Strangeways, Here We Come

Botany…

She knocked on his bedroom door, feeling annoying little butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Still, she put on a brave face when he answered.

"Wotcher, Remus!" she greeted him with twinkling eyes. "I've got something for you!"

He seemed surprised, if not slightly suspicious, but he smiled and gestured for her to enter.

"I've noticed that your room is rather dreary," she began. Well, the entire house was, really, but that was beside the point. "So, I've brought you something to liven the place up a bit."

She had previously offered to brighten things by charming the walls lime green, but he had politely refused. Realizing that such a quiet man was unlikely to go for something so garish (which didn't bode well for her, but she quickly banished that thought from her mind), she then came up with a more subdued idea. Or at least, as subdued as she could get...

With a flourish, she pulled a small potted cactus out from behind her back. He raised a curious eyebrow.

"I thought about getting flowers, but I didn't know what you liked," she babbled (something that tended to happen when she was nervous, and she hoped he hadn't picked up on that tendency of hers just yet), and moved to place the pot on his desk. "But then I saw this little fellow, and thought he was perfect!"

"And why's that?" he asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"Well, you're both dry and prickly!" she chirped, hoping he wouldn't be insulted. Instead he chortled quietly, which thrilled her.

"I'm sure we'll get along famously then. Thank you, Nymphadora."

She grinned, the relief that he enjoyed her gift overshadowing the annoyance at the use of her first name – a fact he also noted, and would later spend considerable time dissecting. Then she gasped, remembering the finishing touch. "Oh! One more thing."

Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a tiny woollen scarf (striped scarlet and gold, reminiscent of his old Gryffindor paraphernalia) and wrapped it around the cactus' base. "There!" the witch exclaimed in delight.

"What's that for?" he wondered incredulously.

"I think it adds a whimsical touch, don't you? Besides, what's funnier than a cactus wearing a scarf?"

"Indeed… Now he won't get cold in this dreadful British weather," he said wryly.

But the sparkle in his eyes told her he appreciated the gesture, and her heart soared. She suspected she had baffled him by it, but that was all right – because from then on, whenever she caught him looking at the bundled-up plant he would always shake his head and chuckle lowly, which had been her goal. He really did need to laugh more…

Please review, I'd love to know what you think about it!

Toodles,
- ish -