"I wonder what Harry and Hermione are going to be playing," Ron inquired as he and Lavender took their seats.
They were inside an enormous tent - erected to protect everyone in case it decided to rain. The seating was arranged around the massive circular ring, however, the entire area was encased in a velvet curtain so you couldn't see what was inside.
"I'm not sure, but it looks like we're about to find out," she answered.
A middle-aged man walked out from behind the curtain and raised his hands to silence the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our featured event for the evening. I would like to thank you all for attending tonight, and I hope you enjoy it. Now, on with the show!"
The velvet curtain was slowly drawn back, and the audience gasped at the illustrious setup. It looked exactly like the inside of a medieval castle - stone walls, torches hanging by metal hinges, and shields and swords displayed on the walls. On the far side, there was an elevated platform with two thrones.
"In here, lads, his Excellency is waiting for her."
From an erected entrance on the far side of the ring, a man emerged in full armor and carrying a helmet under his left arm. He was followed out a moment later by four other men (also in armor), and two of them were half-walking half-dragging a young woman along with them.
"It's Hermione!" Ron gasped, and Lavender nudged him to shut him up.
It was indeed Hermione. She was being pulled along by the two men, and her hands were bound behind her back.
"Release me at once!" she shouted, remembering the lines that she'd been told to recite.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that, princess; our master would be most perturbed if you did not see him."
The men continued dragging Hermione until they were directly in front of the stand where the two thrones stood.
"His Excellency, Lord Narune."
From a maroon curtain behind the thrones, a young man emerged. He was also wearing mail armor, and a silver dragon was engraved on his chest plate.
"Vik-" Hermione immediately shut her mouth; she couldn't say his real name. The man who stood before was none other than Viktor Krum.
"Ah, Lady Hermione, so nice to see you; you look lovely as ever," he said eloquently.
"I order you to release me at once," she spat out, thanking her study habits for quick memorization and recollection.
"You are in no position to give me orders, princess. Do you still defy me?"
"Yes!" Narune's face formed into an evil grin.
"Why not marry me? There are many women who would gladly take your place."
"I belong to another, milord," Hermione answered defiantly.
"I have heard of the prince who apparently won your hand. But he is nowhere to seen is he?" Narune laughed.
"Wow, Hermione is playing this for all it's worth," Ron gasped.
"Yes, but I wonder where Harry is supposed to be."
Lavender's question was about to be answered.
From within the same entrance that Hermione had been brought, several other soldiers came scurrying out like scared rats.
"My lord, intruders!"
"Who dares to violate my castle!"
Another guard came flying threw the doorway and landed head over heels.
"Narune!" a familiar voice thundered. Hermione spun around, and her face lit up.
The curtains parted, and Harry emerged - flanked on each side by Lawrence, Marcus, Justin, and Thomas.
"Harry!" Hermione cried happily. She loved how he looked in his armor. He'd never worn any before in his life, but she thought it suited him wonderfully.
"Unhand the princess, you fiend!" Marcus shouted.
"I don't answer to third-rate knights like you!" Narune hissed menacingly.
"Guards!"
At their master's command, fifteen guards emerged from all sides of the arena and surrounded Harry and the others.
"You coward, can you not fight your own battles?" Thomas growled.
"I will not soil my hands with such insects."
Hermione almost thought she saw Harry smirk. The young wizard's arms crisscrossed, and he drew out his twin blades.
'Wait a minute, don't tell me he's actually going to fight with those!' she gasped silently.
Each of the other knights drew their swords and raised their shields. Narune's smile only widened.
"Destroy them!"
The guards swarmed onto Harry and the others, and the fray began.
You could hear cheers from the audience as the battle raged. It truly looked like a real fight scene.
"Hey Ron, I didn't know Harry could use a sword."
"I know, neither did I but look at him go!"
Harry parried a strike with the sword in his right hand then swung the fat side of his blade directly underneath his assailant's waist - sweeping his legs out from under him.
Marcus and the others watched him with silent fascination; this young man was full of surprises. Harry had to remind himself several times not to hit the guards too hard, or they might get hurt for real. No, he just gave them a 'very' firm tap.
Within minutes, all fifteen of Narune's guards lay motionless on the ground.
"Is that all you've got?" Lawrence taunted.
"Give me the princess," Narune ordered. "Now, kill them all."
The four soldiers who had been watching Hermione suddenly looked very nervous and very afraid.
"I warn you," Harry growled, and his eyes narrowed dangerously, "Move aside, and you will not be harmed, but if you stand in my way, I will be forced to make you move."
The guards saw the four knights surround Harry, and their knees began to tremble. Dropping their weapons, they scurried off the stage like a pack of frightened rats. Harry's eyes then turned towards the man who was holding Hermione.
"Let her go!" he growled, his voice dangerously low.
"She doesn't want you; she wants to be with me."
Hermione was spun around, and she suddenly found herself directly into Victor's eyes. She could see the depth they held, but they could never make her tremble the way Harry's emerald pools could. Shoving herself out of her captor's arms, Hermione squared her shoulders and looked at the man who she had once thought was the man of her dreams.
"I don't want you, Narune; I'm in love with Harry and only Harry!" She said the words so compellingly that it made the audience think that it wasn't just an act she was performing, but her lover knew how much she meant it.
"Very well then…" Narune hissed and drew out his sword, "…if I cannot have you, then no one shall!"
He raised the blade and aimed at Hermione's chest. The young woman backed away slowly, trying to escape her would-be killer.
"Now die!"
A split second later, Narune found a short sword whizzing by not an inch in front of his face. It embedded itself into the far wall, and he turned towards his attacker.
"You're not touching her you filthy piece of scum!" Harry shouted and ran towards him.
"Hermione!"
When she saw him open his arms, she knew what he wanted. Hermione jumped off the platform and landed right in the middle of his embrace. He clutched her to his chest, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"Are you all right, milady?" Harry asked, gazing down at her with warm eyes.
"Yes, my darling, I'm fine - now that you're here."
"Sorry to spoil the warm reunion, but neither of you is going to leave here alive," Narune stated and walked down the steps. Harry put Hermione down and turned back to face his enemy.
"Let's finish this fight!" Harry growled and raised his other sword.
The two advanced on one another, and everyone could hear the clang as their swords met. Moving at a blinding pace, the two traded blows back and forth - neither giving an inch.
"Wow, look at those two go at it!" a member of the audience shouted.
"This is incredible! I've never seen anything like it," another stated.
"Man, Harry and Viktor are really going at it; you'd think they were playing for real or something," Ron laughed.
"Maybe they are," Lavender answered. That did not make the young Weasley happy.
"Quite impressive," Narune growled. Harry just remained silent. "However, this fight is now over."
Suddenly, Harry could sense magic in the air. He rolled out of the way just as the ground exploded underneath him.
"What in bloody hell was that?"
"I have no idea."
"Was that supposed to happen?"
"Oh no, the rumors were true," Marcus said fearfully.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, trying to seem as if she didn't already know.
"Princess, Lord Narune…is a sorcerer," Lawrence clarified.
Hermione had to stop herself from grinning; they didn't know who Harry really was.
"Quick on your feet, I see," Narune laughed as Harry dusted himself off.
The young man couldn't believe that Viktor was using magic in front of muggles, but when he saw the expressions on the spectators' faces, he finally understood. They were enjoying themselves; they wanted to see more. Viktor was just trying to make the drama more colorful.
'All right, if that's the way he wants to play…' His mind began to plan his attack.
"Cat got your tongue, your highness, I thought you would have something clever to say at a time like this!"
Harry stood to his full height and extended his right hand.
"Accio sword," he whispered under his breath. At his command, his sword was yanked out of the wall and came to his hand.
"It ends here!" Harry hissed and narrowed his eyes.
Hermione watched the two face off and waited anxiously. They had to be careful about what magic they used; there was only so much you could explain.
The two men once again met sword against sword, but this time Harry had his second blade, and he used it to press his advantage. He forced Narune back onto his heels then swept his legs out from under him.
"Yield!" Harry ordered.
"Never!" Narune quickly sprung to his feet, and their fight resumed.
Once again, the two traded blow after blow. Neither one seemed to gain any advantage. Narune brought down his sword in an overhead strike, and Harry crossed his blades to block him. The two men grunted as they pushed up against one another, glaring menacingly at their opponent.
"Enough of this!"
Narune shoved Harry back and smirked.
"Exploda!"
Harry was thrown into the air and landed no less than fifteen feet away. Hermione wanted to rush to his side, but Marcus held her back.
"No milady, you mustn't; his highness would be most upset if you were injured."
'Yes, but I'll be upset if he gets injured,' she replied silently.
Harry slowly got to his feet to hear Narune laughing sadistically.
"And to think you believed yourself worthy of Lady Hermione - how pathetic."
Raising his hand, he prepared to finish Harry off, but the young man was waiting for him. Lifting up his blades, his whispered a spell almost silently and grinned when he saw the swords glint slightly; now, he was ready. All he needed was for his opponent to cast one more spell.
"Die boy, Tornados."
The cyclone of wind blew toward Harry, and he waited for it. Quickly rising to his feet, he crisscrossed his swords in front of him. The spell hit the blades and bounced backwards, heading directly for Narune.
"Noooooooo!!!" The blast sent him flying backwards, and he slammed into the side of the platform, proceeding to fall flat on his back.
Harry raced over before he could recover and stood over the man with his blades aimed directly at his chest. Hermione watched the exchange with wide eyes and finally understood Harry's actions. He'd deliberately let himself get hit; then when Narune had gone to finish him off, he'd cast a mirror or reflection spell on his swords, which sent the cyclone back to its source, taking Narune completely by surprise.
"Yield Narune, or die where you are!"
"I will never yield to the likes of you!" he spat back.
"Then so be it!"
"Harry no!" Hermione cried, but it was too late.
Narune opened his eyes to find that he was still alive - although in a great deal of pain. Harry's swords were imbedded in each of his shoulders, impaling him to the ground (in reality they were not more than inch under his arm driven straight into the ground).
"No, even if you deserve it, I will not kill a helpless human being - even one as pitiful as you, Lord Narune. I want you to live with the shame knowing that you lost to man who is your better. Know that you shall never have Lady Hermione as long as I draw breath. You are a disgrace to your title, and your men have abandoned you. Live with the shame of knowing what your greed has cost you."
Harry stepped back, leaving his opponent to lapse into unconscious. He took several deep breaths, and his eyes flashed towards the audience. They were on the edge of their seats, and several had shocked expressions on their faces as seeing what he'd done (or more likely…what he hadn't done).
"Harry!"
He turned to see Hermione racing towards him. She launched herself into his arms, and he wrapped his strong arms around her.
"Are you all right, my angel?" he asked and combed his fingers through her brown curls.
"I'm fine, my hero."
Harry's arms tightened around her, and he drew her close. Hermione framed his face in her small hands, and he leaned down towards her.
"I love you," she sighed and closed her eyes.
"As I love you," and their lips touched.
The audience gave them a thunderous ovation, but the lovers were oblivious to everything but each other. Hermione was busy stroking the back of his mouth with her tongue, while Harry was preoccupied with drinking in her delectable sweetness. You could hear catcalls and whistles coming from the crowd; one of who belonged to Ron Weasley.
The curtain drew closed with the duo still locked in each other's arms.
Five minutes later, Harry finally let Hermione's mouth go, and he took a much-needed breath. They were both flushed, and their hearts were pounding rapidly. She nuzzled her face against his neck, and he tangled his fingers in her hair.
"Ahem!" They turned as Marcus cleared his throat.
"Sorry if we got a little carried away," Hermione admitted, blushing slightly. The four men actually started laughing.
"Not at all, it was quite 'entertaining'," Lawrence quipped with a wide grin.
"You two did wonderfully; you'd almost think you'd been doing this every night," Thomas complimented.
"Thanks, we'd hoped we wouldn't mess up the whole performance," Harry admitted.
"Of course not, we haven't a show this successful in a long time," Justin answered with a smile.
"He's quite right, Harry Potter," a voice said from behind them.
Both Harry and Hermione turned to see Viktor Krum approaching them.
"Viktor, it's good to see you again," Harry stated, trying to hide the strain in his voice. Despite his 'reputation', he always felt rather outclassed in the young man's presence.
"Vell, I must commend you both. I see you've grown even lovelier, Hermione," he sighed happily.
She blushed at his compliment, and Harry felt his gut tighten. Viktor always knew what to say to charm people's socks off. To his great surprise however, Hermione leaned her head onto his chest and hugged him.
"Thank you, Harry often reminds me of that," she giggled. Her lover suddenly felt much more relaxed, and he looked down at her.
"As I should, sweetheart, you get more beautiful everyday," he cooed softly. She batted her long lashes at him, and her eyes twinkled. They told him that she would reward him quite handsomely for that compliment.
Viktor was taken by surprise at the intimacy the two shared. It was incredible how they could tune out everything around them except each other, and he suddenly felt very envious of Harry Potter.
"Well then, I believe that we all should get changed now. I'm sure that Harry and Hermione have friends and family waiting for them."
The pair looked at one another. They'd almost completely forgotten about Ron and Lavender! Quickly separating, they returned to their dressing rooms to change back into their street clothes.
Marcus and Viktor remained behind the others.
"I didn't know you knew those two," Marcus prodded.
"Yes, I met them back during my fifth year of schooling. I was quite interested in Hermione back then, and although she was quite flattered by my advances, I could tell that her thoughts and her heart always belonged to her best friend, Harry Potter."
"I'm sorry, sounds like you were fighting for a lost cause."
"That I was, my friend, that I was," and the two men started laughing.
Harry removed his armor and carefully handed it to Lawrence to be put away. He hadn't worn it that long, but he'd become quite attached to the ensemble. Pulling on his black jeans, he looped his t-shirt over his head, and it dropped around his waist. Running his hand through his hair, he thanked each of his fellow actors for a wonderful evening before departing outside to wait for Hermione.
Hermione slipped out of her dress with the old woman's help, and she washed the excess makeup off her face. With a resounding sigh, she quickly put on her street clothes and looked herself in the mirror.
'Hmmph, I guess being a princess can't last forever,' she said silently. She turned towards the elder woman who had helped her.
"Thank you, ma'am, I had a wonderful time."
"Not a all, my dear, I was happy to help; you did a wonderful job - not to mention that boyfriend of yours."
"Yes, he is pretty amazing," she giggled. The old woman's face crinkled as she smiled.
"I'd hang onto that one, sweetie, he's a rare find indeed."
"No, he's one of a kind!" Hermione eyed the dress that she'd worn for only a few short hours and sighed softly.
"Now don't fret, the dress isn't everything."
"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked confused.
"I see the look in your eyes, my dear. Just remember, clothes make a woman pretty, but a good heart makes any woman a princess."
Hermione's eyes lit up, and she couldn't resist, giving the old woman a hug.
"Thank you so much."
"No thanks needed. You better get going before Harry comes looking for you."
"Yes, goodbye now."
"Goodbye."
Harry and Hermione reunited in the tunnel leading back outside to the carnival. Their hands entwined, and smiles adorned their faces. Harry grinned as he raised her hand and kissed it.
"Milady, may I escort you?" His eyes glittered mischievously.
"Of course, my lord, it would be my pleasure." They laughed all the way back out of the tunnel.
"There they are!" Ron gasped as he saw his two best friends emerge from the side of the main tent.
"Hi Ron," Harry called. He and Lavender had been waiting for them to come out.
"So the stars of the show have finally arrived," Lavender chuckled.
"How did we do?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"You guys were great - up until the end," Ron said; his voice lowering steadily.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. His friend grinned wryly.
"Oh nothing, just that you two were about to burn the place down with that kiss."
"You're terrible!" Hermione cried as her cheeks tinted. They all laughed at the joke and enjoyed the comradery they all shared.
"Hey, I know, why don't we all grab something to eat?" Ron advised.
"Always thinking with your stomach, eh Weasley?" Lavender teased.
"I do not!" His girlfriend giggled.
"Normally, that would be great, Ron, but Harry and I have to meet my parents for dinner," Hermione stated.
"You never told me that!" Harry gasped.
"Cause I knew that you'd worry about it all day." He shut-up immediately; sometimes, she knew him too well.
"I guess we better say goodbye then."
Harry gave Ron a hug, and Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek. She hugged Lavender goodbye, and Harry gave her a gentle squeeze.
"Bye, you guys, we'll see you in couple of weeks," Ron called as he and Lavender headed towards the food court.
Hermione leaned against Harry's shoulder, and his arm encircled her waist.
"Harry, we better get going; my parents should be home shortly."
"Okay, whatever you want."
They walked hand in hand back to the entrance.
After exiting the carnival, the pair headed back around the side to the tree that they'd initially arrived at.
"Harry, thank you for bringing me here today; I had a lot of fun."
"So did I, Herm, now I see why you love it so much."
Reaching into the knothole, Harry drew out his invisibility cloak, and Hermione checked to make sure they were alone.
"All clear, Harry."
With a flick of his wrist, he snapped the cloak over them, and the two disappeared. Harry felt Hermione's arms wrap around him, and he held onto her shoulders.
"Ready?"
"Hmm, let's go home."
A small pop was heard, and they disappeared into the night.