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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Insane Prompt List: 95 (object) purse
Snow Globe Making: Wizard Chess Piece (scenario) a fight
Ugly Sweaters: Writing Winter is Coming (dialogue) "You weren't supposed to hear that."
Advent Calendar: Dialogue Door #1 "It's really not that complicated."
Nativity Play: Joeseph (trait) loyal
Holiday Cracker: Jokes "Maybe we can talk over dinner?"
Naughty or Nice: Naughty List (pairing) Ginny/? (Pansy)
Hot Chocolate Station: Matcha Honey Hot Chocolate (dialogue) "Looks like someone has a secret admirer."
Fill a Christmas Stocking: Coffee Mug (AU) Coffee Shop
Snowball Fight: Ginny (theme) innoncence
Big Dinner Bash: Vegetables Cauliflower (dialogue) "Bah humbug!"
Christmas Party: Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lenon (word) peace
Paper Snowflakes: 3rd Fold (AU) Coffee Shop
New Years Resolution: Spend More Time With Friends (genre) friendship
Pop Figures: Disney Carl (trait) bitter
Sticker Club: Tiamat D&D (relationship) rivals
Hogwarts Talent Show: Roleplay/Larping (AU) Muggle!AU
Time Machine: (pairing) Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy
Book Club: Chase (relationship) rival, (plot point) a breakup, and (character) Draco Malfoy
Elizabeth's Empire: (drink) coffee
Liza's Loves: Advantage - Write about getting a second chance.
Marvel Appreciation: Captain America (trait) stubborn, (trait) sweet, and (trait) strong
The Forecast Says: 22nd Snow Decisive
Days of the Year: January 27th Punch the Clock Day - Write about a character with a Muggle job.
Black History Month: Tupac Shakur - Write about appearances that can be deceiving.
Crochet Week: Slip Stitch (plot point) joining something
Penguin Awareness: Magellanic Penguin (emotion) spiteful
Flowers: Pansy (dialogue) "You can't be serious."
Crystals and Gemstones: Garnet (scenario) protecting something or someone.
Tarot Reading: Five of Cups reversed - Write about someone who is picking up the pieces of their life and moving on.
Slytherin OTPs: Pansy/Ginny
Slytherin Challenge: But Can You Spell It?: C (trait) charismatic
Monthly Challenges For All:
Firework Factory: Easy (Jingle Belles) 1,996 words
Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges:
Christmas by Starlight - Write a fic set largely in a cafe.
Potions Class Challenge: Blemish Blitzer - Write about someone concerned about their appearance.
Warning for Muggle!AU, Coffee Shop!AU, mentions of cheating, and a slight bit out of character due to the AUs used. The word count is 1,996 words. I hope you all enjoy Coffee Shop Magic.
"Merry Christmas, what can I get you for today, Pansy?" the redhead woman behind the counter of her favorite coffee shop in Santa's Village asked, smiling brightly as she straightened her reindeer antler hairband. "We have a brand new cocoa blend if you want to try that. It's white chocolate and nutmeg and peppermint bark bit sprinkled on top."
Usually, Pansy would have smiled happily and given the girl a Merry Christmas right back. But after recent events which included her boyfriend Draco breaking up with her for another woman, she didn't feel much in the Christmas spirit.
"Bah humbug!" She exclaimed as she thought about trying the new hot cocoa that the girl had told her about. It did sound really delicious. "I will try that new cocoa blend…." She leaned close and read the festive nametag that was pinned to the girl's tank top. "Ginny."
"Coming right up," she said, calling back the order to the raven-haired man that was manning the drink-making station. She then turned back to Pansy who was pulling her wallet out of her purse. "The first one is on the house."
"Are you sure?" Pansy said, wallet still in hand. "I don't want to get you in trouble with your boss over a couple of dollars."
"You won't," she said, smiling in a cocky manner before turning to the man she'd called the order to. "Right, boss?"
"That's right," the man said, his festive holiday sweater had the name Harry stitched into in golden thread. "It's a Christmas time promotion that we're doing to increase business during the offseason."
"Oh," Pansy said, putting her wallet away in her purse once more. "I can't see why anyone would want to come here. You guys do have the best drinks around."
"Thank you," both Ginny and Harry said at the same time.
"You're both welcome," Pansy said, smiling as spied some of her favorite scones being put into the front case by a young blonde woman. "Can I also get one of those delicious scones over there too please?"
"Of course," Ginny replied, heading over to the case as she saw Pansy going for her purse again. "It's on the house too."
"Ginny…."
"I insist," the girl said, a pretty blush crawling up her cheeks. "Would you like your scone warmed and with butter?"
"Warmed, yes. Buttered, no."
Pansy watched as scone was placed in the warmer and the timer was set. Then Ginny headed back over to where Pansy was still standing. Was it wrong of Pansy to hope that her unusual non-cheeriness would go unnoticed by anyone here?
"So, what has you so out of the Christmas spirit today?" Ginny asked, looking around to make sure that no one was coming in the door and that she had time to chat. "You aren't usually so…..'Bah humbug!'y around this time of year. What's wrong?"
"It's complicated," Pansy said, hoping that the timer would go off or that someone would walk in the door and save her from having to tell the story.
"Is it really that complicated that you can't tell your favorite barista at your favorite coffee shop?" Ginny asked, pulling her patented puppy dogs out of her bag of tricks. Those puppy dog eyes got Pansy to admit she liked girls as well as boys when she'd first started coming to this shop. She was actually afraid of what they'd get her to admit to next. "Nothing is really that complicated, is it?"
"This is really that complicated," Pansy said, trying to not look at the pleading puppy dog eyes and cursing those hazel colored orbs for casting a spell on her. She was just about to open up about what was going on when the tinkle of the bell over the door saved her.
"Don't go far," Ginny said as Pansy walked towards where Harry was putting her drink and scone in the pick-up window. "We're not done with this conversation."
Two more customers joined the queue and Pansy was very thankful for that as she headed towards one of the nearby tables and sat down. She could at least enjoy her scone in peace. If not her entire breakfast meal.
She looked over towards where Harry and Ginny were working. She could tell that they both seemed to love what they were doing. The smiles on their faces as they greeted a customer or made a drink. The cheery way that they both talked to customers old and new as they worked on the chosen items that were ordered. She couldn't imagine Potter's Place any other way besides full of cheer and happiness.
But the happiness soon went away as she realized who the happy couple was that had entered the shop. Standing not that far away, waiting for their cups of coffee was her ex Draco, and his new actress girlfriend, Astoria Greengrass.
She prayed to anyone who was listening that Draco wouldn't recognize her. That he'd be too busy paying attention to whatever stupid story that Astoria was telling him to notice that she was there.
But that was not quite the luck that Pansy had been blessed with during any occasion of her life. Draco seemed to zero in on her as she clutched her paper cup of delicious hot cocoa. He tapped Astoria on the arm as she picked up the cocoa carrier that had just been set in the window for pick-up. Draco whispered something as he picked up the bag of something that had been set beside it.
Just leave, Pansy thought as she prayed yet again that they would indeed just do that. But her rotten luck seemed to hold out. Draco and Astoria turned right in her direction and headed straight for her.
"Pansy," Draco said as though he hadn't called her pug-faced word that rhymes with witch, "you're looking rather well today. Do you mind if we join you for a little bit?"
Pansy was just about to answer when someone else sat down in the chair across from her. "We don't mind at all," Ginny said, smiling and nodding at the empty chairs at the table. "Go ahead and have a seat."
Draco and Astoria looked at Pansy as Ginny slid into the seat next to her so that couple could sit together. But then they both sat down.
"Looks like someone has a secret admirer," Astoria pointed out, pointing towards Pansy's cup which confused her more than anything. "Look!"
Pansy looked at her cup to find a number written there under her name. She peeked back up at Ginny who was slightly pink but still engaged in the conversation with the couple that Pansy wished would just leave. She read the words that were written under the number and could feel her own face flush. Was this secret admirer asking her out? It sure looked like it.
"Pansy, are you alright?" Draco asked, sounding more concerned than he looked.
"I'm fine," Pansy said, quickly getting up. "I just need to run to the little lady's room if that's alright?"
Before anyone could answer Pansy walked towards the clearly marked restroom. She smiled the first smile she'd smiled since her break up with Draco. Someone clearly thought she was worth asking out. Someone clearly thought she wasn't a pug-faced….
There was someone already in the bathroom getting ready to leave when Pansy entered. She waited until she was sure no one else was in there and dialed the number she'd entered into her phone from her cocoa cup. She knew perfectly well who was going to answer but if she didn't do this now she would totally lose her nerve.
"You've reached Ginny's phone," came Ginny's cheerful voice message. "I'm either at work or unable to come to the phone at the moment. Please leave a message at the…."
BEEP!
Pansy giggled at the cheesiness of the outgoing message. "Hey," she said, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. "This is Pansy. I'm just calling to say that I figured it out. It's really not that complicated anymore. Maybe we could talk over dinner? Or talk more in this case." She then left her own number even though she was pretty sure that it would have come up on caller ID. "Give me a call, unless I ask you out in person….no…..I mean either way give me a call when you get this."
Pansy took a deep breath after hanging up the phone. She'd taken the first step to getting over Draco and pleased about it. She washed her hands to keep up with the ruse and then walked back to the table.
But as she approached she noticed that the conversation between Ginny and Draco must have turned rather heated when she'd left the table. Ginny was an angry red and Draco was even angrier.
"You're a fool to have left her," Ginny yelled angrily. "She's one of the most gorgeous, kindest, sweetest, friendliest people that I have ever met."
"We are talking about Pansy Parkinson, right?" asked Astoria, having to throw her two cents into the pot. "The same Pansy Parkinson that tried to…."
"The past is the past," Ginny said through gritted teeth. "How long had you been dating Draco in secret before he broke up with Pansy?"
Astoria's face went just as scarlet as Draco's was. "That is beyond the point," she said, looking at Draco as though he might step in and defend her honor.
"No. It's not. You're dragging up stuff from Pansy's past. Why not drag up stuff from your past? Or are you just that hypocritical that you don't think your sins matter?"
"Why I never…"
"Liar!"
"I think it's high time that we were leaving then," Draco said, standing up and picking up the to-go coffees that must have been stone cold by now. "Tell Potter that if he doesn't get his employees under control then he'll be losing two customers."
"I don't see why you'd lose our money over someone as trivial as Pansy Parkinson," Astoria said, taking the bag of scones from the table and turning to leave.
"She's more than worth fighting for," Ginny called at the couple's retreating backs. "We don't need your money here. We've got loyal and kind customers that are more than willing to return and shop with us."
"You really mean that?" Pansy asked, unable to keep quiet any longer as she walked over to Ginny smiling.
"You weren't supposed to hear that," Ginny murmured, blushing once more as she sat down at the table. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I just figured…."
Pansy closed the distance between the two of them and pulled Ginny into a bruising kiss that lingered even after it stopped. "Maybe we could talk over dinner? Get to know each other better and see where we go from here. How does that sound?"
"You can't be serious," Ginny said, sounding surprised.
"What?" Pansy asked, seeing Harry motioning Ginny back to the counter. Her break being over and having to get back to work. "Why can't I be serious?"
"I was going to ask you out too." She nodded towards Harry before scribbling something down on a piece of paper and handing it to Pansy. "This is my address. You can pick me up at seven and we go to this little Italian place that is down the street from my flat. They have the absolute best dishes in town."
"It's a date," Pansy said, watching as Ginny went back to work. "See you later!"
Pansy finished up her coffee and scone as she planned the rest of her and Ginny's date. If someone would have told her that she'd have found a date at the coffee shop today she'd have laughed right in their face. But maybe sometimes a little bit of coffee shop magic is all it takes to break someone out of their funk.
I hope you all enjoyed Coffee Shop Magic as much as I enjoyed writing it.