Snarry-a-Thon22: FIC: The Coffee Shop Title: The Coffee Shop Author:Goddess47 Other pairings/threesome: none Rating: PG Word count: 1525 Content/Warning(s): none Prompt: No. 30 - Harry opens a coffee shop in the aftermath of the war. Severus is one of his most loyal customers. Summary: Were he and Severus more than just friends? Maybe Harry should find out. A/N: This was somehow harder than it should have been! LOL. Many thanks to M. who talked me out of giving up on writing for this fest.
"Oi! Harry! Your boyfriend's here!" Erica called into the office of the coffee shop.
Harry looked up and frowned. "He's not my boyfriend."
"Huh. You didn't ask who it was..." She let that trail off with a small grin.
Harry sat back for a moment, slightly stunned at the thought. Were he and Severus more than just friends? Maybe he should find out.
He grabbed the pastries he had set aside and automatically moved to the coffee machine to make Severus' favorite beverage.
Oh. Wait. He took a deep breath. Duh.
Harry carried the tray over to Severus' usual corner and settled into the armchair next to Severus. Harry let Severus take a bite of the pastry before he asked, "How long have we been dating?"
Severus inhaled at that point and then started coughing.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startled you like that," Harry apologized, handing over a handful of napkins.
Severus took a careful sip of his mocha -- who knew Severus would have such a sweet tooth? -- and cleared his throat.
"A couple of months?" Severus hazarded.
"Oh. Well. All right then," Harry replied. He sat back and took a sip of his own tea.
Severus roughly cleared his throat again and took another sip of mocha. "Umm... could I get some water?"
"Sure!" Harry nodded as he got up. He grabbed a glass and poured some of the lemon water they kept on hand for coffee shop patrons who didn't like the hot beverages. He went back to their corner -- that should have been another clue, Harry realized -- and handed Severus the water.
Severus drank down half the glass, settled back in his armchair and scrutinized at Harry.
"Your friends did warn me you might not notice," Severus admitted.
"Hermione? Ron? Luna? Neville? Draco?" Harry guessed.
Severus nodded. "And a few others. Individually. It was quite awkward."
"Oh."
Severus gave a wry grin. "I must admit that not labeling it as 'dating' has made it easier." He dropped his voice, even if no one else was in the immediate area. "It has... exceeded my expectations that you would seek out my company so willingly."
Harry blushed. "And, well, I've been surprised at how much I've enjoyed spending time with you." Then he laughed. "A year ago, I would never have thought that!"
~*~
"Large coffee. Black."
Harry was startled for a moment. That voice!
He looked up to see black eyes that were probably as startled as his were.
"Professor!" Harry breathed. Snape was alive! was all Harry could think.
"Not a Professor," Snape snarled.
"Sorry, sir," Harry replied automatically. "Any pastries or biscuits with the coffee?"
"No."
Harry quoted the price and Snape handed over the money. Harry poured the coffee, put a lid on the cup and handed it over.
Snape took the cup, turned -- for a moment, Harry saw the whirl of robes instead of the Muggle garments -- and stalked out of the shop.
"What the fuck just happened?" Harry asked himself. He shook his head to get himself to refocus.
His mind whirled as he refilled the muffin tray he had been working on when Snape had come into the shop. Being an hour before closing, Harry was the only one working. There would be a small rush right before closing but nothing Harry couldn't handle on his own.
Harry dealt with customers, sold off the last of the day's baked goods, and then closed the shop. He pulled the shades and turned off the lights. Only then did he bring out his wand to set the cleaning charms working. A small whirlwind of activity went through the shop, cleaning the tables, sweeping the floor and setting the furniture back to its proper place.
Only then did Harry go to the back and sit and allow himself to think about what had just happened.
Snape was alive!
And, apparently, living in a Muggle neighborhood. Just like Harry was. For Snape had been just as startled to see Harry as Harry was to see Snape.
Harry set the back of the shop up for the morning and went home to lie awake in his bed.
Snape came back about the same time the next day.
"Large coffee. Black."
Harry was slightly better prepared this time.
"Good to see you, sir," Harry said formally.
"Hrmph."
Harry handed over the coffee, Snape handed him the money, then left without another word.
It took another week of mostly silent exchanges before Snape unbent enough to add a baked good to his order.
"Large coffee. Black." A moment of hesitation. "Do you have any oatmeal biscuits?"
"It's oatmeal, raisins, and walnuts," Harry replied.
"One. Please."
Harry bagged up the biscuit and handed it over. Snape handed him the money and left without another word.
Snape came by every afternoon for two weeks. Then stopped. Harry felt sad at losing that small contact.
It was another six days before Snape came back, looking slightly tanned. It was a good look for the man, Harry thought.
"On vacation?" Harry asked. "You look well. Did you have a good time?"
"Pot-.. er, chemistry conference," Snape replied, tripping over the substitution of chemistry for potions. "In Rome. I was... persuaded to stay a few extra days."
Harry grinned. "Good for you! I have oatmeal biscuits, as well as chocolate chip and snickerdoodles today. The usual, or something different?"
"One of each," Snape decided.
"Ooohhh... going all out," Harry teased.
"They are good," Snape admitted. A breath. "I am... surprised to see you working. Here."
Harry grinned. "Oh. It's even worse than that!"
Snape frowned.
Harry leaned close and was interested to see Snape take a step closer.
"I own the place," Harry admitted.
"You do? Why would you do that?" Snape asked.
"Something to do," Harry replied cheerfully.
"But..." A deeper frown that Harry found cute. Wait. What?
Harry pushed that thought down firmly and smiled. "I certainly don't need to earn a living," Harry admitted. "I make more money in investments than I can spend. But, well, doing nothing was boring. And I've done enough for the Wizarding world that I can tell them to sod off and do what I want."
"But a coffee shop in a Muggle neighborhood?"
Harry shrugged. "Why not? I can do as I please and no one thinks to look for me here."
"True," Snape agreed.
Snape started coming by earlier in the day, actually sitting in one of the comfy armchairs as he drank his coffee and ate a pastry. Snape also started working his way through Harry's -- admittedly limited -- menu, trying the different hot beverages and even the muffins made fresh daily.
Harry had a chance for a break one day and sat with Snape.
"How many staff do you have?" Snape asked.
"Too many," Harry admitted. "Most of them are Squibs, some from Pure Blood families. Ron and Hermione send them my way and I take on who I can. Don't need to make a profit, remember?"
"Ah. Right," Snape replied, drinking a latte today.
"I give them a job for a bit, give them some life skills, and send most of them on to other things," Harry replied.
"The Harry Potter Finishing School," Snape replied.
"In a way, yes," Harry nodded.
It took several months for Snape to become Severus in Harry's head. Then he said it aloud.
"Severus!" Harry said cheerfully. Then realized what he had said. "Oh. Sorry. I mean..."
One night, Harry had invited Severus along when he was meeting up with his schoolmates. Severus had been obviously reluctant to go but Harry had promised that everyone would be glad to see him.
"If you're at all uncomfortable, we can leave," Harry promised.
"I wouldn't make you leave your friends," Severus protested gently.
"They aren't my friends if they don't accept my other friends," Harry replied firmly.
Severus gave a look Harry couldn't quite interpret but had given in.
"Look who I found!" Harry announced as they entered the pub together.
"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed. "Oh! So good to see you!" She impulsively went over and hugged Severus, who was nonplussed at the warm reception. Harry had been gently amused as Severus flailed his arms for a moment and ended up patting Hermione on the back.
"Good to see you, Miss Granger," Severus said solemnly.
"Oh, please, call me Hermione," she replied with a smile as she stepped back.
"Severus, then."
"That will take some getting used to!" she giggled, then dragged him over to the table the group had settled around.
~*~
Harry mentally reviewed the dinners, theatres, museums, and casual walks through town they had enjoyed together over the past months. Not calling it dating had been a good thing. Harry would have hesitated and over-thought the entire situation.
"Actually," Harry grinned. "I think I'm going to go with Outstanding."
He held out a hand and Severus took it with a small smile.
"I think we can agree on that," Severus replied as he placed his warm hand in Harry's.