Oscar Whitman had been keeping a low profile for the past few months. Luckily his rapidly cooling relationship with Liadán had given him the perfect reason to spend more time working and less time socializing. His logic was that if he stayed out of of the public eye  as much as possible, it might keep the speculation about his personal life to a minimum. Of course, planning to try and give the media less fodder to work with often just gave them liscence to make assumptions.

As he sat at his desk at the end of the work day, he happened to glance at his appointment book that his assistant had left open after they had gone through his next day's schedule. His brow went up as he noticed a tiny graphic that had been drawn at the bottom of the page. Closer inspection revealed that it was his own doing and not hers. Now Oz was no artist, but it was a decent looking picture of a little birthday cake with "A.R." scrawled on it.

Oz smirked, immediately recalling an incident earlier in the year when one of his notations had led to an atrocious flower bouquet being sent by his assistant who hadn't known any better. Apparently his vague sketch had prevented that from happening again. Or at least by accident, anyway.

Oz absently reached out and pulled his suit jacket from the back of his desk chair and slipped it on. After pulling it straight and making sure that his shirt cuffs peeked through the jacket sleeves just perfectly. Then he headed out of the office.


After a brief detour to do some shopping, Oz arrived at his intended destination with a few packages in tow. Surveying the surroundings, Oz was pleased that the little stoop of the house would be just enough to showcase his little superfluous display of birthday well wishes.

From the packages (which were charmed to carry more than their appearance), he pulled vase upon vase of every type of flower imaginable -- or at least all of the ones that he felt would still able to bloom in the frigid temperatures that likely existed in the home of Aileen Reid -- and set them out neatly onto the stoop.

With that task complete, he stood back and actually ventured a wicked grin. He chanced a look around again and caught a neighbor looking at him like he was a runespoor with all three heads intact.

Shrugging, he posed, "So? She doesn't get many visitors?"

The neighbor's face scrunched up with displeasure and without answering, he scurried away.

Oz shrugged again and spotting the bush in the front yard, he slipped behind it. Whipping out his wand, he aimed it at the door bell and murmured a quick spell. Then he waited for the famed Ice Queen of Muggle London to answer.

After a long, eventful day at Hogwarts, Aileen and her little sister had gone home to continue the celebration. Thankfully, the celebration was much more subdued than the surprise she'd gotten in the Runes classroom. Abby had given Aileen a cupcake and told her that her gift had not yet arrived, which was completely fine with Aileen.

She sat in front of the vanity upstairs, taking off her makeup and combing through her hair, while Abby babbled about earrings and puppies and how the castle needed updated decorating. When the bell rang, Aileen gave her sister a suspicious look, but Abby was just as surprised, and bounded down the stairs with typical teenage speed.

As the crup barked, Aileen heard the door open, and her sister let out a loud squeal. She hurried down the rest of the steps. "What? What is it?"

"Look!"

A wide array of flowers in vases littered the porch. But they might as well have been sneering garden gnomes considering how she reacted.

"Oh, no." Aileen ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.

"This is wonderful!" Abby stepped outside to inspect the flower delivery.

"This is terrible! Abby, go inside."

"I want to check the-"

"I will check," she brushed past her and picked up a vase, then pointed imperiously at the doorway, where Abby trudged her feet in like it was killing her.

Aileen straightened, peering around the quiet muggle neighborhood. The flowers hadn't pressed the doorbell, she was sure of that.

There! A familiar figure by the bushes. She clutched the vase in her hand and edged forward, having the strange, fleeting thought that at least she was still in her professor robes and hadn't changed into a nightgown so early in the evening.

When the figure moved, Aileen let out a rather hilariously dramatic gasp, but Merlin, he was lurking in the bushes! Nevermind that he looked dapper in that jacket.

"Oz Whitman," she shook the bouquet in his face. "What is this?"

Oz heard Abby's squeal of glee and tried to peek around the bush branches to watch for the (even) older Reid to appear after her. He was hardly disappointed by the immediate expression of disapproval that he gleaned from Aileen's face. Briefly he considered that he must be the only wizard around who actually wanted a woman to be displeased with a gift he had given her. But such was the cause and effect of their contentious relationship.

He watched the exchange between the two sisters with interest and noted that Aileen probably never let Abby have any fun in her life. And that was just Aileen in big sister mode. One could only imagine the woman having children. Maybe it's a good thing we never had any then, Oz mused.

His sarcastic thinking was interrupted by Aileen finally spotting him hiding behind the bush. Seeing no reason to pretend otherwise, Oz stepped forward, trying to keep his expression neutral.

After feeling fairly certain that she would not throw the current vase she was holding at him or crack it over his head, Oz slipped his hands into his pockets and answered her question. "What is it? Why, Aileen, my sweet snapdragon, this is my birthday present to you. You don't like it?" He asked with feigned horror. "With all of your other suitors sure to be showering you with ostentatious displays of their affection -- which I know you despise --" he paused and made a face to match the word, "-- I wanted to make sure I selected something perfect for the occasion. And I thought to myself, 'Oscar Whitman, what could you possibly give her that would show her exactly what she means to you?' And I settled on flowers because not only do they have the potential to be unbelievably ugly or beautiful depending how one chooses to look at them, they also are destined to die."

Smirking finally, he arched a brow and posed, "Wonderous statement of my adoration, wouldn't you say?"

There he went, launching into a sarcastic diatribe. She would not be surprised if he'd practiced it, standing there in the bushes for Merlin knew how long. Though she sensed that somehow, somewhere a neighbor must be peeping at the strange scene they made, Aileen kept her gaze locked on Oz's face, narrowing her eyes when he smirked.

"Morbid, I would say."  Upon hearing her tone, a flower petal fell from the bouquet she held and landed on her foot.

She shook her head at him, "I'm underwhelmed, Oz. No song and dance this time? Flowers, again? To think I once thought you clever."

Granted, a small part of her was glad that he'd learnt enough not to send a dozen obnoxious flower displays to the school, but she was still irritated that he'd resorted to bothering her at home, and even more irritated that she couldn't help but wonder why. How had he even remembered her birthday? Aileen would have to send that old secretary of his a well-deserved Howler.

"You do remember how well our last meeting went." Aileen quirked an eyebrow at him. If he liked, she could Accio a glass of water for him to choke on.

"Yet here you are, lurking in the bushes and accumulating leaves like a common garden jarvey."[1] On impulse, she plucked a twig from his jacket lapel. "Not attractive."

1.	Overgrown ferrets that are sometimes used to hunt garden gnomes

"So melodramatic," Oz chided quietly with a twist of his lips. He ventured from his previous spot and slowly stepped in her direction. He expected her critical response, but even that could hardly deter his enjoyment of the moment. "You know I don't sing, Aileen. But dancing....now that is something you know I do quite well. I whirled you around the dance floor at our wedding like it was nothing."

He raised his brows as he circled around her. "Forgive me for not being more original; If only I hadn't wasted most of my good ideas and enthusiasm years ago. Perhaps I am wiser now to save what remains of my romantical notions in the off chance someone manages to catch my eye again."

Finally not caring about what she might do if he got closer, Oz came to a stop in front of her. When she brought up their last meeting, his jaw twitched with annoyance. "Yes, I remember just fine. As I recall, I spent a good portion of it reminding you of your place as a fine pureblooded woman in society. Consider this as a kindly checkup that you are still following the path of reason," he hummed with a smirk.

He flinched when she reached for the errant twig on his jacket. With equal impulse, Oz's hand flew up to catch hold of hers, grasping it with an intensity that likely startled them both.

His crystalline eyes darkened as he gazed down into her face. And he tilted his head to the side and squinted as if trying to get a better look at something he saw. He caught a glint of something dangling from her ear. His eyes widened as it dawned on him what it meant. "Oh my my....the little snapdragon has found an admirer. One with such interesting tastes, I might add..."

Aileen froze, eyes widening when he caught her hand in his. She neither pulled away nor moved closer as she held his gaze, thoughts racing. But then he mentioned the earrings. For just an instant, her eyelashes flickered downward.

"I could have bought them," she met his eyes again. "But no, you immediately assume admirer."

Aileen did not want to talk to Oz, of all people, about Tapendra's gift. Gifts. She'd let him win the battle of wills tonight if it meant avoiding a conversation that would completely ruin her birthday. He could mock their wedding, he could scorn romantic notions, and his jaw could twitch from now until midnight for all she cared, but she was not entertaining his twisted sense of fun any longer.

"If you're only here to 'check up on me'," she began in a low tone, pushing the vase into his arms with her free hand. He'd catch it or he wouldn't; didn't matter to her.

"Then kindly vanish these away. And yourself while you're at it."

Oz's blue eyes darkened as they remained locked onto the face of his ex-wife. A small moment of triumph surged through him as he watched her expression, looking for tell tail signs of what thoughts might be coursing through her pretty little head. He noted the dip in her gaze and then her feeble response to his assumption of an admirer, doing very little to dispel the claim.

"You bought them?" he scoffed incredulously, shifting slightly to take a longer gander at them. "Oh no, no, no. I don't think so." A sly smile slowly crawled onto his lips. Now it was his turn to dip his head, but he was trying to stifle his amusement at her ability to say such a thing and mean it. Or if she did mean it, then she had changed more drastically from the staunch pureblooded woman he had once been married to than he thought possible.

In a quieter voice, he finally added, "So this is your style these days? When did this happen? I remember your tastes being far more expensive. Well, no wonder I failed as a husband," he sarcastically put forth.

Oscar saw her shift in mood and accepted the vase of flowers with a half raised brow. She was giving up their contentious banter? Who was this woman in front of him?

Disappointed, Oz finally released her hand. But instead of making any effort to leave, he poi nted to the front door. "Vanish? But you haven't even invited me for a drink."

She should have known that Oz would see through such a flimsy excuse. Like most rich purebloods he recognized value, and the earrings were well under thousands of galleons. They were rather unique looking though, and Tapendra hadn't picked them out based on brand or status or whatever was the most expensive. Aileen suddenly remembered Abby saying that they matched her eyes.

But Oz's sarcasm cut through her thoughts, and she glared at him, refusing to answer. As soon as he released her hand, Aileen crossed her arms and stepped back. Her toes were cold enough on the bare porch; she needed only a carrot nose and a pair of coal eyes to complete the frosty image.

"Is that in your appointment book too?" Aileen wondered mockingly, unable to let him get the last word in. "Hide out on my porch, bring me flowers I don't want, and then presume to come in for a drink? You should be more careful, Oz. Alcohol is less gentle than water when you sputter like a fool."

Aileen let out a sigh and turned, opening the front door and glancing at him over her shoulder.

"If you're not going to vanish them away... the least you can do is bring them in."

A bit of gleeful triumph surged through Oz as Aileen's expression seemed to confirm all that he wanted to know, all the while leaving so much untold that he simply had to uncover. And now that she had fed his curiosity, she was going to be hard pressed to send him away empty handed of information.

After stepping back away from her, he clasped his hands loosely at his back as he flashed her a sly grin. "You ought to know by now that my appointment book has a mind of its own. But come now, Aileen. It hasn't always been out to ruin you," he told her. After a beat, he proffered, "Not me, mind you. The appointment book.

She recalled their Valentine's Day meeting and he shrugged. "I've been made to look a fool over much more than water, my dear." He practically bounded up the stoop after her. Before he slipped through the front door, he turned and with a flick of his wrist, he cast a spell that had the flower arrangements following behind them, to be deposited in the hallway just inside.

Oz then clasped his hands casually at his back and proceeded to observe Aileen's ice cave habitat. "Well," he drawled, "I love what you've done with the place. Says perfectly that there's no Old Maid who lives here. None. At. All."

Aileen gave Oz a funny look when he followed her into the house with a bounce in his step. And had she caught a boyish grin from him earlier? Very strange. It was enough to make her barely notice how he'd levitated the flowers into the foyer rather than lift a finger, his pureblood ego making him oblivious to any muggle snoops in the area.

"Oh I'm sorry," she drawled back. "I'd forgotten that the decor of young twenty-somethings is more to your liking now."

The instant it was out of her mouth, she regretted it. Since she'd heard his relationship with Liadan had cooled, Aileen hadn't planned on mentioning the fling unless he persisted about the earrings.

Avoiding his gaze for a moment, Aileen picked up a vase and brought it into the kitchen, hiding a smirk behind the flowers as the crup slobbered on Oz's shoes. His presence seemed to fill the room, a contrast to the minimal, coolly feminine surroundings. She set the vase down and finally looked at him, then gestured at the faucet.

"Old Maid water on tap," she rolled her eyes up. "Unless you'd prefer to live more dangerously." Of course her wine cabinet was well stocked... she needed it whenever she received an owl from him.

"You also must have forgotten that the extent of my decor expertise is derived from  being a bachelor," Oz pointedly interjected, his blue eyes watching her carefully. Then he added, "So I guess you could say that I don't rather care much for what a feminine touch might bring into my life."

Aileen's words had hit on a soft spot. He had naively thought that his dating Liadan had been going well. But apparently he had put himself too far out there and had allowed himself to hope for too much, especially from one so young. So in that respect, Aileen's words were not that far off base. It was just regrettable that it was she, his ex, who happened to be pointing it out.

But perhaps that was what exes were for, no?

This thought accompanied him as Oz followed her into the kitchen, trying to discourage her pet from following. Oz had never been one for pets and he marveled that Aileen had the patience for them either. Or rather, they had patience for her.

Still, Oz made his way there without any mishaps, save perhaps the shoes he was wearing, which were as easily replaceable as a cufflink. Leaning casually on the counter, Oz let a slow rumble of a chuckle sound in his throat when she implied the kind of drink he might prefer. "Oh come now. You mean you don't want to share a birthday drink with an old friend?" He nodded gravely at her. "You look like you could use one..."

“Why, thank you,” Aileen brought her hand to her heart, turning to face him as he leaned against the counter. “Just what every woman wants to hear on her birthday.”

His remark about using a drink had been mild, as snide remarks went. Perhaps he hadn't even meant it as snide. But the bit about old friends stuck in her head. Oddly enough, she supposed Oz Whitman was one of her oldest 'friends', though she doubted he cared about the long day she’d had, the letter her mother had sent, or the gift Miss Foley had given her. She could tell him, but why would she? He wouldn't understand, wouldn't be able to relate, and would likely mock her just as she mocked his dedication to the Ministry. So Aileen kept a wall up between them; a wall that was becoming more and more difficult to breach these days.

Still, Aileen found herself opening the cabinet to fetch two wine glasses and the bottle of Riesling in the fridge. Oz should realize that like the flowers, the drinks meant nothing. At least that was how she chose to see it.

Pouring them both a drink, she stopped at half a glass so as not to encourage him to overstay his welcome.

"To old friends," Aileen raised her glass to his with a smirk. "And to avoiding romantic entanglements."

She arched a questioning eyebrow at him, taking a sip. Though she doubted her remark would get him to reveal what had happened with Liadan, she couldn't just let the opportunity pass her by.