A/N: Written for the D/G Challenge by sanctuary-in-dreams - Ginny must be either making, drinking or serving tea....
So here's my contribution!
Enjoy the tea - and don't forget to le me know what you think of it!
Fancy Some Sugar, Honey?
The kitchen was in chaos. No, chaos was too mild a word for it – it was in shambles. Ginny luckily had a day off from work in light of Labour Day and for some unknown reason, decided to experiment making tea – the muggle way.
So far, the kettle had overflow thrice and the steady drip drip of leaking water (which was also boiling hot, mind you) did not seem to bother Ginny at the moment. A saucepan with burned tea leaves sat dolefully upon the stove stained deeply with tea that had boiled out of the pan at her first attempt. Or was it the second? Ginny had lost count of the number of failed attempts after the seventh try, becoming more frantic by the minute.
She looked at the clock, and her heart despaired. Only half an hour left to go before Draco returned home from work – what sort of a wife did she make when she was incapable of preparing a glass of tea for her tired husband?
With sudden determination she set yet another kettle to boil water, having already spoilt two of her five kettles beyond magical repair. She cleaned a little part of the stove with a hasty 'scourgify' and set the saucepan on again, adding three teaspoons of tea leaves while she waited for the water to boil.
A shrill whistle indicated that the water had been boiled enough, and Ginny carried it gingerly towards the stove and poured some water into the saucepan, watching some leaves float up to the surface of the water. She stared for a few minutes as virtually nothing happened, before smacking herself on the forehead. She had forgotten to turn on the stove.
After a few nerve-wracking moments when Ginny felt that she would rather prefer burning alive than to set the tea to boil, she had managed to get a little blue fire (that she had not conjured up) burning merrily underneath the stove while the tea bubbled and boiled.
Ginny was exhausted. Locating a little black stool with the curved seat that she had placed in the kitchen at all times, she pulled it up and wearily seated herself upon it, wiping copious amounts of sweat off her brow.
Seconds blurred into minutes, and a hissing sound awoke Ginny from her reverie. The tea had boiled over. Harried, she ran over to the stove, nearly tripping over her lengthy jeans in the process and switched the stove off.
She bent low, uncertainly sniffing the dark liquid that remained in the saucepan. It smelt alright – she consoled herself that the slightly smoke tinge only enhanced its flavour. After all, didn't the Organic Black tea contain a slightly smoke aroma?
As if affirming her thoughts, the doorbell rang, announcing Draco's return.
Ginny rushed to the door, eager to share the success of her tea with her husband.
She opened the door to reveal Draco flanked by four other people – people that she instantly recognised as her brother Ron, his wife Luna and her best friends Harry and Hermione.
"Look who I brought home for dinner!" exclaimed Draco, sounding unusually enthusiastic.
All the positive thoughts Ginny had harboured evaporated on the spot, and Draco's eyes widened as he drank in his wife's appearance. Her auburn hair was thrown behind in a messy ponytail, every imaginable spot of her shirt was inevitably stained and she sported an old pair of pants originally purchased at the time of Ginny's pregnancy.
"Welcome home," she smiled warmly, turning to her husband to shoot him an extremely dirty look.
After exchanging pleasantries during which Ginny looked extremely fidgety, she excused herself and her husband with a dazzling smile directed at the guests and dragged him into the kitchen.
"What is the meaning of this, Draco?"
"Hey, I thought we could have a family weekend together..."
"Taste this."
Draco hid his disbelief from his already-exasperated wife as she strained him a glass of...tea?
"I made it myself, and wanted you to taste it! It's without milk, just the way you like it."
He smiled at his wife's affectionate attempt and took a sip, nearly choking.
"Fancy some sugar, honey?"
A/N: If you feel the ending was rather abrupt, I duely apologise - the challenge declares a 700-word limit!
Loads of thanks to sanctuary-in-dreams (or Sid, as she is called) for the challenge!!!
The little green review button beckons ;)