Tulip, Buttercup and Ivy
What becomes known to their friends and family as the fourth bouquet is delivered to Grimmauld Place nearly four years later. Harry and Draco had both graduated with some of the highest NEWT grades in their year, and Harry had asked Draco to move in with him immediately after they’d finished their last exam.
Four years down the line, Draco was in his third year of Healer training, and Harry was working as a store assistant in the Quidditch shop that Oliver Wood had opened after suffering a particularly nasty injury during a Puddlemere match that had put a very premature end to an extremely promising career. There had been a few mutterings here and there when he had announced that he and Marcus Flint, the Melrose Magpies’ reserve Chaser, were going to be opening a new Quidditch store in Diagon Alley but the names of the two had created major popularity and they’d become one of the most visited stores in the alley. The store’s reputation for Quidditch knowledge and their stock, as well as their star staff lineup, meant that they were never not busy.
Harry had arrived home at 6:15pm, much like he did every other day of the week (except on Marcus’ match days, on which the shop was shut so that Oliver could go and watch the game). The shop shut at 6, and Harry always stayed behind for 15 minutes to help Ollie (and on days when he wasn’t at practice or playing a match, Marcus) tidy up and check through the stock. Both Draco and Kreacher knew Harry would be home by 6:15, that he’d jump in the shower and be ready for dinner at 6:30 but only if Draco wasn’t working a late evening shift.
As it happened, Draco had managed to take a day off that day so when Harry had arrived home, Draco had been there to take his coat and bag before Harry disappeared upstairs to shower. The two had eaten dinner together, but just before dessert was served, Draco had pulled out a large bouquet. Harry had instantly recognised all three plants that it was made up from: Buttercups, ivy and tulips had common plants that Petunia had always been on about. She’d hated ivy and buttercups, and had seen them as weeds in her garden, but in this bouquet they looked stunning. The tulips in the Dursley’s back garden had been Petunia’s pride and joy, even if Harry had been the one that had tended to them year after year.
“You can work out what these mean later. I got us a treacle tart for dessert, and then we’re going out so you need to go and change into something smart.” Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco, who smirked. “And no, I’m not telling you where we’re going but it’s safe, I promise.” Harry began running through the list of events that he knew they were due to attend, trying to work out if he’d missed one off his checklist. “Stop trying to work out where we’re going, Potter, and just enjoy the evening.”
Kreacher brought in the tart and Harry tucked in with gusto. It had been his favourite dessert since starting at Hogwarts and whilst he knew Draco wasn’t a particular fan of it (in fact, Harry knew he preferred apple pies), his partner was happy to give into Harry’s preferences every once in a while. Kreacher clicked his tongue at Harry’s lack of culinary skills, obviously feeling that his previous Mistress would have had words to say to his new Master.
Draco and Harry cleared the table together and carried their plates to the sink, which started running itself. Harry would never stop being impressed by casual displays of kitchen and cooking magic, regretting that he’d never been able to use such things at the Dursleys. “Thank you for dinner, I love you. What kind of smart are we talking about for this evening, by the way? Dress robes? A suit?” Draco dropped a kiss on Harry’s head as the two walked out of the kitchen through the hallways and up the stairs. “Your new suit should be fine, you know the one we bought a few weeks back for that ball that The Ministry held at the start of the month?”
Harry nodded absent-mindedly, walking over to their wardrobe and lifting out the hanger that held the suit. “When you’re changed, shout for me and let me know you’re ready to go? Also I’m really sorry and I know you hate not being able to see where we’re going but I’m gonna blindfold you so I don’t ruin anything. We’re gonna apparate, but just know I will be by your side the whole time.” Harry nodded, trusting that Draco wouldn’t leave him even for a split second whilst he was blindfolded. They each knew the other’s traumas, and they both had enough trust that they could do things like this.
Harry changed in record time and called out of their bedroom door to let Draco know he was ready as he was pulling his shoes on and lacing them up. Draco walked across the landing from where he’d been hidden away in what they had fondly nicknamed his office away from work and kissed Harry gently as he lifted a piece of black satin and tied it around Harry’s head. He gave Harry a minute to adjust to not being able to see, holding tightly onto his hand, before asking if Harry was okay to move. Draco helped Harry down the stairs, into what Harry presumed was the living room before his boyfriend warned him that they were about to Apparate out of the house.
Harry had always hated Apparition. By himself or side-along, the feeling of being squeezed through a tube always made him panic slightly but the feel of Draco’s arm around his gave him some comfort. Harry stumbled slightly as they landed but Draco held him upright, pulling Harry in against him to make sure he was okay. Harry took a minute to adjust to his surroundings, hearing the wind whistling through trees, and the birds singing faintly in the background, before he nodded and Draco released him except the firm grip on his hand.
“Harry, I’m going to take your blindfold off but I need you to keep your eyes closed until I say you can open them, okay?” Harry nodded, and felt Draco’s gentle fingers run through his hair until they reached the knotted blindfold. The darkness fell away and a burst of light hit his eyelids, but he managed to keep his eyes closed. He heard Draco step away from him, his footsteps moving behind him. “Okay, you can turn around, but keep your eyes closed for a second.” Draco’s voice wavered for a split second, leaving Harry wondering if it had actually happened or whether he was hearing things. He turned around, facing the direction he’d heard Draco move to.
Draco took his hand again. “Open your eyes?”
When Harry’s eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him, Draco was knelt in front of him, a nervous smile on his face. “You were the first person to get to know me properly after the War. I’ve never properly thanked you for that but I’m hoping that I’ll have forever and a day to thank you. I’ve been in love with you for years, Harry, and there’s been no-one else for me but you. You brought me here on our first proper date four years ago, and it was one of my favourite evenings that I’ve ever had with you. You bring me here when I’m having a bad day and you trust me enough that I can come here if I need to and you’ll come and find me. I’m rambling, I know, but I just needed to tell you how much I love you, and how much I love this place before I do this. You asked me to be your boyfriend here and I wanted to add to those memories by doing this here too.”
Draco lifted a hand to wipe a tear away, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small square box. “Uh, my mother would have had me killed if I didn’t use this now but she’s set aside a little amount of money that we can use if you’d like one that’s a little more subtle.” Opening the box and presenting it to Harry, who had tears rolling down his face, Draco looked up at him. “Do me the honour of being my husband?” Harry, who didn’t trust himself to speak, nodded. Draco gently lifted the ring out of the box and slid it onto Harry’s finger, where it readjusted itself to fit him properly.
Pulling Harry into him, the two kissed and Harry blinked as fireworks went up behind them. Cheers and the pop of a champagne bottle made him laugh and cry as he watched their friends and family jump out from where they’d been hidden in various bits of the garden: George had jumped out from behind the fountain and lit several Weasley’s Wheezes fireworks which swooped around, eventually spelling out into a banner that read ‘Congratulations to Harry and Draco!’
Narcissa was the first to get to the boys, pulling them both in for a hug before handing them each a glass of champagne. “To our boys!” She lifted her drink to them, as everyone chorused the words back at them. The next 20 minutes were spent accepting congratulations from their friends and family, and none meant more to Harry than the hug that Sirius and Remus had wrapped him in, telling him how amused James would’ve been to see him getting engaged to a Malfoy. He’d hugged them tightly, wishing that his parents had been here to congratulate him too, but he knew that Sirius and Remus were as close to being his parents as they could’ve been.
“Hey, Harry?” Draco’s voice called to him from the other side of the fountain. He was holding up two brooms, flanked by Oliver and Marcus. “Fancy a game of Quidditch whilst we’re here?” Harry looked up at the sun, which he knew wouldn’t set for at least two hours and raised an eyebrow at his fiancé. “Scared, Potter?” Harry rolled his eyes. Back to that, were they? “You wish, Malfoy. You’re on! Oliver and Marcus can be captains.” There was a bark of laughter from Oliver, who clearly thought that Draco and Harry would’ve made themselves captains but nodded appreciatively as the Quidditch players out of the assembled group made their way over to them.
It had ended up being Oliver, Harry, Ginny and Ron against Marcus, Draco, George and Charlie Weasley. Blaise had taken it upon himself to narrate and referee the match, which Harry had thought would lead to one-sided refereeing but it had been a very fair and very close match. Harry, at the last second, had managed to stick his hand just further than Draco’s to close around the fluttering Snitch which gave his team the win. They’d landed together, Draco kissing him thoroughly before going off to shake hands with his teammates. Ollie and Ron had hoisted Harry up onto their shoulders and paraded him around in front of their audience the way they had at Hogwarts after every match that Gryffindor had won.
In the end, they’d all found themselves in the living room for the evening after the sun had gone down. Zippy and Mitzy had burst into excited squeals when they’d seen the Malfoy ring on Harry’s finger and had conjured up a congratulatory cake and small feast of snacks and sandwiches for their guests which had been spread through the living room on small tables that people could gather around. From their spot on the sofa, Draco and Harry had watched as their families and friends mingled, getting to know those that they hadn’t before.
“Hey love, wanna tell me what that bouquet meant earlier?” Harry pressed a kiss to Draco’s neck. “I mean you obviously recognised them so surely you have some idea of what they mean?” Harry shook his head and explained that they’d been plants in Petunia’s garden but had no idea what they meant. “The ivy was from Mother, as a congratulations on our engagement. It’s typically used for archways that Pureblood families used to use for their engagement but I told Mother I was not going for a Pureblood engagement style, that I wanted everyone to be involved. Buttercup is usually used for a new love, but it looked nice next to the tulips. It can also be used to call someone charming.” Harry raised an eyebrow at him and Draco blushed. “And then the tulips are a declaration of love. Oh, and just in case I haven’t said this yet, I love you.”
Harry grinned at him, leaning up to kiss his fiancé. He’d never been happier, surrounded by the love of his life and his family and friends. He hoped he could hold onto this feeling for the rest of his life, and knowing that Draco would stay by his side for the rest of their lives, he knew he could hold onto it. It might not be there every day of the week, since both of them had their off days and days when various war traumas popped up, but they would always find their way back to that feeling of love and fulfilment.