AN: One-shot writing challenge from AJRoald.
DECEPTIONS
"That husband of yours has been acting suspicious lately," Hermione said in Ginny's ear.
Ginny had to admit she was right because Remus, who was normally very calm and collected, was acting anything but that lately. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn the Marauders were back. She could recognize mischief anywhere thanks to her twin brothers. Normally the thought of mischief had fun connotations, but this time it didn't.
She ran through the mental list in case it was something positive. He used to love to surprise her in the beginning of their marriage. No special anniversaries were coming up that she could readily bring to mind. They were just a boring old married couple, and things had gotten a little stale in the relationship.
Her brown eyes darkened. What if he was cheating on her? She was younger than him, yes, but he was a male. Being merely younger wouldn't necessarily satisfy his cravings, and as a werewolf he had them in spades. She thought she understood that when they got married, but she didn't really understand what she'd gotten herself into.
"I have to go," she finally said out loud to Hermione before excusing herself to go to the lingerie shop. She was going to seduce him to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. If he was cheating, he'd do well to remember the amazing woman he married and why he married her!
Ginny smoothed down the front of her robes nervously. Underneath her very boring day clothes, she was wearing the skimpy lace garment that she picked up from the shop. She'd never been a shy person at all, but this all seemed so silly.
Remus came home through the Floo, dusting off his shoes afterward and going immediately to his closet of an office without a hello. Under his arm was clutched his case of papers and wands. Though he'd had a family home, their house they lived in was so tiny that they joked they had to go outside to change their minds. Knowing how cramped the space was, it was a miracle that he managed not to make eye contact as he raced passed his wife.
He mumbled something, and Ginny swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. Getting over that, she choked out submissively, "Supper will be ready in 10 minutes."
"Ate at Diagon Alley," he murmured before coming back to give her an unconvincing peck on the cheek.
The redhead's imagination kicked into overdrive then. So what was this secret he was keeping? Had he met a witch in London for a fling and eaten afterwards. She had enough of the secrecy, and planned seduction or not, she was going to march into the cramped closet he'd been using and give him the what-for.
"Remus John Lupin!" she yelled, shedding articles of clothing as she got closer to him.
The short hairs on his neck tingled, and he looked to his wife in fear. He'd been trying to keep his plan quiet until everything was ready, but by her tone, he knew the jig was up. "Now, Ginny…"
"'Ginny…' what? Something you have to tell me?" she asked as a dare, removing her robe so all that covered her was the lace of a negligee. In her hand, she held her wand like an iron rod.
Without thinking of the consequences, she used her wand to incant the spell to tie him to a chair. Then, she removed his clothing until he was sitting there in just his boxers and socks.
"I think… you need… to tell me what you've been doing lately," she said with many pauses as she bumped and grinded against him like a stripper bent on revenge.
"Can't…" he struggled, "not ready…"
"Oh, I think I can still make you ready…" Ginny replied, rubbing her hand over the bulge that was beginning to form in his boxers.
Remus cursed his body for betraying him, but he was in control of himself enough to resist. "No, Gin! Not time!" He threw his head away from her, resisting her advances.
"I'll tell you when it's time, Remus…" she said again, running her fingers through his hair as she faced him and shaking her hips over his pelvis.
It pained him to resist his wife because he wanted nothing more to be inside her, but he couldn't give in to the trick. He didn't want to jinx the negotiation he'd been working on by mentioning it before all the details were squared away.
"No!" he growled out defiantly, and used his body weight to throw the chair.
While sexually adventurous in their early marriage, they'd broken a few small items and chairs before. In and of itself, what he'd done was nothing new, but it didn't have the same amorous intention behind it. Not really.
This time Ginny ended up on the floor, and banged her head on the living room table beside the too large sofa for the too small house. The lamp fell down, barely missing her. Meanwhile, Remus fell backwards while still tied to his chair and ended up putting a hole in the wall with his head.
A loud sigh could be heard from each of them before he muttered, "This wasn't what I had planned."
"Me neither, and especially not that," Ginny remarked as she sat up to the smell of their supper burning. Hanging her head low to hide the moisture suspiciously in her eyes, she said, "This damned house…"
She stood up dejectedly without even trying to loosen him from his bonds. Then she picked up her wand to walk the extremely short distance to the kitchen to check on the charred remains of their meal. Before she could get there, an owl flew into the house with a letter for Remus.
"Thank you," she said with a dead tone, handing it a biscuit it wasn't interested in having.
"No, Ginny!" Remus yelled. "Don't open it!"
Spinning on her heel, she accused, "So does this have anything to do with the little secret you've been keeping from me?"
He could tell from the envelope that it did. He gave a pitiful nod and begged her not to look.
"I think I should!" she said, tired of all the hiding he'd done and not feeling creative enough for her more spirited verbal sparring.
She tore open the envelope and starred at it for a long time, blinking but uncertain at what she was reading. Then she looked at her tiny house with damage all around her and not enough room for the two of them, much less the children they said they wanted to have some day.
"Remus…" she opened her mouth to question. She gesticulated with the envelope but nothing more came out.
"Ginny, I was trying to keep it quiet. I wasn't sure if I could do it, and I didn't want to hurt you if it didn't work out…"
A single tear rolled down her cheek followed by a choke of a laugh. "No, I think we'll be okay."
"What?" he asked attentively, lifting his throbbing head up to see her better.
She walked over to him, bending down and putting the letter close to his face. He looked at it and then looked back to her. Understanding dawned slowly, but when it did the laughter erupted out of him like a volcano.
Grabbing his face with both her hands, she silenced his laughter with a kiss that made his toes curl. "Thank you, Remus."
He smiled dreamily and replied, "I think it was worth it. So now that we know we have a new house waiting for us with plenty of room for little witches and wizards, maybe you should let me go so we can get busy with…"
"Oh, no, Lupin. You don't need to be free for me to take advantage of you," she said with the sexiest of looks reinforced by the confidence in her husband and her marriage that she was once again feeling.
"Then come over here and get me because I can't move," he said flirtatiously back.
"Oh, yes," she agreed. "And after I'm done setting you on fire, I'm going to set this shack on fire. I don't care if I ever see it again."
"That's all talk, Weasley," he teased back. "Get over here and put your mouth to better use."
Laughing and running her fingers through his hair she said, "Gladly," before she took complete advantage of him.