A/N: It's been a while since I last wrote anything for this site. I hope you enjoy this fanfic as much as I enjoy writing it. Please R&R if you have the time!

Disclaimer: None of the characters depicted in this fanfic (except Clarice) belong to me - they are all products of J.K. Rowling's imagination.

LEAVE LOVE TO FATE

"And I've ordered the most divine white roses," Clarice gushed to her new friend, Parvarti, whom had interviewed her earlier in the month for Witch Weekly.

Clarice had been flattered when Parvati had asked to interview her and Marcus for the popular magazine. It was during that interview that she had found that the two of them had much in common, including an obsession with beauty potions, men, and a whole host of other things. At first, Marcus had been surprised by the Gryffindor's constant presence in his home, but while it continued to irritate him slightly, he kept his mouth shut to avoid annoying Clarice.

His desire to refrain from aggravating Clarice was the unfortunate reason the three of them were sitting in Marcus' parlor, which had not been in use since before the war when his mother used it to entertain guests. It unnerved him that they were there now, and he kept expecting his mother to come into the room dressed in her white robes and long chain of pearls.

"It'll be the best party of the year for sure," Parvati gushed, examining the pristine invitation cards.

Marcus grimaced as he watched the two girls drone on about how great Clarice's first party in Britain would be. He lowered his chin to his palm. Despite how hard he tried to forget what Alicia had told him, his mind kept drifting back to it.

"What do you think of these gold rimmed plates, Marcus?" Clarice pointedly looked at her lover.

He looked up at Clarice and smiled vacantly, "They look good."

Clarice pouted, inwardly scowling. Marcus had not been paying her nearly enough attention lately. It was almost as though he had found another woman. She laughed mentally at the thought. There was just no way. As rich as he was, Marcus was far from good looking enough to find a mistress who could please him more than she already did.

Parvati flipped through the pages of a catalogue that Clarice had picked up earlier from Madame Malkin's dress robes store. "This would look great on you, Clarice."

Clarice moved closer to look at the glossy photo. "You have such good taste, Parvati," she suddenly leaned in confidentially, "For the longest time I worried there would be no one that I would like in Britain."

"Oh?" Parvati raised her eyebrows, flattered. She greatly enjoyed visiting with Clarice, particularly since she could later boast about her visits to the enamored men at her office. It was too amusing to see how they reacted.

"Yes," she continued, her rouged lips pursing into a frown, "Why, we were just at this restaurant where we met this dowdy school mate of yours."

Parvati leaned forward in subtle interest. As a reporter, she couldn't help but be curious, and Clarice always did have the best gossip.

"She was with this old man, and my, she looked horrible! She obviously still does not know how to use beauty spells properly." Clarice chortled.

"Who exactly did you see?" Parvati asked, quickly pressing a hand to the waves she had set in her hair earlier in the day.

"Ah, I don't remember her name," Clarice turned back to Marcus, "What was the name of that witch we ran into on Saturday?"

Marcus looked up, startled to have joined the conversation again, "Oh. That was Katie Bell."

He was about to return to his thoughts, but Parvati's fixed smile caught his eye. It interested him, as he recalled that Parvati had been in the same house as Katie. Though she had had a tendency to pick fights with him, Katie had been rumored to be extremely kind to her fellow Gryffindors, especially the younger students. His curiosity was satisfied when Clarice noticed her friend's expression.

"Do you know her?" Clarice asked carefully.

Marcus hid a grin. Had Clarice been sorted at Hogwarts, she would've been immediately sorted into Slytherin.

"She used to date my fiancé," Parvati shrugged.

Marcus' interest peaked. He knew it! Bell had been shagging Oliver Wood all those years.

"Oh, really?" Clarice put a hand to her mouth, "Well, you are much better looking. He is a lucky man to have gotten you."

Parvati smiled at Clarice, "Well, more like I got him."

Clarice's polite smile widened, "You managed to snag him from under her eyes?"

Parvati laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. Her embarrassment faded quickly, though, when she realized she was amongst people who were rumored to have a great distaste for Katie. "Yes. It took her six months to realize. But I felt so terribly guilty," she added almost as an afterthought.

Marcus highly doubted that. It was clear that she had enjoyed the whole thing, and was proud that she had managed to snag Wood. He looked at his lover surreptitiously; Clarice was clearly enjoying Parvati's story if her leaning and wide eyed stare were any indication.

"Oh no, we women live in a world where the weak get stolen from," Clarice emphasized enthusiastically, "We need to be strong in order to get what we want."

Marcus frowned as he listened to her passionate speech. Though a Slytherin, his high breeding, and formal mother had taught him the importance of honesty in a relationship. Granted, he – like every other normal wizard, was interested in the idea of a threesome, but the idea of supporting infidelity annoyed him. Particularly considering that the woman who had been spurned was the owner of the bra he was currently keeping in his sock drawer.

Parvati nodded back at Clarice, "I know what you mean. But goodness, she was so infuriated. I've never seen anyone cry so much."

"Well, someone always loses out in this world. Especially in the game of love," Clarice shrugged her shoulders unsympathetically, her wavy blonde hair billowing around her.

Marcus frowned. Bell bawling her lungs out? He had expected better of her. Didn't she at least get a few punches in?

"I'm glad I got him in the end," Parvati nodded, "He's really starting to make his mark in the quidditch world right now. It makes being spat at worth it."

Marcus snorted. Wood? The back-up keeper on the Puddlemere United team? He had read in the newspaper that he was really losing his touch, even being threatened with losing his position on the reserve team.

Clarice raised her eyebrows delicately, "The girl spat at you?"

Parvati grimaced in disgust, "She did. The little bitch."

Marcus smirked. Though he wasn't particularly fond of Bell, he had to admit she had guts. And at the moment, he was liking her more than Clarice's new friend whose high pitched voice was getting on his nerves.

"Yes, well, your fiancé is just lovely. He must be happy to have you," Clarice's eyes glinted as she steered the subject away to a more tasteful one, "You really must have him here for dinner sometime."

Parvati smiled, nodding her head emphatically. "Of course. I'll let you know when my schedule is free."

Marcus drifted back into his own thoughts as their conversation returned to Clarice's party. So, Bell was cheated on. This would make for interesting blackmail.