Lovegood's Secret

Severus glared at the coffee pot. How he hated coffee. It was either too bitter or too weak. The idea of a perfect cup was unattainable, yet he still strived to find it.

Standing over the cauldron, he stirred vigorously. "This has to be better than Minerva's," he mused as he dipped in his cup and filled it with the steaming brew. After sniffing at it, he carefully took a sip.

"Bah!" he cried before throwing the cup. His only satisfaction was the sound of it crashing against the wall.

Lovegood chose this minute to appear in Severus’ dark lab.

"Everything all right?" the witch asked with an airy tone.

Severus scowled. "Everything is fine, Professor Lovegood. I'm just researching."

"Well, it's rather a loud process, isn't it?" she said as she floated into the room. Lovegood eyed the cauldron. "Severus, there are easier ways to brew coffee."

"I am searching for the perfect brew."

"Do you know what makes the best coffee?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Do tell."

"The best pot of coffee comes when you add dirigible plums."

"You mean to tell me those floating monstrosities are good for something?"

"Oh, yes!" Lovegood replied as she fished at her earring. She took the plum that was dangling from it and dropped it in the cauldron.

Severus found himself unable to take his eyes away from her finely shaped ear. He quickly snapped out of his trance as she spoke again.

"Now, stir that counterclockwise once and then kiss me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You have to kiss me, otherwise the plum will do nothing but ruin the brew."

"Lovegood are you daft?"

She shrugged. "You want good coffee, don't you?"

Severus' lips parted, but he found he had no comeback.

He stirred the brew once, then looked back at her.

"Now, you want me to kiss you?" he asked again.

"Yes, before it's too late."

"For the love of..." He waited no longer, anxious to get this odd little ritual behind him. His lips touched hers. They were soft and welcoming. He leaned into the kiss, despite the alarms blaring in his head to get as far away from her as possible. When he felt Luna's fingers running through his hair, he lost his senses.

Pulling her to him, Severus eagerly entered her mouth, ravaging her lips with his. It took a long time for him to pull away from her.

"Mmm, that was nice," Luna said dreamily as she looked into Severus' eyes.

"Surprisingly so," Severus agreed. The reason for Luna being in his arms suddenly came back to him.

"So, the coffee is ready?" he asked her.

"Yes."

Filling a cup, he brought it to his lips. “Marvelous,” he uttered softly as he extended the cup.

"Well, what do you know," Luna mused as she too sipped from his cup, never taking her eyes off Severus’. "I was just trying to get you to kiss me."

A/N: Thanks to my lovely beta, “youknowwhoyouare” for her wonderful help.

Prompt: A determined search for the perfect cup of coffee leads to an even more satisfying discovery.