The Last Man on Earth

The Last Man on Earth

The conversation at The Slytherin table in this chapter is an offshoot from some ideas and conversations I have had about the social structure of the wizarding world.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, yadda yadda yadda.

Chapter 26: The Letter

The Great Hall:

Early one morning, Marcus opened a letter from his father with a feeling of dread in his stomach. His father and he rarely spoke or owled for that matter. His father was a typical upper-class wizard. When he was a child, he saw his father for ten minutes a day in the evening before bed. Until he had come to Hogwarts, Marcus thought all children were brought up this way. He unrolled the parchment carefully.

Son,

It has come to my attention that you are coming to the end of your Hogwarts tenure. Granted that is contingent on you actually passing your NEWTs this year. Make no mistake, Marcus Aurelius Flint; staying at Hogwarts so you could play Quidditch will not be acceptable for a second time. I hope I have made my wishes in this matter clear.

Severus Snape has also informed me that your grades have improved due to an excellent tutor. I do suppose this tutor is a witch. Well, I should just be grateful for the improved performance.

I have made arrangements for your upcoming gap year that I hope will be acceptable to you. During the summer, you will be an intern in the mailroom at our London publishing house. From September to the middle of December, you will be permitted to go with Mr. Higgs and Mr. Pucey to wherever you are planning to gallivant off to. I expect you back on England for Yule then I expect you will be off again with your friends. I do expect you back in England by the beginning of July though.

Marcus, you will need to decide which path you will take after your gap year is over. You have three choices: the publishing, antique or textile industry. Then you will be immersed in the day to day running of your chosen field. Choose wisely, son.

Next, I want you to fulfill your duty to your family and bloodline and marry. The witch must have an acceptable bloodline. But I do not require that the girl be a pureblood, only that she is not muggle born. The family has discussed the matter and has come to the conclusion that the finer bred girls tend not to be good breeders. Yes, Marcus, your mother and I want grandchildren. Continuing the family line is your main duty in the next five years.

In closing son, I sure you are quite surprised that I am giving you a choice in bride and career. But it was not my decision. It is a Flint family tradition that has gone back centuries. If you have any questions, please forward an owl to the manor. If you have chosen a bride, please do the same. The family must approve your choice first, of course.

Your mother sends her regards.

Father

Marcus heaved a sigh and looked up at Higgs and Pucey watching him.

“What is it,” asked Terry.

“My father confirmed our gap year plans,” said Marcus casually. “And wants me to decide on the rest of my life.”

“Oh,” said Pucey with a grin. “You got the letter too?”

“What do you mean,” asked Marcus with a raised brow.

“Time to chose,” said Pucey. “School is nearly done so all the purebloods are being encouraged to either get married or get engaged. I got my letter last week.”

“MacIntyre got it worse,” said Terry with a shudder. “He found out he’ll be marrying a Durmstrang girl on July 12th. He’s never even seen her.”

“Merlin,” said Marcus with a heartfelt shudder of sympathy.

“I don’t know what the rush is,” asked Terry plaintively.

“The rush is,” said Adrian as he caught the attention of most of the Slytherin students in seventh year end of the table. “That there are a finite number of witches and wizards available. See there are roughly a thousand students at Hogwarts and about 150 in each year. There are no other schools for magic in the British Isles. So this it, the entire dating pool for all of wizarding Britain. You have to look to Europe or overseas to find any other matches. Some families don’t care if you wait to marry but some families want their heirs to marry straight away - especially if they only have one heir. So there you have it.”

“I have never heard it put that way,” said Terry with a frown.

“The pool gets smaller if you do not count the muggleborns,” said Adrian dryly. “I know that most of us in Slytherin can’t marry them.”

There were nods all around the table.

“Unless, one wants to get disinherited,” said Mariah MacDuff with a grin.

“Why would you want to do that,” said Terry with a snicker as the rest of the table laughed.

Marcus frowned down at the roll of parchment in his hands and he missed Billy giving him a significant look.

Later that night: The Slytherin dungeons:

Terry pulled his face away so Adrian’s kiss landed on his cheekbone rather than his mouth.

“What’s wrong with you,” said Adrian as his face darkened. “It’s Alicia Spinnet, isn’t it?”

“No,” said Terry as he got up off the couch and went to sit at his desk. “I’m not seeing her anymore. I have a potions essay due and I haven’t started.”

“Marcus isn’t going to be back for some time,” said Adrian coaxingly.

“Do you think Professor Snape will take that as an excuse?” said Terry lightly.

“Not bloody likely,” said Adrian as he sighed and went to his desk as well. “It’s due tomorrow?”

Terry nodded as he stared sightlessly at his parchment. Since he broke up with Alicia, he felt morose and depressed. The dungeon walls used to comfort him with their solidity, now they just reminded him of the chains that bound him to his house. He knew he had hurt her. But he couldn’t resist touching her again before he had to let her go. His family had been hinting about a distant cousin lately and he knew what life had in store for him - a safe pureblood marriage. It was absolutely mad but Adrian didn’t mind the prospect of a wife but for some reason Spinnet made him feel threatened.

Later that night, he tossed and turned until he fell into a restless sleep.

Terry could feel her silky flesh against him and her hair brush against his abdomen. He opened his eyes and saw her sitting on his bed wrapped in a school robe with a smile on her face. Alicia put a finger to lips when he tried to say something. Then she kissed him slowly and softly around his face and chest and lower still. When her mouth touched his sudden erection softly, he moaned. He could feel her tongue his shaft with long slow licks until he was mindless. He panted as she sucked him into her hot mouth insistently and with a strong unceasing rhythm. Just as he felt the tingling that signaled his coming orgasm, he woke up to find himself alone.

Terry reached down and closed his eyes as he grasped his stiff erection and reminded himself of how she smelt and her face when she came. He stroked himself quietly in the darkness and came moaning her name softly and sadly. Alicia Spinnet was out of his reach now. In the last week, she never even looked at him in the Hall or in the hallways. He cleaned himself off and tried to go back to sleep. But he kept seeing her face in his dreams and the contempt in her eyes when she looked at him that night.

Earlier that night: The Library:

“Marcus,” hissed Katie. “Stop it.”

“No,” whispered Marcus back. His hand was crawling up Katie’s long leg.

“Are you done your potions essay,” said Katie with a frown.

“Yes,” said Marcus with a glint in his eyes. His hand crept up to trace the edge of her lace pants.

“Let me read it,” said Katie.

“Why don’t I let you do something else,” said Marcus with a grin.

“It is too crowded in here,” said Katie with a nervous glance around. A Gryffindor housemate waved and she waved back a little nervously as Marcus glared at the young man.

“Quit it,” said Katie out of the corner of her mouth.

“Who is he,” said Marcus with a frown.

“Jealous,” said Katie with a laugh.

“Yes,” snapped Marcus intently.

“Don’t be,” said Katie seriously. “He is just a friend.”

“Who am I?” asked Marcus intensely.

“You are everything,” said Katie as she gazed at him.

Marcus relaxed and squeezed her hand.

“I need to find a book,” said Marcus as he got up. He gave her an intense look and he coaxed her to her feet. “Help me find it, Katie.” Marcus steered her towards the back of the Library.

“No,” hissed Katie. “There are too many people in here, Marcus.”

“I have no idea what you are going on about Bell,” said Marcus innocently.

When he pinned her against a musty stack of books in a quiet corner of the library, Katie tried to squirm away. She gasped as Marcus pulled her hands behind her back and rotated his stiff cloth covered erection against her pelvis slowly. Marcus ground himself into her softness while looking intently into her eyes. Katie stifled a moan as her hips caught his rhythm and her hips echoed his movements.

“Are you wet for me,” whispered Marcus in her ear.

“Yes,’ said a trembling Katie. She could feel her pussy heat up as the friction between their bodies increased. Her heart rate increased as she could hear other students walking around the area but not intruding.

Marcus licked his lips as he pushed himself harder against her pelvis. He abruptly let Katie\'s hands go and grasped her backside harder against his body. Katie gripped at his broad shoulders and rubbed harder against him.

“I want to come inside you,” whispered Marcus.

Katie nodded helplessly as they separated for a brief second so Katie could hike her skirt and Marcus could spring his eager erection. He pulled her pants aside with an impatient gesture as Katie eased him inside her tight wetness. Both Marcus and Katie shuddered as they resumed their frantic quiet rubbing against each other.

“Doesn’t this feel so much better,” groaned Marcus against her ear.

“Yes,” said Katie as she closed her eyes so she could relish the feel of his thick erection deep inside her.

“Afraid of getting caught,” whispered Marcus.

“No,” whispered Katie. “I’ll just say you were tutoring me for a change.”

Marcus reached down and rubbed her clitoris softly. Katie’s body went up in flames as she bit down on Marcus’s robe covered shoulder. His hips were thrusting harder as he stiffened in her arms. She could feel him pulse inside her for a minute until her orgasm crashed over her and she bit back a moan.

Katie walked back to the table on unsteady legs. Marcus looked like he had just taken a sedate stroll. Katie felt like she had been through a storm. A wild exciting storm named Marcus Flint. She blushed when she sat down and realized her thighs were sticky and wet.

Later as they were packing up their books, Marcus frowned and asked her an unexpected question.

“Katie,” asked Marcus. “What does your family do?”

“My mother and father work for the ministry,” said Katie as she gave Marcus a strange look. “And I thought you knew that my father had been a chaser for the Appleby Arrows.”

“No,” said Marcus with surprise. “I didn’t. So both your parents are magical?”

“Yes,” said Katie. A look of comprehension flooded her face. “Are you trying to ask in a round about way if I’m muggleborn?”

“Yes,” said Marcus unabashedly.

“Why?” said Katie suspiciously.

“No reason,” said Marcus happily. “When can I meet your father?”

“You nearly did at Yule ,” said Katie with a grin as Marcus walked her back to Gryffindor Tower. There was no one in front of the portrait so Marcus said good-bye with a soul deep tongue-thrusting kiss that made Katie’s knees tremble and made her forget their earlier conversation.