I own nothing, I just like playing with other people's toys.
CHAPTER TWO - THE DARE
The week went bye quickly. Hermione was quite enjoying her Arthimancy and ancient runes classes. Care for Magical Creatures was always fascinating with Hagrid, especially as he now had his half-brother, Grawp, to show off. As usual Grawp had an unfortunate obsession with Hermione, this time giving her an old basketball hoop he had somehow acquired. The snakes made a lovers joke about it but it quickly faded when they realized she literally had a giant on her side.
The days blended together, and before she realized it, Hermione was sitting the United common room working on an Ancient Runes essay that was already eight inches longer than it should have been but four short of her goal. The deal had completely been forgotten until Theo, Blaise and Pansy were screeching for her like banshees.
Hermione looked up from her essay to see her quite study area flooded with her house mates.
"Hey Princess, time to come through with your side of the deal." Theo cooed, ushering her over from the safety of her books.
Apparently, most of her house mates had neglected to join. All of the Slytherin folk were there, and so was Neville, but the others were nowhere to be seen.
"Dean and Seamus are at a Gryffindor party. No one wanted to join the snakes but I didn't want to leave you alone." Neville sheepishly admitted from the crook of Blaise's arm.
"Nonsense Longbottom. Our party's where it's at. You didn't want to miss the fun, eh?" Blaise coaxed, obviously having bullied Neville under his arm.
Theo strategically placed Hermione in between him and the end of the couch. Malfoy was the only one not sitting on a couch, instead choosing to sit alone and away from the others in an armchair. Pansy wasn't too pleased about this and was making sure they knew.
"Since the Gryffindor Princess has never joined us before, let's let her pick her poison." Pansy said with a smirk. Hermione looked down at the table of various alcoholic drinks. "Nuh uh, up here sweetie. We have Truth Serum and Veritiserum. You can either choose to answer truthfully or not, or you can just answer with no way out." Pansy squealed, holding out the two bottles to her.
Hermione and Neville (who was squished between Tracey and Blaise) both looked absolutely appalled. "What?"
"It's for Truth or Dare, silly." The female snake explained.
"Just do the Truth Serum." Theo rolled his eyes at Pansy. Pansy pouted and poured a little bit of the potion in each of eight glasses, handing them off to each, however there was one spare.
"Who's that for?" Theo asked.
"I have a date coming." Blaise stated, glancing at the clock. "And she should be here. I'll be right back."
"Ten Galleons says it's a fourth year, just so he can break the rules." Pansy smirked.
"He wouldn't do that." Tracey said as a matter-of-factly. "In fact, I think it's one of Granger's friends."
Hermione gave her a confused look, but was even more shocked as Ginny walked through the portrait on Blaise's arm. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, resulting in her bobbing her mouth open and closed like a fish.
"Harry and I broke up." Ginny admitted, understanding her friend's confusion. "Blaise offered to help me forget, didn't think you'd be at one of these parties." Hermione raised her eyebrow—or tried to, she didn't have the muscle control and it just resulted in her making and awkward contorted face. "This isn't my first snake party Hermione, don't judge." Ginny pouted, sitting herself next to Blaise on the third couch. Hermione huffed.
"Cheers to Lions and Snakes uniting in one house." Pansy toasted, holding up her glass of truth serum. Everyone followed suit, even Neville drank his sheepishly. Hermione hesitated.
"Granger if you don't drink that, I'll have to force feed you it." Theo growled. Hermione gave him a disgusted look, and quickly downed it.
"Rules; If you don't answer you drink. If you fail a dare, you drink two, but you can't back out of a dare." Pansy said, holding up two fingers as she explained. "So, Lionesses first. Granger?"
Hermione sat and stared at all of them, trying to think of something to ask. She'd never played truth or dare before, it wasn't something you did running around in the woods.
Ginny sighed. "I'll go first; I don't think she gets it. Blaise, truth or dare." Blaise smirked.
"Truth."
"Who, might I ask, did you lose your virginity to?"
Hermione looked at Ginny appalled. Why would she ask something that private? Blaise wasn't bound to answer…
"I do believe it was Millicent Bulstrode in our third year." He admitted. Everyone gave him a gross look. "Oh, I know. It was awful." He looked utterly upset. "Longbottom, look alive."
"T-truth." Neville sputtered.
"Have you shagged anyone?" Neville's hand quickly shot out for a shot of Firewhiskey; it was far to revealing, and he might as well have said 'no'.
Neville glanced around the room, his eyes landing on who he assumed was the only safe bet that wasn't Hermione. "Tracey?"
"Not drunk enough for a dare."
"Do you have a crush on someone?" He asked sheepishly, not ready to ask a girl about her virginity.
Tracey gave him a tsk, tsk. "Now that's information that can be used against me." She stated flatly, taking a shot.
"She's finally learning." Theo snorted.
"Theo." Theo gave her a knowing look. "Okay then, why so urgent about getting Hermione to join us?"
"I thought it would be hilarious to drag the Gryffindor Princess into the snake pit. Get some juicy information out of her. Maybe earn a date." He said, giving Hermione a wink.
"That said, Hermione, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth." She said quietly.
"Out of all us blokes, who's the most attractive." He said confidently.
"Uh… Neville." She responded.
"Sweetie, he meant looks not personality. Take a shot and answer the question, and lets not evade the truth serum next time eh?" Pansy warned with a wink.
Hermione grimaced, and took a shot. The Firewhiskey burned on the way down, causing her to cough. "M-Malfoy." She said barely audible.
Malfoy seemed to perk out of his daze at the sound of his name. Everyone else was quiet. "I wasn't expecting that." Theo admitted, pouting.
"It's because she recognizes perfection when she sees it. Smart girl." Malfoy said, condescendingly.
Hermione seemed pissed, and she worked up what Gryffindor courage she had. "Malfoy. Truth or Dare."
"Truth."
"Why didn't you do anything while I was being tortured on your drawing room floor?" She said abruptly.
"Buzzkill." Blaise muttered.
Malfoy leaned over, staring directly into Hermione's eyes. For the first time she truly realized how beautiful his grey eyes were, swimming with emotion. "Do you really wanna know the truth?" He spat. "I didn't want Aunt Bella killing any of us. You, me, Pothead. Couldn't care less about the Weasel. But she would have." Hermione's stomach dropped. She hadn't quite thought about it, but in reality (and probably the reason why he wasn't in Azkaban) if he had done anything that day, they wouldn't be playing Truth or Dare.
The room was eerily silent. Finally breaking the awkward staring contest, Pansy spoke up.
"Dare."
The conflict seemed to be all but forgotten when the boys whooped in glee, aside from Malfoy, who let his gaze fall away from Hermione and onto Pansy.
"Snog Longbottom." He said, uninterested. Neville turned white, and Pansy just gave Malfoy and unimpressed look. "Get some tongue in there or something." He offered, zoning back out into his own little world.
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Trade with me." She motioned to Tracey, who obliged in switching seats with her housemate. Pansy took no time in straddling Neville, knees on either side of his lap. Neville was obviously nervous and fidgeted under Pansy as she situated herself. She took both sides of his head in her hands—Hermione noticed her long green and silver nails, like talons; she was kind of envious—as she leaned forward and locked their lips together. It took him a few seconds to recuperate the kiss, but soon they were in an all-out tongue war. After a few moments Pansy broke it off, licking her lips at him. "You're a better kisser than I thought you'd be." She cooed. Neville responded by turning red. She rolled off of him, practically sitting on him she was so close.
"So, Theodore, my dear. Your turn."
"Don't call me Theodore." He grunted. "Since you so boldly gave us that show, dare." He said with a grin.
"I'm not making you snog Granger. I know that's what you want." She said flatly. Theo pouted. "But I can make you snog Blaise… without laughing."
Blaise looked appalled. "Don't I get a say in this?" He practically squeaked.
"Nope! Incoming!" Theo yelled, jumping over the coffee table, and pinning down the dark-toned wizard who had tried to dodge. Neville yelped as he was also pinned in the mess.
Theo planted a fat one on Blaise's lips, but failed in the no laughing aspect as Blaise made a disgusted sound.
"Ha! That's two drinks Theo." Pansy sneered. Theo stuck his tongue out at her, and picking up two shot glasses downing one after the other. Hermione couldn't understand how he was able to do that without vomiting.
"Malfoy, Truth or Dare?" Theo asked, snapping the blonde's attention back to the group.
Malfoy gave Theo a contorted look. "I just went." He complained.
"Yeah, well, you're being a pouty bitch, now buck up and say dare." Theo groaned.
"You're not giving me a choice are you." Malfoy said flatly.
"Nope. Snog Granger and get over yourself." Theo said.
"You know, for someone who's been trying to get in her pants all night, you're not helping yourself." Tracey said from Theo's other side.
"Yes, but more importantly they need to get off their high horses. I'd make them shag but I'm not going to be that mean to Hermione."
Hermione yipped. "Wait, you can dare someone to shag?"
"How do you think I wound up with Bulstrode of all people." Blaise gave her a pointed look. All the color left her face.
Malfoy sighed. If he was feeling any emotion about this dare, he was keeping it carefully hidden. He stood up, and sauntered over to where Hermione was sitting next to Theo. He didn't straddle her or anything. She buried herself further into the couch as he placed both his hands on the couch back on either side of her and leaned in. She felt trapped.
"If you don't let me snog you, you're drinking too." He said flatly. Hermione whimpered but leaned forward slightly all the same. She was frozen like a statue with her eyes closed tightly shut as she felt Malfoy's lips slide across her briefly and suddenly his presence was gone.
"That was weak." Pansy groaned. "That should count as a fail."
"There was nothing stating that it had to be more than just that." Malfoy retorted.
"I agree with Pansy." Tracey stated. "Even Blaise and Theo's snog was better."
Malfoy huffed as he grabbed his penalty drinks. He handed them to Hermione, who didn't take them and just gave him a look. "I said if you didn't let me snog you, you were drinking with me." He stated flatly. She tried to respond, but the others agreed with him, so she complied with taking the shots with him. Malfoy was able to down his quickly, but Hermione had to let the first one settle before she was sure that she could drink the other without vomiting. She decided to chase it down with the pink lemonade that, for some reason, no one had touched.
"Have you ever drank Firewhiskey before?" Theo asked her with a pointed look. Hermione shook her head.
"I've had one or two shots here and there, but I've never sat down to drink before." She admitted.
"Longbottom, Truth or Dare." Malfoy said, bored.
"Truth." He said, seeming to get a little more brazen.
"What's your biggest regret?"
Neville sat and stared off in thought for a long moment in deep thought, and finally he spoke. "Not getting to run Bellatrix through with Godric's sword." He said with deep confidence.
"That's my Aunt you're talking about." Malfoy said, with a disgusted look on his face. Neville shrugged, and a smirk tugged at Malfoy's lips. "I'd be glad to help you with that one day." Neville gave him a confused look, and it was Malfoy's turn to shrug it off.
"Pansy?" Neville asked turning to the girl.
She smiled sweetly at him. "Dare me away."
Neville cleared his throat, he opened his mouth to say something but instead held up a finger to have her wait. He poured himself a large glass of the Dragon Barrel Brandy, and finally spoke. "Uh, Idareyoutogooutwithmetomorrow." He rushed.
Pansy's face contorted in confusion. "What? Slow down."
Neville took a deep breath. "I dare you… to go out with me tomorrow." He said slowly and deliberately.
Pansy's face was blank. Theo and Blaise doubled over in laughter as Tracey clapped giddily. Hermione snorted into her lemonade. Malfoy, however, was still zoned out.
"Uh, okay." Pansy said, obviously not expecting it.
"Ha! Was she really that good of a kisser?" Theo asked in between fits of laughter.
"Guess so!" Blaise responded in equal amounts of laughter.
"I-I don't feel so good." Hermione said, halting the boys.
Theo's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Are you that much of a light weight?"
Tracey stood up, and quickly came to Hermione's aide, who looked green. Malfoy seemed to be at least a little interested. Tracey picked up Hermione's glass and paled. "How many of these have you drank?" She asked, holding the half full glass of lemonade up to Hermione.
"I dunno… two or three?" She slurred back.
"This is Faerie Quila. It's about four times stronger than Firewhiskey!" She nearly shrieked. "Here, Aguamenti." She held her wand over one of the empty glasses, summoning it full of water. "Drink."
"But, it tasted like regular Lemonade!" Hermione stated in shock. She groaned, when she spoke the room spun.
"That's cause it's Faerie Quila, it's enchanted to taste super sweet." Pansy admitted. "We were saving that for a dare."
"I'm going to be sick." Hermione groaned.
"We need to get her to the washroom." Tracey said quickly.
Hermione was out of it, but she felt like she was floating. She left her eyes closed due to the nausea and headache, but mentally noted that she was being carried. She didn't remember much after that.
I have no clue if Faerie Quila is real but yeah. It's bright pink and tastes like strawberry lemonade.
Please feel free to R&R. It's much appreciated.