Facades
Explosions
~ Ginny ~
I glanced across the table at my smiling husband and graced him with a small smile of my own as he chatted adamantly about the large Death Eater case that had been the cause for his promotion we were out celebrating tonight. Looking around the table I lightly shook my head. It was a pretty small gathering by our usual standards, with two people missing from our normal party. As Harry relayed to Neville, who was here sans Luna, the details of his takedown a scoff from my left pulled at my attention. I worried my bottom lip as I noticed the dangerous look in Draco's eyes and did my best to fight the urge to place my hand over his and keep him from knocking back his fourth firewhiskey. That was Pansy's job since she was here tonight, not mine. However the other woman was either stupidly unaware of her husbands dangerous mood or diligently ignoring all the warning signs of impending trouble as she continued to chat with Hermione.
I shifted nervously. Draco was a brilliant man, usually quite tactful and not at all prone to the dramatics of his early Hogwarts years since the time he hit his sixth year. However sober Draco and sotted Draco were to completely different entities. When the blonde man was soused he could give my brothers a run for their galleons in terms of rude comments and displays of temper. However unlike my brothers, he was in possession of a rapier wit that could flay a man alive and it only got sharper when he was inebriated. When the blonde man's drink was refilled and lifted for a fifth time my hand shot out and caught his wrist. Hard granite eyes turned to me as a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"You've had enough," I stated primly, ignoring his dangerous look.
"I think I would bloody well know when I've had enough," he returned with a petulant scowl.
"Then you should know that right now you've had enough," I replied with a glare of my own.
"What is your problem? Aren't we here to celebrate St. Potter's accomplishments," he smirked; I winced. I was never a good thing when he called Harry, St. Potter. "That's all I'm doing, celebrating."
I snatched the whiskey before he could knock it back and moved to the other side of my plate, out of his reach.
"Damn it Red, give me my drink," Draco hissed.
"No," I hissed back. "You've had enough."
"Had enough? I don't even have a bloody fucking buzz yet."
"Do I look like I give a good got-damn? You've had enough, I said it and I meant it."
"Gin?" Harry called out, his gaze flicking between my anxious face and Draco's annoyed one. "Is everything alright?"
"Of course," I answered, giving him a reassuring smile and a light pat on the hand.
Draco snorted.
"Are you sure?" Hermione pressed frowning at Draco.
The blonde rolled his eyes. "Geez, I'm not going to ruddy well attack her if that's what you're hinting at."
The brunette flushed, "Of course not… I was just…. I mean…"
"Wow, you're at a loss for words? I knew it was chilly in here. Then again I guess that was bound to happen since hell's frozen over and all," Draco smirked.
"Sod off, Malfoy," glowered Harry.
"Fuck off, Potter," spat Draco.
"Stop it, both of you!" I exclaimed looking around and silently thanking Merlin for private party rooms. "You're acting like children."
"No he's acting like a child," scoffed Harry. "We're supposed to be here celebrating my promotion. But he's too much of a selfish prat to commend anyone else for their accomplishments."
Draco snorted and rolled his eyes.
"What?" pressed the dark haired Auror leaning forward in his seat. "If you have something to say Malfoy then say it."
"Harry, don't," urged Hermione, grabbing his forearm.
My hand shot out to Draco's shoulder as he leaned forward to respond. "You know what I have to say Potter. I never hesitated in making it known. You don't deserve a bloody promotion and you wouldn't have gotten it if you weren't who you are."
"That's bullshite you prat," Harry volleyed back. "You're just hacked off because you got passed over. Face it ferret, you're pissed because this was something your money couldn't buy!"
"Sod off you prick, I-"
"Come on you guys, it's not the time to kick off," chimed Neville looking between the two very pissed off Aurors.
"Shut the fuck up Longbottom," glowered Draco.
"Don't talk to Neville like that," glared Harry.
"Thanks mate, now if you two would just sto-"
"Bugger off Neville," Harry spat leveling him with a deadly glare. "This is between me and ferret face."
"Don't talk to Neville like that, Scarhead," Draco taunted.
Hermione groaned and used her wand to shut the door while I placed a silencing charm around the room. When they got like this it was better to let the have it out and clear it from their systems. All we could do now was keep guard to make sure that they didn't kill one another in the process. Rubbing my temples as the two continued to bicker like first years I silently wished I had taken a cue from Ron, who hadn't come due to the current estrangement between he and his wife that's been going on for the past week. Or Luna who had claimed that it was bad luck to travel on a night with an odd number of stars and an even number of clouds. Perhaps the blonde wasn't as barmy as she seemed.
My hand shot out to grab Draco's arm as he pushed back from the table and stood, Hermione's did the same to Harry when he followed the blonds' lead. For his part, Neville moved back from the table a bit, presumably out of the line of fire, while Pansy gave an affected sigh and shook her head at her husband. With a noisy exhale I turned my attention back to the two men having a ruck in the middle of a very fancy and exclusive wizarding restaurant.
"-shite Malfoy," Harry was saying, "I've earned and deserve this promotion."
"Please, Potter, you don't deserve most of the things you've got. Just because you beat Voldemort then you think that entitles you to have the whole ruddy world!"
"Yeah well just because you belong to a family of rich pretentious snobs you think that entitles you to buy the whole ruddy world! I deserve everything I have except this God forsaken relationship with you!"
"Aww you think we're in a relationship, how stupidly Gryffindoric of you," the other man sneered. "What we have is an acquaintance Potter. I don't want or need anything more for you. As for what you deserve, the only thing you've ever gotten that you deserved was that bloody scar on your chest!"
"Yeah, well you've gotten what you deserved time after time, starting with a broken nose and a well aimed bat bogey," the dark haired man smirked. "Green is not your color Malfoy, despite your snake like ways. Though I must admit it's a step up from your normal, never seen the outside of a windowless room, complexion."
"If you were as heroic as you made out to be, St. Potter, then you would have pointed out that it was hours of work between four of us that made that bust go though without a hitch. You weren't the one to bring that ring down we were and you should have mentioned that instead of puffing your chest out proudly like Percy fucking Weasley at an Ministry awards ceremony and taking all of the credit." Draco ground out. "As for me being jealous of you, maybe you do have a point. But what's a bloke to do when he constantly has to stand side by side with the biggest prick known to man!"
"You know what Malfoy I don't have time for your shite," Harry glared. "If you have a problem with me being your new boss, then why don't you step into my private office with the panoramic view during business hours and we can discuss it on an employee, employer level." He gave a smug smirk. "However if I were you I'd watch my tongue just then, wouldn't want to have to dock your pay or fire you for insolence."
"Yeah? Well you know what Potter, you may have gotten the promotion. But I got the woman," Draco replied with a smirk of his own.
My gaze snapped to him and my heart speed up. He wouldn't.
"Tell me Potter," the blonde pressed in a deadly whisper oblivious to my heart palpitations. "What are you going to do when your baby comes out a blonde?"
The room froze, my fingers flew to my head as I began to feel extremely light headed. As my anxious gaze flicked over the occupants over the room I noticed that Hermione, Harry and Pansy all seemed to be staring at Draco in a mild form of shock. However Neville… Neville was staring at me with uncomfortably accessing eyes.
"Bullshite," Harry hissed.
Draco's smirk became even more pronounced, "Tell me Potter, does she purr for you too? Does that little thing where she bites her lip? … Do her eyes roll-"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed grabbing my husbands' arm when he pulled his wand.
To my eternal shock his anger quickly redirected to the dark haired witch at his side. "Is it true?!" He yelled, his gaze narrowed and his lip curling in distain.
Hermione's eyes widened in shock "Harry I-"
"You what!" he exclaimed incensed, I distractedly noticed that my confusion was mirrored on the faces of the rooms other occupants. "Tell me Hermione! Is the baby Malfoy's or mine?!"
My mouth dropped and my racing heart stopped.
****************
~ Ron ~
I looked down at the blonde woman in my arms and lightly ran my fingers along her side, from the soft curve in her waist up to the underside of her bare breast.
"Stop it Ronald," Luna giggled, swatting at my hand. "You're supposed to be thinking of a proper answer to my question."
"I am," I murmured, lowering my head and lightly licking the side of her breast, "this helps me think. It's my food for thought if you will."
She grinned and pushed at my shoulder. "Come on Ronald, we don't have much time. The dinner party will probably be over in a half an hour or so."
I sighed and rested my head on her flat stomach. "Fine… in order to properly summon a Lillyfairy you mush have three fresh cones of honey, two bay leaves and a non-menthol fag as a peace offering."
She clapped and I lifted my head to look at her, smiling when she grinned happily. "That's it Plumperdink! You know Neville still hasn't picked up on some of these things, even though they might well save his life one day."
I groaned, "Can we not talk about your husband?"
She blushed lightly and frowned. "Why not? I mean, he exists, does he not? It doesn't do any good to pretend he doesn't."
I sighed, "I know…"
Luna's hands came up and she began to fidget with the ends of her long hair. "Ronald…"
"Yes?" I queried, kissing the valley between her firm breasts.
"Have you thought about… well, if you're going to tell Hermione or not?"
I sighed and rested my head on her chest, listening to her slightly elevated heartbeat.
"Don't you think that maybe we should talk to Neville first?" I quizzed, making lazy circles on her abdomen with my fingers.
"I'll handle Neville."
I looked up and arched a questioning brow, "How?"
"I just will," she shrugged, reaching up she ran her fingers thorough my hair. "What about Hermione?"
I sighed, "I'll tell her."
"But, what will you say? I mean, I don't want her to be mad at me…"
I rolled my eyes, "I hardly think she's in a position-"
"Ronald," she cut me off in a slightly Hermione'esqe tone. "It's different, we're mates. I don't want to loose her as a friend. I saw her the day after you guys had your final ruck, I was there after she finished talking to your mum, I even held her when she cried. Well, until Harry got back that is. I don't want her to think that I deceived her or did it because I was trying to make a fool out of her."
I sighed, ruddy women. Always had to make things so bloody complicated. "So let me get this straight. You want me to tell Hermione that you and I have been having an affair under her nose for years and that the time you spent comforting her after my mum chewed her out for being an adulterous you were guilty of the same thing. And you want me to do it in a way that she instantly forgives you and isn't mad at all?"
The blonde haired nymph grinned and nodded. "Exactly."
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Exactly…"
Luna studied me for a moment before reaching down and cupping my face "I'll be very thankful if you pull it off," she said in a soft tone.
My brows rose, my interest peaked, "How thankful?"
She gave a slow sexy smile and I felt my body instantly react. As her hands pulled my face up to her own she shifted so that her body was under me. Then removing one hand from my cheek, she continued to snog me thoroughly as the other moved down between out bodies quickly locating me. As I slipped into her moist tight heat, my eyes slid closed and my mouth fell from her lips to the crook of her neck.
`Merlin if this was how she says thank you, I can't wait to see how she says you're welcome…' was my last fleeting thought before I let go of my notions and focused on her pleasure.
***************
~ ??? ~
I stepped back from the cracked door and gave a rueful shake of the head and my mind replayed the image of the two bodies intertwined in the large bed. I guess all my worries about Ron being pissed were for nothing.
I gave a low chuckle before walking leisurely back into the living room and grabbing a hand full of floo powder. When a loud moan erupted from the bedroom my gaze flicked in the direction of the partially opened door before I rolled my eyes. Running a hand through my hair and giving a wry smile I threw the floo powder into the flames softly naming my location, lest they hear my voice over their soft pants and moans. As I stepped into the green flames I smirked and shook my head again, I guess the revelations at the dinner party would have to wait until the two were… shall we say, less occupied. With a small burst of flame and a soft `whoosh' as the room spun, I was gone.
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