Chapter Fourteen: Heart By Heart

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The underlined portions are taken directly from the novel; I do not own those parts. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: This fanfiction is going to be different from my other stories. This picks up where "The Heart of Everything" and "The Heart of Everything: Shallow Bay" left off. The time in the books also changes. So, pay attention the time, so you don't get confused. Some of the chapters are other Marcus Flint/Katie Bell stories, just with more changes and deleted scenes added.

Time: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Bold: Flashback

The kiss was a shock, but she couldn't pull away. She was surprised that he had made the first move. She was surprised that he was kissing her.

She kissed him back and ran her figures through his hair. She was completely aware of the fact that at any given time anyone could see them. Yet, she didn't care. He was the only one she saw.

Marcus broke the kiss. "What about Wood?"

"We broke up."

He looked relieved. "Good, I didn't want him to kill me."

Katie laughed. "Kiss me."

And he did again.

Katie broke away from him. She could still feel his touch on her lips. He was so gentle, so good. He was everything that he ever wanted, everything that she ever wished for.

She gently touched the side of his face. "So?"

He looked away. "What was that for?"

"What was what?" For a minute she thought that he was talking about the kiss.

"The so?"

Yes! He wasn't talking about the kiss. "I have no idea."

He leaned against the wall. "I never realized how much you talked."

She laughed. "I normally don't."

"Then why me?"

"I have no idea."

"Just luck of the draw?"

"I guess."

"You'd better go get a shower."

"Why?"

"You're all sweaty."

"That didn't seem to bother you before."

Katie walked into a bridal shop in downtown London. She was going to find her dress today, even if it took all day. Jenna and Jasmine were right behind her, while her bridesmaids, Sierra, Zoey, Haley, Leanne, Alicia, Lisa and Angelina, followed slowly behind.

"What about this?" Zoey asked as she held up a very there dress.

"No." Katie looked at the dress. Who would wear that to a wedding, let alone in public?
Zoey let the dress fall back onto the rack with a smirk on her face. "It's your loss."

"Well, I'll just have to risk it," was all Katie said.

Katie looked around the shop. She wasn't even sure what kind of dress she wanted. She did kind of know what she didn't want. She wasn't one for puffy or mermaid dresses. She also didn't want something was super low cut. Plus, it had to fit her low budget. This was something she wanted to buy for herself. There was probably hundreds of dresses in here, surely one of them had to be for her.

Jenna put her arm around Katie's shoulder. "Do you see anything yet?"
Katie shook her head. "But then, I really haven't gotten the chance to look around yet either."
Jenna gave Katie's shoulder a squeeze. "Don't give up."

Katie nodded.

Leanne grabbed Katie. "Let's go." She pulled Katie into the racks. Leanne began grabbing dresses off the racks, holding them up to Katie, and shoving some in Katie's arms and putting others back on the racks. "So, how's Marcus?"

Katie could barely see over the dresses anymore. "Fine, why?"

Leanne was now piling dresses into Haley's arms, who had appeared out of nowhere. "No, I mean how is he?"

Haley and Katie made chocking noises.

"Um, that's my brother you're talking about," Haley said.

Katie nodded. "And we are in a public area."

Leanne smiled. "Well, it is something to consider."
"Again, my brother," Haley pointed out.

"Again, in a public place." Katie didn't know why she was fighting this. What she did with Marcus was nobody's business.

Leanne looked at the mound of dresses. "This is enough for this round." She paused. "You never answered my question."

Haley made gagging noises.

Katie started back toward the changing. "Again, I'm not going to."

"Oh, thank you," Haley said.

"You are no fun," Leanne muttered.

Haley stuck her tongue at Leanne. "Well, stop talking about my brother like that."
Leanne just rolled her eyes.

Katie pulled Haley away from Leanne. "And by the way, we haven't!"
Haley gave Katie a look. "I thought we were over that."

Leanne frowned. "Why not?"
Katie shrugged. "We're not about that."

The three girls met the others in the back of the store. Each of them had an armful of dresses. Katie felt her heart sink a little bit. There were so many different styles and what not. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Jenna pulled a cart up and motioned for them to put their dresses in it. Katie eyed the mountain of dresses. This was going to be so much fun.

Jenna smiled at Katie. "Do you want some help?"
"Yeah," Katie answered.

Jenna pulled a couple of dresses out of the mountain and followed Katie into the dressing room. Jenna put the dresses on the rack in the dressing room. "Do you see anything you like?"
Katie eyed the dresses. One was a puffy ball gown, one was mermaid shape, and the was very simple. "I don't want the ball gown and mermaid shape."
"Do want to try on any like those?" Jenna asked.

Katie shook her head.

Jenna opened the door and handed the two dresses to Lisa. "All of this kind goes back on the rack."

Lisa nodded. She turned to the others. "You heard her."
Katie looked at the simple white dress. It was pretty. It had a sweetheart neckline and wasn't anything over the top, but she just wasn't feeling it. She knew that it would look very lovely on her, but it didn't feel like it was the one.

Jenna came back over to Katie. "Should we start?"
Katie nodded. "Yeah." She slipped the dress on. It was going to be a very long day.

Outside, Jasmine was eyeing a dress with sleeves. The sleeves and neckline were lace, but the rest of it was plain. It was full, but not too full. She pulled it off the rack and went over to a mirror with it and held it up in the light. Now that she was actually holding it in her hands, she could see the faint outlines of flowers on it. It didn't look good on her with her dark features, but it probably would on Katie.

Jasmine could just picture Katie in it and walking down the aisle in it. Jasmine smiled and carried the dress back to the others. She had to admit that on the rack it didn't look like Katie, but in her hands it did. It was an innocent dress, just like Katie was an innocent person.

"What did you find?" Angelina asked as Jasmine made her way back to them.

"I know it doesn't look like her, but I think she would look lovely in it," Jasmine said as she showed the girls the dress.

"It's girly, but too girly," Alicia said, "just like Katie."
Lisa studied the dress. "If she doesn't like it, then I'm buying it for myself."
Angelina laughed. "So does that mean you're marrying Alex?"

Lisa snorted. "Fat chance."

"Why don't you two just get together already?" Leanne asked.

Lisa just gave her a pointed look.

Jasmine and Haley exchanged looks. Either one of them had a clue as to what was going on.

Jasmine walked toward the dressing room. "Well, I should probably get this to Katie."

Jasmine went into the dressing room area and knocked on Katie's door. "Katie," she called. "I found another one for you to try on."
Jenna's face appeared in the crack of the door. "She hasn't found one to show you guys yet."
Jasmine placed the dress into Jenna's hands. "I think she'll like this one."
Jenna nodded. "It's worth a shot."
Jasmine stepped back and allowed Jenna to close the door. Jasmine wondered where Katie's real mother was. She hadn't meant the other woman and knew that she wasn't a big part of Katie's life. Still, Jasmine had thought that the mother would have at least showed up for this. She couldn't image a mother not being there for her children.

Jasmine went back out to the others and sat down.

"Was that Jasmine?" Katie asked as she wiggled out of the current reject.

Jenna nodded and handed Katie another dress. "Yeah, she thought you would like this one."

Katie looked at the dress. She did have to admit that it was pretty. "It's worth a shot."
Jenna nodded and smiled as she helped Katie into it.

Katie turned and looked at herself in the mirror. It clung to her in all the right places. It actually made her look like a woman instead of an almost nineteen-year-old child. She smiled and could see that her eyes here dancing. This was it everything she wanted in a wedding dress.

"I want to show them this," Katie whispered.

Jenna nodded. "You look very lovely in that."

Katie gathered up the skirts. "Thank you."
Jenna pushed open the door and they walked out to where the others were. Katie stepped nervously into the centre of the group.

"That is perfect," Lisa said as she looked Katie up and down. "You have to get it."
The others made similar remarks of approval.

Katie looked at herself in the mirror. She did have to admit that she looked good; this was probably the best she had looked in a long time, maybe in her entire life. She could just feel herself glowing.

"Is this it?" Jenna asked as she leaned over Katie's shoulder.

Katie nodded her head. "Yeah." She paused and pulled the price tag out. Her heart sank whenever she saw the numbers on it. "It's too much."
Jenna eyed the price as well. Katie saw Jenna's face fall. There was no way the family could afford this. The wedding was already costing them.

Jasmine was rummaging around in her purse. "I'll pay for it."

Katie smiled at her future mother-in-law. "No, I couldn't possibly let you do that."

Jasmine shook her head. "Consider this payment."
Katie frowned. " Thanks." She paused. "Payment for what?"
Jasmine handed a plastic card to a salesgirl. "Someone hasn't gotten his clothes for the wedding."
Katie closed her eyes. She was going to kill him.

Jasmine smiled at her. "If you call him now, tell him we can have it over with today."
Katie rolled her eyes. "Why I am not surprised?"
Jasmine laughed. "Because you know him well."

"Let me change and I'll see if I can get a hold of the child," Katie said as she walked back toward the dressing room.

Jenna followed Katie. "So, what are you doing now?"

Katie changed back into her jeans and shirt. "Marcus needs to get his stuff."
Jenna zipped the dress up into a dress bag. "I see." She looked at Katie. "Have you brought up the problem yet?"
Katie shook her head. "I was going to ask him about it. I don't think it will matter to them." She paused. "I can't believe I forgot about them being Catholic and not Protestant."

"I just never thought about it," Jenna responded. "Just ask him and we'll work something out."
Katie nodded as she pulled out her mobile. "Now, this is more difficult task." She punched in Marcus's number.

"Hello," Marcus said after the third ring. His voice was hoarse.

"What's this I hear about you not having your clothes?" Katie asked.

"I do have clothes," Marcus responded back.

"Your wedding clothes," Katie snapped back.

Marcus was silent for a few seconds. "Oh, that."

"Yes , that." Katie paused. "What are you doing?"

"Dying," Marcus muttered.

"Huh?"
"I have a fever and sore throat," Marcus answered.

Katie really wasn't all that surprised he was sick. Two of his friends were killed a couple of weeks ago and it had been pouring at the funeral. She was surprised that she hadn't gotten sick. "Well, come to London and get your clothes, then you can go back to bed."

Marcus groaned. "Just give me a few minutes."
Katie closed her mobile and turned to Jenna. "He's coming."
Jenna nodded. "Good."

Katie could tell that Marcus was miserable. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a plain white shirt. His face was pale and warm to the touch.

"I think you need a size smaller in the pants," Katie said. The pants were really baggy on him. She lifted up his shirt and could the waistband of his boxers. "I'm pretty sure you do."

Marcus nodded as he disappeared back into the dressing room.

Katie sat down next to Jasmine and Jenna. The rest of the group had already gone home.

"He looks like he's having so much fun," Jenna said.

"He's sick," Katie replied. "I'm pretty sure he wants to be done so he can go back to bed."
Marcus came back out in the smaller pants.

"That looks better," Jasmine said.

Marcus nodded. "Is this it?"
Katie handed him his dress jacket. "See how it looks with this."

Marcus put the jacket on and let Katie look at him. She had have to admit that he didn't clean up all that bad.

"Well?" Marcus asked.

Katie nodded. "It's perfect."