"I heard you were back."

I looked up from the assortment of canapés I was preparing to see Blaise swagger through the Peverell kitchen door.

Bambi had granted me unlimited use of their resources to create and try out new ideas for the wedding. That very day, I was trying them out on a little afternoon 'gathering' Bambi had arranged. Unfortunately, I hadn't anticipated Blaise to be one of the gathered.

"I did it for Bambi and my business; not for you or Draco," I hissed, artfully dotting chives atop the mini jacket potatoes. "I refuse to interfere in whatever fucked up arrangement they've agreed to sign up for."

"I know, I know," Blaise said, holding up his hands. "You made your point at the engagement party. And besides," he muttered, his voice suddenly sounding bitter. "Bambi insists she's never loved me."

I glanced up at him and saw pain flash through his eyes. I briefly wondered if I should tell him about the other night but decided that was too much like interfering.

"She's a sweet girl," I sighed, now arranging the canapés onto a tray. "I could see why anyone would fall for her."

"Yeah accept for her own fiancé." Blaise scoffed, huffily crossing his arms as he leaned against the counter.

"Don't, Blaise." I said sharply. "He's an adult; he's made his decision."

"You don't get it do you?" Blaise spat, his voice full of bitterness. "The kind of people the Peverell's and the Malfoy's are; reputation is everything. They value it more than love and happiness. Draco and Bambi have had that instilled in them since the day they were born. It probably hasn't even occurred to them that they can make their own choices. And knowing the fathers they both have, they would have no hesitation in threatening to cut them and the family gold out of their lives for good."

"Well, if that's the case, then maybe we should stay the fuck out of it, Blaise." I muttered, carefully placing the last canapé neatly into place. Presentation was key in this industry.

Blaise gave a heavy sigh before peering down to inspect my finished work of art.

"Cute," he said, snatching a mini jacket potato up and shoving it in his gob in one gulp.

"WELL NOW YOU'VE GONE AND RUINED THE FUCKING FORMATION, YOU CUNT!" I bellowed, as hot anger not related to the food in the slightest ripped through my stomach. "GET OUT OF THE FUCKING KITCHEN AND STOP TRYING TO RUIN MY FUCKING LIFE!"

"Jesus woman, chill!" Blaise spluttered, almost choking on the potato, which quietly frankly would serve the fucker right.

He sloped out under my furious glare as I angrily tried to rearrange the tray so that it wasn't obvious one was missing.

Finally satisfied, I carefully picked it up and headed for the door.

However, just as I reached it, someone on the other side banged it open, causing the tray and the canapés to go flying out of my hands before landing in a mess all over the floor.

"Shit," said Draco, looking from me to the now ruined canapés in horror. "Sorry."

I couldn't speak. All I could think was that I'd just spent the last two hours in this kitchen preparing, cooking and arranging a delicious assortment of canapés. And now they were all inedible and I had nothing to take out to Bambi's guests who were waiting expectantly.

"You've got more, right?" Draco asked nervously as he took in my expression which I imagined wasn't pretty.

"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE FACE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS PREPREPARED AN EMERGENCY BATCH OF FUCKING CANAPÉS JUST INCASE THE FUCKTARD GROOM AND HIS IDIOT BEST MAN DECIDED TO COME ALONG AND RUIN FUCKING EVERYTHING?"

Draco's face fell. "Blaise? What's he done?"

"FUCKING EXIST! ALONG WITH YOU!"

"Ronnie, calm down." He said with slight exasperation, frowning bemusedly at me. "It's just a few canapés. We'll serve them something else. I'm sure we can find something in here."

"Arghh!" I screamed, wringing my hands through my hair. "You just don't get it do you?! This is my fucking job! I'm not being paid to serve up a plate of fucking hobnobs to a pretentious bunch of pricks!"

"Come on Ronnie, Bambi won't mind." Draco chuckled. "Besides, she'd happily hire you just for your company."

He walked over to the fridge as I sank down to the floor, practically sobbing into the ruined canapés.

"Fucking men," I muttered, as I started to clean up.

Draco continued to clutter around the kitchen behind me, complete with the sound of cupboard doors and various drawers opening and closing.

When I eventually stood up and turned to face him, it was to a feeling of complete shock.

Draco, shirt sleeves rolled up and donning an apron, was carefully arranging smoked salmon atop a row of cream cheese topped blinis.

"How the-? What the-?" I spluttered looking around as if I could find the answer to Draco's super speedy and super unexpected culinary skills hidden somewhere in the kitchen.

"I've been observing you," he explained, crouching down to squint studiously over the blinis as he arranged the smoked salmon so that each canapé bore the exact same identical pink curl. "Now are you going to help, or what?"

Speechless, I made my way over to him where we continued to work side by side, creating canapés together.

I couldn't help but admire the way his fingers skilfully moved as they delicately handled and manipulated different ingredients.

"You look surprised, Weasley," he chuckled softly, "but don't forget, I was the Potions Prince. This doesn't feel all that different."

"You were a fucktard in Potions," I muttered, recalling one too many occasions when he had gotten Harry and I into trouble with Snape. "Fucking teacher's pet."

We both froze at my indirect reference to the dead greasy haired professor.

"Do you still think about that night?" I whispered, and I couldn't help but allow my eyes to roam over his left forearm where the Dark Mark still lay; faded, yet visible.

"All the time," he sighed heavily, slowly resuming the chopping of chives. "About Snape... about you."

I paused, feeling the slight hitch of breath in my throat as his eyes pierced down at me. I quickly looked away again, noticing my hands were shaking as I tried to spoon the caviar.

"About how you lost your brother," Draco continued, casting his eyes back down towards the chives. "I wondered how you were coping during Potter's wedding. Couldn't have been easy for you."

I shrugged, trying to ignore the pain that mentioning Fred's death brought. "You know Harry; assumes it's what everyone wants. He thinks now we can all celebrate the anniversary as the day the Chosen One got married instead of mourning it for those who died."

"That's not what you want though?" Draco asked.

I shook my head, trying to swallow back the lump that had formed in it. "I want to mourn it. I want it to be a day to grieve my brother. Does that sound so wrong?"

"No, Ronnie," Draco said quietly, giving me a small, sad smile, "it doesn't sound wrong at all."

And as I smiled back at him, I felt a different kind of grief clutch at my heart; the grief of knowing someone you love can never be yours.

We continued to work in silence until we finally had a tray of assorted canapés ready to serve.

"Not too shabby," I said, as we both stood back to admire our handiwork. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he drawled silkily, his silver grey eyes twinkled as he gave me a wink. "We make a good team, Weasley."

I felt such a sudden strong desire to lean up and kiss him, that I had to look away.

"We should take them out," I said, trying to ignore the sudden furious pounding of my heart. "Bambi'll be wondering where we've got to."

"Ronnie," he murmured softly, and I gave an involuntary sigh as I felt his fingers lightly graze my cheek, "look at me."

"I can't," I breathed, briefly closing my eyes against the giant ache in my chest. "It hurts too much."

I moved to take the tray, but Draco grabbed my upper arms, forcing me round to face him.

"I miss you, Ronnie," he growled hoarsely, his eyes burning into mine with a mixture of such sadness and longing.

And right then, the face of the beautiful brunette waiting patiently in the Aviary garden for her fiancé and caterer to arrive with the canapés flashed before my eyes, causing a sudden wave of anger to surge through me.

Suddenly not wanting him near me, I shrugged Draco off, glaring furiously up at him.

"You've had over five years to find me and tell me that, Draco - FIVE FUCKING YEARS!" I roared, rage making me shake from head to toe. "Don't you dare wait until I start working for your fiancée to start fucking with my head again. I WILL NOT FUCKING HAVE IT!"

I angrily turned away from his horrified face, grabbing the tray of canapés.

"Please, Ronnie, I-" he began to splutter, his fingers grappling desperately at my elbow.

"Save it!" I snapped, stepping out of his reach. "I don't want to fucking hear it. Bambi deserves better than you. And quite frankly, so do I!"

And with that, I marched purposefully out of the kitchen, taking with me the tray of canapés and leaving behind a suitably shamefaced Slytherin.

*****