Friday 2nd May 2003
(Five years later)

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Everyone cheered around me as I looked down at my clenched fists, choosing not to witness my best friend sticking his fucking tongue down my little sister's throat.

"Aren't they perfect?!" Hermione gushed beside me, clapping her hands animatedly together as if she was witnessing England winning the world fucking Quidditch cup.

"Yeah," I muttered, "fucking bleeding adorable."

"Oh, Ronnie, you're not still mad are you? It's your best friend and your sister's wedding!" Hermione implored as Harry and Ginny sauntered smugly back down the aisle.

"EXACTLY!" I roared, "AND NEITHER OF THEM THOUGHT TO HIRE MY FUCKING SERVICES!"

"Ronnie," Hermione said warningly, "we've been through this - they wanted you to enjoy yourself today."

Enjoy myself?! Fat fucking chance! Not only were they rubbing my single depressing lonely life in my face but my business was also going down the pan.

And it could have been saved if only they thought to hire me for the Chosen One's wedding.

I scoffed at the buffet in front of me.

"Cucumber finger fucking sandwiches?" I spat, "what a fucking cliche."

Putting three on my plate, I moved on.

"Vol-au-vents?! What are we - in nineteen sixty three?"

"Hush, Ronnie!" Hermione implored, looking around fretfully as guests loaded up their plates with this cheap tat. "Your mother went to a lot of hard work to get all this prepared!"

"Hey guys! Enjoying the spread?"

I looked up to see Harry approaching us, clad in a dark maroon morning suit, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, it's alright I suppose," I muttered, stuffing a whole vol-au-vent in my gob.

"Oh Harry, it's just a wonderful way to spend the fifth anniversary of the battle!" Hermione cried throwing her arms around him. "My tears today have only been of happiness!"

"We shall not forget the Fallen Fifty, of course," Harry said, patting her back. "I have a silence prepared in my groom's speech."

I looked away, feeling the familiar jolt of pain in my heart, wondering if I would be missed if I snuck away for that.

I did not want to remember. I did not want to think about the worst day of my life.

The day I lost my brother.

The day I lost Draco.

I hadn't seen him since he scarpered from the battle. It turned out he and his parents were found hiding out in the Russian mountains; trying to evade capture from the Ministry.

However, they hadn't anticipated Harry hunting them down like the fucking dog that he is.

Lucius got sentenced to four years for his involvement in Death Eater activities; Narcissa got one year for aiding and abetting. And Draco got released without charge, the Ministry having taken into account his age at the time of being branded and because of a good word from Harry.

I had begged Harry to go easy on Draco; implored him to remember that Draco had in fact helped us on numerous occasions.

"Yeah, when he wasn't trying to hand us in to his boss!" Harry had spat.

"He was terrified, Harry! He was scared for his and his parents lives!"

Although I was pleased that Draco didn't have to endure Azkaban after his sentencing, I chose not to actively seek him out. My heart had been broken too many times and my pride wouldn't allow me to go there.

But sadly, he had not tried to contact me either. I tried not to think about how much that actually fucking hurt me.

"We've also got another little announcement to make during the speeches," Harry beamed, adjusting his glasses self importantly.

"Don't tell me," I drawled in bored tones, "you've knocked up my baby sister."

His face fell as Hermione yelped in surprise. "Uh- um, yeah. Pretty much." He stammered, his eyes flashing nervously.

"Don't look so fucking worried, Harry," I muttered. "It's what people in love do, don't they? Get married have kids. Whoop de fucking do."

Harry and Hermione exchanged nervous glances. They found it difficult to deal with me when I was in this mood. But what did Harry expect? He knew I found the anniversary hard and now he was expecting me to start jumping for joy because he forgot to wear protection when he was blasting his seed into my little sister.

I sighed heavily, putting my plate of crap down. 

"Sorry, Harry. I'm happy for you guys, I really am. I'm just finding all this joyfulness difficult to stomach."

I turned and walked away.

"Ronnie-" Hermione called out. But I ignored her and carried on walking.

I went inside the Burrow and walked up to Fred and George's old room. It was still set out exactly as it had been from when they still lived here; their beds made up as if waiting for them to turn in for another night. Before they moved to the flat above the shop. Before Fred died.

I went over to Fred's bed and curled up on top of it in a foetal position; not caring that I was crumpling my dress, not caring that I was messing up my hair.

I could hear Harry start the speeches out in the marque; asking for silence as we remember the Fallen Fifty.

I closed my eyes and thought of my brother; allowing the pain and horror of that day to come back to me as I shook and sobbed on his bed.

I never realised you could miss someone so much, to desperately wish that they could be back in your life yet knowing with an agonising pain that it was impossible.

My brother. My Fred.

*****

Approximately one hundred miles away in the beautiful county of Wiltshire, a white-blond haired man appeared at a window of a magnificent and ancient manor house.

He sighed heavily as he looked across the vast grounds in the direction of where Devon lay, many rolling hills away. And his thoughts drifted to a certain red haired girl.

He would never usually let himself think about her; shouting and cursing in his mind if he found his thoughts wandering there. It hurt too much.

But today, on the five year anniversary of when he had last seen her, Draco Malfoy allowed his mind to go to her. To Ronnie.

He knew it was Potter's wedding; the whole flaming world knew. He couldn't help but wonder how Ronnie was coping. It was fucking typical of Potter to make this day all about himself. And in the house that Ronnie had grown up with her lost brother in too.

He had thought about writing to her so many times. But what could he say? He was so ashamed of how much he had hurt her in the past. She deserved better than him.

The shamed Malfoy's. Shunned by pretty much the whole of the wizarding world.

No, he knew he had granted her a favour by letting her go. It was the best thing he had ever done for her.

"Darling?"

Draco closed his eyes, not wanting to turn around and see the owner of the voice.

Footsteps approached from behind and he tried not to flinch when he felt thin arms circle his waist.

"What are you thinking about?" She whispered in his ear.

"Nothing," Draco murmured and, with a great shuddering effort, he pushed the redhead to the back of his mind as he turned to embrace the brunette behind him.

I'm so sorry Ronnie.

To Be Continued...

Bitter Chocolate (Book Two)

*****

A/N: This is just the end of book one. Book two is out now - 'Bitter Chocolate'. I'm sorry for how this one ended but I feel there is so much more to explore with Ronnie's character beyond Hogwarts. And I wanted to keep the whole will they won't they thing going with Draco which is why I chose them not be together at the end of this book. So please read book two for more Ronnie and Draco dramas.

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