All's Fair in Truth or Dare

"Lavender? Are you alright?"

Lavender looked up from her stew to reply to Parvati. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Parvati squirmed a bit in her seat. "Well, it's just that you haven't been acting like yourself. You've been really quiet ever since last night. Is something the matter?"

Lavender rolled her eyes, masking her voice with sarcasm as she lied quite easily, "I've just been sort of tired. The game went really long last night, although we did get a few good laughs out of it."

"You're forgetting the gossip! Hermione Granger spilled something huge, and since she's a friend of Harry Potter, everyone knows her. It'll spread like wildfire!" Parvati squealed, devilish delight shining in her eyes. "All we need to do is tell one person, and everyone will know!"

At this Lavender glanced down the table at Hermione. She was sitting next to Harry and across from Ron, his red hair standing out like a rose among thorns. Was there a chance he liked Hermione? And if so, would spreading this rumor bring them together? Should she risk it?

Taking one look over at the Slytherin table, Lavender turned to Parvati. "I know just the person to tell."

* * *

Hermione sighed, exasperated. Ron and Harry were babbling on about girls, and had entirely failed to notice her arrival.

As Ron gulped down some ham, Hermione noisily cleared her throat, causing Ron and Harry to notice her and a moment's lull in which Harry had to help Ron from choking. "Whoa, Hermione! I didn't see you come in!" Ron exclaimed once he could talk again.

"Oh, I know. You two were too busy speaking of...what was it again? Oh, yes, now I remember: which Gryffindor girl would look best in a string bikini?" Ron and Harry blushed furiously. "So, I'm curious. Who did you declare the winner?"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. "Er," Ron finally said, "is this a trick question?"

Hermione just sighed again. "Look, I could care less about Lavender (as I do believe she's your winner) in a swimsuit; the thought itself sends shivers down my spine."

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry replied. "So, how-"

"Lavender? Really?" Ron glanced down the table, interrupting Harry. "Oh, I suppose you're right. She is rather tanned, and she has no acne or anything. Her legs are slender, too. I love it how the girls are required to wear skirts, don't you, Harry? She's really- hey, Hermione? Where are you going?"

Hermione got up from her seat and stormed to the entrance hall, hot tears threatening to fall all the way. It's your fault for bringing it up, Hermione, she scolded herself. You know all guys fancy Lavender.

She ran into an empty classroom, leaned against the wall and tried to stop the tears from flowing.

* * *

Lavender winked at Parvati and got up from her seat. She headed towards a girl with black hair, talking feverishly to a group of others. As they saw Lavender approach, they tapped the black haired girl on the back. She swirled around, looked Lavender in the eye and asked with heavy interest, "Looking for some trouble, Miss Brown?"

"Oh, yes, but not trouble for me, or for you. Trouble for Hermione Granger. I figured you'd want to know about a little truth or dare game the Gryffindor girls played, now wouldn't you, Pansy?"

Pansy glanced over at where Hermione was sitting, talking to one of the Weasleys and Harry Potter. She seemed to be flustered about something. She wasn't her normal bushy haired know-it-all self. Something was wrong.

"Okay, I'll bite, but this better be good." Pansy's cronies leaned in closer to make sure they didn't miss a single word.

"It is," Lavender reassured her. "Last night, Hermione Granger was taking part in a ruthless game of truth or dare with the rest of the Gryffindor girls. She was given a 'truth,' which she had to answer, and told all of us who it was that she loved. Hermione Granger has admitted freely to 'loving' Ron Weasley."

Pansy's eyes lit up. "Oh, how positively delightful! I'm sure she'd never want that to spread. Just why are you telling me?"

Lavender placed a slight smirk on her face. "I just thought you'd like to know." She got up from the table and strutted back to the Gryffindor table.

As she went, she saw Hermione get up from her spot next to Harry and run out of the hall. Lavender couldn't help but smile. She took an unnecessary turn so she could walk behind Harry on her way back to Parvati. As she passed Ron's line of vision, she flipped her hair and gave him a flirtatious glance, just as she had done to steal many boys in the past.

Ron fell for it, and stopped his conversation with Harry so he could watch her make her way to Parvati farther down the table. Lavender wanted to shout out with glee, but knew that the competition between her and Hermione was not finished. But still, Lavender smiled: she had won the first battle of the Ron Weasley war.