Chapter Eleven: The Tournament
A month.
That was how long Hermione had been in Hufflepuff.
Two weeks.
That's how long these wretched knights from Slytherin had been here. Her patience with them was wearing thin. They were a blight on Harry's kingdom, a thorn in his side and she knew it. But he only tolerated them because he knew that to have them leave meant they would take her with them.
The first day of the tournament had commenced and Harry and his court sat in the box in the center of the arena. He sat behind her, Lady Cho Chang sat next to him. He had asked Hermione to sit by his side but she politely reminded him that it would not be proper. She could feel Harry's scowling gaze on the back of her head. Lady Chang beamed proudly by his side, looking very pretty in her purple gown.
But this didn't bother Hermione.
She just sat there, a slight smile on her lips. Nothing would ruin this day for her. If Jason thought her request odd this morning, he didn't say anything more about it.
"A vial of what?" he asked, confused.
"Chicken blood," Hermione chirped in reply.
"Chicken blood," he repeated. "Right."
She sat with Luna and Ginny. The gates opened and the crowd roared in approval as the horses filed in to make the necessary trot around the arena, stopping at the King's box to give their respect to him and his court.
"Oh isn't he handsome?" Ginny gushed as Neville entered the arena seated upon a chestnut colored mare. His armor polished so the sunlight gleamed off of it.
"Not as handsome as my Ron," Luna sighed as Ron entered, riding a red beauty.
Hermione smiled endearingly at her two friends as she summoned for a cup of water. She gulped the cool liquid and sat very still, waiting for the sickness to pass. She had already thrown up twice today and now she fought against the smell of the horses in the arena.
Ron and Neville stopped in front of the King's box and lowered their heads in a sign of respect for Harry. He grinned back at his two favorite knights. They turned to Hermione and bowed their heads to her as well. Luna and Ginny stepped forward and offered them each a wreath of roses. They lowered their lances and Ginny slid hers onto Neville's while Luna gave hers to Ron. Lady Chang stood and gave her wreath to Ron with a roar of approval from the crowd. It was a great honor for Ron to wear the favor of the possible future queen of Gryffindor. Hermione smiled inwardly. It was a clever move on Lady Cho's part to give her favor to one of Harry's favorite knights.
There was a stillness in the crowd as Cragen rode in wearing the banner of Slytherin, one of only a handful of Slytherin knights that entered the tournament. She watched him as he made his way around the arena followed by another Gryffindor knight. The crowd began to cheer again as Jason entered riding a large black steed. More than a few roses were thrown down and Hermione had to suppress a giggle at the face Cragen wore. He looked as if he had eaten something that had come from his horse's rear.
Cragen's eyes rested on Ginny as the three knights stopped in front of the box. Jason and the other Gryffindor knight bowed respectfully but Cragan stayed upright. Harry brushed it off but Hermione frowned. Instead, Cragen turned to Hermione and bowed.
"My Queen," he said.
"May luck be with you," she said politely. She stood and held out her wreath of roses, her handkerchief tied to it. The crowed rumbled with talk as she placed her favor on the tip of Jason's lance.
"My Queen," he bowed respectfully. Cragen looked as if he would spit fire.
Jason winked at Hermione then rode away with the others. Harry watched Hermione as she returned to her seat. What was that all about? She was grinning like a cat who had secretly eaten her master's bird. She'd been acting strange all morning. And quite honestly, Harry didn't know why she was so happy. He felt a bit guilty about doing what he had done but the idea had been so tempting. The same maid that Cragen used to spy on Hermione was also reporting what she had told the knight to him. That morning she reported that the lady had finally bled. Was that why Hermione was so cheerful?
~*~
The crack of wood as the lances splintered, the roar of the crowd, the pounding of hooves. It was a great tournament. Nearly all of the Slytherin knights had been eliminated, elevating the spirits of the crowd. Only Cragen remained and he was now pitted against one of Harry's favorite knights.
Hermione held Ginny's hand as Neville and Cragen faced each other. Hermione was truly worried for the Gryffindor knight and by the pressure being applied to her hand, Ginny felt the same way. The flag dropped and the horses galloped forward.
Crack!
Their lances splintered against each other's shields but both riders still were upon their horses. Hermione let out a breath she had been holding. She chanced a glance back at Harry who looked a little tense. He returned her gaze with concern. She had told him about what had transpired between Ginny and Cragen. They both returned their attentions back to the field. Neville's squire was handing him another lance as he adjusted his position on his horse. Ginny reached for Hermione again.
Crack!
"Oh, Merlin!" Ginny gasped.
"Yes!" Harry said softly under his breath.
Neville had landed a good blow and stayed firmly on his horse, Cragen had taken a strong hit and was nearly unseated. The riders rode to their sides to prepare for the next round.
"He's going to win this," Ginny persisted. "He's going to win this."
The flag dropped again and the knights rode for each other. With another sickening crack, Neville fell to the ground. Hermione, Ginny and Harry all rose with concern and he motioned for the squires to check on their knight.
"Ah!" Neville groaned from the ground as Ron ran to his side.
Cragen, still on his horse, rode up to the fallen knight. Ron glared up at him but Cragen paid him no heed as he took his lance point to the ground next to Neville's fallen one and took Ginny's wreath of flowers and put it on his own. The squires pulled off Neville's helmet.
"My arm," he gasped.
Ron looked down and saw a large piece of the splintered lance in his arm. Cragen rode to the King's box and bowed to Ginny. She looked outraged as was Harry but he did a much better job of masking it. Grudgingly, Harry nodded to the page who was keeping score, acknowledging the win to Cragen. Satisfied, Cragen rode off with Ginny's favor still around his lance. The crowd booed and threw their litter into the arena. Luna and Ginny left the stands to be with Neville. Hermione looked to the side of the arena to see Jason watching Neville writhe on the ground in pain, anger on his face. He glanced up at Hermione then disappeared back into the galleys. She stood abruptly and marched to the page.
"Withdraw Jason from the tournament," she demanded to the now frightened page.
"What?" he said timidly.
"Withdraw him," Hermione repeated firmly.
"Hermione, you can't do that," Harry said as he rose.
She rounded on him. "Unless you want a massacre on your hands, you will let me do this!" she hissed then turned back to the page. "Do it."
With shaky hands, the page crossed Jason's name from the tournament. Satisfied, Hermione marched out of the box and away from the arena.
"Are you going to let her speak to you in that manner?" Cho asked with a scandalized voice.
Harry watched Hermione leave then turned his attention to his injured knight. "I'm going to see Neville," he said rising from his seat, ignoring her comment.
Cho watched him walk across the grounds to the small group surrounding Neville. She would be his queen, she was so close she could practically taste it. She had almost lost hope of winning Harry's heart when that wretched then-princess walked into their lives. Harry had eyes only for her up until that moment. The memory still stung of the way he had ignored her that night that he danced with Lady Granger at the Hog's Head. He went as far as making himself a knight for her kingdom. Oh, how she had mourned Harry's absence, the Queen had him in her clutches and she would never get him back. But Harry did return and, much to her delight, was declared a King! Hufflepuff had its own King, the lords of the land approved his claim to the land, something about a True King but that wasn't the important point. Harry was a King and a king needed a queen.
Overnight, the ladies of Hufflepuff became ladies-in-waiting and Cho established her dominance from the start. She wanted to make it clear to the others that Harry would be choosing her for a wife, it helped that Harry was once very much enamored with her before. Her father made his presence dominant whenever Harry held court, he made quick friends with Harry's godfather and even planted the seed that the King should wed. Cho's moment of triumph came when the Queen herself invited her to the King's table one evening. Oh how that must have smarted the Queen! She almost had Harry but she went and married the Slytherin King just as Harry was being declared King across the land. Yes, Cho was so close to the throne she could taste it. And out of spite, the Queen would have to come to her wedding to witness that Harry truly did like her better. She would win in the end.
Unfortunately for Cho, she was too naïve to believe that the Queen was no longer a threat to her ascension.
Unbeknownst to both women, Harry had already chosen his queen. He would go through the motions and play the court's games but in the end he knew whom he wanted. There could be only one that he wanted by his side and he was determined to see it through even if she was already married. An excuse to put an end to the Slytherin king was quickly unfolding in front of him.
"We can't let him get away with this!" Ron demanded.
"What he did to Neville, he did on purpose," Jason added.
"Of course he did it on purpose," Sirius countered. "He was jousting."
"Harry, he won the match fairly. You cannot punish him," Dumbledore advised.
"What will you have me do? Let him run all my knights through with his lance?" Harry asked, irritated.
"It was an accident, I'm sure of it. That is the risk of the joust," Sirius said.
"That was no accident," Jason countered.
Hermione stepped forward. "You are using his actions as an excuse to war with Slytherin," she said quietly. Harry looked away from her. "Why? No blood shall be shed between the two. The kingdom must be united against the False King, not divided."
Harry stood up from his throne and paced the room. "The tournament continues tomorrow, I want him eliminated right away."
"Put me against him," Jason spoke up but Harry shook his head.
"Ron will do it, you are out of the tournament Jason."
"What?! Why?"
That was the question and Harry looked toward Hermione. Jason looked over at her, questioningly but Hermione couldn't meet his eyes. Hurt and betrayal crossed over his face. Hermione had taken away any glory he could've earned in front of the King.
"My King, if I am no longer needed," Jason said tersely, not looking at her. Harry nodded for his release.
There was only one safe and quick way to dispose of the Slytherin knights. Hermione spoke up. "Withdraw from Arneau Tak and we'll leave immediately," she said.
"Our hold on Arneau Tak is the only thing keeping the False King from sweeping into Ravenclaw…and Rowena," he replied, looking at her.
Sirius and Dumbledore exchanged looks, comprehension suddenly dawning on their faces. They had questioned his taking of the Ravenclaw border town and it was inevitable that he would eventually march onto Rowena. The question had been why? Now the answer was standing in front of them.
"It's not your job to protect Ravenclaw," Hermione said softly.
"Your husband is doing a wonderful job of it," he said dryly.
Sirius and Dumbledore knew of Harry and Hermione's past but she married the Slytherin King. She is the Slytherin Queen. Harry had a fight with the False King to contend with, he did not need to drag Slytherin into the melee. But keeping her here was a threat to the kingdom, the Slytherin king's patience would soon run out and Harry would have to yield the Queen.
He. Had. To.
~*~
The messenger walked briskly down the corridor fueled by duty. He walked up to the two knights guarding the Queen's rooms.
"This just came for the Queen," he said, holding out a rolled parchment.
Cragen held out his hand and confirmed the unbroken seal of the Slytherin King, the winding serpent set in green wax. He nodded to the messenger, sending him away. As was his usual duty, he walked into the empty rooms of the queen to set the scroll onto a small table.
But a movement caught his eye as he turned to leave. There was a small vase of flowers in the room, moving slightly with a hidden breeze. None of the windows of the room were open and castles were notorious for their nooks and crannies. Cragen stepped forward and held his hand out, the breeze was coming from somewhere in this room. He moved carefully about until he came to a tapestry on the wall.
"No, I just wish to be alone. I need to rest for this evening's feast."
The Queen's voice outside the door sent him into a panic and he ran across the room as she opened the door, barely making it to safely hide himself behind another tapestry. She walked into the room and immediately noticed the parchment. She sat as she broke the seal and read the contents inside. The news must not have been good because she gave a weary sigh, stood and began to pace the room.
She did this for quite awhile and Cragen was beginning to think he should give up his presence when she suddenly darted across the room and vomited into a basin. He moved to step away from the tapestry to assist her when someone else entered the room…
And not by the door.
The Gryffindor king stepped into the room from behind the tapestry that Cragen had inspected earlier, the sound of stone scraping filled the silence.
"Hermione," he said with concern as he rushed to her side.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted.
The king knelt down next to her, gathered her hair and rubbed her back. Curiosity piqued Cragen as he peered out from his hiding place.
"Hermione are you ill?" the king asked gently.
"No…well, yes…," the Queen sputtered before she once again vomited.
The king stood. "I'm sending for McGonagall."
"No! No," the Queen reached for the king and yanked him back down. "Water," she said. "I would like some water."
Reluctantly, the king reached for the jug of water and poured the Queen a cup. As she sipped he spoke gently to her.
"Hermione, if you are ill…"
"I'm with child," she blurted out.
There was a long silence after that until the king broke it. "But…but the maid said you had bled."
"What?" the Queen asked.
"The maid that Cragen is using is speaking to me as well. I wanted to know everything he knew. She said you bled."
The Queen smiled. "Chicken blood," she said. "I sent Jason out for chicken blood this morning."
The king laughed and got to his feet brining the Queen to hers and lifted her, spinning her around. "Another child!" he exclaimed aloud and the Queen shushed him. "Our child," he said softly as he set her down and to Cragen's horror began to kiss the queen. He watched as the king maneuvered the Queen back to her bed, setting her back upon it and climbing on top of her.
"Wait, stop," the Queen said as she broke their kissing. "Not now, Harry," she said, "I'm still feeling a little sick."
The king scrambled off of her. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
"No, no of course not. I'm just not feeling well. But it's okay, I was like this the last time."
The king gave a small smile of relief. "Well is there anything I can get you? Anything I can do for you?"
"Rest," the Queen answered. "I would desperately love to rest before the evening feast."
"Oh! Of course. I'll set extra guards out to see that you are not disturbed. And I'll make sure that James is watched over while you rest."
The Queen laughed softly. "Thank you, Harry."
He rushed over to her again, cradling her head in his hands and kissed her one more time. "Another child," he whispered. He moved away from her and back to the tapestry from where he had come. "I'll be back to check on you later," he grinned.
"Goodbye, my love," the Queen answered.
Cragen stood silent and in shock as he waited for what seemed like hours until he heard the deep steady breathing of the Queen. Taking a chance, he stepped from his hiding place and confirmed that the Queen was indeed asleep. Silently, he slipped through the doors.
~*~
Jason turned from the window, the sky was turning purple as evening approached. He was still hurting over the Queen withdrawing him from the tournament. Why she did it, he didn't know but it still hurt that she would do it without telling him. Did she not think him capable of defeating Cragen?
A commotion down the hall caught his attention and he moved silently within the growing shadows. The sound was coming from a room in the messenger's quarters, angry arguing. He immediately recognized Cragen's voice.
"I don't care about you bloody protocol!" he was shouting. "I want this sent immediately, use your fastest ravens or owls, I don't care."
"Okay! Okay, I'll do it," the frightened voice of the messenger could be heard.
"Go on!" Cragen said angrily. "I want to see with my own eyes that you send it!"
Jason tore away from his hiding spot and ran down the stairs.
"Jason! What are you…" He nearly bowled over Ron as he left the castle to the stables.
"Don't!" Jason ordered the stable boy who was unsaddling Ron's horse.
"But this is Sir Ronald's!" the boy protested as Jason grabbed a quiver of arrows and mounted the horse.
He set the horse off at a gallop. He heard the raven's cry above him and he notched his arrow. The sky was quickly turning dark and he could barely make out the bird. He let go as the horse continued to barrel down the road.
But he missed.
Jason swore loudly and notched another arrow. The sky was dark and he was quickly losing the bird.
"Come on," Jason pleaded as he let the arrow go.
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