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Tweak says, ""I laugh at your nose.""

bonfoi (bonfoi) wrote in adventdrabbles,
@ 2011-12-02 00:22:00

Current mood:	surprised
Entry tags:	contributor: bonfoi, dec02, fandom: harry potter, prompt02, year: 2011

#2 ~ The Dunderhead's Miracle [PG] (RL/SS; HP/DM)
Title:

The Dunderhead’s Miracle 2

Author:

bonfoi
Rating: PG
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape; Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Summary: Rebuilding means forging new relationships…and rediscovering old ones. During the first Voldemort-free Christmas hols, two couples—one brand new, the other separated by time and distance—discover the joys of giving and receiving.
Challenge:

adventdrabbles 2011: Day 2 ~ Gingerbread Cookies (Biscuits)
Word Count: 830
Genre: Alternate Universe; EWE; Post-Second Voldemort War; Romance; Flangst
Warnings: Original characters; Deathly Hallows, what Deathly Hallows? One swear word.
A/N: There’s so much potential in the Wizarding World. It’s fun finding it.

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Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life.

This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.

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Day 1

The crowds in Diagon Alley were lively. Too lively for Remus’ condition. When he snarled at a little boy with sticky fingers who’d clutched at his leg as someone jostled him, Harry steered Remus into Confectionary Spells, the newest café in Wizarding London.

“You need to eat something, Remus,” Harry gently chided Remus.

“You’d be annoyed too, if you weren’t looking for young Malfoy,” Remus shot back. He grimaced as Harry rolled his eyes. “Fine, feed me, then. It’s your fault I’m up this early.”

“Early?” Harry laughed. “I came in at ten o’clock. You never struck me as a slug-a-bed before.” He turned away to point out his selections to the young witch behind the counter. She boxed up gingerbread biscuits, several Neapolitan cream-filled horns for afters, and, after sharing a glance with Harry, a whole chocolate-hazelnut torte.

“Thank you, sirs. Come again, and Happy Christmas!” she said after Harry paid for everything and two cups of hot chocolate.

He nudged Remus in the direction of an open booth where he laid out two gingerbread biscuits each on a napkin and pushed one set toward Remus as one of the hot chocolates lazily drifted down to within Remus’ reach.

Settled in the booth, Remus’ bad leg stretched out under the table, they ate quietly for a few minutes. Then Harry broached the thorny subject they always skirted. It was finally time.

“So…going to tell me why you’re trying to drink my liquor cabinet dry every three nights after your transformation?” Harry asked softly. No one else could have heard him unless they had preternatural hearing like Remus’.

Remus clenched his fingers hard around his biscuit and squeezed it to a mash. It fell onto the table. “Why are you asking me here?” he hissed. The table shook as he tried to get up from it.

“I’m asking because I care.” Harry looked into Remus’ eyes, hoping he saw the truth. “You miss him, I know you do. Why won’t you let me find him for you?”

“If Severus wanted to be with me, he’d know to come for me,” Remus growled out. The sound raised the hairs on the back of Harry’s neck and sent two nearby customers to the other side of their booth.

Harry sipped his hot chocolate and then shook his head as he swallowed. “You do realize the man was dying when he gave me his memories, right? Hell, Remus, we didn’t know you were alive until you showed up at Godric’s Hollow two months after we buried you.” The young man snapped his fingers and Remus’ broken cookie resurrected itself between his fingers. “He might not know. We haven’t been advertising it, per se.”

~o~O~o~

Eli Tobias—as Severus was known in the little village—nodded to people on the street as his latest creations floated behind him. People turned and began following the delicious aromas, asking for samples, which, of course, he never gave.

“Ye’ve done it agin, Eli,” a rail-thin woman said as she leaned on her broom. She sniffed appreciatively. “Jest the right touch a’ ginger there. Told ma man that nose was made for baking.”

“Thank you, Mrs. O’Shaunessy. Let your mother know her advice was appreciated,” Severus said as he kept up his steady pace. “The Londoners are waiting for their tea biscuits. I’ll have some ready in the market for afters later this afternoon.”

The crowd stilled and then slowly dispersed, muttering about how long a wait it was going to be. Severus smirked.

Who could ever have imagined him baking biscuits and cakes in Ireland and selling them, freshly-made, in a London café?

The trays with his biscuits wavered slightly as he thought about the few things he missed from his life. The loss of Lupin, the daft, heroic sod often caused his steps to falter. He even missed Tonks, misguided and heroic herself, since it had been at her instigation that farce of a marriage had gone forward so that Remus and he could have some kind of cover. The tray wobbled and it was only the gasps of a few trailing boys that had Severus flicking his wand under his elbow to steady them and then proceeding to his first café, Confectionary Creations.

“Did you see that? He was in the war, I tell you!” one hissed.

“’Splains how he always knows when we’re ready to poach the tasties,” another whispered back.

Severus stopped suddenly and whirled, assuming one of his favorite dueling stances. The boys gasped again. Then they grinned and cheered. Severus fired off some of the less dangerous Weasley Twins’ spells he’d learned and then left his admirers blinking in wonder on the sidewalk as he and the trays swooped into his café.

“Ooh, did ye see that?!”

“Wow!”

Severus watched the boys emulating him from the other side of the window. One of them lunged and swept his wand through the air and he was reminded his first duel with Remus….

To Be Continued

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~~~ Comments, like rain in the desert, are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading. ~~~

For those who have maple syrup or corn syrup and not golden syrup: Ginger Biscuits Recipe from Taste of Home

For those with access to golden syrup: English Gingerbread Men from Cook It Simply

(Post a new comment)

	slashpine 2011-12-02 08:54 am UTC (link)
	Mmm, a war veteran Snape who's fallen on his feet, is not the least daunted, and even flourishes a few spells in the street! I like this Snape. :-) Poor Remus is really in sad shape - smelly, oversleeping, stiff, and grumpy. Not his normal self at all! I wonder how these two will get together??? Looking forward to finding out, dear author! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bonfoi 2011-12-02 03:14 pm UTC (link)
	Well, the grumpy werewolf has some issues that need resolving and Severus without those memories weighing him down is a bit more social, but he still grumbles. Thank you so much for such a lovely comment. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	etain_antrim 2011-12-02 04:47 pm UTC (link)
	I'm hoping that Severus's biscuits are the same that Harry and Remus are enjoying. A sunny-tempered Severus is a pleasure. All Remus needs is his lost love -- I hope! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bonfoi 2011-12-03 03:10 am UTC (link)
	Hm, ginger biscuits in two Confectionary cafes...I wonder. looking innocent (Reply to this) (Parent)

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bonfoi
2011-12-03 03:12 am UTC (link)
Tested well.
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(Deleted post)

bonfoi
2011-12-03 03:14 am UTC (link)
Bless you for all your testing.
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bk7brokemybrain
2011-12-03 12:45 am UTC (link)
Ooh! What an interesting take on Tonks! I can't wait for the next part when grumpy werewolf meets successful baker.
(Reply to this) (Thread)

bonfoi
2011-12-03 03:14 am UTC (link)
A few more episodes to go before that. But they will be intersecting...they just might not know it.
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alisanne
2011-12-03 06:12 am UTC (link)
Now for a proper comment. :)
Harry is so good to Remus. *pets him* Something tells me that someone's about to take over the caretaking duties, though. *g*
Enter Severus! :)
(Reply to this) (Thread)

bonfoi
2011-12-03 06:17 am UTC (link)
Soon, my lovely mod, soon. There's a bit of backstory that needs airing out.
(Reply to this) (Parent)

shadowycat
2011-12-03 01:54 pm UTC (link)
Such a great set up! I wish I could smell the baking... :D
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bonfoi
2011-12-03 03:57 pm UTC (link)
I think I'm going to have to bake this weekend, myself.
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azure_rosa
2011-12-04 04:37 am UTC (link)
Severus is almost playful here! I like it! :D Good timing with the talk of baking, I need to gear myself up for that again. Mom always says she's never baking that much again, but next year comes along and nothing's changed. XD
(Reply to this) (Thread)

bonfoi
2011-12-04 05:07 am UTC (link)
I couldn't resist the recipes when I saw the prompt.

Now, I think hidden depths would be revealed once Severus had no wars, no masters hanging over his head. Remus' anger, well, that's explainable as well since he has his own traumas to deal with.
(Reply to this) (Parent)

red_day_dawning
2011-12-05 01:51 am UTC (link)
Catch-up time! And of course Severus bakes the most delicious things - all that potions-making genius re-directed. Lovely chapter, just enough to whet the appetite.
(Reply to this) (Thread)

Okay, one more time! Sheesh!
bonfoi
2011-12-05 02:45 am UTC (link)
Thank you, red_day_dawning! I know his biscuits and cakes would be divine because of how focused he is.
(Reply to this) (Parent)

enchanted_jae
2011-12-05 05:39 am UTC (link)
How sad that they are parted like that.
(Reply to this) (Thread)

bonfoi
2011-12-05 06:12 am UTC (link)
Believe me, I know. Writing extempore sometimes gets me going down interesting roads.
(Reply to this) (Parent)