Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is also references to canon bad behavior of non-appearing characters. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: I'm trying to get through all the Ship Week prompts for this season and this ship. So don't mind me.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T02); RAVEN (2024); MC4A (Sp-Yr7)
Individual Challenges: Red Instead; Condiment Shelf; Major; Heroic Shadow (Y); Royal; Ginger; Hogwarts MC [x3]; Magical MC [x3]; Sandbox (Y); Cinematic; Gamer; Reader; Coffee Life; Dreamers [x3]; Ethnic & Present [x2]; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion [x3]; Short Jog; Bucket Listing; Eating Cake (Y); Outer Limit; Two Cakes (Y); Fuzzy Socks; Booger Breath; Setting Sail; Feeding; Lunar Era; Finders; Hold the Mayo; Rainbow Connection
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 02-07
Subject [Task (Prompt)]: English Language Studies [Task#2 (character meeting up with another)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Gather [Druid 1 (Dreams)](Tea); Case [Demiguise](Coffee Shop AU/Whistling); Web (Harry & Tracey)[Extra STR 6 (Apprehension)]; Library [Book](Prompt)
RAVEN Challenges: A&B [47](Laughing); Traits [67](Queer); Colors [39](Hot Pink); Items [26](Earring); Settings [72](Public)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (Heroic Shadow)[Sp-ShWK1 (Blind Date)]; Chim [Onyx](Pumpkin; "Bonfire Hearts" - James Blunt; Race Bent; Protection; Turned Left Instead AU; Mother); Hunt [Sp Set (Rainy); Sp Con (Coffee Beans; Tea); Sp Items (Earring; Seed Beads)]
Representation(s): Desi & Autistic Harry Potter/Blaise Zabini; Tracey Davis; Harry Raises Teddy; Background Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter QPR; Background Luna/Tracey/Daphne; Coffee Shop AU; Blind Date; Chim Song Prompt
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional; Teat Juice; Zucchini Bread; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; White Dress); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi); Demo 1p (Deadliest Catch; Lettuce Hold Hands; Fruit Fly; Suddenly Audrey) [x4]; Demo 2p (Getting On; Jet Fuel; Soul-Like; Toto's Tribute; Gingersnap; Misshapen Pods) [x6]
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); Once (Santa Fe)
Space Address (Prompt): SpB [2A (Glow)]; TrB [5A (Masquerade)]
Word Count: 1127 words

(^^)
Tea & Chips
(^^)

Harry had almost expected that he would show up and see Ginny waiting for him. Even if Luna had been the one to set up this date and she wasn't likely to try to set up Harry up with his ex, he had been friends with Hermione for so long that there was still a sizable part of himself that expected everyone to disregard what he could only half explain. Hermione had been increasingly vocal about Harry needing to work things out with Ginny, something that Mrs. Weasley had also been dropping passive aggressive hints about any time that Harry saw her lately.

But there wasn't anyone in the cafe with the distinctive Weasley orange hair.

He could feel the tension in his neck and along his shoulders loosen. The steel band that had felt like it was tightening around his ribs disappeared as well. For the first time in days, it felt like he could draw a complete breath without Teddy sleeping in his arms. (He felt strangely vulnerable without the infant in a sling across his chest, but Andromeda had insisted on Harry leaving him at home for this, if only so that he could have the excuse to leave if the date went badly. Andromeda tended to be right about most things, so Harry had agreed. It helped that it was lightly raining and the nearest apparation point to the cafe was still a ten minute walk.)

Harry ordered a cup of lavender tea with extra whip and paid before he stepped over to the waiting area. Someone had set up a shallow box to one side of the pickup bay. It was filled with coffee beans that had been cracked into tiny pieces (though nowhere near even a coarse grind). A tiny wooden rake lay across the top at an angle. Restless, he picked up the rake and fidgeted with it.

He glanced up at the barista who was whistling to herself as she made three drinks at once. She was definitely not paying any attention to him. The cashier was also occupied by a blond woman complaining about their selection of vegan milk options. He dragged the tiny rake through the broken beans. The resulting streaks showed parts of a bright pattern on the bottom, something that was pumpkin orange mixed with violet. It also made a burst of coffee scent rise from the box.

"Lavender tea, extra whip," the barista announced as she set the cup into the pickup bay. Harry startled, his eyes flying open. He hadn't even realized that he had closed them to savor the strong coffee smell. She gave him a lopsided grin that somehow glinted just as much as the hot pink cherries dangling from her ears. He felt his cheeks flush as he realize that he had been caught. Something around the edges of her eyes softened. "It's what it's there for, ducky. It's a caffeinated zen garden. Get it?"

"I do," Harry agreed with a small smile. It disappeared instantly as her brown eyes focused on the jagged scar just off center on his forehead. The pale white of it made sure that it stood out against the dark tan of his skin. He should have known that a cafe so close to an apparation point would have at least one wixen who was likely to recognize him.

Before he could work up to a full panic, however, the barista whistled out two sharp tones that drew the attention of the entire cafe. The cashier rolled her eyes at the barista's antic before diving back into her explanation to the blond vegan about why they had both cashew and almond milks. Most of the customers went back to whatever they had been doing. Only one had started coming towards them.

The approaching customer was vaguely familiar to Harry. It was only as he drew closer that Harry actually connected him with Blaise Zabini. The few years it had been since they had been at Hogwarts together had been good to him. He had grown out his hair, just as many magical-raised boys did upon reaching adulthood, and had styled the shoulder-length curls into braids that each ended with a band of tiny beads no bigger than a carrot seed.

"Lu said you'd need an introduction," the barista stated as soon as Blaise was within arm's reach. She shuffled about to put several jammy dodgers with dark purple centers onto a plate that then slid into the pickup bay towards Blaise. "Blaise, this is Lu's Harry. Harry, this is our Blaise." She raised her hands after that declaration and wiggled her fingers rapidly. Then she began making shooing motions towards them. "Go forth and fall in love already. My niblings aren't going to make themselves."

"Tracey—"

"Nope, not gonna hear it." She gave Harry a wink before directing her attention to the rest of the cafe. "Double espresso with tri-berry syrup!"

Harry carefully swapped the tiny rake for his tea as Blaise picked up the plate of cookies. They were quiet as they walked back to the little table where Blaise had left his own drink and another plate with what looked like extra mushy peas being poorly contained by waffle-style chips. A single fork stuck up out of the center of the mass.

"Sorry about her," Blaise apologized as soon as they had sat down. "Tracey is a bit like a bratty little sister, and she's always worse when she and Lu put their heads together on something."

"I never heard anyone call Luna that," Harry replied. He flushed even more at the non sequitur. To cover his blunder, he took a gulp of his tea. Blaise just nodded as Harry hadn't just jumped topics.

"Most people don't," he said. "I only do it because of Tracey. I don't even Daphne shortens her name like that."

"I like it better," Harry managed before realizing that he couldn't bring himself to say what he liked it better than. Still, Blaise just nodded as if he already knew what Harry wasn't saying. "They serve chips here?"

"Mostly as a joke, I think?" Blaise said in an uncertain tone. "It's more commonly served as curry over chips with peas for after, but—"

Blaise cut himself off as Harry snorted into his teacup. Unfortunately, Harry got some of the whip in his nose which turned his laughter into choking. The alarmed look on Blaise's face was worth the runny nose. It also just made him laugh harder.

"Curry on my wayward spud," Harry choked out. "There'll be peas when you are done."

"I'm sensing a pun," Blaise said dryly. Harry gave him a wide grin in response. He suddenly felt much better about the whole thing.