AN: My deepest apologiesfor the extreme lack of updates. I went from working part-time to working 10-12 hours a day. Its draining. I promise this story has not been abandoned. I've managed to write two more chapters this holiday season. Aiming to write four more so I am set for January ad February.
Next Chapter: Marcus leaves Katie on his own to explore. What will she find in his apartmet ;) Just got back from USJ, Osaka. It was wonderful 3
Any other time he would have been fascinated by the play of expressions on her face, as it finally settled on indignation.
He could tell she assumed it was jealousy he felt, and she was right. But if she had engaged with normal boys, he would have hid his jealousy behind some light teasing.
They hadn't been together, he wasn't even planning to act on the feelings she engendered within him. So he was well aware of how he had no right to act on his jealous feelings.
Her past wouldn't have mattered, not that he wasn't glad that she didn't have one. But this wasn't about how he felt about her non-existent sexual past.
"You have no right to be angry with me after how many times you…?"
"Who was it Katie?" He asked again, going through all the possible blokes in her year. He doubted she'd hung out with any Slytherin or stalked anyone else with her eyes as she had him.
He was the only snake she liked. Merlin knew why she had hung her heart on him, but he was sure of it. Unless…those two friends of her had gotten her into something asinine as daring to snog a Slytherin.
That was quite possible if those two bints were involved.
"Was it that fool Pucey or even more idiotic Higgs?" He demanded, those two guys were always panting after her friends. No doubt they would've been in close proximity to her. Even more so after he'd left.
When he was at Hogwarts he'd thwarted the stupid boys' attempt at 'wooing' her friends. Not because he cared, but he hadn't wanted any of those blokes asinine antiques near her.
It wasn't far fetched to deduce that they had taken advantage of his absence. Guess, he hadn't been able to convince the boys about why Gryffindors were not worth the trouble.
But he felt his tension leave him as he thought about the harmless fools. They were annoying, but they were manageable. Likely her exasperating friends had put her up to it.
On second thought, that was unlikely. Those two hated the Slytherins like no one else. They wouldn't subject the friend they were so protective over to one from his den.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He almost chuckled at her attempt at being so refined about it. But he wasn't fooled. Because he could tell she was nervous, but there was something else he couldn't quite put a finger on it.
He intended to find out why she felt the way she did. And which snake had gotten her to feel this way. He didn't like her feeling nervous, especially if it was because of another wizard, one of his own Slytherins at that.
"Now now Bell. It couldn't have been that bad. I promise you, most of them are not as unfortunate looking as I am." He would've kept going with his self-deprecating joke about how, if even he could interest some stupid bints, then surely some of the younger more prominent better looking snakes could. But the anger on her face stayed his tongue.
"You're not unfortunate looking. You're the most hands…" She abruptly stopped what she was going to say, though they both knew what she meant.
Oh how he wished to lay her flat on a surface. Any surface really. Not the time for that now, Flint. Mind over matter.
"And yet you found someone else to canoodle with?" He saw the fire lit in her eyes. Merlin, how he liked that spark right there in her eyes.
"Canoodle Flint? Really?" The adorable bint actually stomped her foot as she crossed her arms. "Don't treat me like a child."
"If the shoe fits…" He really debated what he wanted more. Whether he wanted to rile her up, which was always an entertaining sight, or did he want to know about the snake that had tried to lay his hands on his Bell.
"You're so mean Flint. I sometimes wonder…"
He chucked her chin to stop her words. They both already knew she might have said. It was better for their feelings to remain unsaid for now.
"No more stalling Katherine. Tell me who it was. Please?" He added for extra measure. She was always weak for the rare occasions he was too polite.
"You wouldn't even believe it if I told you who it was Marcus."
"I would. You've never lied to me before." He said softly as he cupped her face. She wasn't capable of lying to him. She gave herself away way too much. He was relieved it was mostly around him.
She bit her lip, hesitating. Surely, it couldn't be that bad. The Katie he knew would have reveled in riling him up. A well deserved revenge for his past.
"Draco Malfoy." She whispered, the confusion clear on her face.
He couldn't help himself, but he lost it. He laughed. Not in humour, but in incredulity.
There was no way, no way Malfoy would entertain any sort of discretion with a lioness. With the exception of the one Malfoy had been pinning for.
And that level of bookishness and know-it-all swottiness could only be usually found in one mud… ahem… Miss Granger.
And his Bell and the infamous mudblood, ahem, muggle, may have been in the same house, but his lass was way too sweet compared to the likes of that untamed thing.
He could understand the attraction to that swot, especially from someone as emotionally repressed and bookish as Malfoy was. But there was no way Bell would have been the ideal substitute for Malfoy.
While he was confident that Bell was telling him the truth. But what would the Malfoy brat want with his Katie Bell. He had assumed that Bell being cursed by the damned necklace was a coincidence. An unfortunate accident even. But perhaps not.
He wasn't the vengeful sort, usually. But then again no one had messed with him to the extent to deserve his diabolical cunning nature.
Everyone, even the Gryffindors, feared him. Given that most believed he truly had troll blood running through him.
He'd only planned on thrashing Malfoy around a bit. Just a bit. But perhaps he may truly may have to kill the boy.
And what better way to get rid of pest like him, than the muggle way.
It couldn't be traced back to him.
No one would see it coming.
But first order of things.
Why had Malfoy set his sights on his Bell? It didn't make any sense