Breathe

The sunlight made Marcus squint his eyes as they were closed, and he slowly fluttered them open and realized there was someone next to him. Flashes from the night before came flooding back to him as he saw Katie Bell’s bare shoulder popping out from the sheets. He needn’t pinch himself either because that shoulder had the faint white line of a scar on it, in the shape of a half circle. Chuckling, Marcus traced along the crescent with his finger and recalled the day he had given it to her.

........
It was his first seventh year, and the first quidditch game of the season. If the intensity wasn’t enough already, the match was against Gryffindor. His eyes snapped open before the alarm went off, he had barely slept a wink because of the anticipation. Hastily, he popped out of bed and began to put on his basic attire, much to the dismay of his roommates.

“Ughhhhh…you still have 3 hours Marcus, go back to sleep!” Higgs groaned before rolling over and pulling the emerald green sheets over his head. He was still a little peeved he’d been ousted as seeker due to the Malfoy family bribe.

“First match Terry, lots to do” Marcus replied rather cheerfully, lacing up his last shoe and heading out of the door. The common room was deserted, save for a stray Hufflepuff passed out on the couch and a few firewhiskey bottles lying around from the night before. Only the sound of the crackling fire resonated against the brick walls. Nearly running, Marcus made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, the clicking of his feet echoing behind him.

When he got to the Slytherin table, he found only Pucey was up and eating. Adrian patted the spot next to him, and Marcus sat down and conjured some scrambled eggs and oatmeal and began scooping them into his mouth.

“Easy my friend, if it goes down too fast, it will be easier for it to come back up again” Marcus gave Adrian an irritated look, but took the hint and slowed down a bit. He took a scoop of oatmeal into his mouth and looked up. The Gryffindor table was just as empty…with the exception of Katie Bell and Oliver Wood. When he caught her eye, Katie froze, suddenly looking very embarrassed. He began wiggling his fingers at her in a wave, and she slammed down her fork and stood up.

“Uh-oh Pucey, looks like I struck a chord” Marcus chuckled and Katie stomped over to him and leaned against the table, hand on hip. He began sniffing and made a disgusted face

“Merlin, what is that smell? It smells like, the corpse of a lion or something”

“Very funny Flint. We’ll see who’s laughing today when we hand your asses to you on the field” Katie spat back at him.

“Oh really! We’ll see about that. And don’t forget Bell, to the victor go the spoils…” he moved his hand behind her and slowly ran it up the backside of her leg. She slapped it away

“Don’t make me vomit,” she walked over to Wood and they headed out the main entry, most likely to the pitch to go over drills. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, and felt his fists tighten when he saw Oliver’s arm make its way to the small of her back.

“Wood…what a sodding idiot. I can’t wait to destroy them.”

“You and me both.” Pucey retorted.

It was the perfect morning for Quidditch, there was a crisp cool breeze with just a hint of dew left in the air. The smell of the freshly mowed pitch filled his nostrils. He had spent the rest of the morning warming up and going over play after play in preparation for the game, his new Nimbus 2001 shining in the bright sun. He closed his eyes as he felt the wind rush against his face.

The stadium was just about full, and the match was about to start. He looked across the field and watched Bell effortlessly toss the Quaffle through the hoop. She swooped back around to Wood who gave her a big smile and a gentle pat on the back. Marcus gripped his broom tighter.

Everyone took their places and Madam Hooch blew the whistle. In little time, Marcus had grabbed hold on the Quaffle and flew through the air. Katie sped up beside him and tried to nudge the ball out of his grasp.

“You'd better watch who you mess with little girl. Wood isn’t here to protect you” she opened her mouth in surprise and Flint took the opportunity to lay hard into her with his shoulder, sending her flying to the side and struggling to stay on her broom. With a quick fake, he sent Wood reeling in the opposite direction and quickly gained a point.

The rest of the match went fairly well, until Potter had caught the snitch. Marcus was furious, he stalked off the field and slammed the locker room door open. He threw his broom at Draco Malfoy, who quickly ducked to avoid being hit.

“It was RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE DRACO! Maybe you should ask your father to buy you some bloody Quidditch lessons!” The second year scowled, then lowered his head and walked away. Marcus slammed his fist into the locker, relishing the pain that emitted from his knuckles. The rest of the team watched him, too frightened to speak.

“Don’t think I’m going to forget about this quickly! Practice will be an extra hour until you all can prove to me in the next match that you can actually play. Now get out of my sight, go back to your rooms and think about what you need to work on, not that it will be hard for any of you!” He waited until the last disappointed Slytherin left, and then began stripping the rest of his uniform off.

The hot shower he had drawn steamed up the room, and his muscles gently relaxed as the hot water cascaded over them. He braced himself with both hands against the wall, and took a deep breath. Utter disappointment. But it wasn’t the first time, and as it was only the first match, they would have more chances to win the Quidditch Cup. After he was relaxed enough, and significantly cleaner, Marcus toweled off and gathered his things.

He opened the door to head back only to find himself face to face with Katie Bell. Rolling his eyes he shoved past her.

“Come to gloat Bell? I wouldn’t suggest testing me right now, especially since there is no one around to protect you.”

“You know, that’s quite a move you pulled back there, you could have gotten me killed!” she shouted at him, struggling to keep up.

“Get used to it Bell, Quidditch isn’t a soft cuddly sport, no matter how much they’ve tried to make it that way.”

“That is not…! I can handle it just fine, but trying to push me off of my broom doesn’t exactly count as aggressive defense. I know you’re a Slytherin, and an asshole, but where in the hell do you get off!?” Marcus stopped dead in his tracks, and Katie slammed into him. He slowly turned around to face her and smirked.

“Where do I get off Bell? I’ll tell you, how about right here.” He pulled out his wand and sent her flying against one o the supports under the stands.

“Marcus what the hell…?”

“Expelliarmus!” He grabbed her by the throat as she struggled underneath him. Laughing, he bent down to her ear and slid his tongue down her neck as he felt her slightly relax. Once he got to her shoulder he bit down hard enough to draw blood, and she let out a small scream of pain.

“Something to remember me by, and a lesson. Don’t be stupid enough to provoke a Slytherin when there’s no one left to protect you. Especially not your precious Wood. You know where to find me when you REALLY want to play” He let her go and left her there standing shocked, hair a mess, breathing heavily like a wonton minx.