Chapter 5.
The day before the end of term, the girls heard some of the story of what had happened from Hermione. All three of the girls, of course, nearly freaked out before asking Hermione loads of questions that she did not know the answers to.
"Sorry." Katie muttered. "Ali, Ang, she doesn't know more than she has told us."
"Thanks," Hermione whispered.
"Do me a favor?" Katie asked as Ali and Ang vanished for their last test.
"Sure," Hermione responded.
"Can you give this to George for me?" She asked while pulling a bit of parchment and a present wrapped in red paper. "I know you'll see him before I do."
"Sure, Katie," Hermione smiled while saying, "I'll leave it on his pillow. He wont know how it got there."
"Thanks." Katie sighed. "Well... I have a Runes exam to be getting to."
"Good luck."
"Thanks," Katie muttered and soon was off to take an exam that she could care less about.
Katie, Ali, Lee, and Ang sat in a compartment the next day. Katie was only going to stay with the Woods for a bit of the holiday. Other then that, she was going up to Ireland to train more, and she hoped to see Marcus. Despite promising to write, he never did... granted, neither did she.
"What are your plans Kates?" Lee asked after he finishing tickling Ali and Ang.
"Training," she answered with a half smile, "in Ireland."
Ali and Ang laughed. "Stop her there, or it will be the only thing we hear about!" Ang said.
"Cheers." Katie laughed with them. Finally, two conversations later they were at King's Cross. Katie needed to take muggle transportation back home for the night, and it was not something she was really looking forward too.
"I'll see you both in a few weeks." Katie hugged both of her friends and headed out of the station. She sighed when she bought her ticket and started to head down to the Victoria Line.
The journey back home was very uneventful, and she couldn't wait to take her apperation test. Being that she was 17 now, she could. (Her birthday went by with only a card from the Woods and Oliver. She also got a few more Quidditch things from Alec and Troy).
"KATIE!" Oliver yelled as she walked into the house, "I need to talk to you."
"Oliver, I just got home. Let me breathe for a moment, and then let me put my stuff down in my room." She turned to her room and opened the door and heard a scream.
"Ollie baby, not now I'm getting dressed." A girls voice called.
"That's what I needed to talk to you about." He gave a rather sheepish smile.
Katie turned and looked at him with a bit of a glare. "So I take I don't even get to stay in my room tonight? How about for actually Christmas? I was hoping to stay here, you know, on the 24th and the 25th. I guess I should start making reservations for that sort of thing."
"Katie that's not fair."
"The bloody hell it isn't, Oliver." She snapped. "I'm going to stay at Alec's." She turned, but he jumped in front of her.
"Katie, her family is on holiday visiting her older sister, and I invited her to stay here for the holiday. Anyway, Mum and Dad are not going to be here again. They're on some boating trip." He shrugged. "So what's the harm?"
"The harm?" She sighed. "So much for actually having family." She muttered under her breath. "Forget it, Oliver, I'll leave you to your life." She tried to move past him.
"I thought you were okay with me dating Sara."
"I am. I'm just not okay with her taking over my room without anyone telling me." She said whilst looking into his eyes. "It is my room, you know... where I've been living..." She led on, talking to him as if he were slow.
"It's not your house, Katie, you're just a guest in it." Sara said opening the door wearing some of Katie's clothes. "Oliver, said I could use your things for the day. We still need to go pick up mine."
Katie's eyes went wild. Sara was wearing her things, her jewelry, and she even had on her favorite scarf. "You can hand over the scarf and the jewelry. I don't believe Oliver meant for you to take the few important things I left here."
"Katie." Oliver started.
"Oliver, don't. That's the scarf you gave me, the earrings Gavin gave me, the necklace Ali and Ang gave me, and the bracelet George gave me," She yelled. "And I don't want anyone but me wearing them. And please remind me to take EVERYTHING I own with me this time."
Sara gave her a fake smile. "Well, they do look better on me then you."
"You bitch." Katie looked as though she was going to punch the girl.
"Sara, I think you should give her back the things she listed." Oliver looked at Katie, it was hard to tell his expression, and it was hard to tell if he would side with Katie or with Sara.
After 10 minutes Katie had her things that Sara had been wearing. She barged into her room and packed up most of her things... well, actually, all of them. It was surprisingly organized for the short amount of time it took her. She shrunk the boxes and put them all in the bag she had from school. She looked around the room and changed it back to how it had been before she moved in. She sighed when she went into the kitchen, and she took out a quill and some parchment.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I can't start to tell you how thankful I am that you took me in, however for some reasons I think it is time for me to move out. I am going to stay with Alec for a few days before heading to Ireland to work with Troy. After that I am going to see if I can stay with Ali or Ang. Oliver will fill you in on the rest.
Thank you for everything.
Love Katie.
Katie sighed as she put the letter on the fridge. She stopped for a moment just looking at it. This was by far the last thing she expected to happen, she shook her head before turning, heading to the living room.
"We're engaged." Sara snorted at Katie, trying to rub it in her face.
"You're what?" She looked up and Oliver who nodded.
"I was going to tell you when you got home, but then all of that happened. So... I never really got the chance to. You know I've got a flat now, and I'm only home because it's the holiday." He gave a weak smile.
"Bloody hell, Oliver, it's been 3 months." She looked outraged.
"Well love sure can hit you hard," Sara smiled sweetly at Katie. "Not that you would know anything about that."
"I swear I am going to hex you to pieces, you whore." She started to walk towards her. "Or perhaps, I'll just punch you."
"Katie, please!" Oliver pleaded with her.
"Some family you are, Mr. Wood." She looked him up and down. "I've never thought less of you then I do now. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Katie, you're my best friend, and I still love you." He started.
"Oliver, please don't pull the guilt on me now. Just don't." With that she turned to head out the door. When she opened it, she nearly broke down into tears. She had the money her parents left her, and they had started a vault for her at Gringotts. She was far more than financially set.
When she started up the street, she thought taking everything the muggle way would give her time to think. Anyway, the idea of flooing anywhere seemed a bit off. She knew she could go to Alec's, but she didn't want to interrupt anything there. She could just go to Troy's and Rachael's, but then again, they had their family time now.
"Marcus." She muttered. "How the bloody hell am I going to find him?"
With that she thought perhaps she should go to a floo network, or a directory of some kind. She walked into a little wizarding pub that even few wizards and witches knew about.
"Miss Bell!" The keeper smiled at her. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to use your fire, Bert." She gave him a warm smile, "And please don't tell Oliver were I went?"
"Of course, Kates!" He smiled and pointed to the fire. "Don't forget to stop by for your Christmas drink!"
"I wont," Katie smiled and went to the fire grabbing some powder. "What the bloody hell am I thinking.?" She muttered to herself before taking a breath and throwing the powder into the fire. "Marcus Flint's Flat."
She prayed that it would work, and to her (pleasant) surprise she stumbled out of a fire place right into a flat.
"Hello?" She called out from the living room. It was rather nice living room. It had a large black couch, a few chairs and lots of books.
"Who's there?" She heard him growl from the left. As he walked out with just a towel on, Katie nearly fell over again.
"Marcus!" She gasped, completely surprised to see him in the terry cloth contraption. "I'm sorry I just didn't know where else to go. I know I should have owled, or called, or some—"
"Katie?" He looked out right shocked, he nearly dropped his towel, but caught it just in time. "What in the bloody hell? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, and I can go. I shouldn't have barged in like this." She looked worried, and she blushed while looking at him.
"It's okay." He gave her a weak smile. "I was about to take a shower. Let me change, and I'll be right back."
Marcus vanished for a moment and came back out in boxers and a t-shirt. Katie looked up and gave a weak smile, a blush on her checks. She hadn't really thought about how toned his body actually was. "I'm really sor—"
"Katie, stop. It's okay." He nearly snapped. "I was just shocked."
"Well, I would have been, too." She said honestly. He had not moved from the doorway but, instead, was leaning against it looking at her with rather worried eyes. Katie got up and walked over to him before hugging him.
Marcus again was shocked. He never quite understood why Katie had come to see in him or why she was so willing to let him hold her. He wrapped his arms around her as she fought back tears. Something about him still being Slytherin made her not want to cry in front of him.
"Katie, it's okay," he whispered while running his fingers through her hair.
She tried to speak but nothing came out. She was tired, stressed, upset, and confused. Marcus picked her up and walked into his room. Once there, he pulled back the covers and put her in the bed. While pulling the covers over her, he smiled. "Get some sleep, and we'll talk when you wake up."
"Marcus—"
"I don't want to hear it because you clearly need sleep. I'll be here." He smiled. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. After all, it is my flat" With that ,he handed her a potion, and after getting her to sip some, she immediately drifted off to sleep.
Katie slept extremely well. He had a very large bed with black sheets and a black comforter. The room had a modern design to it, yet it was very classic. It was clean and not over done.
Katie woke up in the bed all curled up in pillows. She felt emotionally weak and it took her a few moments to remember everything. When she climbed out of the bed, she smiled. Marcus had fallen asleep sitting in the reading chair near by.
"Marcus?" She whispered while playing with his hair a bit.
He jumped, pulled his wand out, and relaxed upon seeing her. "Sorry." He muttered.
"It's okay." She smiled; she was still playing with his hair. "Thank you."
He smiled at her. He was wanting to pull her into his lap, but he wasn't sure how she would react. It was strange how shy he was with her, especially with her being younger. Wait! She was a legal witch now! He took a small breath and pulled a rather shocked Katie into his lap. She did not pull back or even make much noise, instead, she smiled. "Took you long enough."
He glared at her, and she smiled innocently while resting her head on his shoulder. "Katie, what happened?"
Katie lunched into the story and took a deep breath afterwards. She wasn't sure what she was thinking. "I am due to go to training tomorrow, and then I have the 24th , 25th, and 26th off. School starts back up on the 12th, and they are letting me out of training on the 8th... to spend time with my family." She muttered family rather softly.
"Stay here." Marcus answered her. "Please stay here, I would rather not spend Christmas alone, and you can have my room. I'll take the couch. Besides, it's faster to get to King's Cross from here. You can even leave anything you don't want to take here."
"Marcus, I couldn't impose on you like that." She looked into his eyes.
"You wouldn't be imposing at all," he answered. "You're staying here and that's it."
"Forceful are we?" She asked with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Katie, you're the one who flooed over here out of no where."
"Well... yes, I did." She answered with a small laugh. "Where else was I going to go?"
"One of your friends places, Snippet or Johnson. I never liked Wood much, and as for Sara, she's a tricky little bi—witch."
Katie laughed and pushed herself into him a bit. "Thanks." She smiled and took a bit of a breath in. "Who would have thought, me coming to you in a time of need."
"Not me." He said honestly with a small laugh. She shivered a bit and her belly gave a small growl. "Food?" He asked her with a laugh. "And perhaps a warmer shirt..." He added as an after thought.
Katie climbed off of his lap and smiled. "I'll cook." She smiled as he started to protest and cut him off. "Marcus, I barge into your flat, slept, nearly scare you to death, and then you invite me, well tell me that I am going to stay with you, it's the least I can do."
Marcus got up and smiled at her. "Well, at least let me pick out the wine," he said.
"Of course," She laughed feeling beyond her age. It was now more then ever that she wished this was her last year at Hogwarts.
He laughed and led her to the kitchen. It had been ages sense he actually touched anything in the kitchen and watching her move around it was entertaining. She tripped twice, and nearly set something on fire. Finally, she finished a wonderful pasta and placed two plates of it on the table.
"Marcus, you don't need to stare at it in shock." She laughed as she sat cross-legged in her chair. She had one of Marcus's jumper's on and a pair of her own sweat pants.
"Are you sure?" He asked while giving her a mocking look.
"Just eat." She smiled and tossed a piece of bread at him.
"How are the Falcons?" She asked as she took one last bite. They had sat in a comfortable silence for the duration of the whole meal.
"Good." He smirked. "We could use a new chaser." He laughed looking over at her.
"Just wait another year." She sighed.
"I know." He muttered as he watched her move around getting the dishes and starting to wash them. She thought about using a spell, but she felt somehow relaxed by doing the dishes. He grinned as he watched her. It was strange how natural it felt having her in his home, relaxed, and in his clothes.
"What?" She asked as she finished the last dish.
"Just watching you." He answered standing up. Katie was shocked at how her breath stopped in her throat just by watching him perform simple tasks.
"Oh." She blushed before looking down at her feet.
"Come on, Katie, you need to get some sleep. You're going to have a long few days."
"You're too kind, Mr. Flint." She smiled as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you."
He wrapped his arms around her. It seemed that the only time he actually smiled was when she was in his arms... or just around him really. He pulled her face up while looking into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but he was not sure if he would have been able to stop at a kiss.
"Marcus," she breathed out slowly, "you're either going to kiss me, or I'm going to have to kiss you."
He smirked. "I don't want to push you." He almost looked embarrassed.
"I would never let you," she answered before pulling his face down to hers.
It was a powerful kiss and not something she was sure she would be able to live without. After a few heated minutes, they parted. "Hold me?" She asked.
"I am." He answered.
"No, all night." She said looking into his eyes. "I'm not ready for any more yet, but give me time, and—"
"Sh." He placed a hand on her slightly swollen lips. "I've been waiting, and I'll keep waiting for you." He looked almost shy, not a look that worked on him, but she found it oddly cute.
Katie gave him a soft smile, and the hint of love brushed through her eyes. "So, it's true. You do have a good heart hidden under your mean glares and harsh reputation?"
"You wouldn't be here if you didn't know that." He answered taking her hand and leading her to the bed. He pulled back the covers and let her get in, and he smiled. "I'll go sleep on the couch."
"No." Katie answered looking at him. She moved over in the bed. "I don't want you that far away." She muttered while looking nervous, it was her turn to hate feeling weak. It was strange how neither one wanted to admit that they needed something.
"Okay." He snarled softly, and he climbed in next to her. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks." She whispered before drifting off to sleep. He pulled her close with a satisfied smirk on his face.