It's Better If You Do

Once Bellamy had settled on what she was going to cook, she began to gather all the ingredients and pots and pans that she would need. She knew it was going to be a bit extravagant for lunch, but she felt incredibly guilty over all the chaos she had caused, merely by doing something she thought was terribly funny. It only proved that different people had different senses of humor; obviously George didn’t think it was funny, but she did.

First, she took a few slices of bread, enough needed to feed the four of them. She then put a pad of butter in a pan over the burner, making sure it melted evenly over surface. She let the butter warm up as she picked out a couple slices of cheese and ham from the items she had been given by George. While she warmed up the butter, she took out a cauldron and picked out a couple of onions, potatoes, and a tomato. She cut the tomato up into slices and laid them on the bread, which she had spread a certain mayonnaise-mustard mixture, for the sandwiches, along with the slices of cheese and ham.

Just as she began to chop up the onions and potatoes, Fred and George descended the stairs. She stopped what she was doing and watched them for a moment, trying to gauge how mad they were with her. George merely walked briskly out of the room without a glance to her, but Fred dawdled behind a bit behind before walking over to her, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“So…what did George do this time?” He asked as he watched her resume her chopping.

“First, he said that I was the size of a house elf without my heels then he insinuated that I had no sense of humor. So, I dumped the bucket of water over his head,” she said with a wry smile. She spared a glance over to Fred and saw that he was losing a battle against a smile. Bellamy let out a small laugh and shook her head before gaining a slightly apologetic expression. “The only thing I’m sorry for is breaking up your day with my sister. It wasn’t my intention whatsoever.” Fred merely gave a shrug and shook his head a bit.

“Well…she was cold so we were just coming back so she could change into something warmer,” he said softly, conveniently leaving off the bit that they were going to go to a French restaurant for lunch. He figured she was already feeling guilty enough. Bellamy stopped her actions for a moment before glancing over at him and smiling.

“I’m going to cook you two lunch,” she said softly, before glancing nervously to the doorway. She looked back to Fred and placed her hand on his arm. “But if you two show up expecting dinner, I won’t let you in.” Fred smiled a bit at the girl and let out a laugh. “If you’re going to have a proper date together, you’ve got to have a proper dinner…just the two of you.” Before Fred could protest that it wasn’t a date, Bellamy had shoved a small piece of parchment into his hand.

“Do you think you could get these for me? Just…apparate out of the room, so George doesn’t see,” she said in a hushed voice. Fred quickly glanced over the list and looked up to Bellamy.

“This is all fish and shellfish…spare a few things at the bottom,” he said softly in confusion, he glanced over the list once more before smiling in realization. “You’re going to make him bouil-” Bellamy quickly hushed him, nodding to him before glancing over to the doorway. He smirked a bit and shook his head. “You, my dear, are a very intelligent woman.” Bellamy let out a tiny laugh, shaking her head a bit as she resumed her chopping of ingredients.

“It’s my…extending of the olive branch,” she said softly, smiling a bit to herself, “I feel needed here, so I wish to stay. I don’t intend on making your brother so angry that he’ll end up kicking me out. Besides…I need to apologize for being an all around bitch to him.” Fred let out a laugh at her words and noticed that she was smirking a bit, having not taking his laugh as an offense. He then merely nodded and folded the note, putting it into his pocket.

“I’ll be back soon. If Rose comes by, just tell her I’m in the loo,” he said before turning on the spot and disappearing with a ‘pop’. Bellamy shook her head a bit, beginning to hum under her breath as she placed all the chopped items in the cauldron, along with the different herbs and spices needed for the recipe. Just as he left, Rose entered the room, toting a bucket and mop along with her. Bellamy glanced up from the cauldron, as she filled it with a bit of water from the end of her wand.

“Let me see your hands,” Rose said softly as she dropped the mop and bucket over in the corner of the room. Bellamy shook her head a bit as she stirred the cauldron around.

“They’re fine, Rose, really. They don’t even hurt,” she said stubbornly as she placed two of the sandwiches in the pan of butter. There was a heavy silence between the two of them as Rose stared at Bellamy’s profile. She suddenly drew in a deep breath of air.

“Il n’est pas Julian, Bellamy,” she said in a soft whisper, causing Bellamy to slam her hands down loudly on the counter, staring ahead blankly as her eyes watered a bit. “Vous n'avez pas besoin de le traiter comme il est celui qui a brisé le cœur.*” Bellamy shook her head a bit, pursing her lips together before looking over at Rose.

“Je sais,” she replied in a small, broken voice, nodding slowly, “il ya tellement de choses comme lui, Rose. Je suis constamment me rappeler qu'il n'est pas. Même ses manières sont comme son ... C'est vraiment étrange.**” Rose merely gave her sister a sympathetic look and wrapped her in a hug, resting her head on her shoulder. They stood there for a moment, completely silent before Rose said, in her soft, sweet voice.

“This will pass, Bellamy. And one day you will find someone that will make you forgot all the wrongs of your past.” Bellamy’s bottom lip trembled a bit as she let Rose’s words sink in. The older sibling glanced over to her and nodded a bit, quickly wiping away her tears.

“Why don’t you go and get changed?” Bellamy suggested in a watery voice. “I’ll have lunch fixed soon enough and then I’ll send you and your ‘tour guide’ on your merry, ol’ way.” Rose blushed a bit at her words before breaking away from their hug and making her way up the stairs. It wasn’t two seconds after the door to the flat shut that Fred, reapparated into room.

“Here we are then,” he said cheerfully, holding out a bag full of fish and other sorts of ocean creatures to Bellamy, which she gladly took from him.

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley,” she said, “now, if you please. Could you find a way to hold your brother off from this room for…ten minutes or so? I want it to be a surprise.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” he said, giving her a mock-salute before marching out of the room, leaving Bellamy in a cascade of laughter.

As quickly as she possibly could, still monitoring the sandwiches, she prepared all the fish, adding them in into the cauldron one by one. Once the Croque Monsieurs were done, she placed them on plates, arranging them nicely. She then began to make strawberry, yogurt, and chocolate mousse parfaits for dessert. She wasn’t really paying much attention to what was going on until she heard the voices of the twins get curiously close to the door.

“Fred, you’re hiding something from me. Now, would you let me into the back room? I have to fetch something,” George said in a loud voice. Bellamy stared over at the doorway with wide eyes before hurriedly shutting a lid on the cauldron and pushing the scraps she hadn’t used of the fish into a rubbish bin. Just as she got the last fin into the can, George strode into the room. He stood there, eyes roaming the room as if he thought something very secret was being conducted in the room. He stood there, brow furrowed, before looking over at Bellamy, who was placing the completed parfaits down on the table just beside the plates.

“What did you cook?” He asked, glancing over the small “kitchen area” she had set up to the plates on the table. Fred looked incredibly apologetic, to which Bellamy gave him a slight shake over her head, letting him know there was no need to be.

“Croque Monsieurs and parfaits,” she replied simply, suddenly becoming very interested in filling the goblets with a jet of water from the tip of her wand.