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Rune and Tina dug into the large slice of chocolate cake as they listened to Nancy, the elf in charge of Hogwarts' kitchens, speak about the 'good old days'.
"Ooh ooh! And the one time, Headmaster Dumbledore took Nancy to Paris with him. Nancy learned how to make perfect pastries and croissants. Even when the dark times came, Nancy always cooked well!"
"Mmh!" said Tina as she licked chocolate frosting off the spoon. "I don't doubt it. This is the best chocolate cake ever."
Nancy's hands flew up to block her face as she shouted, "Miss Tina is being too nice! Nancy will make chocolate cake every day!"
"Oh no!" tried Tina quickly, "That's not what I..."
She drawled off as the elf whizzed away undoubtedly to start preparing for more cake.
"Now see what you did," laughed Rune, digging her spoon into the cake.
"I didn't mean to," murmured the Ravenclaw guiltily.
"Relax!" said Rune, stretching out. "After a week, we'll come down here and tell her we've had enough. It's no biggie."
"I hope so..." She glanced at Rune, "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I tried speaking about this to my... friend... but he's a boy and I need a girl's input."
"And...?" prompted Tina.
"And you're the only girl who I'm close enough to for me to speak to," continued Rune.
Tina tilted her head slightly as she studied her.
Rune knew that Tina had plenty friends. She'd rarely ever seen her alone save for Arithmancy. It was something that made her a little jealous.
She wished she was easy to like.
She also hoped that despite the two girls only seeing each other in Arithmancy, Tina would have considered her as one of her friends as well.
"Okay," said Tina, sitting up straight. "Shoot."
"Okay, so... let's just say... hypothetically... that there's a boy who's shown interest in me—"
"Regulus Black?"
"What?" asked Rune disgustedly. "Ew, no."
"Oh..." said Tina with a sheepish smile. "Who?"
"I can't say right now."
"Okay, then continue."
Rune took a deep breath in. "I've spent the last 2 weeks analyzing him and my findings conclude that while he is a nice person, he displays a general nicer-ness to me."
Tina blinked at Rune a few times before shaking her head with a smile. "Did you have to make it sound like a scientific experiment?"
"Of course, I did. How else would it make sense?"
"So," said Tina, still smiling, "I'm guessing you're interested in him too?"
"Well, no boy's ever liked me before so I do want to know how it feels," shrugged Rune.
"But do you like him?"
Rune thought about it for a second and then laughed nervously. "I don't know. I think I do."
Tina narrowed her eyes in thought before gasping. "Wait here. I'll be back in around 10 minutes."
"10 minutes? Where are you going?" called out Rune, but Tina had already left the kitchen.
Minutes later, Tina reappeared with a brown bag in her hand and Mason Bones at her side.
"Hello again," said Mason, greeting Rune with a charming smile.
"Hi." She turned to Tina for an explanation, but before she could get one from her, the boy began to speak.
"So, Tina explained the situation to me. And since I am a guy, I can offer my help."
"Okay," said Rune excitedly, as she turned to face him fully.
"The first step," said Mason, conjuring a pair of glasses and wearing them as if he was a professor teaching his students, "Is to ask him if he likes anyone."
"Why?" asked Rune, curiously.
"Obviously to check if he likes anyone," said Mason matter-of-factly, before turning to Tina with a look that said what's with this girl?
"And if his eyes look at you when he's answering, then he probably likes you."
"Probably? What's the percentage probability?"
"95%," he answered confidently.
"Okay!" exclaimed Rune, with a clap. "How do I ask him though? Do I just tap his shoulder and shoot my question?"
"Are you nuts?" asked Mason, with an amused smile.
He motioned to Tina, and she unwrapped the brown bag to display a bottle of Firewhisky.
"It's time to play a game."
***
Just as curfew approached on Friday, Rune walked into the boys' dorms and went straight into a specific room.
Four pairs of eyes swiveled away from the game of Gobstones and landed on her, and she raised her hand in an awkward wave.
"What's up?" asked Rabastan pushing himself up from the floor and looking at Rune in curiosity. "Are you lost?"
"No," she said, looking around the room. "Didn't Evan tell you guys?"
"Tell us what?" asked Mulciber, with a tone of slight annoyance.
She held up the bottle of Firewhisky. "It's Friday night, and I have alcohol."
"Then," said Mulciber, his tone completely changed. "Welcome yourself in, sweetheart."
As if the world was on her side, a gobstone squirted its foul liquid onto Mulciber's face and the boys around him barked out in laughter.
Rune cringed at the sound, beyond thankful that she was not born an obnoxious boy.
"Tough luck, buttercup," snorted Barty, as Mulciber got up to change. He reclined onto his back and patted the ground beside him. "There's a space next to me, Rune."
This, she wanted to tell Super Mysterious Guy, this was what was attractive.
Rabastan moved into that patted space and motioned for her to sit beside him. "Is Evan on his way?"
"Yeah," answered Rune, choosing to sit beside Rabastan so her plan could fall into place. "He said he's going to find a few more people to play though."
As if on cue, Evan stumbled into the room with two girls at his hip. Sylvia Sallow and Irma Purkiss.
Avery whistled in appreciation. "Nice going, Rosier."
The two girls glanced at each other sideways, sharing a smile that could only be interpreted by them.
"Ay, Rune!" grinned Evan, immediately moving towards her. "You are definitely my favourite person in the room. Now let's see the goods."
Rune scoffed as she handed the Firewhisky bottle to him.
Once Mulciber returned and Irma took a comfortable seat in his lap, Rune looked at Rabastan and wondered whether this whole shenanigan was worth it.
As if noticing her eyes, he turned to her. "Do I have dirt on my face?"
"Yeah," she joked, making a circle in the air around his face. "All there."
"Haha," he said in a sarcastic voice.
"Everyone's here let's get started!" said Evan excitedly as he went to unscrew the bottle.
Rune looked around the room. "What about Regulus—"
"Pfft," said Mulciber mockingly. "He has prefect duty."
"How about a game of truth or dare?" suggested Evan, as per Rune's instructions.
"But that's a child's game!" whined Sylvia.
"Agreed," said Barty. "Let's just see who can drink the most. I'll start."
"You're no fun, Barty," said Irma, shaking her head. "It's a party."
"Okay Sallow," said Rabastan, "Give us another suggestion."
"How about—?"
"No," interjected Rune. She immediately felt horrible, but she wasn't here for a party. She had things to do. "My Firewhisky, my rules. Truth or dare."
"And if we don't want to?" asked Sylvia, turning her piercing hazel eyes on Rune.
Rune gave her a sweet smile. "Well then, you can be the first to leave."
"Woah, ladies, ladies," laughed Barty, "It's a party. Let's all lighten up a little."
"You all know the rules right," said Evan, placing the bottle in the center. "Whoever's turn it is can pick someone. The chosen person can choose either truth or dare. Once answering the truth TRUTHFULLY—" he emphasized, glancing at the Slytherin's around him who snickered, "Or doing the dare, you can have a shot. Simple."
"Great! I'll go first," said Sylvia sitting up properly. "Or is that a problem Firewhisky girl?"
Rune knew she deserved it, so she shrugged. "Go for it."
"Rosier," said Sylvia with a smile, channeling the full force of her charm to Evan.
"Yes, darling."
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Who do you want to kiss most in this room?"
"You," he answered, without a beat of hesitation.
"We could fulfil that right now," suggested Sylvia, inching closer to him.
"Leave it for the dare," muttered Mulciber, but it was as if he was speaking to the walls.
Rune held her hands up in front of her eyes as Evan and Sylvia locked their lips in a peck that lasted all of three seconds, but which was long enough for her to want to pull her hair out one at a time.
"Next, next!" she insisted, hitting on Rabastan lightly to expel some cringe from her body.
Evan laughed and pointed at Crouch. "Truth or dare?"
"I'll pick truth," said Crouch with a grin.
"Best hookup."
Barty's eyes flitted to Rabastan smugly as he said, "His sister."
"Please don't ever say that again," murmured Rabastan, looking as though he might be sick.
Crouch laughed, and took a shot, as he turned to Mulciber. "Truth or dare, big guy?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to—"
Before he could finish, Mulciber had reached for a shot of the Firewhisky and downed it.
"You're also no fun," said Irma, with a roll of her eyes as she slid of his lap.
"His turn is forfeited," commented Rune, crossing her legs eagerly. "I'll go next then. Rab, truth or dare?"
Rabastan furrowed his brows before shrugging, "Since you're all chicken, I'll do it, dare."
"Shit," she muttered, and when he raised an eyebrow at her, she pursed her lips.
"Oh, you must really want to know something," he said, laughing with a tinge of nervousness.
"Yeah," she said, and then her eyes lit up as realization dawned upon her. "I dare you to tell me who you have a crush on."
She hadn't anticipated the way a glimmer of fear entered his eyes, but it gave her a sense of hope.
He was scared of telling which meant... one thing only.
It was her he had a crush on.
Rabastan reached for the shot as shook his head at her. "That feels like cheating. But let's just say, I have a crush on someone none of you would suspect."
As he lifted the glass to his lips, Evan snorted. "Who's chicken now?"
Just then, the door opened, and Regulus barely took a step in the room before stopping fully to analyze the scene.
"Oh, perfect timing, Reg," said Rabastan, with a smirk. "I dare you to kiss the prettiest person in the room."
Rune must have imagined it because she felt Regulus' eyes stop on hers for a moment too long for it to be unintentional.
"I don't want to play this game," he said moodily, before walking off to his bed and drawing the curtains around it.
"All that hotness for nothing," complained Irma. "He's a right wet blanket."
"I can hear you," said Regulus calmly from behind his curtains.
That shut her up immediately.
Rune looked at the bottle and then at Rabastan. She pretty much had her confirmation.
She was done with the game.
So, she stood up and wiped her hands on her skirt. "Enjoy the whiskey. I'm heading off to bed."
"Already?" asked Rabastan, glancing at the clock behind her head.
She had to bite down on her smile as she nodded. She looked at the rest of the group and waved them a quick bye before turning and hurrying out of the room.
Step One could be ticked off as a success.