Chapter Text
Draco jerked as he heard the familiar rapping on the window that signaled an owl delivering a letter. “Tergeo,” he whispered, and the mandrake juice evaporated from his hands. He went over to the window and opened it. A lovely white owl soared in and landed on the small perch he kept nearby. He untied the letter from the owl’s leg and then stroked it tentatively. One must always be ginger with an unfamiliar owl, never know whether they’ll bite. Draco glanced at the letter. Professor Slughorn. So it was a Hogwarts owl. Draco fed the owl a little treat, which he also kept near the window. The owl crunched it down and then took off for the return journey to Scotland. It wasn’t expecting a reply, then. Not surprising, given that the letter he just received was a reply in itself.
Draco opened the parchment. “My dear young man, what a delight it was to receive your query about the cerebromunio potion. I have heard of it, of course, but it’s been many, many years. It is such a difficult potion, with uncommon ingredients, that most people prefer the easier and less effective acuomens tonic. Regarding your concerns – there is no association to dark magic that I know of. It is not dangerous in any way to brew or to drink, so if you want to try it, you certainly have my blessing. Despite its difficulty, I have no doubt you would be able to brew it successfully. In fact, your only obstacle would be in obtaining the most important ingredient – vinclem extract. It is very hard to come by. Not even I have it in my store of ingredients, but that’s only because very few potions require it and it loses potency over time. I’m sure if you consult S&J, they will either have it or can tell you how to find it. Good luck to you! As always, I hope you will reconsider my offer to become my apprentice. I am desperate to retire (again) and would very much like to continue the trend of Slytherins as Potions Master. All my best, Horace Slughorn.”
Draco sighed. As usual, he ignored Slughorn’s plea for him to become his apprentice. He was quite sure that no one else shared the potion master’s opinion that he’d be perfect for the job. Parents would be horrified to learn of a former death eater teaching their children.
Draco crumpled the parchment and whispered a little charm that sent it up in flames in the palm of his hand. He was glad to know that the potion didn’t involve any dark magic. These days he stayed far away from anything remotely sinister. He’d been hoping that Professor Slughorn had some of the vinclem extract in his inventory. He already knew about the scarcity of it, having been by Slug and Jigger’s earlier that day. They didn’t have vinclem extract in stock, and the manager noted that there weren’t any apothecaries that sold it nowadays. It came from the Ostrinligo flower, which was so endangered that the few wizards who owned the plant no longer sold the petals. They were also reluctant to part with clippings for others to grow their own. It was very difficult to cultivate and maintain, so they would only share a clipping if they were confident that the recipient had the skill to keep it alive.
Draco asked the manager if he knew whether Neville Longbottom had one in his greenhouse. Longbottom had made quite a name for himself in the past five years with his flourishing collection of rare magical plants. The manager shook his head. Word through the grapevine was that Longbottom was very keen to procure a clipping. But as of yet no one was willing to take a chance on a newcomer in the field of herbology, no matter how talented he was.
When Draco closed up shop for the day, he apparated to Malfoy Manor instead of his flat. His mother kept some herbology books that she used as a reference for maintaining her botanical garden. He was curious about this Ostrinligo plant. The house elf, Tinsy, told him that the master and mistress had gone out to dinner. Nodding his thanks, Draco went to the library and began pulling out books.
He eventually found one that referenced the Ostrinligo plant. It even had a picture of the flower. Draco exhaled in amazement as he realized he’d seen that flower before. It was in his mother’s own garden! At least…it had been at one time. It was in a section of the garden that was off the regular path, and he only rarely went exploring into the dark corners.
Draco stood and quickly made his way outside to the botanical garden. He wasn’t exactly sure which corner it was in…assuming it was still there. Draco explored the northwest corner, and found nothing. He tried the northeast, and again there was nothing. What if it wasn’t flowering right now? Would he recognize it without the flower? No, he recalled the book said it was a perpetually flowering plant, one of the unique qualities that separated it from nonmagical plants. Draco tried the southeast corner. What if it really wasn’t there anymore? It was difficult to maintain, what if it had died? Draco took a deep breath and made his way over to the southwest corner of the garden.
It was there. The Ostrinligo plant, separated from the others in its own little plot, on display next to a bench. Draco sat down on the bench and gazed at it. The flowers were beautiful. Pale lilac, with what looked like a dozen little petals unfurling out from a tall yellow stamen in a starburst pattern. There was an abundance of flowers, and the plant appeared to be in excellent health. Draco felt a swelling of pride for his mother, for he knew that she did not allow anyone else to tend her garden, not even the house elves. She must have incredible skill, if what he’d heard about this plant was true.
Draco went back inside, encountering his parents who were walking in the front door. Narcissa’s face brightened. “Draco! How lovely to see you!”
Draco smiled and went over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He nodded cordially at his father, who simply gazed at him with one eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat. “I came by to consult some of your books, mother. One of my clients has asked me about making an ancient potion, and one of the ingredients comes from a very rare flower. Imagine my surprise when I saw a picture of it and realized you have that very same plant in your garden. The Ostrinligo.”
Narcissa smiled knowingly. “Ah, that one. Yes, it is quite rare, and I am very proud to own one.” She hesitated, and then smiled apologetically. “I don’t intend to give up any of my petals for your clients, Draco.”
Draco shook his head. “Oh, I’ve already decided to tell him I can’t help him. He couldn’t afford it anyway. But…well, I am a bit curious to at least try to make the potion, just to see if it will work. Professor Slughorn said it is a very rare potion and difficult to make.”
Narcissa’s eyes twinkled. “You like a challenge. You get that from me. It’s the same reason I have the ostrinligo plant in the first place. Fine, you may take one petal.”
Draco grinned. “By the way, when I was making inquiries, I heard that Neville Longbottom was eager to get a clipping for his own greenhouse.”
Narcissa tipped her head back and laughed. “That young pup? No, it’s too soon for him. Maybe in another five years he’ll have earned the chance.”
Draco chuckled. “It was worth a shot. I appreciate that he puts up with my pickiness when I go to his shop for fresh ingredients.”
Narcissa frowned. “You get potion ingredients from an herbology shop? What’s there that you couldn’t get at Slug’s?”
“I’ve found that some potions just work better when I use fresh leaves or petals instead of the dried ones that are sold at apothecaries. It’s kind of like the difference between using fresh herbs versus dried herbs in cooking.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Cooking?”
“Yes, Mother. What the house elves do to prepare your meals? I suppose my analogy would have worked better on Tinsy.”
Narcissa gave him the sort of look that said if he continued in this vein, he wouldn’t be getting the petal. “Speaking of meals, I’m having dinner with a friend and I don’t want to be late.” That was a lie, but he didn’t want her inviting him to dine at Malfoy Manor.
Narcissa gazed at him hopefully. “A date? Who is she?”
Draco winced. “Not a date, a friend. You wouldn’t know him, he’s muggle-born. Mind if I grab that petal before I leave?”
“I will do the grabbing, young man. I don’t want your hands anywhere near my Ostrinligo.”
*
The potion was a success. Draco understood why his client coveted it. For a month after he tried it, his brain felt like it was on overdrive. He took advantage of this by spending the time experimenting with new potions, with brilliant results. But the effects eventually faded, and Draco realized why it had fallen out of favor – it would be hard to sustain the habit of taking the potion when one of the ingredients was practically extinct.
Eventually the potion, the vinclem extract, and the ostrinligo flower were pushed to the back of Draco’s mind, as is typical of things which have no use in one’s daily life. It wasn’t until a year later that something happened which brought the lovely plant back to the forefront of his mind.