A/N: Epilogue. This is the last part, yes. Hope you all have enjoyed reading this fic, because it was rather fun to write while it lasted.
Disclaimer: The closest thing to a Slytherin Quidditch Player I possess would be a snarky fiance.
~*~
Sometimes the years seemed like a blur, and sometimes it seemed like so very long ago that they met.
She was two and twenty now, and it was the calm after the storm.
Today was one of the days that time seemed fast. perhaps it was the slight rush in the air, the spring wind.
Penelope Clearwater, St. Mungo's nurse, silently walked down the hallway on her rounds. Her face was somewhat solemn when she stopped by a patient's room, and unlocked the door with her wand.
Cassius Warrington had been lying in there, unconscious, for a year. The curse that he'd been hit with had nearly cost him his life, and it was anyone's guess when (if) he would wake.
Su had visited several times, each time her face more expressionless than the last, and Penelope had always left her former housemate alone.
There were nights that Marcus would not come home, raids, and sometimes when he did come, he was silent and his eyes were terrible. She would hold him and do anything she could to make him forget, but it was always a shadow in the background.
They had not married in the midst of war, but with the war gone, the plans had started again.
But there was a noise inside the room, and Penelope quickly cleared her errant thoughts away to open the door, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as they met Warrington's.
"Who are you, and where the hell am I?" His voice was slightly hoarse from disuse, but he was most certainly awake and conscious.
"St. Mungo's," she answered gently, "And my name is Penelope Clearwater. Do you remember me?"
He did indeed seem to remember her, though his mind was on Su Li. She handed him a glass of water, supporting his slightly limp arm as he brought it to his parched lips, and tried to recount everything that had happened since he'd been cursed.
He seemed a bit startled when she mentioned Su as the new Defense professor at Hogwarts, but when she told him that Su was safe, he smiled.
Penny understood, because she too would smile whenever her own lover came home safe, and know that at least they had one more day.
When she told him that her fiance had been in the last battle, and that Su wasn't counted amongst the casualties, he smiled.
Later that night, when it was towards the end of her shift and he was starting to walk on his own, next to her, he turned his head towards her suddenly. "Think I can make it to Hogwarts?"
"Not on your feet, you can't," she made a slight face, "But you can floo to Professor Dumbledore's office from the nurse's station. That eager to see her again, hmm?"
He smirked at her slightly, "Seems to me that there's just something about spunky little Muggleborn Ravenclaws, hmm? And I'm not the only one who thinks so, apparently. When's the wedding?"
"In a month," she said softly, giving him a small smile.
"How sad," he grinned, "I would have wanted to coordinate the bachelor's party."
~*~
The fire was just dying down when he arrived, dark circles under his eyes but a cheerful sort of smirk on his face. She looked up with a peaceful smile when he walked up behind her and put his large hands on her waist.
"Your friend just left," she told him softly. "Cassius. He woke up. He went to find Su."
"I'll be sure to visit him... whenever he's done catching up with her," Marcus declared, as she turned around in his arms to face him. "Meanwhile, are you ready to go home?"
She looked up into his face, secure in the warmth of his embrace, and suddenly smiled.
"Quite, I'm in dire need of a nap, but after that..."
"Yes?"
She chuckled lightly and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Do you want to go out for some Chinese food?"
Disclaimer: The closest thing to a Slytherin Quidditch Player I possess would be a snarky fiance.
~*~
Sometimes the years seemed like a blur, and sometimes it seemed like so very long ago that they met.
She was two and twenty now, and it was the calm after the storm.
Today was one of the days that time seemed fast. perhaps it was the slight rush in the air, the spring wind.
Penelope Clearwater, St. Mungo's nurse, silently walked down the hallway on her rounds. Her face was somewhat solemn when she stopped by a patient's room, and unlocked the door with her wand.
Cassius Warrington had been lying in there, unconscious, for a year. The curse that he'd been hit with had nearly cost him his life, and it was anyone's guess when (if) he would wake.
Su had visited several times, each time her face more expressionless than the last, and Penelope had always left her former housemate alone.
There were nights that Marcus would not come home, raids, and sometimes when he did come, he was silent and his eyes were terrible. She would hold him and do anything she could to make him forget, but it was always a shadow in the background.
They had not married in the midst of war, but with the war gone, the plans had started again.
But there was a noise inside the room, and Penelope quickly cleared her errant thoughts away to open the door, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as they met Warrington's.
"Who are you, and where the hell am I?" His voice was slightly hoarse from disuse, but he was most certainly awake and conscious.
"St. Mungo's," she answered gently, "And my name is Penelope Clearwater. Do you remember me?"
He did indeed seem to remember her, though his mind was on Su Li. She handed him a glass of water, supporting his slightly limp arm as he brought it to his parched lips, and tried to recount everything that had happened since he'd been cursed.
He seemed a bit startled when she mentioned Su as the new Defense professor at Hogwarts, but when she told him that Su was safe, he smiled.
Penny understood, because she too would smile whenever her own lover came home safe, and know that at least they had one more day.
When she told him that her fiance had been in the last battle, and that Su wasn't counted amongst the casualties, he smiled.
Later that night, when it was towards the end of her shift and he was starting to walk on his own, next to her, he turned his head towards her suddenly. "Think I can make it to Hogwarts?"
"Not on your feet, you can't," she made a slight face, "But you can floo to Professor Dumbledore's office from the nurse's station. That eager to see her again, hmm?"
He smirked at her slightly, "Seems to me that there's just something about spunky little Muggleborn Ravenclaws, hmm? And I'm not the only one who thinks so, apparently. When's the wedding?"
"In a month," she said softly, giving him a small smile.
"How sad," he grinned, "I would have wanted to coordinate the bachelor's party."
~*~
The fire was just dying down when he arrived, dark circles under his eyes but a cheerful sort of smirk on his face. She looked up with a peaceful smile when he walked up behind her and put his large hands on her waist.
"Your friend just left," she told him softly. "Cassius. He woke up. He went to find Su."
"I'll be sure to visit him... whenever he's done catching up with her," Marcus declared, as she turned around in his arms to face him. "Meanwhile, are you ready to go home?"
She looked up into his face, secure in the warmth of his embrace, and suddenly smiled.
"Quite, I'm in dire need of a nap, but after that..."
"Yes?"
She chuckled lightly and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Do you want to go out for some Chinese food?"