Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything having to do with it. I do "own" this idea and would appreciate it if you do not steal it; assuming of course, that the idea is worthy enough to be stolen.
Warnings: There is shounen-ai ahead. If you do not know what that term refers to, go look it up. If you know it's "synonym" of sorts, slash, then go ahead, they mean the same thing. If you don't know what either of them refer to, I really don't think you should be reading this, but go ahead, at your own discretion. At the end, I would appreciate it if you do not send me angry reviews on how you didn't like the pairing and blah, blah blah. I warned you, and therefore don't care to hear your whining.
Word Count: 387
Doctrinaire*: Peach Blossom
The Wizarding world had a little known tradition that all Pureblood's have taken upon themselves to learn. Of course, what with the emphasis being on Pureblood, the vast majority was left clueless, since in recent times the number of Pureblood families had dwindled down to only a handful of families, all of which are prominent in society and Wizarding politics.
Now, this tradition is all but forgotten in the modern Wizarding world and any non-pureblood can plead ignorance without shame, if they happen to have the misfortune of stepping into the trap. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on one's point of view, our preciously innocent hero was one of the many ignorant wizard-folk as well as one of very few modern wizard-folk to whom this tradition applies to.
It all happened one perfectly lazy Sunday afternoon. Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter was outside, curled up beneath a tree beside the Great Lake basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. His half-lidded emerald orbs, un-obscured by the usual round glasses, were gazing up at the seventh year Hufflepuff against whom he was curled up.
The sound of fluttering wings drew the attention of the Hogwarts Triwizard competitors, their eyes locking on the snowy visage of Harry's dearly beloved owl. Said avian gently drew to a stop, hovering over her master's shoulder and gently lowering her body until she was delicately perched upon the spot. Clasped in her beak was a single, fully bloomed and fully intact, peach blossom**.
Hedwig offered up the delicate flower to her master who received it with gentle hands and a soft smile. The young student looked up at his senior and offered it to his companion with a shy smile and a light dusting of red across his cheeks.
Cedric pondered over the situation for a moment, recognizing that Harry was clueless as to the true intention behind the offering of the flower, but accepting it regardless. The elder boy had developed a growing fondness for the younger, and his possessive and protective nature were whispering encouragement into his ears; they told of how he should not look a gift horse in the mouth and how this situation would only bring about happiness for the both of them.
And so began the tradition, brought about by the simple giving and receiving of an innocent flower.
Footnotes
*= Doctrinaire: Stubbornly insistent on a practice or theory without regard for practicality or suitability
**= Peach Blossom: Symbolizes generosity and bridal hope. For the sake of the story, we're focusing on the latter definition.
Author's Note:
This was completely random. I was just picking out random words to use for my journal entries for my English class, when I came upon this word and then the next second, BAM!, I got a plot bunny of the slash variety, and since I didn't think my teacher would appreciate reading fanfiction, instead of original fiction, I used this for a one-shot/drabble thing.
I may or may not add more on to this, depends on a)inspiration b)interest and c) time which is sorely lacking at the moment.
Though one good thing that came from this, is that I'm going to force myself to write 1 one-shot every week.
If anyone wants to hear the excuses for the lack of activity, head on over to my WordPress and read the first post.
Crystallyn