“Okay, I’m first!” Sirius was acting like a little kid that made it to the toilet for the first time. He was jumping up and down with the aid of the back of an armchair. “Tara, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” she replied firmly.

“Wait, you forgot something!” said James. He got out his wands and cast a spell on everyone as Sirius sat down. “Truth charms,” he explained, “And now you have to do the dares or else something will happen to your appearance.”

“Tara, do you find me unexplainably attractive?” asked Sirius. He put his head on his fist and mocked serious thought.

“Yes,” she answered defiantly.

“Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” he asked with a flourish of the hand that had been in a fist.

“Only one question per round,” interrupted James.

“Of course,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I got a date on Valentine’s Day!” shouted Sirius. He punched the air.

“My turn,” said Tara, “James, truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he said with an I-don’t-care-what-she-throws-at-me smirk.

“Hmm....”

“I have an idea,” said Lily. She leaned over to Tara and whispered something in her ear. Lily leaned back to her place and began steepling her fingers evilly. Both started grinning madly.

“James,” Tara said, “I dare you to shave your head and be completely bald for the rest of the game!”

James look horrified at this dare. His mouth was gaping. Lily was doubled over on the couch next to Tara, laughing.

“What’s the matter, Potter?” she taunted, “You’re not scared, are you?”

James somberly raised his wand to his head and muttered the incantation for the Severing Charm. His hair fell in a pile around his chair. Sirius stood up with a huge grin and strolled over to behind his best mate’s chair.

“Hey, I can see myself!” he exclaimed as he looked at James’ shiny head. The group laughed. Lily was so hysterical she was crying.

“Evans, truth or dare?” asked James as he subconsciously rubbed his head.

“Dare,” she said daringly.

“I dare you to do the tango with me right here.”

Lily grimaced as her friends laughed. However, she did not want her hair to turn purple (or something along those lines), so she did as she was dared with her nose to the ceiling. They joined hands and pressed their bodies together in the proper ballroom hold. As romantically as he could muster, the newly bald James led his crush through a slightly warped version of what Professor Richardt had taught them. He changed the hold a bit towards the end so that his hands caressed her face and her hands were on his shoulders. They ended beautifully; their faces were inches apart. For a moment, it seemed that they would kiss.

“You are all witnesses of a miracle,” said Tara mystically.

James attempted to close the gap between them, but Lily smacked him instead.

“Never mind,” said Tara as everyone snickered.

“Never,” said Lily dangerously as she wagged her finger in front of the face she was so close to kissing, “and I mean never, pull that stunt again.”

“Yes, ma’am!” said James with a mock salute. Lily gave him a critical look with a bit of a sneer thrown in.

“Peter, truth or dare?” asked Lily. Her voice returned to its normal cheerfulness as she talked to people who weren't James Potter.

“Truth.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up? I mean when you leave Hogwarts,” Lily asked.

“Well,” said Peter hesitantly, “I’ve always kind of fancied Healing.”

James and Sirius howled with laughter. Peter blushed and looked at his feet, which appeared to be very interesting. Lily gave the laughing boys a look of disgust before turning back to Peter.

“I’ve always thought about being an Auror,” said Lily.

“Really?” said Peter, his face brightening instantly.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“I think I want to be a Professor here someday,” said Gwen. She smiled into the distance as she thought about her perfect future. James and Sirius finally calmed down.

“I think I want to work with animals,” said Remus, “Just not quite sure about the specifics yet.”

“What about you, James?” asked Gwen.

“I’ve been thinking about professional Quidditch,” said James (Lily rolled her eyes), “but if that doesn’t work out I want to be an Auror.”

“That’s cool,” said Tara, “I’m thinking about the Department of International Magical Cooperation.”

“I’m going to sit on James’ couch and spend my parents’ fortune while laughing maniacally,” said Sirius. He sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Everyone rolled their eyes at his lack of work ethic.

“Umm...Remus, truth or dare?” asked Peter. James and Sirius (breezy personality lost) inhaled sharply.

“Truth,” he said firmly.

“Did you ever crush on someone? Before you started dating Guinevere, I mean,” said Peter. James and Sirius exhaled with relief.

“No,” he said simply. His hair turned white and black polka-dotted. Gwen smiled seductively and started fingering Remus’ new hair.

“Are you sure?” asked Sirius.

“Okay, so I was crushing on Gwen longer than I was letting on,” he said. The locks Gwen was fingering returned to their light brown color. She looked crestfallen, but she settled with interlocking her fingers with his.

“Awe, how sweet,” said Lily. She smiled as she thought of her perfect man, Michael Daniels.

“Padfoot, truth or dare,” asked Remus.

“Dare, of course,” said Sirius indignantly, “What else?”

“I dare you to Transfigure your clothes into the underclothes of the last girl you snogged,” said Remus.

“The evil side of Moony!” quipped James with a laugh.

“More like the perverted side,” snorted Tara. She and Lily laughed.

“So who was the last girl you snogged?” asked Peter.

“Nicole Havers,” replied Sirius, “Can I keep my undershirt and boxers? As much I don’t want to spare the girls the pleasure of seeing me with my clothes off, I highly doubt righteous Moony would approve of it.”

"Perverted Moony might agree," said Gwen with a snigger.

”Go." Remus shooed him away and up the staircase. Of course, not before Sirius got the chance to waggle his eyebrows at Tara. She giggled as he swept grandly from the room.

“I’d rather not know what Nicole Havers' bra looks like; thanks a lot, Remus,” said Lily.

“That’s what you get for letting me hang out with Prongs over there,” said Remus.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have let him be corrupted,” said Peter.

“A brilliant mind has been wasted for mischief,” said Gwen as she shook her head.

“I don’t think it’s been wasted,” said Sirius as he descended the steps, “It’s been very important to some of the pranks we’ve pulled.”

It took a moment for Sirius’ getup to register with everyone. He was dressed in a pink push-up bra with a little bow in the center and pink underwear that said ‘Hot stuff’ in red on the back. Gwen buried her head in Remus’ shoulder to stifle her laughter. Lily had actually let her guard down enough that James’ arms had gone around her stomach. Peter and Tara had both rolled onto the floor and were beating it with their fists. Sirius strutted into the middle of the group and did some fashion model poses. It was when Sirius blew a kiss at him did the still calm Remus lose it. He let go of Gwen’s hand so that he could wrap her in a hug and laugh into her hair.

“Now that that’s over with,” said Sirius as he sat down, “Guinevere, truth or dare?”

“Dare,” she said, her voice muffled because she was still crying into Remus’ shoulder.

“Well, since I had to make a change, it’s your turn. Guinevere, I dare you to go up into the boys’ dorm and put on my shirt, James’ pants, and Remus’ boxers!”

“All right,” said Gwen with a toothy grin. She was about to go up the stairs when Sirius stopped her.

“When you’re changed, you have to do some other type of ballroom that you and Moony know. But the boxers have to be on the outside of your pants,” he said evilly. Gwen gave a fake salute and ran up the stairs of the boys’ dormitory.

“Padfoot, what are we going to do with you?” asked Remus.

“Toss him off a cliff?” suggested Lily.

“Make him leave the common room like this?” asked Peter hopefully.

“All excellent suggestions,” said James, “But I think he should have to go snog Havers again. In this outfit.” They, excluding Sirius, all roared with laughter.

“Hilarious, Prongs,” said Sirius sarcastically, “Remind me to have Guinevere dare you to put on Evans’ underclothes.”

Lily and James both turned bright red. Sirius gave a bark of laughter.

“Something to be embarrassed of, Evans?” asked Sirius.

“No,” she said, but it sounded like she had something to hide.

“Padfoot, you wouldn’t be that mean,” said Remus.

“Ah, but I would,” said Sirius, “Because my name is Black. Sirius Black.” He struck a macho, combat pose, then winked at Tara and caused her to collapse into giggles again.

“As much as I would like to see where this conversation would go, I am dressed,” said Gwen from behind them.

They all turned to look at her. Sirius’ shirt was a blue polo, which she wore with the collar turned up. James’ pants were baggy khakis, which were held up with a black belt. However, most of this went unnoticed. Remus boxers had everyone’s attention. Unfortunately for Remus, she had chosen the prank pair that Remus had gotten from Sirius for Christmas. Full moons decorated the dark blue background, and on the back was the word ‘Moony’ written ornately in gold. Gwen turned around and wiggled her backside to show it off. Remus turned a deep crimson as everyone else laughed.

“So why is your nickname Moony?” Lily asked Remus.

“Well, you see,” said James, “when we were foolish second years, we dared Moony here to moon Minnie.”

“Why else would she allow him to postpone his detentions?” interjected Sirius.

“Because apparently she liked it,” finished Peter. They all laughed again.

“Ready to dance?” prompted Sirius.

Remus stood up and walked to the center of the room where Gwen was. He whispered something in her ear. She gave a nod, and they assumed the ballroom hold.

Remus and Gwen performed a mix of a quickstep and jive. They looked like they were having a blast, especially when they did some lifts. James, Sirius, and Peter had never seen Remus this happy. However, like the prankster he is, Sirius had to end it by tripping Gwen. She landed on top of Remus in a big collision. Gwen and Remus bellowed with laughter, their faces mere centimeters apart.

“Get up, please,” said James.

Gwen rolled over and laid on the floor, still laughing. Remus stood up with a huge smile and sat in his former place on the couch. Gwen was still having a spastic attack on the floor.

“Guinevere,” said Sirius exasperatedly, “will you please get up?”

“So,” said a still giggling Gwen as she took her seat next to Remus, “I get to truth or dare someone, and then Remus and I need to work on some homework.”

“Okay,” said Lily.

“Umm... Remus, truth or dare?” asked Gwen.

“Why me?” groaned Remus.

“Because,” said Gwen while smiling sweetly.

“Guinevere, I have an idea,” said Sirius. He walked over to Gwen, whispered in her ear, and gave her a thumbs up as he walked back to his seat.

“Although I know I shouldn’t, I’m going to listen to Sirius,” said Gwen.

Everyone groaned at this thought. Well, except Sirius, who clapped his hands excitedly.

“Remus, I dare you to do a suggestive dance for us,” said Gwen with a huge smile.

“What do you mean by ‘suggestive?’” he asked cautiously.

“She means act provocative,” said Sirius irritably, “You’re supposed to be the know-it-all.”

“I need some inspiration,” said Remus, “I can’t do it without music.”

James rolled his eyes and said, “Hang on, I’ve got something in the dorm you can dance to.” He ran up the stairs. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he came back down with a small record player and a record to go with it.

“Ready to dance?” asked Gwen.

“As I’ll ever be,” he said as he shook is head. James started the music.

Words cannot describe the dance Remus did. Let’s just say, he made some money. No joke: Gwen, Lily, and Tara were tossing Galleons and Sickles his way. He really seemed to be in his element. Then James and Sirius joined him for a laugh. Lily turned away disgustedly, but Tara watched Sirius with a hungry look in her eyes. When the music ended, James and Sirius bowed while Remus gathered the money.

“Well, now that everyone is scarred for life, Remus and I really need to work on some homework,” said Gwen.

Sirius Transfigured the bra and underwear back into his robes. Gwen went up to the boys’ dormitory. James grew his hair back with a muttered incantation and returned the record player to his dormitory.

“What an interesting game,” said Sirius innocently.

“You said it, Padfoot,” said Peter, “You said it.”

Gwen and Remus had been told by Tara to go to the Room of Requirement at eleven-thirty. James had left the Invisibility Cloak for them to use. Therefore, at eleven-twenty, they snuck down to Barnabas the Barmy.

“Ready?” asked Gwen quietly. It was eleven-thirty exactly.

“As I’ll ever be.” Remus gulped. He opened the door.

Inside was a plain stone room with no furniture. In the center was a single piece of parchment. Remus and Gwen walked over to it and picked it up. Remus read aloud:

“The spaces between your fingers were made so another’s could fill them in. For the first challenge, you must simply hold hands. Signed, Peter. Well, that’s easy enough.”

Remus and Gwen interlaced their fingers. Immediately the room changed into a carnival. However, there was only one ride: a brightly lit Ferris wheel that sharply contrasted against the night sky. Next to the ride was a pole with a piece of parchment stapled to it. Gwen and Remus quickly went to it.

“The worst way to miss someone is to sit next to them knowing you can’t have them. However, this isn’t the case for you guys. You can sit beside each other and smile knowing that you’re meant to be. For the second challenge, just enjoy yourselves on the Ferris wheel. Signed, Tara. P.S. You can stop holding hands if you want,” read Gwen. She let go of Remus’ hand.

“Uh oh,” said Remus. He paled as he looked up at the Wheel and grabbed Gwen’s hand again.

“What?” Gwen asked curiously.

“I’m afraid of heights,” said Remus.

“Deathly afraid or just a little afraid?”

“Deathly afraid,” confirmed Remus. He looked like he was going to pass out at the thought of climbing onto the Wheel.

“Either we get on the ride, or we’re stuck here,” said Gwen, “You know they won’t let us out unless we complete the challenges.”

Remus gulped. “I can’t go up there.” He shook his head.

“You have to,” said Gwen, “I’ll be with you the whole time.”

He gulped again. “All right,” he said hesitantly. His breathing quickened, and the hand that wasn’t holding Gwen’s twitched.

Gwen led him to the bottom-most lift and sat him down. She then placed herself to the right of him. The ride immediately began.

Remus still hadn’t let go of Gwen’s hand, and his grip was tightening with each passing inch.

“Remus, you’re cutting off circulation to my arm,” said Gwen.

He let go. “Sorry,” he said. His eyes were shut tight.

The ride gently stopped at the top of height of the Wheel. Remus, hoping that it was the end, opened one eye, peeked over the side, retched, and closed his eyes quickly.

“Remus, you can open your eyes.”

“No, I can’t,” he said. His green face was in his hands.

Gwen turned his face towards her. “Remus, just look at me,” she said soothingly.

He opened his eyes and kept them focused on her. He grabbed her hands and held them in between them. His breathing began to slow down.

“Is this so bad?” she asked him.

“I guess not,” he muttered.

“The ride should be starting up again soon, and then you’ll be back on the ground,” she said.

Just then, a note appeared in Gwen’s lap. It went unnoticed by Remus, who had risked a glance downward and had his eyes shut again. Gwen read it to herself:

Gwen, the ride is broken. It will not start again. You and Remus have to jump. Signed, Tara.

“Oh pumpkin juice,” said Gwen.

“What?” Remus asked her.

“The ride’s busted. We have to jump.”

“What!” Remus yelped, “How do you know that?”

“This note says so,” she said. Gwen handed it to him.

“There’s nothing on here,” he said bluntly. He handed it back and shut his eyes again.

“Of course there is!” she said. It was right there, how could he not see it?

“I’m not jumping,” he muttered, “I can’t even look over the side without wanting to throw up.” Mutterings of this sort continued.

“You have to trust me,” Gwen said. She stroked his face and got him to look at her again.

“What if you’re lying?” said a clearly distressed Remus, “Or what if they’re lying?”

“You’ll just have to trust me,” repeated Gwen calmly.

Remus didn’t say anything. He tried to look over the side again and turned greener.

“I’d never hurt you,” she coaxed as she stroked his face.

“How can I be sure?” he shouted, “I’ve never been able to trust anybody!”

“The Rose,” Gwen stated quietly.

Remus stared into her eyes, his lips pursed. Gwen kept her cool as her love searched for an answer. After a short pause, he said, “Okay.” Eyes shut again, he let go of Gwen’s right hand and faced outward. She stood up and helped Remus to follow.

“Ready?” Gwen asked him.

“No,” he said nauseously.

“One...two...three!” Gwen jumped off the lift with Remus in tow.

They landed on a dark beach, the ocean lapping at their heels. The stars above twinkled with importance, as if gloating to one another that they knew something important would happen beneath them. Remus opened one eye, then the other, and sighed. He hugged Gwen.

“I’m glad I trusted you,” he said as he held her out in front of him.

“Do you really think I would hurt you?” Gwen asked.

“No,” he said with a smile, “I know that now.”

Just then, a piece of parchment floated by, carried by the wind. Remus jumped up and grabbed it, then read aloud:

“Don’t waste your time on someone who won’t waste their time on you. For the third challenge, walk along the beach and say three things you like about your partner. If you don’t tell the truth, you won’t reach the end of the beach. Signed, James.”

“Well, that’s easy enough,” said Gwen. She shrugged.

“Let’s start walking,” said Remus. He grabbed her hand and led her along the beach.

“Okay, first thing I like about you is,” said Gwen, “your eyes.”

“My eyes?” asked Remus with a laugh.

“Yes, your eyes,” she said, “I could look into them all day and never get bored. They gleam with intelligence and mischief and mysteriousness. And I love it.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Really,” she confirmed with a nod and a smile.

“I always thought I had dreamy eyes,” teased Remus.

Gwen ignored this comment and said, “The second thing I like about you is your love of books. You can’t stop reading until you finish a book.”

“Wouldn’t that be considered obsessive compulsive disorder?” Remus asked, “Isn’t that a bad thing?”

“Yeah, but I’m just like that. So I can read and enjoy your company at the same time,” said Gwen, “Multi-tasking.”

“Makes sense,” said Remus with a shrug.

“And the third thing I like about you is your...alter ego,” said Gwen.

“You mean...” Remus trailed off. They needed to be careful since Lily and Tara didn’t know about Remus’ condition.

“Yes...that,” said Gwen, “It gives you a sense of mystery. A mystery that I want to solve.”

“Oh,” he said quietly.

“Your turn,” she prodded gently.

“The first thing I like about you is your adventurousness and courageousness. If you could you would probably go jump in that ocean right now and start swimming,” said Remus, “I admire that.”

“I have been itching to take a swim,” admitted Gwen. Her eyes floated briefly to the ocean at her right.

“The second thing I like about you is your personality. You’re smart and gentle, and you know how to make me melt inside. You’re the most amazing person I have ever met. You make my emotions go haywire, and no one else can do that.”

“Wow,” Gwen said quietly, “You make me sound great.”

“You are,” Remus said hastily, “Don’t think anything less of yourself.”

Gwen didn’t reply. She was too busy staring at the ground meekly.

“The third thing I like about you is that you aren’t prejudiced. Against anybody,” said Remus, “A troll could walk up to you, and you would try to make friends with it.”

Gwen stopped Remus and put her hands on his shoulders. “I tried making friends with a werewolf once,” she said.

“Really? And how did it go?” Remus asked with a smile. He snaked his arms around her waist.

“I’m still in touch with him,” said Gwen with a bigger smile.

“Hey, we’re here,” said Remus. He broke their embrace and pointed to a small building in front of them.

“I never even noticed,” said Gwen.

“Well, let’s go.” Remus opened the door and gestured Gwen inside.

Inside the shack was like an old-fashioned Muggle ice-cream parlor. On the walls were old records and posters of people like Elvis Presley. There was a jukebox in the corner. At the center of it all was a table with an ice-cream sundae and a piece of parchment propped up against the bowl. The couple walked over to it and sat down. Gwen picked up the parchment and read:

“When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Well, you guys have one reason to smile sitting in front of you. For the fourth challenge, just enjoy the ice cream and each other’s company. Signed, Lily.”

“Okay, this will probably be harder than it seems,” said Remus suspiciously.

“What could be harder than eating ice cream?” Gwen asked. She picked up her spoon and took a bite of the sundae. She swallowed the bite.

“Gwen!” Remus cried. She had dropped the spoon and was clutching her stomach. The edges of her vision were blacking out, and Remus’ voice sounded strangely distant. She felt like throwing up, passing out, and dying all at the same time. She took short, choppy breaths.

“Gwen, what’s wrong?” Remus asked frantically.

“Can’t...breathe,” she said between labored breaths.

Suddenly, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Remus. He grabbed it immediately, and read to himself:

Remus, the only way to save Gwen is to have her take another bite of ice cream. Otherwise... well, let’s just say you’ll lose that reason to smile I mentioned earlier. Signed, Lily.

“Gwen!” said Remus joyfully, “Just take another bite!”

“Are you...joking?” Gwen gasped. She turned to her left and threw up.

“No, that’s what the parchment says!” He waved it in front of her.

“Blank,” she grunted. She laid her head on the table and closed her eyes.

Remus stood up and ran around the table. “Gwen, don’t go,” he said, close to crying, “Just take another bite.”

“No.” Remus lifted her head and made her look at him.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Gwen tried to lift her right arm, but couldn’t. Remus jumped at the opportunity and grabbed the spoon himself. He scooped a generous measure and shoved it in her mouth. Gwen laboriously swallowed.

Suddenly, everything came back into view. Gwen straightened her back and didn’t have the urge to throw up or pass out.

“Are you okay?” Remus asked earnestly.

She nodded. He hugged her close to him.

“Good,” he muttered, “I don’t want to lose you. You’re the only person I feel secure with.”

“Except James, Sirius, and Peter?” Gwen asked.

“Except James, Sirius, and Peter,” Remus confirmed.

“So you weren’t trying to poison me?” Gwen asked. She let go of him.

“Ha ha,” said Remus sarcastically.

“I’ll take that as a no,” said Gwen.

“Come on,” Remus gestured to a door that had just appeared, “Next challenge.”

They opened the door to what looked like a classroom, except that there was only one desk, and there wasn’t a teacher.

Remus and Gwen walked to the desk. On it were three pieces of parchment (one written on), two eagle feather quills in inkwells, and a red rose in a vase. Gwen picked up the parchment that was written on and read:

“Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you hadn’t, or saying nothing and wishing you had? For the fifth challenge, write one thing about yourself on a piece of parchment and then give it to the other. Hopefully, you’ll learn more about each other, even though you guys do have communication problems. Signed, Sirius.”

“He just had to bring that up, didn’t he?” Remus asked.

“Of course,” said Gwen, “I’m just worried that the minute I touch the quill my hand is going to turn all shriveled or something.”

“No, I don’t think anything like that will happen this time,” said Remus, “It’s kind of like James’ challenge.”

“All right,” said Gwen suspiciously. The two sat down in the chairs opposite each other and Remus began writing.

After a minute or two, Remus was done. He looked up and saw Gwen with her quill between her teeth, still thinking about what to write. He gazed at her fondly for a while. She was suddenly struck with inspiration and wrote something down.

“Ready?” he asked her when she looked up.

“Let’s switch,” she said. She held out her parchment when Remus did the same. They swapped them and read silently.

“You bought Alexander’s autograph from Peter?” exclaimed Remus.

“You have a secret crush on Professor Richardt?” burst Gwen.

They looked at each other then said at the same time: “I didn’t write that!”

“It’s in your handwriting,” they retorted. Unbeknownst to them, a door appeared.

“Is it true?” Gwen asked.

“Yes,” Remus answered quietly, head hanging down.

“I can’t believe you!” shouted Gwen, “You’re supposed to be my boyfriend, not Professor Richardt’s number one fan!”

“What about you?” Remus asked furiously, “You said that you didn’t care, then you turned around and bought the stupid autograph from Peter.”

Gwen hung her head in shame.

“You thought he was cute, didn’t you?” Remus asked her loudly, “You just paid attention to me so that I didn’t feel bad.”

“So what?” said Gwen heatedly, “I’m still with you, aren’t I?”

Remus didn’t say anything, so she continued, “Yeah, so what, I bought the autograph. Yeah, so what, I think he’s hot. I’m still here, aren’t I? I could be searching the castle for where he’s sleeping, but I’m in here listening to you yell at me! I love you, and if I didn’t mean it, then I wouldn’t be here.”

Remus looked at the paper again, then leaned his head on his hands.

“What about you and Professor Richardt?” Gwen asked coldly.

“I have a small crush on her, but it’s just like you said. I like you more than her, so does it matter?” said Remus agitatedly.

Neither said anything for a moment. Both were looking at the papers with guilty expressions.

“I’m sorry,” they muttered in unison.

“No, I am,” they said a little louder. Remus laughed.

“We’re closer than we think,” he said with a wink, “If we’re talking in synch.”

“Don’t start rhyming,” groaned Gwen.

“I have a knack for it,” he said indifferently, “That’s what I had written. I rhyme every conversation I have in my head. I just don’t say it out loud so that people don’t think I’m a nerd.”

“I had written that I have a secret passion for writing and plan on turning my journal into a memoir,” said Gwen, “Hey, look, there’s a door!” She had suddenly noticed the door.

“I guess we didn’t notice it because we were arguing,” said Remus.

“Well, let’s go,” said Gwen. She stood up and walked to the door, which she opened. Remus followed her.

A lake scene greeted them. There was just one giant oak tree, with a picnic set up beneath it on red-checkered tablecloth. Gwen and Remus walked over and sat down on the ground. On top of the picnic basket was a piece of parchment, which was read aloud (with the aid of his wand) by Remus:

“Thinking of you means ‘I miss you’, Holding your hand means ‘I like you’, Squeezing it means ‘I want to kiss you’, Putting my head on your shoulder means ‘Comfort me’, My hands on your waist means ‘Never let me go’, Biting my lip means ‘I’m jealous’, Staring into your eyes means ‘Do you love me?’, Winking means ‘I adore you’, Dreaming of you often means ‘You’re someone special’, Being with you often means ‘I can’t live without you’, And wearing your ring means ‘You’re mine.’ For the sixth and final challenge, please enjoy the picnic we have set out for you. It’s our way of asking your forgiveness. Signed, Peter, Tara, James, Lily, and Sirius.”

“Wow,” said Gwen.

“I hope it’s not poison,” joked Remus as he opened the basket. He pulled out two candles.

“Incendio,” said Gwen. Now that the candles were lit, they could see the food they were pulling out.

“This is a nice spread,” said Remus, “Look, there’s bread and meats and Firewhiskey and...”

“Sirius,” interrupted Gwen, “He just couldn’t contain himself.” She had a fleeting image of Tara smacking him.

“Salad and treacle tart and...”

“Wait,” Gwen interrupted again. She scooted closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

“Ah,” said Remus. He gave a knowing smile. They leaned in to kiss...

...and finally got it.

The Marauders had just gotten back to the common room after a hard day of learning and pranking (one involving Remus and Gwen in the Room of Requirement). They were about to go up to their dormitories when they saw that a notice had been tacked up on the bulletin board. It was a crisp white paper with the words written in green to make sure everyone passing saw it. By the light of the window they read:

“Ballet?” asked Sirius incredulously.