Harry shrugged, sitting down to slip off his shoes. He massaged his left foot briefly. Though it was no doubt completely healed, it still did ache a bit.
"He's your father now, for Merlin's sake!" Draco exclaimed.
"Maybe that's just it," Harry murmured. "Did you call your father Lucius? I can't think I'd have called mine James had he lived."
Draco choked back a laugh. "You don't mean you're going to bow to your cousin's suggestion and start calling him dad, do you? I'd like to see the look on Severus' face."
"Dad's not right either," admitted Harry. "Or anything else I can think of."
"Try Pa," Draco drawled in a truly horrendous imitation of an American southerner.
Harry shuddered theatrically and did his best to get the conversation off names. "Thank you for the bouquet, by the way."
"It's hardly a bouquet," Draco clarified in a superior tone. "It happens to be a well-wish. However, you're welcome."
"Doing that... it was thoughtful of you," Harry admitted. "Er... why didn't you say anything to me like you did to Snape?"
Draco laughed. "Well, as far as the ceremony goes, you stand in the position of the newborn child. There's a presumption that a baby of a few days won't understand much in the way of vows."
"Oh, right," Harry murmured. "Okay. Um... I don't suppose you'd tell me what thyme stands for? Or pine needles?"
"Do your own research, you lazy boy," Draco yawned. "I had to. Hey, at least you didn't get any banana leaves like I did. They represent fertility and potency. You know, I'm supposed to have lots of little pureblooded children to populate Wizarding Britain."
Lots of little Dracos... Harry almost made a face. Instead, he grabbed a quill and parchment, setting the well-wish aside so he could write. "Can you tell me what's in it again?"
"You really don't listen when Severus talks," Draco lightly gibed.
"I'll listen to you," Harry said with false sweetness, which earned him a laugh first, and then a recitation of the components of the well-wish. He wrote them all down and said, "I'll be in to sleep in a little while. I'm going to start cracking on this research. Uh, can you lend me the books you were using?"
"Sorry," Draco airily replied, sounding anything but. "I returned them all to Professor Sprout when she Flooed through with the plants for me."
"Oh, come on! Another teacher strolled through here without me noticing? Without even asking to talk to me?"
"Oh, she asked. But you and Severus were in with the casewitch." Draco grinned then, a devilish light in his eyes. "I swore Dudley to secrecy, and he actually complied. How's that for Slytherin cunning? I mean, no offense, but he is a bit of a blabbermouth. You'll have to owl Madame Pince for some resources."
"Oh yes," Harry agreed. "I'll just go write her a letter straight away. Oh, and I told Sals not to crawl on you, okay? And she said she wouldn't. Actually, she said she never had, because you sort of creeped her out."
"She did not!"
"Yeah, she did. What did you expect after you Stupefied her all those times? Anyway, she won't bug you, so I was hoping you wouldn't get upset if I wanted to bring her in here with me from now on. She slept wrapped around my arm last night and it was really nice; I could feel her little breaths--"
Draco looked like he was about to sick up. "Enough said," he gasped out. "I'll put a breachment spell around my bed, just in case your darling little snake decides to wander."
"She won't."
"Well, she won't crawl on me, that's something certain," Draco announced.
"Good night, then," Harry answered, grabbing the well-wish before quietly closing the door behind him. He walked out in sock feet, sat at the kitchen table, and placing the well-wish in the center of it, began his letter.
It didn't start Dear Madame Pince.
No, Harry had a much better idea of how to get some research help.
Dear Hermione, he wrote. I'm sorry I missed you when you last came down. Was it Padma or Parvati who came along with you? Whoever it was, say hallo from me, and say hi to Ron and Neville, too. Anyway, I was in an important meeting at the time. I hope Draco wasn't too rude, but it was really for the best that the meeting wasn't interrupted. I want to see you soon, though. Really, as soon as you can make it down again. I have some things to tell you. In the meantime, though, could you look up a few plant properties for me? I need to know the magical qualities of leek, pine needles, thyme, huckleberry, woodruff, tea, and gardenia.....
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Coming Soon in A Year Like None Other:
Chapter Forty-Five: Family and Friends
Comments very welcome,
Aspen in the Sunlight
Chapter 45: Family and Friends
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=5036&chapter=45
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A Year Like None Other
by Aspen in the Sunlight
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Chapter Forty-Five: Family and Friends
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"Oh, good, you came down straight away after classes," Harry said as Ron and Hermione took up their usual seats in the living room. "Um, Hermione. I don't suppose you had a chance to look up those plants I owled you about?"
"Harry, I'm shocked," Draco reprimanded him. "That's cheating."
"You didn't say it was for an assignment!" Hermione objected.
"Since when does a Slytherin object to cheating?" chimed in Ron with a glare in Draco's direction.
"I don't object to it on general principal," Draco smoothly replied, a sly little smile curling his lips. "But when it's Harry Potter? Maybe he's not quite as Gryffindor as he'd have us believe, hmmm?"
Sensing that this could quickly spiral out of control, Harry hurriedly put in, "Draco, could you Floo the kitchens and get a round of butterbeers?" Then he turned to Hermione. "It wasn't for an assignment; I wouldn't do that to you. Draco's just being... well, never mind. So what did you find out?"
"Spells that use thyme tend to grant someone courage," she said, taking the butterbeer Draco extended toward her. Interesting that he served her first, Harry thought. Of course ladies first was the rule in the Muggle world, and maybe the Wizarding one too, but Harry was still surprised that he'd extend the courtesy to a Muggleborn girl. "Thanks," she briefly acknowledged him. "Now huckleberry, that was very interesting. It's powerfully endowed with dream magic and is used in a lot of hex-breaking potions."
"Courage, magical dreams, and hex-breaking," Harry mused, nodding.
"And pine needles ward off hunger," she added.
Harry almost wished the floor would open up and swallow him. It was really embarrassing that Draco had found out he'd been locked in a cupboard and starved. On the other hand, the wish did show that the Slytherin boy had put a fair amount of thought into the little ceremony he'd performed. Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of that.
"After that things get very strange," Hermione admitted, frowning. "Leeks appear to have a lot to do with 'domestic industry.' Housework, I guess. And gardenias are used to communicate that somebody is your secret love--"