Chapter 22: Maybe It's Love

The following week Graham Montague was caught kissing Grace Middlemore in an empty classroom. Professor Flitwick had not noticed that they stayed behind as the rest of the class left for lunch and caught them when he came back with his next class. He quickly sent them away while deducting points from both their houses. The first years that also witnessed the event had already spread their own versions around the school.

"I'm actually glad they were first years. Eleven-year-olds can't make up very sensational stories," Grace said to Poppy as they were studying in the library, a day after the event. Grace was working on an essay for Charms that professor Flitwick had ordered both her and Graham to do in order to make up for their inappropriate behaviour, and Poppy was studying for a Transfiguration quiz that professor McGonagall had hinted would be coming soon.

"I heard when they caught you, you were wearing his shirt," Poppy said, raising an eyebrow. Grace grinned widely.

"Well, when we heard someone come in, I grabbed the first thing I could find and threw it on. I didn't want them to see me in my bra," she explained and pulled out a handful of sweets from her pocket. She tossed them on the table.

Poppy grabbed one of the sweets, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. It turned out to be chocolate with caramel inside. "I thought they made that part up."

"No, all true," Grace said while adding another sentence to her almost finished essay.

"Alright. How was he?" Poppy asked, trying to be more supportive of Grace's new conquest. She was still skeptical of the whole thing and sure that some day someone would get hurt.

"He was impressive," Grace replied with a wink.

"Worth writing an extra essay for?"

"Oh, definitely."

Poppy had no idea how Grace could do it. She and Marcus had been snogging every chance they got, though there weren't many. They would snog in the locker rooms after Quidditch practice before breakfast and sometimes they'd skip eating and spend their lunch break in Marcus's dormitory. After classes and before supper their common room and the dormitory were always swarming with students so there wasn't any chance for privacy. She wasn't one for public displays of affection that went further than a quick kiss, a hug or hand holding. The idea of getting caught by a professor, or anyone for that matter, mortified Poppy but to Grace it was just another Wednesday.

So far, Marcus's shirt had been firmly on him. Poppy had tried following Grace's advice but her hands just wouldn't grab his shirt when they should have. She was beginning to wonder about her motor skills. Poppy was also slightly worried that after Marcus said he loved her, he had not said anything about it again. She had come to the conclusion that maybe he was just waiting for her to say it back, but whole thing was causing her to almost break out in hives. She had even asked Grace for help on how to know if you love someone, but Grace turned out to be no help at all. It wasn't surprising, really, but Poppy didn't exactly have anyone else to ask.

The next morning Poppy and Marcus had Quidditch practice. It went quite well, Poppy thought. She noticed that Malfoy seemed to have an actual confidence in his skills. It was refreshing after watching him fake being sure of himself for so long. Adrian was not at the top of his game, he was sluggish and also very quiet. He had been this way for some time now. Poppy had also noticed that when she and Marcus got together, Adrian completely stopped talking to her.

"Alright, team, that was... Definitely something," Marcus said as the team gathered in the middle of the field. It was raining, so practice had not been fun for anyone.

"Well, I think it went marvelously," Montague chimed in cheerfully.

Marcus shot him a mean look. "Nobody cares what you think, Graham."

"Even so, we're more than ready to face Hufflepuff. I mean, it's Hufflepuff," Graham said mockingly and rolled his eyes. Malfoy laughed.

"You should focus your energy on actually getting the quaffle through the rings and not on running your mouth," Marcus said, raising his voice slightly.

"But I-"

"Shut up. Pucey, you need to stop moping around and play the bloody game, you're useless! I can easily find a replacement for you," Marcus said, turning towards Adrian. Adrian didn't even look like he was listening and just stared ahead.

"Malfoy, you're too slow. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and focus on that snitch. If you don't catch it, we're dead meat," Marcus said to Malfoy, grinding his teeth a little. Poppy knew that both Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter were better seekers than Draco and Marcus considered him the weakest on the team. Thankfully, he was getting better. Marcus turned to Poppy.

"Poppy, your left hand is much slower than your right. Fix it," he said. Poppy nodded, knowing he was right. He really knew what he was talking about when it came to Quidditch. "Now everybody, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. Same time."

The team trekked towards the locker rooms, absolutely exhausted from practice. As the boys changed clothes and Poppy was taking a shower, some of the players were whispering to each other. Marcus noticed them huddled over in the corner. "What are you halfwits babbling about over there?"

"It's nothing," Malfoy said quickly.

"No, it's not nothing. I heard you say Poppy's name."

Malfoy and Graham froze up. Derrick had also been a part of their secret conversation but he quickly shuffled to the other side of the room when Marcus started asking questions. Malfoy nudged Graham's arm.

"Alright, I'll speak for the whole team," Graham announced. Marcus looked around, glaring at every team member. Derrick quickly shifted his gaze towards the roof. Bole shrugged. Adrian was still changing his clothes and didn't even notice. Malfoy tried to hide behind Graham. "We think she's getting special treatment."

"She's not, end of discussion," Marcus said.

"But you complain about everything we do and she gets nothing but praise," Graham whined. Malfoy nodded along.

Marcus sighed. "When you learn to play as well as her, I'll treat you the same way."

"But I-"

"End of discussion."

Marcus knew he wasn't treating Poppy exactly like the others. Of course he wasn't. If he spoke to her the way he spoke to them, she'd hex him straight to the hospital wing. But he wasn't going to let anybody suggest he was going easy on her, or not being as demanding with her. But the truth was, he didn't have to be. Poppy knew what Marcus wanted done and just did it. No complaints, no questions asked.

"What's going on?" Poppy asked, emerging from the shower area already dressed. The room was awfully quiet.

"They think you're getting special treatment," Marcus said and gestured towards Graham and Malfoy.

"What? Are you crazy? If I was getting special treatment, first thing I'd want would be to not wake up before dawn every bloody morning," Poppy said to the boys who were looking sheepishly at her. "You know, Victoria from my dormitory suggested that now that I have a man, I can quit pretending I like Quidditch."

"What's your point?" Graham asked.

"You should meet her, I think you'd be good mates," Poppy said.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Graham said. Malfoy muttered something resembling an apology. Under his breath, Graham added, "Malfoy started it, though."

Malfoy punched him in the arm. Everyone started gathering their things and leaving for the castle. Marcus and Poppy stalled. Marcus spent a whole minute putting on one sock.

"Are you coming?" Graham asked when everyone else had already left.

Marcus looked around the room, scouring over every inch. "I think I left my broom on the pitch. Poppy, could you help me look for it?"

"You already used that excuse on Monday," Graham quipped from the door.

"What?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, nothing. Tomorrow maybe you can forget to lock up the bludgers again and spend an hour hunting them down," Graham said while rolling his eyes.

"I think they're onto us," Marcus said when Graham was out the door. Poppy smiled widely. They were not exactly being subtle, staying behind after every practice.

Marcus walked towards her and grabbed her waist, pulling her body closer. He moved one hand to her neck and bent down to kiss her. The changing room was not the most romantic environment for this, but when Marcus kissed Poppy, she forgot all about where they were. Her hands reached for the hem of his shirt and even slid under to touch his back, but then she stopped abruptly and pulled away.

Marcus looked at her with worry. "What's wrong?"

Poppy hesitated, biting her lip. "I want you to take your shirt off."

"Alright," he said and pulled his shirt off. That was easy, Poppy thought.

"But I'm going to keep mine on," she said, eyeing his toned upper body.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

"Is that okay?" Poppy asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Marcus replied.

Poppy shook her head and looked around the room. "Uh, I don't know."

"Have I done something?" he asked. Poppy looked in his eyes.

"No! You've been great," she said.

"Good. I mean, I've been really enjoying this and I'd hate to think you hadn't."

Poppy's cheeks flushed. She looked down at her shoes. They used to be white. Now they were a muddy grey colour. Maybe there was a spell to clean them.

Marcus moved closer again, snapping Poppy out of her thoughts. He grabbed her chin and gently pulled her head up. "Do you know why I picked you for the team?"

"Because I wouldn't let you say no?" Poppy said. She was familiar with the story.

Marcus nodded and grabbed her hand into his bigger one. "Exactly. You spoke your mind and stood up to me. You've never had a problem telling me anything, so why are you suddenly so quiet?"

"I'm just... Nervous," she explained.

"Why? You've seen me without my shirt before," he said.

"But you've never seen me!"

"Ah."

Poppy tried to avoid his gaze but he wouldn't let her. Wherever she tried to look, his face appeared. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. I am a man, after all and I'm usually not a very patient guy."

"I know." Poppy worried about where this was going. His face gave no indication. She bit her lip.

"But I can wait." He smiled just wide enough that she saw his slightly crooked teeth. Poppy breathed out in relief and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his bare chest. He returned the hug and kissed the top of her head. "You know, all this talking made me hungry. You want breakfast?"

"Breakfast sounds good," Poppy replied and let go of him. He put his shirt back on along with his other sock and shoes. They left the changing room and Marcus held Poppy's hand all the way to The Great Hall.

"At lunch I'll take you to my dorm and you can rip off my shirt, if you want," he said midway. She tried not to blush.

Transfiguration with Ravenclaws was Poppy's last class before lunch. Professor McGonagall held the quiz she had hinted at. While she was grading their answers, she had ordered the class to get started on their essays. The subject was the morality of using spells to alter one's appearance. Though the subject was interesting, Poppy found herself doodling Mrs Poppy Flint in the corner of her notes. Victoria was sitting right behind her and leaned forward to peek over Poppy's shoulder.

"It's sweet. Your very first boyfriend and you're already planning a wedding," Victoria said in a whispering tone.

"Don't get too attached, love," Becky chimed in from the seat in front of Poppy.

"Once he's playing for some big team, he'll have a lady for each finger," Mary said.

"You three seem to really enjoy the sound of your own voices," Poppy hissed back.

"Girls, quiet now!" Professor McGonagall bellowed. The Ravenclaw girls sitting left from Poppy looked at her and the others, turned up their noses and flicked back their hair. Poppy went back to her essay while Victoria, Mary and Becky continued whispering about her. Poppy hoped Sirius Black would come running through the door just to give them something else to talk about.

Class ended and Poppy raced outside. And there he was, just as he'd promised to be, waiting for her outside her classroom. She rushed over to him and he extended his hand to carry her book bag. He bent down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, right by her ear. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine. "Hey, beautiful."

Poppy didn't have a chance to say anything when her favourite group of giggling girls arrived, led by Victoria. "Oh look, it's Mr and Mrs Flint!"

Marcus shot them a quick glance while scrunching up his face but ignored them and turned back to his girlfriend. "How was class? Did you learn anything?"

Poppy was about to answer but she was cut off by Becky's shrill voice. "Nope! She was too busy planning your wedding!"

"Really?" Marcus looked at Poppy with intrigue. She shook her head and raised her shoulders while mumbling something incoherent. He turned to Becky with a fake smile. "I guess you would know."

"Huh?"

"Your wedding plans were probably done by, what, your third birthday?" Marcus asked mockingly. "Who's the lucky guy, your cousin? First, second or third?"

Becky and the others were dumbfounded. Poppy could almost see the wheels slowly starting to turn in their heads. Their faces turned red and Becky was about to blow up but Victoria held her back. When Victoria finally spoke, her voice had no emotion, yet her eyes dug into Poppy's. "Quite a gentleman you have there."

Poppy simply rolled her eyes at the girls as Marcus laughed. He extended his arm and Poppy took it. "Shall we go?"

"You don't want to know what that was?" Poppy asked as they walked towards the dungeons.

"I know what it was. Mean girls being mean."

Poppy was surprised he didn't want to know more, but mostly she was happy. She didn't want to tell him what she'd been writing. It was embarrassing, something a young school girl would do. Poppy had always considered herself older than she actually was and she felt Marcus did, too.

When they entered the common room, a few first years who had been studying by the fireplace quickly gathered their things and scattered away.

"My reputation proceeds me," Marcus said with a wink.

With his hand on Poppy's lower back, he guided her to the steps leading down to his dormitory. Inside, he plopped her book bag on the floor next to his trunk. It made a loud thumping sound. Marcus took off his shoes and sat on his bed. Poppy followed.

"So, did you learn anything in class?" Marcus repeated his question from earlier.

"I got a perfect score on my Transfiguration quiz," Poppy replied with a smile.

Her blonde hair was in a ponytail but the shorter parts at the front were just tucked behind her ears. A strand fell and Marcus reached to sweep it back. While doing so his hand grazed her cheek. He stared into her green eyes and she felt herself blushing yet again. He leaned in for a kiss and didn't stop at just one. He smelled like grass and tasted of waffles.

He gently pushed her so she was laying on the bed and positioned himself right beside her. His kisses became more and more intense. His rough hands wandered from her waist to her back and then into her hair. He grabbed her ponytail and took off her hair tie, throwing it on the floor. He ran his fingers through her long hair and lightly caressed her neck. His touch made her quiver as she reached her hands around his neck and grabbed his shirt, taking it off.

She ran her fingers across his spine gently before grabbing his sturdy arms. She wondered how he was still tan when it was already halfway through March and the sun had not shown its face in months. He moved to kiss her neck. Feeling his warm breath by her ear, she grabbed his hair and wrapped her leg around his. In one quick swoop, he pulled her on top of himself. Her hair fell around his face as she cupped it with both hands and leaned in to kiss him.

As their lips parted, Poppy opened her eyes and sat up with her knees on the bed. Realising that Marcus was now literally between her legs made her slightly uneasy but he didn't seem to notice. He smiled up at her. "Where'd you go?"

"I need to breathe," she said with a grin while drawing circles with her finger on his stomach. He put his hands behind his head as she explored the contours of his chest. If someone had told her at the beginning of term, that seven months later she would be Marcus Flint's girlfriend, she would've hexed them for suggesting something so awful, but here she was.

Being Marcus Flint's girlfriend had many perks. Her confidence had skyrocketed to new heights thanks to his constant compliments and inability to keep his hands to himself, which lead to kissing and touching and all these amazing things that Poppy had previously only heard about that sent tingling sensations through her whole body. She always thought Grace was exaggerating about these things, but apparently she wasn't.

She looked up. His eyes were closed but hearing her voice, he opened them. "I'm done breathing."

He grinned. "Alright. Shall we continue?"

She shrieked as he grabbed her by the hips and threw her onto the other side of the bed. And there it was again, that lovely tingly feeling. She didn't know if it was love or simply lust, like Grace had suggested, making Poppy embarrassed about the whole conversation, but it was a great feeling nonetheless.