~ CHAPTER FIVE ~
Harry couldn't remember the last time he had experienced anything so awkward.
Malfoy unfolded his menu and told them to ignore him, but it was difficult to pretend as if he wasn't sitting right across from them. Harry spread the other menu out in front of him and Ginny. He had no idea what to order; he'd never been to such a fancy restaurant before, so the menu might as well have been written in a foreign language.
"See anything you'd like?" he asked Ginny.
"The Cornish crab starter looks good, and I've got my eye on the Scottish venison," she replied. She didn't seem to be feeling the awkwardness that Harry was feeling, which he supposed was a good thing. "What about you?"
"Um..." Harry stared blankly at the menu. "I dunno...the cheeseburger looks good."
Malfoy snorted. Harry shot him a glare, but Malfoy didn't look up from his menu.
"Is there anything else you want?" he asked Ginny, turning his attention back to her.
"Dessert would be nice." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand again. "Maybe we could share a Cambridge burnt cream or have a taste of their British cheese selection."
Harry squeezed her hand back, grateful for how good-natured she was despite the chaos of the night. "Whatever you want, Gin, you can have it."
Just then, the witch that had brought them to their table appeared at their booth, a notepad and quill in her grip and a smile plastered on her face that was mostly directed at Malfoy. "Hello, my name is Donna, and I will be your server for today! Would you like to start with some drinks, nibbles, and/or starters?"
Malfoy raised his eyebrows and smirked at Harry, as if to say, You first. Harry flipped frantically to the wine menu and stared blankly at it as Ginny smiled at the waitress.
"I'll take the grilled sourdough bread with Cornish crab mayo and cucumber salad, and a small glass of Petit Ballon rouge, please."
The quill scribbled down Ginny's order of its own accord as the witch turned her gaze to Harry and smiled expectantly. "And you?"
"Um...I'll have the, uh..."
"He and I will both have a medium glass of the Pinot Grigio Ca Di Alte," Malfoy interrupted, scooping up their wine menus and handing them back to the waitress.
"What the hell, Malfoy?" Harry said irritably as soon as the witch had left. "I'm perfectly capable of ordering my own drinks, thank you very much."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him. "And let you sit there for the next five minutes, gaping like an idiot, only to order an inferior-quality wine? No, thank you."
Ginny coughed, although it sounded as if she was covering up a laugh. "Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure Malfoy isn't trying to poison you." She folded up the menu and pushed it in his direction. "I know what I'm ordering, if you still need the menu."
"Thanks, Gin," Harry muttered, unfolding the menu and placing it upright, like a fancy paper barrier between him and Malfoy's smirking, pointy face.
Soon enough, the witch came by with Ginny's starter and their drinks. Harry took a sip from his glass and begrudgingly admitted to himself that it was some of the best white wine he'd tasted, though he would never tell Malfoy that.
"Are you ready to order?" the witch asked.
"Yes, I'll have the Scottish venison with seasonal vegetables and blackberry sauce, please," said Ginny, smiling and taking a sip of her wine.
"I'll have the eight-ounce rib-eye steak with wild rocket and peppercorn sauce," Malfoy said, folding up his menu and handing it to the witch. "Oh, and I'd like to have the dessert menu when we're finished."
"No problem, sir. And you?" The witch turned to Harry, smiling expectantly.
"Uh...I'll have the cheeseburger and chips."
The witch blinked and Malfoy coughed into his sleeve.
"Alright, venison, steak, and a cheeseburger, coming right up." She took away their menus and Malfoy smirked broadly at Harry.
"A cheeseburger, Potter? Really? At a restaurant like this?"
"What? What's wrong with a good cheeseburger?"
Malfoy took a sip of his wine and shook his head slowly. "And you insist that I don't need to order for you."
Harry clutched his silverware tighter than necessary. Taking notice, Ginny asked him hastily, "So, how has work been?"
"Great until this git came along," Harry grumbled, jerking his head at Malfoy. "Kingsley wants to put me on house arrest, but I'm right in the middle of an investigation surrounding recent attacks against the Abbott family. I can't logically work on that locked up at Grimmauld Place."
"Hey, don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger," Malfoy said, shrugging and taking a sip of his wine. "But on the bright side, you'll have plenty of time to work on the towering pile of paperwork sitting neglected on your desk at the office."
"How do you —?"
"Word gets round the Ministry almost as quickly as it did at Hogwarts, Potter."
"Okay, different subject, then," Ginny said, catching the look on Harry's face. "Practice has been great, although Gwenog is working us harder than ever. I think she took our loss to the Montrose Magpies harder than she let on. I'm leaving tomorrow for an extended practice and a couple weeks of on-the-road Quidditch matches, so I'm glad we had this chance to see each other before I go." She smiled at Harry and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
Harry gave her his first genuine smile of the night. "I'm glad, too."
Silence fell as Ginny spread crab mayo on her sourdough and Malfoy took a sip of his wine, his eyes roaming the room and his right hand resting near his wand.
Harry cleared his throat. "Er, so, who's your next match against, and when?"
"The Banchory Bangers in Scotland on Thursday."
"I thought they disbanded?"
"They were given the okay to rebuild their team last year, actually. As a result, they're the worst team in the league right now, so it'll be an easy match. Then we have two matches against the Tutshill Tornados, followed by one against the Caerphilly Catapults in Wales and one against Puddlemere United."
"Oh, say hello to Wood for me. He's still their reserve Keeper, right?"
"Yes."
Silence fell again. Harry fidgeted with his wine glass and Ginny finished her sourdough bread, pushing her plate aside. As Harry struggled to come up with something else to say, Malfoy came to his rescue and asked Ginny how the season had gone so far. Ginny animatedly described the best wins and losses of the season, and soon, their waitress came back with their main courses.
"Ooo, this venison is just delicious," said Ginny as they dug into their food.
Malfoy scrutinised the piece of rib-eye steak on his fork. "The food here's alright," he conceded. He smirked at Harry. "Enjoying your cheeseburger, Potter?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."
Malfoy's smirk broadened as he took another bite of his steak. Silence fell over them again as they dug into their main courses. Finally, Malfoy pushed back his empty plate and flipped open his dessert menu. "Now, should I order the vanilla rice pudding with jam and sliced almonds, or the sticky toffee pudding with Cornish clotted cream?"
"I'm still considering the Cambridge burnt cream or the British cheese platter," said Ginny. "Do you have a preference between the two, Harry?"
"Well, we could try the —"
"Shut up!" Malfoy hissed suddenly, his entire body tense.
"Malfoy, what the —"
"Shut up!"
Harry and Ginny looked at each other and then at Malfoy. His eyes were darting wildly around the restaurant, his wand clutched hidden in his sleeve. He was so tense that he reminded Harry of a cat about to pounce, or a bobbing snake, coiled and ready to strike.
"Something's wrong," Malfoy whispered, so quiet that Harry could barely hear him. "Potter, tell me you still have the Elder Wand in its pouch."
Harry nodded, still feeling bewildered and slightly annoyed at being interrupted, but Malfoy was too busy scanning the nearby tables to notice. "Something's wrong," he repeated under his breath, followed by something that sounded a lot like "should've known" and "so stupid of me."
Just then, their waitress approached their table, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. "How are you guys enjoying your meal?" she asked, overly cheerful. "Would you like to order any dessert?"
"Get down!"
Malfoy's warning came almost too late; the witch ducked under the table and screamed as the first spell shattered Harry's wine glass, where she had been standing moments earlier.
"Oh, fuck," said Malfoy, and then all hell broke loose.