Ficlet challenge (#180): Like Sunshine
Title: Like Sunshine
Summary: Slightly AU, where Severus survives. He contemplates a Max Mueller quote he’s run across.
Characters/Pairings: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger (implied)
Genre: humor, light romance
Rating/Warnings: pg (language)
Medium: ficlet
Word Count: 672
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Max Mueller, I thought to myself yet again this afternoon, was an idiot.
I had run across an insipid quote of his last night and the thing had lodged in my brain like a dratted fly. A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
Pah.
I hated that he was right.
“Severus,” Hermione said as she looked up from the other desk in the laboratory, “you’ve got your someone’s-an-idiot face on again. Are you grading the third-year essays? I told you I’d do that. I just haven’t gotten to it yet. But I will get them finished by Thursday.”
“I am not grading the third-year essays.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Who’s the idiot then?”
I put on my best glower. “You, for butting into my business uninvited.”
She snorted, completely unfazed. “The moment I signed on as the other Defense professor at Hogwarts was an interesting choice, no doubt. That being said, you just started with the pah-that-idiot face again approximately a minute ago, and you’ve been making it at various intervals all afternoon. So give.“
I steepled my fingers. “I had no idea my face was something you catalogued so meticulously.”
She arched an eyebrow in that wry way of hers. “Dodge attempt duly noted. Now talk. It’s good for the soul.” Her eyes widened at my sudden breath. “That hit a nerve. What’s wrong, Severus?”
I let my eyes glaze with cool dismissal. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, please. How long have we been co-teaching Defense?” She crossed her arms at my silence. “Well? How long?”
I felt my jaw tighten in some unnameable emotion that was too awful to contemplate. “Thirteen years.”
“And how many times have you stumped me on something? Hmmm?”
I snorted derisively. “This isn’t about defense against the dark arts.”
“So? The point still stands. If you don’t talk soon, I’ll be forced to do things I’d rather not.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You think threats bother me? I was a double agent for the Light side for years, placing myself at the hands of a paranoid lunatic with a predilection for randomized torture. I was, in point of fact, nearly decapitated by his giant snake. Your threats, shall we say, lack fangs, Hermione.”
She stared steadily at me with that sheen of sheer bloody-mindedness I’d come to recognize. “Severus, I will stand here and tell you embarrassing personal truths about myself until you wish you could run screaming from the room. But you will be utterly helpless to flee, held immobile by the unmitigated horror of me bearing my soul so blatantly, you tight-lipped Slytherin bastard.” She waggled both her eyebrows at me. “Now spill.”
I stared at her. My lips began to twitch in something suspiciously like laughter, damn the woman. “I truly despise you.”
“Yeah? Let the horrifying personal truths begin. I truly love you, you utterly ridiculous man. You don’t care for me in the same way, so my life is torture. Your turn.”
I blinked very slowly at her. “What?”
“Your turn. Spill. Or must I add more horrifying statements?”
I felt metaphorical sunshine burst on top of my head. “Go back. Say that again.”
She rolled her eyes. “My life is torture, woe is me, you don’t love me like I love you, I am a flower in darkness forever, alas?”
“Yes, that bit.” I swallowed. “Terribly wrong.”
It was her turn to blink. “Which bit?”
“All of it.” I exhaled slowly. “From beginning to end.”
Maniacal Gryffindor glee danced in her eyes. “All of it?”
“Every last syllable.”
A smile spread across her lips like a sunrise. “I don’t know about the life as torture part -- have you seen the third-year essays?”
I felt an answering smile stretch across my own lips. “Yes, well, we can’t expect miracles.”
“What can we expect, Severus?”
“Tea tomorrow afternoon perhaps? My quarters?”
“A fine plan.” Her eyes flashed again. “To begin with.”
27 points
Summary: Slightly AU, where Severus survives. He contemplates a Max Mueller quote he’s run across.
Characters/Pairings: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger (implied)
Genre: humor, light romance
Rating/Warnings: pg (language)
Medium: ficlet
Word Count: 672
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
If yes, your Tumblr username: N/A
Max Mueller, I thought to myself yet again this afternoon, was an idiot.
I had run across an insipid quote of his last night and the thing had lodged in my brain like a dratted fly. A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
Pah.
I hated that he was right.
“Severus,” Hermione said as she looked up from the other desk in the laboratory, “you’ve got your someone’s-an-idiot face on again. Are you grading the third-year essays? I told you I’d do that. I just haven’t gotten to it yet. But I will get them finished by Thursday.”
“I am not grading the third-year essays.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Who’s the idiot then?”
I put on my best glower. “You, for butting into my business uninvited.”
She snorted, completely unfazed. “The moment I signed on as the other Defense professor at Hogwarts was an interesting choice, no doubt. That being said, you just started with the pah-that-idiot face again approximately a minute ago, and you’ve been making it at various intervals all afternoon. So give.“
I steepled my fingers. “I had no idea my face was something you catalogued so meticulously.”
She arched an eyebrow in that wry way of hers. “Dodge attempt duly noted. Now talk. It’s good for the soul.” Her eyes widened at my sudden breath. “That hit a nerve. What’s wrong, Severus?”
I let my eyes glaze with cool dismissal. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, please. How long have we been co-teaching Defense?” She crossed her arms at my silence. “Well? How long?”
I felt my jaw tighten in some unnameable emotion that was too awful to contemplate. “Thirteen years.”
“And how many times have you stumped me on something? Hmmm?”
I snorted derisively. “This isn’t about defense against the dark arts.”
“So? The point still stands. If you don’t talk soon, I’ll be forced to do things I’d rather not.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You think threats bother me? I was a double agent for the Light side for years, placing myself at the hands of a paranoid lunatic with a predilection for randomized torture. I was, in point of fact, nearly decapitated by his giant snake. Your threats, shall we say, lack fangs, Hermione.”
She stared steadily at me with that sheen of sheer bloody-mindedness I’d come to recognize. “Severus, I will stand here and tell you embarrassing personal truths about myself until you wish you could run screaming from the room. But you will be utterly helpless to flee, held immobile by the unmitigated horror of me bearing my soul so blatantly, you tight-lipped Slytherin bastard.” She waggled both her eyebrows at me. “Now spill.”
I stared at her. My lips began to twitch in something suspiciously like laughter, damn the woman. “I truly despise you.”
“Yeah? Let the horrifying personal truths begin. I truly love you, you utterly ridiculous man. You don’t care for me in the same way, so my life is torture. Your turn.”
I blinked very slowly at her. “What?”
“Your turn. Spill. Or must I add more horrifying statements?”
I felt metaphorical sunshine burst on top of my head. “Go back. Say that again.”
She rolled her eyes. “My life is torture, woe is me, you don’t love me like I love you, I am a flower in darkness forever, alas?”
“Yes, that bit.” I swallowed. “Terribly wrong.”
It was her turn to blink. “Which bit?”
“All of it.” I exhaled slowly. “From beginning to end.”
Maniacal Gryffindor glee danced in her eyes. “All of it?”
“Every last syllable.”
A smile spread across her lips like a sunrise. “I don’t know about the life as torture part -- have you seen the third-year essays?”
I felt an answering smile stretch across my own lips. “Yes, well, we can’t expect miracles.”
“What can we expect, Severus?”
“Tea tomorrow afternoon perhaps? My quarters?”
“A fine plan.” Her eyes flashed again. “To begin with.”
27 points