Almost

Chapter 25: Truce

Soon, conversations of foxgloves pushed the sound of George's empty laugh from Katherine's ears.

"Are you still positive about only using No-Maj flowers?" a woman in a long purple dress asked her. "Because the asphodels we've got growing this year are spectacular."

A man in jeans and a dark brown linen shirt held out a handful of the slender petaled flowers to Katherine. "Incredibly useful, of course, but just picture them gathered with some dittany for greenery."

"Isn't that in the Draught of the Living Dead?" Crawley asked. "Seems morbid."

"White lilies are normally funeral flowers. Can't let that stop us," Katherine told him. "And I'd prefer to stick to muggle flowers if we could. If it's too much trouble, though—"

"Of course not!" the woman said, brushing her short, greying brown hair back from her face. "Whatever you want, we'll make happen. Let me just grab the hydrangeas we found out of the back..."

"Debt long overdue," the man assured her as he set down the asphodels and handed her a large book, opening it to reveal images of weddings they'd done in the past. "Now, how do you feel about the aisle? I know bunches on the ends of chairs is standard, but what if we planted foxgloves along the ends? They'd have a good height."

Ezra looked kindly towards the man. "It's very kind of you, Mr. Spencer, but I don't want you two feeling guilty about this still. You didn't take my mother's memory away."

"It happened in our shop. Of course, we feel responsible. It's a miracle she got them back," the woman said, walking towards the large butcher block table sitting in the back of the store. She carried two snowball-like flowers, each twice the size of her head. "And we've told you, it's Brian and Nicole. Now, what do you think? Too big?"

"A bit," Katherine laughed. "What did you do to them?"

"Simple engorgement charm," Nicole answered. "Might have overdone it, though."

She waved her wand at the flower, shrinking it down to the size of a small earring. "These could go in lightbulbs or something, would just take an easy spell to stop them from burning..."

"In those sconces? You can barely see the lightbulb," Brian questioned as he pulled out a large schematic drawing of the museum. "But I suppose over near the front are those covered torches..."

"I think the lightbulbs will be okay without," Katherine said. "I don't want to go too overboard. You're already talking about planting in the floor."

Nicole clicked her tongue. "There are never too many flowers. But if it's moderation you want, we can work with that. Now, I was looking at that box you brought me the other day, and I definitely think we can make something similar work with petals. Look—"

Nicole threw the shrunken hydrangeas in the air and pointed her wand at them. The petals separated from the stock and began to fall softly, vanishing once they met some invisible line. Katherine let her magic pool behind her eyes and found a dome of bright poppy red fluff absorbing the petals and transporting them back to the ceiling, so they continued to fall perpetually.

Brian folded his arms on the table and looked up. "We can change the concentration easily the day of, so just give us a general idea of how many petals you think per square inch. I thought we could even make it sort of fade out so there are lots of petals above the alter and fewer by the door. Just think how they'll take the light over your heads through those windows."

"Breathtaking," Nicole agreed. She went to stand behind her husband and put a dirt-stained hand on his shoulder. "I have chills."

Katherine laughed and looked out the window next to them, where giant sunflowers and stood basking in the bright morning sun. Beneath them in tiny pots were plants that looked like cacti but covered in lumps that seemed to move of their own volition. They were roped off with a sign reading Mind the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.