A/N: You know, I really should be spreading these updates out a bit more, so that you don't get mad at me when the backlog is cleared. But as this is a little shorter than the rest….just remember that you've been warned.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, no money being made, etc., etc.
Chapter 6 - Knight Protectors of the Realm
Harry and the Grangers were led through a football pitch-sized ballroom and into a lavishly intimate drawing room. A dozen chairs trimmed in gold satin were set in two rows facing the far end of the room, and Brian directed Hermione's parents towards the first row. He then led Hermione and Harry to spots facing the far wall a few feet in front of the Grangers. He smiled, wished them luck, then took a seat in the row behind Hermione's parents.
A door opened in the wall in front of Hermione and Harry and several men dressed in ornate crimson and gold suits entered the room. One of the men offered Harry his rucksack with a bit of flourish. Shocked that he had left it behind at dinner, and not knowing exactly what to do with it, Harry dropped it on the floor next to his side. Another man stood in front of them, surveying the room as if to see that everything was properly placed. The man then looked at Harry and Hermione and smiled.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, let me again welcome you and your guests to Buckingham Palace. We should be ready to start in a moment."
"Excuse me, sir, but start what?" asked Hermione.
"Why, the ceremony, of course," replied the man. "Ah…but you still don't know, do you?"
"We're afraid not, sir," said Harry.
"Well, apologies are in order, then. The Prince thought it might be a rather nice surprise for you. I'm sure Her Majesty would have talked about it at dinner had it been possible. She also offers her apologies, by the way…you see, there was a state dinner with the King of Norway that had been planned for months, and the Prince thought it best if we proceeded directly upon your return to London."
Harry and Hermione shared saucer eyes as another member of the palace staff strode through the doorway and whispered into the man's ear.
"Right, then, here we go," he told Hermione and Harry.
"But what are we supposed to do?" asked Harry.
"Don't worry, Mr. Potter," the man replied. "Just follow the Queen's lead. She's done these things hundreds of times, you know."
The Queen of England strode into the room followed by a rather large retinue of staff. She wore a long navy blue evening gown, white long-sleeved gloves and a brilliantly sparkling tiara made of platinum and diamonds.
Hermione looked like she was about to faint. Harry, having already met the Queen's son that morning, found it a bit easier to go with what was now a very Royal flow.
The Queen stepped towards Harry and Hermione and offered them a welcome, and a personal apology for having missed the opportunity to dine with them. She then took a few steps back onto a small platform that four members of the Palace staff had placed down on the floor while the Queen was chatting with her teen-aged guests.
"Well," the Queen announced, "shall we begin?"
The Queen looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter, tradition holds that a knight candidate may choose the sword by which his or her titled is conferred."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other with shock, having finally realized what was about to happen. Hermione turned to her parents to find them beaming smiles back at her.
An attendant approached the Queen's side, holding a sheathed sword. "We use my father's sword quite often," she continued, one hand gesturing to her side, "It's a very nice sword…perfectly adequate…but, perhaps, Mr. Potter, you might prefer a different instrument?"
Harry's head snapped up slightly; the Queen was looking at him with the kind of sparkle in her eyes that he often saw in Dumbledore's. He stole a peek at Hermione; there was nothing stolen about the wide-eyed stare that bounced back. She looked like she was going to kill him, just as soon as the Queen was out of blood splatter range.
He looked back at the Queen and smiled. "Thank you, your Majesty. With no disrespect meant towards your father or his sword, I believe I do."
Harry swung his rucksack in front of him and loosened the straps. He flipped the cover back to reveal the jewel-encrusted hilt of a golden sword. He looked at Hermione with another smile; she was silently mouthing the words "You don't - You aren't! - You can't!" in rapid-fire repetition. His smile widened as he reached forward and unsheathed the Sword of Gryffindor. He took a step forward and offered the sword to the Queen.
The Queen grabbed hold of the sword's hilt and gracefully swung the blade to one side in small waist-level arcs.
"Ah," she softly cooed. "It's magnificent. We have heard legends about this sword," the Queen said. She looked down at Harry. "Should we, then, be addressing you as Lord Gryffindor?"
Harry looked at the Queen, gobsmacked by her question.
"Harry Potter is fine, your majesty," he stammered.
"Very well, then," she said with a smile. "We believe it is time for the witnesses to be brought forth."
Harry and Hermione heard doors opening behind them and turned to watch the Dursleys as they were escorted into the room. They didn't look very happy. Two large men prodded them towards the second row of chairs; one of the men had what appeared to be a chopstick in his hand, and was waving it around with a grin on his face. Vernon eyes narrowed into tiny slits and his teeth clenched when he saw Harry standing with the Queen. The condition of Petunia's teeth was indeterminable, as they were presently covered by lips fixed in an oval-shaped open-mouthed silent scream.
The Queen smiled and announced, "We welcome all of you Buckingham Palace, and to this ceremony. We are most pleased that while this is event is necessarily a non-public occasion that these two young people are still able to celebrate with those closest to them."
Hermione gave Harry a disapproving glance as he looked back at his Aunt and Uncle and stifled a snort.
Still smiling, the Queen continued. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, will you kneel."
Hermione and Harry followed the command as a herald unrolled a lambskin parchment and read out:
"Oye, Oye, Oye. Be it made known amongst here present, and be it made known throughout the land at such time deemed prudent, that Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter, and Hermione Jane Granger, daughter of Roger and Emily Granger, have performed unspecified heroic acts in the defense of the Realm, and demonstrated loyalty, bravery and strength of spirit worthy of emulation for all across our lands. To honor these actions and their strength of character, Her Royal Highness, the Queen, hereby invites them to join the Most Royal Order of Arthur as Knight Protectors of the Realm.
The herald rolled up the parchment as two members of the palace staff lifted red silk hoods over Hermione and Harry's heads. Sewn on the outside of each elongate hood was a gold lion reared on hind legs.
As the hoods were being placed around their necks they heard a not so quiet "No!" shouted behind them. They turned to see Harry's Aunt and Uncle's beet-red faces trembling with anger and confusion. The two men that had escorted them into the room clamped down upon Vernon and Petunia's shoulders with their ham-fists. In addition, the man behind Vernon placed one end of his chopstick into the entrance of Vernon's left ear. It was the last they heard from the Harry's Aunt and Uncle during the ceremony.
Dudley was, frankly, too ill educated and oblivious to realize what was happening. His little brain was, in fact, wondering when the Queen was going to introduce him to his boxing hero.
"Today you are invited to join the Most Royal Order of Arthur. This is the oldest Royal Order within our Empire," said the Queen, in a clear voice that filled the room. "It is also the least well known. The Order was established in the earliest days of our Kingdom by those pledged to battle Evil as members of King Arthur's Round Table. Over the centuries, members of the Order of Arthur have fought in the greatest battles never described by any historian."
"At least," the Queen said as she looked down at Harry and Hermione with a smile, "not in any muggle history books."
The staff members who had given Hermione and Harry their hoods returned to the Queen's side with two boxes. They opened each box to reveal identical jewel-encrusted medallions fashioned in gold and platinum. Each starburst-shaped medallion bore a crossed sword and wand within its centre.
"Of the many that sat with Arthur at his Round Table, twelve were both warrior and wizard. It is said that King Arthur created the Order as a tribute to these twelve and their loyal service, and that Merlin himself created the twelve emblems of the Order. Unlike the badges of other Orders, these emblems were returned to the Order once a Knight Protector passed on, so that they in turn could be passed onto a worthy successor.
"Begging your pardon, Your majesty," said Hermione, "but does that mean that these are two of the original twelve?"
"Yes, Miss Granger," said the Queen, "these badges are more than 1,200 years old."
Hermione looked at the relics fashioned by Merlin himself with awe.
The Queen continued. "All who are here today should understand that given the nature of the service performed by those within the Order of Merlin it is necessarily a secret society. We note with sadness that with Sir Albus's passing, there is only one other living member. Were he in better health, Sir Evan would have been here today to celebrate with you and your family. We hope that you will both have the opportunity to meet him soon."
Hermione and Harry looked at each other with astonishment, each wondering who this Sir Evan could be and what he had done to join an Order that included Albus Dumbledore.
The Queen raised Godric's sword into the air. "Now for the fun part," she said.
She tapped the flat edge of the sword on Harry's shoulders and said "Harry James Potter, I dub thee Sir Harry, Knight Protector, Order of Arthur."
She then moved to face Hermione and placed three similar taps on her shoulders. "Hermione Jane Granger, I dub thee Dame Hermione, Knight Protector, Order of Arthur."
The Queen took a step back. "Arise, Sir Harry and Dame Hermione, and go forth into the Realm with certain knowledge of the Crown's support."
The Queen stepped towards Harry and returned the sword. She then shook their hands and said, "We understand that you have had a long day, and we shan't keep you any longer. Know that you will find welcome in our presence wherever that might be."
"Thank you, your Highness," said Harry.
One of the Queen's assistants gave her a box that matched the last two she had presented. As the Queen passed this box to Hermione she said, "We are also aware that there is a third who deserves our royal recognition, and who will no doubt be at your sides as you face the challenges that lie before you. Were he here today, we would be bestowing upon him similar honors. We hope that Mr. Ronald Weasley and those others who are, shall we say…fully vested in the wizarding world…might some day be publicly recognized by us without fear of repercussions. In the interim, should you think it safe, we ask that you convey to Mr. Weasley our thanks, and on behalf of the Crown and Her Majesty's Government provide him with this token of gratitude."
"Thank you, your Highness," Hermione said. "We will."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger were directed by the Palace staff towards the Queen. She shook their hand and congratulated them on their daughter's accomplishments. A photographer stepped up to take a few pictures of the Queen, Harry and the Grangers.
Petunia Dursley, totally forgetting that it was because of Harry that she was even in the same room as the Queen, rushed towards her for picture proof. The Queen glanced up at Petunia's direction, but seemed to stare right through her as she turned and left the room. Petunia's view was blocked by several members of the Queen's staff before her camera's flash was fully charged.
Noticing that Petunia's efforts had failed, Hermione broke away from her parents and walked straight up to Harry's aunt. "I'm sorry, but were you hoping to bring home a souvenir?" she asked cloyingly. "Here, let me help you."
Hermione reached into her dress robes and discretely pulled out her wand. She quietly murmured something, and flicked her wand towards Petunia.
Harry look over to see what trouble Hermione might be getting into and broke out into a laugh. His aunt was throwing the quietest fit he'd ever seen from her, apparently thanks to a Silencio spell. Hermione had also managed to transfigure his aunt's dress into a long white shift with flashing red letters on the front that read:
"My nephew was knighted by the Queen and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."
Harry walked over to Hermione and gave her a hug. Turning to his Aunt Petunia with a grin, he took great pride in introducing her to the brightest witch of his generation.