Chapter 3 Dinner with Harry & Ginny
The floo roared green and moments later, Astoria stepped out holding a box in her hands. "Ron I'm here!" She greeted, "I've got the cake, where do you want it?"
"Just in the fridge please!" Ron answered, his voice carrying over from the next room—the dining room from the sounds of things.
Astoria brushed the faint dusting of soot off her blouse and jeans with her free hand and headed towards the kitchenette, she opened the fridge to find it bursting to the brim with food, and an entire rack filled with Tupperware containing Thai takeout. Astoria licked her lips at the sight, Ron was well aware of her preference for Thai Cuisine and so she made space on one of the racks for her cake. She shut the fridge and headed back into the sitting room and plopped herself down on his couch. The sound of heavy footfalls, the 'thud' sound they made akin to miniature earthquakes alerted her to Ron's presence; she turned around just to see him enter the room from the dining room with a broad grin on his face.
"Hullo Astoria. Thanks for showing up early," he greeted as he walked over to her.
Astoria stood from the couch and met him half-way across the room, leaning up on her toes to draw level with him to give him a kiss. "My pleasure Ron. Is everything alright?"
Ron smiled encouragingly and nodded, tilting his head to the couch, Astoria caught his meaning and so they both took a seat. "There's something I wanted to tell you before Harry and Ginny show up by the way, actually."
"What is it?" Astoria asked.
Ron's grin broadened as he reached into his trouser pocket and withdrew a flattened piece of parchment, he unfolded it from its compact form for Astoria to see and passed it to her. Her eyes widened slightly as she read over the parchment, her lips parting into a silent 'O' as she read over the contents of the form. Her eyes remained transfixed on the text, never leaving it for even a second, not until she reached the bottom and she thrust the parchment back into his arms and leaped from beside him, onto his lap in delight.
"No freaking way Ron, this is wonderful! I'm so—so happy for you!" She exclaimed, she didn't give him a chance to respond before sealing his lips with her own in a passionate snog, sucking the air from his lungs as their lips plundered one another.
Eventually, the blonde pulled back, and Ron was taken aback slightly by the sheer sense of adoration on her visage, the delight shining in her eyes. "A Senior Auror! I knew you'd be getting your promotion soon! I'm so happy!"
"That's not all actually," Ron started, a slight grin forming on his lips, "now that my promotion will take effect starting next month, I'm allowed to take on a partner. And as you know, the partner I choose…doesn't necessarily have to be of the same rank as I—" a quiet gasp escaped Astoria's lips at the unspoken meaning of his words, her eyes broadened in surprise. "—I can think of no better partner than the woman in my lap who I trust completely. I've already sent in the paperwork and the department shouldn't have an issue processing it. I want you back with me Astoria, just like during your training phase except now we'll be on equal footing; both of us proper Aurors."
Astoria pursed her lips, as she reached down to straighten out the collar of Ron's shirt that she'd mussed, "Well…not exactly equal footing is it? I'm a plain old Auror and now you're a senior one! But I do think this is a great idea. If I'm being honest I haven't really been enjoying the solo life all that much…and I'd much rather stick with you again if given the choice."
"You really mean that?" Ron asked.
"I do. You've saved my life Ron, and there's no one I trust in the world more than you. Even Daph. I'd love to work with you again if you're willing."
"Well of course I am," Ron scoffed. "I've already sent in the bloody paperwork for it!"
"Well I'm sure Harry is happy that you two will now be the same rank again," Astoria said, giving her new boyfriend a grateful glance.
Ron gave her a slight grin, "to be honest 'Tori, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one that pushed for it. It's been a few months since he's gotten his promotion and knowing him, he's probably pushed for this."
"That just might be the case," Astoria surmised, shifting off his lap. "After all…I wouldn't put it past Harry to do something like that on the down low. Actually…speaking of Harry, should we tell him about us?"
Ron shrugged, "I don't see why we shouldn't. Harry's a trustworthy guy so he'll respect our privacy if we tell him. Have you told anyone about the two of us dating yet?"
Astoria bit her lower lip and nodded twice. "I have, yeah. Just Daphne though. Although I guess my parents will know when we go over there next week. Have you told anyone?"
"Just George. I went down to the joke shop for lunch so I told him," he paused, chuckling lightly as he added, "despite what you may think about him and how he is. He won't tell a soul, and I told him as much."
"Should we go public with us?" Astoria asked, giving him a quizzical look.
Again, Ron shrugged. "I'm cool with it. If I'm being honest though, for your sake I'm not so sure if it's a great idea. You only just got out of your relationship with Malfoy right?"
"Two weeks ago," Astoria answered.
"Right…that might raise questions don't you think?"
"Yes but it will also keep potential suitors at bay as well. I think we should tell people Ron, we've got nothing to hide and we'll only be wasting effort if we try to hide the fact that we're dating. People will find out eventually. So isn't it better if it's on our own terms?"
"Oh no I agree with you Astoria," Ron agreed, dismissing her concerns with a wave of his hand. "As I said last night; I'm more than fine of we tell people. I'm many months removed from my breakup after all so I'm perfectly alright if you feel up to telling people about us. I was just being a bit apprehensive for your sake given that you were recently dating Malfoy only a few weeks ago."
Astoria's sapphire eyes softened in concern and she gave him a soft, warm smile. "I appreciate the thought Ron, thank you. But I really think we should tell people. It'll stop all the men from—actually, no it won't, but it will lessen the amount of ogling stares I get at work and—"
"What?" Ron exclaimed, "what do you mean ogling stares?"
Astoria huffed and rolled her eyes. "You've never noticed?" She asked, witheringly.
"Do you honestly expect me to answer that?" He returned wryly.
Again, Astoria huffed, this time with more force though. "No. Still though, I have been getting stares, but it can't be not expected. If we were to go public however with our relationship and people were to know that I am now dating one of the greatest heroes in our society from the past war…" she let her words trail off as a teasing smirk etched itself onto her face. "Then I'm pretty sure I won't be getting many stares any time soon," she said with finality.
The floo roared green then, emerald flames kicking up from the hearth and not a moment later, the Potters entered Ron's living room, Ginny first, with Harry right on her heels. Ron and Astoria both stood quickly from the couch and moved to greet them as they dusted the soot off their clothes.
"Hello guys!" Harry greeted jovially, "fancy seeing you here Astoria, did ya stick around the whole day?" He asked teasingly.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Potter and stop being such an idiot," Astoria retorted angrily, yet with an equally teasing grin on her lips.
Harry's grin merely broadened as he swept around the table and shook his best mate's hand. "Thanks for having us over mate. It's been a little while hasn't it?"
Ron nodded in agreement, giving Harry's hand a firm shake. "Yeah. I'm glad both of you could finally make it," he replied sincerely before pulling his best mate into a firm hug. The two war heroes clapped each other about the back, still exchanging their numerous greetings while Ginny and Astoria greeted one another.
"Hello Ginny, it's good to see you again," Astoria said, as the two women gave kisses on each cheek in greeting.
"Same here Astoria," Ginny replied sincerely, a fond smile on her face. "You've been keeping well? Enjoying the solo life as a fully-fledged Auror now?"
Astoria's genuine smile broadened and she nodded. "It's been great so far. Very tiring, given that I'm still considered one of the newbies of the department but the work has been very interesting. How's your quidditch been going?"
"It's been great!" Ginny replied, "I'll tell you guys about it when we get sat down."
"Hey Gin, thanks for coming," Ron smiled, hugging his younger sister tightly.
"It's our pleasure Ron. We're sorry we had to cancel last week, so it's the least we could do to come this time around." Ginny said apologetically, returning her brother's hug equally firmly.
The Weasley siblings separated and Ron took a step back from his trio of guests. "Would you guys like a drink first? Or we can just warm dinner up right now if you lot are hungry."
"If it's all the same to you mate, I think we'd rather eat first," Harry said, his words punctuated by an unusually loud growl from his hungering stomach, eliciting laughter from the group.
"Right. I'll join you guys in a few minutes, if you lot would like to go in there and grab a seat. I won't be long," Ron replied, inclining his head towards the dining room.
"Sure thing mate," Harry agreed.
Ginny followed Harry from the sitting room and into the next, but Astoria stayed behind. "I'll help you out Ron, it'll take less time to get all the food prepared if two of us are doing it instead of just you."
"Sure."
They walked over to the kitchenette and Astoria set to work warming all the containers containing the Take out Ron had bought, while Ron wandered over to his bar fridge and was currently perusing his collection of white wines. He reached inside and found a five year old bottle of Haut Brion, and brought it out for Astoria to see.
"How is this?" He asked, holding up the bottle for her to see.
"It looks just fine with me Ron. I trust your wine taste much better than mine after all," Astoria replied, nodding in approval of his choice.
Silently, the two set about preparing their food, bringing all the dishes up to piping hot temperatures fit for consumption. Just as they were about to leave however, each carrying a tray loaded with food, Astoria pulled Ron aside.
"So we should tell them?" She asked, in reference to their new-found relationship.
He shrugged. "I don't see why not? As long as you're fine with it then yeah it'd make sense to. Considering that you've already told Daphne about us, I assume you'll be fine with telling Harry and Ginny right?"
Astoria bit her lip but nodded in agreement. "Yeah it works fine with me."
Ron smiled in return and tilted her head for her to lead the way to his dining room. "Shall we?"
The couple, each carrying a tray made their way from the kitchenette into the dining room and set the two trays down on the table. Ron set to work putting the dishes down in order of preference, Ginny's all-time favorite Duck Red Curry being deposited right in front of her, to her delight. Harry on the other hand had his two favorite dishes, Tom Kha Gai and Olive Rice placed in front of him. The rest of the dishes were arrayed around the table in a random order, with space being made by Ron's side for the bottle of wine. Astoria and Ron took their seats, both sitting across from the Potters, while the latter flicked his wand at the lights, dimming them slightly to cast the room in a warm, welcoming glow. With Harry, Astoria and Ginny now situated, Ron poured out three glasses of the Haut Brion and levitated them over to Ginny, Astoria and himself, Harry respectfully declined since he'd be on duty tomorrow morning. The quartet eyed the vast assortment of food in front of them eagerly, like four birds of prey eyeing up a wounded hare, but Ron clearing his throat brought their attention to him once more.
"Since we've all had Thai before, I believe I shan't need to explain each dish right?" He asked, glancing around at his guests.
He was met with three unanimous shaking heads. "Good. So just…tuck in I guess."
"You don't need to tell me twice mate," Harry said eagerly, helping himself to generous portions of Tom Kha Gai, Green Chicken Curry and Olive Rice.
The group of four all helped themselves to helpings of their favorite dishes, and thanks to Ron's knowledge of Thai cuisine combined with his knack for understanding his friends' preferences meant that he'd purchased all of their favorite dishes.
"So how was your date last night?" Harry asked, breaking the long-lasting silence that had descended upon them.
Astoria and Ron immediately sought out each other's gaze, blue finding blue for a brief moment before Ron turned back to Harry who was wearing an satisfied look on his face, while his eyes flashed with something that looked like amusement.
"It went quite well actually. Better than all the prior one's you've set me up on Harry. Astoria and I had a good time, so yeah…all in all, it was a success I'd say," Ron replied, holding his best friend's gaze. Harry was now sporting a slight—almost invisible grin, but damn that bastard looked smug, he must know, or at least suspect what's going on based on that stupid looks he's sporting.
"Wouldn't you agree?" Ron added, glancing at Astoria.
Astoria smiled gently at the man next to her and then shifted her cool gaze to the couple that sat across the table from her. "Oh yes, I quite enjoyed it, so I must thank you Harry for setting up that lovely evening for us—" Harry smiled slightly under Astoria's praise, but nodded for her to continue. The knowingness, the faintest sense of smugness in his gaze told her, that Harry just knew what announcement was coming next, and damn that bastard was acting real smug about it.
"We—um, we…" she glanced at Ron, who in turn nodded almost imperceptibly at her, granting her his silent go-ahead. "We're dating now, Ron and I. We've decided to give this whole…more than friends thing a go and, well—we're just gonna see if this leads anywhere, and see if we can make something special between us, essentially."
A triumphant grin sprouted forth on Harry's face, as his gaze flickered between his two colleagues in satisfaction. "Well…let me be the first to wish you two good luck on this…new relationship you're embarking on then. I kinda had a feeling going into it that this one would work out, and I'm happy for you two. Really, I am. You both deserve this, so I hope it works out well for you both."
Ginny too was smiling at them both, "Same here Ron," she said softly, giving her brother a meaningful look that spoke volumes of her happiness, "and you too Astoria," she added, shifting her hazel gaze to her friend. "I truly am happy for you both."
"Thanks Gin, that means a lot," Ron replied sincerely.
"Same here Ginny, your vote of confidence for the two of us means a lot," Astoria added, a grateful smile on her face. "And it was a lot easier to get than Daph's. Merlin, knows I really had to put in the work to get some sense of limited approval out of her!"
"So you're telling me you somehow convinced your sister to approve of us dating?" Ron asked, skepticism lacing his tone. He knew first hand after all just how stubborn Daphne Greengrass could be and he'd gotten into it with her several times over the past few years. Thanks to the skills of Astoria however, a tenuous peace had been established between the former classmates and an unspoken agreement had been reached to simply avoid one another and keep to opposite sides of the room whenever they were forced to suffer each other's company.
"I did convince her Ron," Astoria replied, frowning slightly at his lack of confidence in her. "It took some convincing but she's agreed to leave us be and observe our relationship from afar."
Ron raised a brow in question. "And how on earth did you manage that? Did you Imperious her?"
"No," she said, frowning at him, as she pursed her lips. "Why use an unforgivable when a compulsion charm will do?" She asked, her tone teasing.
Astoria's quip earned laughter from the other three table occupants, particularly Harry and his somewhat nervous guffaws. After all, he had been the sole member out of the quartet to cast the Imperious Curse before, a poor goblin falling victim to it during their Gringotts break-in during the war. he quickly recovered from his nervous laughter and took the lull in conversation to shift it away to something less sensitive.
"So how did your date go other than that? I mean…aside from agreeing to give a relationship a go, what else did you talk about?"
"Not much in all honesty," Astoria answered. "We kind of just talked about work, our interests, that sort of thing. About my first month and all that really…just usual date talk without some of the small talk in all honesty."
Harry's gaze flickered to Ron, a silent request for his version of events. The redhead just shrugged and more or less agreed with what Astoria had said.
"Pretty much what she said. We—uh, we kind of just enjoyed our meal and that was that really. We just agreed to give this a go…and talked, like we usually do," Ron added.
"So you didn't do anything else?" Ginny asked, her hazel eyes glinting in amusement. "Nothing happened…after the date? Nothing at all?"
"Nope," Astoria replied cheerily, with a fake smile of contentment on her face. She was rather good at lying through her teeth, Ron had to begrudgingly admit, yet he was always able to call her out on her bullshit and had become somewhat of a master when it came to sensing deceit and deception from the youngest Greengrass. "It's as I said, we had a nice date, Ron was a perfect gentleman throughout the entire evening and after that I just headed home. There really isn't much more to it than that."
Ginny snorted disbelievingly at the two of them but was kind enough to drop the topic, Harry on the other hand had a knowing look in his eye that Ron was just itching to get rid of. Damn him and all his knowingness.
"Anyways how have you two been?" Astoria asked, flipping the questioning around on them. Needless to say, her night with Ron had not ended after dinner at that Italian restaurant. As a matter of fact, it had only just gotten started. Then again, neither was comfortable with sharing just what activities they partook in after they left the Restaurant, hence he quick change of conversation.
"On my end nothing much is new," Harry said with a shrug. "I've still got shitloads of Paperwork from that Michaels case though…speaking of which, have you guys submitted your permits yet?"
"I have," Ron replied, looking rather smug with himself as he spoke.
"I haven't submitted mine either Harry, but I do plan on doing so the day after tomorrow when I'm next in the office," Astoria replied. "Actually…speaking of work, I think Ron has an announcement to make!" She added excitedly. Astoria shifted her gaze from the Potters to Ron, the eager smile on her lips telling of her wish for Ron to reveal his impending promotion.
"Harry…" Ron began, a broad grin on his face, "you won't be the only senior auror at this table for long, mate. I'm finally getting my promotion next month!"
Harry's eyes lit up in excitement at the news, and seconds later he was leaping out of his chair, crossing around the table, and hugging his best mate tightly and clapping his back in celebration. "I knew it!" He proclaimed proudly. "It was only a matter of time Ron, I'm happy they've finally pulled the trigger on it, you deserve it."
Ron raised a brow in curious speculation, "so you had nothing to do with it?" He asked, unable to shake the curiosity from his tone.
Harry's smile broadened as he separated from his friend, he held his hands up as he said, "Honestly, no mate. No I didn't. It's not my call anyways but I really am happy for you regardless."
"Same here Ron," Ginny chimed in, giving her brother a sincere smile. "Congrats on your promotion, you deserve it."
"Thanks a lot you guys, it really means a lot to me," Ron replied, smiling at his friends. "There's also something else I ought to tell you, actually," he added, his gaze finding Astoria's for a brief moment, she smiled in encouragement, her fingers interlacing with his. "Astoria and I…we're also gonna be partners at work. Now that I'm a senior Auror; rather…will be a senior auror next month, I can take on a partner, and well…seeing as Harry's already taken—"
"Sorry about that," Harry interjected sheepishly, rifling his non glass holding hand through his hair as he spoke.
"It's all good mate," Ron replied sincerely, since his gaze found Astoria's once more. "The reason I say that is ever since I got the news earlier today, I immediately filed in an application to take on a partner, and I couldn't think of anyone better than you, Astoria. So yeah…I've got that going for me as well."
Harry raised his glass of water in salute, as an ear splitting grin formed on his face. "Good news all around it seems in the past twenty four hours for one Mister Weasley!" He said cheerily, giving his best friend a mock toast. Ron snorted, but couldn't quite keep the smirk off his lips at his best friend's gesture.
As dinner wound on, conversation eventually shifted from Ron and his well-deserved recent successes at work and towards Ginny and her upcoming Quidditch season. She was going into her third season as Seeker for the Hollyhead Harpies, but unlike the prior two, she was being elevated to the starting role. They'd just drafted a new keeper, and were projected to finish much higher in the standings as a result. Their previous seeker, Tabitha Travers had just retired and not a moment too soon in the eyes of Harpies fans since people had been under the impression that she'd lost quite a bit of her game in recent years. Their new keeper, plus Ginny's elevation to the starting lineup was projected to take the harpies at least as high as fourth, and quite possibly higher on the table, depending on how they gelled as a team. A finals appearance and win was not out of the question for them, and it was most certainly a big step up from being eliminated in the quarters during their last season.
Ron as was usual at most Weasley family reunions(provided Ginny was present of course), launched into a heartfelt plea for her to take her talents to the Chudley Cannons and help aid them on their rebuilding process to eventually take back their rightful place at the top of the table. Ginny of course declined the offer politely but invited her youngest older brother to try again in a few months time if he was feeling lucky. What was new however was Astoria's pitch, the youngest Greengrass sister had put forward a reasoned argument for Ginny to request a trade or leave in free agency to her favorite team, the Tutshill Tornadoes. Ginny, to her credit listened with rapt attention throughout Astoria's pitch, but in the end, she too was declined, sharing the fate of her Chudley Cannons supporting boyfriend. Astoria and Ron exchanged a silent glance to commiserate their sorrows after the Potters had left, after all, it would be rather unfair of them to drink themselves into stupor in front of Harry when he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol all night long.
Before long, the cake was out, and the remainders of their Thai fare were banished to the fridge, there wasn't much left granted, but still enough that Ron could bring some to work on Tuesday for his next shift. As they consumed the delectable Black Forest Cake that had Ron moaning with delight, Harry took the opportunity to announce that he'd been selected to represent the DMLE overseas next month and that he'd be setting off the day after the next Weasley family get together. Arthur and Molly had made it a habit to host a family barbecue using Arthur's favorite top of the line muggle grill on the third weekend of every month(which was in just about two weeks time), and so Harry would be setting off to America on the morning of the sixteenth to attend a conference in Washington D.C. on magical policing. He alongside Robards, and Proudfoot would be in attendance to represent the British delegation.
All in all, it was good news all around from Harry, Ginny, Astoria and Ron; Harry even had some positive news to share about Hermione, since she'd been seen out on a date with none other than Neville Longbottom. The current Herbology Professor in training had been set up on a date with the Muggleborn Legislator just this past week, courtesy of Harry the matchmaking savant of course, and Ron was genuinely happy for his old friend, and proud to see her moving on just as he was. Of course, it was only one date, just like how he and Astoria had gone on just one date, but he silently prayed for success in her relationship with Neville, just as he hoped that he and Astoria could also go the distance, with the end goal being marriage and building a life together. Astoria too offered sincere compliments to Hermione, knowing just how fond Ron was of his friend, and truth be told, the Muggleborn had been growing on her quite a bit, as a result of numerous sit ins between Hermione, Astoria, Daphne and their parents.
Soon though, as the clock struck eleven, the Potters, Ron and Astoria finished up their desert, the former couple wishing to take their leave given Harry's morning shift tomorrow. They crowded around the floo in Ron's sitting room, Harry and Ginny standing nearest the now-dormant hearth exchanging their goodbyes and wishes for success, for the newly minted couple. Hugs, kisses and handshakes exchanged, the Potters flooed away to Godric's Hollow shortly after, leaving Astoria and Ron alone in the latter's sitting room.
With two thirds of his dinner guests now gone, Ron flopped down onto his sofa with a sigh, and Astoria did the same, collapsing alongside him.
"You up for another round?" Ron asked, quirking a brow at Astoria as she leaned in against his side.
The blonde shifted in his arms, giving him a cheeky stare. "You want to fuck now Ron? Honestly…you really are one horny bastard aren't you?"
"I didn't mean to fuck! Honestly woman, who do you take me for? I meant drinks! Bloody hell, you can be presumptive at times."
Astoria flushed faintly at being chewed out in such a manner, but didn't let it show for long, the blush vanishing as quickly as it came on, she decided to tease him a little more.
"Really? You only meant drinks?" She asked disdainfully, "it's a pity then…I was hoping that you'd be up for something a bit more adventurous. I could really use a good fuck but since you're not offering…oh well, it can't be helped I guess."
"Don't tempt me," Ron growled, as he summoned two glasses and a bottle of Ogden's finest.
"Is that a threat?" Astoria asked, glaring back at him defiantly. Her pursed lips and challenging visage just begging to be ravaged.
Ron for the moment, restrained himself, and poured out two glasses. Astoria and Ron downed their drinks quickly, but as Ron reached for the bottle again, intent on pouring out another glass for himself and his guest, cool fingers wrapped around his wrist and stilled his movement.
"Leave it Ron," she said firmly. "I intend to be in full possession of my faculties when we make love tonight."
Ron slowly withdrew his wrist from her grasp, but just as Astoria sat back in the sofa, Ron sprang into action with lightning quick speed, hoisting Astoria over his shoulder and carrying her into his room. Astoria, to her credit played the damsel in distress role to perfection, flailing her limbs about as Ron fireman carried her into the room and set her down on the bed. Astoria scooted up on his bed so her head rested against the headboard and glanced up into his eyes. She saw blue flames sparkling within his orbs, burning with lust and desire as he unashamedly let his eyes trace over her form. Astoria gulped at the intensity she saw burning in his eyes, the overflow of his lust stoking her own flames in return such that she now felt even randier than she ever had before.
Before she could move, or even say a word, Ron was on her again, collapsing atop her and ensconcing her smaller frame with his as his lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss. Astoria groaned into his mouth, letting him control their kiss as she felt his tongue slip in alongside her own. She pushed his head further southwards, reluctantly making him leave their lip-lock as he proceeded to pepper her exposed neck, shoulder and collarbone with kisses, pulling more whines and moans from her. As he began unbuttoning her blouse and pulling it free, he kissed her again swallowing her words with his lips.
"Mmm fucking hell Ron I love you so much," Astoria moaned as Ron kissed down the curve of her breast.
Her proclamation, hung heavy in the atmosphere of the room, so much so that Ron stopped entirely, withdrawing his lips from her flesh and fixing her with a look. That look in his sapphire gaze was indescribable; lust, passion, tenderness, and yet…she saw the brief flash of something else, hope? She chose to believe it was hope, hope that she truly felt that way and that one day, his feelings would match her own.
His tone was incredulous as he spoke, "what did you say?"
Astoria refused to let her gaze leave his, but she propped herself up on her elbows to move closer to him once more. "I meant every word of it Ron," she said lowly—her tone bordering on harsh even. "Don't make me repeat myself again because I know for a fact that you heard me. I love you."
"I could get used to the sound of that," Ron growled, as he harshly claimed her lips once more.