It's been a successful training camp, but all good things must come to an end. Once training camp was over, the Arrows players were home for a week. Then the standard practices began with pre-season games following. At least they can spend a last hoorah with family and friends before the intense season commences. The first thing Marcus did when he flooed to his chateau was tidy himself up. Topsy greeted and shooed the rugged rookie into the extra large master bathroom. While the young master was in the shower, the older elf laid an outfit on the bed. With a snap of the elve's long, gnarled fingers, the light grey button-down, and navy slacks were pressed and ready for wear.
After the steamy, relaxing shower, the second thing Marcus did was send Glimfeather off with a note for Hermione. As he dressed, he hoped to see her that evening with all of his heart. After putting on his fresh clothes, with those thoughts in mind, he asked the kitchen elf, Toffee, to prepare a meal of chicken alfredo, Greek side salad, focaccia bread with olive oil dipping sauce, and chocolate tiramisu for dessert. Those are all his girlfriend's favorite dishes to eat. Sure it's wishful hoping on his part that Hermione isn't busy, but it never hurts to be prepared.
Next, he had the head house elf, Kandy, collect a bouquet of fresh roses. The massive, elegant arrangement was placed on the round dinner table outside on the veranda. The mauve, pink, and peach roses stood out among the greenery of the shrubs surrounding the table. By that time, Glimfeather had returned with Hermione's positive response. She would floo over at five, giving them plenty of time to catch up. That only left him two hours to get everything in order.
Once Marcus finished all of the preparations, he decided to see what awaited him in the massive study just down the hall. And wouldn't you just know it? A series of unopened letters were stacked neatly on his home office desk. There are four from Hermione, three from his friends, two from his parents, and one from his grandmother. Sitting in the comfortable brown leather desk chair, he opened Hermione's letters first. Those would be the most effortless and most encouraging to read. Then he would open Gram's and the guy's, saving his parent's missives for last.
All of the messages were accompanied by a tall glass of butterbeer and a plate of fudge flies to keep him company. He sighed significantly when the pile dwindled and got to his parent's notes. This will prove a true test of his patience. Not wanting to open them, Marcus knew he had to put on a tough skin before reading. So he put on his big wizard pants and viewed what his parents had to say.
The first letter gave instructions on letting them know when he returned from training camp. According to his mother, they would like to organize a summer "get-together" with a few other families. Apparently, it would be to his benefit to be in attendance. That sounds quite ominous, which kind of defines Marcus's relationship with his parents.
Casting the parchment aside, he blurted out, "Blah te freaking da!" Not once did his mother inquire about camp or how he's doing. That's to be expected, though. They never care what he's up to as long as he doesn't make the family look bad. Then they care a lot because appearances are everything, which rankles his nerves.
You would think, being his mother, she would be selfless in considering him. But no. The woman is as selfish as they come, just like his sister. If someone, especially parents, really cares about you, they'll get more pleasure from how they make you feel and treat you. However, his parents are the opposite. They thrive on how he makes them feel, and if he makes them feel bad, there's hell to pay. And when no one is selfless in a relationship, there is war.
Which is why he did not want to read dear old dad's letter. Their relationship is nothing but war. What Marcus has learned is that some people are put in your life to cause conflict. So you must learn to maneuver around the contention they try to make. Then you live and try not to think about the bruises those people leave behind. But some bruises are tender no matter how much they're left alone.
He picked up the parchment with his name messily scrawled on it and then set it back down. He did that several times before opening it. The following letter from Maxwell makes it clear he wants to see his son soon. The man left no quandary as to the purpose of the meeting. "Old alliances have resurfaced. I sincerely hope you will be on board to get in alignment. If not, severe repercussions will have to be taken."
This missive left Marcus with rising frustration. Reading between the lines, his father wants him to get that ugly, foul dark mark. The only way that happens is from the Dark Lord himself, and that's as disturbing a thought as any he's had lately. It's even more disturbing than all the girl's underpants he's received in the mail. The answer is clear. He needs to think about what to do regarding the avoidance of those actions. What can he do to evade his father and not get that evil thing on his arm?
During those musings, the floo in the downstairs salon roared to life. It deposited Hermione into the room. As she dusted her jeans off, head elf Kandy met her. Dressed in a pale pink pillowcase, the sweet elf said, "Mistress Mione, we's so glads to be seeing you. Follow Kandy. She will takes you to see the young master Marcus."
The two of them traveled upstairs to the home office. No need for introductions, Hermione sprinted straight into Marcus's lap. She threw her arms around him and kissed his neck. He couldn't help the smile that lit up his face at his girl's actions. Sometimes it's hard to convey how much he loves her. During those times, he holds Hermione a little bit tighter. Stroking her back, he told her, "I missed you."
They cuddled for a few minutes longer, and then Hermione had a serious complaint. "So, I was reading Witch Weekly a couple of weeks ago. You will never guess what I saw inside it."
His heart sped up as his eyes took hers in. This cannot be good, at least judging by the look on his girlfriend's face. "Let me guess. You saw an article on skin care routines," he stated. The wily witch shook her head no. "Alright. How to reorganize your shoes?" No. That wasn't it either.
Finally, Hermione let him stop squirming like a fish on a hook and explained, "I saw a picture of you with this black-haired girl sitting on your lap. She looked rather cozy there." She began smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on his shirt.
Fully knowing that's what she was going to say, Marcus immediately admitted, "I did not want that girl on my lap. I wanted nothing to do with her. My teammates decided to go to a club and asked me along. The next thing I knew, scantily dressed women descended upon us. You are the only witch for me, and I wish you had been there. After that night, I stayed back at the camp with Mulvaney. The two of us became close, and I couldn't be happier. The other guys have made it known that they think I'm boring since I no longer go clubbing."
That made Hermione chuckle. "I knew you didn't want anything to do with that wicked witch. The picture did an excellent job of capturing your facial expression. It would have seemed like you enjoyed that contact with that woman to anyone who didn't know you. Except for your Gram and your close friends and myself could tell you hated it. If anything, it looked like you were trying to push her off you."
His shoulders relaxed, and his stomach unknotted. Then his witch articulated, "There are no worries, alright. I find it humorous how gossip rags are trying to pair you with any witch that comes along. Although I must say, I enjoyed how you subtly let everyone know you're not single in the enormous Witch Weekly quidditch edition article and picture spread. I must say, you looked rather dashing and hot in your quidditch pants. It was sexy, especially since you wore no shirt."
Quickly she turned her head away in a fit of nerves. Butterflies flew into Marcus's stomach, and heat spread throughout his body. His fingers gently lifted her face and turned it in his direction. Their eyes met once more, and she wore a shy smile, but he wore a naughty smirk. "So, you thought I was hot. That's good because I feel the same about you. I can't think straight when I watch you move in my direction. When you're around, my whole body knows. And when I look at you, Hermione, my heart melts."
His lips moved to touch hers but pulled back at the last second. "You see, Sweetheart, I want you. I want to be craved by you. I want you to think about kissing me as much as I think about kissing you. Forget about the butterflies. I feel the whole magical menagerie with you. As Blaise has a habit of saying, you're in my inappropriate thoughts."
But then he whispered something for her ears only, which set her ablaze from the inside out. It almost sounded like dirty talk, except it's beautiful. "I'm going to bury myself so far inside you. So far inside your heart that it will leave you hollow when we're not together. Because that's how I feel when I'm not with you."
That's the first time Hermione Granger's disciplined self-control snapped. Hermione is the ice to Marcus's fire. Usually, she's the one that cools them down, but not this afternoon. For she burned as hot as he did. This is not surprising because this passion, this chemistry between them, has been igniting ever since the first time they kissed. And by Merlin, the blaze that formed between them fanned the flames of their desire.
She gasped against his mouth as his arms pulled her tighter and closer to him. Marcus sank into the kiss and poured himself into it. All of his care and longing he gave to her. Picking her up like the muscled athlete he is, her quidditch star carefully laid her out on the leather sofa, never breaking the kiss. Marcus shifted to hover between her legs and wound a hand through her hair. The other hand took hers and twined their fingers above her head. This is it. Everything has been leading to this, except...
Hermione cautiously and lovingly broke their kiss. Her hands carded through his short dark hair and played at the nap of his neck. Their eyes met as she shared her heart. "I love you, Marcus. I do. But I don't think I'm ready to go all the way yet. I know it may be difficult for you to understand. It's just that I've never done this with anyone. I need time. However, this doesn't mean that I don't want you because I do. I want you in the worst and best way possible."
Continuing to hover over his girlfriend, Marcus ran a loving finger down the side of her face, took her hand, and placed it on his heart. "This belongs to you. No one else. I want you and only you. When we're ready, what we have between us will be beautiful. And just so we're clear, I've never done that either. I will wait for you, Hermione, because you're more than worth it."
She realized the Beatles were wrong. Love isn't all we need. It's all there is because love is everything. She pulled him down to kiss him some more. Kandy interrupted them to tell them, "Dinner is ready, Sir. Kandy is being sorry to bother." The little elf gave a nervous squeak and popped out of the room.
Rising to his feet first, Marcus held out a hand to his girl and helped her up. Together they walked to the veranda where dinner awaited them. Before noticing the meal, Hermione spied the beautiful arrangement of flowers. "That is so gorgeous! Just look at the roses," she marveled. The brunette witch loves roses. They're her absolute favorite flower, as it is her mother's. One of the Granger girl's most enjoyable things is sitting out in the back garden and drinking tea while swinging. The swing is nestled among a garden of rose bushes. Roses of every color abound. Her mom has a green thumb, especially for the roses.
Then she noticed the meal and gasped. "It's all of my favorites! I love Italian food!" Her comments made Marcus smile, and he felt proud of himself for making her happy. Before sitting down for dinner, Hermione kissed him on the cheek. The two of them enjoyed the delicious meal and being able to share it with each other.
While over dessert, Marcus conveyed the letter his father sent, and Hermione fumed. The look that crossed her face would scare the hair off even the nicest niffler. "Of all the nerve! I'm not surprised he wants you to take that mark, but how he went about it sounds very threatening. It's almost like he's saying he'll send the death eaters on you if you don't. And that concerns me."
She spent a moment in thought, tapping her fork lightly on her plate. Then her eyes sought out Marcus's hand. Pointing with her finger, Hermione reminded him, "As long as you wear the signet ring, you're protected- totally. The only thing it won't protect from is an Aveda. So, I beg you, please don't take it off."
He promised he wouldn't. Then his thoughtful girlfriend mentioned, "The last time I was here, I failed to ask you something. So, I'm going to ask now. Tell me about the wards on the chateau and estate."
That was not a question he had prepared to answer. So, he had to think a minute. "Well, I know it has the Fawley family wards. Other than that, I'm not sure."
His answer did not instill confidence. Hermione invited him to explain the family wards and their strength. So with a swish of his wand, Marcus summoned the family ledger from his office. It keeps a detailed account of all things Fawley, including the warding and family magic. The thick leather-bound book appeared and sat itself on the table. Marcus handed it to his girlfriend. Looking it over, she saw a weakness and asked, "Do you mind if I cast my own wards over your estate?"
Not minding at all, the couple stood up from the table and walked to the middle of the back garden. From there, Hermione withdrew her wand from her jeans pocket. Marcus did the same and spelled into the warding. It's an old, deep magic that magic of the wards. The winds started blowing and calling to them, beckoning the couple to enter. So they slipped into the moody breeze of the trees, which was calm and peaceful. The estate recognized his Fawley genes and magical signature. That allowed him to authorize Hermione as an important person on the grounds. It also permitted her access to add her protection.
Hermione cast the charms as she stood in the garden. The magic swirled all around her, reminding both of them how beautiful a gift magic is. They shouldn't take it for granted, as most usually do daily. First, she cast the tutela to protect the overall perimeter of the estate. That she layered with the arx charm.
Although, to be honest, Hermione had practiced experimenting with it. While Marcus was away at training camp, she had owled back and forth with Professor Flitwick. At first, the conversation centered on warding. Then it grew to spell experimentation. The charms professor had been curious as to why one of his top students wanted to know about warding and the creation of spells. So, she gave him a brief response: curiosity got the best of her, and so did boredom. To which Professor Flitwick wrote, "In lieu of any homework for the upcoming term, tests, or papers, keep a detailed diary of your work and investigations. At the end of the year, I will ask you to perform any new spell creation you come up with. Also, you will write a nice paper explaining yourself from start to finish the warding work."
Hermione was thrilled at this! It would allow her to practically work independently, which she loves. Naturally, she spent those three weeks crafting and creating from the research she had done. And just like that, a new protection charm was made. She calls it Comprehendere Arx.
In other words, it's the complete wide-ranging protection of the home itself. Whereas Arx alone protects a house, and that's fine, Hermione's new creation covers the stronghold more thoroughly and stands firm even in the face of strong wizards (or it's supposed to- at least that's what Bill Weasley told her when he tested it). It's virtually impenetrable, and because it's her own spell, all rights go to her- unless she's captured, tortured, her mind is messed with, or her charm is stolen.
Once the ward was cast, the spell's signature was set into the foundation. A glow like Marcus had never seen before sprung out from the atmosphere. He stood in awe with his mouth open. The glow served as a catalyst where the light sparked and broke apart. Then it faded like thousands of fireflies in the dusk. It was almost as if the world had stopped turning briefly. It was just he and Hermione. There's no other word for what happened; it was magical.
There are thousands of enchanted moments every day over a lifetime. Some are big, and some are small, like the moon and the sun and just being born. And then some make a person pause and say, "Wow!" That was this particular moment- a wow kind of moment.
Marcus took his girlfriend's hand, and they stood there, allowing themselves to be enchanted. For that brief period, they existed only in that instant, unmoving yet feeling everything. When the winds died down and the magic took its place protecting the estate, all that was left were the two of them. And even though the atmosphere glowed all around them, the brightest thing on the estate was still her. Marcus turned to Hermione and said, "Thank you." Because what more is there to say than that?
It was then he wanted to do something significant for her. Several things came to mind, the first of which he'd work on tomorrow. But first, another hug. Drawing her into the embrace of his arms and love, he inhaled her scent. She smelt of sunshine, tropical sweetness, and everything beautiful in the world. She smelled delicious.
He held her close, close to his chest, and close to his heart. Marcus said nothing because his hug was telling her everything. Mainly that she is loved and protected. And oh man, is she loved and protected because Hermione is absolutely, precisely what he has waited for his whole life.
