Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Potterverse is not mine. The plot, however, is.

Chapter Six

The next day, Hermione Flooed Ginny and Lavender and set up a meeting. She was bored of the boys - men - in her life choosing what was best for her, and she wanted a woman's perspective. And although she had already had a little of Lavender's, she had felt that she had restricted her opinions because of Ron being there. This way, they could have a private little meeting.

And even though it was only eleven in the morning, the three of them were sitting in Lavender's flat with one bottle of wine already finished and another on the way to following that.

"What you need... is someone that already cares for you, and you them, but neither of you having sibling feelings for each other... or whatever your problem is." Ginny was slurring slightly as she swayed in her seat.

"Yeah." Lavender grinned. "Know anybody, Gin? Surely there's someone in her life."

Hermione, who was still nursing her first glass, scowled. "Stop it! This isn't helping anybody; I don't have feelings for anybody."

"Sure you don't." Ginny smirked. "Hmm, what we need are a couple of bottles of Veritaserum."

Lavender shook her head so enthusiastically that she almost fell off her seat. "No, no. What we need," she paused for dramatic affect, "is to use the truth or dare spell."

"How will that help?" Hermione downed the little wine she had left and placed her glass on the table. "We're not playing a game here! This is my life... and my-"

Ginny giggled, her eyes glinting as she turned to Hermione. "No, it's not a game. But it does reveal secrets even you may not know."

"What-"

"Like crushes." Ginny placed her glass on the table next to Hermione's and settled herself back into her seat as if about to observe an experiment. "You may not know them yet, but deep down, they're starting. The spell reveals that."

"I'm sooo glad I never had to play that when we were still at school." Lavender shook her head.

"I know; I always made sure I was caster so I wouldn't have to play." Ginny laughed, "You should have heard some of the things I found out!"

Both Ginny and Lavender dissolved into fits of giggles whilst Hermione looked on slightly bemused, but extremely wary of what was going to happen. Slightly intoxicated, she did not even attempt to defend herself when Ginny raised her wand; she just crossed her eyes in an attempt to follow the tip of her wand.

Hermione felt a warm wave wash over her as an orange light enveloped her, which caused a slight squeezing sensation before disappearing.

"So how does it work?" Hermione asked nervously, suddenly wishing she hadn't had any of the wine at all as it churned about in her stomach.

"We'll take turns asking you questions... and you just answer them. Obviously, dares won't be involved so that aspect won't come into play... but you won't be able to lie."

"Okay." Hermione's face paled slightly, and her eyes flicked nervously between the two other girls as she watched them confer about which questions to ask.

"Right, first question: Are you in love with anyone?"

As hard as she tried, Hermione couldn't say 'no'. It actually felt like a physical weight was resting on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't speak. She couldn't even mouth the word.

"We'll take that as a 'yes', but that it's an unconscious feeling."

"Does he show any feelings towards you?" Lavender chipped in.

Again, she tried to say 'no'; she had no idea why. She hadn't even known she was in love with anyone, let alone that they could have been in love or have feelings for her. Sighing, she hung her head.

"Oooh, another yes!" Ginny bounced up and down in her seat. "Okay, okay, I have one... do we know him?"

"Yes." Hermione sighed; this wasn't really working. She wasn't finding out anything. "Look, before you ask another question, I have one of my own."

The two drunk and excited girls glanced at each other before answering in unison, "Go ahead."

"Will you be able to ask who it is?"

"It doesn't work that way; you have to be consciously aware, at least a little, for you to be able to answer with a name."

"So there's no point in continuing then. We know I'm in love. That he has feelings for me. But I've made no progress… I don't know who the 'he' is. I'm going to lose my house." Hermione burst into tears. Ginny and Lavender set about comforting her and sending each other glances which suggested blame on the other for suggesting the game in the first place.

***

A couple of hours later, the three girls were asleep on the sofa, huddled up together, offering each other support. Both Lavender and Ginny had tried their best to comfort Hermione in her discovery, but it had only served to depress her more.

She just couldn't think of who it could possibly be. Everyone she had ever dated was out of the question; there were reasons those relationships had ended, and everyone else had been such a close friend from such a young age that they were more family than husband material.

Eventually they had fallen asleep, but it was troubled sleep which wouldn't leave them feeling refreshed at all. But at least they had escaped reality, even if it was only for a moment in time.

***

AN: Thank you for reading!