The Last Man on Earth

The Last Man on Earth

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

Chapter 46: Consequences

Outside the Infirmary:

A weary Marcus made his way out the door of the infirmary. He ran a weary hand over his face and gave a long sigh. His parents and Katie’s parents were waiting for him outside in the corridor.

They broke off their conversation when they saw him.

“How is Katie?” asked a worried Isolde Bell.

“Madame Pomfrey says she will be better tomorrow after she has had some rest,” said Marcus. He stiffened as he saw the adults exchange glances.

“Marcus,” said Rowan Bell gravely. “We have some pressing issues to deal with. Mainly, Katie’s mother and I are still not fine with the way Katie and you have handled the situation. I was just informed that you were waiting until Katie was of age. Were you ever going to tell us that our daughter was expecting a child? Or where you just hoping neither of us would notice?”

“We were waiting mainly because Katie was afraid to tell anyone about our situation,” said Marcus nervously. Rowan Bell looked like he was restraining himself from grabbing Marcus and throttling him.

“Are you sure?” asked Rowan probingly. “Or would you both showed up, after Hogwarts finished for the year, married?”

“I won’t lie to you,” said Marcus firmly. “If she had wanted it that way, then, yes. We would have married at Gretna Green then told all of you later.”

“Katie is far too young,” said Isolde with a distraught air. “Are you going to allow her to finish school and get her license? I cannot believe it but you, a young man we have never met, has a say in our child’s life.”

“I believe Katie is the one who has a say in her life,” said Marcus with a frown. “I wouldn’t presume to speak for her.”

“My point is,” said Isolde tartly. “That you do have a say. You are her betrothed. You are as good as married already.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t wait to ask your permission,” said Marcus carefully. Katie’s father still looked furious. “But I think I did the right thing. I faced up to my responsibility to your daughter and my child.”

“When will you marry her,” asked Rowan softly. “Merlin knows that I wish that this marriage didn’t have to take place but it does, for Katie’s sake.”

“As soon as she wants,” said Marcus. He gave his father an inscrutable look. He also gave a small rueful grin. His mother had wandered away in the meantime. She never did like it when people raised their voices around her.

“The sooner the better,” said Isolde with a set look to her face. “Something small and quiet.”

“No,” said Aurelius Flint with a determined look on his face.

“What are you on about?” asked Rowan with a frown.

“My son and heir is going to be married in a manner that benefits the scion of an old pureblood family,” said Aurelius firmly.

“That will take time,” gasped Isolde. “People will know.”

“People are going to know anyway,” said Aurelius with a bored look as he twisted his cufflinks. “I am sure that most wizards can still count.”

“I will not have Katie humiliated,” said Isolde.

“Don’t you mean yourself,” asked Aurelius softly as he pinned Isolde with an icy glare. “I’m sure that having your daughter marry under less than ideal circumstances will be the ten day wonder in whatever village you are from. But my son will marry in the old way and without flinching. Gossip will fade. When the old biddies see that this marriage has my approval, they will eventually shut it. After all, we will give them other things to gossip about rather than the arrival of the Flint heir two or three months prematurely. Trust me, it has happened before, and it will happen again.”

“So that is your answer,” said Rowan Bell with an icy glare at Aurelius. “Just brazen it out?”

“Yes,” said Aurelius. “After the gossips tally up the amount of galleons I will be spending on this wedding, the ‘premature’ birth a few months later will be old news.”

“What about you,” asked Isolde. “What will your posh friends say about your son?”

Aurelius gave a slow satisfied grin. “When Lucius Malfoy hears the news that my son just won me a bet I placed twenty years ago with him at Hogwarts, he will be too busy gnashing his teeth and counting out my galleons for anyone to care. Lucius has not lost a bet in quite some time. At least, not for that many galleons.”

“We have much to speak about,” said Rowan Bell with a long sigh a few seconds later. “I will floo you later Aurelius but I think it is time my wife and I went home to let events settle.”

“As you wish,” said Aurelius. “I will be in contact.”

Both Flints watched the Bells leave in silence. Marcus could hear Isolde muttering about mad aristocrats as they were leaving. After the Bells were out of sight, Aurelius gave his son a puzzled look.

“I try,” said Aurelius. “But I just do not understand…. Ummm the other classes of Wizarding society.”

“That was quite diplomatic,” said Marcus. “I bet Lucius Malfoy would not be so diplomatic.”

“Lucius has his beliefs that are forged, by the way, by the utterly implacable belief that he is right all the time,” said Aurelius with a snort. “It’s because he’s always been so rich. He married Narcissa Black for her face and her bloodline.”

“Why did you marry mother?” asked Marcus curiously.

“Oh,” said Aurelius casually. “Her money. Like your grandfather and your great grandfather, I had to marry for money. The estates were, in the past, quite the drain on the family coffers. But in the last few generations, I believe that we have diversified enough that we are no longer dependent on our agricultural or real estate holdings.”

“Good,” said Marcus with a sigh of relief. “I really don’t think I could have faced being saddled with Bletchley.”

“My bet with Lucius should take care of the expenses of your upcoming wedding,” said Aurelius with satisfaction.

“Is it really going to be that large,” asked Marcus with a frown.

“Think bigger,” said Aurelius with a slow smile. “Now, I must find your mother. I’ll be owling tomorrow Marcus.”

Marcus said good-bye to his father and headed down towards the dungeons. He really needed a drink.

The Slytherin Dungeons:

“Merlin,” said Malfoy as he bounded into the room where most of Slytherin team was getting slowly but surely pissed to the gills. “You will never guess what I just heard in the common room.”

“That Mariah MacDuff likes to be tied up,” asked Bole hopefully.

“You perv,” said Derrick. “Where did you hear that?”

“No one,” said Tarquin. “I was just hoping.”

“No,” said Draco impatiently. “Billy tried to off Bell.”

“What?” said Adrian as he sprang to his feet.

“How?” asked Terry.

“Billy pushed Bell down the dungeon stairs an hour ago,” said Draco. “She’s in the common room right now telling her cronies. She is in it deep. Snape’s been round to tell her to stay in the common room until he says otherwise.”

“Is Bell all right?” asked Derrick.

“Well,” said Draco unhelpfully. “I don’t think she’s dead.”

“We better get moving,” said Adrian as he moved towards the door.

“Why?” asked Draco.

“Because,” said Alec. “Marcus has such a sweet and unvengeful temperament. What do you think will be his first reaction when he claps eyes on Bletchley?”

“He’s going to kill her,” said Terry with a slow nod.

“Slowly,” said Derrick.

“Billy played such an awful game today,” grumbled Bole. “We should let him.”

“I’ve never fancied visiting Azkaban,” said Adrian. “So let’s make sure Marcus doesn’t end up there.”

“Good point,” said Alec. The boys trooped out of Derrick’s room and headed for the common room.

“Well Billy,” said Adrian with his hands on his hips. “You’ve landed in it. What possessed you to try and off Bell?”

“It was an accident,” hissed a pale Billy. “I have a witness. My father saw the whole thing.”

“Impartial witness I’m sure,” said Terry sarcastically.

“Marcus is going to fucking kill you, you silly bint,” said Tarquin as he flopped into a chair.

“Shut it Bole,” hissed Billy.

“Were you jealous,” drawled Adrian. “You do know that Marcus is going to marry her. He always fancied her.”

“Yes,” piped up Derrick. “Remember how he used to always take shadowing Bell during games?”

“He was mine first,” said Billy thorough her teeth.

“He was never yours,” said Terry with a snort. “He had Ravenclaw girlfriend after Ravenclaw girlfriend when he was shagging you.”

“Slags,” muttered Billy. “Ravenclaws never count anyway.”

“He had a go with most of your friends as well,” said Adrian with a smile. “Isn’t that right, Mariah?”

Mariah turned crimson.

“Come on MacDuff,” said Terry. “Unless you were actually there to turn down his bed at night.”

“No snickering Delilah,” said Tarquin. “I saw you in the change room with him one time.”

Billy looked at her friends in shock.

“He said you didn’t mind,” said Delilah weakly.

“Besides,” said another Slytherin girl. “He wasn’t going to marry you. You can’t blame a girl for trying. He was fair game.”

“Until Bell came along,” grumbled another girl.

“I cannot believe you tried to kill her,” said Mariah with her face pale. “She won fair and square Billy.”

“Ii was an accident,” said Billy insistently.

“If you say it long enough,” said Adrian. “I’m sure you’ll come to believe it.”

At that moment, Marcus walked through the door. The first person he saw was Billy. He said nothing but his cheeks went red and the skin seemed to tighten across his high cheekbones. He stalked towards her silently. The entire common room was still as the grave.

Adrian dived across Marcus’s path. Marcus pushed him aside politely. Terry tried to do the same. He met with the same fate. Alec stopped him in his tracks.

“Is Katie going to be okay Marcus,” asked Alec quietly.

“Yes,” said Marcus as his eyes never left Billy’s scared face.

“Was she hurt?” asked Alec insistently.

“Not as bad as she could have been had I not been there to catch her,” said Marcus.

“You know mate,” said Adrian quietly. “You can’t kill her.”

“I want to,” said Marcus conversationally.

“I know,” said Bole. “But the silly bitch isn’t worth it.”

“Katie is worth it,” said Marcus dangerously.

“I suspect she would rather you be with her,” said Derrick. “Rather than Azkaban.”

“Bletchley,” said Marcus after a long tense silence. “I, personally, would transfer to another school.”

“It’s too late in the term,” said Billy aghast.

“Dumbledore is probably going to expel you anyway,” said Marcus with a steely tone. “Why do you not take the Slytherin and honorable way out and fall on your sword? Voluntary withdrawal sounds like a perfect plan to me.”

“It’s too late,” said Billy in a panic.

“It’s too late in Britain,” said Marcus with a wintery smile. “When I’m through with you, no wizard will have you.”

“You can’t do that,” said Billy in a panic.

“I can,” said Marcus coldly. “And I will. It’s my duty. Katie Bell and I have been betrothed for weeks now.” Gasps filled the common room then all eyes turned towards Billy. Marcus did have a duty to Bell. He had to defend her honor because it was his own. “Try Durmstrang, I’m sure your father’s money will find you a husband.”

Later that night, the news spread about Katie’s accident and Bletchley’s voluntary withdrawal from Hogwarts. Many rumors ran through the school but Slytherin House was as silent as the grave. Marcus’s defense of Katie Bell was seen as the pureblood and Slytherin thing to do. The news of their unofficial betrothal never passed the Slytherin wall of silence. The Slytherins kept their counsel and were waiting for Marcus.