The Bet
Ginny trudged into the house and dropped her Quidditch gear near the door. When she'd first left school, she'd been signed immediately with the Harpies. Practices had been brutal, but she'd had something to prove then. Now that she was with the Arrows, she'd made a name for herself, had a slightly smaller chip on her shoulder, and didn't feel the need to push herself to the point of breaking just to prove a point. Thus, she was feeling it a lot more. Practices with the Arrows were becoming more grueling every day, and she tonight wanted nothing more than a nice relaxing bath with….
She sighed, hearing the thump and creative swearing that followed. "Tonks," she said, shaking her head. Kicking off her shoes, she wound her way through the apartment, searching for her girlfriend. She found her in the bedroom, repairing the bedside table.
"Wotcher, Gin."
"Do I even want to know how you managed to decapitate the nightstand?" Ginny asked, grinning.
Tonks stuck her tongue out at her. "I tripped."
"Which doesn't fully explain how you broke a table."
"Hush. What are we ordering for supper?"
Between Tonks' clumsiness and Ginny's lack of any sort of ambition in the cookery department, they were both fully committed to take away.
"I'll call for pizza. And when I pick it up, I'm stopping by the store on the way to get some things to Tonks-proof our flat."
"I'm not that bad!" Tonks said, a hint of indignation in her voice.
"Today it's the table, two days ago you nearly set our kitchen on fire trying to heat up some sausages, last week you managed to trip over the coffee table - lacerating both yourself and the sofa at the same time -"
"To be fair, though, it was dark and I was still sort of drunk."
"And need I remind you about the tragic strawberry smoothie incident about a month back?"
"That doesn't count! That goose was evil!"
"I'm sure. But the fact of the matter is, you can't go a week without hurting yourself or the furniture, so -"
"I can so!"
"Can't."
"Can."
"Can't."
"I bet you I can," Tonks said. Then she quirked an eyebrow at Ginny's smirk. "What?"
"What would you bet me?"
"Huh?"
"You said that you bet you could. Well, what's the bet? For one week of you not breaking anything, including yourself."
A devious smile spread across Tonks' face. "You, me, two weeks in America. And we're trying all the unhealthy American foods you won't let me have here."
"Done. And when I win, you're taking me on vacation to Paris."
Tonks, a lifelong Londoner at heart, made a face. "Deal. You sure you want to take this risk, Weasley?"
"Oh, I'm sure, Nymphadora. I have an early practice tomorrow, so I'm going to get a shower and go to bed. Try not to lose the bet before it even starts." She gave Tonks a kiss and sauntered off to their bedroom.
Tonks was slightly worried. Sure, everyone has their pride, and she really didn't think she was that bad when it came to the clumsiness thing…. Still, she was afraid she'd just bitten off more than she could chew. And possibly more than she could lift. She groaned and got to her feet, walking slowly and carefully so she didn't prove her girlfriend right, right off the bat. She went into the office and took out a sheet of parchment. She sat down with exaggerated care - just the week before, she'd plopped down and the rolly chair had gone skyrocketing backwards, leaving her on the floor. She dipped her quill into the ink and wrote, Dear Padma, If you have an opening tomorrow, I'd like an appointment….
The Rules
The bell above the shop door jingled merrily when Tonks walked in.
"There's my favorite Auror!" Padma Patil said, smiling brightly.
"Don't let Harry hear you say that," Tonks said with a laugh. "Or your sister, for that matter."
"They know already, and fully agree. Besides, Harry's my husband and Parvati's family - that's a conflict of interests if we're voting on favorites. So, what brings you in today? I thought you'd never let me dress you."
Tonks looked around the trendy clothing store. "See, the thing is…."
Padma was trembling with suppressed laughter by the time Tonks was done explaining the bet. "And coming to me isn't considered cheating?" she asked, snorting.
"We didn't lay down ground rules, so I'm getting this in before Ginny thinks to. I need a robe I won't trip over."
"Right," Padma said, nodding. "Let's get you into a fitting room. I have a few new styles in that might work. Fresh off of Bulgaria's spring fashion week lines."
"Please don't put me in flowers."
George stared at his little sister, mouth slightly open. "So...let me get this perfectly straight…" he began slowly. "You made a bet with your girlfriend that she couldn't not trip, fall, break something, or otherwise succumb to her infamous clumsiness."
"That's right," Ginny said.
"But you're not sure that you'll actually win the bet, because now Tonks has gone all paranoid and came back home with a wardrobe full of stylish, trip proof clothes."
"You've got it so far."
"So you need me to invent something that will help you win this bet, without hurting your lady."
"Exactly. I really want that Paris trip, and she's already researching deep fried Twinkies, George," Ginny said desperately.
George stared at her for another minute, and then burst out laughing. "Okay, one? That would be cheating. Tonks merely altered her environment to better navigate her surroundings -"
"That's what I had in mind," Ginny muttered.
"And two? Assuming I did come up with something and had it tested and safe for use before your week was up? Angelina would find out. Woman has psychic powers, I'm telling you. She would find out, and then she would kill me. Kill me, probably over a long time period, in a creative fashion. She would kill me to restore the balance of sanity in the world, because I'd clearly have to be insane to go along with this. Plus, you know how she and Tonks are. They both have that "Oh god, did we really just marry into the Weasley family" bond. Same as Hermione - oh Merlin, Hermione! If anyone could find a way to bring me back from the dead, just to kill me again, it would be her!"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Some help you are, big brother."
George grinned. "Life's rough, sis. But if Fred were here, you know he was always slightly more devious, he'd probably tell you to do something weird - like move all of the furniture five inches to the left."
Ginny smiled and hugged him. "See? I knew you'd come up with something."
"Really, Ginny?"
"You've got to be kidding me, Tonks!"
The couple stood glaring at each other over the take away boxes of curry. Finally, Ginny smiled.
"Fine...we should have done this last night, but since we didn't…. You can wear your new trip proof clothes, however, you cannot Floo in sick to work for the whole week. In return, I'll put all the furniture back and won't actively try to sabotage your attempts to remain disaster free. Deal?"
"Deal."
The Outcome
Weekly dinner at the Weasleys was still the thing Tonks looked forward to the most. She hadn't missed even one since her first, when she and Ginny had announced that they were a couple. That had been three years ago, and even though she was worried about calamity in the presence of the others, she'd be damned if she chickened out of this because of the stupid bet.
"Dare I even ask?" Arthur said, coming to sit next to her on the couch.
"You haven't heard from George or Harry? They're over in the corner, sniggering." Tonks sent a playful glare at the boys, and laughed when they scattered.
"No. What's going - oh, wait! Is this the bet about you falling and causing injury to yourself or innocent bystanding objects?"
"That would be it."
"How much longer do you have to last?"
"By my count...two hours and five minutes."
"In that case, allow me to get a plate for you."
"Cheers, Arthur."
"No, no helping, Dad," Ginny called from the kitchen. She came in carrying a plate. "If Tonks wants food, she has to get it herself."
Everyone watched as Tonks stood and walked into the cozy kitchen.
"Guys!" she whined. "I can't do this if everyone's watching me all the time!"
"I will never understand you and Ginny's need to turn everything into a competition," Molly said, trying not to laugh. "It's turning into a monthly thing."
"We're not that bad, are we?" Tonks asked, helping herself to the rolls.
"The honeymoon bet that you thought no one knew about, that dratted Halloween in Muggle London that you subjected the whole family to, the sandcastle fiasco…" Molly ticked off on her fingers. "Oh, and who could forget the gingerbread incident from last Christmas?"
"To be fair, Harry and Padma goaded us into that one, and they were deeply involved in the competition itself."
"She's right, there," Padma called from the dining room where she was helping Ron feed the numerous Weasley grandchildren.
"Well, you and Ginny are definitely a match made in heaven," Molly said. "I think anyone else would go crazy with either of you."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Meant as such."
Tonks grinned and carried her plate back to the living room. Everyone was listening to the Holyhead-Dublin game on the Wireless. She kissed Ginny on the cheek when she sat down. "So, fried Twinkies or chicken and waffles first?"
"You haven't won yet, love," Ginny said.
Tonks didn't respond to that. It was true, but with barely an hour and a half left, she was feeling optimistic.
The bet was forgotten as the whole family listened to Holyhead hand Dublin their asses in one of the most one-sided Quidditch matches ever. By the time the Snitch was caught, Ron and Padma (both Dublin fans) were both near tears - this emotional state being helped along by the Firewhiskey that had been consumed. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ginny were ecstatic, since that meant Ginny's team wouldn't have to deal with Dublin in the finals.
Tonks stood to get another glass of water. She'd made it about halfway to the kitchen, when she tripped on one of Victoire's toy trains. She lay there on the floor.
The room went silent. The normal reaction would've been to check to see if she was okay, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
"I still won!"
"What?"
That brought the room back to life. Ginny rushed over and helped her up, while Ron and Harry clock-checked.
"She's right," Ron said, grinning. "It's 9:32. She beat you by two minutes."
"YES!" Tonks hollered.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Ginny yelled.
"Fried Twinkies, here we come!"
LbN: Hope you liked it! There's a new poll up for the next HP multi-chapter fic, if you'd like to vote. :)