THE RAVENCLAW PRINCESS

chapter 13 - truth or dare

Lyra looked around suddenly nervous. Truth or dare had never really fazed her but after downing as much alcohol as she had paired with the enormous secret of spending all her time at the ball with Adrian, she had a lot to lose if she chose truth.

With no other warning, Fred placed the bottle down and spun. After spinning forever, the mouth of the bottle faced Charlotte. Lyra's eyes widened as she looked between Charlotte and Fred. Even though she wasn't, Charlotte now looked completely sober and alert.

Leaning forward, Fred maintained eye contact with Charlotte, "truth or dare?"

"Truth."

He raised an eyebrow, "Out of everyone sitting here, who are you most attracted to?"

Charlotte's resolve dimmed and her cheeks flushed red. Everyone's heads snapped to stare at Charlotte, waiting for her response. Her eyes darted quickly going from face to face then back at Fred who had a devious grin plastered to his face. After a moment, Charlotte's face calmed and she straightened confidently, as if she had just answered a difficult question for Ancient Runes. She stared at Fred nonchalantly and said, "Cedric."

Fred's grin dissolved into a frown. Whistles, laughter, and scoffing filled the room. Cedric reddened slightly but gave Charlotte a smile. Spurred by the alcohol, she winked at him.

"Okay, my turn?" Angelina asked.

"Wait! They still have to kiss," Mia said.
   
Fred's scowl and Charlotte's grin quickly faded as they gaped at each other, both nervous to move. The staring game continued for another three minutes before Terence spoke up, "Fine, don't kiss now. Every minute that you wait, we'll add more that you'll have to do aside from snogging."

Charlotte and Fred rose simultaneously to their knees and moved to the center of the circle before freezing in front of each other again.

"Just kiss him already," Mieko shouted.

Charlotte reddened but Fred pulled her waist toward him and kissed her firmly. The kiss didn't last long but everyone whooped and hollered as the two drew apart. Quickly the game moved on, but neither party could look at the other for longer than a few seconds afterwards.

The next few rounds revealed much about her classmates. Alicia had a pregnancy scare (negative), Mieko once walked in on his older brother cheating on his girlfriend, Terence, Katie, and Angelina said they weren't opposed to snogging someone of the same gender though it had never come up, and Iliana admitted to telling Cedric that Katie liked him in their third year.

Lyra pushed the cup of firewhiskey away as Charlotte offered when Adrian's spin inevitably landed on her. Lyra stared at Adrian and the rest of the room seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she responded definitively.

The rest of the fifth years stared at Adrian now, waiting for him to speak. Lyra's close friends looked between Lyra and her foe in worry.

Choosing a dare was definitely not what they expected but Lyra was clever. Revealing a truth gave Adrian definite ammunition while a dare was still up in the air. Adrian stared at the bottle contemplating before a smirk grew on his face as he looked up at Lyra. "You already have to kiss me-"

"I know that, Pucey. Hurry up and get on with it," Lyra interrupted, irritated.

Adrian rolled his eyes, "As I was saying, I dare you to also kiss Weasley and tell me who was better."

Lyra's eyes widened and was trying to find what to say when Emma spoke. "Don't be daft, Pucey. There's two of them. Which one?"

"Perhaps the one who isn't always in broom closets with a different witch every night."

Gasps and snickers filled the room as everyone now looked at the twins. Lyra's eyes snapped to George who was not looking at either Adrian or Lyra. Instead George's gaze flickered rapidly between Fred and Charlotte. Fred's face was defiant as if he was proud of being known as the twin who was found in broom closets with different witches. His eyes deceived him though, Fred's eyes looked defeated staring at Charlotte who purposely distracted herself by pulling at the fibers in the carpet.

George looked at Lyra then and before the two could say anything Terence smirked, "I don't need to remind you that waiting longer means you have to do more than snog."

Lyra shot him a death glare but whipped her head back to George when he called her name. He had risen to his feet and walked up to her, holding a hand out. She grabbed his hand and rose herself. Speaking in a voice low enough that even Lyra could barely hear, he spoke as his eyes wandered her face, "It'll just be a peck for the dare."

He stared into her eyes then, "You sure you're alright?"

Lyra swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, worried words would fail her. Still holding his hand, Lyra tilted her head up further and searched George's eyes as they moved closer to her. Tentatively, she closed her eyes and instantly felt his lips on hers. The kiss was chaste and most likely didn't last long but if someone told her they had been kissing for hours she would have believed them. When they pulled apart, Lyra stared up at George and gave him a nervous smile, which he returned quickly.

Adrian cleared his throat and smirked at Lyra. He was standing next to Lyra but faced George and dismissed him, "go back to your seat, Weasley."

Lyra glared at him furiously, missing the enraged look George gave Adrian. Reluctantly George left Lyra's hand and moved near his seat but did not sit down.

Finding words, Lyra spoke, "let's get this over with, Pucey."

"I'm hurt, Tonks. Truly," he deadpanned.

Lyra smirked then, "good, that was the pl-"

Adrian held Lyra's face in his hands, pulling her to him, and urgently pushed his lips on hers. To others, it may have seemed harsh but Adrian's hands were soft on Lyra's face. His lips however were fervent with desire. Lyra couldn't help but feel the difference between the two. While George was nervous and kept the kiss friendly, Adrian kissed her as if he wouldn't get the chance to do so again. Lyra matched his aggression in snogging just as she did with everything else they dueled in. If George's kiss felt like hours Adrian's felt like days until George pulled Adrian away from Lyra.

Lyra stumbled back and felt Charlotte and Iliana pull her to sit down. The two boys glared at each other before Angelina pulled George down and Terence called for Adrian to sit. Lyra felt her face flush red again as she looked at the stunned looks on Charlotte, Iliana, and Mieko's faces.

"Well, darling, I believe it's time to tell us which kiss was better," Terence grinned at her.

Lyra looked between both boys once quickly, "George."

Adrian rolled his eyes dramatically and leaned back on his hands. George pulled Charlotte's move from earlier focusing on the carpet. Lyra sighed and tried to slow her heart rate focusing on Terence who had the bottle next.