The first thing I saw when Blaise and I Apparated back to Peverell Manor was Draco's furious face.
"Should you be leaving the party when you've got a kitchen to run?!" Draco spat, rounding on me almost immediately in the hallway outside the ballroom; his normally pale cheeks high in colour.
"Calm down, man," Blaise said, draping an arm over my shoulders. "She's been working hard all week on your engagement party. Thought we'd just take a moment to chill out."
"Chill out?" Draco snarled. "You two were practically fornicating in the middle of the dance floor! It's not exactly professional, Weasley; especially when I know my fiancée has paid you a small fortune to be here!"
My mouth hung open in disbelief as hurt, anger and a major wave of injustice tore through me.
"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" I yelled, just as Bambi herself stepped out into the hallway.
"What's going on?" Her eyes swept the scene and froze at the sight of Blaise's arm draped across my shoulders. "Oh. Blaise. Ronnie." She nodded to us, her smile suddenly strained and voice unnaturally high. "I see you two have been getting on well tonight."
Blaise's arm stiffened.
"Ronnie was just giving me a tour of her bedroom, nothing wrong with that, is there?" He snarled, a shocking bitterness to his voice. "Or have either of you two got a problem with that?"
Nobody said anything. The tension in the hallway was unbearable. I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling horrendously humiliated.
"I'd better go and see if Luna needs any help clearing up." I mumbled, shrugging myself out from under Blaise's arm and hurrying down the hallway without looking back.
The kitchen was clean and empty when I stepped inside. Luna must have cleaned up and excused the staff. I made a mental note to give her a bonus.
"I'm sorry."
I froze at the voice behind me. I turned around to see Draco standing in the kitchen doorway. His face was full of pain and anguish.
"You're always sorry, Draco." I said dryly. "But what you need to do is stop doing things to cause you to say that, otherwise your apologies start to become meaningless."
He sighed, rubbing his face which looked tired, reminding me of the days back in our sixth year of school when it turned out he'd been plotting the murder of our headmaster. I'd have felt sorry for him if I didn't feel so fucking angry.
"I've no right to comment on what you do... and with who-" he began, but I wouldn't let him finish, too incensed in my own fury.
"No you fucking don't!" I spat. "Didn't I hear you earlier announce to all and sundry that you'd never been prouder to devote your life to another woman?!"
"It just hurts to see you with another-"
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" I bellowed as a red hot mist clouded my vision. "You weak, pathetic man! You choose not to be with me but at the same time you don't want anyone else to have me?! Well I'm not sorry to say it Malfoy, but tonight Blaise wanted me and I wanted him too! And let me tell you I just had the most amazing fuck - Blaise knows how to make a woman feel special. Perhaps you should start taking notes because that poor woman out there deserves better than YOU!"
Hurt flashed across his face. Breathing heavily, I stormed past him, making sure to slam heavily into his shoulder on my way out.
I wiped the tears from my face as I ran up the staircase, planning on grabbing my things and getting the fuck out of there.
But as I approached the room I had changed in earlier, I heard frenzied voices coming from behind another door.
And me being me, I couldn't help but press my ear against it.
"I'm NOT jealous!"
"Well you could have fooled me. Why don't you just admit it Bambi? You're living a lie!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm happy with Draco. We're in love."
"Quit the charade. Just admit how you really feel!"
"It's not a charade! I love Draco!"
"You love ME!"
"Stop it." A whimper. "Please."
"Why do you have to listen to your father and his fucking bigoted ways?!"
"Leave my father out of this!"
"WHY? BECAUSE IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM WE WOULD BE TOGETHER!"
"Don't." A shuddering sob. "Please, don't."
"You're a fucking coward Bambi! Just like pissing Malfoy! Perhaps you belong with one another after all!"
Furious footsteps thudded across the floor. I quickly jumped back as the door was thrown open.
Blaise's startled eyes landed on me before he quickly composed himself. He swiftly shut the door firmly behind him and dragged me over to the room opposite.
"You and Bambi?!" I spluttered once he shut the door behind us.
Blaise just looked at me and then gave a heavy sigh as he sank down on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands. "They're living a lie. Both of them."
"It was you wasn't it?" I simply said, the truth suddenly crashing down upon me.
He blinked up at me but said nothing.
"You were the person who gave Bambi my name." I continued. "And let me guess, the caterers that pulled out at the last minute- that wasn't a coincidence?"
Blaise's resigned look said it all.
"I'm sorry Weasley, but I thought if I could get you back to Draco he would realise his mistake and pull out of the engagement."
My hands flew to my head in frustration.
"What the fuck, Blaise?! And tonight? You and me? Was that part of your plan?"
"No!" He said suddenly. "What we did was unexpected and I certainly can't deny I wanted it; you're fucking amazing Weasley. But it was sex. Just sex."
"You love her," I stated; a grief that wasn't caused by him billowed down over me like a black cloak.
I knew exactly how he felt.
He nodded, an aching sadness flashing in his eyes.
I sighed, plonking myself down heavily on the bed next to him.
"Does Draco know?" I asked quietly, looking down at the floor. I saw Blaise shake his head out of the corner of my eye.
"I don't think so. Bambi was adamant about the secrecy, terrified that her father would find out. We were so happy you know, I lived for the moments we would spend together, they were like little drops of heaven, man. And then, one day, out of nowhere, she turned around and told me that it was over between us and that she was engaged to be married to my best mate." His voice wobbled slightly on the last word as he placed his head back in his hands. "It broke my heart."
"I don't understand," I frowned. "Why didn't she want her father to find out about the two of you? Don't you come from the same rich pureblooded background as the Malfoy's? Why him and not you?"
"I may come from a pureblooded and well off family Weasley," he scoffed, "but there's one thing Draco has that I haven't."
He looked pointedly down at his dark hands, shaking his head derisively.
"Surely you don't mean...?" I gasped, horrified as a sickening realisation dawned upon me.
"Daddy Peverell will never admit it out loud of course, but I don't fit his description of what he wants for his nice white pureblooded daughter."
"Oh for fuck's sake!" I cried, "why doesn't she tell that racist prick where to go? I can't believe she's letting him dictate her future so much."
"It's what they do," Blaise shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if he threatened to cut her off if she didn't agree to this farce of a marriage."
"But then why would Draco agree to go through with it if he didn't love her?"
"Oh come on Weasley, he's a Malfoy!" Blaise gave a short bitter bark of laughter. "He's spent his entire life being told what to think and how to behave by his parents. I expect old Lucius jumped for joy at this arrangement, desperate to rebuild the Malfoy name after their spectacular fall from grace. It probably didn't even occur to Draco to have his own opinion on it."
"So then why involve me at all if you don't think Draco would ever go against his parents wishes?"
"Because ever since Hogwarts he's been fucking miserable. And I've seen the way he looks whenever your name gets mentioned. I was there when he was by your side nursing you back to health. He fucking loves you, man. If anyone can get him to change his mind then it's you."
"But you didn't have to go and complicate things by bragging to them about sleeping with me!"
"Why not?" Blaise shrugged. "Will do them good to know what they're missing out on. Let them feel the pain that we're feeling."
"I don't like being fucking used like this, Blaise." I seethed, standing up, already deciding that I was going to pull out of the wedding job.
"And you're telling me that you don't want Draco? That you wouldn't do anything to get him back?" He narrowed his eyes at me. "I saw the way your heart broke tonight when they were doing their speeches."
"This is all so fucking messed up!" I cried, clutching my head.
"They are the ones who are messed up." Blaise said. "We are just going to put things right again."
"I'm not begging him to leave her." I spat. "I've already humiliated myself enough in that department. If he wants to finally start manning up then that's got to be his decision. I'm done with chasing after him."
"Oh believe me Weasley you won't have to do any begging." Blaise scoffed as his eyes flashed up at me. "Just say you'll do the wedding and watch him eventually fall to his knees at your mercy."
I looked at Blaise incredulously. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was fucking twisted.
"I'm sorry," I said shaking my head. "But you're on your own, Blaise. You should have never got me involved like this. I don't want Draco back. This whole thing just proves the kind of man he is, and I don't want to be with someone like that. I'm going to tell Bambi that I can't do the wedding."
I gathered my things up getting ready to Disapparate.
"But you love each other!" Blaise spluttered, a desperation to his voice.
"Sometimes love is just not enough." I swallowed, trying not to let the threatening tears fall. "Goodbye, Blaise. I hope it works out for you, I really do."
And then I left.
*****