Secret Snarry: FIC: Staff Party Title: Staff Party Author:centaury_squill Gift Recipient:ladydeth12 Rating: PG Word count: 580 Content/Warning(s): None Summary/Prompt: Mistletoe by WWW A/N: Secret Snarry – what a delightful idea for the holiday season! Festive greetings to you all, and especially to my recipient.
Staff Party
Severus Snape really hadn't wanted to go to the Christmas party in the Hogwarts staffroom, but Minerva McGonagall had been so insistent that at last he'd given in. He stood just inside the door, morosely surveying the scene. As he'd thought, Christmas nonsense everywhere. Tinsel round the portraits, one of Hagrid's trees in the corner, a bunch of mistletoe hanging from the chandelier – he'd certainly be avoiding that – and over in the corner a table crowded with goblets, being filled by –
"POTTER!!!" he roared. "What the fuck are you doing with my best cauldron!"
Furious, he strode over to the table. Hogwart's latest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher grinned at him from behind the gleaming cauldron he was precariously levitating over the goblets. A stream of steaming hot punch missed its target and splashed all over Snape's shoes instead.
"Oops," said Harry, "bit distracted, sorry."
"Bloody typical," grumbled Snape, waving his wand at his shoes to remove the offending mess.
"Anyway," Harry said with a hopeful smile and a nod towards the brimming goblets, "wouldn't you like to try some of my Christmas punch?"
"Certainly not!" snapped Snape. "And you still haven't explained what you're doing with my best cauldron."
"I needed something to brew my punch in," Harry said in an injured tone. "And my DADA classroom is a bit lacking in cooking equipment."
"COOKING EQUIPMENT!!!!" yelled Snape, beside himself with rage. "How dare you call a top of the range, self-stirring, sterling silver potions cauldron – COOKING EQUIPMENT!?!"
He strode away, spluttering, too furious to notice until too late that he was heading underneath the dangling bunch of mistletoe. Behind him Hagrid and Filius Flitwick – who had already been caught by it – exchanged nods and winks.
Snape found himself suddenly surrounded by an invisible force which held him positioned directly below the chandelier with its mistletoe decoration. He could move his upper body, but his legs were clamped firmly in place. As if attracted by a powerful magnet, his head swivelled round until he was staring into the bright green eyes of Harry Potter.
Harry seemed equally affected; his eyes fixed on Snape's, he let the cauldron full of punch crash down onto the table and walked straight towards him. A moment later, Snape had an armful of tousled haired, bashfully grinning Potter.
The surrounding staff burst into spontaneous applause as Severus Snape and Harry Potter enjoyed a prolonged, passionate kiss beneath the mistletoe. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the overwhelming compulsion disappeared. Snape stepped away, dazed.
"What the hell was that?"
Flitwick patted him reassuringly on the kneecap. "Don't worry, Severus, it's just some joke mistletoe that Harry got from Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes. It pairs you up with the most unlikely person, d'you see?" He chortled. "You should have seen me and Hagrid!"
Snape glared over at the table, where Potter, cheerfully unconcerned, had resumed maltreating HIS cauldron. He'd have words to say to that young man, later.
Later
Harry sprawled at ease, a reminiscent smile on his face. It hadn't taken much to charm his lover out of his bad mood – a blowjob, a bottle of malt whisky, and the promise of a new silver cauldron had done the job nicely – and now Severus lay beside him, idly stroking his hair.
"That damn mistletoe actually did us a favour," Severus mused. "Nobody will suspect we really are lovers, now."
"Yeah," Harry agreed with a chuckle, "good thing it just goes by outward appearances!"