As always, I own nothing of the Harry Potter fanfiction except the plot of the story.

This one is a very very fresh story you're going to read. Set in the Muggle world after years. I know Drinny's isn't the rarest of pairs, but this is the first time I tried out writing them. And to be honest, I enjoyed it a lot. I hope you enjoy it too…

Also, the first time I'm writing an "Enemies to Lovers"

To the judges, I think I've been quite clear in using the prompt. It's the Bouquet Spell "Orchideous Symphony" in use quite literally.

Writing for QLFC Season 11 Round 7

Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Keeper
Prompt: Orchideous Symphony
Word Count: 3019
Warnings: Passionate snogging, Animosity, Slight racist thoughts, shouting and teasing, Breakup heartbreak

Draco Malfoy stood outside the quaint flower shop, grimacing as he read the sign: "Blossoms & Blooms.", etched on a giant blue board adorning the doorway. It was an unremarkable place, nothing like the grandeur he deserved. He wasn't born to do these menial jobs. He was meant for greatness, not… floral greatness.

And yet, here he was, dressed in baggy brown trousers and his father's old blue shirt, half of whose buttons were lost. Since the Wizarding War, finding work was pretty impossible. Anyone with the faintest connection to Slytherin became a national villain. Of course, no employer in their right mind would hire him—it meant risking mass boycotts and widespread public criticism. In other words, the Muggle world remained his sole means of earning a living.

With a resigned sigh, Draco pushed open the door, a little yellow bell above tinkling his presence. The scent of fresh flowers scattered around was intense, intoxicating even. Within seconds, his employer, a fat-bottomed, white-haired old lady limped forward towards him.

The next fifteen minutes were devoted to "getting to know" each other, more like the hag (who called herself Mrs. Peterson) ranting about punctuality and honesty. Bloody honest he was, Draco smirked. Slytherin through and through.

Finally, after the crone had walked off, Draco's tired eyes registered a big brown table greeting him. There were bunches of flowers lying there, red, blue and orange, waiting to be arranged into bouquets.

His reluctant hands and groaning mouth grabbed hold of one petal but then, an idea struck his ever-naughty mind with the force of a million tsunami waves. As ostracised as he may be, he was still a legal adult in the Wizarding World, and that meant he was at perfect liberty to use magic at his discretion. So…. if things were going his way, that meant… he could use Magic to do his work! Why hadn't he realized this? It seemed working in the Muggle World had its perks.

Draco looked around the room with a careful eye—it was empty. His hands wandered up into his robes and in a moment, the slender magic stick was in his hands.

"Orchideous Symphony," he muttered under his breath. Soon, a bouquet of beautiful flowers was stuffed into his hands. Draco smirked, but that smirk was evaporated into thin air by the shriek he heard behind him next.

"Malfoy!" a high-pitched, childish voice squeaked out. Draco turned about on his feet to face the intruder; his eyes bulged wide at the sight he beheld. No, this can't be, this just cannot be…

There was Ginny Weasley, her face as pale as snow, her hair as red as ever, standing there, a handful of flowers in one hand, a wand in the other. It didn't take more than a second for her expression to shift from surprise to irritation.

"Malfoy," she said, curtly this time, "what on Earth are you doing here?"

"None of your business," Draco snapped.

"Of course it is," she thundered. "This is my workplace!"

"Actually," Draco countered, "this room's mine. So, you better bugger off before I get angry."

"Bat-Bogey, remember?" she brandished her wand threateningly. "And don't worry; I'll see you're thrown out of this room."

Saying this, she stormed out, leaving Draco with his head in his hands. Of all the flower shops in Muggle London, what had he done to deserve this one? His luck was unbelievable; working with a Weasley. Like… seriously?

The first week was nothing short of torture. If Draco thought his luck was bad, he'd been wrong: his luck was horrible. As it turned out, that sickly old woman had been a "little" forgetful of workplace arrangements and suggested they share the room till she arranged for separate workplaces.

Jobs were pretty scarce in the Muggle World too, forcing their agreement to this settlement, though not without attempting to glare each other down.

And thus the work life began with unprecedented annoyance. They exchanged saucy barbs and snarky remarks at every opportunity.

"Careful with those roses, Malfoy," the Weaslette said one morning, not looking up from her flowers. "Wouldn't want you to prick your exceptionally delicate fingers."

"I'm more concerned about the daisies, Weasley. They're about as dangerous as you are," Draco shot back, teeth gritted.

But all that didn't mean they didn't provide cover for each other in turns when it came to using magic to get their work done. It was the only way to make the monotonous job bearable.

The experience made Draco realize just how much of a life-saver Magic was in the Muggle World.

But the extra free time meant they were often left alone in the room, with nothing to do. That led to them indulging in a staring contest from the ends of the table. Barely worth the saved time.

Everything changed one rain-soaked afternoon when the shop received an enormous order for some stupid wedding. The order was from a big businessman, wealthy enough to do anything he wanted to this lovely little shop. Mrs. Peterson was beside herself.

"We'll never get this done in time!" she wailed over and over to the gathered room.

They were to arrange some two hundred bouquets, all neatly prepared and decorated, in just two days! Speak of unreasonable demands…

Draco, seated at the far end of the huge room with his workmate, turned sideways to find themselves exchanging a reluctant look. She had her eyebrows raised, a grimace playing on her lips.

"You know we'll have to do it, right?" she muttered.

He knew they would've to work together to pull this off.

"As much as I would like to decline," Draco began in a defeated tone, "I'm afraid working with you is a better alternative to dying hungry on the street. So, yeah. I'm in."

"Good," she bit her lip. "Let's get to work."

Draco and Ginny didn't take too long to dive headlong into work. Two hours later, they found themselves seated at the ends of the same big brown table.

"So," she said in an annoyed tone, "I hope you won't give us too difficult a time."

"Of course, I will," Draco grinned. "It's the perfect opportunity to get back at you and teach you how to talk to seniors."

Draco's threat remained a threat, though.

As they sorted through the flowers for what felt like several gruesome years, their bickering was slowly but surely turning into a grudging cooperation. Sure, she made it a point to throw an insult now and then his way at every possible turn, but Draco knew how to keep his cool.

He was surprised to find that Ginny had a good eye for arrangements, and she was equally impressed by his efficiency in muttering "Orchideous Symphony" again and again. They worked in sync, almost as if magic was guiding their way, literally, of course.

By the time the midnight owl hooted, they were done - all two hundred bouquets greeting their delighted eyes.

"Great work, Mal… Draco," Ginny's tone was a bit forced. "I must admit, you were good there."

"I'm good in many things, Weas… Gin… Ginny," Draco greatly hesitated in uttering that name.

They looked at each other and then down at their feet.

The next morning, the entirety of the shop, including all its walls and frontier, was adorned with beautiful bouquets of every colour imaginable.

Mrs. Peterson was reduced to tears of gratitude. She continued singing their praises to the whole staff, leaving a slightly flustered Draco and Ginny to shift their feet guiltily.

As they exited the office after a session of less-than-earned praise, Ginny turned to him with a determined look.

"Friends?" she whispered, offering him her petite hand.

Draco's eyes narrowed. On one hand, this was a Blood-Traitor talking to him but then, she was kind of nice. Her company wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't too unbearable either by now.

"Friends," he replied curtly.

As they shook hands, Draco couldn't resist looking up at her face. He had to admit it: she was pretty, very pretty actually.

Best of all, it wasn't a smirk or grin he found on her face. It was a smile, a real smile.

Their dynamic made a stark change after that day. Yes, they still argued but with a new undercurrent of camaraderie. Things that were once nasty comments sounded more like playful teases, and they didn't mind having lunch together in their room anymore either.

One humid afternoon, they found themselves seated on opposite sides of the table, their empty lunchboxes partying on it. Draco was on the verge of getting up for a bath when the girl sprung up to her feet. His eyes widened in horror as she walked around to plop down right beside him. And if that wasn't enough, she brought forth her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"It just... wasn't right anymore," she said, staring at his collar, the fact he had no idea of her context being the least of her concerns. "We wanted different things."

Draco scratched his head, trying to piece things together. His eyes sprung when he finally caught it.

"You mean, Potter?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, her eyes threatening to burst into tears.

"He was just…. sad and morose, saying he was broken and needed time."

She gulped. "It wasn't like I didn't try - I gave him a lot of time and space. But alas, he just didn't seem interested in me at all anymore."

Draco had never imagined he would ever try to console someone this lifetime but here he was, his anxious mind racing to find the perfect words for her.

"Don't worry," he finally blurted out in an uncharacteristically empathetic tone, "Potter's a git. I'm just glad you realized it. Better late than never."

His words had some effect, it seemed. Ginny looked up to wipe away a tear.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "You're a great friend."

A small silence ensued during which Draco looked at anything and everything that wasn't Ginny.

"Maybe we both need a fresh start," her tone was reasonably soft, but there was something in it.

Draco looked up, and the sight of her giving him creepy "loving" glances made him shudder in bewilderment. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw a wave of something tide over her eyes, something strange, something stirring. What was that?

Their friendship grew by leaps and bounds over the next week, marked by sessions of stinging sharp banters and eye-staring contests. By Saturday, Draco was convinced he'd found a real friend and by Sunday, he'd learnt she was damn trustworthy.

But then, one fateful morning, the seeds of his downfall were laid.

"I bet she's going for the yellow," Ginny said abruptly. Draco looked up, his sight following the direction of her gaze to land upon a round, plump, blonde-haired woman eye-assaulting two bouquets, red and yellow.

"Nah," Draco disagreed. "She'll go for red."

Ginny turned sideways with raised eyebrows. "Bet?"

"You bet!" Draco countered, "What happens if you lose?"

"The winner gets to have the loser do something for them, anything," Ginny said firmly. "No reservations."

"Be prepared for the most miserable day of your life, Ginny," Draco threatened before their heads turned to the woman.

Draco's confidence was his downfall. His eyes grew wide in horror as she walked outside, a yellow flower smirking in her hand.

It wasn't long before giggling erupted from his partner.

"Draco," she managed in between her hysterics, "didn't you see the colour of her hair?"

Draco sighed. He should've seen it.

The rest of the morning passed in treacherous misery as Ginny continued with her celebrations with nudges and pats. But Draco paid little attention to it, he was more concerned about the thing he would have to do. He sincerely hoped it wasn't something too embarrassing or stupid - but the chances of his prayers getting answered were pretty slim.

"Alright, Weasley, what do you want me to do?" Draco asked at night, bracing himself for the worst.

Ginny's eyes sparkled with decisive mischief.

"Here's a parchment," she handed him a rolled-up sheet of paper. "You're going to recite it to me at breakfast tomorrow in front of everyone, loud and clear, mind you. No cheating."

She handed it to him. Draco stared at it for a while. What was this?

When he looked up, Ginny's face was the perfect shade of the reddest tomato. Yes, she was blushing. "First let me go to bed before you open it. Good luck," she finished, mortified.

Without warning, she walked off and climbed into bed. A few minutes and the familiar annoying snores saturated the air around them.

Soon, the parchment was flattened out on the table. Draco hunched down to read. His horrified eyes kept bulging out with every line he read.

By the end, he was barely keeping himself from vomiting. She couldn't be serious, could she? No way would he say those words to her! But then…. this was part of the bet, wasn't it? As hard as he tried to think of any loophole in her parchment, he couldn't find one.

Draco sighed as he finally climbed onto the bed. Maybe, it wasn't all that bad. Perhaps, it was a good thing after all. Sure, he valued her, considered her a friend and maybe, just maybe liked her. So… why not?

Draco shook his head frantically. No, regardless of his feelings, there was no way to excuse the situation she'd landed him in. What would people think of him? Some hopeless romantic, of course. Something he was definitely not.

Tomorrow was going to be an eventful day.

"Alright," Draco mumbled in the morning, his palms sweaty and his heart beating faster than a flapping hummingbird.

One minute and he'd barged into the breakfast hall, the noises of clattering plates assaulting his ears.

Perhaps sooner than he'd wished, he spotted Ginny at one table, throwing a smirk his way.

Bloody Gryffindors, Draco remarked to himself as he strode over to her.

The tension in the air was unimaginably thick when he'd finally made it to her. He stared into her eyes for some last hope of forgiveness, but there was none.

Draco sighed. There was no way out of this.

Reluctantly, he hunched down onto his knees and held out a hand. Of course, a shattering silence fell upon the whole room at this bizarre sight.

Draco could feel the weight of a thousand gazes cutting through him as he finally opened his mouth to say the contents of that treacherous parchment.

"From the moment our paths crossed amidst the roses and tulips, my heart has been yours. Your fiery spirit and radiant smile have bewitched me beyond any spell. You are the wildflower that makes my days bloom with joy and laughter. Your laughter is the music that soothes my soul, and your presence is the sunshine that lights my darkest days."

Draco gulped at this point, the smirk growing on the girl's face being almost too much to bear. But unfortunately, he wasn't done. The worst was yet to come:

"Ginny, will you continue to be the magic in my life, turning every moment into a beautiful spell? Will you be mine, forever? I need you."

There, that was it, Draco panted, preparing himself for the worst.

"Well done, Malfoy," she said, her voice slightly softer than usual, her eyes searching his mouth.

Before Draco could reply, Ginny strode forward, claimed a tight grip on his waist and pulled him into a fiery kiss. Her body almost melted against his. It took Draco a few moments to realize he was actually snogging Ginny Weasley before he deepened the kiss. His naughty mind couldn't resist thinking of the look on Weasley's face if he ever knew he'd got his hands all over his little sister.

When they finally broke apart, breathless and blushing, there was just stunned silence. Then, someone whistled, another stood up clapping and before long the entire room around them dissolved into a loud session of cheering and wolf-whistling. Everyone had a beautiful smile etched across their face, including Mrs. Peterson, giving them a fond look from over the corner. For the first time, Draco could say she looked remotely sweet.

He couldn't help bringing up a hand to caress Ginny's face, who was now positively beaming.

"You meant that?" she whispered with a slightly questioning look, leaning forward.

"Yes," Draco nodded, "all of it."

Ginny gave an adorably sweet squeal before clinging onto his arm, whispering variations of "I love you" to his ear. Together, they walked over to Mrs. Peterson. To his delight, Ginny took the lead in gently asking her not to bother with giving separate workplaces anymore.

Of course, Mrs Peterson agreed before taking on a motherly demeanour, hands on her waist.

"There's no way you two will work today," she almost scolded. "Go out and enjoy yourselves."

Draco's hand wandered down to grab Ginny's and gave it a gentle squeeze in thanks. She squeezed it back in reply.

The day was delightfully spent in all sorts of walking together, telling each other bad jokes, catching each other staring and yes, a little snogging whenever they found some convenient, private spot.

By nighttime, they found themselves cuddled up on a bench outside the shop, their hands linked. Ginny's head rested on his shoulder as they listened to the sounds of grasshoppers singing and owls hooting. The air around was washed by moonlight.

"Draco," she whispered gently, "Funny, isn't it? We work at a flower shop and still, you haven't given me a single flower all day."

A slander on his character was nothing a Malfoy would leave unanswered. Draco immediately sprung to his feet.

"As you wish, dear," he said as he produced his wand. "Orchideous Symphony"

Seconds later, Ginny found a decent number of red roses nested on her lap.

"Oh Draco!" she almost wailed as she lunged at him.

Draco smirked as the Bouquet Spell, earned him yet another wonderful kiss, that too under the moonlight. Could it get any better?

So, I hope you liked it. I appreciate your time. If you liked it, please please consider leaving a review/comment. It really makes my day, and brings a smile onto my face that's very hard to rub off. 😁 Anything you liked…. even a one word review will be greatly appreciated from my end.

By the way, don't worry about leaving a review even if it's years since I published this story. No, this isn't creepy - it's heartwarming.