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sweetpinkpixie · 10-05-2022, 12:47 AM

Visiting Florean Fortescue's for a tasty treat? In the shop just to meet and greet with friends? Either way, you'll probably be looking for a place to sit down. If the weather's warm enough, or you're just looking for some fresh air, you'll love to sit at one of the many outdoor patio tables the parlour has to offer. Each table is circular in shape, with a number of comfortable wooden seats surrounding it. Depending on the time of year, you just might find a bouquet of fresh flowers sitting in the middle of the table you're seated at.

If the sun is too bright, you'll want to open the umbrella-style top mounted on your table. Otherwise, leave the umbrella closed and pushed down to enjoy the sunny day. At each table, you'll find a menu showcasing all the tasty flavours available at Florean Fortescue's. A napkin dispenser can also be found at every table, just in case you have to clean up any ice cream accidents that do tend to happen.

WhittyBitty · 04-13-2026, 04:53 AM

It was a beautiful day, so Aurora was making sure to enjoy that by sitting outside in the sunshine and having some ice cream.

She had gotten some of her school shopping done, though she still needed to get new books and a few other things. She also wanted to get Oreo some treats, and maybe a toy as well.

But for now she wanted to enjoy herself, and hopefully she would see some of her friends. But if not that was alright. There would be plenty of time for her to see them before term started.

And she was more than happy to eat her ice cream and look at one of her herbology books. Right now she was reading xeranthemum facts. Even though she already knew all this, she still loved to read all about plants. Besides, it was good for her to keep on top of all this with NEWTs coming up at the end of next term.

sweetpinkpixie · 04-13-2026, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

It was a beautiful day, so Aurora was making sure to enjoy that by sitting outside in the sunshine and having some ice cream.

She had gotten some of her school shopping done, though she still needed to get new books and a few other things. She also wanted to get Oreo some treats, and maybe a toy as well.

But for now she wanted to enjoy herself, and hopefully she would see some of her friends. But if not that was alright. There would be plenty of time for her to see them before term started.

And she was more than happy to eat her ice cream and look at one of her herbology books. Right now she was reading xeranthemum facts. Even though she already knew all this, she still loved to read all about plants. Besides, it was good for her to keep on top of all this with NEWTs coming up at the end of next term.

The sun found him long before he found her.

It clung to his shoulders, warmed the back of his neck, caught in his hair in a way that should have felt comforting and familiar, but instead it only made him more aware of the strange, hollow restlessness sitting beneath his ribs.

Diagon Alley bustled around him in that easy summer way, full of movement and laughter and the quiet excitement of a new term on the horizon. Normally, he would have drifted through it with purpose... picking up supplies, getting distracted by shop windows, perhaps even pocketing something small and botanical along the way.

Today, he wandered. Not aimlessly, exactly.... just… without direction that meant anything.

His OWL results sat somewhere in the back of his mind like a bruise he kept pressing just to make sure it still hurt. Mum and dad had done what they could to assure him that they were not catastrophic, that he had shown great growth... but he knew the truth of what lay beneath all that. The results were just… not enough. Not for the version of himself he had built so carefully over the years, the one who knew where he was going, who had roots sunk deep into a future that felt certain.

Now... well, now it felt like he’d misjudged the soil entirely.

Like something that had been meant to grow straight and steady had instead stalled, caught in a kind of inbetween. Not quite broken, not quite thriving. Just… suspended. A chrysalis, he thought, though without the comfort that word was supposed to carry. Transformation implied direction. Purpose. The quiet promise of something better waiting on the other side.

This just felt like being stuck.

He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair as his gaze drifted not really looking for anything in particular until—

She sat a little ways off, sunlight gathered around her like it had chosen her specifically, ice cream in hand, a book open in her lap. Something in his chest eased, just a fraction, before seizing up again ― speaking of suspended growth.

He hesitated for half a second, maybe more. That same instinct to turn away, to give her space, to not bring whatever this quiet, tangled thing inside him was into something so… bright. But then again, if there was anywhere a chrysalis might survive long enough to become something else, it was probably somewhere near sunlight.

And she had always been that, hadn’t she?

He shifted his weight, then finally let his feet carry him closer, the movement a little tentative at first before settling into something masquerading for casual.

"Xeranthemum?" he ventured softly as he came within earshot. A small smile followed, one with his usual gentleness but a little crooked at the edges. "I should've guessed."

Why, of all topics, should he have guessed xeranthemum? Couldn't tell you. He was just desperately trying to make conversation.

WhittyBitty · 04-15-2026, 09:02 PM

Hearing his voice, Aurora was suddenly happy in the way she only was when he was around; her day had just gotten so much better. "Nyle! Sit with me?" He didn't have anywhere else that he needed to go, did he? She really hoped he didn't, but she would understand if he had other things to do. Maybe they could make plans for later then?

Glancing towards him, she couldn't help noticing that he looked really cute - something that she had noticed more and more - and instantly felt her face heating up. Aurora quickly glanced back at her book and hoped that it wasn't obvious that she was feeling flustered.

Xeranthemum... yes. Of course.

"I already know so much about them, but I do love reading all about plants. Even if I could rattle off facts about them all day." Aurora smiled, though she was still feeling off balance.

She hoped it was okay to start talking about plants again. Even if just a little. Upsetting Nyle was the last thing that she wanted to do. And if he didn't want to talk about plants, she would be more than happy to talk about anything else with him.

sweetpinkpixie · 04-17-2026, 01:52 PM

Nyle didn't hesitate.

"Yeah — of course," he smiled, hesitating for a fraction of a second before slipping his bag off his shoulder and setting it on one of the empty seats at the table.

He settled carefully in the seat across from her, long limbs folding in with that practiced awareness of how much space he took up, though something in his posture eased the moment he was there. Her words about xeranthemum pulled a small smile from him and he rubbed the back of his neck while nodding his head.

"I know."

Aurora wasn't synonymous with xeranthemum, but she was the whole flora category.

"Germination... has been on my mind a bit more lately," he added, almost cautiously, testing the ground as much as the topic. His fingers brushed absently against the edge of the table, tracing random patterns as a means to occupy his hands. "My aunt, one of them, runs a bakery, and I'm staying with her for this week and the next. Been helping out in the mornings." He huffed a laugh. "Unironically very similar to Herbology. Seeds, yeast—same principle, really. You're creating the right conditions, and then waiting. Temperature, timing, balance… if any of it's off, it just... doesn't take."

He might be lucky to produce one batch of rolls by the end of his time with her. Iris, of course, took to it all like a vine finding its trellis.

"But—um—sorry, I'm a bit out of practice with proper plant facts," he added, a little sheepish now, though his mouth tipped into a faint smile. "I wouldn't mind hearing you rattle them off. If you want to."

WhittyBitty · 04-18-2026, 01:52 AM

It was a relief that Nyle hadn’t seen how much he effected her. Unless he had, and because he was so incredible and kindhearted, he ignored it. Aurora was not going to analyze it, and instead she’d just be really happy that he was here with her. She relaxed and offered him a smile before going back to her ice cream.

Of course if anyone would get the love of reading about plants, it was him. It made her smile again.

Germination certainly was an interesting topic, and she wondered what had caused him to think about it more. Oh. She nodded as he talked about helping his aunt out at her bakery. She was glad to hear that he and Iris were getting to help out like that, and it sounded like fun. It would be lovely to go there, but she worried that she might be a distraction. ”That’s like how I used to help my grandmother out at her restaurant. Sometimes I had no idea what I was doing, but she always was wonderful about it.” Of course Aurora had always tried her best. But yes… germination. ”It really is amazing… doing what you can and showing up continuously. Nurturing something and watching it grow. Doing everything you can to make it thrive, hoping for the best.” And of course it wasn’t always literal. It could work metaphorically as well.

She had the go ahead to talk about plant facts. Aurora was more than happy to knowing that he was okay with it. And since she was reading about xeranthemums, why not talk about them?

”Okay.” BEAM. ”Well, xeranthemum means ‘dry flower’. The name derives from Greek and reflects the fact that they have papery bracts and retain their colour and shape for years after being dried. They’re ‘paper flowers’. This makes them popular in dry flower arrangements. They’re commonly referred to as annual everlastings or imortelle, and are a part of the family Asteraceae. Xeranthemum annuum is the most widely cultivated species. In the summer and autumn they have daisy-like everlasting flowers in white or shades of pink, red, magenta-violet, purple, and lavender. Their leaves are grey-green or silvery-grey. The leaves have a soft downy texture, and a linear to elliptic shape. They’re native to Eastern Europe and Western Asia, where they are cultivated as garden plants. They like full sun and well-drained, average-to-poor quality soil.”

Wow, was she ever rattling on about flowers. Basically being a walking textbook. She knew Nyle wouldn’t care, in fact he had been the same as her. But she didn’t want to dominate the conversation with flower facts. She gave him a sheepish smile, and ran her hand through her hair. ”They also symbolize immortality, eternity, and unwavering love?” That last bit was more of a question, because she wasn’t sure. Aurora was far from a plant symbolism expert. But if that was the case… they were truly very special in another way. They were very romantic flowers.

”I recently added some to my garden, and they look lovely in their new home.” Which was why she was reading up about them again in the first place. She would love it if he ever wanted to see them and her garden in general. He was always welcome to. That, and her greenhouse. She hoped he knew that.

sweetpinkpixie · 04-21-2026, 10:10 AM

Nyle listened the way he always did, like each word had somewhere to settle and was something to be treasured. And, for a moment, it felt… familiar. Not just familiar but easy. The rhythm of it. The sharing of plant facts and quiet ― and not-so-quiet ― enthusiasm. It was the kind of conversation that didn't need to prove anything to anyone... because it already made sense to the people in it... and a small ― proper ― smile found its way onto his face.

They'd probably both been capable of reciting most of this to each other in their sleep. He'd said as much not long ago, and about xeranthemum, of all things. About how he would be more likely to ramble on about xeranthemum for hours before he'd ever have hope in answering a Bronze Knocker-like riddle.

But… maybe that wasn't really the point.

His fingers traced absently along the edge of the page she'd been reading from, careful not to intrude or bend the pages in anyway. He wasn't really sure why he was reaching out to touch her book, if he was being honest.

His gaze dipped briefly, her earlier words about nurturing and hoping lingering somewhere deeper than he let on ― something quiet in him threatening to deliquesce if he looked at it too directly.

"Professor Amstern said something… similar, actually," he nodded. "Not about xeranthemum...but about what you said earlier...about things needing time. And care. Not just once, but… consistently." A faint huff of breath slipped past his lips, softer than a laugh. "I think I'd forgotten that for a while."

His thoughts were a bit fragmented, if that was not obvious.

He let his gaze fall back to the open book between them, shoulders curling in just slightly as if it were something safer to focus on. His fingers lifted, absently threading into his growing dusty blond hair.

"They are sometimes referred to as 'immortelles'," he elaborated, quiet confidence threading back in in voice ― floriography was a speciality of his, after all. "So...xeranthemum does carry associations with immortality and eternity... mostly because of how well it holds its form when dried. It doesn't… decay the way other flowers do. It keeps its shape. Its color. Almost like it refuses to acknowledge time passing."

His expression softened a bit more as he glanced at her, his hand ceasing its nervous ruffling in his hair, slowly slipping free and then down to his knee where it rubbed idly. Something in his expression softened, the nervous tension easing as his hand stilled completely.

"In floriography, it's often tied to remembrance. Not just love that lasts, but memory that endures. The kind that doesn't fade, even when everything else moves on. Unwavering love fits into that, but it's… not exclusive to that emotion, it can mean something quieter than the way people usually mean it. Less about declaration and more about constancy." He drew in a breath — small, but absolutely necessary. "Which feels rather fitting for something that thrives in poor soil and still manages to look perfect."

His thumb worried the edge of his sleeve lightly as his gaze flickered up again, a touch more hesitant now that he'd stepped out of something familiar.

"And—" he started, then paused, shifting his weight where he sat. "I'd like to see them. If you don't mind. Your garden, I mean. If the offer still stands."

WhittyBitty · 04-22-2026, 03:57 AM

That did sound like something that Professor Amstern would say. She was a wise woman. And very caring. Aurora was really happy that Nyle had been talking to her. So much of his healing had to come from himself, but it was good for him to have all the support that he could on that journey. She herself had tried her best to be there for him in whatever way she could. "That's understandable. It can be easy to forget that when we are dealing with certain things. That it's a process. It doesn't need to happen all at once, and that care can make all the difference. And not just that, knowing that you can rely on it being there. Things might not turn out perfectly, but it's about all the effort that has been made." Thinking back to the whole germination can be metaphorical thing. It applied to people as well. As well as relationships between people.

As he talked about the symbolism, Aurora listened carefully taking in every word. It was so nice hearing him talk like that. She had really missed it, and she was really happy to see that he was slowly coming back into these things at the pace he needed to. He knew a lot more about floriography than she did, though she could ask him about this kind of thing enough where she may really pick up on it herself. As long as he wanted to, of course. "I feel like we could talk like this all day." She grinned. About plants, but not just that. Anything and everything. She was just really happy talking with him. "We can look though the book together if you want?" Yes, she had noticed him tracing along the page she had read. And he was completely welcome to look at it as much as he wanted to.

Suddenly remembering that she had ice cream, Aurora set about finishing it before it could melt. She BEAMED when he said he would like to see her garden. She hoped he would. "You're always welcome to see it and the greenhouse." She paused for a moment. "And you can always help me out again... if you want to." Only if and when he was ready to, of course. She just wanted him to know that he was welcome to whenever he wanted.

sweetpinkpixie · 04-23-2026, 04:51 AM

Nyle listened quietly, her words settling the way good soil did over depleted land. There was something steady in what she was saying, something he knew was true even if he hadn't always let himself believe it ― or, more so than that, believed it applied to himself as well.

"Yeah," he murmured, voice softer, as he nodded lightly. "I think… I'm starting to understand that all that still applies to me too."

Her grin pulled at something lighter in him, though the thought that followed was a quieter one. They could talk like this all day. They probably had before. On multiple occasions, surely.

"Oh—sorry," he said quickly, withdrawing his caressing fingers along the book, only just now realizing what he was doing. A faint flush crept up his neck, incalescent at the tips of his ears. "That was—um. More of a nervous habit than anything. I wasn't—well. Thank you. For offering." e released a small, sheepish huff of breath. "It's… a good book."

At her offer about the garden, her garden, something in his expression softened — genuinely this time, without the undercurrent of hesitation.

"That would be nice," he nodded. "I'd like that." He glanced up at her briefly once again, pulling his eyes back to his hands after a moment. Almost like if he held that look for too long he might say ― or do ― more than intended. "And helping, too... when I can."

WhittyBitty · 04-24-2026, 05:51 AM

Aurora's mind was still on the concept of germination of relationships, and naturally that train of thought pretty much led her towards - she quickly looked at her book, hoping that her blush wasn't noticeable. The page on xeranthemums was suddenly even more interesting than it had been before. She'd just... look at the page until she felt more composed.

His words immediately got her attention the way they always did. She was really happy that he was doing so much better. And that he was remembering that time and care applied to him too. He had already done so much after dealing with something terrible, and Aurora was really proud of him. She was trying to figure out how best to formulate her thoughts on it... when suddenly he was apologizing to her.

Oh no. He had no need to apologize. He had nothing to apologize for.

"You're welcome to. You're always welcome to look at my books if you want to." Aurora sent him a reassuring smile, hoping that it would help him to feel better about it. And she understood nervous habits. She had some herself. But she was always more than happy to share with him. And he was right, of course. It WAS a good book. She had read this one so many times that it was starting to look a little worse for wear.

She was absolutely ecstatic when he agreed to help her in her garden. It was amazing progress for him after everything, and she had really missed working with him. "Wonderful! I had this idea for a little sunflower area, and I would love it if you helped me. If... you want to that is." Sunflowers were her favourite, and she really wanted to do something special with that. It was very exciting.

sweetpinkpixie · 04-25-2026, 10:24 AM

Nyle ducked his head slightly at her reassurance, the warmth that had already crept into his ears deepening just a shade. He gave a small, grateful nod, though the attention lingering on the book made him a touch more aware of himself and his seemingly comically long limbs.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I might take you up on that. I've… got a couple of books you might like too, actually. I'll make sure they make it into my trunk before term starts. We could ― maybe ― compare notes and such on the train ride to Hogwarts."

That felt safer, balanced...having the gesture be reciprocal.

Her excitement about the garden, though, caught him a little off guard — in a good way. It softened something in his posture again, that familiar ease returning in small, careful increments.

"Sunflowers..." he echoed, a faint smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "That sounds… really nice... and very you."

He shifted slightly, one hand resting loosely against his knee as his thoughts slipped, almost instinctively, into something familiar.

"In floriography, they're… not just representations of brightness, or happiness," he began, eyes looking ahead at nowhere in particular. "Though people tend to stop there ― it is the obvious interpretation and right there in the name, after all. But... They're actually more about constancy. Loyalty. Turning toward something or someone consistently, even as things change around them."

His gaze dipped briefly to his hands on his knees before returning to her.

"They follow the sun... not only because they have to for photosynthesis or anything, but because it's… what they’re meant to do. There’s something honest about that."

Nyle let out a quiet breath, the hint of a smile lingering as his hand drifted up to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair in a slightly clumsy ruffle. It left a few strands more unruly than before, though he didn't notice — far too focused on steadying himself in the small bright space her ~~sunshine~~ excitement had created.

"So," he continued, shoulders squared and tone a little lighter now, "I think a sunflower area sounds like a great idea. I'd — um — I'd be honored to help with that."

WhittyBitty · 04-26-2026, 03:08 AM

Aurora beamed as Nyle took her up on the offer. And of course he made it reciprocal. She knew him very well by now. It was one of the many ways he was a really thoughtful person.

”That sounds wonderful. And it would help me practice for my upcoming NEWT.” Even though she already knew a lot about plants, it was very stressful. Herbology was her career path, so it was the most important exam of them all.

She was still wrapping her head around being a Seventh Year. It was a lot.

Sunflowers really WERE very her. He was right about that. ”They’re my favourite.” They were so bright and cheerful. She loved a lot of flowers, but they just were the HAPPIEST ones.

Aurora listened fondly as he talked about the floriography of sunflowers. She really did love listening to him talk about flowers. Or about anything else. ”That really is beautiful.”

BEAM.

”We make the best team. I know it’s going to turn out perfect.” It was really exciting. She could not wait.

sweetpinkpixie · Yesterday, 06:23 AM

Nyle's smile lingered at her enthusiasm, softening at the edges as though it had been left a moment too long in the sun. There was something about the way she filled a space... bright and effortless... that made his own warmth feel quieter by comparison, though no less sincere for it.

"We do make a pretty good team," he admitted, voice gentler than the words themselves, like he was still testing how they fit in his mouth. They had, hadn't they? Even if he had spent more of that History of Magic activity following her lead than standing beside it ― he barely even knew the basics of wizard's chess. His thumb brushed absently along the pad of his opposite finger, as if worrying at an invisible stem, and he resisted the urge to overthink the phrasing.

His hand lifted, almost without thought, fingers threading through his hair in a familiar, absentminded ruffle. When it fell again, it didn't quite settle — either his hair or the motion — his weight shifting subtly from leg to the other, leaning as if still deciding where to root.

At perfect, something in him caught. It showed only briefly: a flicker in his eyes, a pause that lived more in his shoulders than his expression. Instinct, maybe. Or something quieter, harder to name. It passed before it could take shape.

"I—I'll certainly try," he said after a moment. His gaze dipped, not quite meeting hers as he added, "At least… I can promise to keep trying until it feels right."

That, at least, he understood ― even if it was just him getting hung up on the language again ~~like Iris would~~. Not all things flourished simply because they were placed in the sun.

His fingers brushed lightly against the side of his pocket, finding the faint outline of something tucked within — seed or clipping... he wasn't sure, but it was something small and tangible to ground himself with.

"And you will do well on your NEWTs," he added, more sure of that than anything else he had said. "You already know more than most people ever will. It's just… showing up and letting that speak for itself."

The words came easier when they were for her. They always did.

He had shown up, too. For his OWLs, that is. Had done what was needed, even when it hadn't come naturally like it once had before... everything. Even when it hadn't quite taken root the way he'd hoped. The practical had nearly undone him, but still...he had passed.

And maybe, for now, that was enough.

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