Friday, May 17, 1996
The gloomy storms of April had finally made way for balmy weather and clear skies in May. Of course for Heather and her friends, it was a moot point as they were currently up to their eyes in studying for the OWLs, and in the twins' case, NEWTs. Heather was the only one not feeling the strain, seeing as the unique bond she had to her father granted her access to a vast array of knowledge.
But it didn't change her study time, only the capacity in which she worked. Rather than moaning about all the revising or groaning under the weight of homework, she instead found herself in the position of tutor to her entire court. She had taken a VERY small leaf out of Hermione's book and decided on a study schedule for their weekend sessions, but between their theoretical discussions and surprise question and answer sessions interspersed with liberal casting practice, the Slytherin Court was by far the most relaxed of the fifth years preparing for their exams.
Heather had also spoken to her father at length over their last few mirror calls and was feeling much more secure in her decision to reject Adrian and Barty. He admitted he thought she was leaning toward Lucius, even early on, but was pleased that her conversations with himself and her friend had soothed her feelings.
Equanimity restored, she was able to remain much more calm when Than sent his usual letter letting her know that the letters and trinkets had been delivered to him and her elves would bring them to her. She was entirely unaffected during potions class, to Draco's great relief. As it had happened each time she had received something, he was now certain Severus had been doing partner potions on the days of her courtship letters and such on purpose. And, after a moment of reflection, he admitted it was probably wise since she had been anything but calm for the first few and would quite likely have killed or at the very least seriously injured them all otherwise.
Even her hair seemed to cooperate on that particular day, not springing out in all directions, but rather laying smooth and sleek, reflecting the body's inner peace. It was actually sort of odd. And rather disconcerting.
The usual Slytherin portion of the court was in her room after lunch when her studiously contained excitement burst forth. The diminutive teenager actually spun both Dobby and Winky around after they set her gifts on the table before allowing them to disappear back into her suitcase.
"Merlin, I hope Dad knows what he's getting into," Draco said, scrubbing his face as Heather dropped into her seat.
She shoved him playfully into Blaise while the rest of them laughed.
"There's only two," Tracy said artlessly. "Didn't you still have three suitors?"
Heather's eyes widened, Really? Oh, Merlin," she looked up at Daphne, happiness spreading over her face, "He dropped out! Barty really dropped out! He didn't send a letter or a trinket or anything!"
"Congratulations," Daphne said with a smile, leaning into Theo.
"I thought girls were supposed to be unhappy when their suitors abandoned their suits?" Theo said, confused.
"Me, too," Blaise said.
"Not this one. You'd be happy, too," Heather began archly, "if a man who told you that you didn't know your own mind, would grow out of it, and just needed the right man to change your mind had decided to cut off his pursuit."
"Did he really say all that?" Tracy asked, leaning forward, avarice in her eyes over this new gossip.
"Not exactly those words," green eyes flashed in remembrance, "But he definitely said the bit about being young, and finding the right man. The rest was asking whether I had spent time around children and knowing I would love them 'because it's different when they're your own,' to which I wanted to say balderdash, but I managed to restrain myself."
"Yikes," said Draco with a wince. "Guess it's a good thing Dad already has me, then."
"Definitely," Heather said seriously. "But anyway, onto the gifts!" she announced, standing and pointing toward the ceiling dramatically.
Her court applauded, laughing over her exuberant attitude.
"Adrian's first," she decided, and ripped into the small box.
"It's a snitch," Draco deadpanned.
"What?" exclaimed Tracy.
"It's a brooch," Heather jumped into the gap. "It's a snitch-shaped brooch. Looks to be a cloak pin or maybe a clasp, depending on the weight of the cloak."
"Quidditch," the two ladies-in-waiting said sorrowfully, shaking their heads.
"Quidditch," Heather agreed.
"Seriously," Draco said incredulously. "A whole year of courtship and everything has been quidditch related. I know they both like the sport, but seriously? Could he not come up with anything else?"
"No," Heather said, as Daphne said, "He spent three hours in Quality Quidditch Supplies on their date."
"He was scouted for the Appleby Arrows," Blaise said. "And outside of doing the minimum amount of work required to pass his classes, which are Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense, no, I have never seen him do anything not quidditch related."
"Lovely," Tracy snarked. "He'll be a great catch for someone...eventually."
"Honestly, I think he'd be perfect for Ginevra Weasley," Heather said with a grin. "She swears she's going to be the next seeker or chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. And honestly, I think he needs a shrew of a wife to keep him from killing himself doing something he doesn't know how to do because it isn't a sport on a broom."
"That's awful," Daphne said as she broke down in laughter.
"Terrible," Tracy said as she succumbed to her own giggles.
"But hilarious," Draco said and the other two boys nodded.
"Do you think they'd even figure out how to consummate the thing?" Tracy sputtered through the hilarity.
"Eh, he is a chaser, at least he'd know where to aim. Who knows, he might even score," Blaise commented, and they all lost it again.
"Stop, please stop," Heather said, gasping for air as she tried to calm down and stop laughing.
"Think about Dumbledore calling you 'my dear girl,' in his grandfather voice" Draco said knowingly.
A shudder collectively ran through every person in the room.
"Geez, Draco," Tracy said, rubbing her arms which had broken out in goosebumps. "We wanted calm, not creepy-old-guy-pedophile."
Heather snorted, and they all started laughing again.
Once they were finally able to stop their giggles, Heather reached for the second gift. The box was about as big as her hands, and flat, but with a sprig of laurestine on it.
"A token," she said quietly, stroking the petals, "Laurestine means 'a token.' He's doing it again."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly as she removed the flower and opened the box. Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply when she saw what it contained. A set of hairpins engraved with nightshade and amethysts set in the flowers to match her hairbrush winked at her from the dark velvet. A matching pendant dangled from a silver chain, the purple blooms surrounding a single silver lily. It was beautiful. It was perfect.
She passed the box around the group and even the boys had to admit Lucius had done well.
As she had every time previously, Tracy said, "So romantic."
"I guess he's getting your Second Right after all," Draco said drolly. "Step-mama."
Heather threw a pillow at him, but ran her fingers lovingly across the metal when Daphne handed over the box.
"Don't you dare tell him, Draconis," Heather said, eyes flashing. "I have something in mind and if you spoil it, so help me…"
Draco held his hands up in surrender, "I haven't said anything so far, I'm not starting now. I make it a point to stay out of courtships you know. Severus would have my head if I interfered, and not in a good way."
There were nods and general agreement at his statement. They had all been made privy to the secret of Draco's bonding through the course of the year, and after what happened to Pansy, it really was the wisest course of action.
"Go, read your letters," Daphne ordered, waving a hand toward the girl's bedroom door. "We'll wait right here, and we can study later."
Heather nodded and scooped up the two missives, making her way into her room and the window seat where she had read all her letters in privacy.
She shook her head at Adrian's. He clearly had some help, or someone else wrote his letters, because they were nothing at all as he really was.
Sweet,
What longing in tears for you — You — my Life — my All. Oh, go on loving me — never doubt the faithfullest heart.(1) Forgive me Darling, for every word I say – my heart is full of you, none other than you is in my thoughts, yet when I seek to say to you something not for the world, words fail me. If you were here – and Oh that you were, my sweet, we need not tell at all, our eyes would whisper for us, and your hand fast in mine. (3)
For myself, I know not how to express my devotion to so fair a form: I want a brighter word than bright, a fairer word than fair. I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three summer days–three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.(4)
Yours,
Adrian
She scoffed at the letter. It was certainly not his own. Ah well, it confirmed her choice to reject him, and would console herself with better things. And with that, she lifted the letter from Lucius, inhaling the almost imperceptible fragrance that clung to the parchment, reminding her of the manor, her home, and of him.
My Darling,
Away from you there is no more joy—away from thee the world is a wilderness, in which I stand alone, and without experiencing the bliss of unburdening my soul. You have robbed me of more than my soul; you are the one, only thought of my life. When I am weary of the worries of my profession, when I mistrust the issue, when men disgust me, when I am ready to curse my life, I put my hand on my heart where your picture beats in unison. I look at it, and love is for me complete happiness; and everything laughs for joy, except the time during which I find myself absent from my beloved.(9)
By what art have you learnt to captivate all my faculties, to concentrate in yourself my spiritual existence—it is witchery, my dearest love, which will end only with me. To live for you, that is the purpose of my life. I am struggling to get near you, I am dying to be by your side; fool that I am, I fail to realise how far off I am, that lands and provinces separate us. What an age it will be before you read these lines, the weak expressions of the fevered soul in which you reign. Ah, my love, I know not what fate awaits me, but if it keeps me much longer from you it will be unbearable—my strength will not last out.(9)
There was a time in which I prided myself on my strength, and, sometimes, when casting my eyes on the ills which men might do me, on the fate that destiny might have in store for me, I have gazed steadfastly on the most incredible misfortunes without a wrinkle on my brow or a vestige of surprise: but to-day the thought that my darling might be ill; or, above all, the cruel, the fatal thought that she might love me less, blights my soul, stops my blood, makes me wretched and dejected, without even leaving me the courage of fury and despair. (9)
It is a marvel to me that those red-rose petal lips of yours should be made no less for the madness of music and conversation than for the madness of kissing. Your slim gilt soul walks between passion and poetry. I think of you all day long, and miss your grace, your incomparable beauty, the bright sword-play of your wit, the delicate fancy of your genius, so surprising always in its sudden swallow-flights towards north and south, towards sun and moon — and, above all, yourself.(11)
Surely you will offer succor to this wounded soul who begs your attention and love. Surely your goodness will push you to accept my heart, my desire, the longings of my very soul for you. I await your pleasure, my dearest love, and have hope for the joys of our reunion.
I love you,
Lucius
Merlin, the man was incorrigible.
Saturday, May 25, 1996
Severus wondered just who he had pissed off or what heinous crime he had committed in another life to have been saddled with watching over Heather Potter, turned Belladonna Peverell. Not only was he teaching, a profession he never wished to pursue, but he was also watching over the courtship of his resurrected lord's daughter, who also happened to be the offspring of his childhood best friend and her husband, his worst tormentor. And now the blasted chit was involved in a courtship with his best friend. What had he done to deserve such a tangled life?
The last Saturday in May he woke early, and meditated on the insanity which his life had become as he prepared for Heather's final courtship date. The only good thing was that he knew he would enjoy this one as Lucius was ever attentive to his friends' or guests' comfort; even a courtship date wouldn't change that. And he had floo called and told the potion master to bring plenty of storage as where they were going would have an abundance of wild grown ingredients. Ah, the small perks of being a chaperone. He hadn't even managed to escape chaperoning a Hogsmeade weekend, as he had deigned to hope, since that dratted Adrian Pucey had taken the girl there. Oh well, he would be spared the hordes of uncontrolled teenagers today and could focus on the one who was his current priority.
As she had on her previous two trips, Severus watched as her court surrounded her for the walk and obediently made themselves scarce as soon as her suitor beckoned from a shadowy alley so as not to be seen by a certain meddlesome headmaster or his stooges. Lucius looked around and Severus caught his eye, and even through the cloak, managed to read Lucius' thoughts, which were the apparition coordinates for their destination. He could tell his friend recognized the slight intrusion when the blonde slipped the girl's arm through his own and nodded toward the space that appeared empty.
Severus timed his own apparition perfectly, the crack of his arrival merging with the one generated by Lucius bringing Heather along.
"You may remove your glamour, my dearest," Lucius spoke gently to the girl. We are on Malfoy property now and there is no one to see you for miles."
Severus couldn't make out the teen's face but saw the resulting change in features that had her looking much more like a feminine version of his lord, rather than the spitting image of his childhood friend.
"Where are we?" Belladonna asked, peering up at the much taller lord by her side.
"A forest in France," Lucius replied. "As I said, it is Malfoy property, and I'm not certain it even has a name. It is just a piece of the French Estate."
"Your name is French," she commented, "does that mean you have other family living here?"
The blonde hummed, "A few very distant cousins," he replied, "and none that live in any of the properties attached to the Lordship."
"I see," she replied.
Severus tuned out much of their conversation as he quietly began gathering ingredients. He followed a few yards behind as Lucius led the chit onto a sunlight-dappled path that meandered through the young forest. It was nowhere near as dark or imposing as the Forbidden Forest, though he supposed it made a much better spot for a date.
Though he wasn't listening to much, he could not help but notice when Belladonna stumbled slightly over an exposed tree root and Lucius disentangled their arms swiftly, and had her safely righted before any harm could befall her. He also noticed the arm which stayed wrapped around the girl's waist as they continued on, rather than returning to the more proper linked arm.
Light girlish laughter floated to him in the stillness, and he wistfully thought of Lily, and what she would think of her daughter's circumstances. He supposed she'd likely be happy Heather was no longer being hunted by a mad man, and would probably be concerned at her dating a man Lucius' age, but she'd probably be accepting as well. Lily had always been extremely accepting, at least up until he'd called her that foul name. She had been right to reject him. He had fallen in with a disreputable group and hadn't been able to extricate himself before being bitten and turned and then learning of the Dark Lord.
He was distracted from his maudlin thoughts of the past by Lucius stooping to pluck a small bunch of yellow and white camellias which he offered to the girl. He wondered if Belladonna knew that Lucius just told her he was longing for her, but was willing to wait. She accepted the flowers with a smile and buried her face in them. He heard her comment on how nice they smelled before he returned to his gathering and allowed them to draw a bit further away.
The next time he paid a modicum of attention, they had stopped by an apple tree which was covered in blooms. A low hanging branch was at just the right height for Belladonna to reach up and pluck a flower from the tree and offer it to Lucius. He saw Lucius' radiant smile and knew his friend was thinking that she had indicated her preference for him through the blossom.
Severus rolled his eyes and returned to his potions ingredients. He was thankful Draco had been so ruled by his hormones at such a young age that he had been spared this sappy sort of situation.
When he next resurfaced, Lucius was pointing out celandine whilst Belladonna was indicating the phlox that grew along beside. At that point he suspected they were both conversing in flower language because celandine meant joys to come and phlox meant harmony.
After that, Severus began paying them a bit more attention. On the edge of a small but beautiful clearing, they came upon a tangle of red, white, and yellow roses. He managed to get close enough to hear their quiet conversation even without the aid of eavesdropping charms.
"You know, I am certain about the roses' meanings when they are singular," the man was saying.
"White is innocence or purity, yellow is friendship or apology," the dark haired girl replied, "and red is for true love," she finished, blushing lightly and blinking up at him with emotion in her eyes.
"Red and yellow together indicate joy, happiness, and excitement," he said, eyes soft.
"And red and white mean united," Belladonna finished.
Lucius plucked a single red rose and offered it to the chit before gathering a much larger bouquet of them all mixed and handing those to her as well. She accepted them with her right hand, and given she knew the flower meanings, Severus was certain she knew that taking them with her right hand was an acceptance.
Good Merlin, they had just had a complete conversation about getting bonded in flowers, and the girl had accepted. He had to tell Than. Well, perhaps after lunch since he could see a large blanket in the clearing and two baskets.
He noted Lucius' favorite wine, and Belladonna's favorite treacle tart in the larger basket before Lucius blocked the girl's view of the second basket, allowing Severus to take it under the cloak. And as anticipated, it was full of his favorites. Well, at least if he had to watch the two of them mooning over each other he would be well fed.