A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed, your feedback was greatly appreciated by my inner review whore :) Yes, been a bit busy with such things as finals, etc... but hey, fic continues to ensue. I forgot to mention last chapter, though, a big thank you to Loopily for the invaluable Brit-picking and helping my uncultured self remain true to the country in which HP takes place.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. And with finals, I do not have time to shag anything either.
~*~
There was about a week of getting accustomed to their living conditions, and then the decision arose, somehow, that perhaps they should get some work. Perhaps it was after Penelope bought a piano and decided to give lessons to any number of small Muggle children. Marcus decided that he did not like sitting around watching small Muggle children take up all her attention. Even IF she was earning money. And then there was the fact that it made him feel vaguely lazy. Miss Perfect would disapprove, he was sure...
She had been pleased to hear that he wanted to get a job, and between her smiles and cheerful suggestions and excited ramblings she'd told him that she was proud of him and given him a rather impulsive hug.
He might have been inclined to take advantage of the fact had she not rapidly pulled away and escaped to the kitchen, saying that she had to cook dinner.
He soon found a job for a local office building as a 'bookkeeper', and soon proceeded to learn that doing maths the Muggle way was boring and tedious. It was perhaps a godsend that one of Penelope's students had left a small machine called a 'Gameboy' at their flat and she explained the use of said item to him.
It was before long that he bought one for himself, Charmed it to look like that Muggle math-doing machine known as a calculationer or whatever it was called, and spent his days making and breaking records on Super Mario while a covertly cast Arithmancy spell did all his work.
What Penelope didn't know would never hurt her, and moreover, the Game Boy was a saving grace from the myriad of inconveniences of being in the Muggle world.
~*~
That afternoon Kimberly Weston came for her lesson.
Penny really liked the girl. Eight years old, the daughter of a widower businessman whose long working hours made for both a sharp sense of observation and independence and a maturity beyond her years in his daughter. Mr. Weston lived three floors below, and Kimberly "call me Kimmie!" came twice a week to learn piano... and just to talk.
"I'd taken some piano lessons before," Kimmie had told her the first time she came, "But then a year ago dad moved and we just never had time to find a teacher. I'm glad you teach. How long have you taught? Who is your favourite student?"
Kimmie played tolerably, though she didn't always like to practice her scales. She called Penelope Ms. Lexa and often stayed to talk after lessons.
"My nanny brings her son over," she whispered that day, after sight-reading the first page of Fur Elise. "He's REALLY annoying. Thinks that just because he's a bloke, he can PICK on me. His name's Dustin and he's ten. Are all boys annoying?"
"No, dear, they're not, now will you play it again?" Penelope (Alexa Fasulo, piano teacher) asked gently.
Kimmie made a little face, but tried again. She fudged a little bit on the accompaniment.
"It still sounds like the song is supposed to," she said conspiratorially.
"Better," Penelope agreed, "Now, just play that section again."
Three tries and several more observations later, the clock tolled, signalling the end of the lesson. Kimmie grinned. "Can I stay for a few minutes, Ms. Lexa? Or do you have another student?"
"You know you're my last lesson of the day, Kimmie," Penny told her gently, "Sure, you can stay for a few minutes." Idly, she played a few cadences on the piano. C major, a minor.
"So when did you learn to play?"
"When I was a little girl, I was four and a half when I started."
"And then?"
"I kept playing... until I was eleven," Penelope told her, "And then I went to boarding school."
"And then?"
"I played summers when I was home, and winters. And then I took another year of them after I left school."
"When did you meet Mr. Lexa?" Kimmie asked curiously. "In school?"
Mr. Lexa! "That's not his name, sweetheart."
~*~
Marcus came home early, tucking the 'calcula-whatever' into his pocket before he walked into the flat. There was the sound of quiet conversation, but no little sprog banging on the instrument. So it was the end of a lesson. If he recalled correctly, it was that little Weston girl who lived downstairs.
He was just about to call out when he heard Penny's voice. "Yes, I met him in school."
Who the deuce was she talking about, Nerdy Weasel? Why the devil was she talking about HIM!? Scowling just a bit, he inched forward.
The little Weston laughed a bit. "Was he annoying?"
Penelope didn't know quite what to say. "Well... he wasn't in my year, so I didn't know him well. I suppose he was a bit annoying at times."
Marcus smirked. He couldn't agree more with THAT. Although Weasel was more than just a BIT annoying, and he really couldn't see why someone like Penelope would... although it was probably Weasel who... she was way too good for him, and... no he didn't just think that.
"But you still married him," Kimmie giggled, "Is it because he's handsome?"
Marcus froze. No, Penelope WASN'T talking about Nerdy Weasel after all.
Penelope paused. He wasn't exactly 'handsome' by conventional standards. And she usually preferred more gentlemanly, academic types. And who Kimmie saw occasionally... WASN'T Marcus. It was all a lie, but not quite.
"No, I didn't marry him because he's handsome, dear, but because I love him."
"I'm glad to hear that," Marcus called out from the entrance of the room, and both of them looked up. Kimmie gave him a saucy, childish smile, but Penelope's face blushed like a rose.
She could have said that, really, just to give a suitable answer to the question. And then, as the child bounced off the piano stool and stepped back, Marcus stepped forward to stand in front of his 'wife'. Idly brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, he gazed down at her, willing her to look up.
She did, and her face was peaceful, but before she could say anything or greet him in any way, there was the resounding boom of an explosion and the tinkle of shattering glass. And then Kimmie was shrieking, almost in excitement. "Look! There's a green skull thingie outside the window floating in the sky!!"
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. And with finals, I do not have time to shag anything either.
~*~
There was about a week of getting accustomed to their living conditions, and then the decision arose, somehow, that perhaps they should get some work. Perhaps it was after Penelope bought a piano and decided to give lessons to any number of small Muggle children. Marcus decided that he did not like sitting around watching small Muggle children take up all her attention. Even IF she was earning money. And then there was the fact that it made him feel vaguely lazy. Miss Perfect would disapprove, he was sure...
She had been pleased to hear that he wanted to get a job, and between her smiles and cheerful suggestions and excited ramblings she'd told him that she was proud of him and given him a rather impulsive hug.
He might have been inclined to take advantage of the fact had she not rapidly pulled away and escaped to the kitchen, saying that she had to cook dinner.
He soon found a job for a local office building as a 'bookkeeper', and soon proceeded to learn that doing maths the Muggle way was boring and tedious. It was perhaps a godsend that one of Penelope's students had left a small machine called a 'Gameboy' at their flat and she explained the use of said item to him.
It was before long that he bought one for himself, Charmed it to look like that Muggle math-doing machine known as a calculationer or whatever it was called, and spent his days making and breaking records on Super Mario while a covertly cast Arithmancy spell did all his work.
What Penelope didn't know would never hurt her, and moreover, the Game Boy was a saving grace from the myriad of inconveniences of being in the Muggle world.
~*~
That afternoon Kimberly Weston came for her lesson.
Penny really liked the girl. Eight years old, the daughter of a widower businessman whose long working hours made for both a sharp sense of observation and independence and a maturity beyond her years in his daughter. Mr. Weston lived three floors below, and Kimberly "call me Kimmie!" came twice a week to learn piano... and just to talk.
"I'd taken some piano lessons before," Kimmie had told her the first time she came, "But then a year ago dad moved and we just never had time to find a teacher. I'm glad you teach. How long have you taught? Who is your favourite student?"
Kimmie played tolerably, though she didn't always like to practice her scales. She called Penelope Ms. Lexa and often stayed to talk after lessons.
"My nanny brings her son over," she whispered that day, after sight-reading the first page of Fur Elise. "He's REALLY annoying. Thinks that just because he's a bloke, he can PICK on me. His name's Dustin and he's ten. Are all boys annoying?"
"No, dear, they're not, now will you play it again?" Penelope (Alexa Fasulo, piano teacher) asked gently.
Kimmie made a little face, but tried again. She fudged a little bit on the accompaniment.
"It still sounds like the song is supposed to," she said conspiratorially.
"Better," Penelope agreed, "Now, just play that section again."
Three tries and several more observations later, the clock tolled, signalling the end of the lesson. Kimmie grinned. "Can I stay for a few minutes, Ms. Lexa? Or do you have another student?"
"You know you're my last lesson of the day, Kimmie," Penny told her gently, "Sure, you can stay for a few minutes." Idly, she played a few cadences on the piano. C major, a minor.
"So when did you learn to play?"
"When I was a little girl, I was four and a half when I started."
"And then?"
"I kept playing... until I was eleven," Penelope told her, "And then I went to boarding school."
"And then?"
"I played summers when I was home, and winters. And then I took another year of them after I left school."
"When did you meet Mr. Lexa?" Kimmie asked curiously. "In school?"
Mr. Lexa! "That's not his name, sweetheart."
~*~
Marcus came home early, tucking the 'calcula-whatever' into his pocket before he walked into the flat. There was the sound of quiet conversation, but no little sprog banging on the instrument. So it was the end of a lesson. If he recalled correctly, it was that little Weston girl who lived downstairs.
He was just about to call out when he heard Penny's voice. "Yes, I met him in school."
Who the deuce was she talking about, Nerdy Weasel? Why the devil was she talking about HIM!? Scowling just a bit, he inched forward.
The little Weston laughed a bit. "Was he annoying?"
Penelope didn't know quite what to say. "Well... he wasn't in my year, so I didn't know him well. I suppose he was a bit annoying at times."
Marcus smirked. He couldn't agree more with THAT. Although Weasel was more than just a BIT annoying, and he really couldn't see why someone like Penelope would... although it was probably Weasel who... she was way too good for him, and... no he didn't just think that.
"But you still married him," Kimmie giggled, "Is it because he's handsome?"
Marcus froze. No, Penelope WASN'T talking about Nerdy Weasel after all.
Penelope paused. He wasn't exactly 'handsome' by conventional standards. And she usually preferred more gentlemanly, academic types. And who Kimmie saw occasionally... WASN'T Marcus. It was all a lie, but not quite.
"No, I didn't marry him because he's handsome, dear, but because I love him."
"I'm glad to hear that," Marcus called out from the entrance of the room, and both of them looked up. Kimmie gave him a saucy, childish smile, but Penelope's face blushed like a rose.
She could have said that, really, just to give a suitable answer to the question. And then, as the child bounced off the piano stool and stepped back, Marcus stepped forward to stand in front of his 'wife'. Idly brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, he gazed down at her, willing her to look up.
She did, and her face was peaceful, but before she could say anything or greet him in any way, there was the resounding boom of an explosion and the tinkle of shattering glass. And then Kimmie was shrieking, almost in excitement. "Look! There's a green skull thingie outside the window floating in the sky!!"