If there's anything in the entire world Pansy Parkinson absolutely despises, it's morning shifts at the Hufflepuff Coffee Shop. The entire shop reeks of peppermint Frappuccinos and honey brownies drizzled with endless layers of caramel drizzle.

She doesn't get the obsession with sweets, but then again, she drinks her coffee blacker than her soul and eats nothing but chocolate brownies. It's a good way to deal with the knowledge that everyone around you has lost their goddamn minds.

Well, not everyone. Not yet, at the very least,

"Morning, Parkinson," a familiar and smug voice calls. Pansy sticks out the middle finger without even looking up from her coffee and is rewarded with a snort.

"Ginevra," Pansy says, lifting her head the bare minimum in an acknowledgment as she approaches the counter the other girl is sitting on.

Ginevra rolls her eyes. "Well, good morning to you too, Satan."

Pansy snorts at that. Placing her bag gingerly on the counter, Pansy hops up and wrinkles her nose as soon as she catches a whiff of the other girls drink.

"How sweet can that be before it kills you?" Pansy mocks, rolling her eyes in disgust. Honestly, the kind of things people put in their bodies these days is a freak show in itself.

Ginevra smirks. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Sadly, Ginevra," Pansy drawls, "as enjoyable as watching your slow torture through sugar would be, I refuse to be left with company even more incompetent then you. Lovegood may be a genius cook but she's a lunatic, Granger's mad scientist creations could kill me, and Potter and Malfoy would let the world burn if it meant they could one-up each other's fragile egos."

Ginny snorts, curling her feet under her. "You're full of joy today, Parkinson. A real charmer as per usual—I see you won't be becoming inure anytime soon."

Pansy tilts her head, meeting Ginevra's eyes in challenge. "Well, somebody's going to have to stay alive to confirm that, aren't they? The short end of the straw for you."

Ginevra laughs and bumps her arm in mock sadness. "Well, I guess I am then. Tragic, I know."

Pansy rolls her eyes again at that, finally looking away to prevent her fellow worker from noticing the tint of her cheeks.

"Obviously."

…

Written for:

Insane House Challenge: Word—Inure (to become jaded)

365 Challenge: Cafe!AU

Bamb Bomb Challenge: Girl Power—Write about a powerful female.

Sticker Challenge: Malfoy Manor - Write about a pureblood

The Yule Ball: Catching Two People In Flagrante Delicto - Write about an odd pairing.

Wandlore Assignment: Task #1: Write about a character who is canonically depicted as 'lacking' in something (such as Neville or Peter) to have a big, dramatic personality.

2018 Resolutions: Write a 5 drabble/one-shot collection based around the same prompt (coffee shop au)

Character Appreciation: (dialogue) "Obviously."

Liza's Loves: Tales from the Darkside