𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

14 | ﴾ Clipping Roses ﴿

In the morning the peace between Draco and I quickly depleted, as I tried on more than one occasion to kiss him only to be disappointed by him laughing in my face and swerving out of the way. There was a very distinct possibility that he was simply teasing me lightheartedly, but my temperament was no longer defined by any manner of patience and I ripped out of his bed, throwing a pillow harshly at him before swiftly exiting.

A few days passed until it was finally Saturday, and I decided to venture out into the sweltering heat of the August sun to work through my morning sickness, and retrace what had happened nights prior in the gardens.

After wandering around for a while in a long red dress and staring at the degraded gazebo, I found no further solace or comfort in what I could recall of the event. I decided to then collect cut flowers to bring some life back to my room given that most of my plants had died from neglect during the final weeks of the war.

I was clipping at large roses, creating a colorful bouquet for my bathroom when I suddenly felt eyes on me and turned to see Draco leaning on a hedge behind me, watching me. He was in a sharp black suit and his hands were in his pockets, the watch on his wrist ticking almost inaudibly. His blue eyes bored into me with intent and his voice was silky, "Hey, Madeleine."

I stepped backwards once, half expecting the world to melt away as it had the last time I'd been deceived and seen him in such a familiar way.

When it didn't and I witnessed him blink normally multiple times, I quickly hardened up. He evidently had healed quite well over the time that had passed since I'd seen him last. Whatever he was up to, lurking around behind me looking princely and perfect, I would find out. "To what do I owe dis pleasure, Draco?" I asked curtly, waving decapitated roses around in my hand.

He straightened up off of the hedge and approached me with a sly smile, "I thought we should catch up, seeing as we are basically the only two people living on this property and you uh, obviously aren't very shy about your interests in me." He stopped before me with hooded eyes, and I could smell pine and mint wafting from him.

I rotated back to the rose bush to avoid the weak feelings of desire rising up in my chest, "I thought dat you and I aren't even friends." I savagely cut a thick rose stem with a metallic slice of the clippers, and the perfumery scent of plant juices filled the air as I dove for another and another. He watched me work with his silvery eyes.

"Perhaps I've had a change of heart," he lulled, sounding eerily like his father for a moment.

I gathered up the bunch of thorny flowers and jumped as one sliced my finger. His hand snatched out to grab mine and he performed a healing spell before I could even object. Without dropping my hand he tugged me softly, "Walk with me." His brooding stare held mine and I felt a tingling in my skin at what looked like desire in his eyes.

Something about the way he was taking control with such confidence encouraged my feet to follow him. He guided me to a stone bench off to the side of the butterfly garden and sat close to me in the warm sun.

He shook his long hair to the side as he looked me up and down. "You seem bitter about what happened in my bed this week," he noted. He bent his arm over the back of the bench and eyed me down with a coy grin.

My eyes flickered away at a monarch butterfly that had just landed on a stem of purple sage. "Perhaps. I'm frustrated. Wit' you."

He laughed, "With me? That's cute." His eyes were unbelievably blue in the bright sunlight and I had to squint at him next to me. "I think I know why."

"No, you could never understand why," I brusquely replied.

"Maybe it has something to do with this," he whispered, leaning in close. I felt his nose brush up against mine, his lips danced lightly on my skin with the promise to kiss me. My heart began racing in my chest as his familiar breath mingled with mine.