A/N: Some people have been asking me about what really did happen after HHr were caught…well here it is!
I wasn't supposed to write this but since some are more curious than others-I caved…hence the title Chapter nine and three quarters--a filler before the tenth chapter…
To my ever diligent hard working beta, VacantSkies…muchos gracias! Kudos to you for keeping up with me and my annoying habits of repeating the same words more than twice and those darn grammatic errors…
To those who don't remember his site here's a fast recall: www.fanfiction.net/~vacant skies
Disclaimer: The characters were born from the mind of JKR, but I just want to play with them…
Now on to…
Chapter 9 and 3/4
"Today's the day!" he thought as his eyes snapped open. It had barely been a week since he was forcibly brought back home.
Harry jumped out of bed, a silly smile plastered on his face as he headed to his bathroom. He recalled the humiliating situation caused by his godfather and werewolf uncle at the Quidditch pitch at Ravenclaw, but his lovely princess did get them back. Harry chuckled as he remembered the outrageous expressions on Sirius and Remus' faces.
"Note to self-never get Hermione furious." His fiancée had been shocked out of her skin at yet another compromising situation that they'd been found in; they had not been very happy either when his darling godfather literally pulled him out from his lover's arms before their abrupt departure. "Well, almost, lover…" He blushed at the thought as he finished his bath and dressed himself up for breakfast with his parents and whoever decided to drop by the Great Hall of Gryffindor at this time in the morning.
"My princess, what have you done to me? " he thought while looking at his reflection as he tried desperately to tone down his ridiculous grin, but couldn't, knowing that at that moment his fiancée would be preparing to leave her kingdom. "Just a few more hours and she'll be here…" This thought made his grin even more ridiculous and he felt that if he smiled any larger his face would crack.
Taking one last look at his reflection, the magical mirror said, "My word! Someone's very chipper today!" Harry raised an eyebrow in reply and rushed out of his bed chambers, heading towards the Great Hall.
That same morning in the castle of Ravenclaw…
"All ready now?" Queen Sara asked her daughter. She saw the apprehension on Hermione's radiant face.
Hermione was a complete wreck. She had met the king and queen of Gryffindor a lot of times before and she knew them to be a kind, lovely couple, but this would be her first encounter with them as the fiancée of their son, not merely a princess of Ravenclaw. It would also be her first time seeing them without her parents.
"What if they don't like me that way?" she thought while rechecking her reflection for the nth time. She wore a dark green day gown instead of a formal dress robe; it wasn't an official visit anyway so she dressed quite casually for the trip. She was particularly fond of this gown because the color reminded her of Harry's intense eyes, but it was when she wore it she realized why Lady Luna and Lady Lavender insisted that she wear it upon her arrival at Gryffindor Castle.
The gown was modest enough; it was made of simple muslin cloth which had a scooped neck, long sleeves, and a full flowing skirt. The soft cloth made the day gown cling to her body in a very subtle, seductive way, but it was the very low cut which exposed her back that made Hermione have second thoughts about wearing this creation. Lady Lavender stated that the princess would not have to worry about her bare back being exposed since she would be wearing two cloaks. Her travel cloak would bear the colors of Ravenclaw and keep her warm as the inner cloak was not to be taken off which had a soft golden hue and made of velvet meant to complement the green day gown.
Her hair was styled flowing gracefully straight down her back and a small tiara to represent her title was placed on her head. She wore no jewelry except for the tiara and no make up was needed since the princess was naturally glowing.
It was a frustrating and hectic few days since the departure of Harry from the kingdom of Ravenclaw, with all the packing and planning she had to do. To top it all off, her parents and her future in-laws forbade any sort of direct communication between her and her prince which really left her wired! But the waiting was over and in a few hours she would be sharing lunch with her love. She sighed as she ran a finger unconsciously over her left palm. Feeling the faint scar there she smiled, knowing that she and Harry were now actually bonded magically, spiritually, emotionally… now all that remained was for them to get to work on the physical aspect of that bond.
Princess Hermione became conscious of her mother looking at her peculiarly, "Mum?"
"Tell me the truth, Hermione, did you disobey the request of your father and mine on not having any communication with Prince Harry?" Queen Sara inquired.
"Mum, I gave my word that I will not have any direct interaction with Harry during our separation. Is that not what you and dad specifically asked of me?"
"Hermione, somehow I have a feeling that you found a way around our request. Call it motherly instinct, my dear."
"Mum, I gave you my word…"
"So Prince Harry has no idea whatsoever of your arrival to the kingdom of Gryffindor today?" Queen Sara gave her daughter a calculating look, trying to decipher whether Hermione was lying or not.
"I have no idea on whether Harry knows of my arrival or not. Mum, as I have told you, I have had no direct communications with my fiancé since his departure from our kingdom. If I told you that Harry has no inkling of my arrival to his, then would I not be convicting myself of knowing, ergo having been in touch with him directly?" Hermione reasoned.
The queen of Ravenclaw looked at her, completely perplexed. She had not realized that Hermione would have seen that play of words she did-but then again her daughter is the smartest witch of her age. With a sigh of resignation, Sara dismissed the topic.
Suddenly a look of sadness invaded her eyes, a mother's sense of loss for a daughter. Though Sara knew that this day would come, she had no idea that it would be so soon. Her eyes misted as she looked at her radiant Hermione. "Come now, you will be late and I would hope that you will be having lunch at Gryffindor," Sara said with a warm smile.
Then, as she hugged her precious child she whispered in her ear, "Hermione, are you certain?"
"Mother!" Hermione whined, "Prince Harry and I practically grew up together!"
"True, but you both never seemed to hit it off right." Sara reasoned, then waving her hand about, continued, "This is all quite so sudden, don't you think? It has been a little over a month since your coronation, and here you are betrothed to the Prince of Gryffindor."
Hermione, wrapped in the arms of her mother, was holding back her own tears. She pulled back slightly to look at the woman who had given her life and love and then she answered, "Mum, this is the most confident decision I have ever made. I love him and I know that Harry loves me."
Sara smiled at the simplicity and honesty of her daughter's reply. She hugged Hermione again who returned it with fervor as mother and daughter pulled back, tears were falling from each others' eyes. "Look at us, it's not like we will be separated for long! Your father and I will be following in less than a week. Now, Hermione…I want you to uphold a sense of proper conduct in the kingdom of Gryffindor…I know that you and Prince Harry are madly in love-it does not mean that you will give in to whatever passion you carry for one another without the formal bond of marriage! Your father and I have raised you well-do not disappoint us. Promise me that?"
Hermione wanted to laugh, but she was afraid that her reaction might make her parents prevent her from leaving. Looking at her mother she said carefully, "Mum, I promise to not give in to the callings of passion without a sacred bond between me and the prince."
Her mother gave her a smile but she had a feeling that there was a double entendre to the words of the princess. As she pulled her daughter's hand to lead her out of her bed chamber, Sara felt the faint scar on Hermione's left hand; looking at it, she raised her eyes in question to Hermione who in turn lowered hers. "Umm…I cut it at the Quidditch pitch when I was with Harry," the princess mumbled.
Queen Sara did not say a word as she led her daughter to where her father was waiting to bid her farewell and Lady Lovegood was waiting for her to board the carriage. Upon reaching the great doors of the castle, Sara was still unusually quiet as she watched her husband embrace their child and helped her into the carriage followed by her lady in wait. King John then whispered instructions to the head of the security detail who would escort the princess on this journey.
The queen saw Hermione lean out of the window; a knowing look was exchanged by mother and daughter as her husband arrived at her side and they waved as the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw blew them a kiss. With that, the winged horses flew off, carrying the magnificent carriage of Ravenclaw towards the north, to the kingdom of the lion. When they were out in a distance, the queen sobbed as the king held her in his arms, whispering words of assurance in her ears. Sara looked into the eyes of the man she pledged her life and love to and smiled, they shared a kiss then they turned to go back into their castle hand in hand. With a last look back over her shoulder, Sara tried to search for a dot in the sky marking the position of where her daughter was. Then the queen of Ravenclaw looked down to her own left hand and saw the faint scar - an exact replica of what she had seen on her daughter's. Tears started to fall again on her cheeks.
Back in the Kingdom of the Lion at the Great Hall…
"She did what?!" Queen Lily asked, an incredulous look on her stunning features. She had heard an abbreviated version from her husband of the story now related by their best friends who were still harboring welts and bruises on their faces.
Seated beside the queen, her husband King James was red from suppressed laughter. He looked at Sirius and Remus, who both were shoveling their breakfast in their mouths, "That's the reason why I didn't tell you the full story, love. You had to hear it from the victims themselves!"
"Had no idea of where those bloody damn birds came from! Honestly, was caught off guard by Harry's lady. James, remind me never to startle that girl! The prince will have his hands full with that one...." Sirius grumbled. It was his bruised ego that made him complain.
Remus then continued retelling the story to his queen of having found her son and the princess in the locker room at the pitch in the heat of the moment. They'd decided to have their own fun and surprise the couple. It was the princess who had seen them first.
"What was Harry doing?" Lily asked immediately regretting her reflex question.
The three men in the Great Hall looked at each other, each flushing slightly.
"Um…the young prince was…uh…quite busy at the time…" Remus stuttered.
"Well, if the princess hadn't turned her head to give my godson better access to her lovely neck, she would have not seen us!" Sirius hissed.
"Oh…" was all Lily could say. But instead of letting the topic die a natural death, she had to ask, "Then?"
"Then, after Princess Hermione screamed to the high heavens, the young couple raised their hands simultaneously as if in defense, but before it registered who we were to Harry, the princess uttered `Avis!' and the duke here and I found ourselves being fodder for the birds! I swear Harry and Hermione together will be a force to reckon with. It'll be daunting going against them. Their raw power by themselves is something-but together and with training, they will be the most powerful couple-they, along with Prince Cedric may be our only hope," Remus stated.
"That is what we are praying for," James replied.
"So when are you going to tell Harry?" Sirius asked gravely.
"Tell me what?" interrupted the crown prince of Gryffindor as he came bounding through the doors.
The four adults in the room looked at each other anxiously. Then, as immediate as the expression had appeared on their faces, so did it vanish as they turned their attention to the prince when he sat down with them after kissing his mother's cheek.
Harry took a bite out of his buttered toast then mumbled, "Well, what were you going to tell me?"
"Umm…" Sirius and Remus started.
"Well…" Lily began.
"We were going to tell you that the Princess of Ravenclaw will be arriving today, it was to be a surprise-but since you caught us… well-surprise!" James stated with a false smile plastered on his face. While the other three let out a soft sigh of relief at the quick thinking of the king, what they were not expecting was the reaction of the prince.
Harry kept eating nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders, "Knew it two days ago…"
"What?!" the four adults said rather loudly. Groaning inwardly, Prince Harry suddenly realized he'd said what he was thinking out loud.
"But I told you that there would be no falcons to be exchanged between you and the princess and no communication whatsoever till the two of you get better control of your hormones! I will have to tell John about this so we can think of proper sanctions for you and the princess at having broken your promise," James said as he was about to head over to the fireplace to floo the king of Ravenclaw.
Harry choked on his food as he sputtered to his father, "But Hermione and I did not break our word! We have not been in any direct contact with each other since I left!" His anger started to rise at being accused of breaking his promise and the prospect of having Hermione punished because of his slip of the tongue.
"Then how did you know?" James stated, eyeing his son.
"Well…as they say father, `the court has ears' and I do have my sources," Harry mumbled.
"Son, only the king, queen and their daughter of Ravenclaw knew of the early arrival of the princess at our kingdom aside from the Marauders and your mother. It is highly unlikely that you got your information from us," James glanced at his two friends who shook their heads violently in reply. "And I so doubt that neither John nor Sara would volunteer that information to you. Now the only one left would be the princess-who happens to be your fiancée. Hmm…not looking good for you, is it?" James continued.
"Did you and King John not state that the princess and I were not to have any direct contact with each other?" Harry asked.
James nodded slowly. Looking at his wife, he caught the twinkle in her eyes as it suddenly dawned on him, "Lord Ronald Bilius of the House of Weasley…" he growled.
As if on cue, the said Lord came in the Great Hall practically beaming with the knowledge that Lady Luna Lovegood was the chosen chaperone of the princess. Ron felt so unbelievably giddy at knowing that he would see her again that he almost forgot he was hungry for breakfast…almost, but not quite.
Seeing Harry already at the table, he raised his hand in salute, "Oi, Harry!" Then realizing the other four pairs of eyes suddenly zeroing on him, he halted then bowed rather stiffly and said, "Good morning, your royal Majesties." Turning to the other two males he nodded to each of them, "Your highness." Then he proceeded toward his best mate, oblivious of the predicament that his crown prince had placed him in.
Now Lord Ronald Bilius of the House of Weasley was easily not the brightest crayon in the Weasley box, and to add insult to injury-he was rather daft. So having mentioned these rather adorable traits of the lord, one would understand why Ron would have sat beside his best mate, Prince Harry, and started eating his breakfast with much gusto. Lord Ronald, being who he was, was ignorant to the fact that the rest of the table had grown quite silent. Four pairs of adult eyes were focused on him and his best mate was fidgeting beside him, but onwards Ron went, enjoying his breakfast. When he lifted his head to take a sip of his pumpkin juice, he turned to Harry and asked, "Oi mate, fancy a quick game of chess after breakfast?"
Harry looked at Ron disbelievingly, "Oh he cannot be this dense! Can he?" Watching his friend stuff another mouthful of kippers, Harry thought, "Yup, he can…"
King James did not know whether to erupt in laughter at the scene before him or erupt in fury. He contemplated the situation that he was in. "Yes, John and I specifically asked both our children to cool down a bit, no communication whatsoever between the two… Then Harry asked `No DIRECT communication, father?' to which John and I affirmed…. Hmm-cunning, Harry! Just bloody crafty!" James then knew that his son had sneakily outwitted him.
Shifting his gaze to the still eating Lord Ronald, the king just shook his head as a smirk appeared. He had to credit his son on his resourcefulness though. Looking directly at Ron, James asked, "So Lord Weasley, I believe you to be quite excited at the arrival of the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw-or maybe I should say Lady Lovegood? Seeing that you and Harry knew about it two days ago." Then he erupted in laughter as he watched Ron start hacking as he choked on the food in his mouth. Harry was already hammering his best friend on the back.
Both boys were now red in the face with embarrassment. "I must commend you, Harry. It takes a brave man to pull one over a Marauder, and I must say that you, the princess, Lady Lovegood and Lord Weasley have done quite good job at it!" James looked at his two best friends smiling sheepishly who then grimaced as the smile brought pain to the cuts and bruises on their faces caused by a very upset princess. "Seems like we have a new generation of Marauders in our midst…" Then as James was about to continue, a loud hiss came from the hearth in the Great Hall as embers started flying about it and a voice was heard, "JAMES? JAMES? LILY? ANYONE THERE?"
James immediately approached the fireplace followed closely by his wife. Looking at the logs, he saw the head of the king of Ravenclaw looking about and beside him his lovely queen. "John? Good morning! I take it the precious package has been sent?" James replied as he and Lily simultaneously stuck their heads in the massive fireplace.
"You guess right, my daughter has now just crossed into the Kingdom of Gryffindor according to Alastor," John answered.
"Moody is the head security detail of the princess? My John, you are pulling all the stops!" James then realized the swiftness of the arrival of the princess. "Wait, did you say Princess Hermione just crossed into Gryffindor?" He and Lily suddenly exchanged glances as they heard a chair screech across the floor rather forcibly.
"Why, yes, James, I had Hermione use the Royal Ravenclaw carriage. Though I know this isn't an official visit, I wanted Hermione to be as comfortable as possible in her travel there. The carriage was outfitted with a pair of extra Aethonons, hence cutting the flight over there by half. Sorry to inform you about this rather suddenly. I hope you and Lily wouldn't mind the sudden intrusion of the Princess, I knew we agreed her arrival would be around midday, but I was informed about the extra winged horses right before she departed. If there is any problem, I can have Alastor take a stop over at Stonehenge…" John trailed off.
"Not a problem, your majesty…Please, there is no need for the princess to stop by Stonehenge!" Prince Harry said rather loudly as he too joined his parents in the fireplace.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Lily shouted, reprimanding her son at his rather rude intrusion into their conversation.
John's head laughed as Sara shook her head with a smile, "Well, good morning, Prince Harry!" John greeted.
Harry bowed his head at his future in-laws and greeted them, "A very pleasant morning to your Majesties."
Lily, looking back at the other royal couple, answered for all of them, "John, Sara like what Harry has stated, there is no intrusion at an earlier arrival of the princess. We are looking forward to it actually. Just let them stay their course." Then she turned to Sara, "We have a lot to plan, Sara. I hope that you do follow immediately."
"Believe me, we will be there in a few days," Sara replied immediately.
"Prince Harry, I trust that you and Princess Hermione will maintain a sense of proper behavior worthy of a crown prince and princess?" John stated firmly as he gazed at the prince.
"There is no need to worry, your Majesty. I love the princess and respect her with my entire being. We will be bonded before anything out of hand happens. Besides your Majesty, Hermione and I will not be doing anything that both our parents would not have done during this stage. Now, if you will excuse me, King John and Queen Sara, I have to prepare for the arrival of my fiancée who I desperately miss!" With that, Harry bowed his head and ran off with Lord Ron following closely behind.
The two pairs looked at each other, then John asked, "Did Prince Harry say that he and Hermione would not do anything we would not have done when we were engaged?" as his gaze shifted to his wife then to James.
James replied slowly, "Aye, we heard right." He too had a worried expression as he looked at his wife and then at the King of Ravenclaw.
Sighing heavily, King John said, "That's what I was afraid of…"
In the Royal Carriage of Ravenclaw…
Hermione looked out the window as she absentmindedly fiddled over the faint scar on her left hand. She could feel the eyes of her best friend intensely boring into her as if reading her thoughts.
"So when were you planning to tell me?" Luna asked softly.
"Hmm…tell you what, Looney?" the princess answered, trying her best to evade the eyes of her lady in wait.
"Now do not have me let loose a doxy on you, Herms." After looking out her window, Luna suddenly said, "Oh I do hope that we will not encounter any hinkypunks... I do not want to get lost while my Ronald is waiting for me…"
Hermione looked at her friend, again baffled how Luna could be lucid one second and then incoherent in the next. "What now, pray tell, am I to tell you, Looney?"
"Oh, like when you and Harry performed the ancient bond by merging your blood - ergo your life, love, soul and magic?" Luna asked as she straightened her wand stuck behind her ear.
Hermione's jaw dropped. She was utterly shocked, "How…"
"Herms, how many times do I have to remind you than I am an empath? I can feel your life energy has been somewhat magnified and your aura has changed. I do believe you now carry part of Harry's aura as well," Luna said in a firm voice.
Hermione, thankful to the fact that her best friend had known but kept her mouth shut the whole time, realized just how much she could trust her. Smiling at the ability to tell someone the truth, she raised her left hand to show the scar to Luna and said, "The day Harry left, we performed the ritual at the Quidditch pitch…But it did not get any further since his godfather and uncle... umm… arrived."
Luna nodded. Then, after pondering upon what her princess had told her she said, "Well, knowing, err… feeling the emotions you and the prince have for each other, I can honestly say that whatever failed attempt you and he were supposed to be doing at the pitch will be successfully seen through tonight?"
Hermione, shocked at what her friend was implying, could only blush and stutter, "Umm, well…uh…"
Luna burst out laughing at the awkwardness the princess displayed. It took a lot before one could cause the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw to be utterly speechless. Having achieved that task, Luna quieted down with a very pleased look on her face.
"I'm quite looking forward to have the walls of Gryffindor crumble around my ears then…I, too, am planning to cause some wall shuddering myself… You see, my Ronald, being the gentleman he is, has been restraining himself... much to my dismay. He needs a nudge in the proper direction and I am very willing to give him that final push there. Now do you think the Gryffindor castle has been searched for nifflers? I do not wish to have my finger bitten off while I sleep with my Ronald!"
Again Hermione was quite put off by Luna moving from one rational topic and ending on a very non sequitur item. Hermione let out a very unlady-like snort as she tried to prevent her laughter, which bubbled up nonetheless. Luna, hearing the sound, stared wide eyed at the usually demure princess and the two ladies burst out in uncontrollable laughter which ended in joyful tears.
"Honestly Looney, how `your' Ronald will keep up with your ideas will be beyond me! But I must ask, Luna-are you happy with Lord Weasley? I mean this is not brought about by Harry and me, having thrown you basically together. I could not bear it if you got hurt because of this…"
Luna's expression softened and a look of gratitude appeared on her face as she took hold of her princess' left hand and traced the scar. Closing her eyes, she felt the energy radiating from the faint mark which warmed her up. Then, looking at her friend who had always accepted all her idiosyncrasies without any question, she answered softly, "I will be eternally indebted to you and Prince Harry for having me encounter the man I am meant to pledge my life to. And Ronald will be, too-once he stops being a rather daft prat! But if Ronald and I will be lucky enough to experience only half of the immense love you and Prince Harry have for each other, then I can die a fulfilled woman."
With a radiating smile which made Luna's being practically glow, she continued, "Hermione, what you do not understand yet due to the constant intrusion of that highly intelligent brain of yours is that you and the Prince of Gryffindor are destined to be together. Call it soul mates or even karma buddies, as people beyond our kingdoms coin it. But no matter what, you were and always have been fated to be with Prince Harry. No matter where you roam in this life or the next, your heart and soul will always call out to the other. So promise me one thing, princess…" Luna looked at her friend and seeing her nod, she went on, "Give me your sworn oath that no matter what your quick mind tells you, your quicker heart will always prevail when it comes to your Prince."
"But Luna, there is a code of behavior that Harry and I must always maintain! I mean I just can't jump him or ask him in the middle of a ceremony, `Harry mind a little snog?' I mean, honestly, social etiquette should still be followed and with all the duties as a crown prince and princess, plus the added burden of being the heirs to the throne of Godric and Rowena, we still have to…"
Hermione did not finish her statement as Luna raised her hand to stop the ranting of her princess. Luna then looked into the soft brown eyes of her future queen, whether she remains a citizen of Ravenclaw by birth or Gryffindor by marriage and stated rather firmly, "Princess, I am not saying that you must be at the every beck and call of Prince Harry! No! One must still maintain one's identity even if it is only half of a whole…" Luna waved her hands dismissively explaining this, then her expression darkened, "But Herms, I can feel an evil lurking in our midst-there are dark times ahead and this feeling of darkness will have the power to drain the light. My soul absolutely shivers when the aura of the evil one surges... and those times have been frequently felt not only by me, but by father as well. I know that you and the Princes of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff - even the Heir of the Steward of Slytherin have an important hand in what lies ahead. But you must lay your doubts and insecurities about your love for Prince Harry to rest. Herms, he loves you more than you can even comprehend as you love him. I can feel it and it warms my spirit. Hence, just let your emotions rule you instead of your mind sometimes…"
The Crown Princess of Ravenclaw was silent, letting all the information that her lady in wait and most trusted friend had said sink in. Then looking directly into her friend's lucid, violet eyes, she said, "Luna, I swear to you that I will not let anything come between me and my Harry…"
The two friends gave each other a hug as excitement started to take hold of them and they chattered about their intended. Hermione kept laughing till her sides hurt as Luna regaled the princess with the plans that she had for `my Ronald.' Then they saw Alastor Moody bring his broom up to the window of the carriage. With his magical eye zooming all around, he said, "Crown Princess Hermione and Lady Luna, welcome to the castle of Gryffindor!"
At the courtyard of the Castle of Gryffindor two young men, one with raven colored hair and the other with fiery red hair could be seen fidgeting with their clothes and appearance.
Duke Sirius of the House of Black had an evil grin on his face as he nudged Earl Remus Lupin and nodded his head in the direction of his godson and his best friend. Remus, looking at the two, turned to his best friend and had a copy of the evil grin plastered on as well. The two co head aurors and best mates of the King of Gryffindor swaggered over to the king who had a smirk on his face as well. The three Marauders looked at the hopeless young men who were nervous as the arrival of the Royal carriage of Ravenclaw had been heralded. James felt pity for his son, who was desperately trying his best to tame his pathologically messy hair he'd inherited from him.
"It's so easy, just so easy to mess with him," Sirius muttered to the other two.
"Padfoot, Moony-be nice. Your intended victim is my son, you know, and I think his fiancée who will be arriving any time now will not take too kindly at having the two of you messing around with Harry. Honestly, have you not learned your lesson? I mean, you are still carrying the marks," James answered, recalling the days when it had been he in his son's position, waiting for his future bride. As if being called by the memory, Lily slipped beside him and he instinctively took her hand and kissed it as they both gazed at their son who was suddenly a grown man.
"I came as soon as I heard," Lily whispered to her husband, "Knowing Padfoot and Moony would be here, I knew that Harry would need reinforcements."
James smiled down at his wife and they shared a kiss. Sirius grunted as Remus guffawed at their friends' public display of affection. "C'mon James! Let Remus and I go on and play!" Sirius whined.
"Oh, stop it, you two. You've done quite enough at the expense of my son! Let him be," Lily admonished.
"Fine," came the grudging reply from Sirius as Remus just smirked.
Then the four elders saw an identical pair of young men also with red hair join the prince and the lord. Remus immediately looked at Sirius, who was now looking with interest at the other quartet in the courtyard. James cautiously looked on as Lily whispered, "Oh no, not them…"
"C'mon Harry, you don't think that we would…" George started.
"...humiliate you in front of the Princess of Ravenclaw, do you?" Fred finished.
"Yes, you would. Now get out of here, you gits. The farther you are from me and Hermione, the better," Harry hissed.
"Ronniekins, come to greet your lady too?" Fred asked.
"Get going now, you two, before I hex you into next week!" Ron growled.
"Oh ho! Did I hear right, dear brother? Did our dear Ronniekins just threaten us with a hex?" George asked mockingly as he placed an arm around the shoulder of their youngest brother.
"Bro, I believe you're right," Fred replied, smirking.
"Look, you two, if you don't believe us, then here; try the breath mints. Prince Harry, I'm sure you would kiss the princess upon her arrival-being that it's just the lot of us here, no need to follow protocol! Here I'll sample it for you," George then popped a mint into his mouth, rolled it around then smiled.
"See, perfectly safe!" Fred answered.
"Don't believe them, Harry! They have something up their sleeves, I tell you!" Ron warned.
"Come now, bro. Look at the mints! It's all mixed - there's no way that we could mark the safe ones from the trick ones…if there are any." George showed off a tin with uniformly colored mints. "Now here, we are thinking of the two of you with only good intentions and you shoot us down?" George and Fred then covered their chests in mock gestures of being hurt.
Harry eyed the tin of mints being offered. He did brush his teeth an extra time knowing fully well that when his fiancée stepped off the carriage he would more or less make a fool of himself in front of his parents by snogging her senseless. "Well, Hermione's parents caught us-I don't think mum and dad would mind," he thought.
Because of the Weasley twins he suddenly felt less confident about kissing the princess but he missed tasting her sweetness, so he might as well take any chance to make the experience better.
"George didn't transfigure into a chicken," he thought to himself.
Then he saw Fred pop a mint into his mouth and nothing happened to him, either. Harry saw Ron's doubtful eyes meet his and then he saw his best mate cautiously reach out for the tin and take one mint. Ron examined it, then closing his eyes as he popped it in his mouth and blew his breath on his hand, he sniffed and his breath smelled unbelievably minty. Ron looked over to the prince and smiled. "They aren't lying Harry! It tastes great and my breath smells the best it has in years!"
"Naturally, bro, considering you only brush your teeth once a week!" Fred retorted and moved his head as Ron tried to hit it.
The Prince of Gryffindor did have a sinking feeling in his gut but as he watched Ron take two more mints and still nothing happened, he felt a bit more relaxed. Then Harry heard the trumpets blare, signaling the arrival of his princess and as he looked up he saw a magnificent sight.
A large blue carriage with bronze trimmings being pulled by twelve chestnut hued Aethonons was truly a sight to behold. There were three Ravenclaw Aurors on brooms on either side of the carriage, who were obviously the security detail for the princess. Then as the carriage came gliding down gracefully, Harry did not hesitate as he took two mints and immediately popped them in his mouth. What he missed were the knowing looks exchanged by the twins and the looks that passed between his godfather and semi-uncle.
Harry felt the effect of the mints immediately, then spying Ron take another two mints, he waited with bated breath as the coachman swung open the door and placed the steps to it for the occupants to go down on. He saw Lady Lovegood step out and curtsy before his parents. She did look absolutely beautiful and she gave a wink to his best mate beside him and Harry heard Ron gulp loudly but he did not go towards Luna.
Harry was about to rush to the door but was held back with a firm hand on either shoulder by Sirius and Remus who had somehow flanked him as he watched his father and mother approach the carriage. "Not yet, Harry. Even if we don't have to follow any formal arrival ceremony, there are still some things that have to be done by your mum and dad," Remus whispered.
"Your Royal Majesties of Gryffindor, King James and Queen Lily of the venerable House of Potter," Alastor started with a bow to the king and queen, who in turn acknowledged it with slight bows of their own. "It is my honor to present her highness Crown Princess of Ravenclaw Hermione Jane of the venerable house of Granger and heir to the throne of Rowena."
Then a hand appeared out of the carriage as Alastor took it, Harry too took a loud gulp and he could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. When the last occupant came out of the carriage, Harry could hardly breathe. He watched as the head Auror of Ravenclaw assist his fiancée out. A hand, then an arm wrapped in dark green, then a green slippered foot, then a brown head with a small tiara on it, then all of her was out of the carriage and Harry exhaled rather forcibly. He saw his fiancée meet his gaze and smile. Then she shifted her eyes to his parents before her and curtsied so gracefully before them. Harry then saw his father take her hand and Hermione rose slowly.
James looked at Mad Eye Moody and said, "Alastor, tell John his precious daughter has arrived safely and will always be welcome in the Kingdom of Gryffindor. Tell him that Lily and I look forward to his visit here with Sara. By the way, you are welcome to stay and rest before you head back to Ravenclaw."
Alastor murmured a thank you and the two bowed to each other. Then Harry saw his dad pull Hermione into a big fierce hug which caused a shock expression on the face of the princess. The king then whispered something in his fiancée's ear which caused her to giggle and blush. Then Harry's mother opened her arms as Hermione drifted into them; again he saw his mother whisper something to his love's ear which made the blush turn deeper as both women looked at him.
Harry, not feeling the hands which restricted him, ran to Hermione, who stood there looking at him rather intensely. He gathered her in his arms and hugged her, his arms wrapped around her under her cloaks and he groaned as his hands touched her bare skin at her back. They pulled apart and Harry placed his forehead against hers. As his thumbs traced her spine, he saw her bite her lower lip and she closed her eyes at his touch. When she opened them, her brown eyes were unbelievable dark with love and passion for him. "Merlin, you are so beautiful. I missed you so much…"
Hermione smiled. Looking up, she whispered, "I chose this dress with you in mind, my prince." Harry moaned and she could feel his hands running up and down her back rather possessively now. "Harry, your breath smells absolutely delicious…Mind if I have a taste?" Hermione boldly asked.
Harry silently thanked the Weasley twins for their mints and smiled down at his fiancée. "Hmm…your wish is my command, love." He then lowered his lips to her soft ones and their mouths opened simultaneously as their tongues met midway.
Then Harry and Hermione's eyes flew open as a tingling sensation invaded him and the princess felt her mouth suddenly fill up. The prince pushed Hermione back as she started to gag. The princess' eyes were wide as she watched Harry's tongue grow ten times its normal size and hang out to almost reach his chest. Hermione turned as she saw Luna also pull away as the same thing was happening to Luna's Ronald. Then it struck her as she saw her fiancé draw out his wand and aim it at the twin red heads that were rolling around the courtyard in laughter.
Hermione looked at her future in laws and saw a restrained smirk on the face of the king while the queen was just livid. Harry and Ron were trying to hex the twins but couldn't say any spells right being that their tongues were still growing; from the looks of it Lord Ronald's was four times longer than Harry's. Hermione couldn't help herself and started laughing at the scene before her. Luna looked at the princess and gladly joined her, each of the women holding onto the other as they doubled up, holding their sides. The queen, seeing that everyone was getting a good laugh out of the expense of her son couldn't help herself as a chuckle erupted from her, followed by another and another.
Harry and Ron could not believe it! They had been doped by the infamous products of the Weasley twins again! They did not know whether they should applaud the twins on such a brilliant creation, a mint that had been charmed to activate only upon a kiss, or hex the twins till next year! Worst of all, their lady loves were laughing at them! They could not believe the situation they were in.
Then Hermione, while wiping the tears from the side of her eyes went toward the prince and said, "Love, I know that you're excited to see me-but really there's no need to drool!" which ignited another round of laughs from everyone.
"Princess…please…stop with the…one liner…we are…about…to…have…a…an...accident in our pants!" Fred tried to say between laughing as he rolled around the courtyard and was joined by his twin, Sirius, and Remus.
"Mmph thathatha ungh mmph" Harry tried to say, which again caused the lot to keep laughing. Now Harry and Ron were purple with fury. They couldn't properly utter a spell to fix their tongues nor could they hex the culprits. They were stuck in the predicament till anyone would wish to help them.
After a while, Hermione finally took pity on her fiancé. Taking out her wand, she muttered a shrinking spell and added a healing charm which immediately brought Harry's tongue to its normal size. Harry then kissed her cautiously in gratitude. Ronald was not as lucky since he'd eaten around five mints. It took Luna quite a while to reduce the size of Ron's tongue to at least half. Luna then looked at the princess for help, she in turn walked over to her lady in wait and `her Ronald.' With a wave of her wand and a muttered charm, she cured Lord Weasley of his predicament. Ron and Harry chased the twins as the ladies rolled their eyes. Finally George seized the princess around her waist and used her as a shield, putting her between him and the prince and trying in vain to hide behind her petite figure, while Fred copied his twin but with a very giggly Luna.
"George, if you value your ridiculous life, then carefully let go of the princess and I may just spare you by hexing you till next week instead of next year!" Harry growled.
George was either feeling lucky or just simply mental. He shook his head, "Sorry, your highness, but I'll take my chances with the princess instead of taking my chances with you!"
Princess Hermione, listening to the exchange, muffled a giggle and said, "Umm…wrong answer!" Waving her wand at the feet of her captor who was still standing behind her, she uttered, "Levicorpus" and before Sir George Weasley knew it, he was hanging upside down in the air. The princess, seeing that his twin was laughing, said, "Oh, honestly!" Then she said the same spell and now both twins were hanging upside down by their ankles beside each other.
The Prince of Gryffindor then strutted toward his talented fiancée. As he placed his arm around her shoulders, she immediately wrapped hers around his waist. They were joined by Lady Lovegood and Lord Weasley, the King and Queen of Gryffindor, Duke Sirius and Earl Remus.
"Sir Weasley, consider this payback at having my arrival marred by you and your twin's petty pranks. Also remember this-I do not take kindly to having my time with my fiancé interrupted as you can ask Duke Black and Earl Lupin!" With that said, Hermione turned to the Prince of Gryffindor and said, "Well, love, I find myself quite hungry at the waste of energy at cleaning up after you…I believe you owe me lunch!"
"Ah, yes, my dear-as I said before, your wish is my command!" and with Harry's answer, the couple, arms around each other, headed to the Great Hall of Gryffindor, followed closely behind by Lady Lovegood and Lord Weasley.
Sirius, taking sympathy for the Weasley twins, took out his wand and said, "Liberacorpus" and as the two fell down with a thump he told the twins, "Be grateful that she did not have the birds attack you!"
The Duke turned to his king and queen and mumbled, "I must say, the princess is definitely brilliant!" to which the Earl nodded in accord, then Sirius continued, "Just bloody brilliant-scary, but brilliant!" and the four of them burst out laughing once again.
A/N: So what did you think about this chappie? Just be sure to state your opinion in the "reviewer box"
To those who believe that I should have raised the rating to an "R" (refer to Chapter 9) instead of keeping it "PG-13"…I don't see why I should-the following chapters (including this one) does not seem to fall into that category, although I must admit that Chapter 9 is a bit racy. Those of you who still believe that I overstepped this rating then tell it to me again-I easily cave you know…
Teasers…Must I? Oh alright…For Chapter 10-the awarding of a Slytherin citizen in the kingdom of Gryffindor…a prophecy revealed…the die has been cast by the Steward as the storm intensifies…
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