366 prompt: Stranger

The Valentines-Making Station: Stars: Write about a platonic friendship between a man and a woman.

Raising a Witch/Wizard: Write about a Weasley

Chocolate Frog Challenge: (Gold) Arthur Weasley - Challenge: Write about Arthur Weasley

Stratego: Getting a snack/drink from a vending machine.

Muggle Contraptions

Hermione and Arthur Weasley (non-romantic)

Arthur looked at the large object taking up space in the small staff room. "Hermione, what is it?" he asked.

Hermione grinned. "This is what I called you in here to see," she said. "We'll have people to show all the Ministry staff how they work, but I thought I'd show you now, give you a chance to get the first look at it. I know how much you love muggle contraptions."

Arthur moved closer. "Muggles use these for… there's chocolate in there?" His eyes moved eagerly over it, working out its purpose. "It's one of the more stranger items I've seen."

"This is a vending machine. It gets filled with snacks like crisps, chocolate or fruit. You place the money in the coin slot, press the number written underneath your desired item and it'll fall out of the bottom."

"Ingenious," Arthur murmured, still examining the machine. "Where did you say the prices were?"

"Under the items, next to the code," Hermione explained. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sickle for a demonstration. "You see, this states that the a chocolate frog is one sickle, and the code is 01." She slipped the coin into the coin slot, and pressed the number. They watched as the chocolate frog fell down and Hermione reached into the flap and grabbed it.

Arthur quickly took her place, reaching into his pocket and checking what coins he had. He took his time, deciding what to start with, before spotting the pumpkin pasties.

"Number 04," he murmured, pushing his sickles into the machine. "I just press it and wait, right?"

Hermione wanted to laugh at the eager look on Arthur's face, but resisted. She nodded her head. "That's right," she confirmed.

Two chocolates and a cake later, someone else walked into the room.

Hermione turned around, having heard the footsteps, to see Remus Lupin looking eagerly at the vending machine.

"Hermione, Arthur," he said in greeting. "Is that a vending machine?"

"It is," Hermione said.

Remus fished around in his pocket, withdrawing some coins. "Wonderful idea," he said. "It saves me having to go downstairs for some chocolate."

Hermione watched as Remus fed a handful of coins into the machine and wondered if getting the machines into the Ministry had been a big mistake.

"So, how comes they are here?"

"Kingsley wanted to make the Ministry friendlier to the Muggleborns," Hermione explained as he started pressing the numbers with chocolate after chocolate dropping down.

Once Remus had collected his chocolate, Arthur was pushing more coins into the machine, muttering about how clever muggles were.

Hermione grinned and left the room, knowing Arthur had gotten the hang of it.

She headed towards the maintenance office to get them to check the machine on a daily basis, rather than every three days like they had previously discussed. She realised that with Arthur's love of muggle things and Remus' love of chocolate, the machine would most likely be empty by the end of the day.

500 Words

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