Regency in Diagon Alley [Theodore Nott | Harry Potter AU]

Chapter Thirty-Five

The garden in Grimmauld Place was not as grand nor large at Nott Manor. Located in the heart of the city, the Black ancestral home could only do so much with growing bushes, a few trees, and flowers, lots and lots of flowers that attracted bees and butterflies. Once, Carina was stung by a bee while she was smelling the hyacinths, thankfully she was not allergic to them and simply had a prominent bump where the bee stung her for a few days.

When Carina was still in Grimmauld Place, it was her that tended to the garden, before it was her mother, Emmanuelle, and the former duchess was infatuated with flowers that held myths – hyacinths, tulips, narcissi, chrysanthemums, orchids, anemones were just some of what the duchess planted there. Since Carina's departure for Danu, it has been Regulus who tended the flowers, it became a hobby of his since he saw that a row of hyacinths was wilting. Maybe it was because he knew how Carina loved those flowers, or maybe it was because of the unnerving encounter with his brother that day that had him tending to the flowers and revive them. He managed to do so with the help of Barrow – their butler.

Returning from Danu, Regulus was surprised to receive a letter from Kreacher coming from the duke. Theodore has set an appointment for Carina with the Healer the next day and graciously extended the information to him believing that he might want to be there as well, for better or for worse. The time set was before lunch, Regulus told Barrow to have any of his meetings then to be rescheduled.

"Even with Lady Malfoy, sir?"

"Yes, tell Narcissa that I had an urgent appointment – where is my mother?"

Barrow cleared his throat. "The Dowager is in the garden."

"Having tea? Isn't it a bit early?"

"Not tea, Your Grace, the Dowager is tending to the garden with Miss Black."

Regulus stopped in his step to the stairs. "I'm sorry?"

Barrow too had a hard time in taking in what he relayed the duke and said again, carefully, "The Dowager is gardening, Your Grace, with Miss Black."

Regulus bolted straight to the hall leading to the back door where the garden was, to see for himself, and just as the butler said, his mother was gardening – not with magic, not hovering over the gardener, but sitting on the ground, dress pressed on the earth, hands covered in dirt. It was the first time he saw his mother touch a flower that was not on a vase in the house, and it was the first time he saw her laughing while in a conversation. As always it was with Malia Black.

But that was not what had him marching up to them in the garden, he was more horrified that they were touching the hyacinths.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" Regulus came to the Dowager and Malia. His horrified eyes looking at the hyacinths that were cut off from the plant. The wilting flowers and leaves that he has been desperately reviving were on the ground to be disposed of. "You cannot touch those – those are Carina's flowers."

Malia seemed alarmed with his reaction but Walburga rolled her eyes and said, "We were simply fixing the garden, removing the already dead plants."

"Those are Carina's flowers, you agreed to never touch them," he hissed at his mother.

Malia got up from the ground. "Cousin, please, it was my idea. I noticed that the plants were ill and I offered to remedy them."

"Those are perfectly fine," he pointed to the vibrant purple flowers.

"But will be infected," Walburga rose from the ground, struggling with her knees. Malia helped her. "Malia thought it was best if we pluck them out now and have new ones grow. I may not be a gardener, but I know when it is time to pluck a dying flower – even your nieces knows that."