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“What the hell have you done?”
Once more, Hermione pulled at the doorknob - again to no avail.
“This is so childish of you.”
“Childish, hm?”
Turning around, Hermione fixed the man leaning against a table in the empty classroom, arms crossed over his broad chest, with a glare.
“Yes, childish! Lavender has put so much effort into this reunion. Ten years since the war - an important date and she and a lot of other people have worked hard to make it such a magical holiday for us and everybody else. And all you can do is… be childish,” Hermione pressed out, honestly enraged by now.
“How exactly am I being childish?”
“You just locked us into a room with one of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes’ stupid locks! Do you have any idea how long it will take to figure out the counter curse?”
“Hopefully long enough for McLaggen to have left!”
Hermione’s jaw dropped the same moment she saw his blue eyes grow wide in shock. Obviously, he had not planned on saying that out loud. Right away, his eyes turned guarded and he averted his gaze. A tinge of red coloured his cheeks.
Just like that, all of Hermione’s anger had evaporated.
“Marcus,” she whispered, stepping closer.
When he went rigid and still would not meet her eyes, she reached for his cheek, caressing the stubble she loved so much.
“You are jealous, aren’t you?”
Instead of denying it again, Marcus tried to evade her eyes even further.
Letting her fingers run over his cheek, Hermione leaned into his body, melting against his form as she pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips.
“How often do I have to tell you? I have no interest in him. Or any other guy, for that matter.”
Marcus stayed rigid for a moment longer, only to let out a breath in one deep sigh, loosening his stance and snaking one arm around her to pull her closer. Turning his head, he looked back at her with a sheepish smile.
“I’m sorry. I’m being stupid, right?”
“No,” Hermione assured him with a grin. “Just childish.”
“Stop saying that,” he asked with an eye roll that made Hermione giggle.
She grew serious again all too quickly.
“I just wish…”
Once again, Marcus went rigid. They both knew what was coming and he stopped it right from the get-go.
“Hermione, no.”
“But-”
“No! We’re not going public with our relationship.”
“Urgh.”
With a frustrated growl, Hermione pulled herself out of Marcus’ hold. He did not put up a fight - at least not in this regard.
Pacing up and down, Hermione tried to find the right words. Which was not easy, seeing how they had been having this fight for a while now.
Finally stopping, Hermione fixed her boyfriend of two years with her sternest gaze.
He beat her to the talking.
“I know what you wanna say. Hermione, I do. So let’s just skip it and agree to disagree, just as always.”
Biting her tongue, Hermione thought for a moment, before finally shaking her head.
“No.”
“What?”
“No! Not this time. Marcus, you… you literally just locked us into a classroom because you got jealous over other men paying attention to me - even though you know I don’t care about that. But then you go and stick to your point of not doing the one thing that would guarantee they would stop-”
“You really think us going public would stop that? You clearly know nothing about men.”
“Well, fine. But it would at least lessen it! Right now, I’m the only one of the Golden Trio still not taken and apparently some men have made it their mission to change that. And all you do is say that it would be bad for me and my reputation if the world found out I was dating you!”
“Because it would!”
Closing her eyes, Hermione turned her gaze away, collecting her thoughts as she took a deep breath in.
How?
How on Earth could she make this wonderful man see the truth?
Once again studying his face - his warm eyes that could be stone-cold during a business meeting, his soft lips that could form the most enticing smile or mocking smirk - given the appropriate situation - his aristocratic features, grown so handsome after puberty had done its worst. She could still see the spiteful Slytherin boy she vaguely remembered from when she was younger. But that boy had long grown up into a loving and handsome man.
A man Hermione could see a future with.
“You know you’re not your father, right?”
Once again, Marcus evaded her gaze. It did not deter her.
“You are nothing like him. Yes, he was awful and yes, the name Flint is associated with Voldemort-” Marcus flinched when she said the name but otherwise did not react. “But so are a lot of other names. Marcus, what your father did is not your fault. When will you finally see that?”
When he said nothing, Hermione once again stepped up to him, winding her arms loosely around his torso.
“I love you,” she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder, sighing when his arms rested around her shoulders, pulling her closer still.
“I love you, too. I only want to keep you safe.”
“I know. But I need you to understand that a few bad articles about us or some hateful howlers won’t change how I feel about you. They also wouldn’t destroy me or what we have.”
To that, Marcus let out a vague noise that told Hermione nothing about his thoughts. With a sigh, she leaned closer into him.
“One day, I will make you see that. But until then,” she added, leaning in to press a lingering kiss to the side of his throat, eliciting a soft groan from her boyfriend. “How about we celebrate our own ‘magical holiday’ until the curse on that stupid lock lessens?”
What a good thing it was that the locks made by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had such a long duration.