Strangeways, Here We Come

Botany part II…

It took him a few weeks to work up the nerve to present her with flowers. He rationalized it by telling himself it was simply a reciprocal gesture, with no deeper meaning. Not at all. Because old werewolves shouldn't be thinking like that about young, vibrant witches…

Of course, he didn't have enough Knuts for a full meal, let alone a bouquet of flowers. What an utterly depressing thought, that he couldn't even afford a gift for the woman he fanci- er, that was, the woman he wanted to do a nice gesture for.

He worked around that obstacle rather resourcefully though, asking Molly if he could pick a few things from her gorgeous garden. Steadfastly ignoring the knowing look in her eyes, he instead tried to decide which of the countless blooms Nymphadora would like best. He settled on the pink daisies.

"Wonderful choice, Remus," the Weasley matriarch commented shrewdly. "They signify loyal love, did you know that?"

It just so happened that he did. They also meant "I'll never tell", something he tried to keep in mind. He hoped their recipient wasn't aware of their symbolism… But it wasn't like any of that had influenced his choice at all, he insisted – they were just the blossoms that seemed the most Tonks.

When he presented them to her, the giant grin she graced him with proved he had chosen correctly. Later, walking by the room she used when staying over at Grimmauld Place (which was more and more often now, he noted with pleasure), he saw them placed in a vase right next to her bed. He couldn't smother the smug sense of satisfaction he felt at that fact.

As time passed the blooms wilted, and he quietly replaced them. He knew she noticed, because afterwards she had winked at him and worn her hair in that exact same shade of pink. Some weeks later he did it once more, then again and again each time after that.

He wondered if their little custom had started because she was too busy or too scatterbrained to get rid of the dried, drooping flowers. He preferred not knowing the real explanation, actually, because a small part of him was entertaining wishful thoughts – such as her wanting to keep them around for the sole reason that it was he who had given them to her.

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Toodles,
- ish -