WHO: Alastor Moody and Veronica Zeller.
WHAT: A DATE! OMG!
Or...you know...not. Totally a date.
WHEN: Saturday night. February 23. [Hella backdated]
WHERE: A restaurant.
RATING: NC-17! For kittens! PG.
Alastor Moody was not ashamed to admit that he had not been on a date in quite a while. Not, of course, that this was a date. If he referred to it as such in the musings of his old, pathetic mind, then nobody needed to know that. No, this was just a nice evening out with a pretty young woman. And Veronica did seem very nice, even if he had done a background check as soon as he invited her to dinner. Hey, he was still Alastor Moody. He wasn't suddenly going to become careless just because a woman
seemed nice.
He showed up at her flat, he'd scouted it out the previous night for threats, at exactly seven. He'd changed out of auror robes into a nice charcoal grey suit with a light blue shirt that he'd been told brought out his eyes. He had even brought out his nicer cane, wanting to make a good impression. And he'd brought flowers, because he'd heard rumours that women appreciated flowers. It wasn't a complicated arrangement. Just some simple day lilies. He did a quick charm checking for hexes and, once he was satisfied, knocked on her door.
Veronica couldn't be sure if she wanted to punch Sirius for getting himself involved with her relationship issues, or if she wanted to punch him because she knew he would be gloating about the fact that he was partially responsible for whatever might happen between her and Alastor. Then again, depending on what
did happen, the boy might need to get punched for an entirely different reason. Not that she
expected anything to happen between the two of them, since this wasn't...
technically considered a date, right? The fact that she couldn't be too sure worried her slightly. She didn't want to be the idiot who went into something thinking that it was one thing when it was, in fact, something completely different. It was just
dinner. Or, that's what she had to keep telling herself. Part of her kept forcing her to remind herself that that's really all this was, because if this
was a date, and she had just been dumped by her boyfriend, that could look a little...pathetic, right? Already dating so soon after a relationship just ended?
But she really did try not to think about it too much. It was just going to drive her insane. So, she washed up and got dressed, wearing something simple but pretty, a skirt and blouse. She had decided not to wear heels, but flat shoes instead, in case Alastor came up to her shoulders or something. Veronica was a tall woman, and she had absolutely
no idea what this man looked like. Part of her thought he would have a mole the size of Europe, acne, and would be about 5 feet shorter than she was. How did she know that Sirius wasn't just being an asshole, trying to push her at this poor man who probably hadn't had a date in 10 years? Maybe even longer than that. But, what the hell, right? It was just dinner, after all.
Fixing her mascara, she heard a knock at the door and placed everything down, looking at herself in the mirror. "Eh, it's as good as it's gonna get." Her hand went to wipe away some lipstick from the side of her mouth before she turned on her heel and headed towards the door, pulling it open to reveal Alastor Moody. Well, he...he didn't have acne, and he wasn't 5 feet shorter than she was, and there was no mole that she could see at the present moment. Nope. And...oh, he had brought flowers. She tried not to notice them as she gave him a kind smile. "Hello, Alastor." Her hand went out to him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Oh, it really was.
Alastor smiled as the door opened. He too had worried that Sirius might be playing a terrible joke, trying to set him up with someone half his age who looked like a cross between Dolores Umbridge and a garden gnome. But Veronica was a lovely young woman and he would have to remind himself not to thank Sirius because that would only serve to further inflate his enormous ego. But he would feel grateful. On the inside. He was still checking for threats, though not openly, and he held out the flowers for Veronica. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Veronica," he said politely. Yes, he would definitely call this a date in his head.
"I'm very glad you were free," he said. Then he smiled, deciding to get the awkward part of the evening over with quickly. He knew the question would probably come up eventually. It always did. "And I promise that, in spite of the cane, I'm not a lecherous old man." He gave Veronica a grin that showed he was just teasing. "When you're thirty-five and you already walk around with a cane, people assume you're older. I didn't want to give you wrong impression." Okay, yes, he was very bad at conversations that didn't have to do with dark wizards, defence, or spells. So sue him. This wasn't exactly his forte.
"So, my dear," he said, offering his free arm, "are you ready to go?"
She thanked him as she took the flowers, bringing them to her nose to take in their sweet scent. “They’re lovely.” She smirked as her other hand went to fiddle with the petals, those bright blue eyes moving up from the flowers to meet his own, not even glancing at the cane that had been mentioned. That could have been perceived as rude, if she had for some reason let her gaze linger on what was helping him walk. “Well, that’s very good to know. I’m not usually a fan of lecherous old men.”
The flowers were placed down on the ledge that was beside the door, making a mental note about the fact that she really needed to put them in water when she got home. A nod was given in response to his question. “Just about.” Once her hand was free of the flowers, she grabbed her jacket, put it on and flipped her long hair out of the collar, stepping out into the hallway with him as she closed and locked her door behind her. After everything was done, she turned to him and let her arm snake around his own, being careful not to hold on too tight or stand too close to him, because that could come off as…weird, if not awkward if he was completely uninterested. But she was also careful not to hold on too loose, or stand too far away, in case he
was. Could you really blame her for hoping it was the latter?
“So, where are you taking me?”
"I'm very glad you like them," Moody said with a small smile. Okay, maybe he should have talked to James to ask him how to act...after threatening him with death if he ever told anyone Moody had asked. So, it had been a while. So what? He wasn't exactly a teenager anymore. He didn't just jump into bed with the first person who looked at him twice. Not that he was planning on jumping in bed with Veronica. That had just been a comparison. No. They'd at least have dinner first. He was at least that much of a gentleman.
He watched as Veronica put on her coat, and conjured a vase to put the flowers in, filling it with water with a simple spell. "Just trying to be helpful," he explained. Then he remembered he should probably compliment her. Not that it was difficult, or something he had to force. "I hope you won't mind my saying so," he said, "but you look lovely this evening." And indeed, she did. He couldn't remember the last time he had a date with such a lovely woman. As she took his arm, he smiled.
"If I told you," he said with a smirk, "it would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it." He looked down at her. "Now, if you'll make sure you're holding on, I'll apparate us there." He hoped that she didn't mind side-along apparition. It would make things easier, allow him to maintain the element of surprise, and leave him free to keep an eye out for threats upon arrival, without having to look for her.
She found herself smirking as he gave her a compliment, tucking some hair behind her ear. “I don’t mind. Thank you.” For some reason, Veronica was never the best at receiving compliments, because she wasn’t quite sure how she was supposed to respond to them. Not that she got them all the time or anything, but still.
One of her brows rose a bit, looking at him with curiosity. “Oh, so this is a surprise, now?” Her mouth twisted into a smile, and listened to what he had to say, nodding along to make sure he knew that she understood that she had to hold on. She took a careful step closer, and tightened her hold on his arm, bringing her other hand up to make sure she had a good grip. “It would be a shame if half of me got caught in the hallway, so I’ll try not to let go.” She tilted her head back a bit to look up at him, giving him a small smile, letting him know that she was just kidding with him.
"I'm glad," Moody said sincerely, "because you are a beautiful young woman and I am honoured to be enjoying your company this evening." See! He could be charming when he tried. He just never tried very hard. To be honest, though, he never had much reason to try. It wasn't as if he had much cause to be complimentary to Death Eaters or his aurors.
"It can be nice," Moody said with a shrug, "adding an air of mystery to things." He made sure that she had a good hold and tightened his grip on his cane. It would be embarrassing if they apparated to the restaurant and he fell over. "I'll make certain that doesn't happen, my dear," he said in response to her comment and did one last check to make sure they were settled before apparating them both to the restaurant. It was a small Italian place on Diagon Alley that he went to from time to time, and he was fond of it.
He looked around quickly for threats, then opened the door, gesturing for her to go in. Once inside, he did another quick check then led her over to his regular table. It was in a corner, where he could see everything in the room and where nobody could sneak up behind him. It was the most secure table in the restaurant, so they wouldn't have to worry about attackers. Smiling slightly, he pulled out Veronica's chair for her, trying to remember what he had learned over the years.
She felt heat rise in her face, and was sure that her cheeks were a little bit flushed by now.
Any woman would probably have that reaction to that sort of comment, unless they were so full of themselves that no amount of compliments had any effect on them because they were already aware of how amazing they were. And since her self esteem had been flushed down the tubes these last few days, it was really quite refreshing to get a boost. “I’d say thank you again, but I think I might start to sound like a broken record if you keep saying things like that to me. Not that I’m stopping you, but you might have to deal with my redundancy.”
She held on tight to him, feeling the familiar, unpleasant feeling of apparition as they moved from her hallway to wherever it was he was taking her. She had gotten used to it over time, but when she first learned how to apparate, it scared the hell out of her. That probably explained why she tightened her grip just a little bit more, apologizing quietly once they ‘landed’, taking a look around to see where they were. It was amazing, how she had been to Diagon Alley many times before and had never even seen this place before. Or maybe that was because she was always too busy when she
was there to notice it. Either way, it was new.
She walked beside him, her arm still looped with his, towards the table, thanking him (again) as he pulled out her chair. Sitting down, she let her eyes wander to take in her surroundings, waiting for him to take his own seat on the other side of the table. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.” She was kind of talking to herself at this point, but once he took his seat she focused her attention on him. “Do you come here a lot?”
He honestly wasn't used to making women blush. Lily humoured his flirtations, mostly because they both knew he wasn't being serious. He just liked annoying James. "I certainly don't mind redundancy," Moody said with a laugh. He was quite enjoying making Veronica flustered. It was entertaining and, besides that, she looked even prettier when she was flushed. At the restaurant, he waved off her apology. He certainly had no problems with her holding onto him. "Not many people notice this place," he explained, "because it's so small. It's part of its charm in my opinion. It's small, quiet and very charming." Plus the fact that not many people came here made it safer. He could easily spot threats as they arose and there were fewer civilians and therefore fewer liabilities.
His regular waiter came over as soon as they were settled, surprised to see that he had company, and took their drink orders. Moody ordered a glass of red wine instead of his customary water, rationalising that this was different than a normal evening out, and he could cast a sobering charm so he wouldn't become careless. When the waiter left, he smiled at Veronica. "So," he said, "you know from our mutual aggravation that I'm an auror, but I know very little about you. What is it you do, Veronica?" That was a lie, he knew a lot about her from the background check he'd done, but he preferred to hear what she would say. Her answer would tell him a bit about her character, such as whether or not she was prone to lying.
She unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap, looking up at the waiter to order her own glass of a sweet red wine, giving the man a smile before he walked away to go and pour their drinks. Her hands flattened out the cloth that she had just placed on her thighs, pausing for a moment as he asked about her job. It wasn’t like she was ashamed of her job or anything, but compared to being an auror, her own occupation seemed a little dull and ordinary. “I’m a baker.” She said suddenly, shrugging her shoulders a little bit as she reached out to take a sip of water, placing the glass back down before she continued. “I started out working in some local shop, behind the counter selling people cookies and cakes and all sorts of other pastries when I was 16. It was just a summer job, but I liked it. Anyway, the owner of the shop used to let me come into the back sometimes to watch him make everything. He’d tell me what he was doing as he went along, and then, one day, he let me have a go at it. After he saw that I could remember a recipe without even looking at it, he hired me as a baker.” After she had finished, she realized that she had been rambling on. “I know it sounds kind of…boring, but there’s this incredible feeling of satisfaction when someone purchases something you’ve made with your own two hands.”
Moody smiled. He liked that she was honest about what she did, not feeling like she had to impress him. "I don't think it sounds boring at all," he assured her, taking a sip of water. "I think it's important to do what you love. And you certainly seem like you enjoy what you do." He was enjoying this, more than he had thought he would. "Where is the bakery where you work? I'll have to stop by and try your baking sometime." And wasn't that saying something right there? Alastor Moody did not like trying new places. He didn't trust them. The very fact that he would try something from her bakery without scouting it out first showed that he did enjoy her company and liked her. "So," he said, "I suppose this is the point in the evening where we talk a bit about ourselves in order to find out more about one another." He was familiar with this point in a date, and he'd never particularly liked it. He had always avoided sharing information about himself, not wanting to give to much away. Still, it was an important part of the evening. He could hardly expect Veronica to think very highly of him if her refused to tell her anything about himself. And he wanted her to tell him about herself. It would be hypocritical not to show her the same courtesy. The waiter came up then, with their wine, delaying the inevitable for the moment. "Do you know what you would like, Veronica?" he asked, looking over the menu.
She couldn’t help but be a little bit surprised that he had asked where the bakery was. It was a
good kind of surprised, but she just hadn’t been expecting him to ask. “Well, the company I work for is called Feast Your Eyes. We have an ad out in the Prophet, and we usually make special order deliveries for people who have specific requests, since we work from my employer’s home. But our general goods, like cookies and cupcakes, are sold at Fratelli Camisa, the bakery in Diagon Alley.”
Her hands moved to grab a hold of her own menu, letting her eyes skim over the words, looking up over it to see him whenever he spoke. “I suppose it is.” She opened her mouth to say something more, but the waiter had come over just as she was about to speak. She ordered something basic, a plate of Tortellini Bolognese, and waited for Moody to make his own order before she handed over her menu. Once the waiter left, she folded her arms on the table and leaned forward a little bit, her head tilting slightly. “So, what would you like to know about me?”
"I suppose I'll have to order something them," Moody said decisively. "I'm confident your baking is very good." That was pretty much an amazing compliment coming from him, considering most of his aurors were 'barely tolerable' on good days. He smirked. "Maybe you can teach me a bit about baking, so that I'm somewhat less hopeless in that area." And he would never ever again admit that he had said that. Ever. He was not someone who admitted to having faults, and he didn't want his aurors ever finding out he wanted to learn to bake...even if it was just to get closer to a certain pretty baker.
He ordered the same thing she did, mainly because it was a good choice, but also because if someone wanted to poison him, it would be difficult for them to know which plate he would be receiving. He was nothing if not cautious. "I suppose anything," he said. "I'd just like to get to know you better. What house were you at Hogwarts?" Another question he already knew the answer to. "What are your interests?"
Veronica tried not to look too pleased with the fact that he had confidence in her baking skills, not even knowing that it was rare for him to give compliments. “Well, I’m glad you are. I’m sure most people don’t order baked goods from someone when they think their baking is awful.” His next statement caused her to grin a bit, finding the visual she got of him trying to make a cake slightly amusing in her head. She could see it now, him standing there with a big bowl and a wisk, mixing together some big chocolate concoction. But, she nodded her head anyway, figuring that even if the sight was amusing it would just give her another opportunity to be in the same room with him. Was that weird, though? She hardly knew anything abut the man, and yet she still wanted to spend more time with him. “I think I can do that.”
The rest of the night went smoothly, with each of them answering any questions the other had. She had explained that she was a Ravenclaw at school, and her interests were music, theater and art, and well…baking, obviously. She couldn’t draw to save her life, but she liked
looking at art, and photo’s and anything like that. Just because she wasn’t able to do it herself, that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate it, right? After she was done, she asked him the same questions, got his answers, and they moved on to different topics. It was so easy to talk to him, since he was constantly asking more and more questions to keep the conversation going, but then again so did she. They were just little questions to edge the other to continue on, nothing major. Sometimes when she was on a date - if this were considered a date after all – she felt like she was at an interview. But she didn’t get that feeling with Alastor. He seemed genuinely interested, which she liked.
Once they were done eating, they finished what was left of their wine, and left after Alastor had taken care of the check. They apparated again to her hallway, feeling a little more comfortable and less awkward about holding onto his arm this time around. When she felt her feet on the floor when they arrived, she stared at the floor before she turned around to face him. “Listen, I just…I want to thank you for all of this. Sirius really shouldn’t have dragged you into anything, and I’m sure you had better things to do than take out a girl you don’t even know. But…I’m glad you did.” There was a pause before she smiled a bit. “I had a lovely time. I just hope you weren’t too bored with me.”
Honestly, Moody was pretty sure he'd look ridiculous trying to bake, and he'd probably make a fool of himself, but that could be a good thing. For some reason he couldn't comprehend, women seemed to like men who weren't good at everything. Maybe it had something to do with being able to admit they weren't perfect and not being too proud to let someone else see them mess up. He certainly remembered his mother being amused by his father's mistakes. So this could work well. Besides, it was always useful to pick up a new skill, especially from such a pretty teacher. "I think I'd like that," he said with a smile. Plus, half his aurors would drop dead of shock if he learned to bake, and really, that would be a good thing all around. Weed out the weaker trainees.
He found that he was really enjoying himself. Veronica was interesting and he didn't mind listening to her talk or, more surprisingly, opening up about himself. He told her he had been a Gryffindor in school, but that the hat had considered Slytherin...before deciding it would probably be better for everyone involved if he wasn't in that house. He explained about his life as an auror, and his friendship with James Potter's father...as a way of accounting for his rather unfortunate association with Sirius Black, before telling her about his own interests. Because, yes, he did have a life outside of catching dark wizards. He told her about the music he liked and the books he was currently reading, and explained about his leg because she had been too kind to ask but he didn't see any reason not to tell her. He was pleasantly surprised that her reaction had not included pity, which was a relief because he actually liked her and he didn't want a reason not to. Too many people pitied him for what had happened, when he saw no reason. So, he'd lost a leg. He was still alive and it hadn't handicapped him much. The cane was even fun sometimes. They continued talking easily, and he realised it was possibly the first time he'd really felt at ease on a date since Hogwarts. He was actually disappointed it would have to end.
When they reached Veronica's flat, he smiled as he listened to her speak, shaking his head. "There's no need to thank me, Veronica," he said. "I'm beginning to think that perhaps I should thank Mr. Black. It's been quite a while since I had such a nice time out with a woman. I promise, there's nothing I could have been doing that would have been better than this." He laughed. "I had a wonderful time as well, Veronica. It's just a shame it has to end. You certainly weren't boring and...if I may be so bold, I would not be adverse to another evening like this." This was the part of dates he was never sure of. He could kiss her, but there was the chance she would not want him to and would be offended. Of course, if he didn't kiss her, and she wanted him to, she'd be offended. Either way, there was a chance of offending her. He might as well choose the more agreeable option. So he stepped forward, reaching up to cup her cheek with his hand, and kissed her.
“Oh, please don’t thank him, even if it is well deserved. I don’t think inflating that boy’s ego would do anyone any good.” It was hard to contain her smile, thinking about everything else he had said along with his suggestion about thanking Sirius. Actually, it was nearly impossible after he continued on after that. “You may.” Her reply came with a smirk, clasping her hands behind her back as she looked up at him. Veronica wasn’t sure what was going to happen, now. If he merely shook her hand and walked away, yeah it would be…disappointing, really, but…she wasn’t even sure what this was.
Maybe she was just reading too far into things, and he was just going on about how he liked talking with her and nothing more. But she really couldn’t help but think that there was something more to this…and it was clear to her that she was correct when he stepped forward, blinking as he touched her cheek before he leaned down to place his lips against her own. Her hands moved from behind her so that she could move one hand to touch his own cheek with her fingertips, placing the other carefully against his chest, returning the kiss.
It was surprising, since before she had met him, she thought that this was going to be nothing more than dinner, but now? Now, he was kissing her in the hallway, and she was kissing him back, and it was just…good. Even
she wanted to thank Sirius for pushing him in her direction. Who would have thought?
"You're probably right," Moody agreed. "That boy's ego certainly doesn't need further inflating. He'll become positively unbearable." Sirius wasn't that bad, really. Moody trusted him as an Order member, but he certainly wasn't someone Moody could put up with for extended periods of time. No, the boy was far too loud and brash and obnoxious for that. Still, he did think he would thank him for this. It had been a good evening, and he knew it never would have occurred without Sirius's interference, even if the boy had probably not known this would happen when he'd talked to Veronica. He laughed at her response and nodded. "Very well, Veronica," he said, "since I have your permission, you are beautiful, interesting and intelligent, and I would enjoy spending time with you again."
He was almost ashamed to admit how long it had been since he had kissed a woman, but he was relieved to find that it wasn't a skill that was easily forgotten. He certainly enjoyed kissing Veronica. And, thankfully, she didn't seem to mind...in fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself. It was always a plus when your date didn't slap you for kissing them, he mused as his other hand rested on the small of her back. Maybe he'd send Black a fruit basket. Anonymously, of course.
He pulled back from the kiss, looking down at Veronica and hoping things would not become awkward, because that had been a very nice kiss, and smiled. "I suppose this is the part where I leave and hope that I will have the opportunity to see you again," he said, because he didn't want to presume anything else. "This has been a very lovely evening, Veronica."
Bloody hell, the man really did have a way with words. She was sure that her cheeks were very pink by the time he had finished speaking before he had kissed her. It went on for a few more moments before he pulled away, opening her eyes to focus on his own, mirroring his smile with one of her own. “I think it just might be.” As much as she enjoyed Alastor’s company, she did not think it was the best move to invite him inside, especially since this was their first date that could have ended up as not being a date at all. “But I can assure you that I would like to see you again, as well.” She paused before she leaned up and gave him another quick kiss before she backed away and opened her door, turning the knob before she turned to face him again. “Good night, Alastor.” Another smile was given before she turned back inside and shut the door, leaning her back against it, still smiling, even though no one else could see.
It didn’t matter. She was
happy, and that was really all that was important. She liked him, and he liked her and…she was happy.
Moody nodded, somewhat disappointed that the date was already ending, but wanting to be a gentleman. He words were encouraging and the kiss even more so, and he smiled as she backed up and opened the door. "Well then," he said, "I suppose we will just have to arrange to see one another again soon. After all, you did say you would teach me how to bake." He was starting to feel ridiculous, like a fourth year all over again, so it was definitely time to leave. He smiled at her and nodded. "Good night, Veronica." He waited until her door was closed before apparating away. Now he just had to hope she didn't actually have a strange ability to turn men gay. He was very fond of his heterosexuality and had no desire to suddenly be interested in the likes of James Potter. To be frank, most of the men he knew were idiots. He didn't want to suddenly be attracted to them. He was pretty sure he had nothing to fear, though. He was rather taken with Veronica and couldn't see that changing any time soon.
He touched his hand to his lips and realised he was smiling. And not because he'd made a trainee cry. That was new. Yes. He really needed to get to work on that fruit basket for Black.
