Last night Lilith, Draco, and Narcissa ate dinner together. Lucius Malfoy had been at work the whole day but was expected to be back tomorrow night and spend dinner with them.
Lilith was out in the Malfoy gardens, picking flowers and placing them in the basket she carried in her arms.
"You're not supposed to pick them, Jones," Draco was towering over Lilith as he had his hands intertwined behind his back.
Lilith stood back up, patting away the dirt from her black jumper. "Your mother let me."
"Did she now? She's never let anyone do that before."
"Guess that makes me special," Lilith smiled at him, pinching his cheeks like a mother would a child, "You're not your mother's favorite anymore."
"Apparently not," Draco rubbed the spot she pinched, soothing the pain.
"Would you like a flower?"
"No," Draco replied.
"You don't like flowers?"
"I'm not very fond of them, no."
"Flowers are more than a pretty little thing that sprouts from the earth, you know?"
"Do tell," Draco said sarcastically. He was uninterested in flowers, never caring for them.
Lilith ignored the sarcasm dripping off his tone and explained further, "Flowers represent a new beginning, Malfoy—a new and prosperous life. They're a beautiful thing that the earth allows to blossom."
Draco didn't look impressed. He looked annoyed and very bored, but he resisted the urge to yawn.
Lilith sighed, "Ugh. Here, take this," Lilith took one of the flowers from her basket out and extended it for him to take.
The flower was a beautiful purple canterbury bell. It had almost blossomed completely, leaving some of the light purple tint still imprinted on the top of the petals while the dark purple of it began to rise from the bottom of them.
Draco reluctantly grabbed it, "What about it?"
"Tell me what you see." Draco raised an eyebrow, "Go on."
"Alright," Draco sighed, "I see a stem, a leaf, and the flower."
"You're so dense, Draco Malfoy," Lilith scoffed, surprised that the smartest Slytherin could not be more observant and more thoughtful about a flower. There was so much to examine and analyze in such a small and fragile thing.
"What?" Draco was confused. It's what he saw, and it's what it was.
"You forgot to mention the roots," Lilith pointed to the bottom of the flower.
"What are they supposed to mean?" Draco didn't care but he entertained her ideas for her own benefit.
"The roots are out parents, yeah? They raised us and made us the people we are. They are the basis of what we've become, and they're the reason why we're together," Lilith pointed to the two leafs hanging from the side of the stem, "The leaf is us. You and me. We are the product of their teachings," Lilith pointed to the top of the plant, "And lastly, the flower. The flower is our future. What we do together—the product of us. It's the connection we share."
Draco's eyes lit up. He had never seen her speak so passionately about anything, and it warmed him to see a smile on her face, one he would see when she was with Maya. Maybe this was a sign that Draco and her could live a happy life, and that he, above all people, could bring to her the joys of life.
"And what else?" Draco had become interested in the topic of conversation. He had found himself completely captivated by her.
Lilith chuckled softly to herself, "Well, in Victorian times, flowers of any sort were used to symbolize love, but now red roses have taken over that title. I still think flowers of any type and color represent love, though. I hate that only one flower could hold such an important meaning."
"Jones, are you trying to tell me that you love me?" Draco smirked as Lilith snapped her eyes to him.
"What?"
"Answer me."
"I can't say that, Malfoy. It's not accurate to the feelings I feel for you. If you had any idea what I was feeling, you wouldn't say it either. So, I won't say whether I do or don't love you."
"So then how do you feel about me?"
"What does purple represent?"
Draco furrowed his brows in confusion at her change in topic but answered her, "It's usually thought of as the color of royalty, power, pride, and mystery."
"You forget a simple word that holds so much meaning."
"And what would that be, Jones?"
"Peace."
"Peace?"
"Tell me, how did we get along before we were arranged to be married?"
"Not very well."
"And how do we get along now?"
"I'd say we're more than okay now. We definitely get along now," Draco smirked at her. The look on his face was enough to let her know what he was thinking of, and for a second they both found themselves thinking back to all the times they had kissed.
Lilith slapped his arm playfully, chuckling and going back to their previous topic, "So to answer your question, Malfoy, I will say that above anything else, I feel at peace with you. My life at home is strained and the relationships I have with my parents are not the best. The only people who bring me joy and happiness are my friends at Hogwarts and Maya. But with you, I feel safe—at peace." Lilith looked at Draco, smiling at him, "And now it's your turn to answer me something," Lilith cleared her throat, preparing herself for her next question, "Do you love me?"
"A good question for another time." Draco looked down to the floor, disguising the twitches on the corners of his lips by clearing his throat. He looked back up at her, not giving her enough time to protest the horrible answer he provided, "Jones, you said the flower is supposed to represent us, correct?"
"Yes," Lilith set her basket down on the grass.
"Then, in the future, when I look at this flower again, what am I supposed to see?"
"It's simple, really." Lilith took one step closer to Draco. She bent down to grab another identical flower to the one Draco was holding from her basket.
"Enlighten me."
Lilith placed the flower in her grasp behind her ear, steadying it through her brown locks. She took the flower in Draco's hold and brought it up to the side of his head, also placing it behind his ear. Draco flinched at the action and wanted to slap the flower away, but he remembered the meaning of their conversation and let it be.
"It's our story."
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𝐴𝑅𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝐷 | 𝐷𝑀
Fanfiction*Post Battle of Hogwarts* Lilith Jones has had an ongoing rivalry with Draco Malfoy since their first year, and she thinks she can finally escape his wrath after the end of their last year at Hogwarts. But what happens when their parents arrange a m...
