Who: Veronica Zeller and Alastor Moody
What: 3 Month Anniversary
Where: Veronica's flat
When: May 23rd
Rating: TBD
Status: Finishing in comments.




Veronica could not believe that it had been three months. Three months since she had started dating Alastor. It took her a long while to think back to the last relationship that had lasted that long...and it went back a few years. So, in her mind, this was a big deal. Not that it screamed wedding ring or anything close to that, but it was still a good sign. He hadn't gotten sick of her, and he hadn't turned out to be gay, which she was very thankful for. No, things were going just fine between them, and she hoped they would stay that way.

Dinner had only taken one and a half to two hours to prepare, so she was able to relax and make herself look presentable before he got there. The roast was cooking, and the potato water was coming to a boil as she went through her closet, picking out a very pretty but very simple green dress that came down to her knees. Between running back and forth to do her hair, and her makeup, and to check on dinner, she must have looked like a lunatic. But it was worth it, because everything turned out perfectly in the end. Alastor had shown up just as she was draining the potatoes, and she was able to give him a kiss, lead him inside, and finish up the rest of their dinner.

They made casual small talk as they ate, drinking a glass or two of wine to go with what she had made. But dinner ended rather quickly. They were both hungry, it seemed. So, Veronica finished the last of what she had been chewing, and placed her napkin on the table, taking her glass in her hand as she looked over the rim at him. "I hope you saved room for dessert."

Alastor had realised the significance of the date, of course, but then...he noticed most things. Three months. They'd managed three months with Veronica actually putting up with him and not running off screaming. That was a quarter of a year. It wasn't something he was used to, but he was very glad when it came to Veronica. He was finding that he was very fond of her, and he was happy that he had somehow managed to actually keep the relationship going, in spite of the demands of his job and the occasional flaws in his...or rather...the entirety of his personality.

He'd brought her flowers, a mix of red and yellow tulips, because he remembered that they were here favourites. And he'd done his best to look presentable, wearing his best charcoal coloured suit and a blue shirt that apparently brought out his eyes. He hadn't worn a tie, but then he didn't actually own one, and he had gotten out his nicer cane. He'd showed up on time, kissing Veronica, and complimenting her on her appearance. She really was beautiful. Dinner had been nice, much better than what he ate when working, and he remembered to comment on her cooking.

The conversation was comfortable, discussion of their respective days broken by easy silences and comments on quidditch and other casual topics. The wine was nice and he felt more at ease than he ever did outside her company. When she mentioned dessert, he smiled and nodded. "Of course," he said. He was dating a baker. Of course he'd saved room for dessert. He smiled. "Dinner was lovely, Veronica," he assured her again.

A small smile spread over her lips as he complimented the dinner again, taking a sip of her wine before she spoke again. “If I had a galleon for every time you’ve said that tonight, I’d probably be very rich. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like hearing it.” Placing her glass back down, she scooted her chair back and rose to her feet, leaning over to give him an appreciative kiss before straightening up to clear off the table. There wasn’t that much to do, so she just had him sit there while she charmed a few of the dishes into the sink and placed what was left over on the counter. She’d put it away when it had cooled off more. Right now she wasn’t in the mood to take the time to pack everything up.

Once dinner was cleared off, she stood on her toes to grab the dessert she had prepared. Not that she was too short to reach, but she wanted to get a good grab on it so it didn’t fall onto the floor and be ruined. So, carrying the tray over to the table, she set it down and removed the cover. Everything was still warm and gooey, since she had charmed the brownies to stay that way. Lining the tray were chocolate chip cookies. It was nothing really special, but it was still a nice display.

Placing down the plates, she paused before she excused herself for a moment. “I’ll be back in one second.” Moving around him, she walked into her room and opened a drawer to pull out a small box that was decorated with a silver ribbon. He had given her flowers when he had arrived…so he had to have remembered, which made her feel more comfortable about giving him a little something. Closing the drawer, she walked back inside and took her seat at the table, extending her arm out to him so he would take the box. “Here.” It wasn’t the most eloquent way of handling things, but she hated saying ‘happy anniversary’ because it sounded so…formal? She wasn’t sure, but it sounded so strange to say when you were dating someone…especially after only three months.

"Saying something more than once doesn't make it any less true, my dear," Alastor said with a small smile. He enjoyed complimenting Veronica. She put up with him, so clearly she deserved compliments. His aurors certainly loved her, even the ones who had never met her, solely because he'd been in a better mood lately than he had in years. He was still paranoid, he just wasn't so harsh with his aurors as he could be sometimes. He smiled as she kissed him, and bit back the urge to insist she allow him to help out. He didn't want to offend her, but he did feel awkward just sitting there. This was probably why he'd never had a wife. Not that he was thinking of Veronica in terms of marriage. He was just making a comparison.

He smiled as she brought out dessert. It looked very nice. "This is lovely, Veronica," he said, taking a bite of one of the brownies. It was brilliant as always. "You are, as always, a wonderful cook." He nodded his head as she excused herself and was a little surprised when she brought back a box. He knew it was their three month anniversary, and that it was significant to both of them, but he hadn't expected a gift, and it made him somewhat flustered. "Thank you," he said, still a bit surprised. He opened the box and looked at the tie inside. He didn't usually wear ties, but he liked this one. It was tasteful and suited him. "This is perfect, Veronica," he said, moving to kiss her. "I really like it." He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small box. "And this is for you. Happy Anniversary." Because he felt he should verbally acknowledge it.

Veronica found herself fidgeting nervously as he opened his present. Her fingers kept playing with the fabric of her skirt, biting gently at her bottom lip as she waited for him to say something to let her know whether or not he liked it or not. She didn’t know what he liked, and it was much harder to shop for a man than it was to shop for a woman. Or, well, it was in her opinion. Then again, most of the men Veronica shopped for liked things like scarves, while men like Moody were more…specific.

When he finally said something, she smiled broadly, leaning in to return the kiss before giving a light sigh of relief. “I’m glad you do.” She couldn’t help but raise her brows as he reached into his pocket, her large blue eyes staring down at the box before returning to meet his once he spoke. Happy Anniversary. The words, while sounding odd in her head, sounded very nice when he was saying them. Turning to put her attention back on the jewelry box, her long, slender fingers reached out to move it closer to her. She paused before flipping it open, freezing in place for a moment. “Oh, wow…” she moved her fingertips over the single diamond that hung off the end of the silver chain before carefully lifting it up. “It’s…it’s gorgeous.” Her lips curved up into yet another large smile as she looked over to him. “I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.” Leaning over, she used this as just another excuse to kiss him before moving back to adjust the jewelry in her hand. “Can you help me put it on?”