Love in a Bottle 4: Swirly Colors, Velvet Voice
Author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg13
main characters: Willow, Severus Snape
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to Willow or any characters or situations mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I hold no legal rights to Severus, the Weasleys, or any other characters, places, objects, ect.. mentioned in the JK Rowling Harry Potter books.
distribution: WLS, QPC, Twisting the Hellmouth, Jen, Paula, Wic, Bite Me, please - anyone else just ask. If you have permission for an earlier 'Love in A Bottle', you may have this one as well.
note: AU post season 6 for BtVS, and for the HP side, the Weasley twins are in their seventh year.
Willow finally had every sort of supply that she needed and wanted. She'd even tucked them into a trunk and shrank them until they fit into her pocket. Wandering down the street, she saw an ice cream parlor. Oh, that sounded lovely... and there was the possibility that Wizard Ice Cream might even be better than regular ice cream. She'd stood there, eying the menu for a long while before ordering. Perhaps her choice was a bit plebian compared to some of the options, but still, chocolate chip ice cream with mint cause poured over it, covered with whipped cream and crushed peppermints, and a cherry on top. It sounded simply scruptious.
It turned out to be just as delicious as it had sounded. She felt almost stuffed as she wiped the last sticky traces from her mouth. Then, she remembered the bottle. The small blue bottle that was supposed to help her find love. Why not? She wouldn't run into anyone, she didn't have to come back if she made a fool of herself... Carefully, she pulled out the bottle, and opened it. It still smelled good, so she carefully tasted it, sipping a little from the bottle before closing it again, the cork firmly pressed into place.
It fizzed in her mouth, tiny bubbles popping all down her throat, making everything tingle and it almost seemed to wake her up, to kick her mind into a higher gear. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was seeing auras, the swirls of magic from spells, the lingering enchantments in buildings and objects... Oh my goodness...
"Might I ask what sort of potion is in that bottle?" The same velvety voice as in the Apothecary shop, tinged with curiosity.
Willow held the bottle out to him, noticing how the swirling spell energies inside were a pale lavender. Then, she looked at him. He was shadow wrapped around gloriously shimmering greens and blues, like shadowed jewels. His grief and painful memories cast the shadow, that and secrets. But he was a good man inside. "You were at the store... I didn't learn your name."
"Indeed, I was at the store. Do you make a habit of drinking strange potions?" He smiled just a bit, hardly more than a tilting of his lips.
Willow smiled at him, trying to memorize the colors and patterns in his aura. Her lips felt rather dry, she licked them. "I made sure that it wasn't Dark, and it wasn't terribly strong. It appears... sort of a wake up effect and it's making me see auras..."
He sat down suddenly, as if collapsing into the chair across from her. "May I examine this? And I am Severus Snape."
"Severus... Old Roman name... an architect, I think." She smiled at him, hoping that he'd speak again with that lovely, velvety voice. "I'm Willow Rosenberg."
"Indeed. You say that you can see my aura? How does it look?" There was skepticism in his voice, but also curiosity, and a trace of something else.
Willow sighed, hoping that she wouldn't scare him away somehow. "It's rather pretty. All blue and green like gems with smoky shadow wrapped around it. Secrets and pain are your smoke, Severus Snape, and they try to hide who you are inside. But I can see it, all shimmery and just... beautiful."
"I don't think I've ever had anyone describe my aura quite like that before." He looked surprised, and his voice was somehow softer. "What was the potion supposed to do?"
"The guy who gave it to me said it was supposed to help me have better luck... umm, better luck with love." She looked at her fingers, studying the swirling green flecked with gold and shadow that was her own aura.
"Did you actually think that you needed something like that?" The surpise was obvious in his voice. "What did this fellow look like?"
Willow looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't exactly have a long line of guys... or ladies for that matter beating a path to my door. Actually, I haven't got anyone now. So, I was figuring that a little nudge might be good. He was... hmm, maybe as tall as your nose, with sort of messy red hair, green eyes, freckles... umm... worn clothing, not exactly handsome, but... sort of a real person type face, if that makes any sense. He said something about having a too serious brother."
"Well... that rather sounds like a Weasley. There also happens to be a pair that would do something like that. How old would you say he was?" Severus sounded almost amused.
Willow smiled, wondering what sort of people these Weasley's were. "I think maybe seventeen or eighteen. And his accent... his words didn't sound quite the same as yours, like he came from a different place, or maybe you come from the different place."
"Perhaps what you really needed was a bit of confidence. I can't imagine someone turning you away if you were after them." He sounded almost wistful.
"How about you then? We could... well, I'm not quite sure what there is to do around here. If this were home, I'd suggest going for coffee. So, Severus Snape, will you meet me somewhere for whatever wizards do instead of coffee?" She almost couldn't believe that she'd had the courage to ask the question.
"Me?" He looked astonished. "You want.. a date... with me?"
Doubts fluttered in her stomach. Trying to push them away, she raised her chin a bit, looking right into his dark eyes. "Yeah."
"I'd be delighted. Why don't we meet right here, tomorrow at two in the afternoon?" He had a twinkle in his eye, something that could have been hope, or amusement. "Perhaps the Weasley potion actually works the way the claim after all."
"Tomorrow at two. I'll be here." Willow smiled, rising to return to her temporary residence, an apartment, no, they were called flats here.
"I look forward to it." His voice was definitely decadent, and full of temptation and a sort of pleasure.
Willow smiled as she left, almost feeling like singing. She didn't, knowing that her singing voice was not very good. But she had a date. A date with a real wizard, and a charmingly courteous one with a voice like chocolate sin to boot. Oh, life was definitely looking up.
end Swirly Colors, Velvet Voice.
Author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg13
main characters: Willow, Severus Snape
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to Willow or any characters or situations mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I hold no legal rights to Severus, the Weasleys, or any other characters, places, objects, ect.. mentioned in the JK Rowling Harry Potter books.
distribution: WLS, QPC, Twisting the Hellmouth, Jen, Paula, Wic, Bite Me, please - anyone else just ask. If you have permission for an earlier 'Love in A Bottle', you may have this one as well.
note: AU post season 6 for BtVS, and for the HP side, the Weasley twins are in their seventh year.
Willow finally had every sort of supply that she needed and wanted. She'd even tucked them into a trunk and shrank them until they fit into her pocket. Wandering down the street, she saw an ice cream parlor. Oh, that sounded lovely... and there was the possibility that Wizard Ice Cream might even be better than regular ice cream. She'd stood there, eying the menu for a long while before ordering. Perhaps her choice was a bit plebian compared to some of the options, but still, chocolate chip ice cream with mint cause poured over it, covered with whipped cream and crushed peppermints, and a cherry on top. It sounded simply scruptious.
It turned out to be just as delicious as it had sounded. She felt almost stuffed as she wiped the last sticky traces from her mouth. Then, she remembered the bottle. The small blue bottle that was supposed to help her find love. Why not? She wouldn't run into anyone, she didn't have to come back if she made a fool of herself... Carefully, she pulled out the bottle, and opened it. It still smelled good, so she carefully tasted it, sipping a little from the bottle before closing it again, the cork firmly pressed into place.
It fizzed in her mouth, tiny bubbles popping all down her throat, making everything tingle and it almost seemed to wake her up, to kick her mind into a higher gear. She opened her eyes and gasped. She was seeing auras, the swirls of magic from spells, the lingering enchantments in buildings and objects... Oh my goodness...
"Might I ask what sort of potion is in that bottle?" The same velvety voice as in the Apothecary shop, tinged with curiosity.
Willow held the bottle out to him, noticing how the swirling spell energies inside were a pale lavender. Then, she looked at him. He was shadow wrapped around gloriously shimmering greens and blues, like shadowed jewels. His grief and painful memories cast the shadow, that and secrets. But he was a good man inside. "You were at the store... I didn't learn your name."
"Indeed, I was at the store. Do you make a habit of drinking strange potions?" He smiled just a bit, hardly more than a tilting of his lips.
Willow smiled at him, trying to memorize the colors and patterns in his aura. Her lips felt rather dry, she licked them. "I made sure that it wasn't Dark, and it wasn't terribly strong. It appears... sort of a wake up effect and it's making me see auras..."
He sat down suddenly, as if collapsing into the chair across from her. "May I examine this? And I am Severus Snape."
"Severus... Old Roman name... an architect, I think." She smiled at him, hoping that he'd speak again with that lovely, velvety voice. "I'm Willow Rosenberg."
"Indeed. You say that you can see my aura? How does it look?" There was skepticism in his voice, but also curiosity, and a trace of something else.
Willow sighed, hoping that she wouldn't scare him away somehow. "It's rather pretty. All blue and green like gems with smoky shadow wrapped around it. Secrets and pain are your smoke, Severus Snape, and they try to hide who you are inside. But I can see it, all shimmery and just... beautiful."
"I don't think I've ever had anyone describe my aura quite like that before." He looked surprised, and his voice was somehow softer. "What was the potion supposed to do?"
"The guy who gave it to me said it was supposed to help me have better luck... umm, better luck with love." She looked at her fingers, studying the swirling green flecked with gold and shadow that was her own aura.
"Did you actually think that you needed something like that?" The surpise was obvious in his voice. "What did this fellow look like?"
Willow looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't exactly have a long line of guys... or ladies for that matter beating a path to my door. Actually, I haven't got anyone now. So, I was figuring that a little nudge might be good. He was... hmm, maybe as tall as your nose, with sort of messy red hair, green eyes, freckles... umm... worn clothing, not exactly handsome, but... sort of a real person type face, if that makes any sense. He said something about having a too serious brother."
"Well... that rather sounds like a Weasley. There also happens to be a pair that would do something like that. How old would you say he was?" Severus sounded almost amused.
Willow smiled, wondering what sort of people these Weasley's were. "I think maybe seventeen or eighteen. And his accent... his words didn't sound quite the same as yours, like he came from a different place, or maybe you come from the different place."
"Perhaps what you really needed was a bit of confidence. I can't imagine someone turning you away if you were after them." He sounded almost wistful.
"How about you then? We could... well, I'm not quite sure what there is to do around here. If this were home, I'd suggest going for coffee. So, Severus Snape, will you meet me somewhere for whatever wizards do instead of coffee?" She almost couldn't believe that she'd had the courage to ask the question.
"Me?" He looked astonished. "You want.. a date... with me?"
Doubts fluttered in her stomach. Trying to push them away, she raised her chin a bit, looking right into his dark eyes. "Yeah."
"I'd be delighted. Why don't we meet right here, tomorrow at two in the afternoon?" He had a twinkle in his eye, something that could have been hope, or amusement. "Perhaps the Weasley potion actually works the way the claim after all."
"Tomorrow at two. I'll be here." Willow smiled, rising to return to her temporary residence, an apartment, no, they were called flats here.
"I look forward to it." His voice was definitely decadent, and full of temptation and a sort of pleasure.
Willow smiled as she left, almost feeling like singing. She didn't, knowing that her singing voice was not very good. But she had a date. A date with a real wizard, and a charmingly courteous one with a voice like chocolate sin to boot. Oh, life was definitely looking up.
end Swirly Colors, Velvet Voice.