"Are we still going to leave together?" she asked, stroking his cheek lightly. She loved how smooth his skin was; despite the fact that he'd been away, doubtless camping in the wild or something similar, he still shaved, and his face was almost as smooth as her own. His chest too; she longed to feel his skin against hers. "And are we going to meet tonight?" she whispered, only audible to him.

Marcus smiled, "Yes we can still leave together. You haven't changed your mind about finishing school, then?" he asked, slightly annoyed that she still wasn't going to use her intelligence to its full potential. He smirked at her next question, "Of course we will meet tonight. I wouldn't miss it for the world, my darling," he said, dropping his voice like she had done.

[We shall. That's my annoying grammar point at the moment: I shall and we shall, you will, he will, they will.]

"I would quite like to, but no one else is staying. Gary and Alex are leaving, Faith is living with Edward - they have a baby now. What would you do while I was still here? Live in Hogsmeade?" She smiled, delighted that finally, after all the time she had remained loyal to him, she would receive something in return. She was glad that she had dressed nicely today; recently she had taken to simply wearing jeans and jumpers or t-shirts, since she had no one to impress or attract.

Marcus smiled and nodded, "Yes, i could rent a room in The Three Broomsticks whilst you are at school. Then you could come and meet me most evenings. I'm sure i'd be able to find a job in one of the shops there. And money is not a problem for me anyway." He ran his eyes up and down her body approvingly, smiling at how beautiful she looked today. He felt strangely privileged to be able to have this body to himself and not have to share it with anyone.

She nodded. "Then I'll wait." She liked planning the future in these little dreams; she knew it was unlikely that they would ever come true, that Marcus would hang around for a few months maximum, then disappear mysteriously again, but not come back. Maybe, once she'd finished school, she'd find him by chance and they'd have a romantic reunion, and he'd declare that he'd never loved anyone else as much as her and they'd live happily ever after. Or maybe not.

[Just like in the story!]

Marcus smiled, "And i'll wait also." He liked these little plans that they made together about their future. And he hoped they did have a future. He had never felt this way about anyone else, and even if he was still afraid to admit it properly, he cared for Rose very deeply. The plans would come true, he would make sure of it, for her sake more than his.

[Yes, just like that. ]

She sighed, thinking of the time they had gone back to her hometown, and she had been tempted to take him in her house and introduce him to her father. She was going back for a while soon, but she wouldn't take him with her. Maybe another time. No; definitely another time. "I'm leaving in a couple of days, but I won't be gone for long. I've got to go home and see my dad. There's...family issues," she lied. She didn't want to tell him, not here, not now. She'd tell him later. Maybe.

[Couldn't Resist]

Tristan walked up to the owlery, letter tucked in his pocket. He smiled as the sun flashed down on his pale skin. He remembered the girl he had met once. Rachel? Rosie? Rose! That was it. He chuckled lightly to himself as he reached the top of the stairs. Opening the door there she was, with someone else. He frowned slightly to himself. Tucking his hand into his pocket he pulled out the letter addressed to his father. As the owl flew out of the window he snuck up behind the beautiful young woman and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. "Hello Rose, How nice to see you. And who is this?" he asked eyeing up the other boy, someone he recognised. A Slytherin, just like him.

Rose jumped and turned in horror at the voice and the feeling of someone other than Marcus putting their arms around her waist. "Tristan!" she exclaimed, glad now that she had made Marcus admit his infidelity and in turn told him of her own brief affair. It hadn't really been anything, though. "This is Marcus," she said, controlling herself well. "Marcus; Tristan. He's the boy I was telling you about," she explained, this statement applying to both of them. She leaned back against Marcus' chest and raised her eyebrows at Tristan. The images she had in her head of a somewhat different situation between the three of them were entertaining, to say the least...

Tristan stuck out his hand for Marcus to shake, "Pleasure to meet you, and may I say you have a fine taste in beautiful women." He turned back to Rose as he pulled his jacket over his shoulders, "And you Rose...seem to have a thing for stunning Slytherins," he smirked, looking them both over. He smiled to himself, whatever he was thinking was not exactly clean to say the least.