Summary: Among the sweet scent and petals of the cherry trees, the young couple learned what it felt like to just be.

Rated: T

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Warning Tag: References Infirtility & Miscarriage

Competition/Challenge Block:
Written For: The Houses Competition (Year 7); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3)
House/Class: Slytherin/Herbology
Task (Prompt): Drabble (Cherry Blossom Image)

MC4A: Sp Bingo (2C-Fertility); Ship Bingo (4A-Holding Hands); Hunt (Coffee Shop); Link; FPC (Not a Lamp; Ladylike; Persistence Still); Star (Wabi Sabi; Pocky Pockets); T3 (Terse; Terrarium); Demo (Spinning Plates; Horrible Love); Demo (Machismo; Tomorrow's Shade; Sailor Delight; Soul-Like); ICs (In a Flash (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present (Y); Ship Sails (Y); Zed Era (Y); Slytherin MC; Ravenclaw MC; Old Shoes (Y)

Word Count: 875
Beta(s): VanillaAshes, shy-n-great

Author's Note: "Ine panemorfo" means "It is beautiful" in Greek and "Ise panemorfi" means "You are beautiful" in Greek. Source is from an actual Greek native on the Quora website. I have Astoria be part-Greek in this fill because why not?

Breath of Spring

Despite it being a day that was supposed to be filled with joy and celebration, it was instead a sorrowful one. It wasn't an ideal way to spend one's birthday at all, but the harrowing news that was delivered by Astoria's healer a week before still lingered over the young couple. They lost another child in utero, this one had a lot of promise, too. She carried almost five months this time, the longest so far. The last two were lost very early in the first trimester.

Needless to say, it crushed her spirits. She did everything right, following the healers' orders and instructions to the letter, and yet her body still failed her in the end. Even the superstitious magic number of three had failed her this time. Astoria wasn't sure if she could ever feel happiness again.

She sat in the solarium soaking in the early morning sunlight in her favourite chair. Her eyes were closed and her legs were tucked underneath her as she focused on just breathing in the scents of the flowers that surrounded her. It was a mix of lavender and herbs, the perfect mixture to ease one's mind. The faint song of the birds outside could be heard in the otherwise quiet space, and for a brief moment, Astoria felt at peace with herself. Maybe it was time to accept her limitations after all. Draco didn't seem opposed to adoption…

A gentle hand resting on her shoulder pulled Astoria from her mind. She fluttered open her hazel eyes and looked up at Draco now standing beside her. He was looking out at the garden, and the sunlight hit his silver eyes in such a way to have them appear to be glowing. It was almost angel-like.

"Are you up for a little trip to Surrey?" Draco asked.

His tone was soft, almost a half-whisper, as if he didn't want to disturb the serene environment anymore than he already had.

Astoria didn't reply, instead she gave a simple nod when he rested his gaze on her. He reached for her hand, and she took it and got to her feet, allowing him to take her away from the manor.

Being outside in the fresh spring air was a gift Astoria didn't know she had needed. Draco took them to RHS Garden Wisley, which was a beautiful sight to behold. Conveniently enough, they were holding their cherry blossom festival. It was also the perfect timing to see them freshly bloomed. Draco held her hand as they walked through the rows of trees in the orchard. Astoria's baby blue skirt billowed around her ankles as the wind picked up, sending a few petals floating into the air around them.

The couple stopped nearby a smaller cherry tree in the row to admire the blossoms more closely. Astoria took in a deep breath, almost able to taste the sweet scent in the air. She now had a need to order cherries.

Draco carefully pulled one of the branches downward, glancing around them to see if they were still alone before wandlessly clipping one of the small twigs that sprouted from the main branch off the tree. It was covered in flowers.

"Draco," she said in a scolding tone, tapping his arm. "You can't do that."

"I know," he said, smirking at her as he placed it behind her ear. "But it was worth it."

Astoria took in a breath at the contact of his fingers brushing across her cheek and resting under her chin. He leaned in to give her a light kiss. She felt her cheeks flush, something she always did whenever they shared intimate moments in public.

"Ine panemorfo," she whispered in Greek, smiling when she met his eyes.

"Ise panemorfi," he corrected her, reaching for her hand to continue their walk among the blossoms.

The Stone Pine Café was where they wound up when Astoria needed to rest after a bout of exhaustion almost overwhelming her. Thankfully, it rested right beside the cherry orchard so she could still admire the pink flowers and their sweet scent that danced in the wind. The couple shared a slice of cherry pie with their coffee, a delicious little treat that satisfied Astoria's craving for cherries.

"I know someone in the maternity ward that will represent us at the adoption agency," Astoria said, breaking the otherwise pleasant silence between them. "I'm certain there is a child in need of a family out there."

She could see that the topic caught Draco off guard by the way he choked down his coffee. "'Stori, we don't have to—"

"But I want to," she said, interrupting him. Her voice wavered as if she was on the brink of tears despite what her words said. "I want to talk about it. It isn't something that will simply go away, Draco."

Astoria averted her gaze from him, focusing on the cherry blossoms instead. She felt his hand rest over hers on the table and the warmth that radiated from it.

"We can, and we will," he assured. "Right now, let us just be."

And they did just that as they watched the pinks and oranges of the setting sun glisten through the petals of the cherry blossom trees.