Who Needs Privacy Anyway?

by Camilla Richard

This is the sequel to Secret Passion and it's super awkward. This is for all those who requested it and for my aunt who has managed to scar me for life, not unlike the way Sep gets scarred here. R&R. I hope I manage to make a few of you laugh with this.

Disclaimer: I'm not Sage

Author's Note: Hi, someone asked for this…well three people actually. I figured I'd give them what they asked for seeing as it's been nearly two months since they asked for it. This is a mini sequel to my oneshot about Marcellus and Marcia, Secret Passion. People enjoyed that more than I originally expected them to enjoy it. This fic deals more with the way Septimus deals with Marcia's relationship with Marcellus while the last one actually dealt with Marcia and Marcellus's relationship a little more. In the next few days, you can expect a few oneshots from me. Next, I'm writing Nicko/Snorri. Why? Because I've got a really sweet idea. Literally sweet, nothing like this story. Oh well, have fun. This story is really, really, REALLY awkward and actually based on something my friends and I did. (though how accurate it is, I will not say). I wrote it at midnight listening to PokerFace. You can tell. I spent the weekend with my aunt and her new husband. I have to dedicate this to them. They had quite an influence on this, no two ways about it.

Who Cares About Privacy Anyway?

Septimus Heap, apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, wasted no time telling everyone he knew that his mentor, Marcia Overstrand, was having some kind of affair with his ex alchemy tutor, Marcellus Pye. Septimus hadn't exactly meant for Marcia's secret to get all over the Castle, but in the end, that was exactly what had happened. It wasn't long before Marcia and Marcellus were the talk of the city. Everyone had begun speculating things about them. How serious were they? Was their affair a publicity stunt? Did they like each other enough to marry? How would things be different in the Castle if Marcia and Marcellus did indeed take their relationship to the next level? Sally Mullin was making up more rumors about Marcia Overstrand than anyone else in the city. Sally had not heard any gossip as juicy as the story surrounded Marcellus Pye's relationship with Marcia. To everyone's amazement, Marcia didn't deny any of the rumors. She didn't scorn the people of the Castle for believing the stories and she didn't refer to the rumors themselves as "claptrap" or "rubbish" as she usually did when someone made something up about her that sounded particularly absurd. At last, to everyone's shock and amazement, Marcia actually confirmed the stories that had been swarming around the Castle by announcing that she and Marcellus were going to get married. Even Septimus was shocked. Secretly, he had been expecting Marcia and Marcellus to break up. He had barely been able to picture them staying together, they were very different from one another. In part, he was thrilled by the idea of Marcia being with Marcellus because he cared for them both very much, but there was another part of him that couldn't help but imagine how awkward the whole thing was going to be. He, Marcia, and Marcellus were all going to live at the Wizard Tower. Septimus remembered Marcellus mentioning that he had been to the Tower, but it had been many, many years ago and Marcellus would most likely not know his way around anymore. He imagined Marcellus stumbling around the Tower, trying to figure out where he was, and he couldn't help but laugh. Try as he might, he just couldn't picture Marcellus living with him and Marcia. They were going to have a small wedding at the end of the month and then they would be married and Septimus would have to adjust to a totally different lifestyle. He had a feeling it was going to be all kinds of awkward. He needed someone to talk with about his situation. And of course, whenever Septimus Heap needed a friend, he often turned to his adoptive sister, Jenna.

Two days after Marcia confirmed that she was indeed marrying Marcellus, Septimus found Jenna sitting in the Palace Garden, playing with Ullr. "Jen!" he called, "Jen, I don't believe it, I just don't."

Jenna looked confused. "What is it, Sep?" she asked, "What happened?"

"Surely you know." Septimus replied, "The whole city is talking about it. Marcia is marrying Marcellus."

Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed. "Well, of course I knew that, silly boy. I thought you had some more interesting news. I'm glad you have a day off though. I could use your help with-"

Septimus cut her off. "Woah, hang on a sec, Jen. You're not at all surprised or bothered by the fact that Marcia is marrying Marcellus Pye. Come on, this is Marcia were talking about. I never thought she'd marry anyone and I was sure that, if she ever did decide to tie the knot, it wouldn't be Marcellus. I mean, she hated him."

"Sep, sometimes people are funny. They have their whims. You have to admit, Marcia is not always predictable, she has done some odd things before. I'm happy for her. Maybe being in love will help her loosen up at least a little."

"But Jenna! Don't you understand how awkward this is going to be with me? It's going to be so different with Marcellus living with us. I mean, I love being around Marcellus, you know that, but I don't know if I want to watch Marcia having a relationship right in front of me. It's just weird."

Jenna nodded understandingly. "It will be all right, Sep. It might be strange at first, but you'll get used to it. I think Mum is a little upset about the whole thing though."

Septimus looked puzzled. "Mum? Why would Mum be upset?"

Jenna sighed. " Sep, she's afraid that, once Marcia marries Marcellus, you'll have you're only little family. She's worried that they'll practically become your parents. More than anything, she wants to be a part of your life. She wants a chance to be your mother. I told her not to worry. I bet Marcia will give you even more time off now that she'll have a husband to deal with."

Septimus shook his head in agreement. "I suppose. I was kind of hoping I would get a little more time off after all of this. Maybe Marcia will even let me spend the night here at the Palace more often."

"I hope so." Jenna replied, smiling. Then, her expression darkened and took on a mock naughty expression. "I'll bet she lets you stay here on her wedding night. She might even make you."

Septimus looked perplexed. "Why Jen?"

This time, Jenna laughed aloud. "You mean you don't know? How sheltered are you? Does Marcia not tell you anything?"

Septimus blushed and immediately became defensive. "Of course! She tells me lots of stuff. We just don't talk about weddings. But, now that you've brought it up, I'd love to know, what do people do on their wedding night? I never wanted to ask Marcia about it. Everyone I know gets so giggly when they talk about wedding nights. It's stupid. I just want to know what the big deal is."

Jenna still looked a bit shocked. "Sep, you're nearly thirteen. I can't believe no one has ever told you. But in any case, you deserve to know. I just don't know if I'd explain it right. See, when a man and a woman love each other enough and they get married, they umm…have relations. Let's see, well, I don't really know how to explain it. Maybe you should ask Mum or Dad about it. I don't really know all of the details. I just know it's something couples do and that their usually rather loud when they do it. It's how they make babies, that is, if they want them. Mum and Dad were always sort of loud. Back when I lived in the Ramblings, they would make love late at night, when they thought all of us children were asleep. It was sort of..bothersome."

"I'm still confused. What the heck is 'making love?'"

"Well, it's technical term is sex." Jenna answered, glancing down at her feet. She was becoming embarrassed by the path this conversation was taking.

Septimus's eyes lit up with recognition. "Wait, so you mean making love and having sex are the same thing? Nicko told me about sex sometime last year. It sounds really weird, not really something I would want to do. So you mean people have sex on the wedding night?" Septimus looked disgusted, but Jenna looked relieved. At least now, she wouldn't have to describe sex to Septimus. Apparently, Niko had already managed that. Good old Nik.

Septimus interrupted Jenna's thoughts. "Even though it sounds a bit gross, I'd still sort of like to lean a bit more about it. So many people our age are already talking about it. You know, what Marcia doesn't know won't hurt her."

"Sep, what are you babbling about? I'm confused."

Septimus cleared his throat and began to explain himself. "Although I'll admit that the idea of Marcia and Marcellus becoming intimate is a bit uncomfortable, I still think I want to be there in my room on their wedding night. It can't be that horrible, can it? Plus, I'm sort of curious."

Jenna was annoyed. "Sep, it's nothing to be curious. Please, come and spend the night with me. Give Marcellus and Marcia some space. Their wedding night is about them, not your curiosity."

Septimus lowered his head like an ashamed child. "I know." he confessed.

Jenna put her arm around Septimus's shoulders. "Listen, I promise we'll have fun that night when you come over. We can spend the whole night talking, playing games, whatever you want. I promise, you'll have more fun with me than you ever would sitting up at the Tower, hoping to overheard some of Marcia and Marcellus's…antics."

Septimus wasn't sure of that, but he said, "Of course Jen, of course. We'll have a great time."

Hours later, Septimus was savoring the last little bit of time he had left to himself before he had to return to the Tower and take a practical the next day. He had come to the conclusion that Jenna was right. He should probably spend Marcia's wedding night with Jenna at the Palace, it would most likely turn out to be quite fun anyway. He had always loved his nights in the Palace. Septimus was standing near the Mott when a familiar figure approached him, her gorgeous white blonde hair streaming out behind her. He wasn't surprised to see the figure of his older brother, Nicko, following closely behind her. "Snorri!" Septimus called, "Nicko! Hey guys!"

"Good evening, Septimus." Snorri said, flashing him a bright, lovely smile. "How are you faring today?"

"All right." Septimus answered, but he appeared dejected. Nick could see straight through him.

"What's eating you, Sep?"

"Ah, I'm just tired. I don't really want to go back and study tomorrow. Sometimes, I really wish Marcia would give me a few days off in a row. It would be so nice." Suddenly, a thought occurred to Septimus. "Hey Nik, I'm gonna sleep over at the Palace with Jen in a few weeks, you know, the night Marcia and Marcellus are getting married. I was wondering if you and Snorri would like to join us. It will be more fun if you can come. I'll see if Beetle can come as well." Septimus was excited. There was nothing more fun than getting all of his friends together. "We'd have a great time."

Nicko grinned. "We'd love to come, wouldn't we, Snorri? It will be good for you to spend the night at the Palace, give Marcia some space. It was always so weird when Mum and Dad-"

"Stop it!" cried Septimus, "Jen has already told me all about Mum and Dad. I don't want to hear anymore about it."

Nicko looked surprised. "Okay, okay, chill out, Sep, I wasn't trying to offend you. But yeah, I'd love to come and see you and Jen. It's been a while since we've all been together in one place. Mum will probably love having all of together too. Of course seeing all of us hanging out might remind her that most of her sons are still out in the Forest. Poor Mum, she's gone through so much."

"Yes, I know. She's a lovely person." Septimus replied, "I just wish I had more time to spend with her." Septimus glanced up and noticed that the sun was rapidly setting. "Well, I suppose I should get back to the Tower. Marcia is probably wondering where I am."

"Take care, Sep." Nicko said, "I'll see you soon." With that, the two youngest Heap brothers parted ways.

When Septimus finally made it back to the Wizard Tower, it was nearly dark outside. He took the spiral stairs to the top and entered his bedroom, rather tired. After a moment, he heard a knock on the door. Marcia, no doubt. "Come in." he said. The door opened and Marcia walked swiftly into his room.

"Hello Septimus," she said, "did you enjoy your day off?"

"Yes, of course," Septimus replied, "Thank you." He paused, trying to figure out how he was going to ask Marcia for permission to stay with Jenna and the others at the Palace.

Marcia didn't seem to notice that Septimus was contemplating something. "I'm sure you've studied for your practical." Marcia's words were a statement, but they sounded like a question. Septimus was a little offended. He always studied for his exams.

"Of course I studied." he insisted indignantly. I'll be ready, I promise."

"I believe you, Septimus. But remember, the practical begins at seven-thirty-two in the morning. Sharp. You can't be late or else you'll-"

"Fail, I know." Septimus finished for her. Marcia always reminded him that his tardiness would result in a horrible grade. Marcia heard the exasperation in his voice and was a bit startled. Septimus was usually so respectful.

"Septimus, what's the matter with you?" Marcia demanded, "Something is bothering you, I know it."

Septimus pulled an innocent expression. "Nothing is bothering me, Marcia, I promise. I'm just really sleepy. I'm all right."

Now Marcia was even more troubled. "Sleepy? Septimus, it's eight-thirty. I usually can't get to go to bed until ten or eleven. I don't care what you say, there's something bothering you. I just want to know what it is. Maybe I can help."

Septimus sighed. Marcia had seen straight through him. Why was she always able to read his emotions like an open book? "Do you have to get married?" he blurted, before he could stop himself.

Septimus's question caught Marcia off guard. "Septimus, what are you going on about? I don't have to get married, I want to get married."

"It's just…. I can't imagine…. I don't know. Marcia, I can't help but feel a little conflicted about all of this. I mean, of course, I care about Marcellus, but I don't know if I can think of him living here with us. It's going to be so odd. I mean, don't get me wrong, I want you to be happy. I think I want that more than anything." Septimus blushed a little, but pushed forward. "Marcia, I'm sort of well, afraid, that when you marry Marcellus, some of our relationship will be….replaced. I don't know if we'll have the same connection we have now." At last, Septimus had managed to confess what had truly been bothering him about the whole situation. "I didn't mind it that two of you were dating, actually, I found it amusing, but marriage is a big step. It changes lots of things." Septimus stopped talking. He was embarrassed. After a moment, he shook off his embarrassment, smiled, and said, "I guess I don't want to have to share your attention." Septimus expected Marcia to be disappointed. She might even scold him for being so selfish but, for the moment, Septimus didn't care. He was glad he had gathered enough courage to tell Marcia the truth. To Septimus's amazement though, Marcia wasn't angry at all. Actually, she seemed to be trying to suppress the urge to laugh.

"Septimus," she said fondly, "Let's get this straight right now. Marcellus is not going to 'replace you' as you put it. No one could ever do that, I promise. I care about you both, just in different ways. You don't need to worry about anything."

"But Marcia, Jenna told me that sometimes, people change after they get married. They're different."

"Well, I'm not going to. Septimus, I thought you knew me better than this. I'm not going to act like some love struck fool. I'm the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. What kind of leader would I be if I started putting my personal relationships before the well fare of the Castle?" Marcia glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. "It's getting late and you have to get up early in the morning. Try to get some sleep, all right? I'm going to come in here in thirty minutes and, if you're not in bed, I'm going to automatically take five points off your exam score tomorrow."

Septimus looked appalled. "Five points? Okay, okay, I'm going to bed. I told you I was tired anyway."

"Good night, Septimus." Marcia said quietly, preparing to leave his bedroom. Just as she was walking out the door, Septimus remembered that he had forgotten to ask her permission to stay with Jenna at the Palace in a few weeks.

"Um Marcia?" he called out.

"Yes?"

"Jenna and I were wondering if well, if I could go and stay with her on the night you get married. I haven't gotten to stay with Jen in a while and I figured that you and Marcellus probably want some ah, privacy."

It was Marcia's turn to blush. "You know, that's not such a terrible idea, Septimus. Thank you for being so thoughtful. But I want you back the very next night, is that clear?"

Septimus nodded. "Perfectly. I will be here."

"Good. Pleasant dreams, Septimus."

"You too." Septimus answered, but Marcia couldn't hear him. She had already left the room. Septimus could hear he heels on the wooden floor as she made her way back to her own room. Septimus felt kind of bad. He knew that he had humiliated Marcia a little by indicating that he knew why she needed privacy on her wedding night. In fact, he hadn't seen Marcia blush like that since he had walked into the bathroom in her bedroom two years earlier only to find that the toilet was clogged up. To his shock, he had found countless bloody tissues lying inside it. Like any other ten year old boy, Septimushad been horrified. When he had called Marcia into the room, she demanded to know why he had been using the bathroom in her bedroom to begin with. When Septimus couldn't give her a decent answer, she had sent him to his bedroom without up dinner, accusing him of snooping in places he had no right to be in. Septimus had noticed how much that incident seemed to embarrass Marcia and he decided to never bring it up again. Septimus still didn't know where all the blood had come from and now, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Marcia was irritable enough as it was. Embarrassing her only made that worse. Septimus sighed and turned out his lights, finally succumbing to sleep.

In the next few weeks, Septimus helped Marcia do various things to prepare for the wedding. Mostly he did the invites. It was going to be a small wedding, no two ways about that. There weren't many people Marcia actually liked being around. Septimus was reading a list of the people in the Castle and Marcia was working on some kind of mathematical spell. "Hey Marcia," Septimus began, "what about Jillie Djinn? Would you like to invite her?"

Marcia scoffed. "You're asking me if I want old bossy boots at my wedding? What's the matter with your head, Septimus? That's a definite no."

"Marcia, you're going to have to invite a few people you're not crazy about. You don't want people to think you're fussy."

"They already do." Marcia replied stiffly. "Not that I care. Septimus, you'll never be a good ExtraOrdinary if you're constantly trying to please the public. Besides, I am obligated to invite your father to the wedding and that's bad enough without inviting Jillie Djinn as well."

Septimus groaned. "I think if you really got to know Dad, you'd like him, Marcia. He's fun."

"I know him perfectly well, thank you Septimus. He's a complete scoundrel."

Septimus didn't feel like arguing with her. No one ever won when they argued with Marcia. Before too terribly long, they had established of who could come and who couldn't. It was going to be a small wedding, which Marcia seemed happy about. She mentioned something about Marcellus wanting a small wedding anyway.

Later that evening, Marcia let Septimus off to go spend a few hours with Jenna. She was going to visit Marcellus. It was nearly six so Marcellus was taking her to dinner. Septimus had until nine-thirty to be outside the Wizard Tower and he was going to make the most of it. He was going to spend the evening at Ma Custard's with Jenna and Beetle.

When he arrived, Jenna and Beetle were already there, sitting at a booth in the back of the restaurant. Septimus expected to find them sitting around talking, but, to his dismay, that was certainly not what they were doing. Jenna and Beetle were kissing passionately. Septimus was mortified. Did his friends have no shame? Why were they hooking up in a restaurant? Better yet, why were they hooking up at all? He had had no idea Jenna had feelings for Beetle, no idea at all. Quietly, Septimus muttered to himself, "Is everyone in a relationship but me?"

Unfortunately for Septimus, he didn't say these words quietly enough. A sleazy looking blonde girl who was standing behind him had caught his words. "I can help you start a relationship." she purred, grabbing Septimus by his torso and turning him around to face her. She ran her fingers up and down his chest shamelessly. Septimus was stunned. Quickly, he pushed her hands off of him and walked out of the restaurant. As he was leaving, Jenna called out, "Sep, wait!" but he ignored her. He didn't want to see anyone just then. He wanted to be alone. Septimus returned to the Wizard Tower, his night spoiled.

Marcia didn't come home at nine-thirty like she had promised she would. Instead, she didn't come in until midnight. Septimus was a little disgusted with her too. She had promised she'd be home and she hadn't been. "You're late." He said accusingly. At the sound of his voice, Marcia jumped.

"Septimus, it's so late! What on Earth are you still doing up now? We have work to do tomorrow. You need your rest. Go to bed."

Septimsu got up off the couch he had been sitting on and said, "Okay, all right, whatever." and began to make his way to his room.

"Septimus," Marcia said sternly, "You are not to talk to me like that. It is entirely uncalled for, not to mention disrespectful. "

Septimus turned to face Marcia. He noticed that her hair was messy, out of place. That her face was flushed and her clothing was a little rumbled. "I'm sorry." he said, although he didn't really mean it. Septimus knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help feeling jealous. Marcia had gotten to her evening of fun while Septimus had gotten cheated out of his. It wasn't fair. Once he got into his bedroom, he tossed and turned in bed for the remainder of the night, unable to calm down enough to sleep.

At last, the day of the wedding arrived. Septimus couldn't quite believe it. This was his last day to have Marcia all to himself. He was still a bit bothered by that, but he didn't show it. Septimus spent the whole day in a daze. He had to admit, it was a nice wedding. Both Marcellus and Marcia looked completely happy. They were an attractive couple on a lot of levels. Septimus spent a lot of the wedding and the reception with Jenna and she had spent much of the time apologizing to Septimus. "Sep," she said, "I promise Beetle and I weren't hiding anything from you, honest. Our kiss….it just sort of happened right there and then. We had never done it before. So are you still coming tonight?"

Septimus smiled. He believed Jenna. Something about her confession seemed so raw and honest. He didn't really want to believe that his friends had deceived him. In any case, he was happy for Beetle. He had been only too well aware that he had desired Jenna for quite some time. "Sure Jen, of course, I'm coming."

Jenna embraced him happily. "Thank you Sep, we'll have a great time, I know it."

Septimus ended up really enjoying his time at the wedding reception. His father, Silas, got totally wasted and, he had to acknowledge that that was a bit amusing. Septimus ended up indulging himself, eating more cake than he had ever eaten in his entire life. Marcia didn't often allow Septimus to have sweets, so he was unaccustomed to eating so much. Initially, the sugar from the cake gave him even more energy than he had had before. He even worked up enough to courage to ask a few of the girls his age to dance with him. Jenna found Septimus's behavior quite funny and took to calling him "womanizer" for the rest of the evening.

As the night went on, Septimus began to feel a little queasy. He didn't know it. It didn't take him long to realize that the amount of sugar he had taken hadn't really done wonderful things for him after all. His sugar high was wearing off and, in it's place, was a terrible stomach ache. Eventually, it got so bad that he just had to tell Jenna. He pulled her aside and whispered, "Jen, I'm not feeling good at all. I think I must have eater too much. I'm gonna try and go back to the Tower. Marcia has some stuff for stomach problems up there. I'm going to go take some medicine and I'll meet you and the others at the Palace in about half an hour."

Jenna looked worried. "Oh, all right Sep. I hope you feel better." Suddenly, Jenna's face lit up, as if a brilliant idea had just occurred to her. "Hey, I bet Mum has some herbs that could help you feel better. That way, you won't have to go rooting around through Marcia's things."

Jenna had made a tempting offer, but Septimus knew he had to refuse. "It's a good idea, Jen, it really is, but I don't want Mum to know I feel sick. It would worry her. I don't want her to worry about me on the one night I can stay with you guys."

"I understand, Sep. Good luck. Meet us there in half an hour. Remember, if Marcia's stuff doesn't work, we'll figure out something else."

"Will do, Jen." Septimus replied, "Will do." Then, he made his way to the Wizard Tower. No one even noticed him go.

Later, when Septimus was upstairs, he was beginning to feel a little dizzy. He had found what he believed to be stomach flu medicine, but it didn't seem to be working. In fact, it was making Septimus feel like the room was spinning around him. He knew he had about fifteen minutes before he had to start making his way toward the Palace. Fifteen minutes was enough time for him to lie down on his bed for a moment, wasn't it? Septimus lay his head down and suddenly, he felt very tired. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Septimus drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Septimus awoke to the sound of a door being opened. It wasn't the door to his bedroom, which was still closed. Someone had just opened the main door to Marcia's rooms. They had just walked into the kitchen area that separated Marcia's bedroom from Septimus's. No, Marcia and Marcellus's bedroom, Septimus corrected himself. He groaned a little. He looked at the time piece on his bedside table. It was one-thirty in the morning. Jenna and the others had doubtlessly started their evening at the Palace without him. What was worse, he was trapped in his bedroom and Marcia and Marcellus were doubtlessly in the sitting room. Septimus said a quick prayer that he would fall asleep again and fast, but he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. He had never been one of those people who could sleep at the drop of a hat. Even during his Young Army days when he had always been exhausted, he had sometimes had trouble sleeping. All at once, he heard Marcia talking. Through his door, he couldn't really tell what she was she was saying, but he knew the tone of her voice nearly as well as he knew his own. She was speaking softly, gently it seemed to Septimus. He was starting to get really uncomfortable. Jenna had been right. He hadn't been ready for the awkwardness. He didn't want to see this side of his tutor. This wasn't a side he was supposed to know. For a moment, it was silent. Septimus didn't even want to think about what they were doing. Even though there was a door separating him from Marcellus and Marcia, he was scared to even breathe too much. He knew that, if Marcia wanted to, she would be able to hear Septimus's heartbeat. Septimus came to the conclusion that the only reason Marcia had yet to discover his presence was that she was too distracted to pay attention to it. Marcellus was probably kissing her. Septimus shuddered, trying to shake the image from his mind.

Just as Septimus was wondering what to do next, he heard a loud, banging noise against his bedroom door and it occurred to him that Marcia and Marcellus might want to use his bedroom for their…business. But why? Septimus wondered? Why the hell would they want to do that when they had a perfectly good bedroom across the hall? This was just his luck. Quick as wink, Septimus jumped off his bed and clmbed underneath it, thankful he hadn't bothered to get under the covers earlier. His timing was perfect. As soon as he was under the bed and situated, Marcia and Marcellus entered and climbed onto the bed. Septimus's lungs were aching and he snuck as small grip. More than anything, he wanted to be a Jenna's, which was doubtlessly where Marcia thought he was. "I figured we'd start here." Marcia murmured, "After all, Septimus brought us together."

Marcellus didn't respond verbally, but Septimus heard the sound of their lips meeting and fought the overwhelming urge to gag. He heard the bed's box springs creak as they climbed onto the bed, kissing each other all the while. Septimus took breaths as little as possible. He was miserable.

Time passed. It could have been minutes or hours. Septimus didn't know. All he knew was that he had just lived through the most awkward thing he had ever experienced. It was hard for Septimus to believe that, a mere few weeks earlier, he had been unfamiliar with the term "making love." Now, he had experienced it firsthand. Well, he hadn't had to see it, thank God, but he had had no trouble hearing it. It had been the single most odd thing Septimus had ever experienced. On one hand, he was happy for Marcia and Marcellus. They were happy and sharing something special, something personal. Without setting out to do so, he had intruded on their night together and they didn't even know it. It made him fell all kinds of guilty. And, aside from that, the idea of Marcia making love to anyone still kind of unsettled him.

Finally, Septimus heard Marcia pulling herself off the bed. Marcellus followed. From where Septimus was lying under the bed he could just make out Marcia's silhouette in the darkness, now that she was standing up. She still couldn't see him. Although Septimus could see her, after a moment, he didn't want to. Septimus preferred looking at Marcia when she still had her clothes on. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, to his relief, Marcia and Marcellus were gone, doubtlessly gone on to her bedroom now. Septimus sighed. How many times could a couple do that? It actually seemed sort of nasty. He wondered if he was ever going to get married. He couldn't imagine "making love" to anyone. He pulled a face, even though there was no one there to see it. As soon as he heard the door to Marcia's bedroom close and bolt, he got out from underneath his bed and walked out of the room. He was going to the Palace and he was going now. He had no intention of explaining to Marcia what he was doing in her rooms first thing in the morning. Although he was physically tired, Septimus knew he wouldn't sleep at the Palace. He was, for lack of a better term, scarred. He had no desire to sleep. As he was walking across the parlor to the door, he heard a voice whisper, "Hold your horses, sonny!" Septimus jumped.

"Who is it?" he whispered in return, loud as he dared. Then, to his amazement, his father stepped forward from the back of the parlor. "Dad, what are you doing here?" Septimus demanded.

"Well, Sarah sent me to get you, but I brought a camera here with me. I saw you were asleep and I put it in the back of your room next to your pile of Magyk books. It was filming the entire time they were screwing around. I just hid out here behind a few chairs and they never noticed me. Not that they were out here long." Silas seemed really giddy. "I can't wait to watch it."

Septimus was stunned. "Dad!" he exclaimed, "Dad, you pervert."

Silas's face changed a nasty purple color. "Don't you dare call me a pervert!" he raged, screaming at the top of his lungs. Septimus tried to silence him, but to no avail. He realized that his father was doubtlessly still drunk. (AN-Good old Silarse…..)

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Dad." Septimus said urgently, "Just please be quiet, we don't want to get-" Septimus froze in midsentence. There was Marcia, standing in the door way of her bedroom. She was now wearing a bath robe, but her cleavage was still perfectly visible. Silas grinned in amusement.

"Good morning, Marcia." He said, as if he had just run into her on the side of the road. "Are you having fun?" He put emphasis on the word fun. Marcia looked as angry as Septimus had ever seen her.

"Get out of here!" she screeched, "I could get you arrested for this. In fact, I think I will. I just can't believe…ah, you sick bastard! And Septimus…." Marcia's voice trailed off. She looked a bit betrayed. Septimus's heart sank. Luckily for him, he didn't have to respond. Silas had him covered.

"Keep your shirt on, Marcia. Whoops! I guess that's not a very good expression to use right now, considering that you've probably spent much of this night topless." Marcia gasped, and raised her right arm, as if to curse Silas. But Septimus cut her off by crying out, "Don't!"

Silas smiled at his son. "Thanks, my boy." he said. "Listen, don't blame Sep for any part of this, all right? We weren't here for any unusual reasons. Nicko is not feeling good and Septimus happened to know where some medicine was here. That's all, we were just coming to get it. We're leaving."

Marcia still looked disgusted, but she seemed to believe him. "If you're not out of here in one minute, Silas Heap, I'll have you removed, you can count on it."

"All right, okay, we're going." Silas through his arm around his son and they walked out of the door. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Silas said, "That was fun." Septimus didn't reply. It had not been particularly "fun" in his opinion, not at all.

Septimus ended up spending the rest of the night in the Palace. Everyone else was already asleep when Septimus and Silas arrived there, so they soon decided to follow suit. Hours later, the first rays of sunlight made their way into the sky and Septimus awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking the kitchen.

Of course, Jenna, Nicko, Beetle, and Snorri wanted to know what had really happened the night before and he told them everything, well, everything except the parts he didn't even want to think about. By the time he finished talking, all of his friends were feeling very sorry for him. Septimus loved that. He wanted some kind of pity after having to endure the most awkward thing he had ever experienced in his life. He knew he had promised Marcia he would return to the Tower the day after the wedding and so, he didn't have much of a choice but to return. Reluctantly, he said good bye to his friends and his parents and left the Palace.

When he reached the Tower, Marcia was in a foul mood. He felt sort of bad for her. Silas really had managed to wreck her wedding night. When Septimus came in the door, Marcia immediately gave him an enormous list of things he had to complete "as soon as possible." When Marcia left a little later to run some errands, Septimus got a chance to ask Marcellus some questions. "Hey Marcellus, what the heck is up with Marcia? I figured she'd be happy today."

"Me too." Marcellus concurred, "but she's troubled. This morning, when she was going to the Manuscriptorium to drop something off, a bunch of men her age started wolf whistling at her and making comments about her body. Normally, she ignores that sort of stuff, but apparently they were able to describe what kind of underwear she wears to bed and…and lots of other personal things that no one would know unless they had seen her at night. She thinks your father was spying on her last night, but she doesn't have any proof. I tried to tell her that they're just making up things, but she didn't listen. You know Marcia, when she comes to a conclusion about something, no one can tell her anything different."

Septimus nodded in agreement, but he didn't answer Marcellus. He realized what Silas must have done. If men Marcia's age knew what she looked like in her underwear, that could only mean one thing. Silas had doubtlessly shown the film he had made of Marcia and Marcellus in the bedroom the some of his friends. Marcia didn't know the film existed, which was probably a good thing. However, she wasn't stupid. She had guessed that Silas most likely had something to do with the fact that so many men she didn't even know knew what she looked like in her most private of moments. Septimus knew that he should turn Silas in. He should admit to Marcellus that his father had made a video, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He didn't actually want to get Silas into trouble. Even he didn't always agree with what Silas considered "a good time" he was his father. Septimus was only too well aware that, if his father was caught, he could end up in prison. Violation of privacy was a heinous crime in the Castle. So although he was disappointed in Silas, he decided to keep his mouth shut. If his father got caught, it wouldn't be because of him.

For the next few weeks, Marcia was harassed by random citizens about her bedroom habits. Eventually, she got so tired of their comments that she began to hex anyone who ventured a comment about it. That stopped the gossip pretty quickly and before long, no one talked about Marcia anymore. Nobody in the Castle had any desire to receive a hex from Marcia Overstrand. After people stopped addressing Marcia about her personal life, she became much happier, much to the delight of Marcellus and Septimus, both of who were getting rather tired of her temper. For a while, things were rather normal again until one night, when Marcia gave Septimus another night off, one which he gladly accepted. He didn't want to relive the awkwardness of the wedding night if he could avoid it.

As Septimus made his way to the Palace, he noticed that it was growing dark outside. He stopped to watch what remained of the setting sun. Suddenly he felt a pair of legs wrap around his waist and a pair arms circle around his neck. Someone had jumped onto his back, someone had straddled him. "Who the hell are you?" Septimus demanded. Usually, Septimus wasn't the cursing sort, but shock had a tendency to make profanity slip from his lips.

"You mean you don't remember me?" asked a seductive, female voice. "Most boys do." The girl released her grip and slid off Septimus's back. He got a good look at her and strangely enough, he recognized her at once. It was the blonde he had seen in Ma Custard's the day he had caught Beetle snogging Jenna.

"Hey, you're that girl I saw in Ma Custard's that day." He said, recalling how he had rather disliked her then. Now, however, he found her appearance somewhat appealing.

"Hello Septimus." she said, "My name is Cassie. I hear your tutor likes to have fun. Do you?" She flashed him a wink that made his stomach flip. It was so hard to believe that a mere few weeks ago, he had considered this girl disagreeable. Now, looking at her brought on a trail of naughty thoughts that circled through his brain. A month ago, Septimus would have turned and left this girl, without even bothering to answer her. Now, though, things were different. He felt different.

"Yeah." he replied, "Yeah I do."

Cassie smiled and slapped him on the back. "Good." Then, she held at her hand, and he took it. He had no idea where this evening was going to go, but he didn't really care. He was starting to enjoy adventures more than he had. Without warning, Cassie leaned over and kissed his neck. Septimus blushed three shades of red. He to admit it, he had loved that. He wanted her to kiss him again. Septimus allowed himself a half smile. Maybe, if I a simple kiss was so delightful, making love wouldn't be so horrible either. Of course, he didn't want to do it now, but perhaps someday, with a girl as lovely as Cassie, it might even be fun. Septimus became bolder. He leaned forward and kissed her lips.

Snap! Septimus heard the sound of a camera from behind the bushes and all at once, he stopped kissing Cassie. "Someone's taking our pictures. We'll be all over town tomorrow."

"So? I like a little publicity. Who needs privacy anyway?"

Septimus was beginning to like Cassie's carefree attitude. He leaned forward and kissed her more. He really didn't care what people were going to say about him tomorrow. Tomorrow was a world away and he would deal with it when he got there. He had hours of paradise ahead of him between now and then.