Work Text:
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The flowers I used in the story have meanings in the language of flowers.
Baby’s Breath stands for: Everlasting love; happiness; pure in heart.
Red Carnation represents: My heart aches for you; admiration.
Rose (single, full bloom): I love you.
Rose (pink): Perfect happiness; please believe me.
I used as a reference, this site http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk/flowerlanguage.html
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Thank you to knightmare for the beta. Any mistakes are mine.
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Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine.
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No Longer Lonely
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Hearts and flowers. Draco replaced the card in the rack. No. Potter wouldn’t believe it. Draco simply wasn’t the ‘hearts and flowers’ type.
Draco desperately wanted Potter to take him seriously. After all, it wasn’t every day that he got up the courage to ask Potter out.
Lately, their usual staring contests at meal times had taken on a new quality, as if Potter was assessing him, and he didn’t like that feeling. He didn’t like being judged and found wanting. He’d always watched Potter carefully, but now noticed how Potter’s eyes always followed boys, never girls. And Draco knew, then. He wanted Potter.
Valentine’s Day provided the perfect opportunity. This one would be different. For one, he’d declared his independence from Death Eaterhood. So, no elaborate parties at Malfoy Manor for him, thank you very much. No charity events where Lucius and his pureblood family lorded it over everyone. Instead, he’d be here, at Hogwarts. And so would Potter.
He needed a way to show Potter that he was interested in a different relationship. He’d take sex if that was all he could have, of course. After all, he was seventeen years old. But really, he wanted much more.
Muggles had ways of wooing, but he was not that familiar with them. So, he’d done what would have been unthinkable even months ago. He’d approached Granger.
It was natural that she had been suspicious, but she’d helped him, giving him ideas about how Muggles celebrated this holiday. Gifts made sense, even the card made sense, but after that he was lost.
That meant Draco, for the first time in his life, had to do his own shopping. Hence his current predicament.
Granger had steered him towards this monstrosity called a shopping centre. Store after Muggle store brimming with useless, non magical items. He ought to be able to find something here, but it was proving difficult.
Draco had never done his own shopping for anything, except perhaps clothing, and even then, you went in once for them to measure you, and then when you needed something it could be owled to you in the comfort of your home.
Sighing, he wandered to another shop, where there were sex toys. He eyed the display and then moved on. A bit much for a first date, he thought.
What the...? Draco looked on as a group of Muggle teens giggled over a display of putrid pink and red stuffed animals.
Is that a manticore? he thought, as he watched a girl squeeze a pink... thing. No, it was a pink unicorn. Rolling his eyes, Draco continued his quest.
The jewelry story yielded nothing, nor did the bookstore, the perfumerie (frankly, Draco could brew better scent himself), or even the chocolate shop.
As it grew dark, Draco contemplated admitting defeat. Why had he left this until the last minute?
Dragging his feet as he prepared to leave, he passed a flower kiosk and paused.
Perhaps he’d been too hasty. Flowers were a traditional Valentine’s Day gift in both Muggle and wizarding culture, and while he wasn’t a romantic man, he knew Potter loved flowers. In fact, he still remembered the look on Potter’s face when Ginny had given him flowers for winning a Quidditch match. Draco was willing to bet that he’d preserved them.
The flower girl was quite helpful. There was apparently a secret language of flowers, and after a twenty minute session, he left with the brightly colored blooms, a small smile on his face.
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Draco watched nervously as Potter sat down at dinner that evening. Everyone else was paired up and cooing, and frankly, Draco found it very irritating. The red decorations that were placed about the hall were lovely, but made him feel his loneliness even more keenly.
When Potter looked down at his plate, Draco held his breath. Harry seemed to pause when he saw the posy. It had baby’s breath wrapped around a cluster of red carnations. In the center was a large, fully opened, pink rose. Harry held it up and sniffed, the delicate fragrance making him smile.
Then, Harry looked up and straight into intense grey eyes and blushed.
Hermione, noticing his reaction, whispered something to him, and he nodded, eyes still on Draco.
As Harry stood up and walked over to him, Draco realized that he’d been fooling himself. He did believe in hearts and flowers. And, since Harry had both his heart and his flowers, he sincerely hoped he did, too.
~Fin