Marcus had such a surprisingly good time seeing Hermione Granger again. It was so nice to hold her in his arms, enjoying the feel of how small she seemed compared to him. If he was honest with himself, he'd never really recovered from the time that they'd slept together. He'd been so upset to wake up and find his bed empty. He figured that he must have done something wrong, so he didn't reach out to her, deciding that she would come to him when she wanted to.

But the years had ticked by and he never heard anything from her.

So, he threw himself into Quidditch training, placing all league team year after year, and ignoring his mother's pleas to get married. Sure, thirty was only a few years off, but none of the Quidditch groupies that he dated were the type of girl he wanted to settle down with.

Instead, his mind would constantly wander back to one witch - Hermione. He subscribed to potion journals just to keep up with what she was working on. She was never in the gossip columns, preferring to stay out of the limelight, unlike the Weasleys who seemed to be eternally on the front pages.

Merlin, he had been momentarily disappointed when he thought that Hermione was dating Potter. Not only was it poor form to try and take another wizard's witch, but Potter was on the coaching staff for the Arrows, and that was a line Marcus wasn't willing to cross.

He hadn't dreamed that he would have another chance with Hermione until he saw her at the party. Now, he was determined to get another go.

Deciding that he was a little bit out of his league on wooing a witch like Granger, who wouldn't just fall at his feet from the sight of his paycheck, he decided to bring in reinforcements. He wrote an owl to his good friend Adrian Pucey, who despite being two years younger than Marcus, was the only person he could think to ask for advice on the subject. Adrian was a bit of a ladies man, and Marcus knew that he could explain his situation in confidence.

They met at Marcus's favorite pub for dinner later that week. After drinking two pints, Marcus felt much more inclined to tell Adrian everything. Hermione was something that he hadn't shared with anyone. She had been like a special little secret to him, but now he wanted to be seen in public with her on his arm.

"So, Marcus, what's on your mind?" Adrian asked him, after their food finally arrived.

Deciding to get straight to the point, Marcus looked his friend in the eye. "I need your help. I want to take Hermione Granger on a date," he revealed.

Adrian quickly masked his look of surprise. "What do you want with a smart girl like her? Surely the bits of fluff that you date suit your needs," Adrian wondered.

Leave it to Adrian to be swayed by a pair of tits, Marcus thought, rolling his eyes. "We have history," he told his friend quietly.

"What kind of history?" Adrian asked, suddenly suspicious. He hadn't seen or really heard of Hermione Granger since Hogwarts.

"When I went back to retake some of my NEWTs, she helped me study. It just kind of happened. But it was nice. She didn't treat me like an idiot with troll brains, unlike everyone else at that bloody school," he explained. Marcus never really talked about how self conscious he was about his intelligence. "And then, after the war, after a ministry party, we slept together," he admitted quietly.

"What?" Adrian demanded. "How come you never told me that? What was she like?"

Marcus didn't particularly care to give Adrian details of the time he and Hermione had slept together, but at the same time, it felt good to get it off his chest. "It was pretty brilliant. Honestly, I haven't stopped thinking about it and it's been three years," he admitted.

Adrian looked surprised, but accepted his words. "So then, what happened? Did you date? Break up?"

"No, she left by the time I woke up. I decided that she probably didn't want to see me, so I left her alone," Marcus said, hoping that didn't suggest anything about him as a lover. "But, then, I saw her the other day at the Arrow's Christmas Party, and I felt the spark again. Like maybe we have a chance together."

"So you just want to fuck her again?" Adrian asked, confused.

"No, I want to bloody date her. I haven't stopped thinking about her. Hell, I read all of her potions papers, even though I don't understand it most of the time," he said. Marcus cut his mini tirade short. "Listen, I want her as my girlfriend. Now, can you help me get her back, or can't you?"

Adrian stared at his friend for a few moments, as if assessing the sincerity of his words. "Yes, I can help you. How have you been keeping all of this a secret from me for so many years?" he asked, in awe. Not expecting an answer, he continued. "First thing you have to do is ask her on a date. Send her an owl and set something up."

Marcus thought that was sensible. He was committed to making the first move now. "What kind of a date do you think she would like?" he said, feeling completely out of his depth.

"Well, all girls like being taken out to expensive dinners. Why don't you try taking her somewhere she hasn't been before? I heard there is a great new place that just opened in Paris," Adrian suggested.

Marcus thought that that seemed like a reasonable idea - a grand romantic gesture. That would show Hermione exactly how serious he was about having a relationship with her.

When he returned home from dinner that night, he sent Hermione an owl, asking if she would let him take her out for dinner on Saturday. He anxiously awaited her response, but it didn't come that night. Sighing, he went to bed wondering if he'd made a complete fool of himself. Maybe there was more to her relationship with Potter than she let on.

But then, the next morning, he woke up to an owl taping on his window, with Hermione's response. She agreed to the date and had given him her floo address so he could pick her up. He couldn't stop the broad smile from his face.

Marcus Flint had a chance!