wait and see how she turns out…