Written for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) Term 14
HSWW: Celtic Studies - Task #8 - Use the language of flowers as inspiration.
Additional challenges listed below
Warning: Bad language
Word Count – 1496
Draco got home that night a bit buzzed from all the drinking. He hadn't meant to stay out so late, or to have that many beers, but it was something that had just happened. The beers went in and the notion of time went out. As he staggered his way up the stairs, he could just hope that he wasn't in too much trouble with his girlfriend.
He told her that he was going to grab dinner with the nurses from his shift and would be back in a couple of hours. That may or may not have been about five hours ago.
The door creaked when he opened it, and he winced. The lights were off, so Astoria had given up on waiting for him to come back home and had already gone to sleep. Draco moved as quietly as possible, and, fighting the haze in his brain, changed his clothes in the dark. If there was one thing Astoria hated more than anything was being woken up, and Draco really did not want to piss her off right now.
For the first time since they moved in together, Draco felt undeserving of holding her as he fell asleep.
The morning came along with a painful headache. Draco grunted and covered his eyes from the light that peeked through the curtains. Slowly, he opened his eyes to search for Astoria and see how much trouble he was in.
Since she wasn't anywhere to be found, he got up and went to the bathroom to try and make himself look better. Draco looked in the mirror and immediately gave up. He looked like shit. His hair was a complete mess, his eyes were sunken and his mouth was completely dry. He thanked the heavens for not having work today, and hopped onto the shower.
Astoria was downstairs. As soon as Draco arrived at the kitchen, Astoria handed him a vial of hangover potion. He stared at her and she motioned for him to drink it, but she didn't say a single word.
"Good morning," he offered, after downing the thing in a single gulp.
She opened her mouth to reply, but seemed to have thought better of it since she closed it mere seconds after and nodded. Draco didn't feel like pushing it. He deserved the silent treatment after what he'd done. He followed her silently as she made her way to the door after finishing her tea, helped her into her coat like he did every morning and gave her a chaste peck on the lips before she left for work.
"I love you," he said as she closed the door behind her, leaving him crestfallen with no reply.
Draco spent most of his morning sulking on the couch, but as his stomach growled, he decided to call the one person who could help him make things better.
"This better be good, Malfoy," Daphne Greengrass stared intently at him from the other side of the table.
"I may have fucked up big time," he admitted burying his face in his hands.
"What do you mean, may?" She sat her fork down on her plate and crossed her arms.
"I went out with the nurses from my shift. We were only supposed to get something to eat, but we started drinking and lost track of time," he confessed. "I got home in the middle of the night, and she hasn't talked to me since."
"Tori? My sister Tori hasn't talked to you because you lost track of time during an outing? Are you sure?" Daphne seemed doubtful.
Draco was sure, though. He had seen it and felt the cold shoulder she was giving him. Daphne cocked an eyebrow at him.
"What?"
"Was that all you did? Are you sure? Getting mad for that doesn't sound like Astoria."
"Yes, I'm sure. What kind of person do you think I am?"
"Really, Draco? Are you really asking me that?"
"Fine, I get it. I wasn't the nicest kid-"
Daphne scoffed. "That's the understatement of the century."
"Please, you weren't exactly the pinnacle of friendship either," he retorted.
"Yeah, but I'm not the one all skittish here. So, I'll ask you again. Was that all you did?"
"Yes, Daphne. That was all I did." he replied, dryly.
"Right, I'll help you this time, but don't get used to it."
Draco was fixing up the tulips on the beautiful glass vase in the middle of the dinner table when Astoria got home. He watched as she studied the living room carefully, taking in every new thing. She ran her hand over the iris blue blanket Draco had neatly folded and put over the armrest of the love seat where she always curled up to read a book. There was also a chocolate bar resting on top of the blanket. She cocked her eyebrow at him.
"Is everything okay?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
"I should be the one asking that, really," Draco said, eyes still trained on her.
"I'm fine. You, on the other hand, have cleaned even the antique brass vase from the living room."
She walked into the kitchen, and headed towards him. Before she could get close enough, she stopped to look at the flowers he was fixing up minutes earlier. Astoria cleared her throat and stared at him.
"Tulips and roses? What did you do?" Her voice was much clearer than it had been as soon as she arrived.
"Huh?" he said eloquently.
"Tulips mean forgiveness and peace. Roses mean love, care and affection. You know all that because I told you a few weeks ago when we sent a bouquet to your mother apologizing for not being able to attend her soiree. So, I'll ask you again. What did you do?"
Draco winced at how similar Astoria and Daphne Greengrass were. They even talked the same.
"You know what I did," he said, carefully watching her every move. Maybe she just wanted to hear him admit to his mistake. "I arrived late and drunk last night, and didn't tell you that I was going to take so long. So, you're mad at me."
Astoria looked more confused by the second. Draco thought it was a trick to make him squirm before she could forgive him.
"Who told you I was mad at you?"
Draco put on the oven mittens and turned around to get the lasagna he made for dinner out of the oven.
"You didn't talk to me all day, so of course you're mad. I don't blame you, okay? I deserve it. I made a mistake and I promise, it'll never happen again. I even went to Daphne for help and she gave me idea for the flowers."
Whatever Draco expected to happen next, it certainly wasn't this. Astoria threw her head back laughing. She laughed so hard that her whole body was shaking and tears started forming in her eyes. He just stared at her dumbfounded, still holding the really hot lasagna.
"Wait," she said, holding her stomach. "You went to Daphne? And you thought I was mad at you for going out with your friends because I didn't talk to you in the morning? Draco! No!"
It was his turn to be confused.
"I don't get it." He looked down at the food he was still holding and the table he had forgotten to cover with the tablecloth. "I am really, really afraid I'm going to drop this. Can you help me?"
Astoria waved her wand, making a very fancy tablecloth fly from the cabinet onto the table.
"So you are not mad?"
"Of course not! You're allowed to have friends and go out with them, you know? As for not telling me it would go for so long, yeah, I was worried, but Emma owled me halfway through the night saying that you were fine."
Draco vaguely remembered Emma saying she would owl someone, but he never thought that person was Astoria. He should have, since they were friends, but it didn't occur to him.
"If you're not mad, why didn't you respond when I talked to you?"
"My voice was gone. The rain caught me by surprise last night when I went to take Daphne to the gates so she could Apparate home, and, like the brilliant person I am, I left my wand inside. That's why I was drinking lemon tea with honey this morning." It seemed like a reasonable enough answer to Draco. "So, you decided to cause this whole kerfuffle instead of just asking me?"
Draco felt his cheeks redden and nodded. The truth was that he was always terrified of losing her, and would do whatever it was to keep her happy and prove to her and himself that he was worthy of having her around.
"You're impossible," she laughed and cupped his cheeks between her hands. "I love you."
Draco relaxed when she kissed him.
"Come on, let's try this lasagna of yours."
Writing Club April
Showtime - 9. Somewhere - (word) Forgive
Lizzy's Loft - 16. (word) Trouble
Elizabeth's Empire - 14. Mine - Taylor Swift / (emotion) surprise
Angel's Archive - 4. Preparing a home cooked meal
Scamander's Case - 17. (dialogue) "I am really, really afraid I'm going to drop this."
Lyric Alley - 15. Speaking my lesson from the brain
Forecast Says… - 18th: Rain: Cooking
Spring Funfair
Cocktail Bar: White Rum: (Character) Daphne Greengrass
Milkshake Bar: 7. Smarties - Word: Kerfuffle
Spring Fling: 22. All About You - McFly
Cherry Blossoms: 20. Autumn Flowering Cherry - (task) Include the following line somewhere in your fic: 'Whatever [name/pronoun] expected to happen next, it certainly wasn't this.' Tenses can be changed if necessary.
Urban Safari Checklist: 24. The African Elephant (captioned 'Ephant' by resident Head Girl in Slytherin): (emotion) mystified
Wingardium Levi-Kart Racing: Howler Goblet - 2. Sullen
Paint a Rainbow: Black - 9. Insecure
Tree Planting: Dogwood - 2. Humor
Teddy Bears Picnic: Cheese sandwich - (action) Helping someone into a coat/cloak
Birdhouse Building: Step 2 - (character) Daphne Greengrass
Spring Petting Zoo: Alpaca - (word) skittish
Bunny Races: Astoria Greengrass
Egg and Spoon Race: Astoria Greengrass (side: Daphne Greengrass)
Leaving on a Jetplane
6. Tahiti: (Object) Flowers
Spring Seasonal Challenges
Days of the Year: April 15th - Husband Appreciation Day: Write about a husband feeling neglected.
Aquarium Month: 5. Filtration system: Write about someone cleaning
Karaoke Love: Don't Speak - No Doubt
World Theater Day: 16. Moulin Rouge - Moulin Rouge!AU - alt: 'Love makes us act like we are fools'
Crayon Day: 45. Antique Brass
Children's Book Day: 13. Willy Wonka - (object) Chocolate bar
World Autism Day: 6. Write about someone communicating nonverbally
Space Day: Mercury - Trope: Miscommunication
Spring Colours: 12. Iris
Crystals and Gemstones: 10. Carnelian (word) Forgiveness
Hufflepuff Challenge: 13. Horses Through a Rainstorm -CSNY – Prompt: write about someone playing it safe