A/N: Narcissa loves gardening, which is why her favourite season is Spring. Narcissa/Draco mother-son bonding. young!Draco. I do not own Harry Potter.
Submission for:
Hogwarts Fair 2014 Challenge/Competition: Hogwarts Bouncy Castle
The Sorting Hat's Challenge: Which is the best Season? - Spring
Greek Mythology Mega Prompt Challenge: Iris – Write about spring
Narcissa closes the backdoor behind her soundlessly as she steps from the patio to her garden. She adjusts her large straw sunhat as she makes her way through the many rows, her long gardening dress gracing the tufts of the grass underfoot as she walks with her small basket over her arm.
It is Spring, her favourite time of year. Spring is always so bright and full of life. It reminds her that things aren't as dark as they may seem if such beauty can still exist in the world. All the flowers are in bloom and the air is filled with their lovely fragrances. She can hear the chirping birds in the fruit trees nearby and see the bees and butterflies visiting each flower.
Narcissa reaches her newest plot of soil. She had been out here yesterday morning treating the soil and making it healthy. Today, she would be transplanting her new gardenias and daisies to their new home. She crouches down onto her knees as she dons her gardening gloves. Gardening was one thing she loved to do physically, no magic used. She smiles as she takes up the first plant and carefully removes it from its thin protective bag before digging a small hole in the plot. Such a relaxing and beautiful hobby.
"Aaah!" a loud scream pierces the air, followed by a loud slam. Narcissa looks towards the house to see a short head of blond bobbing towards her. "Mother!" the little boy screams as he almost runs into her.
She puts the delicate flower down and then grabs her son around his small waist, careful not to touch his clothes with her soiled gloves. "What's the matter, Draco?"
He looks up at her with wide eyes and a pout, "I'm bored, mother, and you left me inside alone."
"You were playing with your chocolate frog cards and I didn't want to interrupt," she says innocently.
Draco rolls his eyes. "You can only read Dumbledore's card so much before you get bored, mother," the little boy as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
Narcissa just smiles at her son's precociousness. She doesn't want to bring up that Draco actually cannot read and just loves looking at the pictures. Instead, she dusts her gloves off as much as possible and carefully rolls the little boy's sleeves and trousers' legs up. "How about you help me in the garden then?" she asks.
Draco makes a face, "Mother, that's house-elf work."
Narcissa says, "I would never let a house-elf do this. My garden is precious and beautiful. It's special to me and I only allow special people to help me."
Draco looks about the garden again and back towards his mother, "But flowers are so boring. They don't do much."
Narcissa said carefully, "No, they don't, Draco. But they bring a lot of joy and smiles to people's faces. Some people even give flowers to the ones they love."
The little boy who was looking at her with a dull look suddenly brightens up. He struggles from her grasps and then runs off. Narcissa chuckles as she goes back to her gardening. Little boys are more interested in brooms than flowers. Sometimes, she wonders what it would be like to have a little girl. She and Lucius had planned on naming their daughter Larissa, if Draco had been born a girl. She looks to her right and envisions a small, blonde-haired girl with grey eyes laughing alongside her. Would she love the Spring like she did? Would she love the feeling of the dirt between her fingers? Would she-
"Mother!" Draco calls out again, effectively startling her out of her thoughts. She looks towards him and her jaw drops as she sees her little boy's smiling face. Clutched tightly in his outstretched hand are a few of the Narcissuses she planted yesterday, earth still clinging to their frazzled roots. She can also see a trail of dirt behind him from deeper within the garden.
"I picked these for you because I love you and I know they're your favourite," the little boy says proudly, his little chest puffed out.
Narcissa sighs deeply before gesturing for the boy to come forward. She pulls him into her arms and snuggles her nose against his, while grabbing his cheeks with her dirty hands. He tries to get her off him but she doesn't let go, which causes the pair of them to erupt in a fit of giggles.
Once she regains her composure, she gingerly accepts the uprooted flowers, "Thank you so much, dear. You are so thoughtful for remembering." Then she turns to the plot, "Help me put them in here. They'll look much better next to the gardenias."