Astoria was of on business and the Malfoys were expecting that to be a big change in their society. Despite everything that had been said between them their initial goal had been Astoria, but nevertheless they were continuing the meetings that now happened almost daily between the Malfoys and the Greengrasses. Draco was not very happy about the situation. In comparison with her sister, Daphne would have nothing to say. They would sit around in a most spiritless manner, discuss dull economic theory and how to do good in the world, drink their wine without any smiles or jokes and retell anecdotes they had heard before or „entertaining" stories of the sort „my business partner alsways says..."
For some reason Mr. Bloomfield had made an appearance. Was he oblivious to Astorias doings or did he put an enormous ammount of trust in her. He had apparently been to a gardening exhibition and found the topic of landscaping his own garden a topic that he could talk about endlessly. He could talk of nothing else. The subject had been already handled in the drawing-room; it was revived in the dining-parlour. Who he was trying to impress with his knowledge of different pruning shears was not apparent because everybody else seemed bored to death by the subject, but because of Astorias relationship with him as a partner in his business, nobody dared to interrupt him. Only Aunt Emely seemed enraptured by his descriptions.
„I wish you could see the plans I have for my garden," he said; „it is the most complete thing! It will change my house entirely. If you just had the chance to see it before and after. The approach now, is one of the finest things in the country: you see the house revealed in the most surprising manner. I do declare it will be one of the most delightful things you have ever seen."
„Oh, for shame!" cried Mrs. Fernsby. „that must be such a sight!"
„It is such an improvement, ma'am, beyond anything. Until the exhibition I've never realised that my place wanted so much improvement, had no idea what was even possible; and it was so forlorn that I did not know what could be done with it at first."
„Now you are experiencing Mr. Bloomfield how he truly is," said Mr. Grant to Mrs. Fernsby, with a smile; „but depend upon it, he will not quit until all of you have seen his place and given the proper compliments."
„I am completely out of ideas on a certain matter," said Mr. Bloomfield, „I hope I shall have some good friends to help me and give me new perspective on the whole thing."
„Your best friend upon such an occasion," said Daphne calmly, „would surely be a gardener, I imagine, someone with experience in matters like this."
„That is what I was thinking of. As your grounds here are laid out so beautifully I could not help but wonder who had done them and who had organised everything with such exceptional sense of style."
„Well, yes! Surely you remember who designed your gardens a few years ago, Daphne?" cried Mrs. Fernsby, „I am sure you don't have to think about it twice. The expense does not need to be any impediment for someone of Mr. Bloomfields standing. If I were you, Mr. Bloomfield, I should not think of the expense. I would have everything done in the best style, and made as nice as possible. Your place deserves everything that taste and money can do. You have space to work upon there, and grounds that will well reward you. For my own part, if I had anything within the fiftieth part of the size of what you describe, I should be always planting and improving, for naturally I am excessively fond of it. It would be too ridiculous for me to attempt anything where I am now, with my little half acre. It would be quite a burlesque. But if I had more room, I should take a prodigious delight in improving and planting. We did a vast deal in that way at Greengrass cottage: we made it quite a different place from what it was when we first had it. You young ones do not remember much about it, perhaps; but if dear Cyrus were here, he could tell you what improvements we made: and a great deal more would have been done, but for my poor state of health. If it had not been for that, we should have carried on the garden wall, just as Mr. Grant has done. We were always doing something as it was. It was only the spring before I got so ill that we put in the apricot against the stable wall, which is now grown such a noble tree, and getting to such perfection, sir," addressing herself then to Mr. Grant.
„The tree grows well, beyond a doubt, madam," replied Mr. Grant. „The soil is good; and I never pass it without regretting that the fruit should be so little worth the trouble of gathering."
„Sir, we spent quite a bit of money on that tree and the gardeners assured us that we were getting the very best. Of course my health has never allowed me to go and harvest any of them, but I am sure they taste delicious."
„You were cheated, ma'am, replied Mr. Grant: „these potatoes have as much the flavour of a decent apricot as the fruit from that tree. It is an decorative fruit at the best; but a good apricot is delicous, which none from your garden are, I can assure you, for if you allow my indiscretion, I took the liberty of trying."
„The truth is, madam," said Miss Malfoy, pretending to whisper across the table to Mrs. Fernsby, „that my dear cousin Mr. Grant hardly knows what the natural taste of our apricot is: he has hardly ever had one, because for a long time he was not allowed to eat them."
Mrs. Fernsby, who had begun to redden, was appeased; and, for a little while, other subjects took place of the improvements of Mr. Bloomfields garden. Mr. Grant and Mrs. Norris had never been good friends, mainly because their habits were totally dissimilar.
After a short interruption Mr. Bloomfield began again. „I wonder if you could put me in contact with the persond who did your landscaping."
„Mr. Bloomfield," said Daphne, „if I were you, I would not think about landscaping too much, but about one or two greenhouses so you can grow most of your potions ingredients yourself."
Mr. Bloomfield was eager to convince Daphne of his agreement on the matter and tried to compliment her on the suggestion; but between his praise of her idea and his assurances of having always intended the same himself, with the added goals of making a statement of women and their better eye for the practical and of insinuating that there was one who had the very best eye for the practical, but was unfortunately not present because of that, he grew puzzled, and Daphne was glad to put an end to his speech by a proposal of wine. Mr. Bloomfield, however, though not usually a great talker, had still more to say on the particular subject next to his heart. „There have been two or three fine old trees cut down, that grew too near the house, and it opens the prospect amazingly, which makes me think that anybody doing the landscaping, would certainly have the avenue that leads to the house cut down: the avenue that leads from the west front to the top of the hill, you know," turning to Daphne particularly as he spoke. But Daphne not knowing how Mr. Bloomfield was ever to be stopped, thought it most sensible to reply:
„The avenue! Oh! I do not remember it. I really remember very little of your place. I think I've only ever been there once."
Harry, who was sitting on the other side of Daphne, exactly opposite Miss Malfoy, and who had been listening attentively, now looked at Daphne, and said in a low voice:
„Cut down an avenue! What a shame! Does it not make you think of Charlotte Mew?
'They are cutting down the great plane-trees at the end of the gardens.
For days there has been the grate of the saw, the swish of the branches as they fall,
These were great trees, it was in them from root to stem:
Half the Spring, for me, will have gone with them.'"
Daphne smiled as she answered, „I am afraid the avenue stands a bad chance, Harry."
„I should like to see his place before it is cut down, to see the place as it is now, in its old state; but I do not think I can."
„Have you never been there? No, you never can; and, unluckily, it is too far for a broomstick ride. I wish there was a way."
„Oh! it does not matter. Whenever I do see it, you will tell me how it has been altered."
„I understand from your account," said Miss Malfoy, „that your house is an old place, and a place of some grandeur. In any particular style of building?"
„The house used to be a large muggle residence, it was built in their Queen Elizabeth's time I believe, and is a large, regular, brick building; heavy, but respectable looking, and has many good rooms. It is ill placed. It stands in one of the lowest spots of the park; in that respect, unfavourable for improvement. But the woods around it are nice for a walk if one cares for such a thing, and there is a stream, which, I dare say, might be made a good deal of. Mr. Bloomfield is quite right, I think, in meaning to give it a modern dress, and I have no doubt that it will be all done extremely well."
Draco Malfoy listened attentively, and said to himself, „I think I underestimated Daphne. She really did well in turning that conversation around."
„I do not wish to influence Mr. Bloomfield," she continued; „but, had I a place to redesign, I would not not put myself into the hands of a professional. I would rather have an inferior degree of beauty, of my own choice, and acquired through my own ideas. I would rather live with my own mistakes than with his and be mad at myself for paying for them."
„You would know what you had, of course; but that would not suit me. I have no eye or ingenuity for such matters, but as they are before me; I will be most thankful to any landscaper who will undertake it, and give me as much beauty as he could for my money; and I should never look at it till it was complete."
„ Oh really? It would be very interresting to me to see the progress of it all," said Harry. Since it was the first time that he had said anything for the entire table to hear, all eyes turned to him and he quickly blushed and turned his attention back to his meal.
„Yes, surely you have been brought up to it. You read about it and surely things like that were talked about frequently in this house." Draco interjected kindly. „It was no part of my education; and the only dose I ever had, was administered to me in the most unfortunate way and has made me consider improvements, that one undertakes oneself, as the greatest of nuisances. Three years ago my father bought a cottage by the sea for us all to spend our summers in; and my sister and I went down to it quite excitedly; but it being excessively pretty, it was soon obvious that it was necessary to improve it, and for three months we were all dirt and confusion, without a gravel walk to step on, or a bench fit for use. I would have everything as complete as possible in the country, greenhouses and flower-gardens, and places to sit: but it must all be done without my care. Melania is different; she loves to be doing."
Daphne was sorry to hear Draco, who she had grown to like, speak in such terms about his father. It did not suit her sense of propriety, because he wondered if any wrong decision anyone ever made around Draco would then afterwards be retold to strangers, and she was silenced, until Draco adressed her directly and she laid the matter aside for the moment.
„Daphne" said he, „I have news of my chess set at last. I am assured that it is safely on its way; a confused owl brought it to my parents instead and there it has probably been for ten days, in spite of the solemn assurances we have so often received to the contrary." Daphe expressed her pleasure and surprise. „The truth is, that our inquiries were too direct; we sent a house elf, we asked ourselves over the fireplace: this will not do seventy miles from London. We are in the country now and things must go the country way here; but this morning we heard of it in the right way. My fathers house elf was interviewed by a delivery person who should have remembered who he sent the owl to and he wrote a message to Mr. Grant who left word for us through a written card."
„I am very glad that you have heard of it, by whatever means, and hope there will be no further delay."
„I am going to have it tomorrow; but how do you think it is to be transported? All I asked for was that a nearby office would accept it and someone would bring it over. You know how Mr. Grants house is surrounded by trees. I was worried the chess board would get damaged in the transport.. Bot nobody would accept the thing!"
„You would find it difficult, I dare say, just now, to find someone. As you've heard from Mr. Bloomfield, it is just the time to work in the gardens, take care of the parks, make some renovations on the house. You people from London come out into the country to relax, but we here in the country are by no means constantly relaxing."
„I was astonished to find what a deal was made of it! To find someone with some free time on their hands seemed impossible. So I asked one of the neighbours if they could ask around and as I constantly pass houses that seem perfect for such an undertaking I thought that surely someone would make it possible. Guess my surprise, when I found that I had been asking the most unreasonable, most impossible neighbour in the world; she managed offended all the neighbourhood in my name! As for Mr. Grant, I believed I had better keep out of his way; no reason to make his name unpopular with the neighbours as well and my sister gave me a funny look when I told her what I had been at."
„You could not be expected to have thought on the subject before; but when you do think of it now, you must see how much land everybody has to take care of in the country. In a city every house is much smaller and all you have to maintain is the house. Here in the country there is an endless ammount of work and with the weather hardly enough time to do it."
„I am sure I will understand all your country ways in time; but, coming down with the true London maxim, that everything can be had with money, I was a little embarrassed at first by the immovable independence of your country customs. However, I am to have my chess board fetched tomorrow. Melania, who is good nature itself, has offered to fetch it herself from one of the neighbours who was willing to have it delivered to them. Will that not do to give it the honors it deserves?"
Daphne was looking forward to the chess board and asked to be allowed to play Draco on it. Harry had had not played in a really long time was hoping he would be allowed to watch.
„I shall be most happy to play you both," said Draco; „at least as long as you want: probably much longer, for I really love playing myself, I hardly ever have the pleasure of playing against someone who enjoys the game as much as me. Now, Daphne, if you write or talk to your sister, I ask you to please tell her that my board has come: she heard all my complaints about the thing. And you may say, if you please, that I will be ready to play him as soon as he returns and that I am ready to give him a knight."
„If I write, I will say whatever you wish me; but I do not, at present, see any occasion for writing in the next couple of days."
„No, I believe you don't, nor if she were to be gone a year, would you ever write to her, nor she to you, if it can be avoided. The occasion would never arise. What strange creatures sibblings are! My brother and I are the same. We will not write to each other but for the most urgent occasions in the world; and when obliged to take up the pen to say that such mother is ill, or such a relation dead, it is done in the fewest possible words. We are exactly alike. I know it perfectly well. Melania, who is in every other respect exactly what a sister should be, who loves me, consults me, confides in me, and will talk to me by the hour together, has never yet written more than a page in a letter; and very often it is nothing more than „Dear Draco, I have arrived safely. It seems crowded here, and everything is as usual. Yours sincerely." That is the true style between sibblings; that is a complete letter for one of us."
„When they are at a distance from all their family," said Harry, colouring when he spoke up, but speaking up nonetheless, „they can write long letters."
„Harry has a good friend in London he writes with regularly," said Daphne, „and whose excellence as a correspondent makes him think you too severe upon us."
„In London, has he? Working for the ministry, of course."
Harry would rather have had Daphne tell the story, but her determined silence forced him to relate Hermiones situation: his voice was animated in speaking of her profession, and the career she was having; but he could not mention the long periods that they had not seen each other without tears in his eyes. Draco civilly wished him an early promotion.
„Do you know anything of Hermione's superiors?" said Daphne; „You have a lot of contacts in the ministry I hear?"
„Among the minister and his secretaries, large enough; but," with an air of grandeur, „we know very little of the undersecretaries and lower positions. Chiefs of departements may be a very good sort of people, but they are not worth connecting with. Of various secretaries I could tell you a great deal: of them and their decisions, and the gradation of their pay, and their bickerings and jealousies. But, in general, I can assure you that they are all passed over, and all very ill used. Certainly, my home at my father's brought me in contact with a lot of them. The secretary in charge of the Departement of Magical Law Enforcement and the one in charge of the Departement for the Regulation of Magical Creatures for example."
Daphne again felt grave, and only replied, „it must be good to be so well connected."
„Yes, the work at the ministry is well enough under two circumstances: if you make it up the ranks and gain political influence that way, and are wise in using that influence; but, in short, it is not a favourite profession of mine. But it has it's uses."
Daphne reverted to the chessboard, and was stating again that she would be very happy to play him.
The subject of improving gardens, meanwhile, was still under consideration among the others; and Mr. Grant could not help addressing his cousin, though it was calling his attention from Daphne.
„My dear Melania, don't you have anything to say? You have been an improver yourself from what I hear about you."
„Nothing could be so rewarding to me as to hear your opinion of what I have done," was her answer; „but I fear there would be some disappointment: you would not find it equal to your present ideas. In extent, it is a mere nothing; you would be surprised at its insignificance; it is my parents groungs that you are talking about and, as for improvement, there was very little for me to do – too little: I should like to have been busy much longer."
„You are fond of this sort of thing?" said Mr. Bloomfield.
„Excessively; but I was given an easy situation. With the natural advantages of the ground very little remained to be done, and with my personality, my need to do things, it took me only a couple of months to make the changes I had in mind. I am inclined to envy Mr. Bloomfield for having so much happiness yet before him. I have had my own and much too quickly."
„Those who see quickly, will resolve quickly, and act quickly," said Mr. Bloomfield. „You can never want diversion. Instead of envying me, you should assist me with your opinion."
Mr. Grant, hearing the latter part of this speech, enforced it warmly, persuaded that no judgment could be equal to his cousins; and in the end Mr. Bloomfield was very ready to request the favour of Melania Malfoy's assistance; and Melania, after properly depreciating her own abilities, was quite at her service in any way that could be useful. Mr. Bloomfield then began to propose that Miss Malfoy should do him the honour of coming over to his house, and staying there; when Mrs. Fernsby, as if reading in her nieces' minds their little resentment against a plan which was to take Miss Malfoy away, suggested a compromise.
„There can be no doubt of Miss Malfoy's willingness; but why should not more of us go? Why shouldn't we make a little party? Here are many that would be interested in your improvements, my dear Mr. Bloomfield, and that would like to hear Miss Malfoy's opinion on the spot, and that might be of some small use to you with their opinions; and, for my own part, I have been long wishing to see your house again; but now I could go and sit on your terrace for hours, while the rest of you walked around and settled things, and then we could all return to a late dinner here, or dine at your place, just as it is most convenient for you, and have a pleasant drive home by moonlight. I dare say Miss Malfoy, Daphne and myself could use the fireplace and Harry will stay at home with my sister.'
Celia made no objection; and everyone concerned in the plan was quick in expressing their agreement, except Daphne, who heard it all and said nothing.