Now I'm Looking Pretty in a Hotel Bar (Marcus)

[parvati patil macmillan]

Since the start of term, Parvati tried to keep her trips into Hogsmeade few and far between, though it was the second time in recent days that she had come to the Three Broomsticks. The previous weekend, she had met Meilinda King there for lunch, and she had returned in the middle of the following week for a drink after dinner, to get away from the castle. The Aurors on duty would have to forgive her, though she was school staff and was allowed to leave for the village if she wished to do so.

The evening was dark and bitterly cold, but that was the price Parvati had to pay for going outside in November. She had entered the pub quickly, finding an open seat at the bar. The fire in the hearth was warm enough that she could thaw out without needing to keep her cloak on over her robes, though there wasn’t a decent place to put it. She had brought a small drawstring purse with her, though she was forced to rest it on her lap instead of at her feet due to a lack of space.

She ordered a pint of mulled mead for herself and waited, figuring that it wouldn’t take very long. There weren’t many people at the pub, and it was quieter than she was used to seeing it.

@marcus

[Deleted]

Marcus was trying to spend as much time as possible out of the house. Pansy didn't yet know that he knew about her infidelity, and while he had managed to keep the secret for over a decade, now that he had shared the experience with someone else, Marcus was worried he was going to slip up. He didn't know why he was worried about it. It wasn't like infidelity was a particularly upsetting thing, at least for him. He would be the first one to admit that he had several mistresses over the years. Some were attracted by his money, and others by his power, but no matter what he could give them, they always left eventually. He was lucky, Marcus supposed, that none of his mistresses had squawked. Probably because they knew that the money and power that had brought them to him could also just as easily be used to destroy him. In any case, Pansy would have to be stupid not to know that he had taken lovers. Of all the many horrible things Pansy was, she was not stupid. 

Marcus had come to the bar partly to escape the house and partly to indulge in his wife's favorite pastime. If she drowned her sorrows in liquor, it seemed unfair to say that he couldn't do so as well. When Marcus entered the Three Broomsticks, he was greeted first by a swell of warmth, and then by a familiar face. Parvati Macmillan, his fellow slighted spouse, was sitting at the bar. Their letters had gotten a bit heated, but she would have had to been blind not to see him enter, and it seemed rude not to acknowledge her. Marcus strolled over to the bar as nonchalantly as he possibly could, sitting down on the stool next to her. "I'll have whatever she's drinking." Marcus told the barkeep, inclining his head towards Parvati. He had sat down next to her, but now it was her turn to make a move.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“Marcus.” Parvati didn't mind acknowledging his presence. Frankly, she was unperturbed by Marcus Flint’s choosing to associate with her while at the bar, as long as he kept his distance from her. She couldn’t control that he happened to be a patron of the Three Broomsticks, too, and the best that she could do would be to keep her cool. Their letters back and forth had gotten somewhat contentious, and riling Marcus again would only make the night drag on.

Watching as the bartender fixed her drink—as well as his, the same order as her own, Parvati imagined that things must have been rather uncomfortable between him and Pansy, but they had already had that discussion once before, when a purse of Galleons had ended up in her possession. That was all they had in common with one another, she thought, glad that their conversation would be forced to dry up before long.

Only after she had been given her pint and had taken a swig from it did Parvati speak to Marcus again, turning her head to look at him. “How are you?” It was out of courtesy that she had asked the question, though there was a part of her that was curious to hear what he had to say.

@marcus

[Deleted]

Parvati acknowledged his presence, and Marcus smiled at her, eyes flashing. She didn’t seem bothered by his presence, which was more than could be said of most people who ended up arguing with Marcus. Other than this name, Parvati didn’t say anything, though, and Marcus waited patiently. He wouldn’t respond until he got something more substantial. It turned out that Parvati needed a little bit of alcohol to loosen her tongue, and Marcus couldn’t help but smirk into his glass when she asked how he was. That was a loaded question. Marcus took a sip of his own drink to buy himself some time to answer, and when he put the glass back on the bar – dangerously close to the edge, actually, since he had turned to look at Parvati and his bad eye was turned to the bar – he responded. “I’m doing well, and yourself?” And then, because he couldn’t resist adding a jibe about how much of a lion she was (and how much of a snake he was), he added, “Picked any fights lately?”

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

Parvati was glad to receive her mead, because it bought her a few more seconds to figure out how on earth she was supposed to survive a full conversation with Marcus Flint. Small talk would only be able to last them for so long, and she took a sip of her drink while she waited for Marcus to tell her how he had been.

He told her that he was doing well, and, politely, he asked her how she had been, even. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Marcus could leave well enough alone, for he asked her if she had picked any fights lately.

Smiling wryly, Parvati almost laughed. “I'm well. And I'm a lady, Marcus.” (Unlike his wife, she thought.) “I don't pick fights.” She wasn't about to behave so childishly, regardless of how much he felt like provoking her. It almost sounded to her as though Marcus had attempted to start some casual banter.

“Yourself?” she asked, echoing how he had asked her how she was. It was then that she noticed how dangerously close Marcus's glass was to teetering right off of the bar counter, and she instinctively pushed it back and away from the edge. “…Sorry,” she apologized, feeling silly for having done it for him. “Didn't want that to fall.”

@marcus

[Deleted]

Marcus couldn’t help but snort a little when Parvati said she was a lady. As far as Marcus knew, the Gryffindor didn’t know a lick about social customs in the pureblood world, which was the only way any wizard or witch could claim to be a lord or lady. If Marcus had been one to go off on power trips, he would have commanded his elves to call him Lord Flint; he was certain that there were still people in his social circles who did just that. “What, ladies don’t start fights, but they can finish them?” He scoffed. Marcus was lacking in decorum, but since Parvati obviously wasn’t as much of a lady as she claimed, he didn’t particularly care. They were both got the short end of the stick of marital infidelity, so they were past graces.

“I’m fine.” Marcus replied with a shrug when Parvati asked how he was. Increasingly annoyed with Pansy, but otherwise fine. She moved her hand towards the bar, and Marcus turned so he could see what she was doing. Oh – pushing his glass back from the edge. She said she didn’t want it to fall, and Marcus nodded. Maybe it would be better if he just had his drink in his hand the whole time, Marcus thought, picking it up and taking another sip. “Is Hogwarts just as boring as usual?” Why anyone would choose to go back to that den of Mudblood-lovers, Marcus could never fathom.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“What,” Marcus retorted, “ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them?”

“Something like that,” Parvati said, surprised that she was actually teasing him. She could hold her own, and anyone who knew her history should have known that, Marcus included. She might not have cared to get herself dirty if she didn't have to—and breaking a nail was still a terrible outcome—but she wasn't afraid to defend herself. If Marcus thought that strength and femininity were mutually exclusive, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to her. Pansy was the one who had called for Harry to be handed over to Voldemort.

Marcus gave a shrug; apparently, he and Pansy were on reasonable terms. (Either that, or he was too polite to say otherwise.) Her having moved his glass had surprised him, although Parvati was even more surprised that Marcus hadn't done a thing to swat her hand away.

He took the glass up in his hand after that, and Parvati hoped that she hadn't insulted him. “Is Hogwarts just as boring as usual?”

Parvati didn't know if the question was meant as a joke, but Marcus had to have known about the preparations for the Triwizard Tournament, even if he—being in the Wizengamot—wasn't directly involved.

“It's not boring.” Parvati shook her head and sipped at her mead. She wasn't going to admit to Marcus, especially, that she was beginning to feel quite stressed by everything that she had to do before the First Task—as well as serve as one of the judges for it.

Sure that Marcus's next question would be to ask her what she was doing at the pub instead of the castle—because, by what Parvati imagined was Marcus's logic, that was where she should have been if life there hadn't been boring her to death, as she had just claimed—she set her pint glass back onto the counter. She would go ahead and answer that for him. “If you must know,” not that he necessarily cared, “I needed a break.”

@marcus

[Deleted]

Marcus shook his head when Parvati agreed with his scoffing comment about ladies starting or finishing fights. He couldn’t believe that she actually believed that. Marcus could name several ladies – real, Slytherin, pureblooded ladies – who had no trouble starting their own fights, his wife included. Maybe this lion was more cowardly than she cared to admit, if she didn’t want to pick a fight. Marcus didn’t comment further, electing to roll his eyes instead. Parvati could think what she wanted, but he wasn’t going to start a fight so that she could finish it, or whatever the hell she thought she was doing when they debated.

Marcus arched an eyebrow when Parvati said that the school wasn’t boring. He knew about the Tournament – everyone knew about the Tournament – but he couldn’t see how that would be affecting her beyond a few extra duties. She was just a counselor; it wasn’t like she had all that much work in the first place. Marcus, again, wasn’t going to comment, but then Parvati continued talking, answering a question he hadn’t ever asked, and had no intention of asking. Marcus took a slow sip from his drink, blinking once at Parvati. “Good to know.” He said dryly. “I wasn’t going to ask.” He added, just in case she had deluded himself into thinking he cared about her whereabouts any more than he cared about any other person’s whereabouts. “But now you’ve piqued my curiosity. A break from what?” It wasn’t like she had to live with her insufferable ex-husband, whereas Marcus definitely had to live with his equally insufferable wife.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“But now you’ve piqued my curiosity. A break from what?”

Alright, Parvati thought, taking another quick sip of her drink. He'd asked, so he didn't have any right to complain if what she had to say wasn't interesting enough for his liking. “I'm one of the judges for the Triwizard Tournament,” she informed him, “and I'm advising the Hogwarts Champion, Anna Weasley.” Although she held back, Parvati wanted to place as much emphasis on the fact that the young woman who was representing Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament was from a family of the kind of people that those of Marcus's ilk would have called “blood traitors” (if not something even more derogatory).

“That's in addition to my usual responsibilities.” She didn't want to seem whiny or incapable of handling the workload put on her. Marcus would probably find a way to one-up her, regardless, so she wasn't sure why she had even bothered to go to the trouble. Something in the far back of Parvati's mind, however—and maybe it was only the mead that was affecting her judgment—told her that he actually did care about what she had to say. (Where, she thought, was Padma and her Legilimency when they were so desperately needed?)

“It isn't awful, though.” When all was said and done, months in the future, it would be worth it. “My sister, Padma, has been involved in the planning process. She's the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, so…”

Parvati felt the sudden urge to slap herself on the forehead. Did she really need to tell a member of the Wizengamot that her twin sister, identical to her in appearance, was the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation? Trying to revise what she had just said would have been even more complicated, Parvati decided, so she prayed that Marcus wouldn't realize how stupid her comment had seemed to her.

@marcus

[Deleted]

Marcus had to suppress an eyeroll when Parvati began by saying that she was the judge for the Triwizard Tournament. Naturally Longbottom couldn’t do it himself since he was oh so important, so he had to appoint one of his lapdogs from school. Nothing had really changed from Hogwarts, it seemed. Gryffindors were still put in positions of power they didn’t rightly deserve, and no one questioned it. “Oh, continue to go on about amazing that blood traitor girl is.” Marcus said, shifting in his seat so he could easily move if Parvati chose to cast a hex at him, or worse, actually take him up on his offer and rattle on about amazing the Weasley girl was. Marcus was beyond caring about the Weasleys anymore. They were a perfect example of Marcus’s previous sentiment about Gryffindors getting far more than they deserved.

“Listening to students whine about their lives must be so hard.” Marcus drawled. None of the students in his generation had had any sort of counseling, and they had all turned out alright. Why these children were somehow better was again, a mystery of the world that he could never hope to understand. He took another swig of his drink, resisting the urge to smack his lips in satisfaction as the rush of alcohol began to stream through his veins. He wasn’t a heavyweight when it came to liquor, not like his wife, so a flush was already rising in his cheeks, not that he wanted anyone to notice.

Marcus didn’t suppress the urge to roll his eyes a second time, when Parvati said that her twin sister was the Head of the Department of International Cooperation. “I know.” He said drily after he had given the eye roll ample time to sink in. “Contrary to popular belief, the Wizgengamot actually does converse with other portions of the Ministry.” Including the Heads of departments. If anyone asked his opinion, Padma Patil-Thomas had a stick up her ass, not unlike her sister, really, though Marcus was beginning to develop a preference for the latter.

parvati patil macmillan

[parvati patil macmillan]

“Oh,” said Marcus, who sounded not at all thrilled, “continue to go on about amazing that blood traitor girl is.” Parvati narrowed her eyes at him for his decision to refer to one of her students in that way. (Couldn't he put that purity nonsense in the 1990s, she thought, where it belonged?)

The next person Marcus chose to belittle was Parvati herself, who was close to walking out when he said that it must have been so hard for her to listen to students whine. “You're a father,” she snapped back at him, calming herself before she could say more—the kind of thing that she'd regret. “…Haven't you once listened to your children?” Her question was rhetorical and meant to instill some empathy in him, though she had a feeling that it was because of people like him that she was in her position.

She finished her drink, listening as Marcus explained that the Wizengamot actually did pay attention to other divisions of the Ministry. Parvati couldn't challenge him on that point, she thought—laughing aloud—as she ordered another drink from the bartender; she couldn't talk politics for very long without getting bored of it. Such things as regulations surrounding cauldron size were best left to the people who actually dealt with cauldrons aside from purchasing them for their children from a list of school supplies.

“Tell me…” she began after having consumed most of the rest of her next mead in silence, “What does a Wizengamot Member do for fun?”

@marcus

[Deleted]

Parvati seemed angry about the fact that he was a father, and why Marcus couldn’t fathom. They had both known that long ago. She asked if he had ever listened to his children, and Marcus rolled his eyes. “I’ve listened to them.” Marcus scoffed. “But they’ve never actually returned the favor, so I don’t see why I should pity them.” He had fed them and he had clothed them and he hadn’t allowed any of them to die before reaching their age of majority – the only one who could break that streak was River – and two of them hadn’t even been his in the first place! It made absolutely no sense, and Marcus wasn’t about to act like he was in the wrong for not bothering to listen to his brat children for a moment more than he needed to.

Marcus ordered another drink from the bartender when he came by with another drink for Parvati, careful to place his empty glass squarely on the bar so that he wouldn’t have any more mishaps with Parvati having to keep his glasses from falling off. The new drink didn’t taste quite as strong as the last, and Marcus downed half of it in one gulp. Parvati asked what a Wizengamot member did for fun, and Marcus blinked. “No such thing as fun when you’re in law.” He told her. It was just sitting through hearings and making judgements and listening to people complain that life wasn’t fair, as if he didn’t get enough of that already. He was expected at home most nights, and that was that.

parvati patil macmillan