Bitter Chocolate - (A 'Veronica Weasley' sequel) || Draco Malfoy

7 - The Promise

"So, you catered for his engagement party and then copped off with his best mate?! Wow, that's one way to show someone you're over them."

I glared at Harry as he chortled into his pint.

"Oh, Ronnie," Hermione breathed, "but Blaise? He's hardly commitment material, he seems to have a different woman on his arm every week."

"Yeah, well he was a good fuck," I muttered moodily, throwing my head back as I took a large swig of wine.

"Perhaps you need to stop chasing Slytherins, Ronnie." Harry said pompously, placing his glass back down on the table. "Take a leaf out of your sister's book and go get yourself a dashing brave Gryffindor."

"Oh fuck off you spaz!" I snarled. "Not everyone wants to get married to a four eyed fucktard!"

"Ronnie!" Hermione gasped, "that was mean even for you - don't take your romantic disappointments out on him. He did save the world you know."

"Oh, did he?" I gasped in mock surprise. "I never knew! He's obviously not been doing enough fucking speeches saying how we should all be grateful to him for being able to breathe in the same stupid air!"

"WELL YOU SHOULD!" Harry roared, his face going a dark pink. "I FUCKING DIED FOR YOU!"

"Quieten down," Hermione said, looking around the Leaky Cauldron furtively. "It's so embarrassing when you two get like this!"

"Yeah, well he started it," I mumbled sourly, draining the last of my wine.

"Oh please you two," Hermione said, her face pained as she looked between the two of us. "This is the first time we've sat down together since Harry has got back from his honeymoon and I don't want us to start squabbling."

"I'm sorry," I said, my shoulders slumping in resignation. "How is Ginny?"

"Glowing," Harry beamed. And I switched off as he started wittering on about pregnancy.

Jesus fucking Christ, anyone would think he was the first person to have knocked someone up.

My mind wandered back to the business. It had been a week since the engagement party and Bambi hadn't taken to me dropping out of the wedding gig at all well.

"If this is about what happened that night, then you needn't be embarrassed!" Bambi had implored, her face a look of complete panic. "Draco should never have spoken to you like that and I can promise you he won't treat you like that again."

"It's not about that." I said, feeling a panic rise of my own. "I'm worried I've taken on too much. Your wedding is a big deal and I don't want to let you down."

"But I love working with you, Ronnie! Do you know how rare it is to find someone that tolerates me? Most of the time people look at me as if they want me to shut up but I just can't seem to stop talking! You make me feel like I can be myself and I love that about you."

My eyes had widened in surprise. I was seriously not aware I had been giving her that vibe.

"If staffing is a problem then I can give you more money." She had offered desperately. "Please Ronnie, I'm begging you. I don't want to do this wedding without you."

But I had dug my heels firmly into the ground; I couldn't cater for a wedding that I knew was a sham.

Especially one where I had fucking painfully inappropriate feelings for the groom.

*****

The weeks rolled by and Bambi soon gave up trying to persuade me to go back to her.

I felt oddly lost; the office having returned to being the quiet nothingness that it had been before Bambi's initial email. I tried not to panic about what this meant for the future of the business. The engagement party had managed to get me a few small business meeting catering gigs, but apart from that, nothing.