An Illuminating Dinner

PruTru

Rating: G
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Ron & Luna
Book: Ron & Luna, Books 1 - 6
Published: 09/01/2006
Last Updated: 09/01/2006
Status: completed

Tonks teaches Harry and Ron an important lesson one evening at dinner about how to get their girls.

Chapters

1. An Illuminating Dinner

1. An Illuminating Dinner

Author’s Note: This is just a little short story that I wanted to write about how I'd like to see the ships in book seven go, using Viktor Krum as a catalyst to get Ron and Harry into action. You can also see this story at my LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/lady_pru/

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“Look at him. He’s got his eyes all over Luna.”

Harry looked up from his plate of roast potatoes, chicken, peas, and buttery dinner rolls to Ron, who was repeatedly stabbing his chicken as he stared at Viktor Krum. Krum, for his part, was looking at Luna who had her mind absorbed completely in an issue of the Quibbler. She was oblivious to the attentions of the world famous Seeker.

“So,” Harry said around a mouthful of food. “And stop stabbing your food. Look.”

The chicken on Ron’s plate had been reduced to messy little chunks, thanks to the attentions of his knife. Ron leaned in. “D’you think she likes him?”

“What do you care?”

“I don’t!” Ron said, almost hissing. “Luna’s a naïve young woman, is all, and he’s a…a…predator.”

Harry snorted into his pumpkin juice, momentarily drawing a serene, misty look from Luna, and a raised eyebrow from Hermione. He wiped his mouth and glanced at Ginny, hoping she’d look his way. She avoided looking at him, or even speaking to him, since the breakup. Harry supposed he couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep her distance and not letting herself get too close only to suffer rejection, but she didn’t need to make it seem so damned easy.

Harry gave up trying to catch her eye. She was deep in conversation with Neville anyway, and laughing at something he was saying to her. What could Neville possibly say to make a girl as smart and pretty as Ginny laugh? It wasn’t a sycophantic laugh either. It was genuine.

“I’ve got my own problems, Ron,” Harry said. Ron glanced at Ginny and Neville.

“They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately,” he said.

“I know,” Harry said, enjoying the act of cutting up his chicken a little more than he probably should have.

“You know what I think?” Ron said, and then instead of waiting for Harry to ask him to explicate, he plowed ahead. “I think Neville’s had a crush on Ginny since he took her to the Yule Ball. Maybe even since third year. Now look at them. All cozy.”

“I see,” Harry said, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

Ron didn’t look very happy at his sister getting cozy with Neville, and Harry was right there with him. He kept cutting his chicken, reducing it to shreds. He glanced around the table past Ron, who had resumed stabbing his chicken, giving Krum filthy looks, to Krum who was staring at…Hermione.

What was left of Harry’s appetite suddenly and inexplicably vanished. Krum was eyeing Hermione in a way that left no room for doubt about what he thought of her. The man was practically salivating.

For some reason that Harry couldn’t quite wrap his mind around, he found that he suddenly understood where Ron was coming from. Krum was a predator. He poked Ron on the hand with the tip of his knife.

“Ouch!”

“Sorry,” Harry said quickly, and leaned in as Hermione laughed at something Krum was saying. “I think you’re right about Krum. He’s all over Hermione now.”

“Yeah!” Ron said. “I told you, he preys on innocent girls. I mean, look at Luna. She’s never even been on a date.”

“She went to Slughorn’s Christmas party with me last year,” Harry said.

“I mean a real date, Harry,” Ron clarified.

“That’s what he did to Hermione,” Harry said, blindly slicing the shreds of his chicken, angry as hell at the idea of Krum with his hands and lips on Hermione again. “Remember, when we were in school? He saw an innocent young girl like Hermione and pounced on her, the filthy git.”

Ron was nodding enthusiastically. “He’s probably testing the waters now, seeing which one of them will go for him and give him a snog tonight.”

“Hermione must be able to see what he is,” Harry said. “She wouldn’t snog him now.” He looked down at his food. He had what amounted to jerky on his plate. He put his knife down.

“I don’t know. It’s like he’s got some kind of spell on her,” Ron said. “You think he may be dosing their pumpkin juice with Amortentia?”

“Luna doesn’t seem to even notice him,” Harry said. “It’s Hermione who’s beaming at him. She’s falling for his act. I can’t believe it!”

“Yeah, his act….” Ron said, glowering at Krum.

“What act would that be, mate?”

Harry jumped. He’d forgotten Tonks was sitting next to him.

“The act,” Ron said, as if that should explain it all.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, but he was no longer exactly sure what kind of an act Krum was putting on. But he was sure there was one.

“I see,” said Tonks. “He’s tall, handsome, attentive…what an act.”

“Attentive?” said Ron.

“What do you mean?” Harry said.

“He pays them attention. Look at Neville and Ginny. She’s smiling and laughing and glowing so much lately because Neville pays her attention. Krum asks Luna about the Quibbler, he asks Hermione about the latest book she’s reading, but do you know what Neville and Krum are really getting right in their ‘act’?”

Ron and Harry leaned in close, their eyes wide, listening closely. “They listen to what they have to say, and they care. Well…Neville cares. Krum may or may not, but at least he pretends to.”

Ron and Harry looked at her for a few moments, digesting what she’d said.

“So, they want us to talk to them?” Ron said. Tonks rolled her eyes.

“Yes, Ron. They want you take an interest in what’s important to them, talk to them, and care. Don’t forget to care,” she added. “That part is very important.”

Ron scrambled over to Krum’s other side and sat down. “Luna, what’s going on in the Quibbler?”

Harry turned at once to Hermione. “So, what’s that you’re reading?”

Krum, Harry noticed from the corner of his eye, was looking back and forth between Hermione and Luna, and then to Ginny, glowering as he realized each girl was taken, except for Tonks, who was finishing her dinner.

“Hello,” he said. “My name is Krum. Vat is your name?”

“Tonks,” she said cheerfully. “Love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a date with a werewolf.” She smiled at his shocked expression and stood from the table. Harry turned to her as she threw her coat over her shoulders.

“Thanks.”

She just winked, and disappeared with a tiny pop.