A/N: thanks to all who've reviewed ;) I appreciate it... if you asked a question I've probably posted a response, so check your the review section. I've responded personally to a few others, too. But anyway - I thoroughly enjoy this chapter, and it's one of the few last light-hearted ones... ENJOY!
Chapter 15: Confessions Part Two
“WHAT!? Are you serious?”
“Yeah! Of course I am “ why would you think I wasn’t?”
“Because it’s crazy, Ginny..”
Harry had just entered the common room to find Ron and Ginny in an apparent argument.
“What is going on?”
“Ginny here thought it would be fun to steal a bottle of Veritaserum from Snape...”
Harry took a few moments to process what Ron had just said. Realizing that the words “fun”, “steal” and “from Snape” had just been used in the same sentence, he looked to Ginny.
“You didn’t, did you?” asked Harry.
“Of course I did.”
Ron stared incredulously at her.
“Ginny, you’re a Prefect “ you can’t just steal from teachers. Especially Veritaserum from Snape! That stuff is under strict control by the Ministry.”
“I just thought we could use it to have some fun.”
Ron gaped at her.
“I don’t know how you became a Prefect “ Dumbledore should have put you in the “Fred and George” category.”
“Look who’s talking “ you don’t exactly have a clean record, do you?”
“I have never done something like this for fun, Ginny.”
“Well are you going to report me or not?”
“What? No, of course not...”
“Then stop making such a big deal.”
And with that Ginny turned with a flip of her flaming red hair and left the room.
Harry was both amused by the situation, as well as impressed by Ginny’s apparent stealth. Harry decided, however, it would not be wise to let Ron know he was either amused or impressed.
“I can NOT believe her... Veritaserum, I ask you...really...”
Harry suppressed his desire to laugh. Ron looked over at him; it was clear he was in a foul mood.
“Are you coming to Quidditch practice tomorrow night?”
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Just making sure “ the game against Slytherin is in two weeks.”
“Ron, don’t worry “ we’ll beat them. You even have Kirke and Sloper in good shape “ I don’t think Wood could have even pulled that off.”
Harry had said the magic words. Ron’s mood suddenly changed.
“Really? You think”
“Yeah... but so you know, being a tougher and more obsessive Captain than Oliver Wood isn’t exactly a compliment,” Harry said, grinning.
“Well I choose to take it as one...”
“Where’s Hermione?”
“In the library, she has an essay for Arithmancy.”
It was the Monday after the Ministry attack, and the staff and students at Hogwarts were operating quite normally; it seemed the professors, under Dumbledore’s instructions most likely, were doing their best to keep the students minds off what was going on outside the castle walls. Snape pulled this off without a hitch, of course “ as his personality was still as poisonous as ever. Harry’s first class that day had been Potions, and Snape had taken a total of twenty House points off of Harry: Ten for not paying attention during class (“Stop daydreaming, Potter, I’m sure you’ll see Ms. Bell after class”) and another ten for being cheeky (I’m already aware of the effects of Polyjuice Potion, Professor.”). On the bright side, Harry thought, at least he hadn’t had class with Snape after he’d realized a bottle of Veritaserum was missing from his classroom.
“So, what do you think Ginny’s plans are for that bottle of Veritaserum?” Harry asked.
“I do NOT want to know...” sighed Ron as they left for dinner.
Ron spent dinner shooting warning looks at Ginny, who continued to ignore him. When everyone in the group, which included Ron, Hermione, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus, Neville, Harry Katie, Dean and Ginny, had finished eating they made their way back to common room, laughing and chattering happily. Upon entering through the portrait hole, they all sat down in a circle in a corner near the fireplace. As they sat down, Ginny suddenly went quiet, leaned into the center of the circle and beckoned the rest of the group to do the same.
“Who’s up for a game of Truth?”
Curious, the group went quiet and listened to her, as she spoke in a barely audible whisper.
Ron shot her another warning look and shook his head; she ignored him again. Instead of stopping, she put her hand into her robes and pulled out a vial of clear liquid: Veritaserum.
“Ginny...is that what I think it is?” Hermione asked.
Ginny nodded.
“Where did you get it?”
“Snape’s office.”
“WHAT?”
“What is it?” asked Seamus.
“Veritaserum,” Ginny whispered mischievously.
Everyone in the group was silent with shock.
“So here’s how we play. We go one by one “ each person gets asked one question, which the rest of us decide on “ takes a drop of this, then answers the question.”
Several people gulped.
“So, who’s in?”
Immediately Parvati, Lavendar, Seamus, Dean, Katie and Hermione raised their hands.
“Hermione!?” Ron looked stunned.
“It sounds like fun.”
This apparently changed Ron’s mind “ if she was willing to play, so was he.
“Alright, me too,” he said somewhat reluctantly.
Ginny looked at Harry and Neville. Harry, who hadn’t really been for or against the idea, gave in. Neville took some persuading, and only after Parvati and Lavender threatened to hex him if he didn’t play, did he agree.
“Alright, who goes first?” Ginny said looking around, as if daring someone to volunteer.
“I think you should go, since it was your idea,” shot Ron.
“Fine.”
Ginny walked away so the rest of the group could think of what question to ask. They quickly decided, and called her back. She took a drop of the potion, and looked at them expectantly. She clearly was not frightened at all.
“Who was the first boy you ever liked?” asked Parvati.
“Harry.”
Harry felt his face grow hot “ he hadn’t wanted to ask that question because he had assumed that would be the answer “ but as he and Dean were the only ones who were against it, they were outvoted. Katie looked the most surprised, probably because she was the only one who hadn’t known Ginny her first year when her infatuation with Harry had been quite clear. Parvati and Lavender giggled. After Ginny they moved clockwise around the group. They found out that Dean’s most embarrassing secret was that he enjoyed reading Witch Weekly; that Neville had had two girlfriends before; that Lavender fancied Professor Lupin “ and then it was Seamus’s turn. He took a drop of the potion.
“How do you feel about Dean going with Ginny?” Parvati and Lavender had thought of the question “ Harry had decided quickly that they were the troublemakers of this game.
“I feel left out most of the time, like he’s forgotten that I’m his best friend.”
There was an awkward silence following Seamus’s answer. Dean and Ginny were awestruck.
“I’m real, sorry mate, didn’t know that’s how you felt.”
“Seamus, if I had known “ I’m sorry this is all my fault, I shouldn’t take up so much of Dean’s time...”
“Okay let’s keep going “ it’s Katie’s turn,” Seamus said, clearly not wanting to discuss the subject any further with everyone watching.
Katie left for a minute while the group decided on what to ask “ again they outvoted Harry, who was starting to dislike the game very much. She returned and took the Veritaserum.
“What went through your mind when Harry first asked you out?” Parvati asked; apparently she had assigned herself mediator.
Harry took this opportunity to look at the floor.
“I was really excited “ I’d fancied him since the end of last year.”
More giggling followed Katie’s answer.
“Well it appears you’re ladies man, mate...” Ron said, laughing.
Harry was too surprised to tell Ron to shut up.
“Really?” he said, turning to Katie.
“Of course ‘really’“ she just took a Truth Potion...” Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Katie just gave Harry another one of her shy smiles.
“It’s your turn, Harry,” said Lavender.
Harry stood up and walked away from the group “ he knew he was not going to like what was coming. Suddenly he was regretting that he had agreed to play.
What was I thinking? He thought to himself.
“Alright Harry, we’re ready.”
He slowly walked back, feeling as though he were attending his own funeral. He sat down, took a drop of the Veritaserum and looked at Parvati, waiting for her to ask the question. He saw out of the corner of his eye, that Katie was now looking at the floor, and she seemed quite tense.
“Who do you prefer: Cho or Katie?”
Well that wasn’t bad at all, thought Harry.
“Katie, of course.” For some reason this was also cause for giggling.
That’s really getting annoying, he thought. He saw Katie ease up.
“It’s a good thing you answered my name; I won’t scare you by telling you what I would have done if you’d have said Cho...”
Harry believed her; he’d seen her throw a Quaffle with a scary amount of force.
Hermione’s turn passed without much incident “ they asked her what the lowest grade she’d ever received was, and it turned out it was a B that she had gotten in Muggle school for P.E. Then it was Ron’s turn. He turned green as he stood up and walked away from the group.
“Let’s just ask him what his biggest fear is...” suggested Neville, he clearly wanted to go easy on Ron.
“Giant spiders, you know that “ remember the Boggart?” said Lavender.
“I know what we should ask him...” Parvati said with an almost evil gleam in her eyes.
“What?” Ginny asked.
“How does he feel about Hermione...”
“Well we already know the answer to that... they go together,” said Harry “ he knew Parvati probably didn’t care, but he didn’t want to put Ron and Hermione through the embarrassment that would most likely spring from the answer to that question.
“Still, I want to hear him say it...”
They voted; Harry and Neville were the only ones who voted against the question. Apparently Hermione’s desire to hear the answer from Ron’s mouth overcame her shyness on the matter... Ron was called back over, took the last drop of potion from the bottle and then sat more still than Harry had every seen a human being sit “ he was clearly petrified.
“How do you feel about Hermione?” Parvati asked, the almost-evil gleam still shining in her dark brown eyes.
“I love her.”
Every single person’s mouth dropped open. Even Harry couldn’t believe what had just happened. Ron had just told the entire group that he loved Hermione. Parvati and Lavender were even to shocked to giggle. Harry looked at Hermione for her reaction. Her cheeks were pink but she was having much difficulty trying not to smile. Ron had buried his face in his hands “ most likely trying to hide from everyone how red his face had turned “ but it didn’t help much because his ears clearly matched his hair.
“Okay, game’s over,” Harry stood up and started ushering people away from Ron and Hermione. “Get up...”
“Yeah I think our lovebirds need some privacy...” said Lavender.
“Away now!” he said warningly to Lavender, then turned to Ron and whispered. “Maybe you and Hermione should go upstairs to the dormitory “ you probably need to be alone. I’ll keep everyone down here.”
Ron didn’t waste any time getting away; he grabbed Hermione’s hand and they quickly left the room.
Harry turned to Katie.
“Well that was interesting...”