Ravyn: Well, here it is, the final chapter of our Marcus/Penny adventure. *sniff* Hope you enjoyed it. Meanwhile, what's a fairytale without its happy ending?

Thalia: Yes, this is the end *squee*. It was FUN while it lasted… I would like to state the obvious and say that I love Warrington. That is all.

Disclaimer: If we try to pry Flint off Penny so he could sign the ownership papers, he might kill us right around now.

All's well that ends well.

~*~

The Yule Ball was a convergence of Slytherin mischief, and while by right he was a part of it, he felt as though he was watching them through a pane of one of the elaborately decorated windows. Draco and Pansy sat smirking together, each dropping criticism of those around them to the amusement of the other. Draco occasionally glanced over his shoulder, though he couldn't imagine what the younger boy was looking at; his gaze seemed to be directed across the room at – Longbottom? No, that couldn't be right. But the only other person he could see was the little Weasley girl, and that seemed nearly as absurd. Montague was dancing with a tall Slytherin girl, and Derrick and Zabini sat at a table coddling glasses that he suspected contained more than just punch. Blaise was saying something about lipstick, and Derrick's fierce glare at the comment only served to make the younger Slytherin laugh. Bletchley was serving punch to a blonde that he seemed to recall being a Hufflepuff, but then again Pansy had been sniping at a Hufflepuff early, so perhaps he'd just returned in the middle of a disturbing trend among his former housemates.

And Warrington, the smug git, was nowhere to be found.

Flint fully blamed him for this. He could just as easily have been out with his mates, not sitting there revisiting his school years, which, frankly, had not been that brilliant to begin with.

Except of course for a few shining moments…

Warrington approached him a few minutes later, but the grin he wore quickly disappeared when he saw Flint's face. Flint took the opportunity to get in the first word.

"You know, I don't know why you asked me here if you're not even going to bother to dance with me."

Warrington blinked, caught off guard for a mere instant before he recovered. "Sorry, darling, allow me." He hauled Flint up by the arm, smirking to himself when Flint fought to free his arm from his own as he led the elder Slytherin across the dance floor. "I want you to meet my date for the evening. Actually, you'll probably remember her, if I'm not mistaken…"

He broke off, knowing full well that Flint was no longer listening. He'd stopped his friend near a group of Ravenclaws and stood smirking until Flint finally saw what it was that so amused him. Robes of silver accenting a slight frame, and a cascade of dark curls…

He felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Penny?"

~*~

Penelope couldn't help but be suspicious when Cassius had asked her to the Yule Ball. Her initial thoughts as he'd sauntered over to her across the Great Hall, holding a bouquet and grinning broadly at her, had been that she was in the middle of some game being played between the Slytherin and her own housemate, Su Li; all the bantering between the two lately would completely justify this conclusion. However, she decided to play along – at least long enough to find out what he was playing at.

"Flowers, Cassius? I wouldn't have guessed."

"Yes, well, mum managed to beat the trappings of a gentlemen into me. I normally avoid that sort of treacly behaviour, of course, but I suppose this is the Yule Ball, and there are concessions to be made…" She had felt herself blushing as he'd pressed the flowers into her hands, and he'd smirked a little but didn't mention it, saying instead, "So, with the understanding that this little venture into gentlemanly behaviour will last long enough to assure there will be no inappropriate touching and as little innuendo as Slytherinly possible, what do you say? Will you go to the ball with me?"

She'd smiled, saying, "Well, with an invitation like that, how could I refuse?"

"Can't imagine that you could."

But even while he'd grinned at her, she'd noticed something odd about the bouquet; nestled among a smattering of white petals was a lily.

A green lily.

She'd glanced up at him quickly, questioningly, trying to hide the desperate hope she'd known flashed in her eyes. He'd grinned again, knowing full well what she wanted to ask but not letting her. "I'll meet you outside your common room at eight." And then he'd gone.

She'd suspected then… or perhaps just dreamed. Of course she'd thought of Marcus over the summer. How could she not? He'd changed her life… changed her…

But in all her childish dreams, she'd never quite imagined what a physical blow hearing him speak her name again would be.

She turned slowly, afraid of what she might see, afraid she might be mistaken and that her silly hopes had gotten the best of her. But when she saw him, saw the scintillating green of his eyes and the familiar smile – his real smile, not the Slytherin smirk – she wouldn't have been able to describe how she felt without using every cliché she'd ever read in a fairytale as a girl. For a moment she could only stare, feeling her insides seize up until she couldn't breathe. Then one of her friends shoved her gently towards him, and the breath that had abandoned her came back in a single whisper.

"Marcus."

"Insert collective 'awwwwwww'," Warrington muttered, moving away from his former captain as Marcus and Penelope stared at each other, the whole glittering-eyes-and-rapt-expressions thing very much going on, the air between them almost crackling with intensity. "I should finish my job as the ever-helpful evil pillock of doom and shove them into the nearest closet, and hope that Flint knows his defrocking charms..."

But it turned out that Flint did not need quite that much assistance after all, for he reached for the Ravenclaw girl and took her arm. "A walk?"

Penelope mutely nodded, and Flint had the decency to flash a 'I owe you, you snarky bastard' smirk in his former teammate's direction. Warrington grinned back, and called out, quite loudly, "All right well Flint... don't treat my date too poorly. I'm off to get a drink and if you two are back before the punch bowl is empty, I'll be very upset at you."

Penny's face flushed a carnation pink even as Marcus led her towards the doors.

Feeling quite satisfied with himself, Warrington grinned smugly and made his way towards the punch bowl, blithely refreshing the Refilling Charm that had been placed on it earlier that evening.

"Where's your date?" a pert little voice sounded behind him. Warrington turned around to see Su Li, clad in royal blue, eyeing him curiously and with a slight hint of disapproval, "And here I thought you were so desperately in love with Penelope, giving flowers and all."

Warrington chuckled, reaching out to pat her head in a friendly manner, "Jealous, little Li? I daresay she's happy right now, wherever she is, so her specific location is a moot point."

Su wrinkled her nose. "You Slytherins," she proclaimed, "Are a twisted, evil lot."

"Why yes, and everyone else either loves us for it -- like you--" he smirked, ignoring her look of outrage, "Or they're forced to hate us for it... like that one over there."

He nodded in the direction of Percy Weasley, here on behalf of Mr. Crouch, who was staring at the door that Penelope and Marcus had exited out of with a strained expression on his face.

~*~

Percy's face was carefully blank as he watched a girl with dark hair and SILVER robes walk out with a man whose facial structure and gait unmistakably marked him as Marcus Flint. He was busy now, he'd moved on, and he was usually happy... but STILL...

Hard to swallow, was all.

He almost didn't even notice the girl who walked towards him until she was right in front of him. "'Lo, Percy."

It took a few moments to recognize her, for it certainly wasn't her usual vivacious, bookworm self complete with quill behind her ear and flyaway curls. "Hermione, good evening. Er... how are you?"

She shrugged, "I don't know where Harry and Ron have gone off to, and Viktor got called away by Karkaroff. But I'm all right. You look troubled."

She bit her lip, glancing up at him anxiously. He made himself smile. "Just things on my mind is all..." he explained vaguely, "Er, you look nice."

"Thanks," she flushed slightly, "So do you. What are you doing here all alone, though?"

He shrugged. "I came here by myself. Mr. Crouch couldn't make it."

Hermione nodded slowly, "Er, all right." Pause. Silence. "I'll leave you to your thoughts, if you like."

"No, that's fine," he said hurriedly, "Actually, want to dance or something?" He really didn't want to be left alone to his thoughts.

She nodded, a bit startled, and he gave her a grateful smile even as he held out his arm to her.

~*~

His hand was warm around hers as they left the castle for the enchanted grotto outside. Penny felt her breath hitch slightly, and it wasn't really from trying to keep up with his agitated pace. "Er, how've you been?" she asked, not sure what to say. He looked... older, more serious than she'd remembered.

"All right," he replied quietly, coming to a stop near a bench. Quickly casting a warming and cushioning charm on the stone surface, he pulled her down to sit next to him. "You... look nice." Silver, pure, perfect... a strand of pearls on her neck and a gray-flecked green lily in her hair.

She blushed slightly, "Thanks." She shivered slightly, but it wasn't really because of the cold. "Anything... interesting go on with your life?"

From his eyes, she knew that BOTH of them had so much more to say than pleasantries and politeness, but it had been six months and now... now her heart was too full, so full that if she'd let out the words, her whole heart would flood in a torrent of emotion and passion out from her lips and the very idea made her a bit scared and dizzy.

"You came here with Cassius," he suddenly remarked.

"He asked me," she replied quietly, "I mean... we're not interested in each other like that, never were... I couldn't figure out why he'd ask me until..."

"That he's a fool, no less so than Weasel was, for not seeing what I see," he cut her off, "Is undeniable. But I can't say that I'm not glad that he's not interested in you."

Now his eyes were boring into hers, his gaze sweeping slowly over her features as if trying to memorize everything from the curls framing her face to the flush in her cheeks. She parted her lips, and spoke something too low for him to hear. "What did you say?" he asked, leaning slightly closer.

And then she was smiling and shaking as if from happy tears, her carefully done hair crushed against his shoulder even as she threw herself into his arms. "I'll have to thank him... you... you're HERE..."

And this was it, and he couldn't help a triumphant expression from breaking out across his face even as he held her closer, hands clenching around fistfuls of silver fabric as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled... roses, just like he'd remembered. "Why yes, Miss Perfect," he drawled slightly, pulling back slightly to smirk at her, "I'm here. I dare you to try to get rid of me."

She glared at him, "I dare you to try to get away."

"No can do, I'm afraid," he chuckled, a feeling of exhilaration running through him even as he moved his rough hands towards her heart-shaped face, cupping her chin up and seizing her lips with his. She kissed back eagerly, fingers moving back to caress the hair at the nape of his neck, a little moan rising in her throat.

When they parted, her face was rosy and her eyes were soft and dreamy. Lifting a hand to touch his cheek, she whispered, "I was hoping you'd say that."

Grabbing her hand and using it to pull her towards him again, he growled, "Far be it from me to disappoint a lady."

And then their lips fused again, and there was no more talking for a long time.

~*~

Later, when she looked a complete mess, rumpled robes half-slipping off one shoulder and hair tumbling over her shoulders in riotous curls and lips swollen from countless kisses, he smirked, pulling her back into a seated position. "Think I should return you to your date? I daresay that with the amount of people there, punch bowl should be empty by now."

Her eyes suddenly glittered at him, almost impishly, and she reached up to brush another light kiss upon his lips. "Marcus..."

"Hmm?"

"The punch bowls have all been charmed to magically refill themselves all night long."

He felt the beginnings of a very wide grin tugging at the corners of his lips, even as he reached for her again. "Well then... I'll just have to KEEP you."

"I'll hold you to that," she said breathlessly.

"Fine by me," he muttered, "Now do be quiet, Penny."

She obeyed.