In The Garden Of Dragons Chapter 4
Draco stomped angrily behind Hermione as they wound their way up a steep dirt path that led to a magical plant nursery in the hills of the countryside. They had been walking along the dirt road for an hour now and he was growing hot and tired. His dragon leather shoes were scuffed with dirt and dried mud and he had unbuttoned the first few buttons of his crisp white dress shirt. It was a muggy hot day and he really was starting to second guess this idea of purchasing plants from this mysterious nursery. "Where are we, Granger?" He huffed as they climbed up the steep walkway. Hermione looked back over her shoulder at him and he paused for a moment as he took in her sweat covered brow and long caramel locks that hung in disarray around her shoulders. Her brown eyes assessed him before she gave him a breathtaking smile.
"We're on the path that leads straight to the nursery's front gates. We should be there in a few minutes." She said simply before she turned around and continued to lead him farther up the hill. Fifteen minutes later they reached a flat piece of land that overlooked the countryside where there in all its glory sat the Moon Shadow Nursery. Tall wrought iron gates swung open as they stepped inside and took in the rows and rows of magical plants that sprouted out of planter boxes. The entire nursery was covered in a green overhang to keep customers from being scorched by the merciless hot sun. Draco marveled at the plants that grew alongside other garden wares such as pinwheels and wind chimes.
"It's lovely, isn't it?" Hermione asked as Draco found himself smiling and nodding. Whoever owned this establishment had done an amazing job with the displays and the entire property in general. All of the plants were fresh and in bold colors that lit up the large space. "Oi! Hermione! Draco! What a pleasure to see you!" A familiar voice shouted behind them making Draco groan and Hermione let out a giddy laugh. "Hello Luna! How are you?" Hermione asked excitedly as she strode forward and took the younger girl into her arms. Luna smiled dreamily and returned her hug before pulling back and looking at them both with a knowing look. "I am well, Hermione. Now, do tell me what brings you here with our favorite dragon?" She asked as Hermione blushed and Draco quirked an eyebrow at the two girls.
"Favorite dragon?" He drawled as Luna nodded and Hermione gave her friend a death glare clearly needing her to shut up. "Oh yes. Hermione always said that she thought you'd love the nursery. She often told me during our school days how you'd secretly hide in the greenhouses and talk to the plants." Luna said now making Draco blush and Hermione's eyes widen before she squeaked in embarrassment. "Luna!" She scolded as Draco shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. He wasn't aware that anyone had known of his little herbology secret.
"Did you get my floo message?" Hermione said quickly changing the subject. Luna nodded as her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh yes, it was lovely. I can't wait to see what you do with the manor's garden. I have the plants and flowers on order for you. They should be arriving here in about two days." She said as she turned and led them into the back of the shop where there was a small office. Sitting behind the desk, Draco was surprised to see Neville Longbottom who looked up as they entered and gave them an awkward wave. "Hermione. Draco." He said in greeting as they both nodded and said hello.
"What are you doing here, Longbottom?" Draco asked as he quirked an eyebrow at the wizard. Neville's lips turned into a wry smirk as he nodded over to Luna who blushed heavily. "We got married shortly after we left Hogwarts. Been a wonderful life so far." He said as Draco couldn't help but smile at the news. "Congratulations." He said simply as both Luna and Neville nodded in thanks. "So the flowers and plants will be here in two days?" Hermione asked Neville who nodded and handed her a receipt. "Yes, we had to order them from a couple of different countries so it will take a bit of time I think. But they should be here in a few days either way." He said before looking up at Draco curiously. "How goes the plans for the manor? Is Mione doing the job justice?" He asked as Hermione ducked her head and blushed out of embarrassment.
Draco shrugged and gave him a small smile as he watched Hermione blush harder out of the corner of his eye. "It's going well so far I suppose. Granger seems to know what she's doing." He said as Neville nodded proudly. "I taught her everything she knows." He said as Hermione gave him a grateful smile. "Oh really? I didn't know that. I didn't even know you were into Herbology until I saw that you had this job, Granger." Draco said as he looked between Hermione and Neville who exchanged an unreadable look.
"Well I wasn't until after the war, really. I needed a distraction from everything." Hermione said simply as they all nodded in understanding. A flash of sadness and darkness appeared in all of their eyes as they remembered the horrors of the war and everything that had happened since then. Sensing the tension in the room, Neville cleared his throat loudly bringing them all back to the present. "Well, shall we give you a call when your shipment comes in?" He asked as he turned to Hermione with a questioning look. Hermione seemed to pull herself out of her dark thoughts as Draco watched her nod and brush a piece of her long hair behind her ear. "Yes that would be wonderful. So I'll see you in a few days, then?" She said as Luna gave her another hug and Neville nodded. "We'll be here whenever, Hermione." He said in a semi serious tone making Draco concerned as to what Hermione's reaction would be.
He was surprised when she merely gave him a polite smile before turning and walking out of the office. As he trailed after her through the rows and rows of plants he couldn't help but feel the tension that had appeared between them after their awkward conversation with Neville and Luna. He thought about saying something to the curly haired witch who walked briskly in front of him, but decided against it knowing that she would probably snap at him and he would in the end making it worse. He followed her out of the nursery and back towards the apparation point with his thoughts screaming at him to try and smooth over whatever had just happened between them. But even when they arrived and she turned to him, he couldn't find the right words to say. So he settled on a formal handshake and gave her a small smile. "Thank you for your time, Granger. My mother and I look forward to doing business with you." He said simply as Hermione simply nodded and returned his smile. "You're very welcome, Draco. Please tell Narcissa about the shipment and that we'll start work early Monday morning." She said as he nodded and stepped back. They both stood there for a moment looking at each other before Hermione seemed to shake out of her reverie and give him a small wave before disappearing with a loud crack. He stood there on the dirt road for a few moments looking at the spot where she had just left and couldn't help but wonder, did Hermione value their new business relationship as more than just a business venture or were they forever going to be stuck to the formalities of the past?