A/N: Merry Christmas to all of you I love you all and am so thankful for every person who reads my work!
Cassidy
The five of us were sprawled out along the couch and armchairs after a multiple course meal that Mrs. Weasley had made us nearly an hour ago. Molly and Arthur had said goodnight and headed upstairs a few minutes ago, earning a chorus of goodbyes from the room.
After a few more minutes of near silence, the only sound coming from the scratches of Ginny's quill in her notepad in the corner of the room, Fred crept to the kitchen, earning a few side glances since no one had moved in what felt like hours.
When he returned, hands both secured behind his back, a mischievous grin lining his face, George sat up straight in his seat next to where I was lying.
"What'cha got there Freddie?" He asked, matching his twins smile now.
Fred hopped over the back of the couch and landed in the spot next to me and set a large bottle of firewhiskey on the coffee table with a bang.
"Careful!" I exclaimed, hearing the sound of the glass before realizing what it was.
"Where'd you get that?" Ron asked, sounding slightly amused with his brothers antics.
"Snuck it back from school. I've had it under the sink."
He passed around four glasses and Ginny shot him a look from her arm chair in the corner.
"No drinking Gin. Mum would kill us." Fred shrugged.
"She's gonna kill you anyways when I tell her-"
"Ginny!" George gave her a sickly sweet smile and she returned to her seat, rolling her eyes slightly as she returned to her drawing.
"Ginny, i'll sit it out with you-" I started before Fred pushed the cup into my hands.
"Oh no. You're drinking." He and George echoed together.
"I'm drinking or I really am telling mum." Ron shot a look between the twins who nodded towards the fourth glass.
"Of course, Ronnie." George smiled again at his younger brother as Fred began filling each of our glasses.
"Truth or dare, Georgie?" Fred leaned back on the couch and I gripped my drink in both hands, looking down at the orangey liquid and resisting the urge to look over to him.
"You didn't say anything about truth or-" Ron began, taking the first sip of his drink.
"Dare." George answered without thinking twice.
"Dare you to go ask mum and dad if you can sleep with them tonight because you've been having bad dreams."
"Lame." He chuckled, leaning back over the couch and landing on his feet sloppily before heading up the stairs.
"They're going to think he's on drugs." Fred laughed, taking a sip of his drink as if it was just water and not the worlds most disgusting alcohol ever made.
We all waited a few more minutes before George returned, smiling as if he was having the time of his life.
"Dad was going to let me stay, but mum knew it was a prank. Almost kicked me out, literally." He jumped back onto the couch, causing Fred and I to jostle against each other and he reached for my drink to stop it from spilling.
"Did you take your sip?" George asked, eyeing Fred suspiciously.
"Brother dearest, I'm no cheater!" Fred feigned offense.
"You guys play this often?" I asked, noticing how none of them had to clarify any of the rules.
"Only when the twins are bored." Ron answered lazily.
"Your turn Cassidy."
"My turn?" I tried not to sound whiney. Obviously I had many questions I could ask Fred if I knew he had to be truthful, and many dares I wouldn't dream of going through with considering we were surrounded by his siblings. "Ron, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Shocker." The twins muttered, earning a pillow thrown at each of them from the younger Weasley.
"Do you have a crush on anyone at Hogwarts?" I asked, knowing how angry Hermione would be if I brought her into this, but also noticing the constant banter between the two 24/7.
"Nope." He answered easily. The boys all looked at me as if waiting for my response.
"What?" I asked.
"He answered it, so you have to take a drink. If he refuses a truth or a dare he has to finish his whole drink, but if he answers you take one."
"How is that the rules?" I groaned, taking a sip of the whiskey and trying to hold in a grimace.
"Good girl." Fred smirked and George snorted out a laugh from my side.
"George?" I prompted, wanting the attention off myself.
"Freddie, truth or dare."
I turned to watch Fred as he thought it over and watched him shoot his brother a warning look.
"Truth..."
"Now that is a shocker." George looked surprised for only a second. "Alright, who was your first kiss?"
"Stimpson. Second year." He said as George took a sip from his whiskey.
"Patricia Stimpson?" He asked.
"Yeah, but I think she was dared. She was a year above us, I didn't even know her name until after."
"Ron's turn." We all turned towards Ron as he scanned our faces.
"Cassidy, truth or dare?"
"Truth." I answered at once, afraid of a dare from any of the Weasley boys.
"Do you have a crush on anyone at Hogwarts?"
I paused, not letting myself look at any faces besides Ron's and hoping the twins couldn't hear my heart threatening to jump from my chest.
I could just lie. They won't know.
Or just tell the truth. They won't care.
"Yeah." I answered, keeping my voice calm, as if it was obvious. Of course I had a crush. Everyone has a crush.
"Ooooooh." George elbowed me in the side and I winced and scooted out of his reach, my legs now pressing into Fred's.
"Ron, truth or dare."
"Truth." He answered again.
"You can't always do truth!" The siblings all yelled back, even Ginny who I hadn't realized had been paying attention.
"Like hell I'm letting any of you pick a dare for me." He retorted.
"Which professor would you snog?" Fred set his cup on the table and leaned his head back into his hands.
"Oh, Merlin..." Ron grimaced. "It's gotta be Sinistra, right? Although I think I would pass out."
The four of us laughed and Fred took his drink, turning towards me.
"Georgie, truth or dare?"
"Truth." He answered this time.
"You fancy anyone right now?" I asked, knowing this was the only time you would get an honest answer out of the twin.
"I may." He answered vaguely.
"You picked truth!" I protested.
"Yes, I do." He corrected himself and nodded at me to take another drink.
"It's gotta stop being my turn, this is brutal." I whined after swallowing my sip.
"Dear Cassidy." George smiled at me. "Truth or dare?"
I hesitated, not wanting to be the one who always picks truth, but not trusting a dare from George.
"Dare..." I answered, very unsure.
"Dare!" George exclaimed. "Finally, someone brave. I dare you... to knock on Percy's door and ask if he's alright because he's been so quiet."
"George, don't make me bother Percy, he's going to be livid! What if he's asleep!"
"He won't sleep for hours, all he does up there is extra work for the ministry. Go on! Or down your whole drink."
I looked down at my drink and shuddered at the thought, climbing over the couch the way the twins did and starting up to the second floor where Percy's room was.
I knocked at the door softly, secretly hoping he wouldn't answer, but holding back a sigh when he did.
"Oh, thank Merlin, thought you were the twins." He said, looking around the hall as if to check if they were around. "What can I do for you, Cassidy?"
"I just wanted to make sure you're doing well. You've been up here since dinner." I tried to smile innocently, knowing if he suspected the twins had put me up to this he would come down and find us all drinking, or that worse, he might think I was flirting with him.
He gave me a slightly confused look, but he seemed to think I was being sincere.
"Yes, I'm fine. Got a lot of work to do for tomorrow. We're introducing a standard for cauldron thickness, but got to have the report done by Friday, you see or everything will be pushed back for ages. That's the way things go at the ministry, I've found."
"Oh, good! That's great, Percy. Well I was just checking. Have a good night." I waited for him to take a breath in between his many sentences and excused myself back downstairs.
"Got me into a conversation about cauldrons George, now drink up." I muttered as I returned to my seat in between the twins.
"Ronnie." Fred motioned towards Ron for his turn.
"Don't call me that." He replied instantly and scanned the rest of the group, thinking over his options. "Fred, truth or dare?"
"Dare." He grinned, obviously more eager to take a dare from his younger brother than his twin.
"Dare you to... write a letter to McGonagall just to tell her you're missing her."
"I've been meaning to do that anyway." Fred shrugged, holding his hand out for a giggling Ginny to toss him her paper and quill.
"Dearest Minnie," He began reading the letter aloud. "I'm writing to see how your summer is going. Mine is going fine, although I am missing my favorite professor terribly. I hope Peeves is keeping you on your toes until we return.
Tell Dumbledore and Filch George and I send our best.
Fred Weasley"
He folded the paper three times and started to the kitchen, stuffing it in an envelope and handing it to Pigwidgeon who was jumping up and down in anticipation to finally have a letter to deliver.
"Starting the school year in the negative points, that's a first for us Freddie." George smiled as Ron took another drink from his cup.
"My turn." Fred looked at the group of us. "Cassy. Truth or dare?"
Something inside of me was aching to say dare. To see what the dare from Fred would be. Something about the devilish smile he was wearing.
"Dare." I tried to sound confident, but my voice came out sounding squeaky, even to me.
"I dare you..." He pretended to be thinking hard, but as his eyes flicked back to my own, I knew he had known all along. "To kiss the hottest one in the room."
My stomach felt like it had dropped out of my body entirely, like maybe I should check for it under the couch.
"I..." I started before realizing I had no where planned to go with that sentence.
"Just a little kiss, Cass, I'm right here." George teased, leaning in slightly before Fred shoved him back against the arm rest with a laugh.
"You wish." He joked.
"You're identical, idiots." Ron interrupted.
"Hardly." The twins answered together.
I finally decided my answer and picked up my glass from the table, pinching my nose and downing it in one gulp.
"Bloody Hell, Cassidy!" Fred exclaimed, pulling the glass from my hands once I had finished, jumping over the couch to fill the glass with water as I coughed from the burning in my throat.
"I didn't think you'd actually finish that, I can't even believe it." George was nearly bent over with laughter and I started to laugh with him, taking light sips of the water Fred had brought.
"Kissing me would have been much more enjoyable." Fred winked in my direction and I shook my head, shoving him the way he had shoved his brother minutes ago as George took his turn.
We played a few more rounds before Ron announced he was heading to bed and the twins made Ginny go with them.
"Why? Cassidy gets to stay up, and you're not mum." She bit back.
"Gin, get some sleep, we're going to the lake tomorrow if it's sunny. Sound good?" Fred gave her a smile and she sighed, her eyes showing how tired she really was, even if she wanted to try and stay up with her brothers.
"Fine. I'll see you in a bit Cass?" She looked at me, obviously not wanting to miss out on any more fun.
"Yeah, I'll be right in." I answered her, already feeling a bit tipsy from downing my drink so quickly.
"Alright, well i'll head in too then." Fred shrugged, and I felt slightly disappointed, the way I always did when he left. "Coming George?"
"In a minute." George answered once Fred was already at the staircase.
"Alright then..." Fred shot the two of us a look before starting up the stairs Ron had just climbed.
"I should get to bed before I can't walk anymore. Firewhiskey is not one to mess with-"
George grabbed my wrist as I started to stand and I gasped without thinking.
"Sorry. Stay a minute." He looked apologetic for grabbing at me and I guessed that Fred must have told him about my father after all. "Truth or dare." He said again.
"...Da-"
"Don't pick dare."
"Truth?" I laughed, pulling my legs up and turning on the couch to face him.
"Are you in love with my brother?" He smiled, knowingly.
"George, what the hell!"
"That's not an answer." His face held his grin. "It's fine, I already know, but remember our deal was you have to tell me, so I'm giving you a chance."
"George, we're done playing, everyone's already in bed, I'm out of my drink..."
"I'll refill it then. Or you can just answer."
"Nope! Going to bed-" I tried to stand again but he pulled me back down.
"I'll tell you a secret so we're even. You can trust me, Cassidy."
I hesitated. Telling his brother. Not just his brother, his twin? This had to be a terrible idea.
If I was going to tell anyone, I should tell Ginny. Or Hermione. Or Percy, lord knows he wouldn't care. Not George.
"You first." I answered finally.
"Alright. I like Angelina. A bit." He added the last part as an afterthought that I didn't fully believe.
It was like a flame had been lit beneath my stomach, sending excited bursts of warmth through my body. George likes Angelina. That's got to be a good thing somehow.
"Really? Does she like you back?"
"Dunno. Haven't asked." He joked. "We talk sometimes, but I'm assuming as friends. I dunno."
"Well I saw you two at the parties last year. Getting her drinks and dancing, she's got to be a little into you. I mean, you're not all bad." I joked back and he shook his head, grinning at me.
"Good one. Your turn."
I licked my lips without thinking, instantly regretting it when I tasted the leftover whiskey painting them.
"Oh my God, I pinky swear I won't tell! Just say it!" He yelled and I clapped my hands over his mouth before the whole house woke back up.
"Oh my God, okay! Yes! I do." I whispered without thinking, just needing to shut him up.
"Hah! I knew it!"
"It's stupid, I know. I'm stupid. I'll get over it." I stammered out, wanting to go back in time and just go to bed when Fred had left now.
"Not stupid. Obvious, sure. Even mum knows, haven't you seen her little staring sessions between the two of you?"
"George stop, you're going to give me a panic attack." I whined, setting my head in my hands.
"So why not just tell him? Actually, you shouldn't even have to. I'll make him tell you."
"Tell me?"
"That he's in love with you too."
"No he's not George. Knock it off."
"Cassidy, don't be daft. It's beyond obvious." George sprawled his legs along the couch and I budged over to give his obnoxiously long legs more space.
"He doesn't like me. He's just nice to me because of my... You know."
"No he's not. He liked you before that."
"Alright, if you're going to be mean, I'm going to bed!" I finally stood up and crossed to the back of the couch before he could get to his feet.
"Cassidy, we're talking!" He put both hands on his hips and tapped his foot impatiently.
"I'm tired though." I groaned, realistically feeling more awake than I had in weeks. "But George... please don't tell anyone... you promised." I reminded him.
"I would never break a promise." He offered me a kind smile and held out his pinky which I interlocked with my own for a second before joining Ginny in our bedroom.