Celandine's Chronicle (celandineb) wrote in cels_fic_haven, @ 2010-12-26 08:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | hp ficlets poppy/severus |
HP ficlet: Invitation [Poppy/Severus, general]
Title: Invitation
Author: celandineb
Fandom: HP
Pairing: Poppy/Severus
Rating: general
Length: 381 words
Summary: Severus intrigued Poppy.
Note: For juniperus, who wanted Snape with one of the female professors, prompt "wassail".
They were thrown together to begin with by the fact that, traditionally, the Potions Master prepared the more complex and difficult of the healing potions that the Hogwarts matron required.
Poppy was quite capable of compounding most if not all of them on her own, but if Severus was willing to do it, she had no intention of discouraging him. She had plenty of other demands on her time, and she always mixed the simpler potions in any case.
Severus intrigued her. She knew that he had been a student at Hogwarts after her own time, and was perhaps a dozen years younger than she. Dumbledore had hired them both in the same year, however, so she had not known Severus as a student. She imagined that he would have been a somewhat trying pupil: intelligent and able, but also distrustful and sullen.
As a colleague, however, Severus was a good one. He did his work with no more than the usual amount of grumbling about student laziness and incompetence, and he neither hesitated to make his views known nor monopolised the time in staff meetings. Poppy found herself thinking about him more and more often as she went about her own duties.
Both of them habitually spent the holidays at Hogwarts, as neither had family they cared to visit. The day after the students departed this December, Poppy sought out Severus in the potions classroom where he was checking his inventory. The worst he can do is say no, she told herself.
"Would you care to go to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday?" she asked. "Madam Rosmerta always brings out the wassail cup at this season, and I believe there will be carolling in the village as well."
Severus paused in the act of writing down how many glass retorts had survived a term of student use and abuse. "Pardon me?"
Embarrassed, Poppy began to repeat herself, but Severus stopped her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to indicate that I had not heard, only that I was surprised you would wish me to accompany you."
"Why?" Poppy asked simply.
"I am not accustomed to receiving such invitations." Severus chewed his lower lip.
"Well, get used to them," said Poppy, "because if tonight goes well, I plan to invite you again."