Halloween 2011 - Prompt 2 - "The Latest Product"
Title: The Latest Product
Author: starduchess
Rating: G
Word Count: 400
Notes/Warning: none. Written for Halloween2011 prompt 2: candy, cauldron, fairy
Hermione walked into the entry hall and scanned the devastation. Furniture was blown to bits and shards of glass and ceramics lay strewn over the floor. Smoke coated the walls and ceiling with more wafting up from the dungeon stairway.
Arriving at the potions lab, casting to dispel the smoke in the air, she could hear chattering and violent squeaks and low muttered curses. The place was a shambles. Cauldrons were knocked over and potion ingredients were scattered everywhere. Draco stood with his arms akimbo next to a burnt concoction, his eyes blazing with indignation at the fairies flitting about, quarreling with each other, shooting gobs of magic in every direction -- hence the chaos.
“What in the world, Draco?” she asked.
“I was preparing a new Halloween treat to be sold at The Familiar’s Emporium; however, the fairies won’t cooperate.”
Hermione blinked. Anger raced through her. “Malfoy! Are you trying to kill them?”
“Don’t be daft, love,” Draco sneered, “I’ve got a perfectly good charm to preserve them as they are dipped into the candy syrup. The problem is that they don’t want to be licked and bitten by little witches and wizards later after they’ve been bought.” Draco pointed to one example over on the table who was glaring at him while trying to lick the sticky sugar off.
“Why don’t you place them in a small bubble first? Then the candy won’t be directly on them. The bubble could burst once a third of it has been consumed, and the fairy would be free to fly away,” Hermione suggested.
Draco stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable. She was afraid he would hex her for coming up with a better solution, but he simply nodded and said, “Yes, that could work. It would make the final product slightly larger and bulkier, but the packaging would fit better. Why don’t you cast the bubble and I’ll dip?”
They worked in tandem for half an hour, carefully preparing the treats. Once they were done, she surveyed their handiwork. The rectangular sweets glowed from the fairies within, like amber in firelight.
“They’re breathtaking, Draco. They should sell very well,” Hermione said.
“Yes, they will,” he said with confidence. His eyes sparkled when he looked down at her. “But they’re not half as amazing as you.”
She blushed in acceptance of the compliment, as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
--
Author: starduchess
Rating: G
Word Count: 400
Notes/Warning: none. Written for Halloween2011 prompt 2: candy, cauldron, fairy
Hermione walked into the entry hall and scanned the devastation. Furniture was blown to bits and shards of glass and ceramics lay strewn over the floor. Smoke coated the walls and ceiling with more wafting up from the dungeon stairway.
Arriving at the potions lab, casting to dispel the smoke in the air, she could hear chattering and violent squeaks and low muttered curses. The place was a shambles. Cauldrons were knocked over and potion ingredients were scattered everywhere. Draco stood with his arms akimbo next to a burnt concoction, his eyes blazing with indignation at the fairies flitting about, quarreling with each other, shooting gobs of magic in every direction -- hence the chaos.
“What in the world, Draco?” she asked.
“I was preparing a new Halloween treat to be sold at The Familiar’s Emporium; however, the fairies won’t cooperate.”
Hermione blinked. Anger raced through her. “Malfoy! Are you trying to kill them?”
“Don’t be daft, love,” Draco sneered, “I’ve got a perfectly good charm to preserve them as they are dipped into the candy syrup. The problem is that they don’t want to be licked and bitten by little witches and wizards later after they’ve been bought.” Draco pointed to one example over on the table who was glaring at him while trying to lick the sticky sugar off.
“Why don’t you place them in a small bubble first? Then the candy won’t be directly on them. The bubble could burst once a third of it has been consumed, and the fairy would be free to fly away,” Hermione suggested.
Draco stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable. She was afraid he would hex her for coming up with a better solution, but he simply nodded and said, “Yes, that could work. It would make the final product slightly larger and bulkier, but the packaging would fit better. Why don’t you cast the bubble and I’ll dip?”
They worked in tandem for half an hour, carefully preparing the treats. Once they were done, she surveyed their handiwork. The rectangular sweets glowed from the fairies within, like amber in firelight.
“They’re breathtaking, Draco. They should sell very well,” Hermione said.
“Yes, they will,” he said with confidence. His eyes sparkled when he looked down at her. “But they’re not half as amazing as you.”
She blushed in acceptance of the compliment, as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
--