Chapter Sixty-Two: For Old Times’ Sake

Chapter Sixty-Two: For Old Times' Sake

Friday, 19 March 1999

"Thanks very much, Quin. I had a lovely evening. I certainly hadn't expected to have dinner in Paris this evening!" Poppy looked up at Quin and smiled.

"I thought it might be to your likin'," Quin replied with a grin. "A simple, casual dinner, but a bit of a change from the usual."

"Still, it was very special," Poppy said, thinking that Quin looked particularly handsome that night, dressed in his casual, deep blue silk bomber jacket, jeans, and white polo shirt. She was glad he had advised her to dress Muggle that evening. She had chosen her prettiest Muggle spring dress, lilac with darker trim, and a matching collarless jacket, though he still outshone her, and the eyes that had followed them as they passed down the boulevard had been drawn to Quin, and not to her, she was certain.

"Something you deserve, love!"

"Will you come up?" Poppy asked, gesturing toward the castle whose lights were twinkling beyond the gates. "A nightcap?"

"I would love to."

Poppy opened the gates and beckoned to Quin, then took his arm as the gate clanged shut.

"So, are you cheered up?"

"I don't even remember needing cheering up anymore," Poppy said with a laugh. "Paris at night, the lights of the cafés, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, what witch could fail to be cheered up after an unexpected evening out in Paris?"

"I enjoyed it, too. Nice to be able to Portkey and Apparate about again," Quin said. "I hardly made it to the Continent at all these last years. So takin' yourself out gave me a good excuse to treat me own self, too!"

Poppy smiled up at him. "You seem . . . not untouched, precisely, but . . . undamaged and so easy with it all. And I know that those years were very hard on you."

Quin shrugged. "They were what they were. I am a very blessed man." He patted her hand that rested on his arm. "Not all are blessed with the family and friends I have."

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you more frequently than I did," Poppy said softly. "I always asked after you, though, whenever Minerva saw you, or when I would run into Alroy."

"'Twas hard not to see you, but sadly, 'twas harder still to think of you or to have your company," Quin replied. "I was limited in who could safely visit. Albus tried only once, and, well, I don't rightly remember what happened, but apparently I passed out and went into a sort of coma. So last May was the first I'd seen of him since before."

"What was different about Minerva?" Poppy asked curiously.

"Difference was . . . I don't really know, but it was important to me to see her, and important to her, too, I think. She was persistent, writin' just about every day, visitin' me a few minutes at a time, but regularly, until finally we could sit together quietly, talk of Muggle books or Muggle news, or of me businesses, once I began bein' able to work again. She's the one who encouraged me to make more out o' GC Enterprises. 'Twasn't more than a single small amusement park and arcade outside Liverpool to start, and she helped me to see the potential in it. O'course, I had already bought that old estate in Devonshire and converted that to a luxury hotel with a lot of amenities, so it made sense to combine the two concepts. I thought of it as a cruise on dry land: no one had to leave the premises for entertainment or a meal if they didn't want to. I added onto it after me accident. Built up the park on the grounds of the estate, brought in rides and other games, and that was the first Golden Cup Park and Resort, then did the same in Liverpool, buyin' up more land, building a new hotel, keepin' the old arcade games and kiddie rides but adding more thrill rides, plus the theatres. That was all Minerva's idea, the basics, anyway."

Poppy smiled. "That's funny, since I never got the impression that Minerva likes to go to the Golden Cup Parks."

"She likes certain aspects of them, the resort and the shows, some of the games, though not the rides, to be sure," Quin said with a grin. "And those rides were the original foundation for the concept. But she knows me, and she's a canny witch. She might have done well in business, herself."

"Huh, you think so?" Poppy opened the front doors. "I suppose she might have, though I am glad that she didn't. We needed her here." The two began up the stairs. "She certainly was a good general, and I'd never thought of her as a military strategist until last spring."

"It couldn't have been easy for her, though. A lot of what she had to do cost lives. Makin' decisions that affect that sort of thing, even if more people live for it than would have otherwise died . . . it must weigh upon her."

"I know it does," Poppy replied quietly as she opened the door to her suite. "But she tries not to dwell on it. Personally, I think she should talk about it more."

"She has Albus, though," Quin pointed out as he slung his jacket over the back of a chair and flopped onto the couch. "They probably talk. And he understands that kind of responsibility."

"Yes, but Albus is a great 'fixer,'" Poppy said, removing her own jacket and then walking over to the sideboard to pour them each a glass of tawny port. "She does talk to him about everything, of course, but I think that sometimes she prefers to talk to Gertrude. Or to me."

"Mm, I can see that. But I didn't come up for a nightcap in order to discuss Minerva, as wonderful as we both may find her," Quin said. "I don't want to talk about anything but you."

"Oh, I'm a boring subject!"

Quin patted the couch beside him as she handed him his drink. "No such thing, Poppy!"

Poppy took a sip of her port then sat down next to him. "Well, we'll run out of things to talk about very quickly. Of course, there's always the weather!" She leaned over and set her drink on the coffee table.

Quin smiled mildly and grazed her cheek with his fingertips, gently turning her face toward him. "You are endlessly fascinating, Poppy, love. And you don't appreciate yourself enough." He took a sip of his drink as he contemplated her. "Or was it another who didn't appreciate you enough?" Quin asked. "You still haven't told me why you needed cheerin'!"

"And I told you a few minutes ago that I don't even remember needing cheering up," Poppy replied, leaning back, Quin's arm going around her shoulders.

Quin reached over and set down his drink. "Well, let's see that it stays that way," he said softly, raising his hand and touching her cheek again.

Poppy felt a tingle from his caress and the heat rising in her face. The heat didn't stop with her face, though. "You're very good company, Quin. I've had such a nice time tonight."

"So have I, squiring around such an attractive witch. Quite enjoyable."

Poppy leaned forward and picked up her glass. She took a sip, and Quin mirrored her actions. "Good tawny port," he remarked.

Poppy nodded. "Not something I drink often, but it's nice occasionally. A change."

"Mmm, change can be good. Variety. The spice o' life, they say," Quin replied, putting his arm back around her.

Poppy lay her head on his shoulder and turned the glass in her hand, contemplating its amber liquid. "On the other hand, sometimes something old, comfortable, and familiar is what's best."

"Are you callin' me old, Poppy Pomfrey?" Quin asked, a grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

Poppy laughed. "I'm not young any longer, either," she replied. She took a swallow of her port.

Quin shook his head, looking at her with warmth. "You are in full bloom, love, a flower at its peak, and likely to remain so for some time to come." He put down his glass then took hers from her and placed it beside his.

He pulled Poppy closer, and she put her hand on his chest and leaned into him.

"It is comfortable here with you, though," she said.

"Very." He nuzzled her hair. "You always smell so nice." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I needed this tonight, too," he said softly.

Poppy tilted her head back, turning her face toward his. For a long moment, they just gazed at each other, then Quin brought his hand up and cupped her jaw. His hand was warm and comforting against her skin, and his breath was soft on her lips. Feeling her own heat rising, Poppy swallowed. She took in a breath through her lips, breathing his breath into her own, then his lips came closer and brushed hers. With another intake of breath, Poppy closed her lips around Quin's lower lip, kissing him gently, sucking and releasing his lip.

Quin opened his mouth and drew Poppy closer, repeatedly kissing her lips. Their desire increased as Poppy deepened the kiss and lay back, bringing Quin to lie on top of her. His kisses grew hungrier, and Poppy began to tug on his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his jeans. Her hands reached under his shirt and splayed across his skin, loving the sensation of his sturdy masculine back. They each shifted simultaneously, bringing Poppy to lie more fully on the sofa, one of Quin's feet on the floor, his other leg coming to stretch out beside hers.

Their kisses continued, Quin drawing Poppy's tongue into his mouth and suckling its tip. Poppy moaned and pressed her hips upward against him. Quin broke the kiss and pushed up on his hands, looking down at Poppy. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes seemed unfocused for a moment, but then they met hers, and she smiled.

"You are the best kisser I have ever known," Poppy said. "Or one of the two best."

"I have competition, do I? I'm out of the race for a few years...all right, a couple of decades...and you find someone else?" he asked in mock indignation.

Poppy laughed and brought her hands to his shoulders, rubbing them. "Not exactly." She averted her gaze from his face and began to unbutton the few buttons at the top of his polo shirt. "It's embarrassing, really. Well, it is now. I suppose it was then, too." She could feel her excited flush become a blush. "Minerva had this idea, you see..."

"You kissed Minerva?" Quin was flabbergasted. Minerva was a very good kisser, but he'd never imagined...

"No! Don't be absurd!" Poppy slapped his chest. "Of course not! Let me finish! Minerva had this idea, it's all too complicated to explain right now, but it was in the last year of the war. She needed to . . . to have a memory, a convincing memory, for Professor Snape to bring back to the creep, a memory of Robbie, um, cheating on her."

Quin started to laugh, and Poppy slapped his chest again, a little bit harder this time. "It is not funny," she protested.

"Right, love. Continue, please." Quin was suppressing his grin very poorly.

"Well, she gave us a script to follow, and Robbie and I were supposed to be snogging on her sitting room sofa, getting all hot and heavy. Trouble was," Poppy said, blushing, "I'm not used to kissing for dramatic effect. It felt too real. I hadn't even found Robert attractive once in my life, not for a single moment, and suddenly he's kissing me, and I turn into a puddle of shivering female hormones. We tried it a few different ways, and I didn't tell Robbie why, but I had to explain that I wasn't comfortable with the kissing. It was especially bad because I thought that not only was he Minerva's lover, but that he was a married man. And, of course, I later learned that 'Robbie' was Albus, and that made it all worse, much more embarrassing. So your competition isn't competition."

"So can I laugh now?" Quin asked, his eyes sparkling. "Good thing you never told Minerva!"

"Of course not. It was just too embarrassing, especially as I really don't think that it affected him much at all. He just would stop and look at me and ask if I thought it was convincing. He could have been doing the washing up after dinner for all it seemed to affect him. I think if I'd known it was Albus, I might have felt differently, even though I generally find Albus more attractive than I did Robbie. It might have been easier, since I've known him longer, and, well, he's married to Minerva, so it would be different if she asked me to playact with him, rather than with someone else's husband, who I presumed was having an illicit affair with Minerva. Anyway, we ended up doing something different, which turned out to be better for Severus's memory, and which wasn't at all . . . um, pleasurable. I'd almost managed to forget about it, until Minerva and her ridiculous Charmed mistletoe at the staff Christmas party."

Quin didn't suppress his grin. "You were kissin' every eligible and ineligible wizard under the Charmed sprig, then, were you?"

"No, not every one, but at one point, she had me and Albus trapped under it...for more than just a quick peck on the lips, mind you...and I think she thought it was very funny."

"Sure it was, too, especially if it gave you the rosy glow to your cheeks that you're sportin' at the moment! I have a feelin' your Headmistress may have had more than an inklin' of why you wouldn't be after kissing 'Robbie' in her little play."

"Hush, Quin! That's enough of that!"

"Well, I'll just have to reassert myself as the best kisser you ever knew, supplant all those titillatin' memories with some new ones. Even more pleasurable ones."

"They're just embarrassing, Quin, not titillating."

"Good, then me work is half done!" Quin said, wiping the exasperation from her face with a demonstration, kissing her strongly as he ran a hand over her left breast.

Poppy acquiesced readily, slipping her hands back under his shirt, massaging the muscles of his back. Quin pushed up and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. He began to lean over to kiss her again, but Poppy stopped him, her hands on his chest. She ran her hands appreciatively over his pectorals and down over his chest to his stomach, then back up again. Her fingers ran through the curly hair on his chest, then her thumbs found his nipples and flicked them. She wanted to tell him that he was still so very handsome and sexy, but she didn't. For some reason, he had never liked any reference to his good looks, and Poppy doubted that had changed.

"Getting some silver here, too," Poppy said softly, caressing his chest. "So we are getting older."

"If you say so, Poppy. All I can say is that you are as attractive as ever, and in the full bloom of womanhood."

"Then may I tell you," she whispered, "that you are still sexy, you are perhaps more attractive as time goes by." She rubbed his chest and played with his nipples. "Very, very attractive."

Quin lowered himself to kiss her again as her arms went around him. He put his hands behind her and struggled with the Muggle hook and zip. Poppy sat up slightly, and Quin cast a charm to unzip her dress. He ran a hand over Poppy's back and groaned.

"That did not sound like a groan of pleasure," Poppy said.

"You're wearing a bra."

"I went Muggle today, so I wore a bra instead of using a charm on my underclothes."

In the meantime, Quin had managed the hooks on the back of her bra. He pressed Poppy back down on the couch, pulling her bra and the top of her dress down and then freeing her arms. He kissed her passionately and lay on top of her, his bare chest against her breasts. His kisses began to move to her cheek, her jaw, and down her throat. Poppy arched her back as his mouth reached her chest, then his tongue met her right nipple and his hand caressed her left breast.

Poppy moved her outer leg out from under Quin and brought it up around him, pulling him even closer to her. His tongue continued stimulating her nipple and his right hand flicked and gently tweaked her other nipple. Poppy rolled her hips, feeling the weight of his firm torso against her crux. Her hands grasped at his shoulders and his hair. Her pleasure was his as he began to suckle her left nipple, sliding his now-free hand down her side to shove her dress even lower, down over her hips. He slipped his hand beneath the waistband of her knickers and squeezed her buttocks. He suckled and flicked, holding her and squeezing. One more flick of his tongue to her nipple, and he slid back up her body to kiss her mouth again.

Moaning into his mouth, Poppy brought her hands to his waist, running her fingers along the waistband of his jeans until she found his belt buckle. She tugged, pulling the end of the belt from the loop.

Quin pushed up, breaking their kiss. "You're sure?"

"Let's see where we can go, Quin," Poppy said. "It could be very good."

He kissed her lips gently and sensuously before looking down at her again. She unbuckled his belt.

"Maybe if we had done more of this . . . a long time ago," he whispered. "Maybe everything would have been different."

"Let's see where we can go now," Poppy said. She unbuttoned his jeans then tugged at the zip. "These are getting too snug on you," she said as she felt his erection straining against his tight jeans.

Quin closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath as her fingers met his erection through his pants. He shuddered as she stroked his length.

Letting out a long breath, he swallowed and held himself still as Poppy continued to caress him through the soft cotton of his briefs. He gritted his teeth briefly, then he groaned sharply.

"Ohhh . . . oh, Poppy." He tried to control his breathing, and he opened his eyes, looking down at her, taking in her face, her breasts, her bared abdomen. He shook his head as if trying to wake himself. "You need to know . . . oh, gods!" Her hand had slipped beneath his pants. "Oh, ah, you need to know that it has been a long time. A very, very long time. The way me life was...oh, gods...the way me life was, there hasn't been anyone, not since . . . a long time."

"All the more reason to be with someone comfortable, someone familiar, someone who cares about you, but someone who won't press you for more." Poppy withdrew her hand and caressed Quin's face. "I always have cared for you, you know, Quin. You helped me to get over Murdoch, and then when it was obvious he really was moving on, you were there, the best shoulder to cry on that any witch could want, and never making any demands, just being there for me, just a good friend."

"I was glad to be, Poppy, love."

"Then let's be here for each other now, Quin. Let's see where we can go tonight."

Quin lowered himself to lie on top of her, and he kissed her, his hands caressing her body as she worked to push down his jeans from around his hips. Quin lifted a hand and waved it, removing first one of his boots and then the other. He kissed and nipped at her throat before rising up on one knee and nodding.

He slipped from the couch and stood, pushing his jeans down and off, removing his socks at the same time. His eyes ran over Poppy's form, down the length of her body.

"You are beautiful, you do know that, don't you, Poppy? Such a beautiful figure." He reached down and ran one hand along her side, then he took hold of her dress with both hands, she raised her hips, and he pulled her dress off of her. "Charmed stockings with your Muggle outfit?" he asked.

"No, they're called 'thigh-highs' or some such thing. Supposed to stay up on their own. Not very comfortable, though," Poppy said.

"Allow me, then." Quin grinned as he Summoned his wand from his jacket and waved it. She had already kicked off her shoes, so Poppy's stockings obligingly rolled themselves down and off. Now she was wearing only her knickers.

"Going to rejoin me?" she asked, offering Quin her hand as he set his wand on her coffee table.

"As we are both getting older...and better!...might I suggest a more comfortable venue?" Quin said, pulling on Poppy's hand and helping her to sit up.

"Are you inviting yourself into my bed, Mr MacAirt?"

"Hopin' you'll do that yourself. I'm just after invitin' meself into your bedroom, so." He grinned.

Poppy laughed and stood. "All right, Mr MacAirt. We will proceed to the bedroom and then we shall see! But first, this." Poppy stepped back away from Quin and pulled down her underpants, tossing them on top of the rest of her clothing. "Much better, I think." She looked him up and down, admiring his broad shoulders, slim hips, long legs, and the very obvious bulge in his snug sea-blue briefs. "And this, too."

Poppy stepped up to him and slipped her hands into the waistband of his briefs, running her hands around to his buttocks and squeezing. "Mmmm. I do like this," she murmured, nuzzling his chest. She kissed and nuzzled his chest as she continued to squeeze his buttocks, slowly bending her knees and moving her head lower, teasing his sensitive stomach with tickling kisses. His skin jumped and twitched.

Quin brought his hands to her shoulders as she continued to move lower, now pulling down his pants and kneeling in front of him. Once his pants were around his ankles, Poppy didn't worry about them any longer, simply bringing her hands back up to his buttocks and her lips to the tip of his erect penis. She kissed him lightly several times, and Quin's grip grew tighter.

"Um, love, we might want to wait . . . ahhh, yes, waitin' would be good," Quin gasped as Poppy circled the head of his penis with her tongue. "Oh, sweet Jesus! Poppy, it's been so long, you shouldn't yet..."

She paused for a second, barely moving away from his cock. "Shhhh," she whispered, ending the whisper with a soft, warm breath blown across the head of his cock. His cock jumped and Quin moaned.

"This first," Poppy said softly, "then we can continue in the bedroom."

She flicked her tongue across his slit, then blew on it again, and was rewarded by another gasp from Quin. Her tongue circled the crown of his cock, then her lips closed over it. She continued to stimulate his cock with her tongue as she lowered her head, taking his entire length into her mouth. She pressed her tongue against his shaft as she drew back up, then sucked lightly at the head. Quin moaned.

"You don't want to keep this up, love, or little Quin will not hold up for the trip to the bedroom," Quin said.

"He's not so little," Poppy said, running her fingers up his shaft, then flicking her tongue across the soft, sensitive head of his penis. "Mmm, not at all little."

She lowered herself around him again, cupping his balls in one hand as she gripped the bottom of his shaft with the other.

"Really, Poppy," Quin began.

"Then we can start all over again," Poppy said, "when we get"...she licked him..."to"... another flick..."the bedroom."

Quin groaned and gave up. Poppy stroked him only a few more times, her hand on his shaft, her lips around the head of his cock, her tongue teasing him, when she felt his balls twitch. She lowered herself, taking him completely into her mouth, bringing the head of his cock into her throat, swallowing as he came. His legs trembled as he pulsed in her mouth, and he gripped her shoulders hard.

Poppy gently withdrew, kissing the tip of his penis before rocking back on her heels and looking up at him. Quin's eyes were still closed, and he was breathing hard through his mouth. He let out one strong breath through pursed lips, then opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"That was, um, that was . . ." Quin blinked.

Poppy chuckled. "Quin MacAirt, at a loss for words! Never thought I'd see such a thing!"

"Remind me again why we never did this before?" Quin asked.

"Oh, something about your honour, my getting over Murdoch, your feelings, my feelings, all that sort of thing," Poppy replied, standing easily. "And we were both a lot younger then."

"And then it wasn't long after that that I was cursed, and any opportunity was lost," Quin said softly.

"I know . . . and I kept feeling as though I should do something, that I owed you something, you'd been so good to me, but . . . there wasn't anything I could do."

"May I invite meself into your bedroom now, Poppy?" He reached down and drew her up to stand in front of him.

"Yes, and into my bed, now that the 'edge' is off and you've been very deservedly well-pleased." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips softly. "We can take our time now."

"There are charms for such things, you know, Poppy, to keep me from . . . from bein' too quick off the mark."

"Obviously, but sometimes, the natural way is the best way, and the most pleasurable way. This was one of those times!" She took hold of both his hands and stepped back, tugging him after her.

Quin laughed and followed.

It was after midnight when Poppy and Quin finally stumbled out to the sitting room and sifted through their clothes. They dressed slowly, Quin stepping into his jeans and buckling his belt, then zipping Poppy's dress before pulling on his shirt. When she sat on the sofa and reached for her shoes, Quin knelt and slipped them onto her feet for her. He rose up on his knees and took her hands in his.

"This has been a grand evening, Poppy. Truly grand."

She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "It has been," she agreed.

"You feel better," he stated, running his hand over her arm. "Not as tense, not as . . . sad."

"I wasn't sad, not really," Poppy said.

"Ah, but you did need cheerin' up," Quin said. "I could feel that clearly, would've done even if neither you nor Minerva had mentioned it. You were sad, somewhere deep inside."

Poppy sighed. "Yes, but this did help. It really did. Just spending time with you helped, Quin. I enjoyed dinner and our outing to Paris."

Quin nodded. He cupped her face and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "And after?" He smiled. "I think that was the height of the evening."

"It certainly was." Poppy returned his smile. "I told you more than twenty-five years ago that we could be good together."

"Mmm." Quin nodded. "But not for the long-term. I don't think we would have had a long-term future, in any case, and certainly we wouldn't have after I was attacked. It all worked out for the best, I think."

"You're probably right, but I still wonder if things wouldn't have been different, at least for you. Maybe you wouldn't have been where you were that night..."

"Ah, ah!" Quin placed a finger over her lips. "We won't even think about that. 'Tisn't wise to think 'what if,' to give in to that temptation, I know that," he said. "Now I am whole, you and I are still friends, and I'm about to become a grandfather, finally. I am very blessed. I hope you can say that your life is good now, too."

Poppy nodded.

"Don't be sad, poppet, love. You have so much in your life, to be sure. I'm certain that whatever it is that is botherin' you, it will get better. You already feel much better, don't you?"

"I do." She frowned slightly. "You said you wouldn't do a reading on me," she said. "You didn't, did you?"

"Sure I did not! You know that I never do readings on friends anymore unless they ask, and then they have to ask seriously, three times, really know what it is they're asking for. But I cannot entirely turn off me senses, Poppy."

Poppy nodded and smiled wryly. "I wouldn't ask you to do that, especially not after all the years you spent suppressing your magic and your awareness of it."

"Too true," Quin said. "Had to avoid even touchin' me own kin for a very long time." An expression of sadness flitted across his face, then was gone.

Poppy slipped onto the floor beside him and put her arms around him, holding him close, resting her head on his shoulder. That had to have been terrible for Quin, a man who was so very tactile, very physically affectionate with his family and friends. She could not imagine what he must have suffered . . . in terror of the magic flowing through himself and others, then the pain of separation from the magical world, the isolation he must have experienced when he could not embrace his child, sister, or friend, lest the embrace trigger some horror in him.

He turned his head and kissed her cheek. "Now you're feelin' sorry for me, love, and that's all past. You brought me joy tonight, great pleasure, great warmth. I am happy, Poppy, very happy." He cupped her face in his hand and looked into her eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome."

"I have to find me socks and boots," Quin said, looking around.

Poppy stood and Summoned his socks from under a chair, depositing them in his lap. "You're sure you won't stay? You're welcome to. If not with me, then in one of the guest rooms."

"I am sure, thanks. I would, but I think this is best, especially since, as I mentioned earlier durin' dinner, I'm after takin' some nieces and nephews to that Golden Cup Park outside of Brighton tomorrow morning, my sisters' various grandchildren, they all are." He sat on the couch and pulled on his socks, then Summoned his boots. "Easter weekend, we're reopening the amusement park section after its being shut-up for the winter, but we've been running tests on everything, doin' maintenance, and the kiddies are going on some of the rides that are already finished and ready. Wouldn't do if I were late fetching them, have them thinkin' their Uncle Quin was letting 'em down."

"No, that wouldn't do at all," Poppy agreed with a smile.

"And it's sure you are that you won't come with us tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. It'll be a treat for them, the day with their uncle and the park to themselves. And I have things to do here." Poppy handed Quin his jacket. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They walked down to the ground floor in silence, Quin's arm around Poppy's shoulders, her arm around his waist. She waved her wand, unbarring the main doors, and they stepped out into the chilly night air. Quin looked up and pointed. Poppy barely saw the figures he had noticed, two flyers speeding through the sky on their way to Hogsmeade, one of them scarcely a blur in the starry night.

"They're havin' fun, I'm sure," Quin said as they began to walk down the drive toward the gates, hand-in-hand. "Night flying. Haven't done that in, well, close to thirty years, probably. Used to love it. You aren't much of a flyer, are you, Poppy?"

"Not if I can avoid it," Poppy admitted. "I'm perfectly competent on a broomstick, but I dislike heights, at least when I'm up on a broom. A flying carpet might be more my speed, if they were legal in Britain."

"Ah, now I have our next outing! I have a friend in Istanbul, in old wizarding Constantinople, he makes wonderful carpets. We'll have a nice meal, wander through the old city, then we'll take out one of his carpets for a test flight." Quin looked down at her and smiled. "I'll ask for a nice big one."

"You know how to control them?" Poppy asked dubiously.

"Easy as pie," he said. "And they have excellent Disillusionment and Unnoticeable Charms on them these days, so we could take it out in daylight and fly all over the entire city, wizarding and Muggle. Wizarding Constantinople is one of the largest wizarding districts in the world, you know. Makes Diagon Alley look like, well, like a little backwater. Even if we didn't take a carpet ride, you'd enjoy seeing Istanbul, I think. We could spend a weekend, really take in the sights."

"That sounds like it might be fun. But we'll have to wait and see."

"I'm not after making any plans yet, love, but think about it."

Poppy nodded. "I will."

At the gates, Poppy opened one side and stepped through with Quin. "Thanks, Quin. I had a great time. I really did."

Quin grinned. "I could tell." He bent over, put an arm around her, and whispered in her ear. "Something about the way you were moaning, 'yes, Quin, yes,' gave me a hint you might be enjoyin' yourself."

"You did more than a little moaning yourself!"

"Oh, I did at that, Poppy. I certainly did." He kissed her lips gently. "If you're ever after needin' cheerin' up again, just call me, and I'll be there in a flash." He kissed her again, and Poppy put her arms around him and held on, letting him take all of her weight as he deepened the kiss and caused warming thrills to wash through her. He pushed her up against one of the great stone pillars to one side of the gate, and continued to kiss her as one of her legs came up and hooked around his waist. He pressed his hips into her crux, and she moaned into his mouth. His erection strained against his jeans as he rubbed against her.

Finally, they slowed their kisses and he gently released her as she regained her footing.

Poppy looked up at Quin, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "I will remember your offer. We will have to see, though."

Quin nodded. "Indeed. Good night, Poppy. Take care...and stay in touch. Let me know how you're doing. I hope to hear you're feeling happy and well, but if you aren't, I will want to know that, too."

Poppy smiled. "You can owl me, too, you know. And we can just meet for lunch or dinner at the Broomsticks, we don't have to Portkey to Paris or Turkey or someplace else exotic just to have an excuse to get together."

"I will certainly remember that."

"Good night, Quin."

Quin smiled at her, then he Disapparated with a sharp crack. Closing the gate behind her, Poppy sighed and turned to walk slowly back up the drive to the castle.

NEXT

Chapter Sixty-Three: A Little White Lie

Saturday, 20 March 1999

Severus receives an invitation from Hermione; Poppy considers what she will tell Minerva.

Characters: Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Poppy Pomfrey