May the Best Man Win |×| Fred Weasley | 1 |×|

×| THIRTY-FOUR |×

THE OWL'S WERE DRAINING, BUT EVELYN HAD FOUND A VERY RELIABLE COPING MECHANISM. After every exam, and sometimes even before, Evelyn would round up her friends (and, more often than not, Ethan) and drag them all to the kitchens to act as guinea pigs in her latest ice cream adventures. So far, she'd found the concept highly productive. Already seven exams in, Evelyn had formed recipes for as many different new flavours. After transfiguration, honey and cinnamon had been born. After Arithmancy, she'd created a crystallised pineapple cheesecake flavour. Care of Magical Creatures brought about the first ever batch of cherry marmalade ice cream and each Charms, Potions, Herbology and History of magic had lead to their own unique concoction. At this rate, Evelyn had joked on multiple occasions, her father would have to expand their store so as to fit all of the new flavours in for the summer.

The others had welcomed her creative escapades, more than willing to sample some sweet treats at no extra cost. For them, it was a reward for each pressing exam passing. For Evelyn, it was both that and a reassurance that she'd not lost her touch or passion after neglecting the kitchens for a while in favour of studying. Each new script of ingredients she carefully transcribed into the recipe book Fred had sent her at Christmas filled her with sunshine.

The only thing was that, although good company, Max, Nikki, Ashton and Ethan were not particularly helpful in suggesting original flavour combinations. Mostly, they'd simply provided a basic idea by mentioning a random fruit or flavour that Evelyn would build something original off of - like when Ashton had suggested peaches after history of magic and Evelyn had presented him with a scoop of peach and almond meringue ice cream.

For a while, the sole responsibility for creativity had been exciting. But as exam week drew to a close Evelyn found her ideas were thin on the ground. She'd been inventing recipes non stop for days. The efficiency of her new habit had also made use of most of her ideas. Although she hated to admit it, she'd become a bit redundant (or perhaps overworked was a more fitting description) and with no foreseeable breakthroughs with the others, Evelyn decided to seek another source of help for the creation of the eighth new flavour.

And so, after following Max and Nikki out of the examination hall for their written defense against the dark arts test, Evelyn told the girls to go to the kitchens as always and that she would meet them there. Just as soon as she'd persuaded a certain ginger twin to spend more than three minutes in the vicinity of Ethan. When they said goodbye, Evelyn went to the side of the door to wait - she had been one of the first people out of the hall after all.

When the twins and Lee walked out, already laughing brightly, Evelyn took the opportunity to step out directly in front of them.

"Ice cream." She blurted out as the boys jumped backwards, startled by her intrusion. Fred wiped at his eyes and squinted at her before replying confusedly

"Come again?"

"I need you -" Evelyn pointed at his chest, "and you and you, if you want -" she added, jabbing the finger in the direction of George and Lee, "to come and help me make ice cream."

"Why?" Lee questioned.

"I thought that was your thing?" George asked.

"It is my thing. But I've been doing my thing every day, sometimes twice a day, for the whole week and I'm, well, I'm getting low on good ideas." Evelyn explained quickly, her face flushing as she admitted her lack of inspiration "I need a fresh perspective, is all."

"And your boyfriend can't provide that?" Fred spoke, and Evelyn's nose crinkled trying to distinguish the tone of his voice - for it had been quiet and lacked any venom. From the look on Fred's face (which was strangely flat and patient, his cheeky smirk absent from his lips) she decided that maybe he'd decided to grow up after their last encounter: after her first fight with Ethan she'd sought him out and told him what had happened...