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Remus flopped onto the red sofa, disgruntled. He did not enjoy playing Truth or Dare, but when your best friends were James Potter and Sirius Black, what was a bloke to do?
‘There, satisfied?’ he asked the rest of the group. They were all clutching their sides and laughing helplessly, so he assumed they were.
‘Mate, that was incredible,’ James gasped. He straightened his robes and reached for Lily’s hand. She smiled lovingly at him as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. Sirius lounged on James’s other side, of course, and Peter sat on the floor nearby. All the seventh year Gryffindors had gathered in the common room to play while the younger students watched enviously.
‘Well, it’s my turn now, isn’t it?’ Remus asked them, already knowing the answer. He just wanted them to move on from his ... well, his display. He knew that Sirius and James had thought up his dare, and he knew just how to repay them.
‘Yeah, Remus,’ answered Sirius casually. ‘Go ahead.’
Remus narrowed his eyes, staring straight back at Sirius. ‘Truth or Dare?’
Sirius snorted. ‘Dare, of course.’
Excellent, Remus thought, his eyes gleaming. ‘Sirius, I dare you to kiss Lily.’
Gasps echoed around the room. Sirius’s smug grin faltered, and Lily went pale. Whispers broke out amongst the younger students.
‘You can’t be serious,’ objected James. ‘What kind of a dare is that? You can’t force a kiss on Lily like that!’
‘James, it’s okay,’ Lily whispered to him. ‘It’s just a kiss.’ She patted his hand comfortingly. ‘You don’t think I’ll actually fall for Sirius or something, do you? I’m with you, silly thing.’
James calmed down at her words, his scowl softening. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he said sheepishly. ‘But still …’
‘You know I would never do this if it weren’t for the dare, mate,’ Sirius said. ‘But now I have to.’
‘I know,’ James repeated. ‘Go on, get it over with.’
Hesitantly, shyly, Sirius and Lily stood up and moved toward each other. Awkwardly, Sirius put his hand on Lily’s waist, drawing her closer, and Lily slid her hands up to rest on his broad shoulders. Sirius’s other hand gently cupped her cheek as her bent closer to her lips. Slowly, slowly, his mouth lowered until it was just touching hers, softly caressing. Timidly, Lily began to reciprocate, her lips catching his and working lazily. The hand that rested on Lily’s cheek slipped back into her hair, and her hands tightened on Sirius’s shoulders in response.
Remus stared at his two friends, almost embarrassed for them. This was more than just a peck, clearly. He looked over at James. His friend was gaping at his girlfriend, turning red as he watched her snog his best friend. The rest of the crowd was tittering and whispering, and Remus didn’t blame them.
‘Oi!’ hollered James.
Sirius and Lily jumped apart as though shocked, standing there awkwardly. It seemed like neither could believe what had just happened, and nobody knew what to do.
After a few seconds, Remus cleared his throat. ‘Erm, well, I suppose it’s your turn now, Sirius.’
‘What?’ Sirius said, jerking his head toward Remus. ‘Oh, right. Right. Uh, Mike, Truth or Dare?’
As soon as he spoke, Lily moved over to James, taking his hand and looking at him anxiously. Remus sighed in relief as James smiled at her. They went off away from the group, and Remus could hear them whispering. Finally, James came back over to him.
‘Hey, we’re going to take a walk,’ he told Remus.
‘Okay,’ he said, nodding, watching as James and Lily climbed out of the portrait hole.
::
Remus lay awake, listening to Peter’s snores and Sirius’s steady breathing. A part of him felt guilty for daring what he had, but most of him was pleased with the way he had completely flummoxed his friends.
He heard the door open and he snapped his eyes shut against the beam of light. James was back. Remus tried to calm and regulate his breathing so James would think he was asleep. He listened intently, hearing James slip out of his robes and into bed.
‘Pst, Sirius, you awake?’ he heard James whisper. Remus knew that Sirius had been asleep for a while, so he was surprised when Sirius answered.
‘I am now,’ mumbled Sirius groggily. ‘What do you want?’
‘Oh, nothing,’ James said. ‘I was just wondering.’ He paused. ‘Sirius?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Well, I was just wondering ...’
‘Mate, look. It didn’t mean anything,’ Sirius cut in. ‘It was just a kiss. You know she fancies you. Hell, she might even love you. I don’t know. All I have to say is, you know what a bloody fantastic kisser Evans is. Do you blame me?’
‘No, and you’re right,’ James answered. ‘She ... well, she told me tonight that she loved me.’
‘And?’
‘And what?’
‘And what did you say?’ Sirius pressed.
‘Oh, I said it, too, of course,’ said James nonchalantly. ‘Well, good night, Sirius.’
‘Night.’
Remus heard James rustling with his sheets, and then silence. Well, that didn’t turn out so bad, he thought. I suppose you could say I helped move James’s relationship along. Not bad.