Send My Regards

Chapter Thirteen

She was quieter than she expected to be. The pub teemed with life; warm light; flowing ale; close friends crowded around her chatting happily but she, herself, said not a word. Her mind was flooded with thoughts. All the noise around her condensed into a useless fog. The glass of orange beer before her remained untouched. She smiled.

"All right there, Johnson?" Oliver asked.

Angelina looked up; her eyes glittering. "Yes." She smiled.

Again, she found herself glowing silently amongst her friends. She couldn't have asked for a better night. Halloween. She soaked in the surrounding warmth of her friends. Everyone was out at the pub that night celebrating as Hogsmeade decked itself out for the spooky holiday. Alicia was back from her holiday and chatting excitedly to Katie about silly girlish things that made poor Oliver roll his eyes in disgust. His hand, underneath the table, was clasped inside Katie's. A few of her team mates were also there laughing and talking amongst themselves and eating candy the pub supplied for Halloween.

The exciting atmosphere was making her blood rush. She felt thrilled; almost high. Again the conversations around her drifted in one ear and out the other. Nothing could be focused upon; only the reoccurring thoughts in her brain.

Angelina scooted out from her stool. She needed some air. When she stepped outside, the crisp autumn air blew gently through her braids. She closed her eyes and soaked it in. The moon was full. Dry leaves scraped the cobblestones and the distant sound of laughing children trick or treating in the distance soothed her. But as she stood, breathing deeply, eyes closed, an image flashed in her mind.

Angelina sighed. The din of the pub behind her almost became inaudible as her mind took over. So much had happened in three months. The Ministry had dropped all charges against Marcus Flint. William's body and the pattern of his Dark Marks were finally exposed but it was too late. They could never replace the damage that was done. Quidditch had been cancelled for the season due to the Falmouth massacre. The funerals had been painful and plentiful; too plentiful. Six families torn apart.

Seven.

Again, she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and smiled softly. Moments like these were bittersweet. Times were so tragic but she had to look on the bright side. People relied on her for that. However, she needed something to lean on once in a while as well. A new flat and a Halloween party could only do so much to take away the worry. Angelina shivered as a breeze kicked up; a reminder that the chill could easily be soothed...with his hands...if only he were there.

The healing memories flooded back...

***

"Here! We have another one!"

Angelina winced and felt something dripping on her cheek. It was warm. Blood. She didn't know if she had opened her eyes at that moment; it wouldn't have mattered. Darkness engulfed her; suffocated her. Her entire body throbbed in pain. Just as the darkness veiled her eyes again, there was a sudden blinding light.

Am I dead?

"Easy now! Get that stretcher over here! Pull her out carefully!"

This time, she heard it: voices. As she became aware of one, it soon was joined with others, and then seconds later, an entire crowd. People were gasping, crying, muttering to each other, shouting orders. Angelina tried to open her eyes to understand what was happening but the light was too blinding; she could only grimace.

"Don't move, ma'am!" a male voice said. "We're going to get you out of there. Where the hell is that stretcher!?"

Another sound this time; shifting rubble. Dirt showered down around her; stuck to the blood on her face and stung. And then like the hands of God had come down to rescue her, she was suddenly lifted and placed down on something soft. There was sharp pain in her leg and she cried out but a soothing hand on her shoulder finally made her open her eyes.

"You're safe now," a man said; his eyes were warm with concern.

"...What?" Angelina asked but he throat was parched. She hurt. "What...happened?"

"Building collapsed. You're lucky to be alive," the man replied. "Looks like you cast a shielding charm just in time."

"I...didn't," she said but talking hurt too much.

At that time, she blacked out again and woke up to the cool touch of a cloth against her forehead. The ache in her leg had subsided; healed.

"Dear, can you hear me?" This time it was a female voice.

Angelina opened her eyes and found the face of a mediwitch staring down at her. She was dabbing Angelina's wounds with a cool and soothing cream. But she still heard the voices and construction around her. This time, she had more strength to figure out where she was and what was going on.

"Please," Angelina croaked. "Tell me what's happening."

"Don't you worry about it," the mediwitch said and smiled sweetly. "I'll take care of you."

"No." Her voice was more forceful. "Tell me. Where am I?"

The mediwitch sighed. "Well, if you must know absolutely now; there was a terrible accident."

"What?"

"A floor inside the Ministry of Magic collapsed. People got trapped under the rubble; including yourself."

"...Ministry?"

The mediwitch was about to answer when a digger at the site announced he had pulled another person from the wreckage. Angelina looked to the side and saw Oliver Wood heaved up by the arms of awaiting volunteers and healers. He was covered in dirt and looked exhausted to the point of pain. The healers laid him down on a waiting stretcher where they cared for him immediately as he coughed up dust and blood. Angelina could hear him crying out; but it was more of a plea. A name slipped from his lips. Katie Bell.

Angelina blinked as she watched him. Katie Bell? For a moment, her head became hazy and she closed her eyes but then bits and pieces of her memory glued themselves back to her brain. She felt sick. Oh, my God.

Oliver's stretcher was laid right next to hers. He was breathing painfully as healers did their best to ease some of his sufferings. Angelina watched him as tears built in her eyes. This was a scene from hell; her friends all hurt.

Still, as the situation engulfed her, all Oliver seemed to be concerned about was Katie. He kept murmuring; slipping in and out of consciousness. "Right beneath me," he said. "Tried to hold it up...too heavy."

"Shhh," a mediwitch said and dabbed his forehead with a cloth. "Rest. We're getting everyone out as fast as we can."

"This one's in good condition!" a digger shouted and hauled a terrified but otherwise unharmed Katie Bell from the wreckage.

She seemed to stagger a bit as her eyes darted frantically about the crowd for her friends. When she saw the line of stretchers, she cried out and limped towards them. Katie fell to her knees by Wood first and kissed his forehead feverishly. "You stupid git!" she howled. "You stupid, stupid, idiot! My God, I thought you were dead! You knew you couldn't hold all that rubble up over me! Why did you even try?! Don't you ever do that again!"

Oliver still had his eyes closed. He licked his lips. "Sorry." His voice was parched.

Katie only cried and hugged him before scooting over to Angelina and hugging her too. "I'm so glad everyone's ok!"

But seeing Katie and Oliver finally pieced together what had happened. Angelina closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her dirty cheeks; leaving trails in their wake. She remembered a fight. William and Victoria. The ceiling collapsing on all of them in a thunderous roar. The shielding charm that Victoria cast could only hold up so much and the weight of the structure was too much to bear. Oliver learned this the hard way as he threw Katie underneath him just as large slabs of rock and wood fell onto him. But then Angelina remembered something else. Marcus.

"We've got one more," a digger shouted.

Angelina winced.

There was a pause as the volunteers laid their latest rescue on a stretcher and checked him. "I don't think he made it..," one said. His voice was low but Angelina heard loud and clear. She cried and sat up.

"Lay back down!" the mediwitch insisted.

But Angelina's desires were too great. She stood with great effort; hugging a blanket around her shoulders that the healers had given her. Like a zombie, she stumbled over to the wreckage; a huge gaping hole in the marble floor of the Ministry of Magic lobby. The place was packed with gawkers, diggers, healers, and mediwitches. Why were they suddenly in the Ministry? Was the Death Eater hideout beneath the lobby the entire time; hiding in treacherous cover? She didn't know and didn't want to ask questions; not yet. All she wanted to was to see him one last time...

Angelina shuffled close and the onlookers seemed to part for her. She sniffled and wiped her eyes but it was useless; more tears poured out when she saw him.

Marcus was laid down on a stretcher; a series of three healers all looking him over. His face was covered in dirt but obviously pale. Angelina noticed a large hole in his shirt; a perfect circle where the amulet had burned and exploded. She shook her head and felt silly for even hoping. The amulet wasn't designed to absorb such a powerful curse; especially one intended to instantly kill.

But just as she opened her eyes and felt she had to turn before her despair became too great, a healer leaned up from Marcus. "Wait a minute," he said. "...He's alive! Get a mediwitch over here!"

At that very moment, Angelina concluded that it was the most beautiful declaration she had ever heard and ever will. Perhaps in her state, she didn't hear correctly? She watched with eyes as wide as Bludgers and concluded she was not, indeed, hallucinating. Why else would two mediwitches be rushing over to a dead man?

This...this can't be!

For a moment, Angelina watched with intense fascination and fear. She couldn't see him; only his hand that was lying limply by a healer's foot. A mediwitch stood behind her; supporting her with hands on the arms should she faint. The crowd all watched the healers and mediwitches furiously dabble potions on the boy's wounds and hurriedly shout spells which would appear to have no effect; not to the naked eye at least.

But when Marcus gasped and his hand jerked ever so slightly with life, the onlookers began to applaud. The healers and mediwitches sat up finally with a grin of satisfaction. They parted and revealed Marcus; brows furrowed in pain but breathing and alive.

"Can you hear me?" a healer asked Marcus loudly. "Speak to me, ok?"

But Angelina saw that Marcus seemed too weak and exhausted to speak or even breathe. He had survived the killing curse but it certainly did enough damage anyway; he didn't even have the strength to keep his eyes opened. But there was only one thing on his mind and he mustered all of his energy to ask, "...Where's Angelina?"

"What?" the healer asked. "Angelina?"

Angelina sobbed uncontrollably and flung herself through the sea of healers and fell next to Marcus's side. "I'm here! I'm here, Marcus! Oh, my God! My God!"

She kissed him on the forehead, the cheek, the lips, everywhere and all the while thanking whoever could hear her over and over again at the top of her lungs. This was nothing short of a miracle. Marcus had survived the killing curse. The amulet worked. At that moment, everything Victoria had done that ultimately led to their demise was forgiven. Angelina didn't care any more about Death Eaters, or William, or anything else.

Marcus Flint was alive.

She cried relentlessly against him; her tears flowing and dripping onto his shoulder. She kissed his cheek again and closed her eyes; hugging him the best she could. And to her amazement, she felt his arms weakly and hesitantly come up around her as if he was unsure if she was real or not. When he touched her, though, he found a new strength and held her to him. Angelina wept harder. She tried to pull away to kiss him again but she found he wouldn't let her go; clinging to her almost. Angelina buried her face in his neck and then felt something wet hit her cheek, and then again. Marcus was crying. They were allowed to kiss one more time before he fell unconscious and was taken away by the healers.

How many days had gone by after that? No one could tell. Angelina couldn't remember anything after the sweetest kiss of her life. She woke up clean, bandaged, and hungry wrapped in warm soft sheets. A dim room and a familiar beeping of magical vitals illuminated above her bed welcomed her. Nothing else. She drifted back to sleep until a stirring by her bedside jarred her awake.

"Angie!" a girl gasped.

"...Alicia?"

"You're awake! This is great! I'm so happy!" Alicia said with a grin. "Gosh, Angie, I was so worried! I came back to England as soon as I read the Prophet."

Angelina forced her eyes open. Her body seemed awake but her mind was still fogged. She found herself staring at Alicia for the longest time before bursting into tears and hugging her.

"Everyone's safe," Alicia whispered, holding her friend.

"M-Marcus?"

"Everyone."

The next day, Katie, Oliver, Angelina, and Marcus were all moved into the same recovery room. Angelina's bed was next to Marcus's and she would spend hours lying on her side and watching him sleep; watching him heal. He was the last to wake up. Angelina remembered it vividly. She was discussing the latest Daily Prophet article with Katie and Oliver...

"So, they're dropping all the charges?" Katie asked.

"Thank Merlin," Angelina sighed. "I guess they found William's body and traced the Dark Mark he cast back to his wand."

"What about the Falmouth team?" Oliver asked, sipping a cup of ice water. "Or Lucius Malfoy? What does it say about that?"

Angelina went quiet as her eyes scanned the article. "It doesn't say anything about Lucius. He must have slipped the scene and..." Again she read. "Ha!" A grin erupted on her lips. "Marcus created his own alibi. The murders occurred at the same exact time he was trying to break into my game. The gatekeeper vouched for him and has the black eye to prove it. The murders, again, were traced back to William."

"But won't they suspect Marcus because he's his son?" Katie asked worriedly.

Again, Angelina read the papers and soon, her eyes glittered with tears. Oliver stopped chewing on ice.

"What is it?"

Angelina read aloud. "...The collapse of the first floor inside the Ministry of Magic lobby that occurred on July 15^th was incidentally caused by the weakening of a substructure beneath the main floor. This structure was discovered to be a series of underground chambers. Upon further investigation, ministry officials found several artifacts concluding Death Eater activity. No comment is being made about the previous knowledge of such chambers. Officials ruled that several pieces of debris appeared charred and therefore, the substructure weakened due to a fire which ultimately caused it to collapse. The fire in question was set by Marcus Riley Flint, 24, of Falmouth Falcons; also believed to be the culprit behind the team's recent murder and a string of other related crimes. However, upon inspection of his wand, no evidence was found of any lethal spells. Several survivors were pulled from the wreckage, including Holyhead Harpy's missing Chaser Angelina Johnson, 21, Puddlemere United Keeper Oliver Wood, 23, and Montrose Magpies Chaser Katie Bell, 20. Any suspicion of their involvement with You-Know-Who was immediately eradicated by the inspection of wands; most of which were lost in the wreckage and discovered days later.

Furthermore, the body of Addison Nott and William Flint were discovered among the debris. Both were believed to be devout followers of You-Know-Who. It is now confirmed by witnesses that they were both responsible for the Falmouth murders as well as the apartment fire in Falmouth, England which claimed the life of an elderly woman and her sixteen cats.

When officials extracted previous spells from William Flint's wand, they found a trace of the killing curse. Miraculously, the victim of this curse is alive and being cared for in St. Mungo's Hospital For Magical Maladies and Injuries. This is the second only known recorded survivor of the killing curse; the first being Harry Potter who had deflected the curse years ago during the first war. Marcus Flint is not only labeled as innocent but is also the other boy who lived..."

"Ha."

Everyone froze and looked at Marcus's bed. His eyes were closed but he was weakly grinning.

"Eat your heart out, Potter."

***

Angelina headed back into the pub. Her emotions had been running high lately; putting her into fits of memories and tears. She composed herself and joined her friends again.

"Hey, Ange! Where did you go?" Alicia asked.

"Just needed some air," Angelina replied honestly.

Her eyes fell on Katie and Oliver who seemed to be in their own world; heads bowed and listening to whispers in one another's ears. Katie tossed her head back and laughed while Oliver grinned. It was almost like poetry in motion. The sound of the pub, once again, seemed trivial. All she could see was their happiness.

She remembered that day too...

***

"Do you have any threes?"

"Go fish."

"I think you're cheating."

"Oh, fuck off."

Angelina laughed. Her feet were propped up on a chair as she read the Daily Prophet at a round plastic table inside the tea room at St. Mungo's. Beside her, Marcus and Katie played a rather violent game of Go Fish. Oliver was out wandering about. He'd been acting nervous and fidgety all day. Everyone assumed it was from lack of Quidditch.

It had been three days since Marcus woke up and he seemed to be recovering just fine. He refused to let any healers or mediwitches fuss over him but it was no matter; he had made a stunning comeback. Most of what happened seemed forgotten to him. His mother, his father, the amulet; all dismissed. It didn't bother Angelina. Marcus didn't seem to be experiencing any mental trauma. On the contrary; he was back to his cussing vulgar stubborn self. The Marcus she loved and knew so well.

Just then, the tea room door opened. Oliver appeared in his hospital scrubs. "Has anyone seen Katie? She's not in her...room. Hi."

He blushed when his eyes befell her. She laughed. "I'm right here."

"I see that now."

"Oliver, you don't have to check on me every two seconds, ok? Why don't you come sit down and have some tea and relax? St. Mungo's isn't going to collapse either, you know?"

He scratched his head. "Well, it wasn't that."

"What is it then? You're making everyone nervous. Sit down already."

While Katie was distracted, Marcus was cheating and looking at the pile of cards for the numbers he needed. Angelina smacked his hand.

"Ow!"

Katie and Oliver only seemed to watch for a split second before looking at one another again. She stared at him expectantly. "Well?"

Nervously, he glanced at Angelina and Marcus who were inconspicuously listening to the conversation. He went red. "...Nevermind. It can wait. Feeling well, then?"

"Yeah. Oliver, come on. What did you need?"

"Nothing. I'll catch you...some other time."

With a disappointed nod, he left the tea room. Katie sat there for a moment, confused, before shrugging and going back to her game. But she found Marcus and Angelina staring at her incredulously.

"What?"

Angelina only smiled and shook her head; eyes back on the paper. "Katie, Katie, Katie," she sighed.

"What, what, what?"

"I always thought you were pretty clever, Bell," Marcus said. "But sometimes...sometimes I think you're stupid enough to rival Wood."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "Excuse me? Did you just call me 'stupid'?"

"Yeah, I did."

"You have five seconds to explain yourself before I kill you."

Angelina laughed. "He's right, Katie." She earned an angry glare. "I think you were made for each other to such a degree that you cancel each other out."

"What are you on about?" Katie asked.

"Wood!" Angelina sighed. "Haven't you noticed? He's absolutely head over heels for you!"

Katie's jaw hit the table. She laughed nervously. "What a ridiculous idea!"

"Yeah, ridiculous. I always thought he was a poof too," Marcus said and Angelina smacked his arm.

"You're being silly," Katie scoffed and blushed as she pretended to study the cards in her hand. "Oliver's a daft git. All he has feelings for are his brooms."

"Yes, which is why he nearly died saving you," Angelina said with a smile. "For his brooms. Wake up, Katie. There's no mistaking the way Wood acts around you."

"Like an idiot?"

Angelina sighed and turned the page of the paper, shrugging. "If that's what you want to call it. Though, I hardly call walking you everywhere for your personal safety, checking on your room every two minutes, saving you from Death Eaters, and throwing himself on top of you to save you from two-ton rubble idiotic..."

Katie seemed to stare with her mouth partially open as if in a trance. She went over the symptoms in her head. And then a single word solved everything: priorities. He said so himself. Everyone knew Oliver's life was nothing but a list of priorities but those usually consisted of Quidditch.

Apparently not.

Katie remembered asking him why he wouldn't date Angelina the night they had walked him.

I have other...priorities.

Of course Oliver, being an inexperienced idiot at 'feeling', wouldn't be able to use a better word than 'priority'. She was his priority! It became so clear, then! That was why he was acting so...odd around her! HE WAS BEING A BOY!

Realization dawned on her. It was obvious for Marcus snorted and threw down his cards. In an instant, Katie wheeled out of her seat and disappeared out of the tea room. Angelina only shook her head with a smirk and continued to read. Several silent minutes passed and then she jumped in surprise when she felt Marcus behind her kissing her shoulder. She closed her eyes and when he took the Daily Prophet from her hands and tossed it over his shoulder, she turned around and met his eager kiss with a sigh of relief.

Then, the tea room door slammed open and they instantly broke apart; trying to appear innocent. In stumbled Oliver Wood, breathless, tussled, and smiling. "Thanks," he breathed and gave a weak thumbs-up before they saw Katie's arm grabbing him out into the hall again for another round of snogs.

***

"Hey, Angie! Your lover boy is here!"

Angelina woke up from her daydream and eagerly looked around the pub. Several people were smiling at her as Marcus walked in. Angelina stood as he came over to her and firmly kissed him.

"Hey," he said with a grin. He looked out at the crowd. "Someone get me a bloody drink!"

Moments later, a firewhiskey was set down in front of him. He sat and joined the party and Angelina sidled up next to him.

"Where were you?"

He took a swig from his firewhiskey. "Running errands."

"What for?"

"Stuff for the flat...and other things." He grinned.

Marcus's new home was now exactly as Angelina would imagine it to be; high ceilings, broad windows, hardwood floors, a marble bathtub, and a new king-size bed of silk sheets. Shortly after being released from the hospital, he lived with Angelina in her flat but felt it was time to find his own. However, all of his money and belongings had perished in the fire. That is, until he received a much unexpected visit...

***

"Visitors."

Marcus and Angelina had been talking in their hospital room when a mediwitch poked her head in and made the announcement. Marcus rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the bed.

"I'll go to the tea room, Johnson." He assumed the visitors were for her.

"Actually, Mr. Flint," the mediwitch said. "They're here to see you."

Marcus furrowed his eyebrows. "Who the hell would visit me?"

But just then, the blue-eyed rosy face of Mary ran in through the door. "UNCLE MARCUS!" She immediately threw herself on his bed and hugged him tightly.

Marcus sat there, stunned; his arms firmly pinned to his sides as Mary squeezed him as hard as she could. Angelina smiled adoringly from the end of the bed. Finally, the little girl in rags broke away to talk excitedly.

"I'm here with my Daddy! He got a job at the Ministry as one of the people to rebuild the floor that collapsed! And he said I could visit. Here! I brought you a present!" She promptly handed him his very own loop of string; the very one she had used to entertain him those many times in the underground. He took it hesitantly and was still a bit confused. Mary continued. "Oh, I knew you didn't do all those bad things! I knew it! No one would listen to me! I told them you were my bestest friend! And then we saw the papers and everyone is really sorry, Uncle Marcus! They're here to tell you that!"

"What?"

Marcus looked up and saw the apologetic faces of a few underground inhabitants peeking in through his door. Once they were seen, they decided it was no use trying to hide any longer. They slipped inside; faces red. One person, Marcus noticed, was the lady Victoria had shared news with. She stepped forward.

"On behalf of the underground station family, we'd like to give you our deepest apologies."

Mary smiled. "See! I told you."

"What the hell are you people all doing here?" Marcus asked.

They all exchanged awkward glances. Again, Victoria's friend spoke. "We can't even begin to repair the damage done to you or apologize enough. We were so callous, Marcus. Your mother was a good friend of all of ours and this was how we repaid her. We're ashamed."

Marcus didn't know what to say.

"We also came here to give you this," the woman said with a sigh. She cautiously walked over to Marcus's bed and handed him a rolled up parchment.

"What is it?"

"You can open it when we're gone. Again, I'm so sorry, Marcus. If you need anything; anything at all--I can't offer much but I'll do whatever I can to make up for what happened to you."

"Only six visitors at a time!" a mediwitch scolded and bustled in to shoo the crowd out.

They all smiled weakly and nodded appreciatively at Marcus before exiting the room. Mary gave Marcus a big fat kiss on his cheek and bounded off his bed to follow the others out into the hall.

"Wow," Angelina said. "That was...really..."

"Disgusting," Marcus finished and scowled as he wiped Mary's kiss from his cheek.

"What did they give you?"
Marcus sighed impatiently and flicked open the roll of parchment. His eyes scanned the paper for a moment before widening considerably.

"Holy fuck."

Angelina's brow knitted in curiosity. "What is it?"

"It's...my parents' will."

"Ha, what did they leave you? A dog bone?"

He paused and licked his lips. "...550,000 galleons."

Angelina paused; staring at him in a daze. Did he just say..? "550,000 GALLEONS!?"

They stared wide eyed together; Angelina at Marcus and Marcus at the parchment. Occasionally, their shock elicited a chuckle of disbelief until it broke into an all out jubilant laugh and Angelina hugged him tightly. He hugged her back. In the two seconds it took Marcus to unroll that parchment, his life came back.

Once released from the hospital, he bought a spacious loft in Edinburgh and in three months, he had successfully moved Angelina and her belongings in with him. They lived in peace; coping together with the trauma they had experienced, making love, going out, laughing, and arguing. He even suggested they go on holiday together.

"How about Lake Titty...cock?" he asked as he tried to read the strange Peruvian name in a travel brochure.

Angelina laughed. "You mean Lake Titicaca?"

The night they had finally finished moving in, Angelina invited everyone over for a Quidditch game in the field out back and a small party. Mary was among them. She clapped and cheered like it was the most exciting day of her life; finally getting to see a professional Quidditch game, even if it was in someone's backyard.

Secretly, when it was done, Marcus bought her an ice cream.

***

Angelina smiled as the fond memories came over her. Fred and George entered the pub with a round of cheers. Finally, everyone they had invited was there. They drank, chatted, celebrated the evening; the pub filled with noise. To Marcus and Angelina, however, it was nothing but fog in the background. They sat side by side in silence; hands clasped together under the table, smirking at one another. Angelina loved this; to be able to just look into Marcus's green eyes and have an entire conversation without speaking a word. She was able to read him like a book. However, tonight, he looked like he was hiding a chapter.

"What?" Angelina asked as Marcus grinned at her.

He shook his head and innocently sipped his firewhiskey.

Before Angelina could interrogate him any further, Fred and George had come to their side of the table to say hello and encourage Marcus to try their latest candy. He wisely declined the offer. The twins still weren't too enthused that Flint was now a part of their inner circle of friends. Whatever made Angelina happy was fine by them, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a bit of fun in the process at Flint's expense. When they finally sat down, Marcus began to soak in the atmosphere but seemed unusually quiet.

"What's wrong?" Angelina whispered to him and squeezed his hand.

"Absolutely nothing."
"You're being quiet."

He shook his head and sipped his firewhiskey. "Just thinking..."

Angelina laughed. "You think? Since when?"

"Since about a month ago when I told you to invite your Gryffindork mates here tonight."

This confused Angelina a little. She knew Marcus still thought her friends were goody-goody nerds but what did that have to do with his sudden behavior?

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I couldn't decide what would get them to hate me more. Keep it a secret or announce it to them all at once? But then I imagined the look of utter rage and horror on Wood's face and couldn't resist."

Angelina paused. Marcus sure was acting strange. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged casually. "Oh, just humoring myself."

"With what?"

"With what everyone will do when I ask you to marry me."

Marcus smirked and sipped his firewhiskey. He didn't look at Angelina but knew she was staring at him with wide eyes. Angelina felt her heart flutter and her face grow hot. Did Marcus just..? But before she could ask him, he was suddenly climbing on top of the table and standing before everyone as if getting ready to make a speech.

"What the hell are you doing, Flint?" Katie asked.

"Oi, everyone shut the fuck up!" Marcus shouted. The table as well as the rest of the pub went silent and glared at him. "If you don't mind, it's bloody loud in here and I want to ask my woman a question and hear the answer."

Still, everyone glared in silence. Marcus dug into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. Katie and Alicia both gasped and clasped their hands over their mouths. Everyone knew exactly what was in it. Angelina stared at it with wide eyes; incapable of speech.

"Angelina Johnson!" Marcus said loudly. "Would you fucking marry me already!?"

Everyone's eyes darted to Angelina who had her mouth covered in delight and surprise with her hands. For only a second, she stared at Marcus as if she couldn't believe this was real before grinning broadly and nodding tearfully. The pub erupted into cheers (except for Oliver who was slowly trying to climb onto the table to murder Flint...).

Marcus was beaming and extended his hand to Angelina who took it with a laugh and climbed onto the table with him. He opened the box and she gasped as a diamond engagement ring sparkled up at her face. Angelina grinned and kissed him deeply. The pub patrons were now whistling and slamming their glasses down onto the tables.

For the longest time, Marcus and Angelina were locked at the lips; oblivious to everyone around them. When they finally pulled away, Angelina melted as Marcus slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. He grinned.

"And I didn't even steal it."

Angelina laughed again through her glassy eyes and hugged him. As they stood there, basking in the applause and cheers (and threats by Oliver), a wave of astonishment washed over Marcus. Never in a million years did he see himself in this position; surrounded by Gryffindorks, a hero, and marrying Angelina Johnson...and actually liking it. It was then that he realized he was finally happy and no one was going to take that away from him ever again. The Death Eaters would just have to deal without their little 'heir' party. Marcus, the last Flint, sent his final regards.

The End