AN: Hello all! I have, in fact, returned (for real this time, I swear). This one is a lot longer than I anticipated, and it gets a little heavy at points. But nothing's ever completely rosy, even in our accidental EveryoneLives!AU. Thanks for joining me again, and, as always, let me know what you think!
Ginny shook the Floo dust from her shoulders and watched it fall to the ground, twinkling in the early morning light. She quickly peeked her head out the door and frowned at the neighboring building's dark windows.
"I know Neville gets an early start, but I think you may have overestimated just how early," Luna said from behind her.
Ginny shook her head and started Charming the brooms and dusters for the morning cleaning. "I know. I was just excited to see him and tell him the good news. He looked so sad the other day when I… well, you know."
"When you acted like an arse to spite your mother?"
"Are you ever going to let that go?" Ginny asked, shoulders drooping. She hated disappointing Luna.
Luna pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just as soon as you apologize to Neville, love."
Ginny sighed. "I know that you know I didn't mean to hurt him, and it's been bothering me since it happened. Mum just drives me spare sometimes, and I let her get the best of me. I'll try to do better."
"I know," Luna said with a sad smile. "And I'm sorry if I've been harsh about this. I know how your relationship with Molly is, but sometimes seeing the two of you bicker just makes me miss my own mum because we never made it to that point in our relationship. I think I take that out on you sometimes. I'll try to do better, too."
Ginny's eyes lit with understanding, and she gave Luna a soft kiss. "Love you, Lu."
"Love you too, Gin."
Ginny quickly finished her cleaning routine while Luna worked on refining some designs for her clients. Ginny glanced at the clock every few minutes, willing it to move faster so she could talk to Neville. After an hour had passed, she decided to check for any lights on in Wallflowers, just in case she'd missed him arriving.
Ginny threw the door open and felt it collide with something solid.
"Fuck, Weasley, are you trying to kill me?" Theodore Nott asked, rubbing his shoulder.
She put a hand on her hip. "You'd know if I was trying. Besides, I wasn't expecting someone to just be standing outside my door over an hour before we open."
"Pacing, actually," he said with a nervous laugh.
"What?"
"I wasn't standing. I was pacing."
"Okay… Any reason in particular why you were pacing outside my door this early?"
Theo shoved a hand through his hair. From the looks of it, it wasn't the first time he'd done that this morning. "Can we discuss this inside?"
Ginny arched an eyebrow, but she opened the door and waved him in nonetheless. "Lu, we've got company!"
Luna emerged from behind the beaded curtain and gave Theo a calm smile. "Hello, Theo. I was wondering when you'd come in to see us."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked.
Luna shrugged. "I've seen you at the cafe across the street quite a bit lately. You always angle yourself toward our shop, and the look on your face… I wouldn't call it wistful, per se, but…"
Theo chuckled humorlessly. "Not as subtle as I'd hoped then."
"I suppose not," Ginny said with a smirk.
She and Luna stood silently, waiting for Theodore Nott, of all people, to finally explain why he'd been essentially stalking their shop. But the silence stretched onward, and she could see Theo grow increasingly anxious as he fiddled with his watch and glanced over his shoulder to look through the window to the street outside.
Ginny knew the exact moment Luna's curiosity became outweighed by her compassion for the man in front of her. "Would you perhaps be more comfortable discussing whatever this is over a cup of tea?" the blonde asked gently.
Some of the stress visibly melted from Theo's face. "That would be lovely, thank you."
Luna led him behind the curtain into her workspace, Ginny on their heels. She magicked up a strong pot of tea, sat the tray on her desk, and nudged it toward Theo. He busied himself with the milk and sugar and studiously avoided looking at either of the women in the room.
After a bracing sip, Theo straightened his shoulders and looked directly at Luna. "I would like a tattoo."
Ginny shared a look of surprise with Luna, but she held her tongue.
"Can you tell me a bit about what you want?" Luna asked.
"I don't have anything specific in mind," he replied. "It's more that I would like a tattoo in a specific location."
"I see. Where, then?"
Theo sat his cup back in its saucer and rolled up the cuff of his left shirtsleeve.
Ginny and Luna both looked at the pale, vacant skin and waited for further explanation.
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I'm tired of the constant looks I get. It was worse right after the war, when everything was still so fresh. But even now, I still catch people looking to see if I have it."
"Have what?" Ginny asked as she heard Luna suck in a breath.
"The Dark Mark," Luna whispered.
Theo flinched at her words but continued, "Exactly. I'm sick of people looking at my arm and expecting to see my father reflected there. I hear the whispers, wondering if I've Glamour Charmed it like Draco has to do. If they're going to stare, I want to give them something to look at. Fuck them all," he finished harshly.
"Oh Theo," Luna said, placing a hand on his exposed forearm. "Are you sure you want a tattoo? It's not that I don't want to do it, mind you. I would just hate for you to make such a permanent decision based solely on how it would make other people feel."
But Ginny recognized the set of his jaw, the steel of his spine. "It's not just about other people though, is it?" she asked quietly. "This is for you, too."
Theo nodded. He took another long sip of tea and said roughly, "He wanted me to have it. My own father wanted to brand me with a mark I didn't want for a cause I never believed in. Before she died, my mother made sure I knew what it stood for. And after Draco had it forced on him…" Theo shuddered, his teacup rattling in its saucer. "I never went home after Sixth Year. I was finally of age, so I ran. I just ran. I went to Provence—my mother's family has a large property there—and I stayed until I heard the war was over. But it doesn't matter. When most people look at me, all they see is my father."
Ginny had seen Nott Sr. a few times, and it was always from afar. But she could clearly see the similarities between father and son—strong jaw, bright blue eyes, dark hair, heavy brow. His genetic traits were almost as distinctive as her own hair. But her family resemblance came with quite a bit less baggage.
"So what do you want them to see?" Ginny asked. "When people see this tattoo, who do you want them to see?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna grab a quill to take notes.
"All I want is something that no one could ever mistake for a Dark Mark," he said softly. "I want something beautiful."
The quiet moment was shattered as they heard the front door slam shut and then lock.
"Gin? Luna?" Neville's voice rang throughout the shop. "Are you alright? The sign still says closed, but the door was unlocked."
"Give us a moment," Ginny said as she and Luna left Theo in the consultation area and went to greet their neighbor.
"We're fine," Luna assured him as they rounded the corner. "We got here a bit early and had a customer before we even opened."
Neville was standing in the middle of the lobby, a pot of daffodils in hand. "Oh really? Sounds like a good day for business."
Ginny shrugged as she double checked their appointment book. "We actually didn't have any appointments before lunch. I've got a few people who may drop in today for some follow ups, but you know how it is this time of year. You want it to feel like spring, but there's still some snow on the ground, and nobody wants to get out of the house until it warms up a bit. So Theo was a bit of a surprise this morning."
"Theo? As in Theodore Nott?" Nevilled asked incredulously.
"Precisely," Luna replied, "though we're still in the idea phase of it all." She eyed Neville thoughtfully for a moment, and a slow grin crept across her face. "In fact, I think you may be just what I need at the moment. Can you come in with us?"
Clearly confused but happy to help, Neville followed the girls back into the consultation area. Ginny saw Theo's shoulders tense when Neville appeared, and she watched as they inched toward his ears as Luna gave him the short version of Theo's story.
Then Luna looked back to Theo. "How would you feel about flowers?"
Theo looked at her blankly for a moment. "Flowers?"
"Flowers," Luna said with a nod. "You said you wanted something beautiful. And I know that it's kind of outdated, but I know some of the old families were really into the meanings of flowers. So not only could we make something beautiful, but we could make it say exactly what you'd like to tell the world."
"I love the idea." Theo looked down at his arm and then back at the others. "I have a few specific ones I think I'd like incorporated, but other than that, I don't really know anything about flowers. Believe it or not, my father didn't feel the need to educate me on the meanings of plants."
Ginny chuckled softly. "That's okay. I'm pretty sure that's why Luna asked the guy who owns a nursery-slash-flower shop to get involved."
Luna beamed at her girlfriend—great minds did think alike.
"I'd be glad to help! If you don't mind, that is," Neville quickly tacked on.
"Not at all," Theo replied. "I think it's a great idea."
Ginny stood up and gestured for Neville to take her seat. "It sounds like you all have a great plan, but I'm pretty sure I'm no longer needed here. I'm going to open the shop. Just give a shout if you need anything."
Ginny quietly went about her opening routine, listening to the hum of quiet conversation and occasional laughter that came from Luna's office.
What started out as a quiet morning quickly became rather chaotic. A few clients came back for follow up appointments at almost the same time, and several other people popped into the shop to make inquiries or even appointments. All that activity kept Ginny quite busy, and somehow she missed her friends slipping back into Luna's booth. Soon enough though, the rest of the shop was empty, and the hum of the tattoo needle was creating a soothing background noise for Ginny's administrative tasks.
She checked the clock and, realizing it was almost lunch time, stepped into Luna's workspace to ask what everyone wanted.
"How do you guys feel about Indian food for lunch?" she asked. "I'm kind of craving some chicken vindaloo."
Luna looked up from Theo's arm. "I could go for some of that lentil soup you tried last time. It was delicious."
"Got it. Anything for you, Theo?"
"No, thank you. I, uh, didn't exactly eat anything this morning. I don't know how my stomach would handle spicy food right now."
Ginny nodded. "I get that. What about you, Nev?"
He tugged at his collar, and suddenly one of Luna's posters seemed to really catch his interest. "I'm not sure. I may just pop home for lunch."
"If you want something else, that's just as well. I don't mind making a second stop."
"I've just never had Indian food," Neville admitted.
Ginny refused to let her jaw drop. "How have Dean and Seamus never dragged you out for curry?"
Neville chuckled at the thought. "According to Dean, Seamus' only real flaw is that he hates spicy food. Not that I really blame him; I don't like it either. We always just grabbed a burger and fries after a night out."
"Well then!" Ginny clapped her hands together. "This sounds like a perfect time to try it."
"I guess so…"
Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust me, Nev. I promise to bring back something I know you'll like."
He took a deep breath and gave her a winning smile. "I know. Thanks, Gin."
Half an hour later, Ginny plonked boxes of takeout on the desk in Luna's consultation room and went to check on the others.
She entered just in time to see Luna placing the clear protective wrap over Theo's tattoo.
"Oh, let me see!" she said as Luna and Neville stepped aside, chuckling.
She studied the large bouquet carefully. "Tell me about it, Theo."
"There are certain flowers I had to have. Calla lily, for my mom. Lavender, for my time in Provence," he said, pointing to each flower in turn.
"Which also serves as a reminder of how you were able to stand up for yourself and your boundaries," Luna murmured.
Theo smiled. "Exactly. It's also a symbol for peace and happiness. A white tulip for forgiveness and sincerity. Vervain for protection, rosemary for remembrance, daffodil for new beginnings. This one here, I think Neville called it a gladiolus? It symbolizes honor and strength of character. Lastly I've got pear blossoms — my wand is made of pear wood, you see."
"Which are known for their resilience. The blossoms are also a symbol of lasting friendship," Neville added softly.
Ginny tried to surreptitiously wipe a tear from her cheek. "It's absolutely perfect, Theo."
"I think so," he and Luna said at the same time.
The four of them shared a giggle, and when Luna's stomach grumbled, they could only laugh harder.
"Okay, I've got to eat something," Luna said, shooing them all out of her workspace. "Theo, don't forget what I said about caring for it, alright?"
He quickly finished stacking an absurd number of coins on the counter next to the till. "I won't forget." He turned to look at the three of them. "I won't forget any of it. Thank you so much for everything."
He hugged Luna and then Ginny, and he gave Neville a firm handshake before striding confidently out the front door.
"I love my job," Luna said as she leaned against the counter.
Ginny wrapped an arm around her waist. "It's been a good morning, that's for sure." Luna's stomach growled again, and Ginny smiled. "But it's definitely time for lunch."
As they dove into their takeout—Nevilled loved his chicken tikka masala—Luna nudged Ginny's knee with her own and nodded intently toward Neville.
"Uh, Nev?" Ginny said around a bite of naan. "I was wondering… Does that offer for a room still stand?"
Neville's eyes lit up. "Of course! Does that mean you've reconsidered? After what you said to Molly, I wasn't sure…"
Ginny felt her face flush in shame. "I didn't have to reconsider. We always intended to take you up on your offer. Why wouldn't we want to move in with one of our best friends? But then Mum got involved, and I gave in to my gut reaction to do the exact opposite of what she would want. I swear I'm trying to get better about that. But I hate that, in trying to spite her, I hurt you too. I'm sorry, Nev. Can you forgive me?"
He abruptly stood and pulled her into a tight hug, a move that shocked Ginny. Neville wasn't exactly known for being a touchy-feely person, so she appreciated just how special this was.
"I've already forgotten about it," he said as he released her. "Just let me know when it would be a good time for me to come help you move."
"Are you free this weekend?" Luna asked.
"Absolutely!"
Ginny smiled behind her glass of water. New beginnings. Old friends. Everything was looking up.