A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews!
Chapter Nine
Hermione awoke with a start. The faces of Ginny, Ron, Dumbledore, her father and Viktor loomed over her.
"Are you alright Hermione?" Ginny asked.
"What happened?" Ron asked at the same time.
Hermione slowly sat up with assistance from Ron and Viktor. She was in another room, a small one off to the side of the Great Hall. She could hear the noise of the crowd through the walls. She had been lying on a small stone bench before Dumbledore produced some sort of smelling salt that had awoken her.
"Are you feeling well my dear?" her father asked.
"Yes," Hermione put a hand to her forehead, "yes, I'm fine. Just a little light-headed. I skipped a meal this afternoon to get ready for the feast."
It was a small lie but it fit well. She met Viktor's eyes and gave him a flash of an angry look that said they would talk later. Convincing the group that she was feeling much better, the group left to rejoin the feast in the Great Hall. Royalty and honored guests sat at the long table in the front of the Hall. As Hermione entered the Hall, the gentlemen stood asking of her well being. Assuring them all she was fine, she caught Harry's eye and gave him a small smile.
She sat in between Viktor and Ron, Luna sat at Ron's right. Ginny sat across from Hermione, Neville to her left and Harry next to Neville so he sat across from Luna. Draco placed himself next to Ginny so he could sit directly across from Viktor and diagonal to Hermione. Dinner was pleasant, so was the conversation, which was surprising considering Draco and Ron were sitting at the same table. Past dinners where they were placed together usually consisted of heated debates and low key insults to each other. But Draco didn't join in the conversation, he just ate and observed. He watched as Ron doted on the young fair haired maiden next to him, listened as the brown haired young man sitting next to Ginevra stumbled over his words as he spoke to her. Most of all he watched the exquisite Lady Hermione, watched as she laughed at the funny stories her cousin told, watched as she subtly removed her hand when Viktor placed it upon hers, watched as she gossiped with Ginevra and Miss Lovegood, watched as she gave Viktor cold looks. She was upset with him for some reason and it delighted Draco.
But what really raised Draco's curiosity was who the Lady did not speak to. She of course spoke to her cousins, she had conversation with Viktor although it was brief and polite, she had spoken to himself, she held conversation with Miss Lovegood and whoever the brown haired man was next to Ginevra. She did not once speak with the dark haired man, what was his name…Henry? And Henry did not speak to her but he did join in the conversation once in awhile.
"So," Draco spoke up, "Henry…"
"Harry," Hermione corrected and Harry tried to catch her gaze but she still wouldn't look at him. The sound of her voice saying his name stirred something within him.
"Harry," Draco continued, "I've heard the tale of how you assisted Sir Ronald in his escape but I've yet to hear of your assistance to the Lady Hermione."
Hermione picked up her goblet and finished the wine that was in it then fiddled with the silverware as Harry told the story, omitting certain details.
"Well, it was good thing Harry was there to save the day, right Viktor?" Draco said. Harry threw Draco a sharp look, knowing the man was baiting Viktor.
"I had the situation under control," Viktor shot back.
Draco raised his eyebrows, "Clearly. So I'm assuming this is how Ronald, here, came to Hufflepuff?"
"Had I known the Lady was safely on her way back here…" Ron tossed a look to Viktor.
"Oh yes, that's right. I must applaud you on your timing Sir Viktor," he said winking.
"Her father is hoping that marriage will quell the rebellious streak in her," Ginny said, jumping in to save the conversation. "It's a shame because that's what we love about her."
You have no idea, thought Harry.
"Hermione will make a great queen," Ron assured her.
"A queen like no other," Draco added softly.
Hermione stared at Draco, her cheeks flushed red, lips pursed. Viktor looked from Hermione to Draco and back. Harry watched, his head tilted slightly in thought, a flag of warning was brushed to the back of his mind as the musicians began to play.
"Come, Darling," Hermione said in a sickeningly sweet voice, her eyes not leaving Draco's. "Father would like us to start the first dance of the evening."
The couple got up and left the table. Harry watched as others joined in, including Neville who had managed to spit out the invitation to Ginevra. His mind was occupied with other thoughts, the most prominent one was the thought that someone was constantly watching him. There was a man with oily hair that stuck to the shadows whose gaze seemed to be on him at all times. And the Slytherin King, he kept giving him curious glances, enough to make Harry uncomfortable. A young woman asked him to dance and he obliged, positioning themselves near Hermione and Viktor.
"And what is your name?" Harry asked the fair haired maiden.
"Lavender," she smiled up at him.
"Is that so?" Harry asked smiling, glancing over at Hermione. Hermione was blushing furiously and tried to hide behind her fiancé.
"Let me guess," Harry said, "You're a Lady-in-Waiting in the Lady Hermione's court?"
Lavender's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"
"Lucky guess."
Hermione danced two more dances with Viktor, then one with her father. At the end of this reel, her father led her over to Harry.
"The least you can do is offer one dance to the young man who saved your life," he said kindly to his daughter.
Hermione opened her mouth to say she was too tired but Harry cut her off.
"It really isn't necessary, your Majesty," Harry said.
"Please, I insist. You are, after all, my guest," he said then he took his leave.
Harry took Hermione's hand in his as the musicians started up and they began their dance. She trembled slightly in his arms as he held her. He breathed in her familiar scent.
"You look lovely tonight," he said.
Hermione blushed. "Thank you," she said. "It's not like the dancing at home is it?" she asked, lightening the mood.
Harry laughed. "No, it isn't."
"Well, you seem to be doing fine."
"Looks can be deceiving."
An awkward paused overcame them until Hermione broke it.
"I wanted to thank you for saving my cousin," she said softly.
"He truly is a good man and I hope our friendship is strong," Harry said sincerely.
"Does this mean we'll be seeing you more often?" she asked.
Harry didn't answer her. "I want to congratulate you on your engagement."
Hermione's smile dropped slightly. "Thank you," she said softly. "And I want to congratulate you. I hear you have finally won the heart of your fair Miss Cho Chang."
"Who told you that?" Harry asked.
"My cousin wrote me when I asked about you," Hermione said dismissively. Harry stopped and looked at her. She had asked about him in her letters to her cousin!
"May I?" Draco interrupted them not bothering for Harry's okay before he took Hermione away from him.
"If I were Viktor, I would be a bit jealous of that Henry fellow," Draco said softly in Hermione's ear.
"His name is Harry," Hermione corrected in a pleasant voice as she tried to put some space between them. "Are you telling me that a future King is jealous of a Rider?" she teased.
"You are a beautiful young Lady," Draco whispered into her ear as he slowed his dancing pace. "You have ensnared the hearts of many young men. I would never let you out of my sight." His tone got slightly darker when he finished his last sentence.
"So you'd lock me up like a bird in a cage?" she whispered a bit harshly.
"No, admired like a fine piece of art," Draco said smoothly.
"Thankfully, you do not have to shoulder that burden," Hermione smiled and resumed their dancing. "You are not Sir Viktor."
"No," Draco sighed, "that I am not."
Hermione didn't dare so much as glance in Harry's general direction for the rest of the evening.
~*~
"I want it sent right away," Lucius Malfoy, King of Slytherin spoke to Severus Snape in the shadows of his chambers in the Ravenclaw castle. "I will be awaiting his instructions."
Severus bowed and made his exit. Lucius sighed and fell into one of the plush chairs.
"Don't be hasty," his Queen, Narcissa said patiently. "He is under the watchful eye of Dumbledore. No one can touch him while he's here."
"The brat sits there all evening mocking us," Lucius grumbled. "Foolish thing for Edward to do, inviting him to the feast. Does he think his kingdom will be spared when the boy ascends to the throne?"
"Patience," Narcissa sighed. She sat next to her husband, her gaze falling on the chess board in front of him. "I do not think the boy yet knows he is the King. Dumbledore would not have let him stay here."
"Hmm, you are probably right. Dumbledore would have been parading him in the streets." Narcissa rolled her eyes, the action unseen by her husband. "Ah! But he's still here somewhere in this castle. I could find him myself and put an end to this situation," Lucius pouted angrily, getting up from the chair and stomping around the room.
Narcissa sighed the sigh of a mother whose child is throwing a tantrum. She gestured for him to play chess with her.
"No, you know I can't stand that boring game," Lucius sulked.
"You know you could learn a thing or two from this game," Narcissa said patiently, examining a pawn. "It's a game of strategy," she said quietly, distantly. "Placing your pawns at just the right places so that when your opponent makes one wrong move," she knocked the king down, "you take the game." She smiled a poisonous smile that did not reach the cold gaze that fell on her husband.
~*~
Hermione cried in her bed that night. Harry was here. Somewhere in this castle he was sleeping. She wanted so badly to be by his side. She closed her eyes and relived the memory of the feeling she felt in his arms as they danced. He was here. Her Harry.
No not her Harry. She wasn't his, his heart belonged to another. Her body wracked with sobs again. She had given her heart to him, not to Viktor. More than anything she wanted to run up to Harry, throw her arms around him and profess her love.
But she couldn't.
Hermione stopped her crying and wiped her eyes. It would do no good crying about things you couldn't change. She had to accept her future without Harry in it. She was her father's daughter, a king's daughter and she had her duties to carry out. She could grow to love Viktor, yes, even if it killed her inside she would do it.
Draco practiced his broadsword in the late morning warmth of the sun. He kept the Lady Hermione in his peripheral vision. She was talking with Viktor and it was a heated conversation at that.
"I never realized that the Lady had two shadows," Harry's voice broke his concentration. Draco looked coldly at his intruder.
"I'll dismiss it this one time, your lack of manners probably due to your meager upbringing," Draco said haughtily. "But in the future you will learn to address me properly and learn when to hold your tongue."
"So," Harry began, picking up a sword and examining it, "the way I see it is this. You are a bit sore about this engagement. You believe that Sir Viktor took advantage of the Lady's cousin's absence to make his proposal." Harry stood in front of Draco. "Just days before you were to make yours. Tsk, bad timing, isn't it?"
Draco's fist clenched around the hilt of his sword and brought it up quickly to swipe at Harry's head stopping centimeters from his neck. Harry didn't even flinch.
"I told you to hold your tongue," Draco hissed dangerously. Harry brought up the sword he was holding and brushed the blade away from him.
"Hit a bit close to the mark, didn't I?" Harry's voice was calm.
"Who do you think you are? Being the King's guest and rescuing his daughter does not make you one of us." Draco stepped away and sneered. "I know I'm not the only one unhappy about this engagement. I saw the way you looked at Viktor when he broke this news to his cousin, I saw how you couldn't take your eyes of the Lady last night. I saw your face light up with delight when the Lady pityingly gave you a dance." Harry tightened his grip on his sword as Draco kept speaking. "Oh, yes. Many have fallen for the beauty and grace of the future Queen. But who do you think you are to her? You are a mere flea in her presence, the dust that falls on the books she's already read, you aren't fit to wipe the dirt off her shoes. You are nothing to her."
"Is that so?" Harry's voice rose a little in anger.
"What have you to offer her? A life of sleeping on a dirt floor, cleaning up after you and your little brats in the tiny shack of a home? Will she pick the straw from your horse's hooves after you've left her to protect your borders?"
In the blink of an eye, Harry's blade flashed, falling centimeters from Draco's neck. "If I recall correctly she did not choose you," Harry said evenly.
Draco's sneer turned into a smile, one like a cat about to pounce on a rat. "This is true. But I don't have to dream of what the Lady's lips taste like, the softness of her mouth, her smell when you hold her, how she feels in your arms when you hold her."
Rage boiled inside Harry but on the outside he was calm and collected. "And you don't?"
"That is between the Lady and me," Draco smirked. He stepped away from Harry and made his way back to the castle. Harry gave the sword to a nearby page and looked for the Lady Hermione. She was gone and so was Viktor.
He made his way over to the stables to greet an old friend. He was glad to see that Hedwig was happy and healthy. He mounted her and decided to ride around the fields. He thought about what Draco had said.
Why did he come here? He did not want to get involved with the Lady again. She had chosen Viktor and there was nothing he would do about it. What could he do? What could he offer her? He didn't belong here. Why didn't he just leave for Hufflepuff after Arneau Tak?
Because you wanted to see her. You wanted to see if she was real and it wasn't all a dream.
She was more beautiful than he remembered her and it pained him. He lost his heart all over again to her. Why was he such a glutton for punishment? He had to know. He had to know how the Lady felt about him. He had to know if she shared the same feelings.
He rode back to the stables and removed the saddle from Hedwig's back. He was brushing her down when he heard the voices of people approaching. He quietly slid into the shadows.
"Good, I hope you'll be leaving immediately?" Hermione asked as she led her horse into the stable. The stablemen hurried to assist the Lady.
"My, my. Such a hurry to get rid of me," Draco teased. He dismissed the stablemen with a glare and they hurried away leaving Draco alone with Hermione. Or so he thought.
He stood behind Hermione as she fed her horse some apples. "I never told him about our walk in the garden if that's what you are afraid I'll do," he whispered in her ear.
Hermione glared at him then stepped away to Hedwig, offering the beautiful horse apples.
"Can you honestly tell me that Viktor has ever made you feel the way I did? Has Viktor ever kissed you or held you the way I have? Have you even let him?"
"Stop it!" Harry could hear the quiver in her voice.
"You know you don't love him," he moved next to her.
"What do you want from me? Why can't you leave me be?" Tears shone in her eyes.
Draco grabbed her upper arm roughly and Harry silently put his hand on his dagger hidden inside his cloak.
"You know what I want," Draco said so softly that Harry barely heard him.
"And I told you that I gave Viktor my word," Hermione's voice was brave and even.
Draco let Hermione go and she brushed past him to leave the stables.
"You know I was curious to know why Viktor had been so adamant in his reassurance that you'll not go back on your word," Draco called out stopping her. Hermione's heart beat hard in her chest. "I thought it was because of what happened between us in the garden, I thought that maybe you were thinking about my offer," Draco continued. "But I have to wonder if it has anything to do with the Rider from Hufflepuff. I believe his name is Harry?" Hermione spun around to face him. "You spent a lot of time in his company and I know that there were holes in the story that he made everyone swallow last night."
Terror filled her insides, she was afraid for Harry, afraid of what Draco might do to him. "He's just a Rider, Draco. A simple Rider."
Her words cut through Harry. She left the stables just as her cousin Ronald and Luna approached her. Hermione left with the company of Luna while Ron continued to the stables.
"When will you ever learn to stop shadowing my cousin?" Ron asked angrily as he stormed toward Draco. Draco was about to retort when he was cut off.
"He wasn't alone," Harry stepped from the shadows. He saw a flash of surprise on Draco's face that was quickly replaced with anger. "I was just getting the tour of the stables," Harry lied, looking directly at Draco who looked ready to explode with rage.
"Your entourage is in the courtyard. It looks like they are ready to leave and I believe you have overstayed your welcome," Ron said shrewdly.
"I'm sure I'll be back soon," Draco sneered and walked out of the stables, looking back once to give Harry a look of death.
"I'd keep a close eye on him if I were you," Harry said to Ron as they watched Draco retreat. The two of the walked to the door of the stables and watched as the Slytherin entourage rode away. "I'd tell Viktor to watch his back as well."
~*~
"You're leaving?" the King asked, surprised.
"The maiden's carriage will be leaving for Hufflepuff tomorrow, it is only right that we return with her," Harry said to the King.
He stood in front of the throne in the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood next to the king, Hermione and Viktor on the other side. Ronald and Neville were in the courtyard with Luna. On the outside, Hermione looked calm and collected but inside she was crying.
"Very well," the King sighed, "if you must. It is a shame that we have not yet repaid you."
"Your generosity has been more than enough reward," Harry said with respect.
The King smiled kindly on him. "Perhaps we will see you again. I will make sure that an invitation to the royal wedding will be extended to you."
Harry's gaze flickered over to Hermione who excused herself from the room. Harry bowed to the king.
"You sure I can't change your mind?" Ron asked Harry as they stood in front of the carriage.
"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon," Harry teased looking at Luna who blushed.
Harry and Neville busied themselves with the horses while Ron and Luna said their goodbyes. Neville nudged Harry in the side and when he looked up at him questioningly, he nodded up ahead. Harry looked up and saw Hermione approach them with Hedwig. Neville left the two of them alone.
"I wanted to return her to her rightful owner," Hermione said as she handed the reigns to him. "I want you to return home safely and I only trust Hedwig to do that for me." She said repeating the same words Harry had spoken to her when she left.
"Thank you," Harry said, swallowing the lump in his throat, "thank you for taking such good care of her for me."
"Of course," Hermione smiled and Harry's heart broke a little more.
He reached behind his neck and took off the necklace Hermione had given him. Hermione looked up at him in confusion. Harry kissed her softly on her forehead as he closed her hand around the bauble.
"Goodbye," Harry said softly then quickly mounted Hedwig.
The carriage clattered away and Harry followed pausing in front of Ron. He looked back at Hermione then at Ron.
"Remember what I said," he told him then rode off the catch up with the carriage.
Ron walked back to his cousin who had tears in her eyes. He put his arm around her to comfort her.
"Do you love him?" he asked.
A tear fell down Hermione's cheek. "I gave Viktor my word," she said then left his side to walk back to the castle.
~*~
Lucius sat in the carriage as it bumbled along, lost in his thoughts, wondering what Lord Voldemort would do with the information he had given him. His job was done, he just had to sit back and wait for further instructions.
Narcissa sat next to him, staring out the window at the passing forest. Draco rode up next to the window.
"We're inside our borders now," he told his parents. "We should be home in a day."
"Thank you, darling," Narcissa said sweetly. "I think I shall read a book."
Lucius looked away uninterested as his wife picked up a book and his son rode away. Draco nodded to two of the knights that were traveling with them, Crabbe and Goyle, and they broke away from the group, riding into the forest instead. Narcissa hummed and turned a page in her book.
"AMBUSH!!!" one of the guards yelled.
Brigands came out of the forest and attacked the royal entourage. Lucius panicked and shut and locked the carriage windows.
"How can you sit there and read at a time like this?" he roared at her.
Narcissa looked up at him calmly and turned a page. Inside the book was the cut outline of a dagger hidden inside.
The attack lasted ten minutes before the brigands retreated back into the forest. Draco rode up and down the entourage line. They had only lost a few soldiers and guards.
"Gather the wounded!" he ordered.
Just then he heard a scream from inside the carriage and the guards all drew their swords. Draco got off his horse and ran to yank open the door. His mother cradled his father in her lap, her dress red with blood and a dagger sticking from his father's chest.
"He's dead!" she cried. "The King is dead!"
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