AN: Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.
The Art of Flirting
AlwaysPadfoot
A lantern shone dimly through the thick fog that had descended upon Hogsmeade.
Kingsley strode across the icy ground towards it, knowing that the light was illuminating his way to The Three Broomsticks. Truth be told, he didn't really need the lantern to know where he was going, he could have done it with a hand over his eyes. Hogsmeade was his favourite place to spend his night off and have a quiet drink without the stresses of his job as an Auror burdening him.
Wiping his shoes on the mat at the door of the pub, Kingsley felt a wave of warmth wash over him as he entered.
It was busy inside, but his attention was immediately taken by Madam Rosmerta, who waved him over to the bar like always. Kingsley considered her beautiful and intelligent — she was the only reason he kept coming back here. He respected her unwaveringly for running the pub alone after her father had passed away last year.
He approached the bar, his arms outstretched with a smile wide on his face. "Madam Rosmerta, you are looking as beautiful as ever. How are you this evening?"
"Very well, Mr. Shacklebolt. Very well," she responded before selecting a glass off the shelf behind her. "The usual?"
Kingsley nodded, fishing some money from his pocket to pay with as he took a seat at the bar.
They made small talk like always, Rosmerta occasionally popping away to clear glasses and serve other customers. As the pub got quieter, their topics of conversation shifted, cycling through old discussions and new ones. When Kingsley finally decided that it was nearly time for him to head home, Rosmerta asked him a question she had not before. "Why do you always come and spend your nights off here?"
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Kingsley responded with a wry smile.
Her expression softened and she raised an eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"
"You wish," Kingsley said, before riskily adding: "although, if I was flirting, did that work?"
Rosmerta rolled her eyes, her smile not faltering as she dried glasses and placed them away. Kingsley waited in anticipation for a response, hoping that she thought him serious. If she didn't, he would let it go, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be upset about it.
"Well, for starters," Rosmerta finally said, "you're doing it wrong."
Kingsley grinned, leaning forward, his chin in his left hand. His ring tapped against the glass in his right hand as he arched an eyebrow. "Oh I am, am I?"
She tucked her cloth into her apron, her green eyes scouring the now empty bar, before she approached Kingsley. Rosmerta leant towards him, so close he could smell her perfume, and her lips turned up into a cheeky smile.
She hummed lightly. "You are."
"In that case, I had better come back and try again, and soon."
Rosmerta made a noise that clearly indicated agreement and spoke in a low, sultry voice. "Maybe, next time, you should come back on my night off."
And that was exactly what Kingsley did.
Comp/Challenge & Prompts:
- Valentine Drabble Collection Competition: KingsleyRosmerta / Lantern
- FanFiction Resolutions Challenge: 10. Write a pairing you've never written.
- Conversation Starter Prompt Challenge: 23. Have a character tell another character they're beautiful.
- Bath Bomb Appreciation Challenge: 16. Girl Power - Write about a powerful woman.
- Insane House Challenge: 667. "Are you flirting with me?" / "You wish."
- 365 Prompts Challenge: 194. Location - The Three Broomsticks
- Tea Challenge: 18. Bright Night - Write about a night out.
- Writing Club: [Showtime] - 3. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
- Writing Club: [Count Your Buttons] - Money (word), "You're doing it wrong." (dialogue)
- Writing Club: [TV Show of the Month] - Greg Lestrade: (character) Kingsley Shacklebolt, (object) Ring, (word) Respect, (occupation) Auror
- Dragon Appreciation Challenge
Word Count: 516 — not inc. notes, titles, or ANs.