Author's Note: I know I said this was a one shot (even though Tears grew out of it), but someone very nicely asked me to write the dinner party scene so here it is. I included some teasers for the future.

Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and I don't.

Thank you to Pink Lily for betaing.

The Dinner Party

“There you are mate, thought you weren’t coming for a moment. Not like you to be late,” Marcus joked as he extended his hand to Cassius Warrington.

“Someone was running a bit behind,” Cassius sneered as he jerked his head at the woman beside him.

“I’m eight months pregnant, Cassius! And with twins to boot! What do you expect? I can’t exactly move fast,” Alicia retorted in an exasperated voice as she smoothed a hand over her bulging abdomen.

“Well, perhaps, you would do well to start readying yourself earlier, then,” he answered curtly.

“Ali! Look at you!” A sea of blonde hair whipped past Marcus and Cassius, and Alicia found herself enveloped in a tight hug.

“Kit Kat, oh gods I’ve missed you,” Alicia squealed as she reveled in her friend’s warm embrace. Stepping back, she smiled widely, her back and feet suddenly not as sore as they were a minute ago. “And look at you…I didn’t know you were pregnant! How far along are you?”

Marcus wrapped a strong arm around his wife’s waist. “She’s five months now. We just found out this morning that it’s a boy,” he said proudly.

“An heir for the Flints, now that deserves a toast,” Alexander Montague announced as he entered the drawing room, followed by a tall, bronzed female.

“Ang!” the two other women shouted excitedly. They opened their arms and soon the three old friends were wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace. Angelina’s eyes watered as she stared at two of the most important people in her life. Not more than 22 months ago, she thought she would never lay eyes upon them again.

“It’s so good to see you both,” she said quietly, her voice husky with emotion. The men stayed silent, letting their wives bask in the glow of their happy reunion. Alicia’s stomach growled loudly, interrupting the moment, and the girls chuckled as they disengaged.

“Sorry,” Alicia blushed, “these two are always hungry. I swear I’m bigger than Hagrid!”

“Nonsense, you look lovely,” Katie chided. “Shall we go into dinner?”

The women nodded and Marcus extended his arm to Katie. The other two couples followed the Flints as they made their way down the hall and into the main dining room. Soft candlelight flickered from the two crystal chandeliers, illuminating the large wood-paneled room. Katie gestured for the others to sit as Marcus pulled out her chair at one end of the cherry table. She smiled up at her husband, his emerald eyes looking down at her with unspoken affection. Giving her a half smile, he strode to the other end of the table and seated himself. Raising his crystal wine glass, Marcus declared, “A toast; thank you for honoring Katie and I with your company this evening. We hope this may be the first of many times we all share together.”

The three women smiled softly at each other as they raised their glasses. “Cheers,” they replied in unison.

Houselfs scurried around the table dishing out a delicious smelling cream of broccoli soup. Katie had ordered it specially, knowing it was Marcus’ favorite. It had been so kind of him to suggest this dinner party. It was the perfect thing to lift her spirits. “So Ali, when are you due?” she asked as she dipped her silver spoon into the creamy soup.

“Twenty-three days more. It can’t come fast enough.”

“You won’t be saying that when your in labor,” Angelina spoke up.

Alicia gritted her teeth. “Ang, was it horrible?”

“It’s childbirth, Ali, not a lap around the pitch.” Noting the worried expression on her friend’s face she said in a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. The medi-witch will walk you through every step. And Warring…I mean, Cassius will be there to support you, won’t you?” Angelina glanced at him sternly from across the table and Alexander chuckled at his wife’s demanding tone.

“Of course, I will,” he answered calmly. “I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.” He smiled as he patted Alicia’s hand. “Speaking of children, how is little Maximilian?” he asked.

“Getting bigger everyday,” Angelina answered proudly. “He’s already holding his head up on his own.”

“Little tyke has a strong grip too, nearly pulled a clump of my hair out yesterday,” Alexander laughed, as he ran a hand through his curly dark locks. “Have you decided on names for the twins?”

“Caius and Cassia,” Cassius stated firmly. Katie sneaked a peak at Alicia who rolled her eyes, before her husband could catch her.

“What about you Marcus? Now that you know it’s a boy, have you decided on a name?” Alexander inquired.

Marcus caught Katie’s eye across the table. “No, not yet. We’re just thrilled that the baby looks to be healthy. We haven’t discussed names yet.”

“I heard Malfoy’s wife is expecting.”

“Really, Alex? He’s married?” his wife asked in astonishment. “To whom?” Ducking her head down, Katie smiled at the familiarity between Angelina and Alexander. They genuinely seemed happy with one another.

“What was the littlest Weasley’s name…you know the girl, she was in your house at school?”

“Ginny?” the three women cried out.

Alexander snapped his fingers. “That’s the one. Got hitched right around the same time Angelina and I did.”

“But how did they end up…” Katie stopped mid-sentence as her mind wandered back the night of the auction. She could picture it perfectly, a shaking Raven Clearwater in front of her, Alicia and Angelina scared stiff by her side, and Ginny Weasley hiding behind Ang’s tall form. Malfoy must have purchased Ginny that night.

Marcus cleared his throat hoping to change the subject. He didn’t like Katie dwelling on that period of her life. It depressed her and in turn, him. “So, did you hear about Adrian’s latest debacle?”

Alexander leaned back, as a houself cleared his soup bowl. “Is this the one involving Parkinson? I only heard bits and pieces from Terrence.”

“Yes,” Marcus grinned wickedly. “It seems Farran Parkinson found Adrian post coitus with his sister!”

“Pansy?” Cassius gasped.

“That’s the one! Farran chased him out of the house, naked as the day he was born, swearing he would…well, do something entirely nasty to Adrian’s nether regions if he ever caught him near his sister again!”

The whole table erupted in laughter, picturing a naked Adrian running from Farran. “He really does seem to get himself in some tight spots,” Alicia giggled. “I remember at Hogwarts when Professor Snape caught him shagging Medea Bletchley in the potions storeroom! I never knew it was possible for a person’s face to turn that many shades of red!”

“You think Snape’s face was a sight to behold? You should have seen Miles when he found out,” Cassius quipped. “Couldn’t even form a complete sentence. Just stood there sputtering like an old woman!”

“From what I heard, Miles never had much luck with those sisters of his,” Alicia joked. A houself carefully placed her entrée in front of her and Alicia greedily drank in the array of smells.

“I hope everyone likes roast pork,” Katie asked somewhat hesitantly.

“Smells delicious,” Marcus announced as he gave his wife a reassuring smile. He knew how hard she had worked to ensure the evening was perfect. Picking up his knife, he responded to Alicia, “Miles did have a rough go at it.”

“With slags for sisters, what do you expect,” Cassius drawled. “I’ll never know how he put up with the three of them.”

“I know,” Alexander agreed. “I thought it couldn’t get any worse after that story circulated about Dianna and the Ravenclaw beaters, but the younger two were awful.”

“Yes, Medea and Mina never really grasped what it meant to be discrete.” Cassius added.

“It’s a wonder to me that he was able to get the two of them married off,” Marcus remarked thoughtfully. “Of course, Crabbe and Goyle could never be accused of being the brightest.”

Katie swallowed a bite of pork and asked, “Didn’t Medea and Mina almost get thrown out of Hogwarts?”

“I’d almost forgotten about that! Poor Miles, how do you possibly explain that your sisters got caught attempting to seduce their Head of House?” Marcus shook his head, remembering the disbelief written across Miles face when an irate Professor Snape had cornered him in the Slytherin common room.

“Luckily for them, Professor Dumbledore found the whole thing amusing,” Cassius added dryly. “He really was an absolute fool.”

“Why would you ever want to seduce Snape?” Angelina asked, a disgusted face marring her exquisite features.

“Are you kidding me? Do you know the number of times some silly bint tried to get under Snape’s robes?”

“No Alexander, you can’t be serious,” Katie laughed, picturing some young Hufflepuff swooning over the sour-faced Professor. “It had to be just for the grade, right?”

Alexander shook his head. “I don’t think so, Katie. I know I walked in on him in a few compromising positions with students and some of them were Ravenclaws. You can’t tell me they needed to shag Snape for a higher grade. The whole lot of them always had their noses crammed in a book.”

“Medea always said it was his voice that drove her mad,” Marcus supplied.

“I think I’m going to have nightmares tonight,” Alicia declared, both of her hands resting on her burgeoning belly. The rest of them laughed.

“I love the glaze on this roast, Kit Kat,” Angelina said.

“Hmm, everything’s excellent,” her husband agreed. “Next time, you’ll all have to come to Fortis House. Then you can finally meet Max.” Alexander finished off his last bite and wiped his mouth on the linen napkin. “Is the match still on for this weekend?”

Marcus glanced at Cassius who nodded. “As far as I know. Davenport assured me he would be back from France before Sunday.”

“Afraid to face us without your star chaser?”

“No,” Marcus said slowly. “I just know Callitus has been looking forward to, hmm how did he put it, ‘wiping the pitch with your face’?”

“Bloke just doesn’t know how to take a joke,” Cassius muttered.

“Didn’t I tell you not to insult his sister?” Alexander said pointedly.

“Are you coming to the match, Katie?” Angelina asked brightly. “Alicia and I have been to two so far. They’re pretty entertaining; even if the men refuse to let us women play.”

“I still say it’s because their scared,” Alicia chuckled.

“Nonsense, my dear,” Cassius drawled. “Our reasoning is simple in that we have no wish to embarrass you.”

Alicia made a face at her husband before turning her attention back to Katie. “You really should come, Kit Kat. Most of the other wives do, well accept for Zabini’s,” she added darkly. “I still can’t believe the manner in which he parades around with that, that…whore.”

“Giuliana Lucrezia Medici is not a whore,” Cassius retorted icily. “She happens to be very respected amongst our circle. And I wish you wouldn’t use that kind of language, Alicia. It’s really not suitable for a woman of your station.”

Katie didn’t like the tone Cassius was using and from the thunderous expression on Alicia’s face, she didn’t appreciate it either. Of course, Ali did have a legendary temper. Have to change the subject. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen a Quidditch match. I’d love to go,” she beamed.

“No.”

Katie glanced at Marcus in surprise. “No?” she asked, her brow furrowed. Why did he say no?

Marcus stared at her stoically. “No,” he reiterated in a firm voice. Marcus could only imagine how Katie would be treated by some of the other wives and sisters. Medea and Mina would tear her apart, not too mention Daphne Higgs. Terrence’s wife was a vicious harpy! Angelina and Alicia were strong…they could deal with the snotty barbs and condescending comments. Katie was still so delicate. Marcus was unsure if she would ever fully recover from her incarceration. As much as it pained him to refuse her, he would not jeopardize her happiness or the life of their child just so she could watch him play Quidditch.

The dining room was eerily silent as the couple continued to gaze at one another. Katie finally bowed her head, willing herself not to cry. Quidditch was the first thing they had really bonded over. Why would he want to take this away from her? She constantly told him how much she would like to see him play again. He was embarrassed by her. There was no other logical reason why he wouldn’t want her to attend. She didn’t really blame him though. She had never thought she was pretty, not like Angelina or Alicia. For Godric’s sake, Alicia’s nickname at Hogwarts was the Grecian Goddess! Then there was her; loyal, reliable, little Katie, a true tomboy at heart. No one in their right mind would look twice at her!

Alicia’s stomach rumbled loudly, breaking through Katie’s reverie. “You wouldn’t happen to have some Peppermint tea, Kit Kat?” the pregnant witch asked as she soothed her hand over her swollen abdomen.

“Of course we do,” she smiled, holding the tears at bay. “If everyone is finished, why don’t we retire to the parlor for dessert?”

The others nodded in agreement and rose from the table. Cassius helped his wife up and offered her his arm.

“Why don’t you ladies go ahead?” Marcus suggested. “I need a quick word with Cassius and Alexander. We’ll join you in a moment.” Katie nodded her head and gestured for the other women to follow her. She failed to see the frown on Marcus’ face as he watched her leave the room.

---

“Merlin and Morgana, Cassius is such an annoying git sometimes!” Alicia exclaimed as she collapsed onto the sofa. “Act your station, Alicia…don’t use crude language…behave like a lady,” she imitated. “Ugh! Sometimes I just want to strangle him.”

“He is a bit uptight,” Angelina remarked as she smoothed a wrinkle out of her gold colored dress robes.

“A bit? The man is obsessed with appearances. It drives me insane. I can’t wait till the babies come and one of them spits up all over one of his designer shirts!”

“That would be a sight to behold,” Angelina agreed. “Thank goodness Alexander is more relaxed. I’ll admit, when I first discovered I was pregnant with Max I was a little nervous of how he would be as a father, but he really seems to have taken to it. He even gets up during the night, when Max needs to be fed! I never pictured him to be such a good husband.”

Alicia shook her head in disbelief before asking Katie, “And the Troll? How do things go between you two?”

“Fine,” Katie said quietly, her eyes not meeting either of her friends.

“You can’t fool us Kit Kat. We’ve known you for too long,” Alicia reminded her.

“Do you two ever feel guilty?” she asked quietly.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, I mean here we are alive and safe and living in luxury. Doesn’t it bother you sometimes?”

Angelina frowned and glanced down at her hands. “Sometimes I dream that Fred never died and that he finds me living in such comfort with Alexander. He stands at the door, screaming at me, telling me that I betrayed him. I can picture him so clearly and the pain in his eyes, it cuts through me like a knife. Then I wake up crying.”

“Oh gods, Ang, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Katie. When I have dreams like that, I just remind myself that I have to keep going on, at least for Max’s sake.”

“At least your husband doesn’t constantly remind you that you owe him your life,” Alicia said darkly.

“I like to think that you are grateful,” Cassius sneered from the doorway. Alicia scowled at him.

“I think it’s time we get going, Angelina. Max will need feeding soon,” Alexander reminded her as he followed Cassius into the room.

“I didn’t even serve dessert…I’m sorry. I’m a horrible hostess,” Katie apologized.

“No need to worry Mrs. Flint. I filled up on that succulent roast pork,” Alexander smiled as he handed his wife her cloak. “Marcus, thank you for a delightful evening. We’ll see you, Sunday.” Marcus nodded silently and continued staring at his wife from the doorway of the parlor.

Angelina wrapped her arms around Katie and gave her a kiss. “We’ll see each other soon,” she promised.

“Yes,” Alicia agreed as she stepped up to embrace Katie as well. “Take care of that sprog,” she added with a gentle pat to Katie’s belly.

“Goodnight. Thank you for coming.” Katie forced herself to smile. She hated to see them leave. Then it would be just her and Marcus, and from the glint in his eye, he didn’t look too happy with her.

The two couples left and Katie listened to the sound of their receding footsteps and hushed whispers. Marcus remained where he was, leaning nonchalantly against the doorway, surveying her with a piercing gaze. She felt herself cowering, her eyes getting ready to water. Why did he have the power to make her feel absolutely horrible about herself? She has never let anyone manipulate her feelings the way she let him. This is ridiculous! Look at Angelina and Alicia…they don’t tremble before their husbands! I’m being ridiculous. What’s the worst he could do to me? He already owns me! Squaring her shoulders, Katie took a large gulp of air. “Does your mistress go to your matches?”

Marcus was shocked. What did she just say? “My mistress?”

“I’m not dumb, Marcus. While I’ll never understand why you bought me at the auction, I know you married me simply because I’m carrying your heir. I don’t pretend that you find me attractive or the least bit interesting. You’re a virile, young man. I know you must take your pleasure outside of our bedroom. I just want to know if she gets the enjoyment of watching you play.”

“Are you completely mad, Katie? Where the fuck is this coming from? Mistress…bah!” Marcus slammed his fist against the door causing Katie to jump.

“Just tell me please?”

“I don’t have a fucking mistress!” Marcus shouted as he advanced on Katie. “And I don’t take my pleasure in anyone else’s bed!”

“Then you’re embarrassed by me?”

Marcus shook his head in disbelief. “Embarrassed by you? Where do you get that?”

“Don’t lie to me,” she screamed, her nails digging into the tender skin of her palms. “I’m not a fool!”

“Really, cause your sure as fuck acting like one!”

“If this is what they refer to as domestic bliss, remind me never to get married,” drawled a female voice from behind the arguing couple.

Marcus whipped around, his wand in hand and surveyed the two people standing just outside of the parlor. “How did you two get in?” he growled, his large frame blocking Katie. She peeked around his shoulder but didn’t recognize either individual.

“Your elf let us in,” the man replied.

Katie heard Marcus mutter something about fucking elves under his breath.

“Now be a good boy and lower your wand, Marcus.” The woman’s voice was smooth as silk.

Marcus quirked his eyebrow, before asking, “Not until you tell me why you’re here.”

“Tsk, tsk, with that tone of voice anyone would think you don’t like us.”

“Yeah, come on mate, we’re just here for a friendly chat,” the man added.

Marcus weighed their words carefully before dropping his arm. “We’ll go to my study.”

“Lovely,” the female responded.

Marcus half turned and glanced at Katie. “You look tired. I think you should go to bed.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Marcus?” the woman’s voice held a hint of amusement.

Katie watched as Marcus closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. She could feel anger radiating from him. With a sigh, he reopened his eyes and stepped aside, so Katie was exposed. “This is my wife Katherine Flint.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mrs. Flint,” the suave looking gentleman purred as he stepped forward and offered his hand. Katie glanced at Marcus as she slowly raised her hand, but his face remained blank. The stranger bent forward and placed a soft kiss against the smooth skin of her hand. Straightening up, he smiled, revealing a set of perfectly straight, white teeth. “I am Blaise Zabini and this lovely creature to my side is Giuliana Lucrezia Medici.”

Katie turned her attention to the woman. She was taller than Katie by a head, her long dark hair cascading in waves down her back. It was her eyes though that took Katie’s breath away. They were the deepest blue, so blue they could be misconstrued for black. “Hello,” Katie said quietly, very aware of how plain she appeared next to this woman.

Giuliana glanced at Marcus with a smirk, before returning Katie’s greeting. “How lovely to meet you at last. And I see congratulations are in order,” she said gesturing at Katie’s swollen belly. “Marcus dear, you didn’t tell us your wife was expecting,” she chided.

“Congratulations, old fellow,” Blaise added.

“Thank you,” Marcus replied through gritted teeth. “Now that we’re all properly introduced, shall we go to my study?”

“Of course. We’re so sorry to have interrupted your evening, Mrs. Flint,” Giuliana soothed.

“Yes, please excuse our rudeness,” Blaise drawled.

“It is no problem,” Katie stuttered. There was something not quite right about these two; Katie felt it in her bones.

“Go to bed, Katie,” Marcus commanded quietly. He gave her a hard look before showing Blaise and Giuliana Lucrezia out of the parlor.

---

Katie lay awake listening for Marcus. Moonlight seeped through the silk curtains, creating thin shafts of light across the marble floor. The minutes seemed to drag by. Her ears perked up as she distinctly heard the clatter of approaching footsteps. She smoothed the covers over her as the door opened and Marcus entered the room. He was muttering to himself under his breath, his hands rubbing against one another. Kicking his shoes off he glanced at Katie and saw she was awake. “You should be sleeping.”

“What did they want?” she asked softly.

Marcus frowned as he shrugged off his shirt. “Nothing for you to worry about.” He unbuckled his belt and divested himself of his black pants.

“Why don’t you want me to go to your match, Marcus?” Katie whispered.

Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, his back to Katie. He ran a calloused hand through his short dark hair before answering. “I don’t want you around them.”

“Around who?”

Marcus turned, his emerald eyes locking on hers. “Around people like Blaise and Guiana, Medea, Mina, the whole lot of them,” Marcus paused before continuing. “You’re a good person, Katie, and I don’t ever want to be responsible for exposing you to those that would take that away from you.”

Katie found his answer puzzling but noted the earnestness in his eyes. She nodded her head in acceptance. Marcus gazed at her for a moment longer before climbing under the sheets. He pulled her against him, wrapping one arm around her smaller frame. “You’re the only good thing in my life, Katie. I need you to stay like that. I need you to remind me of who I really am and not the evil bastard I become when I step out of this house.” Marcus sounded as if he was choking, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You’re the only thing that can save me, Katie.”

“You are a good man, Marcus,” she whispered, tears prickling her eyes. She had never heard him sound so desperate. Katie had always thought of him as a rock, a stone you couldn’t squeeze blood from, yet here he was clinging to her.

“I need you Katie, I need you so much,” he whispered raggedly.

Katie rubbed his arm in a soothing manner, adjusting her body so if fit perfectly against his, trying to give him the comfort that he needed. “Shh, I’m right here, Marcus.” She felt him shudder against her and she added in a quiet voice, “I’m right here, right where I’ll always be.”