Disclaimer: Harry Potter, not mine, etc. so on and so forth.
He knew it was a risk, taking her to a new establishment like this, on an official date nonetheless, but he felt he owed it to her. Their big blowup after her graduation about the direction of their relationship did not end well to say the least. Rasputin's Restaurante was rumored to be even better than the critics let on. And in no way was it cheap.
"Neville, you didn't have to . . ."
He quickly silenced Ginny by saying, "You deserve the best and this is the best."
She quietly accepted that and allowed herself to be led into the new reputable wizarding hotspot. A very formal waiter met Ginny and Neville and asked for their name.
"Longbottom, uh, Neville Longbottom," Neville answered almost too quickly. His nerves compounded quickly, all the worst-case scenarios presenting themselves as he waited for the waiter to confirm the reservation.
"Ah, Mr. Longbottom, here you are," the host said tapping the book with his quill. "Right this way please." He led them through the curtain that blocked off the entrance from the main room of the restaurant. Ginny and Neville were both instantly stunned by the vision before them. In fact, they stopped briefly and only snapped out of the daze by the host rather pointedly coughing at them. They wandered around the dance floor in the middle of the room where a live band was the centerpiece. The current music selection was slow and romantic. After weaving around several tables, the couple was seated at a cozy table for two that was tucked away in one of the many corners. "Your waiter Jacques will be with you shortly. Welcome to Rasputin's and have a pleasant stay." The host clicked his heels together and quickly disappeared out front again.
Ginny looked all around her. "Neville, you weren't kidding when you said we were going someplace high class. How can you afford this on you pittance of a salary?"
Neville smiled. "Some secrets are best kept secret, Ginny."
"Neville Longbottom, you sly dog you! Have you been taking lessons from the Slytherins again?"
He simply continued to smile. Ginny was about to harangue him some more but Jacques the Waiter arrived in all his French waiting glory.
"I am Jacques and I will be your waiter this evening," he said in a flourish of French tinged English. "May I start you out with some drinks? The house wine is excellent this time of year and you cannot go wrong with some butter beer straight from Madam Rosemerta's own lovely establishment in Hogsmeade."
Neville shook his head. "I'll just have water."
"And for you Miss?"
She smiled a bit devilishly at Neville. "I'll have the house wine."
"Of course. Here are the menus," Jacques said giving each of them a small card. "Your drinks will be here in a moment!" With as much flourish as he came, he left.
Ginny immediately began giggling. Neville cracked a smile too. Neither of them really felt like mentioning their argument anyway, not at the moment anyhow. They pondered over the menu for several moments and Jacques, just as poignant as ever, reappeared with their beverages. He went through the whole proper wine testing routine with Ginny and she agreed that it was quite good, if not also aromatic.
"Now, may I take your order? Madam?"
Ginny pondered the card again for the moment. "I'd like the Chicken Tuscany with the Caesar salad."
Jacques turned to Neville. "Monsieur?"
"I'll, um, I'll go with the Fillet Mignon, medium, no onions, and the Caesar salad as well."
"Very well." This time Jacques disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Well, that was certainly worth the entrance fee," Neville joked a bit sarcastically.
"You have been taking lessons from the Slytherins!" Ginny claimed triumphantly.
"I have not! Just because I've been helping Draco with his Herbology assignments does not mean anything!"
"Neville, he's rubbing off on you. Either that or you've been organizing Snape's stores again and I know it isn't that one."
Neville sighed in resignation. "Fine, but don't say I didn't tell you so. It was your idea I help Draco in the first place."
"Don't start that again."
"You brought it up."
"No, you did!"
By this time they were starting to gain attention from the people around them. Jacques arrived just in time with their food in another cloud of smoke. Neville and Ginny ate in silence, only the scraping of forks and knives on their plates breaking the stony silence at their table. Occasionally a particularly mournful strain from the house band would drift into their ears and they would glance at each other. Beyond that neither wanted to be the first to apologize. Eventually, Neville did break the silence, if only because Jacques arrived to take away their dinner plates and inquired if they would want dessert. Neville said they would not, but Ginny insisted they would. Finally, they came to an agreement to have dessert but Neville got to choose. Afraid to leave them for long, Jacques was back within seconds with their chocolate cake, two spoons. The cake vanished quickly as they dug into it, each furiously staring at the other.
"Ah, Mr. Rasputin, how good to see you, Sir!" Jacques announced loudly.
Neville and Ginny snapped out of their staring match and immediately did a double take. The voice that responded to Jacques was unmistakable and known all too well by both former Gryffindor students.
"I trust you enjoyed your chocolate cake Miss Weasley, Mr. Longbottom. Perhaps now you'll stop your petty bickering and get on with your evening already. It seems you're both still the dunderheads I taught for all those years. If you're not, do prove me wrong, especially you, Longbottom." The whole speech came with the speaker's custom show of contempt toward Hogwarts' students, more specifically Gryffindors. Neville and Ginny could only stare for a minute. "Well, get on with it!"
That was all Neville needed to act. "Ginny, would you dance with me?"
"I would love to, Neville." He took Ginny's hand and led her to the dance floor where they quickly apologized for their pigheadedness and happily concluded their evening.
: P
Once Rasputin's Restaurante closed for the evening and Jacques was cleaning up after the last of the patrons, he found the owner of the establishment seated in a corner nursing a rather large Ogden's. "Mr. Rasputin, sir, may I inquire as to why you were so harsh with Mr. Longbottom this evening?"
He chuckled. "Cut the act. You know all too well that my name is not Rasputin and your name is not Jacques."
"Very well, Severus," the waiter replied, taking a seat across the table, "what lesson was there to be learned this evening?"
"Rosemerta, Longbottom is incompetent when it comes to dealing with Miss Weasley and his emotions. I simply helped them along a bit."
The two old acquaintances shared a knowing smile and congratulated each other on another prosperous evening in the restaurant business.
The EndA/N: Bonus points if you guess who the host is when they first arrive! Oneshot for January's Quill Challenge at the Hideaway.