Just a quick drabble based on the prompt: Sunflower

Sunshine Smiles


"Whatcha doin?" Harry Potter bounced down the stairs, excited from the rush of an afternoon of flying.

"If you plan to be a nuisance, you can at least make yourself useful." Severus took his eyes off the cauldron to look at him for a brief moment and Harry perked up. He never got to help with potion making.

"Sure! What do you need help with? Stirring? Choppi-" He was having the best day ever! Flying! Brewing with Severus! Nothing could ruin it for him today!

"No one with any sense would trust you with knives. No. You will sit here, quietly, plucking the sunflower petals for the Euphoria."

Harry stepped close to Severus, close enough that he could smell the peppermint clinging to his skin. He was gently pushed back from the flame and he tripped, landing onto the stool where Severus had motioned to with a plop. "Oof."

Harry swiveled towards the table. He could feel his smile trying to widen and he bit at his bottom lip to hamper the motion. What he couldn't stop was the happy humming as he picked up one of the sunflowers from the bundle.

"He loves me!" Harry sang, removing a single petal and putting it into a glass bowl. He glanced towards the older man, a pout on his lips when he didn't get a reply.

Harry's tone grew uncertain. "He loves me not."

"I said quietly." Severus grunted, continuing to stir seven times counterclockwise.

Harry's voice dropped down to a whisper, he didn't actually want to annoy him after all. "...He loves me."

Harry trailed off, conscious of the strained quiet. The flower petals felt waxy and fake under his fingertips. Maybe he was just deluding himself that this could work?

The quiet was disrupted by a frustrated sigh and Severus turned toward him, arms crossed over his chest. His pale face, now a ruddy pink. "How was your day? I expect that it was a good one?"

Harry felt a startled laugh bubble up from his chest and he beamed, big and bright as the sunflowers he had just plucked.

Severus loves him!