CHAPTER FOUR BLOOD RED ROSES
Natasha's on a mission. Can she be helped before time runs out?
Genre for this chapter - Angst and a fair bit of sap.
Nat was becoming distraught. There were only two days to go and she still hadn't managed it. Normally her parents would have helped, but they were both out of the country. They wouldn't miss it, she was convinced. It had become one of those rituals that most families have and never speak to outsiders about.
She had gone to Hagrid but he had looked at her sorrowfully from under his shaggy black eyebrows.
" Nah, can't 'elp yer, Nat. Wrong time of year for owt like that, see? "
She had, all too vividly.
She tried to immerse herself in homework, even though Oscar and Deborah thought she was mad.
" Come on, Nat! It's Friday night! Relax a bit. Come and have a game of Exploding Snap. " Oscar wheedled.
" No, I'm going to bed. " she said abruptly and climbed the stairs to her dormitory. She threw the book she was clutching down on the quilt.
//One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore//
Then it clicked. Herbology was just another kind of gardening, wasn't it? She resolved to sort it out in the morning. It couldn't hurt to ask, she thought as she climbed into bed. He could only say no.
After breakfast the next day, Nat went looking for Professor Longbottom. The cold March air skinned her hands but he wasn't in the greenhouses where he was normally to be found, his robes covered in earth and his sleeves rolled up. Nor was he in the staffroom.
" Try his office, Miss Weasley-Potter. " squeaked Professor Flitwick and directed her to the first floor.
She found the right door and was just about to knock when she heard the voices; Professor Longbottom's light tenor and Professor Snape's. Deeper, richer and laden with tenderness.
He's obviously busy, thought Nat. I don't want to interrupt anything marital.
She was just deciding to come back later when the door swung open and she found herself looking into a pair of jet-black eyes. She shivered and waited for the stinging sarcasm.
" Miss Weasley-Potter. Do you make a habit of lurking in draughty corridors? " asked Professor Snape.
" No, sir. I wanted to see Professor Longbottom but then I heard your voice and thought you'd probably not want to be disturbed..." Nat tailed off, blushing furiously. It looked like Snape was trying desperately not to smile.
" Very decent of you but completely unnecessary, I assure you. " He ushered her forward. " Neville, this student wishes to see you. "
Professor Longbottom stood up, a welcoming smile on his face.
" Come in, Natasha and close the door behind you. That's it. Now sit. Would you care for some tea? "
" Thank you. " said Nat. She watched him as he boiled the kettle and hunted for cups. He looked completely different in jeans and a thick navy-blue fisherman's jersey where normally he wore robes in varying degrees of earthiness. Nat realised she was seeing him off-duty for the first time.
He handed her a steaming cup of tea and sat opposite her. His kind face and warm grey eyes looked worried and he twisted his wedding ring round and round on his finger.
" So what's wrong, Natasha? " he asked. Nat inhaled the fragrant steam from her cup and sipped at the brew. It was lightly flavoured with what seemed to be oranges and something indefinable. It was the most delicious tea she had ever tasted. When he Pa made tea, you could float a horseshoe on it.
" This is wonderful! " she exclaimed, taking a bigger sip. He smiled.
" It's Earl Grey. With a spice or two I added myself. Severus thinks I'm a complete philistine for even //thinking// I could improve on perfection. "
" He's always telling us to push the boundaries in Potions. " said Nat and he laughed.
" He used to tell us that as well. When we weren't suitably terrified, of course. But I don't think you came here to discuss my husband or my tea-making abilities, did you? "
Nat sighed and placed her empty cup on the table. She asked what she had come there for all along.
" I might. Why? " was Professor Longbottom's cautious answer.
" Do you know what day it is tomorrow? Well, for that. It's become something we always do. "
She was relieved to see he was still smiling.
" Only if you never reveal where they came from. If it's for Hermione..."
He stood up and rummaged in his desk drawer.
" Oh, bugger! " he exclaimed, sucking on his index finger. He held up a tiny but wickedly sharp knife.
" Come with me. " he said, absent-mindedly wiping his still-bleeding finger on his jersey. " I'm about to show you one of the best-kept secrets at Hogwarts. "
He led Nat out of the castle, past Hagrid's hut to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He pulled out his wand, muttered some Latinate words and Nat gasped as a garden appeared before her eyes. A garden full of roses. There were hundreds of them, all perfect and all at the point of blooming. They //had// to be enchanted, she thought. You don't get roses like that at this time of year. Not naturally, anyway.
She followed Professor Longbottom into the fragrant paradise, inhaling the heady scent as she walked. They paused before a particularly fine bush whose blooms were a deep crimson.
" Will these do? " he asked.
" Yes, they're perfect. " she breathed, watching as he expertly sliced the thick stems with the knife he had brought from his office. He cut a dozen and laid them in her arms.
" Did you ever wonder, " he said with a catch in his voice, " why Harry and Ron picked red roses? "
" Sometimes. " she replied.
" When she knew she was getting married to Viktor she asked me to design her wedding bouquet. Nothing fancy, just something simple. And she loved roses. She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw on her wedding day, walking down the aisle on Dumbledore's arm carrying a dozen red roses tied with red and gold ribbon. Every year on her wedding anniversary I sent her the same. They're just carrying on the tradition. Celebrating the most important thing in her life. You. "
Nat didn't know what to say, so she threw her arms around the older man and hugged him tightly.
" Thank you. " she whispered. " Thank you so much. "
" Get on with you. " he exclaimed, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the castle. She went without a backward glance and missed the sight of the Head of Gryffindor house wiping his eyes on his sleeve before making his loving tribute to a woman long since dead disappear.
* * * *
The owl was one of the brightest in the Owlery. Nat had tied the roses to his leg and given him precise instructions. He hooted with delight as he found the right spot and laid the flowers reverently in the shade of the white marble headstone.
Under the legend, //Hermione and Viktor Krum. They gave their lives for the freedom of others. Rest in Peace// the roses lay. Later it started to rain, but not even the most torrential downpour could obliterate the writing on the attached card.
//Happy Mother's Day, Mum. With all my love, Natasha. //
Natasha's on a mission. Can she be helped before time runs out?
Genre for this chapter - Angst and a fair bit of sap.
Nat was becoming distraught. There were only two days to go and she still hadn't managed it. Normally her parents would have helped, but they were both out of the country. They wouldn't miss it, she was convinced. It had become one of those rituals that most families have and never speak to outsiders about.
She had gone to Hagrid but he had looked at her sorrowfully from under his shaggy black eyebrows.
" Nah, can't 'elp yer, Nat. Wrong time of year for owt like that, see? "
She had, all too vividly.
She tried to immerse herself in homework, even though Oscar and Deborah thought she was mad.
" Come on, Nat! It's Friday night! Relax a bit. Come and have a game of Exploding Snap. " Oscar wheedled.
" No, I'm going to bed. " she said abruptly and climbed the stairs to her dormitory. She threw the book she was clutching down on the quilt.
//One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore//
Then it clicked. Herbology was just another kind of gardening, wasn't it? She resolved to sort it out in the morning. It couldn't hurt to ask, she thought as she climbed into bed. He could only say no.
After breakfast the next day, Nat went looking for Professor Longbottom. The cold March air skinned her hands but he wasn't in the greenhouses where he was normally to be found, his robes covered in earth and his sleeves rolled up. Nor was he in the staffroom.
" Try his office, Miss Weasley-Potter. " squeaked Professor Flitwick and directed her to the first floor.
She found the right door and was just about to knock when she heard the voices; Professor Longbottom's light tenor and Professor Snape's. Deeper, richer and laden with tenderness.
He's obviously busy, thought Nat. I don't want to interrupt anything marital.
She was just deciding to come back later when the door swung open and she found herself looking into a pair of jet-black eyes. She shivered and waited for the stinging sarcasm.
" Miss Weasley-Potter. Do you make a habit of lurking in draughty corridors? " asked Professor Snape.
" No, sir. I wanted to see Professor Longbottom but then I heard your voice and thought you'd probably not want to be disturbed..." Nat tailed off, blushing furiously. It looked like Snape was trying desperately not to smile.
" Very decent of you but completely unnecessary, I assure you. " He ushered her forward. " Neville, this student wishes to see you. "
Professor Longbottom stood up, a welcoming smile on his face.
" Come in, Natasha and close the door behind you. That's it. Now sit. Would you care for some tea? "
" Thank you. " said Nat. She watched him as he boiled the kettle and hunted for cups. He looked completely different in jeans and a thick navy-blue fisherman's jersey where normally he wore robes in varying degrees of earthiness. Nat realised she was seeing him off-duty for the first time.
He handed her a steaming cup of tea and sat opposite her. His kind face and warm grey eyes looked worried and he twisted his wedding ring round and round on his finger.
" So what's wrong, Natasha? " he asked. Nat inhaled the fragrant steam from her cup and sipped at the brew. It was lightly flavoured with what seemed to be oranges and something indefinable. It was the most delicious tea she had ever tasted. When he Pa made tea, you could float a horseshoe on it.
" This is wonderful! " she exclaimed, taking a bigger sip. He smiled.
" It's Earl Grey. With a spice or two I added myself. Severus thinks I'm a complete philistine for even //thinking// I could improve on perfection. "
" He's always telling us to push the boundaries in Potions. " said Nat and he laughed.
" He used to tell us that as well. When we weren't suitably terrified, of course. But I don't think you came here to discuss my husband or my tea-making abilities, did you? "
Nat sighed and placed her empty cup on the table. She asked what she had come there for all along.
" I might. Why? " was Professor Longbottom's cautious answer.
" Do you know what day it is tomorrow? Well, for that. It's become something we always do. "
She was relieved to see he was still smiling.
" Only if you never reveal where they came from. If it's for Hermione..."
He stood up and rummaged in his desk drawer.
" Oh, bugger! " he exclaimed, sucking on his index finger. He held up a tiny but wickedly sharp knife.
" Come with me. " he said, absent-mindedly wiping his still-bleeding finger on his jersey. " I'm about to show you one of the best-kept secrets at Hogwarts. "
He led Nat out of the castle, past Hagrid's hut to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He pulled out his wand, muttered some Latinate words and Nat gasped as a garden appeared before her eyes. A garden full of roses. There were hundreds of them, all perfect and all at the point of blooming. They //had// to be enchanted, she thought. You don't get roses like that at this time of year. Not naturally, anyway.
She followed Professor Longbottom into the fragrant paradise, inhaling the heady scent as she walked. They paused before a particularly fine bush whose blooms were a deep crimson.
" Will these do? " he asked.
" Yes, they're perfect. " she breathed, watching as he expertly sliced the thick stems with the knife he had brought from his office. He cut a dozen and laid them in her arms.
" Did you ever wonder, " he said with a catch in his voice, " why Harry and Ron picked red roses? "
" Sometimes. " she replied.
" When she knew she was getting married to Viktor she asked me to design her wedding bouquet. Nothing fancy, just something simple. And she loved roses. She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw on her wedding day, walking down the aisle on Dumbledore's arm carrying a dozen red roses tied with red and gold ribbon. Every year on her wedding anniversary I sent her the same. They're just carrying on the tradition. Celebrating the most important thing in her life. You. "
Nat didn't know what to say, so she threw her arms around the older man and hugged him tightly.
" Thank you. " she whispered. " Thank you so much. "
" Get on with you. " he exclaimed, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the castle. She went without a backward glance and missed the sight of the Head of Gryffindor house wiping his eyes on his sleeve before making his loving tribute to a woman long since dead disappear.
* * * *
The owl was one of the brightest in the Owlery. Nat had tied the roses to his leg and given him precise instructions. He hooted with delight as he found the right spot and laid the flowers reverently in the shade of the white marble headstone.
Under the legend, //Hermione and Viktor Krum. They gave their lives for the freedom of others. Rest in Peace// the roses lay. Later it started to rain, but not even the most torrential downpour could obliterate the writing on the attached card.
//Happy Mother's Day, Mum. With all my love, Natasha. //