Chapters 61-70

Gifts and Flowers

‘What about you?’ Hermione asked and peered up at him, eyes wide with wonder.

Severus Snape stared at the table. Absently he lifted his hand to his forehead, is if he wanted to smooth away the lines there, or ward off an impending headache.

‘The flowers,’ he said at last. ‘My mother loved flowers and their hidden meanings. She had an old Muggle book from the 19th century—her mother was a Muggle, too—about the secret language of flowers. When I was a small child, she used to make up stories for me while she was working in her scrap of a garden.

‘I suppose you could describe them as stories with the happy ending a mother imagines for her son.’

‘Oh.’ Hermione turned her attention to the flowers.

Severus knew she would recognise them, thanks to her NEWT in herbology.

There were three greens—fern, young oak leaves and ivy—, three whites—blooming myrtle, apple blossoms and honeysuckle—, and three yellows—iris, zinnia and daffodils.

‘So there is a message for us hidden in those flowers?’

He nodded. ‘Yes.’

His eyes glinted like obsidian in the rays of sunlight that filtered through the high windows. ‘Each plant and flower of this arrangement has its own meaning. Fern is for magic, shelter and sincerity. Oak leaves,’ he couldn’t help smiling, ‘for bravery. Ivy, of course, symbolises wedded love. Myrtle is an ancient Hebrew symbol for marriage. In common flower lore, however, it simply stands for love. Apple blossoms for good fortune. Honeysuckle …’ He frowned a little. ‘Bonds of love. Yellow iris for passion. Zinnia…for daily remembrance. And daffodils—’

‘I thought daffodils were something bad?’ asked Hermione, obviously recalling some half-forgotten Muggle folklore.

‘Not when there are many of them.’

She laughed. ‘There’s rather a lot of them.’

‘Indeed.’

‘So what do they mean?’

Somehow his hand slipped around her back, delighting in the feel of smooth velvet over gentle curves. He leant his head a little against hers. Just enough to be able to smell her hair. Could hair smell of sunshine?

‘Joy and happiness,’ Severus replied.

oooOooo

Sometime between cheese and dessert, Alina got bored. She couldn’t help fidgeting on the scratchy fabric of her fancy chair. And it was really difficult to keep from curling her braids up and down, just to keep her hands busy. But she didn’t complain. She’d rather end up buried by debris again than to disturb her favourite teachers’ party. Though she had to admit that she much preferred Slytherin house parties. Grown-ups had such a boring idea of fun.

Suddenly someone nudged her. When she turned to look, it was the young blond witch who was friends with Hermione. A Ravenclaw like Prue, Alina recalled.

‘Hello Alina,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if you remember my name from when we were introduced—I’m Luna.

‘I know it always sounds horrible when adults say that, but I have heard a lot about you. What do you think? Should we explore the room for a bit? I don’t think I could eat another bite just now. And I’m afraid they’ll try to squeeze in another speech or two between the cheese and the dessert.’

Alina turned to her mother. ‘Mum? May I? Please?’

Lois frowned at her.

‘We’re not going anywhere, Lois,’ Luna put in. ‘This room is special. And it’s quite safe. Really.’

‘And you don’t mind?’

Luna smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have offered in that case. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this room in action. I’ll enjoy myself as much as Alina. Don’t worry.—I think Hermione is very glad that you’re here today.’

Her mother looked grateful and Alina felt promptly ashamed. Hermione had been her babysitter when she was a toddler. And Professor Snape was her Head of House. And she couldn’t even manage to sit still through their wedding dinner.

‘Really, don’t worry.’ Luna glanced at Alina. ‘Both of you. And now come along, Alina! Do you know what Room this is?’

oooOooo

The Room of Requirement was absolutely amazing, Alina decided.

Luna told her all kinds of stories about the room, some of them quite scary. And the room itself! In the wooden panels below the tapestries they discovered numerous hidden compartments and cupboards. One of them had revealed a large silver sword with rubies in its hilt, hidden behind a protective glass screen. Alina gaped at it, while Luna smiled and nodded.

Oh…Exultation flooded Alina, as she thought about how her friends would react to what she had seen here today. The sword of Godric Gryffindor!

But even better: the Room of Requirement had given her a present.

When Alina slid her hand over a small knothole in the panelling, it swung back like the mechanism of a gumball machine and popped a small bag made of dark blue velvet into her hands. Inside was a tiny silver bell with a mahogany handle, a silken kerchief wrapped around its clapper.

When she wanted to remove the fabric, Luna put her hand over the bell.

‘Leave it. You can safely assume that it’s magical, and you don’t know what effect the sound of that bell may have. Put it away for now. You can examine it later with your friends.’ Contemplatively Luna eyed the small bell. ‘Maybe you should have a teacher look at it…On the other hand, I shouldn’t think that the Room is in the habit of making dangerous gifts.
‘Oh, and now I think it’s time for the dessert. Ready to eat some more?’

Alina carefully put the bell back and secreted it away in her robes. ‘Sure. Do you smell chocolate?’

As Alina rose to her feet, she noticed something lying on the mantelpiece between two golden candle sconces. ‘Look! Another daffodil! I wonder what it’s doing over here all by itself.’

Luna shrugged. ‘Maybe a house-elf forgot it? Come on, I think your mother wants to talk to you before the banquet is over.’

oooOooo

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