Exploding Poohsticks

100 words, Snupin + Minerva, for lore, in answer to this. *loves back*

---

When Remus caught sight of the tartan furnishings inside the cave, he burst out laughing.

Severus rolled his eyes. "So this is the lair of 'The Horrible Hag Who's Harassing Hartlepool'?"

Minerva conjured tea for three. "The same. What were you expecting, the pelts of baby Kneazles?"

"We became curious," Remus said, "after we noticed who your 'victims' were. Bullying husbands, pontificating clergy..."

"I wondered if I was being too obvious," Minerva admitted.

"You are," Severus said, "but it suits you." He levitated a trunk of first-aid potions to her side. "You will let me know when you require more."

Min/Hooch, for xanthophyllippa. Because. 100 words, PG.
_ _ _

Hooch’s least favourite part of coaching was forcing herself to merely look at debacles instead of leaping in to make things right. During one particularly dire session, she even considered spelling her own boots to the ground to keep herself —- well, grounded -- but she’d seen what happened when Dodo Tauben tried that back in seventh year, and she didn’t need Pomfrey laughing at her like that.

When Hooch finally ran out of breath, Minerva said, “That’s enough moaning about your students. It’s time for you to moan for me…”

She reached for her tartan-lined handcuffs, and then for Hooch.

Part 9.

For xanthophyllippa. 1. Knitting lessons...

Sonnet, U, post-War. Only the faintest connection to the prompt...


Their lives are knit together in a spell
that needs not wands nor charged incantations --
they seldom speak of love, nor do they dwell
on friends long lost nor fruitless lamentations.
Wizards and witch, their lives are not blameless
but yet of their worth, the stories will tell --
of grudges and guilt, of blatant and shameless
king-making, heart-breaking, soul-taking, bell-
quaking feats enlaced with quiet, well-thought
manipulations...but, for now, they teach
and meet for tea. Snape had not known he sought
this ease, this care from those within his reach.
Minerva pours tea. Lupin murmurs grace.
Here ends this tale, the three of them in place.

I may regret this, but xanthophyllippa posted a list, and the list set loose a wee drabble-bunny. Ten of them, in fact. We'll see. More to come...


"10. A hot, but not obscene, Snape icon." 100 words, G, post-War.

When Snape caught sight of the icon, propped in the middle of the tea table, he was so appalled he accidentally scorched the crumpet he'd been toasting. "Minerva, what the devil is that?"

"Isn't it fetching? Sinistra picked it up during her visit to Durmstrang."

Lupin was eyeing it appreciatively. "It's amazing how sexy some of those ancient saints were..."

Hermione choked on her tea. Minerva smiled indulgently. "There is an unmistakable resemblance, I agree."

Snape's scowl deepened. "You've all been smoking Sprout and Longbottom's latest experiment."

Lupin murmured into his ear, "Tried it. Not nearly as head-spinning as you."


ETA: Part 2

---

A couple other recent MM and SS vignettes:
"I could be martyr'd"
"Fortification"


Plot-hydra update -- the end is almost in sight! Only a handful of heads left to lop off...

Title: Soft as Eiderdown Fluff
Author: mechaieh
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Snape/Lupin
Rating: U
Word Count: 200
Meme Prompt: xanthophyllippa's 20 Random Things About Minerva McGonagall, #8 [f-locked]
Summary: Minerva likes to annoy Snape, because she's never been one for sappy pronouncements.
Disclaimer: Not my characters; I just like envisioning happy endings for them.
Warning(s): Wishful futurefic. How Snape was reinstated at Hogwarts is up to you.
Notes: The title's from Auden's "O Tell Me the Truth About Love". Cross-posted to lupin_snape.



As far as Minerva was concerned, the third-best thing about Lupin finally moving into the Slytherin head’s living quarters was that it doubled her opportunities to spoil Snape in the guise of bedeviling him: Posies of crimson-petalled flowers framed in lacy gold paper and ribbons. Brassy red tins with gold embossing containing Selkirk bannocks and other starchy goodies, and Lupin at hand to ensure that Snape himself actually ate some of them instead of sneaking them to the Squid. Tartan self-heating pads – tailored for forever-too-skinny full-grown shoulders and shins -- that materialized on their hearth both after full moons and whenever she overheard students groaning after a particularly brutal DADA session.

As a result, Snape scowled and snarled at her twice as often, but his lips also twitched when she too-vigorously denied any involvement with a gift broom presented to one of his Slytherin orphans (her attempts at misdirection suspiciously identical to those Lupin had offered earlier the same morning). For his part, Lupin remained too reserved to “kiss and tell” – at least, not openly, but his eyes gleamed with suppressed laughter at Minerva’s deliberately provocative queries.

Minerva hummed happily as she trimmed another basket in red and gold. . .