A/N: Another chapter for you all!
A lot of people are waiting for HHr moments-well, I'm building the story to that point-rest assured their time is coming quickly.
As I mentioned before-this is an "heir-ccentric" chapter (is there such a word?!)-but we're finally at the doors of the coronation ceremony!
I, of course take pride in my beta-VacantSkies for weaving his magic into this story, without him-well let's say it wouldn't be a pretty picture! :D visit his website at http://www.fanfiction.net/~vacantskies
Now on to the story…
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Coronation Day… finally.
"Well, enough gawking at the Jewels. We have little time to get ready for your coronation", Queen Sara stated, automatically calling everyone out from their state of awe. "Yes, little time indeed!"
The ladies in waiting turned back to the task at hand - to bring Princess Hermione to her utmost perfection.
Chapter 3
All the streets in the kingdom of Ravenclaw were teeming with decorations. Banners displaying the coat of arms of its royal family waved regally in the light autumn wind, some houses even posted signs outside their windows stating:
"Long Live Crown Princess Hermione!"
"May Prosperity and Peace Reign in Ravenclaw!"
"Happy Birthday Princess!"
Even, "May Merlin Bless You, Princess!" even made a few appearances.
Some of the posters were charmed to show a waving Princess Hermione and then shifting to an image of an eagle soaring on a blue and bronze background.
There were smiles on all the faces of the citizens of Ravenclaw, magic folk and Muggles alike. A nearly palpable feeling of energy hung in the air as this was an event that they have been anticipating since the princess' birth eighteen years ago. Everyone was starting to make their way to the gates of the castle, some arriving in resplendent carriages, others by foot. Magical creatures such as centaurs, hippogriffs, goblins and unicorns could be seen intermixing with humans, some of which were clutching invitations allowing them access to the Great Hall of Ravenclaw where the coronation ceremony was to be held, while those without invitations would stand at the court yard, awaiting the presentation of the crown princess to the public.
In the north tower of the Ravenclaw castle…
"It'll be over soon…. It'll be over soon…." Harry thought, reciting the same four words in his mind like a calming mantra.
Harry James, Crown Prince of Gryffindor, examined his reflection in the mirror. He had just donned his formal scarlet cloak with gold trimmings, on its left side lay the coat of arms of the House of Potter which was a lion standing on its hind paws a crown above the lion's head and a sword with a wand crossed below the lion, the adage of their kingdom, "Animus Iam Ferox" was scribed under the coat of arms meaning-"bravery, just, courageous". The dress robe he wore under his cloak was the typical white with gold accents which only royalty wore and fitted his body perfectly, accentuating the lean yet muscular physique of the prince, and the black shiny dragon hide boots only added on to the formality of his outfit. At the left side of his waist, the sheathed Sword of Gryffindor which was presented to him during his coronation a little over a year ago, and on his right, his sheathed wand, to cap off his royal ensemble, his crown--a smaller version his father had on.
Harry knew after the coronation would be the public presentation of the three royal families, he wondered if the Steward of Slytherin would be also with them on the balcony. This was a first, since no one from Slytherin had ever attended these gatherings, and he had heard that because of their presence, the protocol aides were researching on whether their stewards were allowed to have the same privileges to stand on the same level as that of the royal families.
After the presentation there would be the great feast followed by the formal dance and he was required to have one with her as yet again, an image of a bushy haired, haughty, prissy girl came to his mind. Harry sighed and shuddered at the prospect of dancing with the infamous Princess Hermione.
"Oh well, she'll be dancing with her father, then King Amos, followed by father, the Steward of Slytherin, then Cedric, and finally me. Hopefully she'll be too knackered out that she'll decide to cut our dance short. Then Ron and I can begin to get more familiar with the beautiful ladies of the court of Ravenclaw."
A smirk appeared on his face while a plan for the night began to formulate in his mind that concerned the many willing ladies of Ravenclaw at the feast.
In the south tower, another plan was being hatched….
"Draco, hurry up, we will be heading for the Great Hall soon!"
Draco heard his father's muffled order from behind the closed door of his bed chamber. He had on a pure black dress robe, since he was neither a prince nor the heir to the Slytherin throne. Draped over a chair in the corner of the room was his cloak which was dark green with silver trimmings and it bore the coat of arms of the kingdom of Slytherin: a snake rising from the ring of Arthur exposing its fangs as if ready to strike with the words, "Astus, Cupititas, Potestas," meaning, "Cunning, Ambition, Power," along the bottom.
"Hmmm… I wonder how this night will unfold," Draco thought to himself. In his mind, he reviewed the plan that his father had reiterated to him before they left the kingdom of Slytherin. Lucius kept telling him that his role was pivotal to the success of their twisted king's plan.
Draco resented being a pawn of both his father and King Voldemort. He hated the position that he was in: living in a repressed environment since the moment of birth, being ordered around by his king (an entity that he doubted was even human), being hit, punished or abused for even the most minuscule mistakes by his father, and enduring his mother's indifference at the abuse he took. No wonder he was so hardened and cold!
Draco thought of the women he'd be meeting at the coronation, since it would be his first exposure to the other kingdoms. He wondered what the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw looked like. He had heard years ago that she was NOT a sight to behold, which made him cringe at the thought.
"And I thought the cows were exclusive to Slytherin…." He chuckled to himself at this joke. He had not met any other women except those in his kingdom and the daughters of his father's fellow Death Eaters. His thoughts drifted over to Pansy Parkinson, "Now that was the cow of all cows, but was she great in bed!" He usually placed a disillusionment charm on her, or plainly extinguished the lights when he bedded her. Not like the list of ladies in the court of Slytherin were any better. Physically they were a slight improvement over Pansy, but her expertise in the ways of physical pleasure surpassed that of the need of a beautiful lady in bed. Draco sadly realized that his mind was beginning to become as twisted as his father's and that of his king. He sighed as he threw on his cloak upon his shoulders and exited his room to join his father as they proceeded to the Great Hall of Ravenclaw, all the while hoping that the plan his father was supposed to accomplish would not need to be executed tonight....
At the West Tower, other thoughts came to light….
"Knut for your thoughts, love," whispered a lithe figure with almond eyes as she approached the man looking out the window.
"You love… you are what is on my mind," replied the Crown prince of Hufflepuff.
"Well, that's not a very expensive thought now, is it?" Cho chided back as she wrapped her arms around her fiancé's waist from behind and placed her head on his shoulder as Cedric leaned back into her, both of them watching the gathering crowd outside the window. "Tell me what's on your mind, Cedric. I feel your aura is somehow saddened or worried…what's wrong, love?"
Cedric sighed and took Cho's hand, leading her to a seat in front of the fireplace. "I have a bad feeling, love," he started.
Cedric was wearing the exact same copy of dress robes and dragon boots that Harry had on, but his cloak was that of pale gold and ebony. He wore a dagger on his left while his wand was sheathed on his right and Cedric had yet to don his crown. His coat of arms had a golden and black badger, the scales of justice and the Round Table in the background. The words "Fidelis, Parilis, Obduro" were written beneath the badger, signifying the characteristics of every Hufflepuff citizen, "Loyal, Equality, Patience". Cho sighed at her handsome fiancé, but became worried when she saw the haunted look in his eyes.
"What do you mean, 'feeling?' Did you have a vision?" Cho knew that the king and his son were true seers. She never questioned their mastery of Divinations, yet they kept it a secret, revealing their talents only to those close to them.
"Not a vision, but a feeling… like an omen. It just started upon the arrival of Lord Malfoy from Slytherin. Cho, they are up to no good at this coronation. I discussed it with father, and he too felt the same way. We have informed King John," Cedric said as he saw the worry creep into the eyes of his fiancée. "He told us that he would have Mad Eye Moody watching that duo from Slytherin like an eagle. In case anything goes wrong during the coronation, love, I want you to draw your wand and run. Run as fast as you can to this tower and floo immediately back to our kingdom."
Cho let out a nervous chuckle as she imagined Mad Eye Moody watching the only two guests from Slytherin. "Dear Merlin, having Alastor watch me with that horrid eye of his is enough to make me collapse with fear! I can say that I pity the stewards of Slytherin. And love, for your information - I will NOT leave your side! I doubt that those two from that dark kingdom will do anything tonight, with the wards of the castle at its highest and all the aurors present. They cannot -- will not -- be able to escape. The protection of the castle will prevent them from doing so. Neither will the people of Ravenclaw allow any harm to come to their royal family and that of the royal families of their staunchest allies…. Besides Cedric, when I am at your side, I know that I am at the safest place in the world…."
"How can you do that, love? A simple statement from you, a smile on your face and the love in your eyes can sooth me…." Cedric said, as he took Cho in his arms.
"I do belong to the House of Chang -- the greatest healers of all four kingdoms…. I can easily heal any ailment of the heart, mind or body, plus I used to be a citizen of Ravenclaw -- and you know how wise the people here are...." Cho jokingly boasted as she returned his hug. Sighing she said, "I wish I was able to talk to Hermione before the coronation, though. But she was so busy and her ladies in wait informed me that she would not be allowed to entertain guests till after the ceremony…. Well, I guess Hermione will have to learn the hard way that the first prince to dance with her is already spoken for…."
"Oh, I don't know, Cho…. I wouldn't mind having the crown princess of Ravenclaw and the daughter of Luan Chang, the greatest healer in all four kingdoms tearing at each other's throats, fighting for my attention!" Cedric boasted laughingly as he lightly brushed his lips on Cho's, grinning as she playfully punched his arm. "You know that you have my heart Cho… only you." Then he added, "I too was not able to catch up with Harry to tell him of our engagement. I would have wanted to introduce you two formally."
"I love you," Cho said as she ran her fingers through the golden locks of her prince pulling his head down for his lips to meet hers.
"And I lov… umph...." Cedric's reply was lost as his lips connected with his fiancée's in a mind searing kiss, ending the conversation.
In the bed chambers of the Crown Princess of Ravenclaw....
"It'll be over soon… it'll be over soon… it'll be over soon…." Hermione recited to herself as some of her ladies in waiting were performing the finishing touches to her hair. She glanced over at the mirror and saw that her lightly tan skin, just a bit darker than ivory was complimented by the color of her gown.
The gown's design was simple. It was basically a sheath of velvet that flowed fittingly over her body following the contour of her slim figure, accentuating the soft curves of her breasts, her flat abdomen, and her slim waist. Her shoulders and arms were exposed and the skirt of her gown ran down her legs and continued like a dark blue lake fifteen meters behind her. The cloth of the gown, despite the seemingly simple velvet material, was a gift from the fairies of the kingdom, who had somehow woven diamond dust into the fabric so the brilliance of the dust against the dark blue color seemed like Hermione was wearing a cloth cut straight out from a clear midnight sky with bright, shiny stars.
Hermione's parents wanted her to wear a magnificent gown with full skirts and petticoats underneath in the colors of blue and bronze, the colors of her kingdom, but walking awkwardly in a gown that made her feel like a porcelain doll was not her idea of beauty. She had designed this gown herself. It was simple - it was just like her and she wanted to project this image to her people. King John and Queen Sara argued with her, begging her to choose a much more elaborate gown for the coronation, but images of Prince Cedric and Prince Harry during their coronations in their ridiculously resplendent dress robes adorned with every single medal and medallion created in their kingdom was not what she wanted to do. She refused to wear any medals, amulets, or any other preposterous accessory they thought of. Her only concession was the Jewels of Ravenclaw. The necklace would be placed on her during the ceremony and she already had on the pair of earrings which were part of the set.
Her long chestnut brown hair with copper highlights ran down the length of her back and ended in soft ringlets. Half of its mass was held in place at the base of her head by a simple silver clip, just so that her hair would be kept out of her lovely face. The crown of the heir of Ravenclaw would be placed on her head later that evening along with the necklace. She imagined the responsibilities associated with that crown and sighed heavily, her brown eyes with gold flecks misting over slightly. She knew that this day was the culmination of the hard work her parents and teachers had instilled in her over the years, for tonight she had to make the impression to all that she could handle the responsibilities connected to her role as crown princess and to portray the assurance and wisdom that the Kingdom of Rowena would not be lead by some trophy ruler.
Hermione raised her chin slightly, trying to show an air of confidence which she was not feeling as her ladies in waiting led her to the door of her bed chamber, readying her for her exit and the walk to the Great Hall. As she walked silently in her silk dark blue slippers through the corridors of her castle, she noticed the eerie silence.
"All the guests must now be assembled in the Great Hall." She nodded slightly in acknowledgment as the servants and the free house elves of the castle lined the corridor leading to the hall reverently genuflected as she passed by.
She approached the giant mahogany doors of the Great Hall, but before she reached the entrance, the doors immediately slammed shut. She heard the muffled commotion as all the guests tried to get settled down for the start of the coronation ceremony and the aides of the castle attempted to shush the crowd of dignitaries and magical creatures before she was to be announced. Hermione shut her eyes while she let out a long shaky breath. She could sense the ladies of her court lightly straightening the fifteen meter train of her gown, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles and placing the finishing touches on her hair.
Behind the doors of the Great Hall, Hermione noticed the immediate silence and heard the voice of the presenter of the kingdom in front of the closed doors speak "sonorous" as her heart skipped a beat….
"Albus Dumbledore, overseer of Stonehenge, your Majesties from the Kingdoms of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, Stewards of the Kingdom of Slytherin, dignitaries from Stonehenge, and of the courts of Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Magical beings of the land… King John and his Queen Sara of the venerable House of Granger, rulers of the Kingdom of Ravenclaw, present their beloved daughter Hermione Jane, Crown Princess of Ravenclaw, Heir to the throne of Rowena…."
And with that the heavy mahogany doors of the Great Hall of Ravenclaw burst open at the same time as Hermione's eyes….
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