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gingerbredshaus ([personal profile] gingerbredshaus) wrote2019-06-23 03:01 am

"the tea drabble 2" by gingerbred

Sometime post Battle of Hogwarts. Severus and Hermione get closer over a mug of tea. A short ginger!Drabble.

Originally Published: 2019-06-23 on LJ / DW
The Drabble to a flocked entry in toblass's journal from 2019-05-28
Words: 1250, complete, but there are related one shots
Prompt: Toblass and I were chatting Lego, as we do, and doll that she is, she made me the lovely pic below with the following prompt: "Miss Granger...while I do appreciate your Transfiguration skills, I fail to see how pink is any improvement. Kindly return this ghastly mug to its proper state." 

Then we got to talking about her drawing of Severus and Hermione ('Tea and Toast' on AO3), and the second pic was the result. (I made a slight mod of her work.) This sort-of-longish-Drabble / short-ginger!Drabble is for her. ❤️

This picks up from 'the tea drabble 1' (LJ / DW).
It's followed by 'the tea drabble 3' (LJ / DW).


Characters: Severus, Hermione, Unikitty (don't ask)


It's just his luck, then, that they get their wands and words crossed and what she does next takes him even more by surprise.

[After a brief interlude...]

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"When you mentioned deflowering, this wasn't quite what I thought you had in mind." Severus grumbles under his breath as he stares at his teacup, now mug shaped and rendered a most unholy fuchsia.

More loudly, he addresses the supremely self-satisfied witch, "While I have the utmost respect for your Transfiguration capabilities..."

"The 'utmost'?" Hermione smirks.

"Fine. I find them passable, but it seemed injudicious to phrase it as such..." he allows. Hermione simply laughs, cheerily optimistic as to why it might be 'injudicious', and Severus has to wonder just when she ceased to be the least bit intimidated by him. But upon reflection, that's preferable, surely? It's merely... unaccustomed.

It will take some getting used to.

He suspects the warmth of her smile will likely help facilitate that, much like the pleasant sound of her laugh... (He most emphatically eschews the word 'tinkle' - in this as in other contexts, in which he prefers 'slash', 'ring' or 'tintinnabulate', depending.) Already, he finds himself not particularly minding the longer she stands there. No, her ease around him is not something he'd need to grow accustomed to, it's something he wishes to become used to. And more to the point, he'd rather like to have the opportunity to do so.

"Without wishing to denigrate your... passable Transfiguration talents," he drawls and once again Hermione simply laughs that light, clear ringing... Hmm. Not tinkling, no. That uninhibited, thoroughly uncowed laugh of hers, which he's coming to enjoy more and more...

... and he nearly loses the thread.

He scowls. It lacks all conviction, completely ruining the effect, and she grins a bit wildly at the sight. "I fail to see how pink is any improvement. Kindly return this ghastly mug to its proper state." 


Unikitty, another hybrid creature of Hagrid's (doubtless in violation of the Ban on Experimental Breeding, but then that's nothing new) had escaped from Hagrid's pens days ago. The inhabitants of the castle are well aware. This, too, is nothing new. Creature on the loose? It must be Tuesday.

Said creature chooses this moment to stroll past and not so respectfully or helpfully, proceeds to suggest Hermione simply add flowers to the thrice damned thing, which she, so obligingly, does.

Females.

Severus stares at his hot pink and now flowered mug with even more dissatisfaction. "Hardly what I'd call an improvement." The flowers were conceivably the one aspect of his teacup he'd have readily been willing to do without. It's surpassed 'ghastly' and gone straight for 'abomination'.

Hermione follows with a flick and a swish that returns his saucer. As it doesn't even fit properly under the mug, it earns her 'the raised brow', particularly when he has to hasten to pluck it out of the air to keep it from crashing to the ground. Smirking, she Transfigures the mug back into its original teacup form. The colour, most stubbornly, persists. "The fuchsia, Miss Granger. The fuchsia." Which not-so-coincidentally are precisely the flowers she'd magicked onto his cup. The colour had served as inspiration.

"Funny you should mention them. At the risk of being obvious, I was going suggest 'deflowering' again, Severus," her emphasis is heavy, and his stomach seems to drop at the sound. It's even more pleasant than her laugh, and he half suspects he's eager for her to repeat it. "Except my point seems to have escaped you the last time. Utterly."

He has to swallow before he's able to speak. It proves unusually difficult. "I don't believe that it had, there were simply some reservations in need of... addressing. And when you referred to my 'hang ups', Hermione, I also in no way envisioned I'd soon be stood here with a hook in my head."

"It's more of a bail," she corrects with an impudent grin. He mumbles something she decides sounds like 'sufferable know-it-all' and she gives him an encouraging smile. "How nice to think we might be in agreement."

"Any chance I could persuade you to do something about it?" He asks with a sigh as he runs a hand over his head.

"Why, Severus... Nothing would please me more than to free you of your hang ups." He blinks, surprised by her sudden proximity. "Except possibly deflowering you," she amends with a breathy chuckle in his ear as she addresses the problem.

"There," she says as the silver bail disappears. "That's one thing off your mind."

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They stand there in silence for a moment and then she appears to make a decision. With a last flick of her wand, a bit tentatively she Transfigures his cup once more. Even Severus can sense it's a test. Looking from his hot pink mug, now emblazoned rather provocatively with the word 'Git', to her hopeful smile, he passes with flying colours as he tells her, "I think you've grown entirely too cheeky, but I believe I have just the thing for it," and carefully takes her hand. "Just by chance, it so happens that I have a matching mug for you back at mine." Her smile grows impossibly wide at 'mine', and possibly hungry, if Severus had to put a name to it.

"In Slytherin green," he drawls, endeavouring not to allow the effect her smile is having on him to become audible. "Naturally it proclaims 'Swot'."

She laughs. "In sparkling silver lettering, I presume? All shiny and..." Her fingers flutter briefly, miming a shower of fireworks sparks.

Silver, yes, sparkling... not so much. It had been a gift from Draco after Potter had dragged him round some Muggle tourist attractions. The Malfoy heir had been completely enthralled with the breadth and variety of gift personalisation available to Muggles as souvenirs. Potter had reliably assured Severus he could count himself lucky he wasn't stood there with dozens of personalised pants instead. Severus had shuddered at thought, both because it was far too believable an assertion, and that Potter - against all odds - should somehow have become a good influence.

"Anything else and I'll be sorely disappointed..." Hermione bats her eyes playfully, having no idea whatsoever that this isn't meant to be a transparent wizard's ruse and the mug isn't something he plans to Transfigure on the spot.

"I'll see what I can do..." Severus sounds a little uncertain. There must be a Spell for that, surely... But Hermione's back to nibbling her lip, rather hoping she'll come to see rather a lot of just 'what' he can do, and given the warmth of her gaze, any remaining doubts of his are fleeting.

"Would you care to discuss a... suitable arrangement for access to the aforementioned mug back in quarters?"

"Oh, would I ever! I'd be delighted!" Her smile never wavers as she begins tugging him towards the dungeons, as if he couldn't find the way on his own. But then with the slightly dazed way he feels just at the moment, perhaps he couldn't.

Still trailing the pink mug in hand, there's no more hesitation left in him as he follows most willingly behind her. Quite tamely, in fact, as the portraits later agree.



This continues in 'the tea drabble 3' (LJ / DW).

Things you may have missed and that just might enrich your lives...





(I'm a simple creature, there's little point in denying it. *nods* 😉) Thanks to mywitch and toblass, respectively, for the links.

[identity profile] gingerbredshaus.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
... overcoming the pingback issues by brute force if need be, gingerbred waves at [livejournal.com profile] toblass in passing...

Here's the ginger!Drabble we spoke about. For you. *hugs* Thanks again for the lovely pic & prompt that spawned it. ❤️

[identity profile] toblass.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!

Yaaaaaaay!!!!!

This is such a fun little ficlet drabble! And I love how Hermione has relieved Severus of his...hangup! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

You are awesome, hon! Now I wish I had a green lego mug. Although...I suppose its nothing a bit of manipulation couldn't accomplish...

...Unikitty, another hybrid creature of Hagrid's (doubtless in violation of the Ban on Experimental Breeding, but then that's nothing new) had escaped from Hagrid's pens days ago. The inhabitants of the castle are well aware. This, too, is nothing new. Creature on the loose? It must be Tuesday.

And I love how you were able to slip Unikitty into Hogwarts as one of Hagrid's creatures. Absolutely genius!

Thank you so much for writing out this little scene!

*squishes you*

[identity profile] gingerbred.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 11:21 am (UTC)(link)
😃 So relieved glad you liked it!

I briefly toyed with the idea of making a scene with the green mug to go with it, and then sanity kicked in... lol. Too many changes for the software in the hands of this user.

I can just picture Unikitty being one of Hagrid's greatest disappointments. Not likely to kill you a dozen different ways by accident before brekkies? Pfooey. I can just see him embarrassed to be associated with her... Ah, and Fred and George coming along to needle him about licensing...

Thanks! ❤️❤️❤️
Edited 2019-06-23 13:35 (UTC)

[identity profile] toblass.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 03:38 am (UTC)(link)

You are sooo awesome! Thank YOU! *hugs*

[identity profile] gingerbred.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 11:22 am (UTC)(link)
*goofy grin and blush*

*hugs back* 😊

[identity profile] mywitch.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
in which he prefers 'slash', 'ring' or 'tintinnabulate', depending

Creature on the loose? It must be Tuesday.


Oooh, I am liking where this is going!!
Edited 2019-06-23 02:59 (UTC)

[identity profile] gingerbred.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 11:26 am (UTC)(link)
Hagrid, bless. The man who single (somewhat giant) handedly ruined the ecology of the forbidden forest, but is somehow seen as fit to instruct Care of Magical Creatures...

😊😘

[identity profile] mywitch.livejournal.com 2019-06-24 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Amazing - must be one of those Gryffindors. They always land with their butt in the butter.

Also, I love how you said "Hagrid, bless." Such a Southern Belle!

[identity profile] gingerbred.livejournal.com 2019-06-24 12:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, you think about it, Voldemort is considered evil for killing a handful of unicorns. How many do you suppose the Acromantulas had killed over the years? Or how many centaurs had they snacked on for that matter? Yeah, way to go Hagrid. Also? *So* competent. Norbert? Hmm.

The funny thing is I picked up the 'bless' from my English colleagues. The assorted American Southerners in my life hadn't managed to worm that one into my vocabulary. (I think it's because the American version always struck me as (at least a bit) more meanly intended than the English one did.)

[identity profile] kit10notk9.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Uni the unicorn from the D&D cartoon of the 80s & Nermal 'The World's Cutest Kitten' all-grown-up were forced to have a cutesy baby Unikitty.
Unikitty the only creature on earth capable of killing Dementors, and causing evil people to spontaneously explode like Mr. Cresote after a wafer thin mint just by being cuter and happier than a Care Bears & MLP marathon.

[identity profile] gingerbred.livejournal.com 2019-06-23 11:31 am (UTC)(link)
Ooo! I had forgotten about Nermal.

Sounds about right. We have a lovely twist on the Care Bears, when someone is excessively whinging, we sometimes call them a 'Beschwerbär' which translates to 'complain(t) bear'. I like that a lot. (Sadly, they usually refuse to explode, no matter how many after eights one supplies...)

[identity profile] too-dle-oo.livejournal.com 2019-06-25 03:42 am (UTC)(link)
The fuchsia mugs! The advent of Unikitty as a Hagrid!creature!

AHHHH!

[identity profile] beffeysue.livejournal.com 2019-06-25 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"the tea drabble 2"
"When you mentioned deflowering, this wasn't quite what I thought you had in mind."

Oooooh, our poor Severus. How can you not love this wizard? He is smart as a whip, clever enough to spy for two different megalomaniacs who had no use for each other at all. Not the eenciest, teenciest bit. And he survives, and both of them are dead. But put him in a room with a comely, equally brave and intelligent witch, and he can't string together two sentences without ... and he nearly loses the thread. OMG! I laughed till my face hurt!