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

39 - A Quiet Goodbye

April went by in a blur as George and I finalised arrangements for our trip.

This involved a lot of furtive and tearful conversations with Dad as he desperately tried to get me to make up with Mum.

"She pretty much admitted that she wished I was dead!" I spluttered, hurt still wringing my heart.

"She was upset, Veronica," Dad implored, his face full of agonising pain. "She's frightened of losing you; so frightened, that the way she reacts... well it's not your mother talking. It's the grief. You must understand."

But I was too hurt to understand. Mum hadn't made any attempt to approach me and I couldn't see why I should go to her.

"You think I'm being selfish." I said to George when he tentatively tried to bring it up. "That I should just swallow my hurt and talk to her like she said nothing?"

"No," he shook his head sadly, "I don't think you're being selfish. But I think we're all still hurting so much and struggling to find ways to deal with our grief properly. At least this trip will give us the time and space we need. I just hope Mum will somehow find a way to help her cope."

The plan was to leave on the day of Draco and Bambi's wedding; the second I finished up, George would be waiting for me outside Peverell Manor, our luggage packed, ready to start our journey.

We had no itinerary as such, deciding to just play it by ear; day to day. We didn't want to tie ourselves to a schedule, both agreeing that freedom was an important part of the adventure.

"I can't believe you're actually going!" Hermione gushed, "it's such a brave thing to do. I would be far too terrified!"

And she calls herself a fucking Gryffindor?

There were two pregnancy announcements before I left, which only served for me to conclude that I was making the right decision by getting the fuck out of there. Both Ginny and Hermione were up the duff.

"We dodged a hex there," George sniggered in my ear when Harry announced in the headlines that a baby shower will be held every week in Potter Palace between now and the births in honour of the two most important women in his life managing to get knocked up at the same time.

It also meant I got to miss Hermione and Neville's wedding.

This year was finally starting to look up.

"But surely you can come back for the day?" Hermione implored, her lower lip quivering.

"Hermione, it costs a fortune to Apparate from country to country," I explained, secretly glad of the excuse, "it just wouldn't be feasible to return solely for the day."

It was true that, ever since the second wizarding war, security had finally been tightened on Apparition laws. Witches and wizards now required passports and strict measures had been put in place to prevent illegal Apparition.

This meant we needed to purchase tickets to go from country to country which travel agents totally took advantage of. The fucktards.

Luna managed to snag the assistants role in Harry's office. Personally, I thought it served the fucktard right - Luna would drive him up the wall but no way would he dare fire her for the fear of Ginny pulling a nut cracker on his balls.

And all that was left to deal with was the wedding.

"Don't go to it," George implored me as I got quieter and sullener in the days leading up to it. "Get Luna to deal with it, why torture yourself?"

"It's my last job. I want to see it through." I said defiantly. "And... and I need the closure. I don't want to start our trip feeling as though I have unfinished business back home."

We both knew exactly what I meant by unfinished business.

Draco.

I hadn't seen him since the disastrous christening. I hadn't even seen Bambi. But I couldn't avoid them if I wanted to get this job done properly.

Two days before the wedding, Luna and I were to visit Peverell Manor to make sure the kitchen was sufficiently stocked and ready to go for when our especially hired team were to arrive on the big day to cook and serve for all the guests.

The place was busy when we arrived; full of such people like interior decorators and builders working furiously to transform the Manor into some kind of fairytale palace.

"It's all a bit over the top really," Bambi sighed heavily, as we passed a witch carving intricate swan ice sculptures in the hallway with her wand. "But Daddy insists on only the best."

My stomach twisted unpleasantly at the mention of Arnold Peverell. It took me everything not to shake Bambi and scream at her to get as far away from that nasty manipulative piece of shit as possible.

But, I was a professional and there to do my job, which was - although not for much longer - a caterer; not a life coach.

Deliveries arrived throughout the day, and Luna and I got busy setting everything out. Luckily, Bambi didn't hover about like she used to. I couldn't help notice she had completely lost her old spark and looked drawn and sadder than I'd ever seen her.

It was almost as if she didn't want to get married. The fucking idiots.

It was when I was waiting for the last delivery of stock to arrive, did I eventually see him.

It was getting late in the day and I had already dismissed Luna. Sitting on the stone steps, waiting for the van to arrive, I felt his familiar presence as he dropped down beside me.

"How are you, Ronnie?" He asked, his voice so comforting and so familiar to me that it made my heart twist sadly.

"I've been better," I sighed truthfully, not taking my eyes off the setting sun in the distance. I wasn't ready to look at him, yet.

"When are you leaving?"

"As soon as you're married." I said, doing my best to keep my voice as light as possible, "it's best that way. A clean break for us all."

"Will you..." he trailed off, hesitating. "I mean- do you think you'll ever come back?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't think so." I muttered truthfully. "I don't really have a plan. If I find somewhere nice, I might settle there. All I know is, I can't be here anymore. There's been too much pain and too much hurt."

A silence fell between us. I could tell he was desperate to apologise, could almost hear him yelling I'M SO SORRY, RONNIE, from his head.

But he knew it was the last thing I wanted to hear.

"I'm glad you'll have your brother with you." He said, instead.

"Me too," I smiled, thinking of how close I'd become with my sibling over the past month, "George needs this as much as I do, perhaps even more so."

We both fell silent again, simply sitting side by side, watching the sun set behind the distant tree tops.

"You deserve to be happy," he said eventually, his voice wobbling with sadness yet unmistakably full of sincerity. "You are the best person I've ever known."

I allowed myself to finally look up at him and, as mournful silver eyes pierced mine, I had to fight to hold in the sudden stinging of tears and swallow down the excruciating lump in my throat.

"Thank you," I choked as we exchanged a small sad, regretful smile.

Fingers entwined mine and, as he squeezed my hand in his, I knew we were saying goodbye in the quietest possible way.

He was finally letting me go.

*****