Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Round 11
Chaser 2
Chudley Cannons

Main Prompt: Druid - Write about a character who loves nature

Word Count: 2481

Additional Prompts:
3. [Colour] Lilac
5. [Dialogue] "That is inexcusable."
12. [Word] Lighten


Lilies and Lilacs (with a side order of Coal)


'Now that the season had warmed, growing in the bonniest of purple locks, came dancing lilac.'

Ginny read off the placard for the hundredth time that evening, unsure how lilac could dance, and confused as to why they were being called bonny.

The only thing even remotely making sense to her was the fact that they were purple. Or perhaps, it was lilac, much like its name, exactly like its name, yet, Ginny couldn't recognize it.

To be fair, and to her credit, the lilies had been easy to find. They were white, and she'd seen them before, too many times to count. White lilies in early summer. That's what he'd told her once. She'd loved it ever since.

As for her, 'lilacs growing in early May', was as good as it got. Ginny liked them the most. But she'd not bothered about the colour. She just liked how they looked.

But now that she was actually at Florean's, colour seemed to be a defining factor in everything.

Oh, bother.

She'd just have to settle on the lilac lilacs. It all looked the same to her.

"I'll take these too," she decided, pointing at a dozen pale purple flowers, and then looking at Mr. Florean. He was a very patient man, something she was hugely glad of, for her zero-to-none knowledge in flowers was nothing to be proud of, especially when she was in love with a botanist.

"Anything else, Miss Weasley?"

"No, that's it. Just the lilacs and the lilies."

The man nodded, and Ginny stepped away as he reached over to bunch them together.

"Would you like to keep the leaves on?" he asked, and Ginny nodded promptly, wondering how either way could make a difference.

"The young ones or all of them together?"

Young ones? Young leaves? They were dead either way, how did it make any difference calling them young or old?

"Just, uhh…." she shrugged. "Whatever looks best."

Mr. Florean nodded, looking less than displeased and Ginny looked away, unsure as to how she could, at least, appear a little less ignorant. True, she had had to study Botany in college, but the dissection of a xylem stem had been far easier than this.

When it looked like he was done, she stepped forward again, placing two ten-pound notes on the counter. Mr. Florean looked at them, then with one hand, he ripped off a piece of sellotape, stuck it over the cellophane, and with the other, kept the two notes in the drawer.

"Is it exactly twenty pounds?"

"Nineteen," he answered, and handed her a few spare coins.

"Thanks."

Then he gave her the bouquet, asking whether she'd like a bag or not, but Ginny didn't spare one extra minute standing. She couldn't get out of there fast enough.

The only reason she had been there in the first place was because it was their anniversary, and she had wanted to do something she hadn't done before. Ginny had never given flowers to Harry before, and though it had seemed a bit too trivial at first, flowers were his forte. He loved them. And even though he didn't necessarily study them, there always seemed to be a spare rose or a white daffodil in their apartment.

And though she didn't bother about them much, she always liked it when he came back home with a flower in hand.

She had given him flowers on their first date, their first anniversary, and the first time they'd moved in together, she'd seen a vase of sunflowers in his apartment.

That's why she liked lilacs. It was the first flower he'd ever given her. And it had been the first flower she had actually taken the time to look at.

They seemed special at the time. They still did.

"Harry," she called, as she locked the door behind her.. "I'm home."

Maybe he hadn't arrived yet.

Ginny slipped out of her heels, setting her bag down on the floor. Bouquet in hand, she proceeded to find a vase in the house, something that wasn't very hard to do, as she set the flowers on the kitchen table for a while. There was one in the kitchen, a tinted glass piece, and she was satisfied when she stepped back to see her work.

They looked pretty.

And it was the best she could do.

Flowers weren't her forte. It was his.

Ginny smiled as she heard the door open, hurrying across the floor in her socks. Yellow wool and polka dots. She looked like a bloody bee in them.

That's why she liked them so much.

"Harry?" she called, and she frowned as he heard a yelp and the door bang close.

"Harry?" Ginny went over to the door, turning the knob to open it, but it was pulled back shut on the opposite end.

"How are you home so early?" She heard his voice and frowned, pulling open the door again. She wasn't able to.

"Harry," she chastised. "Open the door."

"No, hang on a sec."

She looked at the door in confusion, turning the knob again, but it was again, quickly pulled back.

"What in the world are you doing?"

She heard rummaging on the other side, his footsteps. She tried to turn the knob again, and then stopped as she heard a light patterning of steps. Then she heard a bark, and a shhh, and she stilled, her eyes wide with shock.

This time, when she opened the door, Harry didn't pull back.

"Oh my god," she gushed. "Oh my god, bloody freaking hell Harry –"

Harry grinned back, and Ginny couldn't take her eyes off the small bundle in his arms. He was holding a tiny white Golden Retriever, and while both of them were looking at her, she couldn't take her damn eyes off the pup.

"He's adorable!" she whisper-screamed, laughing, and stroking his fur, just on the brink of squealing like a little girl.

Harry laughed, handing her the small pup, and Ginny giggled as she cradled the little bundle. The pups put his tiny little paws just under her face, looking up at her with big black eyes, and Ginny felt like a bloody five-year old, beaming at Harry as the pup snuggled in close to her body.

"My god, Harry, he's beautiful."

"I know."

Ginny smiled up at him as he wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling both her and the pup closer to him. The pup was barking now, licking her elbow as he struggled to get free.

Harry laughed, and Ginny bent down, putting him on the ground.

"What's his name?" she asked, as he sped off across the living room, sniffing around the sofa, the book-shelf, tentatively stepping on the mattress.

"Figured you should be the one to name him," Harry shrugged, as if he'd not just given ehr the best gift ever, and Ginny, in a burst of emotions, threw her arms around him, pulling him down in a kiss. He responded just as enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the floor.

They laughed as they broke apart, several sunlit moments later – or it just might have been the sound of frantic yapping that brought them back to their living room. Either way, she smiled at him, and they both bent down together, as the pup ran over to them.

"He looks like a," Harry hesitated, "an Oscar?"

Ginny clicked her tongue, as she scooped him up in her lap. "How about Snow?"

"That's too common."

"Waffles."

"Sounds like food."

"It is food."

"No, it's breakfast."

"Can't argue with that."

Harry laughed, and the pup plopped down on its back as Harry gently stroked his face. After a while, Ginny spoke up again.

"We can't exactly call him pup now, can we?" she said indignantly. Then, as if she'd just found out something groundbreaking, she hurriedly got up, nearly slipping in her socks.

"Where're you going?"

"My phone. This, we need Google for."

"No, don't go," Harry protested, pulling her down again. She fell on his lap, and the pup jumped up on, yapping in a most adorable fashion, and they burst out laughing, falling to the ground together, Harry's arms around her waist.

"You're an idiot," she said, kissing his cheek fondly. The pup jumped in between them, and Harry smiled as he licked Ginny's eyes, her face.

"How about Storm?" he suggested.

"No." Ginny looked at Harry. "Coal. He looks like a Coal."

Harry smiled, and lifted the pup onto his stomach. He smiled as the pup barked, and stroked him on the cheek.

"Hey Coal."

Coal barked back.

"You bought flowers?" Harry asked incredulously and Ginny stuck out her tongue at him, preparing the powder Harry had bought for coal. Milk powder, and she'd made it a thousand times before, for every other dog that came into her clinic.

"You never buy flowers."

"I know it isn't quite impressive, compared to – "

"They're beautiful," Harry interrupted. "They really are." He smiled, and she was glad he thought so because really, that's all she had been going for. "I love them. I love you."

Ginny smiled, leaning forward as Harry kissed her, cupping her cheek as he lost his hands in her hair. Then, as if she'd just remembered something, she pulled back, pointing at the lilac lilacs, or whatever the hell they were.

"You do not know how long Florean kept me waiting for that. Seven different colours he showed me, and they all looked exactly the same."

"You did not!" Harry said, in mock horror and Ginny chuckled. "God, Gin, that is inexcusable."

"What is?"

"You know what! I've literally told you, Gin, like a dozen times before." Harry smirked, before continuing, "all lilacs have a chromium pigment in their petals – "

"Okay, okay," she raised her hands in mock surrender and Harry shook his head in exasperation, but he was smiling. "Don't need a botany class here, I already had enough of those."

She kissed him again, leaning away before he could bring her closer. He raised an eyebrow, shooting her a mirthful glance and Ginny smirked.

"You like plants, I like animals. It's the whole bloody ecosystem here."

"Damn right."

"Shh."

Coal stirred, whining in his sleep as Ginny turned up the volume on her laptop.

After she'd fed the little guy, he'd very promptly decided to sleep on her for the rest of the night. Ginny'd had no objections with that whatsoever, but halfway through the movie, her back had started to hurt. Just a little.

Harry'd stepped in then.

"I think you're a better bed than me," she whispered, and he smiled, looking at her as if he knew something she didn't.

"Naturally," he shot back, and laughed as Ginny shoved him lightly on his ribs.

She pushed herself up, leaning against Harry, as she watched Coal's gentle breathing. "What do you want for dinner?" she asked absentmindedly, running a finger along Coal's soft, white coat.

"You're cooking?" Harry asked, and Ginny looked up at him, eyebrows raised.

"You think? I don't want our anniversary to end with me poisoning you."

"I didn't say that," he protested weakly. "I just, you just…uh, you make very nice bananas," he offered, and Ginny shook her head as she paused the movie.

"Where you going?" Harry asked, as Ginny threw the blanket off her legs.

"To make you a banana."

"Hey, hey." He smiled, as he pulled her back closer to him. Ginny smiled as he nuzzled his face into her neck, letting her head fall back on his shoulder. Being a vet hadn't been very forgiving on her back, and long, strenuous hours of surgery where she had no idea whether the animal would recover or not, hadn't helped. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief, but she knew his eyes hadn't left her.

"You're staring."

"I know."

"I think," she snapped open her eyes, and raised her hand, brushing away his hair from his forehead. "We should just order pizza and stay like this all night."

"Mmmhmm."

"And binge watch Fast and Furious in one go."

"Until you fall asleep," Harry mumbled, and Ginny looked up at him, eyes narrowed.

"Lighten up, will you?" she whispered, and Harry laughed, his green eyes sparkling under his glasses. Somehow, Coal had managed to right himself with one paw over Harry's glasses, and said Harry hadn't bothered to remove it. They looked adorable together, and Ginny took in the sight in front of her for a second, before looking around the bed for her phone.

"I'm keeping this for later," she whispered as she snapped a picture.

Then she kissed him, soft butterfly kisses that slowly deepened as her hands tangled in his hair, his on her waist, keeping them (and Coal) steady together. Ginny gently took off his glasses, keeping them beside her on the bedside table.

"You know why I like flowers so much?" Harry said between kisses and Ginny smiled against his lips, waiting for an answer.

"It's because they remind me of you," he finished.

Ginny pulled away, looking into his eyes, green like the southern sea. Brown to green. She cupped his face, brushing his hair away with her thumb and smiled, not quite sure how she'd respond to that. All she was thinking right now, all she could think right now was how much she loved this man. This adorably dorky man, who she loved with all her heart.

So she told him. Exactly what she was feeling.

Even though he knew every time.

"I love you," she said, as she kissed him.

"I love you," he replied. "In every way possible."

They looked at each other, and Ginny smiled, laughed. With him, she felt like she was feeling everything. And it felt so damn good.

She lifted herself up, and as she brought him closer to kiss him again, she laughed as Coal whined in his sleep, his paws scrabbling against Harry's shirt.

"I think Coal's jealous."

Harry laughed, adjusting his small body over his stomach, and looking back at her again, his eyes gleaming with affection.

"I would be too."

..