After the War

Chapter 44

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 "Are you free next Sunday night?" asked Ginny, leaning back on the desk's surface with her legs swinging through the air.

"I'll have Teddy, but otherwise yes," Harry replied, glancing up at her from the exam he was grading. "Why?"

"Great! So you can come to Slughorn's party with me!" she said cheerfully.

Harry looked up startled. "What? No! I can't, I... I have to look after Teddy," he stammered.

"Give him to my Mum for the night," Ginny shrugged. "Trust me, she would love to have a little kid around the house for a bit."

"I don't know, Gin--"

"You're coming, Harry. If I have to suffer, then so do you," she interrupted matter-of-factly.

"I don't know if that's always true."

"Well, it is in this case," she grinned.

Harry just groaned and let his head fall back into his hand, knowing that fighting Ginny on this was a lost cause.

"It won't be that bad," she said consolingly. "It's smaller than his Christmas Party and it's just for his graduating NEWT students and a few other Professors."

Harry raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

"And Hermione's going to bring Ron so we can just hang out together the whole time. It's like a date!" she added cheerfully.

"A date with your Professors and other students?"

"Exactly!" came her reply, pointedly ignoring his sarcasm.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sounds fun."

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"Hey Ron!" Hermione said cheerfully into the speaker of her flip phone.

"Hello 'Mione," came Ron's reply from Harry's phone, somewhere within Grimmauld Place.

"Before I forget," she started. "Do you want to come with me to one of Slughorn's parties next Sunday evening?"

"Oh!" he said, clearly surprised. "Er... sure? But are you sure it's alright to bring me? I mean... I'm not exactly a student."

"Ginny's bringing Harry," she answered in defense.

"But he's a Professor."

"It's fine," she replied. "Slughorn is inviting a few special guests from outside Hogwarts, whatever that means, so I'm sure it's perfectly acceptable if you come as my guest."

"Okaaay...," he said, still entirely unconvinced.

"How can he say no when the famous Ronald Weasley graces his office walls?" Hermione asked sarcastically, the trace of a grin touching her face.

Ron made a rather unattractive sound resembling him throwing-up, but conceded anyway. "I guess if you're sure..."

"I am," came her definitive answer. "It'll be fun!"

"Usually, when someone has to clarify that something will be fun, it's not going to be," Ron smirked.

"It'll be a nice date night and a fun excuse to get all dressed up."