A Bouquet Of New Beginnings Chapter 14: "Purple Hyacinth"

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Chapter 14: "Purple Hyacinth"

Floriography - Please Forgive Me

Summary: Artemis is encouraged to take a certification, Sebastian & Artemis delve into that book from the Restricted Section, and an overdue conversation is had with a certain blond.

[AO3]

Below is an excerpt of the chapter. Full chapter can be viewed from AO3 link above!

“The Draught’s…working,” attempted Artemis.

Ominis’ sighed small as he shook his head. “What are you doing out here at this hour?”

“I was,” started Artemis as she swallowed. He didn’t need to know the cause. “I was waiting for Sebastian. Going to spell practise. Followed Nocturne. Distracted with the painting. Then… well.”

Silence fell as she caught something flash across Ominis’ face. Artemis, now completely under the effect of the Calming Draught, slowly stood; Ominis followed her movement. Nocturne kept his claws dug into her shirt as if to dare her to put him down. She gave him a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Sorry for troubling you. I’d… appreciate it, if you didn’t tell anyone,” whispered Artemis. “You should be gentle, with the grip.”

“What?”

“The grip. On the arrangement, so the stem doesn’t snap. You’re meeting up with someone, right? You should, go to them. I’m fine.”

Nocturne faintly protested in her arms. The blond sighed as his head tilted away and slightly shifted his feet.

“It’s for you,” mumbled Ominis after a few moments.

“…huh?”

“It’s for you,” repeated Ominis clearer.

He held out the arrangement toward her, and now she could see the single, purple hyacinth in the wrapping. The floral scent was powerful and the petals dewy fresh. He cleared his throat.

“I was hoping to find you. To give this to you to… apologise. Clearly right now isn’t the best time –”

“It’s fine, Ominis.”

Ominis’ eyes briefly widened at her words before he let out a breath.

“I’d been an absolute prat,” started Ominis slowly.

Artemis blinked twice at the unusually informal word but remained silent.

“I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like I did, nor ignore you when you’ve just been trying to help. I’m… I’m sorry.”

The hyacinth shook minutely in his grip.

She placed Nocturne on the rail platform only for him to drape over her shoulder before she conjured a flower of her own. Artemis gently accepted the hyacinth, and instead placed a single white tulip into his hand. Ominis moved his wand to gently touch the petals before he brought the flower to his nose.

“A tulip?” Ominis asked as he smelled it.

“A white tulip. Um, it’s the colour of fresh snow,” described Artemis. Her mind cobbled together something to describe white to someone who couldn’t see. “Sweet as sugar, soft as pillows… I accept your apology, Ominis. Thank you… for earlier, and the hyacinth. It’s beautiful.”

Ominis’ eyes widened briefly before he bodily relaxed, the white tulip held delicately in his hand. She wondered if this was why he wasn’t at dinner.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe colours like that before,” said Ominis softly. “It’s… nice.”

“Happy to do so,” answered Artemis, equally as soft.

Hogwarts Houses Dividers

Please like and reblog if you use or save.

Requested by @lovegoodsgf​

Dividers List

SEBASTIAN SALLOW'S FELDCROFT HOUSE TOUR

These screens could be useful for Fic Writers' and Artists' inspiration / fantasies 😉

GENERAL: - Right: Kitchen - Left: Bedroom, Bath/Potions and Library Area - Front: Living room (those hanging pots on the ceiling are lovely)

KITCHEN:

They have a fire pit on the left and keep all cooking pots in that open counter on the right. They also have some barrels and a cabinet to store some plates, cutlery, cloths and a tea set.

LIVING ROOM:

They keep a RUM BUTTER bottle and pints in the living room cabinet 😜

BEDROOM:

I guess Anne's bed is the green one because she has a shelf on top with her meds/potions and some books ( for some reason, the bottle hidden behind is actually a good quality whisky! 👀)

BATH / POTIONS AREA:

Here is the bathtub beneath the table and some potion shelves. I can see a brain on one of the potion labels (must be for Anne's condition?), a pig , a lion (maybe for some Solomon's╰⋃╯dysfunction? 👀), and a leaf (for colds?).

BOOKCASE / DOCUMENTS AREA:

They also have a humble library. I don't know why they keep some horns on that counter though...

HALL / WAY OUT / WC? 🥲:

(yes, their toilet area must be outside among some bushes?)

I'm gonna say it.

It's unhinged to assume that someone's taste in fiction equates to what they believe is moral or good, or is something they want to see or experience in real life.

That is a bonkers assumption to make.

I'm tired of humoring people with long arguments about it when the simple fact is it is a totally fucking absurd reach to accuse someone who enjoys something in fiction of being in favor of it in real life.

I'm tired of pretending like this is a legitimate position to hold-- that they should be afraid of fiction's dire influence on a reader's moral decay or that it's a sign of what the author secretly wants for realsies in real life.

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Ch. 16 "Peony I"

Floriography - Life & Honor

Summary: The First Trial of the Keepers and Other Traumatizing Events

[AO3]

Below is an excerpt of the chapter. Full chapter can be viewed from AO3 link above!

*There are trigger warnings listed within the end chapter notes on AO3, but the below excerpt is the section without any of the triggers involved.*

The steam smelled of honey and peony as the silver ladle created calm ripples across the magenta liquid. Sleeves rolled up of her sky-blue uniform, Artemis hummed her mother’s lullaby as she leaned over the Potions station before she stopped stirring and picked up the pestle and mortar. Mornings when she was tasked to brew and restock the apothecary were a boon, wherein she required just enough focus on a straightforward objective to not be distracted by unwanted thoughts.

“Professor Fig informed me that you were going on an exhibition this afternoon for your independent study.”

Her heart thudded loud against her ribcage as she lifted her gaze from the crushed myrtle petals. The gruff Potions professor’s eyes were lifted as he sat at his desk - a silent insistence to observe her brewing.

“Yes, sir. He was kind enough to offer to show me some of the ruins in the area for History of Magic,” answered Artemis succinctly.

That was technically true – Professor Fig did in fact state that the destined tower was heavily weathered, and they were going under the pretext of catching up on some sections of History of Magic. They couldn’t very well say that they were going to an old, abandoned tower that served as some sort of trial for ancient magic.

“I presume you are aware of the increased activity in the area?”

Again, Artemis nodded as she sprinkled in the crushed myrtle petals and adjusted the fire. The liquid was brought to a roiling boil as the mixture slowly rendered into a viscous pink whilst she stirred seven times counterclockwise.

“Inverto.”

The inversion magic left her wand, and the viscous pink shimmered before the colour dissolved into a milky white. Potent fertility inverted to a potent contraception – a simple idea with complex application. The binding spell in place, and the potion was complete. She poured a sample and gave it to Professor Sharp to test. A single drop of the potion coated the testing strip, and offered the visual of an upside-down peony – a success.

“Good,” commented Professor Sharp as he corked the vial. “Not many would get this potion right to this… potency.”

Artemis bit her inner cheek and bit back her comment; Professor Sharp lifted an eyebrow as he waved for her to finish up. The potion vials clinked together as she packed up, though her mind was now on the trial she’d undertake that afternoon. She hoped that whatever it was, she was ready.

“Miss Loreley,” cut in Professor Sharp as she was about to leave with the box filled with cushioned potion vials balanced on her hip. The professor made his way to her, a sealed roll of parchment in his hand.

“You are to work on this for the upcoming weeks. Ordinarily I wouldn’t be concerned but you… you ought to be prepared.”

“Sir?”

The parchment was tucked into the box.

“You are to work on these during the next few office hours. It would do well to bolster your arsenal other than just spells and Healing potions.”

Artemis blinked twice as she managed to dumbly nod.

The parchment was unfurled amidst Professor Binns’ monotonous review on a goblin rebellion in the 1300’s. Snores weren’t bothered to be concealed, and once again Artemis and Amit were the only two that seemed to remain remotely awake. Leander and Andrew fell asleep within five minutes. Poppy and Natsai made valiant efforts before they too succumbed; Ominis’ dark blond locks glowed softly in the spilled sunlight as he lasted perhaps a minute. Garreth and Sebastian, once again, did not show up.

Her eyes scanned over the parchment as she read the harsh calligraphic handwriting of Professor Sharp, and tilted her head. Sticky Solution was written on the top with a list of ingredients and directions. This looked like an original recipe. Giddy excitement bubbled in her chest at the prospect.

Ominis shivered slightly next to her even as he slept. She envied that he, and frankly every other person, could take a nap. Professor Binns glided by, and a pleasant coolness settled around them. Or rather, it was pleasant to her; everyone else seemed to shiver in their varied states of slumber.

She snuck another look at Ominis, who’d taken to using his arm as a standing pillow. He’d kept her request to keep silent about her embarrassing panic; she knew Sebastian would have relentlessly asked otherwise. She still wondered what she’d missed between the two of them when the topic of where to practise the spell came about, but that was beside the point. The point was that Ominis didn’t need to keep silent, and yet he did.

Her mind flitted to the purple hyacinth that now stood atop her desk in its vase. She sent a gentle warming charm from under her desk toward him, and Ominis’ shoulders relaxed. With a small smile, she continued to read up on the new potions recipe.

I’m not a perfectionist, but finding a typo or a grammatical error in my own already-published fic is like stepping on a Lego honestly