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“Harry, I brought drinks!” Archie’s yell accompanied the light jingle of the bell on the door to Floral Enchantments.
A head of messy curls peeked above the counter as Harry squinted suspiciously. “Please tell me ‘drinks’ means tea and not coffee—or worse, vodka.”
“That was one time,” Archie primly replied, placing a cardboard cup on the counter beside a hunk of green floral foam. “And it’s Earl Grey, don’t worry.”
Harry rolled her eyes as she took a sip. “With you, I should always worry.
“I resent that.”
“No you don’t.”
“You’re right; it’s an honor.”
Harry smiled and reached under the counter again to grab the floral wire, then dropped chunks of foam into a tall white vase. “How’s Cora doing?”
Archie grinned, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the counter. “I shouldn’t discuss patients with you. It’s illegal, you know.”
Harry paused, a purple iris still in her hand as she gave Archie a flat stare. “Arch. We have literally never cared about legality before.”
With a melodramatic sigh, Archie said, “Well, darling cousin of mine, it would appear someone has anonymously donated Seifer’s Solution to the hospital. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now would you?”
Harry twirled a Black Eyed Susan between her fingers, glancing serenely out the window. “Of course not.”
Archie snorted.
“Oh, whatever, I’m still licensed,” Harry muttered as she adjusted the fern leaves. She stepped back and looked over the bouquet, then gave a satisfied nod. “Here, what do you think?"
The elegant bouquet was mostly purple, with white rose buds and the occasional pop of yellow from the Black Eyed Susans. Harry had tied a lavender ribbon around the top of the vase, its tails entwining in the ferns.
Archie swooned, pressing a hand to his heart. “I love it!” he cried. “For me?”
Harry scoffed, throwing a broken piece of stem at him. “No, they’re for an actual paying customer.”
“I pay you!”
“You pay me in cookies.”
“I can tell Mione to stop baking them for you.”
“Absolutely not.” Harry looked affronted, crossing her arms over her chest. After a moment, she sighed and picked up the vase, carrying it towards the back as she said, “Well, now I’ve just got to make another two dozen of these next week.”
Archie spluttered, nearly choking on his coffee. “Two dozen bouquets? Jeez, Harry, who needs that many flowers?”
“Uh, the Malfoys?” Harry came back to the front of the store, a few flower petals tangled in her hair. “The summer charity gala, remember? The one you swore you’d go with me to?”
The shop was silent.
“Damn it, Archie.”
“I’m sorry! I forgot! Is that…” Archie said slowly, his face scrunched in concentration. “Oh, bloody hell, tell me that’s not next Friday.”
Harry leveled her coldest stare at him. “Yes, it is next Friday. Why?”
Archie cringed, his cheeks turning as red as his scrubs. “That’s Cora’s surgery. I’m on call for it.”
Harry deflated, laying her head on the counter amidst fallen leaves and petals.
“Sorry,” Archie offered, patting her shoulder.
Harry gave a muffled moan. “No, you should be there for her. I’ll be fine.” After a moment, she stood and brushed her hands together. “Here, Arch, you just stand here in case someone comes in; I need to grab some vases.”
Archie saluted. “You got it, boss!”
Harry walked to the back room, shaking her head and muttering about idiotic boys.
Archie sat on the stool behind the counter, pulling out his phone to text Hermione, when the bell suddenly jingled.
“Hey, Harry!” Leo said as he walked in.
Archie looked up.
Leo blinked. “Not Harry.”
“Nope! It’s the better looking of the two of us,” Archie smirked.
“Now that’s a lie,” Leo muttered, lowly enough that Archie almost didn’t hear him.
Archie turned his choked laugh into a cough, taking a sip of his cooling tea. “She’s just in the back; she’ll be right out.”
As though on cue, Harry emerged with a wooden crate filled with vases and crumpled newspaper. “Got them! Anybody—oh, hey, Leo.” Harry quickly put the crate down, smiling as she asked, “More roses?”
But the taller man shook his head, running a tattooed hand through his messy brown hair. “Not this time. Uh, do you have any lavender?”
Harry blinked in surprise. Leo owned The Rogue, the tattoo parlor across the street, and he often came into her shop for flowers to use as references. Each time he did a tattoo with her flowers, he showed her the sketch, or even a photo of the finished tattoo, if the client consented. Harry was used to seeing skulls with sunflowers for eyes, a dagger surrounded by red roses, and her favorite, a full back piece of a grim reaper holding two calla lilies.
“I do. That seems a little daintier than usual.”
Leo shrugged, a soft smile curling across his lips as he said, “This one’s for me.”
Archie hummed in surprise. “You’re tattooing yourself?”
“Oh, hell no,” Leo laughed loudly, tilting his head back and exposing the raven inked on his throat, its wings spread across his collarbones. “I mean, I could, but it’s going on my chest and that’s a tricky position. I asked Rispah.”
Harry smiled. “How much do you need?”
Leo shrugged. “Not much. Three or five flowers?”
“What happened to four?” Archie laughed.
“Asymmetrical compositions look better,” Harry answered before Leo could, then she turned around and walked to the back again.
Archie and Leo lapsed into silence as she disappeared.
A display of hydrangeas caught Leo’s eye, and he walked towards it, raising a finger to lightly stroke one of the leaves. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around the rest of the shop, marveling at the gentle beauty of it.
The walls were painted soft sage green, with shelves upon shelves of vases and flower displays that smelled like his mother’s garden. Potted orchids sat in the front window beneath hanging baskets, and above him hung a small crystal chandelier with vines of ivy creeping down it. The sunlight washed the place in gold.
“Why lavender?” Archie asked, startling Leo back to reality.
He blinked, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “It’s my little sister’s favorite flower. I’m doing it over my heart, just beneath one of these wings.” He pointed at the raven.
“That’s sweet,” Archie said with a soft smile that quickly turned calculating. “Hey. Do you have anything planned for next Friday?”
Leo frowned. “Kind of? Why?”
“Think you can cancel?”
“I shouldn’t, but…” Leo trailed off, muttering, “Oh, hell, I’ll go crazy sitting there waiting while…” He looked up with a scowl. “You know what, fine. What’s going on?”
Archie grinned. “I kind of have to abandon Harry. We were going to go to the Malfoy Gala together, but work… you know.”
Leo snorted. “I’m self-employed, so not really, but continue.”
Archie rolled his eyes. “I feel bad, so I was thinking, ‘Hey what if I found someone else to go with her?’”
Leo arched an eyebrow. “And that someone else is me? Why?”
“Are you really going to turn down the chance to spend more time with my cousin?”
Leo scowled, rolling up the sleeves of his leather jacket and crossing his arms. “If she wants me there, I’ll gladly go. I’m not going to just ambush her because you feel like scheming.”
Archie smiled wider. “Perfect.” He glanced over his shoulder and shouted, “Harry!”
She shouted back, “What?” and a couple seconds later, she walked back in, holding a tiny bouquet of lavender, the stems tied together with a delicate emerald green ribbon. “Is this okay?”
Leo looked over the lavender, adjusting the flowers slightly with a nod and a crooked smile. “It’s perfect.” His fingers twitched, eager to start sketching.
Archie looked between the two of them and sighed loudly. “Dearest cousin of mine.”
“Now what?”
“I’ve found you a replacement to take to the gala."
Harry huffed and squinted at him. “Dare I ask who?”
Archie merely nodded towards Leo, watching with a satisfied smirk as Harry’s eyes grew wide behind her round glasses.
She leaned in and hissed, “Archie you cannot just blackmail my customers because you feel guilty!”
Archie raised his hands in surrender, leaning back so far he almost toppled off the stool. “Whoa! Who said anything about blackmail? It’s just a suggestion, jeez.”
Harry groaned and turned to Leo, chewing her bottom lip. “You don’t have to.”
Leo gave her a nervous smile. “I don’t mind. I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, I can forget it, but… I’d be happy to go.”
Harry frowned. “These people are kind of conservative. You’re going to get a lot of weird looks because of your ink.”
Leo laughed. “I get weird looks because of my ink when I go to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. It doesn’t bother me."
Harry stood frozen, a light flush tinting her cheeks. “Okay.”
Leo’s face lit up. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay!” Archie clapped his hands loudly, standing up. “You can pick her up here at one. Good talk.”
He strutted out of the shop.
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Harry shook her head at the sheer amount of people in her shop. It was nearly as bad as the bloody Valentine’s Day rush.
Her mum stood behind the counter, attempting to arrange several lilies into a lopsided bouquet. James stood beside her, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he said, “You’re a Flower Potter now too!”
“Dad, that’s awful,” Harry said for the thousandth time since opening Floral Enchantments.
Sirius laughed loudly and smacked James on the shoulder, making Harry cringe as he knocked his elbow into a crystal vase.
Remus quickly reached out to steady the vase, shaking his head as he said, “I’ll try to keep them under control, Harry.”
Harry sighed. “No, Margo is going to keep you all under control, isn’t that right, Margo?”
The sixteen-year-old weekend employee beamed triumphantly as she propped her hands on her hips and nodded. “You bet.”
Harry lightly tugged one of the girl’s red braids, and said, “You know these flowers better than anyone but me, so don’t be afraid to boss them around."
Honestly, the men weren’t even supposed to be there—Harry had asked her mum to help Margo run the shop while she was at the gala, but her dad and uncles apparently wanted to meet Leo.
Harry did not see that going well.
Before she could come up with a scheme to leave early and catch Leo before he arrived, the door opened and he walked in.
Harry wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Leo in anything other than jeans, a t-shirt, and his favorite leather jacket, but he certainly knew how to dress formally as well.
He wore a crimson waistcoat over a charcoal, short-sleeved shirt that showed off his full tattoo sleeves. His hair was less messy than usual, but still stuck up in a few places that refused to be tamed.
Leo raised a hand in a small wave. “Hi.”
Harry smiled. “Hi.”
“Hello!” James practically bellowed, leaping over the counter to stand between the two as he held out a hand.
Leo shook it, his face set with confidence. “You must be Harry’s dad, I can see the resemblance.”
James nodded, still glaring at Leo, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Harry jumped in, grabbing Leo by the wrist and dragging him towards the door.
“Okay, bye everyone, please don’t burn down my shop!”
She slammed the door behind them, the bell clanging loudly.
“Ignore them, they are all heathens,” she panted as Leo led her to his… “That’s not a car.”
It was a black, shiny motorcycle parked by her store.
Sirius would approve, Harry thought as she stared at it. James, on the other hand, would probably faint.
Leo gave a smile that looked more like a cringe. “Sorry? Forgot to mention that I don’t have a car.”
Harry looked at the motorcycle for a moment longer, then shrugged. “Eh, what the hell, it’s not like Archie and I haven’t risked our lives in dumber ways than this.”
“There will be no life-risking,” Leo said, pulling two helmets from the saddlebags and holding one out to her. “The worst that’ll happen is this might muss your hair a bit. I’m a very responsible driver.”
“I’m sure,” Harry drawled as she put on the helmet, but her eyes were softer than her tone. “I trust you, Leo. And honestly, I’m not sure my hair can get any messier than it always is.”
“Your hair’s beautiful,” Leo said, then quickly put his own helmet on and straddled the motorcycle.
Harry was thankful she’d chosen to wear leggings and a dress that only went to her knees as she climbed on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on.
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After socializing for about an hour, Harry took a glass of lemonade and escaped to a small corner of hedges she’d discovered years ago during one of her friend Draco’s birthday parties.
She sat on the small stone bench and swung her feet lightly over the grass, taking a deep breath.
A shadow fell on her, and she looked up, her fake socializing smile relaxing into something more genuine when she saw it was Leo, rather than a snobbish guest intruding on her quiet.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, scooting on the bench so he could sit beside her.
Leo shrugged, the raven tattoo seeming to flap its wings with the movement. “Most of them seem nice enough, and you know, I used some of my famous charm on them, but it’s just…”
“Overwhelming?” Harry offered with a small laugh. “I know.”
“How do they just live like that all the time?”
“Some sort of magic, surely.”
They didn’t speak for a while, sitting comfortably in each other’s silence. Leo pulled out his phone, and Harry looked down, stroking the lavender lace of her dress, then she made a noise in the back of her throat as she remembered something.
“Did you get your lavender yet?”
Leo looked up at her with a soft smile, his hazel eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun. “Yeah, last week. It’s perfect, thanks for the flowers.”
Harry waved away his thanks. “Can I see?” she asked, nudging her glasses back up her nose.
Leo flashed a toothy grin, winking as he said, “If you don’t mind me undoing a few buttons here.”
Harry looked out at the crowd of guests, none of whom seemed to notice they were even there. “No one’s watching, and even if they were, this party could use a good scandal.”
Leo laughed, looking down as he nimbly undid several buttons of the grey shirt. “I like the way you think.”
He pulled the collar of the shirt aside, revealing part of his muscled chest.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Harry breathed as she looked at the delicate tattoo.
The lavender sprigs were about the length of her hand, directly over his heart in soft purple and green. He’d even included the ribbon around their stems, and she followed its curling tails.
“Rispah did a great job,” Leo murmured, and Harry looked up at his face, suddenly realizing how close to him she’d drifted.
“I think I’ll be stopping by The Rogue fairly soon for some ink of my own,” she said, and his eyes widened.
“You want a tattoo?”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Think you’d be up for doing a half-sleeve for me? Maybe three-quarter, I’m not completely sure how big I want it.”
“I’d be honored,” Leo said, his voice hushed as though in awe. “What are you thinking you want?”
“A boomslang,” she said, tracing a finger around her right forearm. “Curling down like this, so its head is right at my wrist.”
Leo nodded, still staring at her arm. “It’s fitting for you,” he said. “I love doing snakeskin, the texture’s a lot of fun to work with. Whenever you feel you’re ready, let me know and I’ll work on a sketch.”
“Thanks, Leo.”
“Of course.”
He glanced at his phone again, scowling.
“Everything okay?” Harry asked, tilting her head.
Leo put his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah, sorry. Just, my mum’s supposed to text me.”
“Oh, is she all right?”
He nodded. “It’s not her,” he said, lifting his hand to brush over the lavender. “Uh, my little sister’s in the hospital.”
Harry cursed lowly. “Is she hurt? Should you be there with her?”
“Being there would only give me more anxiety,” Leo said, shaking his head. “And she’s sick, not injured. They finally got her treatment; after this, it should just be recovery. That day I went to your shop for the lavender, that’s when we found out she was going to get treatment. Lavender’s her favorite flower, I wanted the tattoo to sort of celebrate, I guess? Remind myself that she’s precious and alive.”
“That’s really special,” Harry whispered, her eyes lingering on the lavender blossoms.
Leo gave a short smile. “Well, now that you know my tragic stories, how about you? I mean, it doesn’t have to be tragic, but just, what do you do when you’re not fetching me flowers?”
“Before the shop, I was an apothecary,” Harry said. “I brewed complicated medical tonics that regular pharmacists aren’t qualified for, and—”
“My dad was an apothecary before he passed,” Leo interrupted. “That’s really impressive, Harry. What was the hardest thing you brewed?"
Harry hummed as she thought. “Probably Seifer’s Solution,” she said with a slow nod. “I made some last week—I’ve still got my license, so when I’ve got free time, I’ll usually brew something for St. Mungo’s.”
Leo leaned closer, his brow furrowed. “You brewed Seifer’s Solution recently?”
Harry nodded. “There’s this girl my mum used to babysit sometimes, she has Seifer’s Syndrome. I was trying to decide what to brew when Archie told me she was his patient, so I… yeah.”
Her phone chimed.
“In fact,” Harry said as she pulled out her phone to see Archie had texted. She grinned. “Cora’s operation is over, everything’s good! She’s in recovery, should be waking up fairly soon.”
Beside her, Leo stopped breathing.
Harry looked up. “Leo? Are you all right? Do you need some water, or—”
“Cora,” he said, his voice hollow.
Harry frowned but nodded. “Yeah, that’s the girl I was telling you about.”
Leo ran a hand across his forehead and exhaled loudly. “Cora Hurst.”
“Yeah, how did you…?”
“That’s my sister,” he said, his hands shaking slightly. “Harry, you saved my sister.”
Harry didn’t speak, the chatter from the party like faraway white noise blurring in her head.
“Well damn,” she whispered, more breath than air. She looked up at Leo. “Damn.”
A loud ding startled them out of their reverie, and Leo jumped, pulling his phone from his pocket. “It’s my mum,” he said. “Cora’s healed. Thanks to you.”
“All I did was brew the tonic.”
“For free. Our insurance couldn’t pay for it from anyone else, we thought Cora was going to…” he choked, blinking and looking away for a second, though his eyes were still glossy when he turned back to Harry. “You saved her life.”
Harry lunged forward, reaching out and pulling Leo into a hug. He melted into the embrace, tucking his face into the crook of her neck and clinging to her. She curled a hand around the nape of his neck and ran her other hand soothingly across his back as he trembled in her arms.
They held each other, uncaring of the party happening a few feet away. Perhaps people were staring, but that didn’t matter when a little girl was alive and Harry was fairly certain she was falling in love.