Harry had happily agreed to let Hermione take Teddy along to the Quidditch match, especially with the excellent box seats that Marcus had gotten for them. In truth, Harry told her, he wished Teddy could come to more Quidditch games, but with him being so little, he certainly couldn't sit down on the bench with Harry and Andromeda wasn't up for the long games.

Harry brought the two Quidditch jerseys over to Hermione's flat along with Teddy on Saturday morning. He studiously watched her face as she looked at the light blue jersey with "FLINT" emblazoned in gray. She didn't say anything, but the bright pink blush on her cheeks was enough to tell him that she didn't mind.

Teddy was excited to go to the game, so Hermione and he got there a little bit early. It was good, anyway, as Hermione wasn't entirely sure where the box was and she wanted to make sure that they got there before the game officially started. When they found their seats, Hermione was surprised that everyone else there seemed to be specifically wives and girlfriends of the other players.

All of them were dressed up in fancy dresses in Appleby's colors, so Hermione already felt out of place wearing her shirt. Furthermore, she had no idea who they all belonged to. She just tried to focus on the pitch, pointing out some exciting sights to Teddy. She just hoped that she didn't mess anything up.

For his part, Teddy was having a fabulous time. Surprisingly heart touching to Hermione, he kept his hair brown and curly, to match hers and his eyes were the same green that Remus's had always been, making Hermione wonder if that was his natural eye color. She gathered that he had dark hair when he was born, but usually his hair and eye color fluctuated with his emotions.

When the players came out onto the pitch, Hermione pointed out Marcus to Teddy. "Look, Teddy, there is Marcus. We want to cheer extra for him today," she whispered conspiratorially. "And look, down at the bench, there is Harry!"

Teddy was thrilled to see his godfather being so involved in the action, that he didn't even watch as the balls were released and play began to start. Soon, though, he was entranced, looking around for the snitch.

It was then that Hermione started to hear the whispers of the other women that she was sharing the booth with. It seemed that they did not take kindly to her presence there. "What an upjumped little tart she is, walking into our booth like she owns the place," one had lamented.

"She isn't like the rest of us," another one agreed. "Just look at that horrid hair!"

Hermione briefly thought about confronting them, but decided that she didn't want to make a scene and cause trouble for Marcus. It was true, though, she supposed that she didn't look like the other women there. It was clearly a look that Quidditch players liked, so then why was Marcus dealing with plain Jane Hermione Granger? She let the doubt fester in her mind, while listening to the awful things the other women said and wondered by Marcus even bothered with her, her cheeks burning with embarrassment the whole time. The only positive was that Teddy was completely oblivious.

Trying to remove the negative thoughts from her mind, Hermione focused on Marcus and was pleased to see him score several times. It seemed like he was fitting right into the team. When the game was over, Hermione brought Teddy down to the offices, where they met with Harry and waited for Marcus to come out of the locker room. As promised, they were going to somewhat of a posh dance club that evening to celebrate.

Marcus agreed to meet her at her flat in an hour so that she could go and change, despite his request that she leave his jersey on for their big night out. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but was a little bit touched that he didn't mind in the slightest if she seemed like she was his.

After getting dressed up in a little black dress, Marcus arrived at her flat and the apparated to the club that was only a short bit away from Marcus's home. Hermione ordered them a bottle of champagne and they toasted to Marcus's new contract.

"And, to your new grant as well," Marcus added, making Hermione's heart surge that he was keeping up with her work and wanted to celebrate her contributions as well.

After briefly discussing the game and how pleased little Teddy was, Marcus excused himself to head over to the loo. Hermione sat at their little booth, enjoying the atmosphere. The music was for dancing, but it wasn't so loud that you couldn't enjoy quiet conversation. Everything here had an air of elegance.

After a few moments, though, Hermione thought that Marcus was gone for a rather long time. She let her eyes wander around the club to try and spot him. Really, it shouldn't be difficult, as he stood over six feet tall.

Then she finally picked him out.

Hermione felt her breath leave her, as she noticed Marcus standing at the bar, laughing with a red haired woman - none other than Gemma Farley! She was dressed exquisitely, and Hermione felt a stab in her heart at the idea that Gemma would probably fit in quite well with the other WAGs that she sat with today.

Feeling humiliated, Hermione wanted to leave the club as quickly as possible. She felt hot tears sting in her eyes, but she quickly fished around in her purse and left more than enough galleons on the table to cover their drinks. She wouldn't want Marcus thinking that she was just after his money, she thought bitterly.

Keeping her head down, she walked over to the entrance of the club and out into the cold, fresh air of the night. How could she have been so stupid? Tightly gripping her wand in her hand, Hermione apparated back to her flat, just as she began crying in earnest.