mary_j_59

Severus collapsed into the nearest armchair, weary in body and soul.

Owning the apothecary had not turned out to be quite the idyll he’d imagined. Retail hours were long, customers were almost invariably either stupid or rude (often both) and good help was nonexistent. At day’s end, his feet ached from hours spent standing and his head ached from attending to idiots.

Still, no aggravation could erase the fact that he now answered not to one manipulative master or another, but only to himself.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Severus settled back into his chair and kicked off his shoes.

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Yay! You win! This was really clever and charming (so was your birthday drabble, btw), and I'm happy the challenge will keep on going. Now for some more entries-

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Thanks! Glad you liked them both. I just wrote this one after I got home from the birthday party, so I was just hoping that it made sense. *g* I put an announcement on my journal about the contest, by the way, so hopefully you'll get some more participants.

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Prosaic happiness is the best! Very charming and funny.

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Thank you! Yes, it's hard to beat the simplest comforts in life, especially since Severus has enjoyed relatively few of them.

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Severus fell forward, his hands a little too slow to totally protect his face. Before he could even pick himself up, there was a strong arm around his waist.

"How is it, my boy? Scraped up a bit, but not too bad."

A neighbor watched. "Why doesn't he cry, Snape? That boy's not normal."

"He's human," Tobias answered with a snarl. "A normal little boy who forgets to tie his shoes!"Severus fell forward, his hands a little too slow to totally protect his face. Before he could even pick himself up, there was a strong arm around his waist, lifting and righting him.

"How is it, my boy? Scraped up a bit, but not too bad."

A neighbor watched. "Why doesn't he cry, Snape? That boy's not normal."

"He's human," Tobias answered with a snarl. He knelt to hide the laces that knotted themselves as Severus glowered at the ground, blinking away the tears that started to come as the surprise of falling wore off. "A normal little boy who forgets to tie his shoes!"

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He knelt to hide the laces that knotted themselves

Excellent turn, and beautiful title also.

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Thank you. The title throws me off a little, because I used it for an unfinished novel, but when I thought up this story, it was perfect for it, what with the kinship of Tobias and Severus, and the abrasions and shoe laces.

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Thanks for posting! This is lovely; I like stories that show the Snapes as normal and human - the drunken abuser Tobias is so cliched.

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I've decided my Tobias is an artist-- Eileen fell for him when she posed for him and he made her look beautiful. The marriage is tempestuous, not abusive-- they both get short tempered at times. The difficulties of trying to make ends meet on an artist's income are the cause of most of the family troubles.

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shiv5468.livejournal.com

~traipses in from flist of flist to make her offering~

That Lucius got divorced was surprising, what was really shocking was the identity of his second wife.

She might be muggleborn - he was very careful not to use the word mudblood any more - but that slight disadvantage was more than compensated for by one simple fact: she thought he looked divine in a pair of high-heeled shoes.

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Neat! I laughed! (though I must admit I cannot see Lucius marrying Hermione under any circumstances. Now, Draco - that's another story.)

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Delightful vision indeed!

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shiv5468.livejournal.com

She may be fibbing a little.

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Oh, with legs like his? High heels would definitely suit him. Pink lipstick I hope-- red would be vulgar with his coloring.

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shiv5468.livejournal.com

I think that would depend on the colour of the corset. Red lipstick would look good with black, whereas pink would have a tendency to be overpowered.

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This is a sequel to a previous snippet which can be found here:

http://duniazade.livejournal.com/36043.html

The whirling wall of Thestrals began to move widdershins, in a dancing spiral towards the centre of the clearing.

The circle was now three rows deep, and nothing could have broken it.

Severus let his wand arm fall. It was too late, and almost a relief.

“Hello,” said Luna.

The oldest mare, the queen of the herd, was bowing before them.

The Headmaster heaved his elusive charge on the mare’s back. And then he saw.

She was barefoot.

He couldn’t help it, and took her naked feet in his hands.

She leaned over the Thestral’s neck.

“I don’t need shoes.”

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Wow, how perfectly this continues on from the original drabble, and yet it incorporates this week's word! Really well done. I love the simple kindness of Severus wanting to warm Luna's feet.

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Thanks! I have cut a passage about schoolmates hiding Luna's shoes - and it was that hint at bullying which moved Severus - but the story fell at 142 words. It's a bit of a heartbreak when you don't know if you want to expand to 200 or cut down at 100.

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I sympathize; I've done that a few times myself. To expand or contract? That is the question...

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This is beautiful! I loved the earlier story, too. (And, as you can tell from my icon, Severus/Luna makes some sense to me-)

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Thank you very much!

I know that you love Severus/Luna. You and Bluestocking are slowly converting me to this pairing!

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Sorry, I forgot, because I thought we were already friends: may I friend you?

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